Define this please.orchestral soundtracks
'Cause as far as I remember, it also took a complete orchestra to create Gorecki's more minimal compositions, compositions that sometimes even foreshadow ambient music from the nineties.
You guys should be talking about measure and things like 'grave, vivace, andante, agitato, ...' and so on.
Like a famous cartoonist once said: "It don't matter which tools you use, it's the goddamn result that matters."
In theory you could make the perfect Fallout soundtrack on a Jew's Harp or with a box of Skittles (although that would be pushing it).
But yeah: sometimes everything just falls into place, right tune, right tempo, right instruments.
But don't forget all those classic games with their bleep bleep bleeeeep soundtracks, they were so limited toolwise, but some of them are just etched into my memory 'cause they were good and fitted the game completely.
My two eurocents.