VALVe Soundtracks

Technology and Gaming
#1

In game, it may be as little as an afterthought, especially in an actiony game like Left 4 Dead, but the music really adds to the atmosphere of the game, and VALVe is one that doesn’t skimp on musical quality.

https://left4dead.wikia.com/wiki/Left_4_Dead_Soundtrack

https://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Half-Life_2_soundtrack (Doesn’t let you listen to them.) :frowning:

In game, you’re usually to preoccupied to really just listen and enjoy the music, but listening to just the tracks reveals that they are really well written. A lot of them have a real creepy horror feel to them, and some are just plain cool.

#2

I remember holding a conversation with Klow about the soundtack articles.

You should be able to listen to them if you dig around in the archive, and they’re all on youtube anyway.

#3

Yes, Valve does spend time on their sound tracks. Also the idea that games have poor soundtracks is really just a stigma from gaming’s early years. Most big budget titles now a days have decent to excellent soundtracks.

#4

I liked how in Left 4 Dead 2, each campaign had it’s own version of the Left 4 Dead 1 songs.

I also liked the rock version of the Tank song in Dark Carnival’s finale.

When I first played HL1, it was my first time hearing anything electronic that wasn’t a MIDI. I thought it was weird. I do like the soundtrack now, though.

#5

I think you got it backwards. I remember dozens of songs dating back to the NES & SNES were out, but the newer games don’t really stick & aren’t as memorable. HL2, Bioshock(but much of that was from the 50’s), Mother 3 & Cave Story are some of the only games whose music I can remember that came out in the past five or so years. Most of the other big budget titles just seem unmemorable.

#6

While I like music in games a lot rarely stand out of the crowd. Kelley Bailey is an excellent artist so I generally like most of the Half Life series songs, but games like L4D and TF2 have little forgettable tunes.

Day of Defeat Source has one of the most impressive themes I’ve ever heard but I have no idea who made that.

With most other mainstream games it seems to be a maelstrom of unmemorable orchestra, rock or pop things. Only really unique stuff seems to stand out, like the Black Cats theme in World at War or the Oceanlab action music in Deus Ex.

Valve has the advantage of having a soundtrack artist that can generally be unique with all his tracks while still maintaining an underlying theme for each game. Notably in Half Life 2 you can hear transitions from the techno-actiony tracks of City 17, to the more rock based sounds of the vehicle sections, onto the creepy European folkish tunes in Ravenholm.

#7

Memorable != Quality and for what its worth although a lot of games in that era had good music go back further and arguably no games had good music. Also for ever game that sounded good on the NES there were another 20 that sounded like ass.

#8

Of course sound quality is different than how good a song actually is. But these days it seems that people will think a song is good just because it’s orchestrated or has a grigorian chant chorus despite the song in & of itself being bland & uninteresting.

Before someone accuses me of ripping on Halo, I actually had Metroid in mind.

#9

Hymn of Defeat and Victory is the best track for me

if they played that one ingame for the loosing team, they would probably take back every point and destroy the enemy

#10

Half-life music is best compare to another half-ass alien killing game.

#11

I love all the valve soundtracks, they’re fantastic, I listen to them all the time. especially portal’s soundtrack. it’s really atmospheric and peaceful.

#12

Morrowind. Hot damn that is memorable.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.