Nick
Jack Wall– Mass Effect 2
Jack Wall is considered the primary composer for the outstanding Mass Effect 2 soundtrack, with additional contributions from Sam Hulick, David Kates and Jimmy Hinson. However, Jack’s fingerprints are all over this fantastic title’s music. Jack’s discography includes a couple of traditional television and film credits, but his video game contributions are considerably more pronounced.
Dating back to the third-person shooter Vigilance for PC by SegaSoft in 1998, Jack’s credits include Myst III and IV, The Mark of Kri, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Jade Empire, several Call of Duty titles and the first two Mass Effect games. There’s a theme here of big, bombastic franchises and Jack’s music perfectly encompasses these often-massive set pieces within action-heavy games. However, unlike the Call of Duty titles that Jack crafted, Mass Effects 1 and 2 both have orchestral tones complimented by electronic elements that compliment the science fiction setting.
This is never truer than Mass Effect 2, which also happens to be one of my favorite titles ever, let alone action-RPG titles (the theme of this month’s Memorable Music). The music swells and is bombastic during scenes with lots of action but knows how to be soft and subtle during many of its more emotional moments as well. For me no song is more memorable in Mass Effect 2 than Suicide Run (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw&rco=1), which evokes numerous emotions when paired with the game’s events near the end.
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Susie
Yu-Peng Chen - Genshin Impact
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been playing a game with some friends that is free to play. It is none other than Genshin Impact which has some of the most beautifully composed music I’ve heard in a video game. There have been several moments while running around figuring out how to level up artifacts and characters to complete a story mission that I’ve commented about the music in this game. Each region has a distinct theme, and along with the theme is music that fits the area. In total, there are seven nations in Teyvat which are: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya. Those seven nations are inspired by real world places and their music. Monstadt is based off of Germany because of its unique architecture, Liyue is modelled after China, Inazuma is reminiscent of Japan, Sumeru is inspired by the Middle East, Fontaine is definitely modelled off of France, Natlan is said to be based off the Philippines, and Snezhnaya is inspired by Russia.
Given each nation’s inspiration comes unique music throughout the region being explored. The composer Yu-Peng Chen (aka Chen Zhiyi) produced the soundtrack for Genshin Impact under the in-house music studio HOYO-MiX. Chen made it a point to mix traditional folk music with western arrangements to facilitate the diverse locations in the game. Thus, the music uses the tin whistle, medieval style lutes, and piano. Although it has evolved over time, HOYO-MiX now consists of several composers who have been featured on different albums for Genshin Impact. The man who is responsible for much of the early game music departed the HOYO-MiX team to pursue his own musical dreams.
With that in mind, I’ve found myself drawn to several tracks from the Mondstadt and Liyue regions. For one Mondstadt Starlit, the Dawn Winery Theme, and Flows like Jade Water are all beautifully crafted songs that I love, but they are certainly not the only ones. See, I’ve recently stepped into The Chasm and the main theme of the area is quite memorable, especially since it has a quiet piano and violin melody to accompany you on your journey. Another area with rich music is Sumeru as it features a Middle Eastern sound that I really enjoy. All you have to do is listen to the Sumeru theme to hear what I mean.
Honestly, there are so many amazing tracks in Genshin Impact that I’m impressed. Although the game may have some flaws, the music is fantastic and I can’t help but get drawn in by it.
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Richard
Yukihiro Jindo - Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
This is an incredibly tough pick for me since there are so many great options, but if I were forced to choose a game that’s had the most soundtrack stuck in my head for the longest, I’d have to go with Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. I believe we’ve discussed Falcom’s music team being absolutely amazing, but I really think they hit it out of the park with Ys VIII. From really heartfelt pieces that’ll pull on your heartstrings, the amazing battle themes, great area themes, and a final dungeon theme that WON’T. LEAVE. MY. HEAD.Seriously though, probably about 70% of the soundtrack is permanently on loop in my brain. While Ys titles have always been amazing audio wise, there’s just something about Lacrimosa of Dana that really hits home with me. There’s not much I can say other than Yukihiro Jindo makes soundtracks that reflect the nature of the scene so well it’s honestly astounding. There have been some games I’ve bought just because the soundtrack is amazing, and honestly Ys VIII would be one of them if I weren’t already invested in the Ys franchise.
