ince music and video games have always been a pretty important part of my life, music in games is sometimes a touchy subject. It seems like soundtracks in many games have gotten pushed to the back of the priority line while graphics are right up front.
For example, as I stated in my recent article on Final Fantasy XIII, the music just isn't nearly as catchy or memorable as in past games. I could sit down at a piano right now and play nearly every melody from Final Fantasy VI from memory alone. I've been playing nothing but Final Fantasy XIII for the past two weeks and I can't even hum a single song from it. Any more, most soundtracks seem to only be there to provide background noise for the game and I often find myself putting on my own music if I have the option to mute the in-game music.
Do you feel as if music in games has been put on the back-burner and is becoming more generic?
I'd say no, it's not a trend; but in fact some very high-profile titles have been saddled with very mediocre music. The original Mass Effect bored and annoyed me, but one of the sequel's combat theme is embarrassingly hokey, and much of the rest of the soundtrack sounds amateurish.
My guess is that politics, rather than priority, is the cause.