Mark Morgan is not scoring Fallout: New Vegas

[Galvan]

Did someone just pull it off of Neogaf or something?

Heh, I saw it on Neogaf first. However, the original source was a thread on halflife2.net forum.

 

[archont]

Compare and contrast:

Intro theme
Stalker: Call of Pripyat
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNzIn4yKp7I&feature=related[/youtube]

Bethesda's Fallout 3
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl5xbFXrFU4[/youtube]

In-game ambient
Stalker: Call of Pripyat
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbs_hj0OWNw[/youtube]

Bethesda's Fallout 3
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLuuRhBSGPI&feature=PlayList&p=F89CD673971A3680&index=6[/youtube]

Combat
Stalker: Call of Pripyat
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPHQdBrE0Zg&feature=related[/youtube]

Bethesda's Fallout 3
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JL3oDPS35E&feature=related[/youtube]

I think the music speaks out for itself. Although I'm usually not the one to judge one's tastes, I don't have to be a chef in a Mariot hotel to know that dog shit doesn't make for a good appetizer.

 

[Brother None]

I don't remember any source being given for the Gameinformer rumor, and I probably wouldn't have bothered to read it at all if it was cited as a random forum post from an anonymous source.

It links to the source at the end, a HL2 forum post, and cites "unconfirmed sources". Nothing terrible, but we could be a bit clearer.

Heard it's Inon Zur.

With Mark out, you'd kind of assume so. Hopefully he'll do a job closer to Tactics and less close to F3.

 

[Lexx]

Hopefully he'll do a job closer to Tactics and less close to F3.

I wouldn't really bet on this. :/

 

[Verevoof]

Ah, oh well.

I know the game soundtrack is important, but I'm worried about the actual game itself. I mean, you could have a great soundtrack, but crappy gameplay, plot, etc. I certainly wouldn't play a bad game just because it has a good soundtrack. Morgan would have been a plus, but it's not possible to make a bad game good through just music. Whether New Vegas will be a nice addition to the Fallout franchise no one knows.

 

[archont]

Well, the music rarely goes out of line with the rest of the game. Music is also a game develpment process, just like programming, gameplay design, graphics and whatnot.

I have yet to see a game with incredibly good and atmospheric music that was crap in all other aspects, and the other way around.

The thing with music is that unlike in code, you can see the feeling and inspiration. Bethesda's Fallout 3 (and I refuse to call it merely Fallout 3) had music that reeked generic. It was the musical equivalent of "yeah whatever is it good already? can I loop it and get it over with FFS?"

 

[Paul_cz]

Compare and contrast:

Wow, CoP has great music, can't wait to play it, loved both Stalker games.
But it is amazing how much I disagree with FO3 music detractors. That exploration song that you posted is unbelievably atmospheric and just hearing first ten seconds made me want to play the game again.

Right now I am playing Dragon Age and that one has also quite beautiful soundtrack so far, and by Zur.

 

[Surf Solar]

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised bye those Stalker tracks. Some tunes are really good, just a bit too loud imo. I don't know the game, but that would keep me losing my attention, because its not subtle enough.

And the only ambient track from FO3 that is ok is this exploration thingy, atleast there are 1-2 "melodies" or samples I remember.

 

[Ausir]

Right now I am playing Dragon Age and that one has also quite beautiful soundtrack so far, and by Zur.

Zur is pretty good for epic, orchestral music for fantasy games. Not so much with ambient music for Fallout.

 

[Brother None]

Right now I am playing Dragon Age and that one has also quite beautiful soundtrack so far, and by Zur.

I loathe the DA:O soundtrack. It's tripe.

The Borderlands music team, now there's a bunch I wouldn't mind seeing take a crack at Fallout.

 

[OakTable]

Right now I am playing Dragon Age and that one has also quite beautiful soundtrack so far, and by Zur.

I loathe the DA:O soundtrack. It's tripe.

The Borderlands music team, now there's a bunch I wouldn't mind seeing take a crack at Fallout.

I am beginning to think the word tripe is a favorite of yours .

Anyway, both games have pretty good music. I don't know what archont is going on about. And Borderlands does have a kickass music team. The combat music, for example, only comes on when there's a swarm of enemies. Makes it more exciting and less annoying because it doesn't pop up whenever you fight a single thing.

