When playing retro games it's common to admire the music, with a sense among some that chiptunes of the 8- and 16-bit era are a cut above modern soundtracks. There are still spectacular soundtracks in modern gaming, particularly those performed by live bands and orchestras, yet for some retro music can't be topped.
There are real scientific reasons for chiptunes being particularly memorable, however, those classic tracks that we can't get out of our heads. Examples are the iconic main themes within NES and SNES Super Mario games, for example, and it's limitations of technology that help to hard-wire these tracks into our heads. It's a result of old cartridge technology requiring music to be programmed into the game, rather than simply being edited and scripted tracks as they are today.
When in skilful hands, such as those of Koji Kondo, music is integrated with the gameplay and specific audio triggers to blend the track with your gameplay. So, in the classic Mario titles there's a connection between the music and the rhythm of your platforming; this applies to a range of games and franchises, of course.
It's certainly logical, and gives an intriguing insight into the topic of retro music. Check out the video below and let us know what you think.
Thanks to Ryan Millar for the tip.
[source gamesradar.com]
Comments 23
I often find myself humming different Mario Tunes, and I love it
The "Donkey Kong Country" games were also made this way, with the music being directly tied with the level design.
If there is something I like too and more in video games, is the music.
The truth, I do not deny that what I want most in the games, is a good soundtrack, but of course, without leaving aside if the game is interesting, XD
Although this does not necessarily explain why so many C64 SID tracks are so memorable, especially when they were only played on the title screen heh. The same underlying basis is true though, it's melody and rhythm, unlike many soundtracks today that just appear atmospheric and symphonic without dynamic blocks of notes to hook the listener. Not saying they are bad, just different, and less memorable usually.
Umm, I get new video game music stuck in my head ALL the time! Not so much with old music. It's just nostalgia.
Zelda and Zelda 2 adventure of link always find their way into my brain every few days. Its like a natural mood enhancer. and "corridors of time" from chrono trigger when I cant sleep.
I get all sorts of music in my head all the time at random... it's like having a mixtape of my life hardwired in my brain.
Oh no, those memories of your childhood weren't of superior products or better times, just brain farts.
Part of it is the fact that the brain remembers melodies better than any other part of a song (this is also why music composed by John Williams is so memorable). The NES can only handle 3 notes playing at a time, and the Super Mario Bros. theme takes advantage of this by making a strong melody with a good harmony to go along with it.
@MrMario02 Yeah it's amazing what they were able to accomplish with it. That's why some programmers have said that having limitations like that can be a good thing, it forces them to get creative and make the most of what little they have.
Most composers have an idea of how to arrange a song in a way that will make you remember it. Of course, that doesn't mean the music will be good. In the case of Kondo, his music is pretty amazing to me.
That is called PCM/DPS/ and techno/electronic music. It was prolific during the punk/ Counter-culture/ Industrial-revolution ( europe )/ Civi-rights eras.
However during that time people in the west. Mostly the United States along with the commercial television promoted it as being music for "people who play for the other team" like "Birdo" or "The male Geisha from "GTAIV:Part II". Because of that many people wanted to see people play music on stage. They wanted to see bands. This is why the "Punk" and "Big haired bands" continued to rise about "Synth music".
The reason why people like myself LOVES HEARING THOSE MUSIC is because it reminds of the small joys.
Like when your with you hear "Girls like to have fun". or "Can you believe I can fly". Things like that is connected to other music.
PERSONALLY I HATE THE FACT THAT BIG TIME MUSIC IS ABUSING SYNTH TRACKS FROM PREVIOUS VIDEOGAMES. However because nobody can really "commit rights to these sounds" as these sounds are used in many works. People ( musicians etc ) continue to strip these sounds for personal usage.
Take this animation short on Youtube.
It uses those "Bubble sounds" and "Boing sounds" from "Sonic" games to make an musical background.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBlMhGiSgVM
The same for the music that uses "Windows 98" waves to compose a piece of music as well".
The abuse of music from this game below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9QJZSBpvg0
"Top Gear" racing music could be heard almost everywhere. I might use parts of it as well.
Because they could always say "it is synth music and however it was made it was made" they will always get away with that excuse.
The same excuse is used for the music of "ClockWork Orange". If you see "Synth Britanica".
So it is not really science at all. It is that you hear those familiar tunes, and realize the usage of them.
To make things even more funnier tons and tons of sound samples are all over the internet for free to use asides for the stuff from videogames and other sound effects. The same with imagery as well.
This is an problem because many people could also be manipulated into having this as sort of an joy.
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As I have said to myself time and time again. Videogames as an medium is 98% music, 2% grapphics, 1% logic, 0% control.
98% music because sound is language and before we had speech we had sounds. The sound of your barefoot on the grass. Sound of your hair makes. The sound of rain, fire, wind, and water. The sound of an EarthQuake, avalanche, or snow-storm. The sound your gal pal makes when she is excited, scared, or happy. To the sound you make when your ready, upset, bored, or need to do something different.
Sound is language breaking barrier. What sound do you get when you knock the "under of an fist" into "your palm" of another hand???
2% graphics because without that key imagery you will not pick up that controller. That image could be an text file to even an little image moving up and down, With an revolving color background. 3d games have a bit more advantage because you can spin-around inside an 3d world.
1% logic - because nothing in an videogame world is logic or matters. While logic is important, is an guy jumping down sewer pipes, to being swallowed up by the shower drain, and leads him to an fungus world logic at all? Yes their is probably tons of pipe-fungus ( worms living in bundles ) in drain pipes.
0% control - because you have no control over nothing. The game is controlling you. You sit in one spot staring at colors, and to an sports person, or out going person who owns no television it looks stupid and foolish. Even being in an work ethic it holds no purpose.
Funny how he said that he couldn't remember the music from Ninja Gaiden, when that game had some of the best music in the entire NES library. I feel like it's a prime example of exactly what he's talking about, here.
Banjo-Kazooie, Shantae, and Shovel Knight are great examples, as well.
@KirbyKirbyKirby All the old Nes Snes And Sega Genesis Games were better than modern games modern games are mostly garbage
@MikeW All games made after 1996 sucked but even before 1996 donkey kong country sucked yeah the graphics looked good but the games sucked trust me i tryed to like them purchaced them .
@Genesaur Ninja gadien for Nes was a good game but Nes owners still got robbed the best version of Ninja gadien at the time was the Arcade version and the Atari Lynx got a port based off that version it was far superior to the Nes version
@EverythingAmiibo They need to quit selling them stupid nintendo toys no offense but it a waste of money
@oats-81 Zelda 1 was a classic Zelda 2 sucked chrono trigger was an average game
If you're into NES music check out the band ANAMANAGUCHI (weird name i know) but they make their sounds off a hacked NES soundboard apparently and they have so much nostalgia!
@khululy Same!
@joemama93 Nice bait, there, buddy.
DIS MARIO FEM IZ 2 GOD 4 ME
THIS MARIO THEME IS TOO GOOD FOR ME
NES Zelda song is my favorite.
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