Best music in adventure game

Radiant · Fri 05/08/2011 18:25:34

This is really old, but Future Wars is the best music I've ever heard on a PC speaker.

Sure, it hardly compares to the polychronic Sound Blaster 256 stuff we have now, but for the most common medium at that time, I found it pretty impressive. Also, certain LucasArts games come close to this (particularly TSOMI), although Sierra never did.

qptain Nemo · Sat 06/08/2011 03:04:35

My picks: Legend of Kyrandia trilogy, Blade Runner, Beneath a steel sky, King's Quest 6, Laura Bow 2, The Messenger (the whole soundtrack would barely make two minutes in length but it's so insanely good), Myst, Space Quest 4, URU Ages Beyond Myst (even if only for the Gallery Theme), Gray Matter, Runaway A Twist of Fate, Sanitarium, The Last Express, Gabriel Knight 1.
Also I have favourite bits from all Broken Sword games and I agree with what Ali said about their music so it deserves a mention too.
Anachronox if you count it as adventure which you really should because it does clever funny storytelling better than most adventures do.
As for AGS games: Apprentice 1 & 2, Ben Jordan 3, Mind's Eye.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Sat 06/08/2011 05:18:30

* ProgZmax sheds a tear.

While I've never claimed to be a musician, it pleases me that people have said they liked the music for Mind's Eye (and the quirky Limey Lizard tunes I made later on). I haven't had any formal training which has always nagged at me and is something I've felt holds me back from producing anything of real quality in that regard.

As for you, Marky-Mark- don't bury your music in your hard drive, release it or offer it up to some freeware game in the GiP thread!

Quotealthough Sierra never did.

This is weird because I'm usually one of Sierra's tougher critics but I have to disagree. Gabriel Knight 1 had an AWESOME soundtrack and I remember the main theme AS FONDLY as Monkey Island, mainly because both games affected me on such different but pervasive levels as a kid (monkey island for the quirky, light hearted high adventure and Gabriel Knight for the dark, serious horror elements).

arj0n · Sat 06/08/2011 09:50:55

Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Fri 05/08/2011 17:41:55
Regarding AGS ones... few "Shifter Box" themes were wonderful (don't know their titles).

I also loved an opening in "5 Days A Stranger", but I think it was taken from RPG Maker - as author stated in a readme (or wasn't it?).

Shifter's Box [Guitar Grandeur Soundtrack] [2009] tracklist:

box-barrage,
boxed version,
box inside of boxes,
box-office,
chocolate-box,
heavyweight-boxing,
p-o-box.

The music from "5 Days A Stranger" was indeed taken from RPG Maker.

m0ds · Sat 06/08/2011 15:48:04

Shane, mm that is a nice idea. Definitely worth thinking about, thanks. The game grew - it was just going to use MIDI at first. In a way I guess going back to using the MIDI in something else would be kinda cool.

Quotemonkey island

Great music - peeved I never played it when I was young.. DOTT was definitely the first major (now retro) soundtrack I paid attention to. Back as kids we used to love to watch the kite scene, and it was all just epic back then

Can't really figure out why MI was never on any friends machines, so I didn't play that til I was 17 or so, when broadband was invented*

Prior to that LBA2 (and one) and Amazon Queen's music was really enjoyable. Even Hugo's house of horrors music made me sing it for days after.

Some nice picks by people. Personally I'm impressed with the amount of original music in AGS games these days.. Gone are the days when AGS games were "cool" because they had a popular song MIDI or two in them, hahaha

I guess whatever anyone brings to the table is unique and it will always work - because the game is an original piece too. It's just great to see how the musicians will interpret it and how the developer will implement it 8) Funny when you start thinking about quite how much original material has been made (including art and code) over the years for AGS games...

* installed in my house

Radiant · Sat 06/08/2011 16:43:55

Quote from: ProgZmax on Sat 06/08/2011 05:18:30
Quotealthough Sierra never did.

This is weird because I'm usually one of Sierra's tougher critics but I have to disagree. Gabriel Knight 1 had an AWESOME soundtrack and I remember the main theme AS FONDLY as Monkey Island,

I was talking about PC Speaker music. Gabriel Knight has Sound Blaster music. That's not the same medium.

Bailey · Mon 08/08/2011 09:04:42

Monkey Island and Grim Fandango have some really decent music.

I was always a fan of the Need for Speed soundtracks, used to play the game only to listen to the music.

Myst and Sanitarium also have some good tunes.

*I just noticed it said adventure game, so I guess the NFS suggestion is not quite valid, but still - pretty good music on there.

Dualnames · Tue 09/08/2011 20:07:02

Trilby's notes. Seriously. Also and of course, Monkey Island and Grim Fandango.

blueskirt · Thu 11/08/2011 02:37:01

Stories and backgrounds come and go, but music get stuck in my memory forever.

