Do developers put as much effort into soundtracks these days?

Godz on the Atari ST, that was an epic effort (wearing my rose tinted glasses)

I think the Halo series over all sticks in my head, although the games generally have been forgettable the soundtrack has stayed with me for years. Its the games the makes the hairs on your arms stand up, making you really feel something towards the game that I love. Not enough do that to me in the last few years, but when you come across an epic soundtrack that does something to you I think its worth the price of the game alone.
 
Oh yeah, also there's the Guilty Gear XX soundtrack (2002). Some amazing stuff in that, Be Just or Be Dead being one of my favourite tracks from that game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGetImTgyFA
Also Pride and Glory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OUHUnOAxaA

Also the Sonic games have always had pretty awesome soundtracks, most of the tracks in those games typically emote the personification of the characters very well (far better than the actual storylines do at any rate):
E.G.G.M.A.N: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWiSEyU76M4
Militant Missionary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByzcJs-Fczk

I also think that Square Enix put an amazing amount of effort into the Final Fantasy soundtracks that again, emote the emotion of the scene very well and are usually great to listen to by themselves. Here's some examples from some of their later games:
Final Fantasy X Battle theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRGjiFb6Fw0
To Zanarkand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08RYp-uDpPo&feature=related (very much so worth a listen if you don't like the active tone of the other things I've posted)
Clash on the Big Bridge (XII): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCf9...DF2BD8C5A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7 (for the love of your ears if you haven't heard this, hear it now!)
Kaze No Ne (crystal chronicles): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-YK8JRb1Rc&feature=PlayList&p=E163419B7C0F941F&index=1

That being said, PC-focused games tend to be disappointing on the soundtrack front, instead making more use of ambience to draw immersion in many titles.
 
Maybe I'm just old but to me game soundtracks are fairly poor these days compared to the pre-CD era, you mostly just tend to get a few licensed chart songs thrown in at the last minute that add no atmosphere whatsoever.
 
Hmm maybe im just showing my ancient age here but I love the old C64 music sure it was only 3 channels etc etc but it felt like they put a lot more effort into it because of the limitations and made the music fit the games. There are a lot of the old tracks that has had remixes done to them with proper instruments like this Last ninja track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XZPflpw-ys

ohhh and have to link to a proper C64 track non remixed altho there are some great ones out for this track Nemesis the Warlock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzfOXkZrY0 Rob Hubbard the master of game music!

Better add a superb remix of the Nemesis track too just cause 3 channels is a bit too old skool for you youngsters :)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_YGRsZCilM
 
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Lightnix said:
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Funny that you should mention Guilty Gear XX as it has one of the best original Rock-infused soundtracks, especially as the composer is a huge Rock music fan. Another game series that is the same is the Dynasty Warriors games, mixing Rock with Chinese instruments.

Yeah theres no denying that the Final Fantasy games always put a lot of effort into their soundtracks. Hitoshi Sakimoto's version of FFVI's Clash on the Big Bridge is really good. Hell, I personally think that 95% of the entire FFXII soundtrack is really good as it is something different for the main numbered series and is some of Sakimoto's best works. Radiant Silvergun, Odin Sphere and Valkyria Chronicles are my favourites of his other works as well.

I'll also have to add that all the Soul Calibur games have absolutely epic music for the stages, capturing the persona of the characters, their struggle with the story and their ethnic locations very well.
 
I think it depends on the game and the developer, and the design ethos of the team.
The guy we've got on our mod team is relatively young, but hes a professional through and through (he's got a few film trailers under his belt etc), some of the stuff he comes up with puts chills down my spine.
Whether it'll be memorable I don't know, but it'll likely be pretty good, and I say that as full credit towards him not our mod team haha I think he's very intent on doing a soundtrack album is it works out well.
I think the music in the various trailers is one of the things we get the most positive comments on haha


as an example!
(please note this IS an old trailer :p)
 
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Im suprised no one has mentioned tracks from the Castlevania series

Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
Bloodlines - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96TZ-cOeeWA&feature=related SNES version which got released in the UK instead the original PC Engine Version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LuFBlUNoRY&feature=related

Super Castlevania 4
Simon's Theme - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sX3fjpkFwk

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Prologue - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkL9ZTlWsZk
Dracula's Castle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qh_uhV0ta0&feature=PlayList&p=6D692C49C153D064&index=5
 
Persona 4 has a great soundtrack, some surprisingly catchy j-pop and other nice themes.

Take this for example, this music plays in an 8-bit themed dungeon. :D

 
I always think most of the western music is rubbish, less distinctive, homegenised.

Like that Uncharted Music, thats straight out of a movie all the distinctive trumpets and violas played to onscreen events, and the bombastic uplifting notes which are supposed to lift you up. It sounds straight out of the school of cliche.

When I'm playing some game which features in some alternate reality, the major thing that makes it feel like another world is the music, if the music sounds familiar then going through the game feels familiar and somewhat tired.
 
Calabi said:
Like that Uncharted Music, thats straight out of a movie all the distinctive trumpets and violas played to onscreen events, and the bombastic uplifting notes which are supposed to lift you up. It sounds straight out of the school of cliche.
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I love that kind of movie soundtrack leave it alone :)

Just gone and checked out the Dragon age soundtrack, i think ill get that, Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2, Good stuff :D
 
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Yeah it is, think I included it in my theme music nostalgia packs a few months back. (Did put them up for link on here but got asked to take them down because of the copyright issues).
 
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