A Symphony in midi

One of my favourite things in many games is the music. About a quarter of my music comes from games (the majority of which can be attributed the genius that is Nobou Uematsu, legendary composer for most of the Final Fantasy series but he gets his own post later).

A good soundtrack can make or break a game. It doesn't matter how a good a game is if it has an annoying soundtrack you won't play it or you'll mute it and loose all the whizzes and bangs that help you submerse yourself in the moment. But it's so much more than that. Music sticks in the mind long after the excitement of the game has worn off. If you don't believe me hum a few bars of the Mario or Tetris theme on a packed train and see how many people start tapping along. They got stuck in your heads for hours and they're still there in the back of your mind all these years later.

Game music is notoriously difficult to get right. It has to be distinctive and suit the mood and atmosphere of the game, but at the same time it has to blend into the background to not take focus away from the action on screen. You could be listening to the same 5 minute loop over and over again for hours; if done right you'll feel a deeper connection to the characters and their plight, if done badly you'll want to throw your controller at the wall and gouge out your ear drums.

There are many modern games that have good soundtracks but there are very few in recent years that can hold a candle to these giants of ages past. Most rely on similar styles themes: pounding syths for fights and flights, ye-olde flutes and lutes for bimbling about country villages, grand orchestras and choirs when you need 'epicness'. While being a good short hand to let the player know what's happening and doesn't jar by being unexpected it does lead to everything game in a genre sounding the same and rather blasé, nothing that sticks in your brain for longer than it's playing. Can you think of any game from the past year that had even one tune that you can still hum now, or has everything become one great wash of Latin chorus and thumping that wouldn't be out of place at a rave?

Not all games use original scores of course. Games set in a contemporary world are increasingly using contemporary music, such as Grand Theft Auto. Following the huge success of Guitar Hero many bands now see games as a platform to get their music across to a whole new audience. And it works. It was a demo of the first Tony Hawk game way back when that had 'Superman' by Goldfinger on it, the song that introduced me to the wonderful world of punk rock.

It seems like music in games is beginning to get it's just recognition with events such as the fantastic Video Games Live, a travelling show where composers Jack Wall (Mass Effect, Myst, Splinter Cell) and Tommy Tallarico (Earthworm Jim, Prince of Persia) perform medleys of soundtracks accompanied by a local orchestra. If it comes to a town near you I highly recommend it, it's a lot of fun. Hearing Tetris and Space Invaders played on classical instruments is a real kick. It's not just specialist events like this though. At Christmas I went to 'Nokia Night of the Proms', a night of pop acts from various parts of Europe brought together to play whilst backed by a full orchestra. I was surprised when I suddenly realised that they were playing the Advent Rising medley I'd heard only a few weeks before at VGL! Unfortunately we caught the show in Munich and I don't speak a word of German but my friend tells me that the host was saying how games were becoming an important step in the evolution of music. I have to say I agree with him and it's an evolution that I can get behind.

RPGs - Would you like a live chick with that?

In today's gaming field there are very few games which do not have some kind of role play aspect to them. Gone are the days of Pong and Tetris, simple little games to sap countless hours of your time. In a FPS you are the soldier fighting his way through the D-Day landings. One day you could be the international sleuth trying to solve the murder case, the next you're trying to outrun rampaging zombies that just wanted to invite you to dinner. Start to play an RTS and you're.. well in an RTS you're God I guess. Games are about escapism, getting away from the tedium of out mundane lives and being someone else for a few hours. In short, role play.

The few games out there without some kind of role play aspect seem to be trying very hard to convince people that they are not games. They are educational, brain expanding masterpieces that everyone should buy and bask in their glory, or aids in fitness or some other aspect of life enrichment.

So what actually is an RPG these days? To me I always see it as a plot or character driven game. One where the main point of the game is not to kill aliens or solve riddles, but where these are merely a means to unravel the story and develop your character.

The RPG, as with all genres of game, is evolving and right now is undergoing a real change. Now for the first time it appears to be shifting back to its table top roots placing a much larger emphasis on the choices, both tactical and moral, that you and your character make. Where as before your decisions might lead to a different item being picked up or at most lead to an alternate ending now deciding to make a cutting remark to your in game peers could cause a chain of events that alters the entire course of your game. Later you are held accountable for your earlier judgements as NPCs start to treat you differently or different side quests open up to you depending on whether you have been the epitome of goodness or an utter git.

Of course there is still the old vanguard. Square-Enix's Final Fantasy series, long the unquestioned ruler of RPGs, is still alive but perhaps not all that well. Their latest instalment, Final Fantasy XIII (ever the imaginative title), has incurred several slating reviews. Whilst still rating very highly overall (82% according to the good people over at Metacritic) the series's throttle hold on the market is undoubtedly beginning to slip. It was held up for its extreme linearity, far more so than an previous FF game. In a market where games increasingly rely on choice this game has none, not even about whether to go left or right as you are forced to follow the laid out path. However, in this game the plot is king. Every five minutes you will incur a cut scene and something will happen, breaking up the long stretches of walking into nice manageable chunks so you don't get bored and constantly immersing you in the lives of all six main characters. This is a video with game.

Now take something from the new wave, games like Fable II or Fallout 3. In all of these you are constantly questioned, making moral choices that will affect how others in the game see and react to you. The plot is almost secondary, instead it is character here that counts and they are yours to mould, from the colour of their hair to whether they eat live chickens. In Fable II you could get through the main plot in a few hours, just find the Heroes of Strength, Will and Stephen Fry and be on your way. Instead you spend your time trying to woo the local lads and lassies, buying and fixing up a house to become a property magnate or trying to join cults of the damned. You want to fully explore the world, take yourself off the beaten track and see what there is to be seen (and earn all of those damn achievements to boot). Fallout 3 expands the idea even more, the main plot only covers a small portion the whole map and the rest is just left there for you to explore at your leisure.

By using a single main character rather than some kind of party system, you feel more connected to the character and put yourself in their shoes. You can even chose to make them look like you if you want. These are games based on character development, living a life how you chose to. However, this high degree of freedom means that the main playable character has little personality shown, not even having voice acting in most cases. It is up to you, Mr or Ms Player, to put that on yourself and become the character. However I generally find that it just makes the character rather boring and I find myself thinking about them as some empty, soulless sprite.

There are now games appearing that seem to be trying to bridge the gap between these two, games where plot is still key but where you are given more freedom to effect how the characters of the game turn out. In the example of Mass Effect there is a main plot which is rather substantial on its own but is enriched by doing side quests and exploring the expansive world. They make the experience more real and involved but are by no means necessary for a rich and fulfilling gaming experience. There are several minor judgement calls in most conversations and a few cases where your previous action can result in plot junctures that even reach into how the sequel game pans out.

So. What does this all mean? Is the classic RPG dead? I don't think so. There will always be people, people like myself, who just want to sit down and be immersed in a world and a story that's all already there. Then again, by including so many decisions it is nearly impossible to play any two games exactly the same vastly increasing re-playability and making for a more interesting game. Like it or lump it, RPGs are changing. Perhaps one day we'll just be plonked in a fully formed world and be told to get on with it but until then it'll be interesting to see what games crop up.