Day of the Tentacle, Fate Of Atlantis, Lechuck's Revenge, The Curse of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, The Dig, Grim Fandango, Sam And Max, Gobliins 2, Alone In The Dark and Shadow Of The Comet (easily the best Lovecraft and horror soundtracks of all time), Superhero League of Hoboken, Leisure Suit Larry 7, Space Quest III, King's Quest VI, Quest For Glory I, Beneath A Steel Sky

AGS, I'd say, Pleurghburg, Duty And Beyond, Trilby's Notes, Blackwell Unbound, Tiltor, Nelly Cootalot, Quest For Glory II VGA, Gesundheit

Snake · Thu 11/08/2011 03:27:31

Nobody has mentioned it yet, so I hope this isn't blasphemy, but I've always been partial to the entire soundtrack to The Adventures of Willy Beamish.
The music to that game was perfect for it and added so much to the atmosphere. I can't say anything more than it being absolutely perfect. The feeling of being 12 years old and it being summer time, all the exploration, adventure and misadventure, the music couldn't possibly be any more fitting.
I've never played the PC CD-ROM version of the game so I don't know if it was SEGA CD exclusive or not, but the theme song on the SEGA CD was INCREDIBLE. I love it all.

I hope I am not the only one that appreciates the music in this game to it's fullest. Every scene's music was perfect for that scene.
This game wouldn't be as much of an inspiration to me without the music.

The best music in an adventure game, ever.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Thu 11/08/2011 04:42:54

I wouldn't call it blasphemy...in fact, I have a confession to make..

Spoiler

I replay Willy Beamish about every 2 years because it has such a high childhood nostalgia factor for me...Oh, and I have the entire soundtrack in two different formats on my computer.

[close]

This is my favorite of the lot, Willy's house tune:

http://www.mediafire.com/?69e61h619ba476s

Though the intro tune is a close second

http://www.mediafire.com/?omblag60nwyh2bg

We were spoiled with so many quality games in the mid 80's to late 90's.

kconan · Thu 11/08/2011 07:30:10

For music (and the timing of it to kick in when playing) I have to go with the original "Alone in the Dark".

Its not an adventure game, but "Ballblazer" had pretty amazing music for its time. I remember occasionally loading it up not to play, but to just listen.

Snake · Thu 11/08/2011 15:21:07

Right on, Proggy!

It is the biggest childhood nostalgia for me as well.

When it comes to nostalgia, here are my favorite tunes from the game (there are 6 because I couldn't choose):

-as copied straight from the Sega CD game disc-
1. Day 1 theme (the first song you hear when you get home and are roaming around the house)

2. Upstairs theme for Day 1

3. Outside the Golden Bowl (bar)

4. Willy's tree fort

5. Payphone (great scene where you could use the phone and dial all the numbers written on the walls if you want) This song is currently the ringtone for my phone

6. Detention/School hallway

I also can't forget to link to the title theme... FIRE THOSE GUITARS!

(deleted) · Thu 11/08/2011 17:44:27

(deleted)

Ali · Thu 11/08/2011 21:32:30

I forgot the Neverhood! Yes!

I've also just remembered the menu music for the otherwise rubbish 11th hour. Me and Nelly used to listen to it over and over and laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w28PFvKNAWE&playnext=1&list=PL08C715745919A696

"I can't find my car keys... better ask Mr Death...
And I get so lonely... we have a game of chess."

Igor Hardy · Thu 11/08/2011 21:36:10

The Neverhood goes without saying.

Wyz · Fri 12/08/2011 00:36:23

I didn't forget it, it's just implied

abstauber · Fri 12/08/2011 07:37:59

About Willy Beamish: I just can remember those OPL3 Soundblaster tunes and I actually bought the CD version after my cracked floppy version always crashed at the Frumpton Sludgeworks.

If Outcast counts as an adventure, that soundtrack blew me away and, also the new edition of Monkey Island 2 has terrific score.

As for AGS games, I usually love what Thomas Reign and David Pfaller do. In games: Snakes of Avalon and Besieged, yay

Armageddon · Sat 13/08/2011 07:36:53

Can someone please tell me where I can download this song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWdmmu91jGY

Gabriel Knights had some great music.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Mon 15/08/2011 06:51:14

Wow Snake, some of those sound significantly different from the GM and MT versions I have. Would you feel like uploading the lot somewhere so I can grab them?

Armageddon- I just happen to have the entire Gabriel Knight soundtrack remastered in ogg format. I'll post a link here when it's done uploading.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9QFZIMF3

Best music in adventure game

m0ds