From: jecoleb@eos.ncsu.edu (have clue, will travel)
Subject: Re: Zen out on music
Keywords: music, meditation
Reply-To: jecoleb@eos.ncsu.edu
Organization: The Ghost Of Christmas Past Society
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 17:13:24 GMT


Chris.Jeris@launchpad.unc.edu (Chris Jeris) writes:

>DARIUS ... My vote for Most Awesome Music, All Timelines, All Universes.
>Of course I haven't seen that many games :)  But when you hear that theme,
>right at the beginning of Zone A, (at least I do) you just get this crazy
>euphoric feeling.  The better I center on the music, the farther I get
>before being toasted.  (Which is why I have problems in Zone E, the music's
>harder to hear.)  The neat thing about both these games is that you don't
>hear them from far away but they're really loud when you're playing.  (I
>don't know, maybe this is common to most well-designed games, I spend
>more time watching than I do playing...)

Darius is, was, and will be my choice for the best integrated soundtrack of
any arcade game, EVER.

Wonderful multiple-voice effects (especially the victory hymn), great 
rhythms (am I the only one who catches himself firing IN TIME with the music
on stages like J?), and an all-in-all feeling that someone WORKED on it,
instead of slapping together fourteen sound effects and yelling "Ship it!"

(Cute touch:  Darius is a triple-screen game.  While you're in the center
third, bullet/bomb sound effects come out of both speakers; while on the left,
only from the left speaker, and ditto for the right.  Makes you feel like you
really ARE moving around.)

Sadly, a lot of Darius machines have blown-out speakers on one or both sides,
which really ruins some of their appeal.  (Taito always did design like an
earthworm--they go from beginning to end without looking to see what they did
in the middle.  They put some amazing and complex sound routines in their game
and put in some seriously cheap speakers to PLAY THEM.  Philistines.)

Note:  Darius Twin, on the Super Nintendo, has a fair amount of the original
themes repeated, and some newer compositions.  Worth looking at.

Honorable mentions:  Toobin' has a nice soundtrack, LifeForce was a trip
(yes, I know, it was the 'first' stereo game), Moon Patrol was simplistic
but catchy, Bubble Bobble was overly cute but the music grew on you...

Worst one ever:  Mr. DO!   GREAT game -- INSIPID theme.  (The rising musical
notes when picking up cherries were merely the icing on the cake.)

>And in the Pinball division, Black Knight 2000.  You must HATE the machine.
>Enough said.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!  :)
I *love* the music on Black Knight 2000!  Easily one of the three best 
pinballs, sound-wise, of the last five years...

The BEST, of course, being FunHouse.  Even discounting Rudy, the supporting
music is WONDERFUL, especially just after you've nailed the Million-Plus shot.
--
                         jecoleb@eos.ncsu.edu 
          ---------     have clue, will travel.    ---------
  "I am a penis. Worship me."--lead singer of rock band Bicycle Face,
vainly attempting to gain attention of the crowd at the Cat's Cradle
in Chapel Hill, while opening for Mojo Nixon & The Toad Liquors
"Hey--Don't go in the door--You don't know what's in there--Stay away from
	that door--WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade