GSoundtracks (Game Soundtracks' Website)

Demetris is letting The Power go to his head!

New expanded review:

Supreme Commander - Jeremy Soule

Here's the paragraph I added to the original review concerning the addon tracks for Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance:

At the end of 2007, Gas Powered Games released the first official addon: Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance. The additional cues Soule composed are available at DirectSong.com (free of charge for the purchasers of the original Supreme Commander album). The expansion set introduces a new alien race called the Seraphim. Their futuristic and shiny look is underscored by Soule with a solemn yet menacing string line, often joined by choir. As a matter of fact, Forged Alliance is dominated by such a sense of impending danger as this new race enters the eternal war of the factions. As an example, “Visitors from the Quantum Realm” is a spine-chilling blend of dissonant tonal figures. Soule also wrote one new arrangement for each original theme that sounds quite unconventional in respect to most of his work: he mixed his traditional orchestral style with electric guitar and soft electronics. Both the Supreme Commander and the Cybran theme are turned into Rock arrangements; the Aeon theme is underlined with a beat and modern electronics. However, especially the Cybran theme works pretty well in such a new arrangement. In addition, there’s also a convincing variation of the military motif in “The Art of War” as well as a new addictive action theme in “Rhiza’s Offensive”. As a whole, Soule’s additional tracks don’t sound very impressive, but it’s certainly a change of pace that makes the album as a whole a more diverse listening experience.

Remember, if you've already purchased the original Supreme Commander soundtrack album, then you can download these addon tracks for free.

New interview added:

Troels B. Folmann:

Troels B. Folmann has written music for a great variety of games including the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider: Legend. In this interview, he talks to us about composing for games, the interactivity of game audio and his overall perspective on the gaming industry.

Read more here: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/interviews/folmann.htm

2 new reviews:

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War - Jamie Christopherson

Overall, Bladestorm is an action-packed and sweeping score that convincingly underscores an epic battle game. It shows that Christopherson is certainly a talented composer. Fans of epic game music should not only seriously consider getting this album, but also look forward to Christopherson’s upcoming projects.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/reviews/bladestorm.htm


Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - Jamie Christopherson

The score to Lost Planet would require a completely different approach than Bladestorm, another project which Jamie Christopherson had tackled in the same year. For Lost Planet, he mostly abandoned orchestral writing and focused primarily on creating icy and stormy musical soundscapes to effectively keep up with the presentation on screen. To that effect, the score relies heavily on organic synthesized textures, electronic rhythms and futuristic beats: a mixture rarely heard in Christopherson’s previous efforts.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/reviews/lostplanet.htm

I'll try.

New review added:

Age of Empires 3 - Stephen Rippy & Kevin McMullan

This third entry in the saga, however, would bring new elements to the compositional table. First of all, the score introduces a number of new themes in addition to the classic main theme of the series. Secondly, Rippy (with assistance of composer Kevin McMullan) got the chance to record his music with a selection of the Northwest Sinfonia. This allowed him to pay more heed to the historical time frame the game is set in and to provide a score that was less synthesized and modern but more orchestral and baroque. Thirdly, Rippy focused more strongly on interactivity and improved the in-game dynamics of his music.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/reviews/ageofempires3.htm

Say what? There's a video game called SUPERMAN RETURNS as well?

New interview:

Peter McConnell is a video game music veteran who has composed music for such classics as the Monkey Island series, Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle and Sam & Max. In this interview, he talks to us about one his latest projects, Psychonauts, the early days of video game composing as well as the particular challenges of writing music for interactive media.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/interviews/mcconnell.htm

New review:

Crysis - Inon Zur

For Crysis, Zur would focus heavily on the game’s setting: a lush and exotic jungle atmosphere. His score is a very tribal and percussive effort drawing heavily upon combination and alternation of rhythmic phrases. Indeed, most of the action material consists of fast-paced progressions often accompanied by either strings or sparse use of brass. The aliens are characterized through electronics and a number of synthesized effects. “Grave Danger” is a good example of how all these elements work together: The cue starts with echoing effects and a muted string base which slowly gains complexity and rhythm before it is joined by a brass line and more traditional orchestral instrumentation. As such, the score excels at creating a dense and slightly claustrophobic soundscape.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/reviews/crysis.htm

New review added:

BioShock - Garry Schyman

Schyman has written a truly masterful score. Even though it has its best and most immediate impact in the game itself, it’s a rewarding and fascinating listen for all those who are willing to dive deep into the ocean and discover a lost city in its depths.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/reviews/bioshock.htm

New interview:

Stephen Rippy is in-house composer at Ensemble Studios and has written music for all games in the Age of Empires series. In this interview, he talks to us about composing for strategy games, his experiences with Age of Empires III and the particular challenges of balancing music and sound effects.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/interviews/rippy.htm

New review online:

Prey Volume 1 - Jeremy Soule

To sum things up, Prey is an accomplished effort with definite movie score flair. An awe-inspiring overture, thematic richness, compositional variety and ethnic and electronic elements all come together to a great package that will exalt Soule fans and provide an engaging and rewarding listen to video game music enthusiast in general. Soule’s orchestral trip into the realm of sci-fi has yielded success.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/reviews/preyvol1.htm

Review of Volume 2 coming soon.

New interview online

Inon Zur:

Composer Inon Zur has written music for a great variety of video game genres including adventure (Syberia II), strategy (Warhammer 40k), role-playing (Everquest II) and action (Crysis, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury). In this interview, he details his score to Crysis, talks about the particular challenges of each genre and gives his perspective on the video game music industry.

Read more: http://www.gsoundtracks.com/interviews/zur.htm

I've also updated the site design. Come check it out and let me know what you think!

http://www.gsoundtracks.com/index.htm

GSoundtracks Is Looking For Reviewers

We’re currently looking to add a couple of video game music enthusiasts to our reviewers list here at GSoundtracks. Interested in writing reviews for one of the fastest growing video game music websites online?
Do you have a love for video game music and want to tell everybody about your favourite scores? Do you want to interview game composers and ask all the questions you’ve been dying to ask?

Now is your chance!

Before applying, please note:

- Applicants must have excellent English grammar and writing skills
- Applicants must be game music lovers and must be willing to spend a few hours per month writing reviews

Unfortunately, we cannot compensate your effort in any way, because GSoundtracks is still a fansite with no monetary income whatsoever. The only thing we can offer is the chance to do interviews, to write and publish reviews and perhaps get some free game album copies.

Drop us an e-mail, if you’re interested and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can:

info@gsoundtracks.com

Who wrote the music for WARHAMMER ONLINE again?