 

[Morbus]

Wow, that's some sucky soundtrack from STALKER. That's probably the reason why I always play the game without it: it allows me to hear the sounds of the zone much better, and it sucks.

Reminds me of Half Life, which I also played without a soundtrack. All of a sudden some guitar riff playing out of nowhere, wtf?

Still, SoC was a great game, CS had great mechanics but a stupid railroaded campaign, and CoP is probably going to be awesome.

 

[Starwars]

I'd just like to join the choir and voice my dislike against Zur. There are very little stuff he has done that has actually made me take interest, the only one I can think of at the moment is the Icewind Dale 2 soundtrack which was rather nice.

Since then, I just feel he has failed whatever direction he has taken. Two recent examples are Fallout 3 and Dragon Age. Fallout 3 features some sort of half ambient half orchestral mishmash which doesn't work very well most of the time, nor is it very memorable. Then you have DA which is supposed to "teh epic" but comes off as a *really* cheap LOTOR rip-off.

I know many people compare him with Jeremy Soule, but I have to say I find Soules stuff a lot better overall. He has done some great soundtracks and while his Elder Scrolls stuff is pretty much generic fantasy scoring, at least they are *good* at that. I'd say the Morrowind is one of the best I've heard as far as epic fantasy themes go. Oblivion had some rather pleasant exploration music, and while the environments are unfortunately just ye ol' fantasy rolling lush green hills, the music compliments that well. Some of his ambient, dungeon stuff is pretty good as well.
Zur is just so... forgettable in every way.

Though neither composer is right for a Fallout game if you ask me.

EDIT: Though on its own, I have to say I've always liked the Fallout 3 exploration track as posted above. Using those slow and rather sad strings can be a pretty effective way to score a Wasteland I think, but it's just not particularly right for Fallout at all. Something much more threatening and/or hostile is needed.

 

[Morbus]

I considered Oblivion's soundtrack better than Morrowind's, but that's probably because I didn't play enough of it to become completely bored with it as I did with Morrowind. I haven't heard both of them in a long while so I can't comment, but Soule has some pretty decent stuff, even if he's been fading a bit.

 

[TheRatKing]

Though on its own, I have to say I've always liked the Fallout 3 exploration track as posted above. Using those slow and rather sad strings can be a pretty effective way to score a Wasteland I think, but it's just not particularly right for Fallout at all. Something much more threatening and/or hostile is needed.

This. I remember going to the Den and thinking right away "shit." Just because of the really threatening music. Also, the whole desert feel is kind of stripped (granted Fallout 3 does not take place in the West).

 

[Eyenixon]

Force maestro Jesper Kyd into slavery in the pubescent gaming industry, developing all music for all titles on a heavy diet of speed and meth.
Soundtrack problem solved, that man possesses talents of banging nature.

 

[Paul_cz]

Right now I am playing Dragon Age and that one has also quite beautiful soundtrack so far, and by Zur.

I loathe the DA:O soundtrack. It's tripe.

The Borderlands music team, now there's a bunch I wouldn't mind seeing take a crack at Fallout.

You really are weird : ).
I am in the beginning, just arrived to Ostagar so I heard only 4 or so songs, but they all fit the atmosphere well. The one in Ostagar camp is great.
I agree about Borderlands, that one has great music, but that is about the only thing apart from the style that I like about the game.Too boring and mindless, Fallout 3 is a superdeep RPG compared to that.

Force maestro Jesper Kyd into slavery in the pubescent gaming industry, developing all music for all titles on a heavy diet of speed and meth.
Soundtrack problem solved, that man possesses talents of banging nature.

This I would agree with : ). And I would be very interested in hearing what would Jesper do with Fallout.

 

[Public]

Fallout 3...superdeep RPG?

Buahahaha.

 

[Morbus]

Sudoku is a superdeed RPG compared to Tetris! W00t!

 

[Silencer]

Then you have DA which is supposed to "teh epic" but comes off as a *really* cheap LOTOR rip-off.

I know many people compare him with Jeremy Soule, but I have to say I find Soules stuff a lot better overall. He has done some great soundtracks and while his Elder Scrolls stuff is pretty much generic fantasy scoring, at least they are *good* at that. I'd say the Morrowind

I have to stop you right there as each time I try to hum the LOTR theme these days, I end up hummin the Morrowind score. Original much, eh?