This new Journey trailer lays down some phat beats and slammin' rhythms as it showcases the game's music. Get read to dance like a lemur on acid when these intense jams fill your brain.
It's actually incredibly beautiful orchestral stuff that seems to compliment the eerie visual splendor. Which is rather nice.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere.
Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
The beta was absolutely lovely. With so many incredible games coming out in the next few months it's easy to forget about this poor $15 PSN exclusive. Write it on your calendar (or modern equivalent) because you'd best not!
I bet someone who decided to put orchestral music in this game, saw Journey as a wet pussy waiting to be fucked (with a generic orchestral score). It fits so well, right? Each composer that writes that kind of music for games and movies knows all the tricks, knows what notes and instruments invoke certain emotions, etcetera. It's generic as hell.
Electronic music would fit this game much better. Imagine you're walking the desert and hear the sound of fuzzy pads and rare distant and warm rhodes. Wouldn't that be better? Instead the went for "your dog dies on a rainy day, then you watch What Dreams May Come and cry" kind of score. Playing it safe is cute and all, but I'd really like to hear something less cliched.
Jim I hate to break it to you, but, this is actually sneak preview footage from the soon to be re-re-re-re-re released Star Wars ep IV the special-extended-constantly-fucked-with-by-the-director-edition where the fu.. i mean.. the director felt he needed to expand upon where Jawas came from and whatever it is they do when not collecting stupid droids. Either way this looks and sounds amazing
I'll preface by saying that you have the right to any opinion that you see fit.
That said, I'm a theatrical sound designer and composer. I know why people choose certain music for certain moments for certain times. The reason why they choose an orchestral score was to fit the mood, not because it was easy. It isn't.
Much like I do with actors on stage, you fill the space with the same energy and quality that was or is being put off on stage. I won't say that I've haven't done a dramatic shift in tone and put something on the opposite side of the spectrum for a show before because I have done just that, multiple times. It worked, but I always think back to those shows and think if I made the best decision for that moment...
Now without knowing anything about the game other than its visual presentation, I think I can say that electronic music, in my opinion would have been an awful choice. I gave your opinion a shot, or honestly something similar, and it just didn't fit right with the video posted.
Who knows though, when the game is released and all the facts are sorted you might have been right all along, but for right now I'd say they made the right choice by sticking to an modern orchestration piece.
Wow, a theatrical sound designer - sounds like a very cool job to have, dude! I bet it's intense, but cool nonetheless. I can easily see why you disagree with me, my comment is totally overblown thanks to my poor choice of words.
By saying they took an easy route, I didn't mean it's easy in terms of recording and production. It's just the easiest idea one can come up with when looking at a game with that kind of visual style. It is also the safest option, because cinematic orchestral music is the least annoying type of music and everyone can enjoy it.
Having electronic score for this game may indeed sound like an awful idea, but electronic music can be very gentle, subtle and cinematic too. It's also a lot more flexible. For example, very low frequency oscillations can have a much more dramatic impact on a person if they're implemented in the right way. Shit can get physical with that stuff. Imagine you see a massive structure in a game and feel a subtle vibration coming through your body, one you can't hear, but feel physically.
You're absolutely right, orchestral music fits this trailer perfectly, because it's full of epic and cinematic moments, and, well, this video was made specifically for this music. But from what I've seen, a lot of times you just navigate the desert in Journey and again, subtle fuzzy pads with warm distant keys would fit these calm moments better.
But yeah, the game is not even out yet. There's a good chance they will go with the orchestral score for cinematic stuff and with electronic stuff for ambiance.
I'm actually doing that in a show I'm designing right now by placing a few sub-woofers under the audience seating banks, mostly for a huge train bit and a part where an airplane fly's through the audience. Sure it'll give me the low rumble I'm looking for volume wise, but it's really there for the feeling of vibrations of these vehicles. I haven't put the cues in the theatre yet, but hopefully it works out like I'm thinking it will.
Back to Journey though, I think to really feel it in a game setting is for people to have a surround sound system with really good low-end. If that's not readily accessible the low ends might dominate too much on a regular two speaker set up. However, in an ideal sound environment, it would be pretty sweet to hear it and feel it as well.
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Don't stop believling that it won't be a great game because of that.
I can't say it wasn't sad to see us go our separate ways.
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere.
Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
I suppose it is nice that you could play any way you want it
The smell of wine and cheap perfume,
For a while they can share the night,
It goes on and on and on and on.
Spring 2012 please come sooner
Electronic music would fit this game much better. Imagine you're walking the desert and hear the sound of fuzzy pads and rare distant and warm rhodes. Wouldn't that be better? Instead the went for "your dog dies on a rainy day, then you watch What Dreams May Come and cry" kind of score. Playing it safe is cute and all, but I'd really like to hear something less cliched.
I'll preface by saying that you have the right to any opinion that you see fit.
That said, I'm a theatrical sound designer and composer. I know why people choose certain music for certain moments for certain times. The reason why they choose an orchestral score was to fit the mood, not because it was easy. It isn't.
Much like I do with actors on stage, you fill the space with the same energy and quality that was or is being put off on stage. I won't say that I've haven't done a dramatic shift in tone and put something on the opposite side of the spectrum for a show before because I have done just that, multiple times. It worked, but I always think back to those shows and think if I made the best decision for that moment...
Now without knowing anything about the game other than its visual presentation, I think I can say that electronic music, in my opinion would have been an awful choice. I gave your opinion a shot, or honestly something similar, and it just didn't fit right with the video posted.
Who knows though, when the game is released and all the facts are sorted you might have been right all along, but for right now I'd say they made the right choice by sticking to an modern orchestration piece.
By saying they took an easy route, I didn't mean it's easy in terms of recording and production. It's just the easiest idea one can come up with when looking at a game with that kind of visual style. It is also the safest option, because cinematic orchestral music is the least annoying type of music and everyone can enjoy it.
Having electronic score for this game may indeed sound like an awful idea, but electronic music can be very gentle, subtle and cinematic too. It's also a lot more flexible. For example, very low frequency oscillations can have a much more dramatic impact on a person if they're implemented in the right way. Shit can get physical with that stuff. Imagine you see a massive structure in a game and feel a subtle vibration coming through your body, one you can't hear, but feel physically.
You're absolutely right, orchestral music fits this trailer perfectly, because it's full of epic and cinematic moments, and, well, this video was made specifically for this music. But from what I've seen, a lot of times you just navigate the desert in Journey and again, subtle fuzzy pads with warm distant keys would fit these calm moments better.
But yeah, the game is not even out yet. There's a good chance they will go with the orchestral score for cinematic stuff and with electronic stuff for ambiance.
I'm actually doing that in a show I'm designing right now by placing a few sub-woofers under the audience seating banks, mostly for a huge train bit and a part where an airplane fly's through the audience. Sure it'll give me the low rumble I'm looking for volume wise, but it's really there for the feeling of vibrations of these vehicles. I haven't put the cues in the theatre yet, but hopefully it works out like I'm thinking it will.
Back to Journey though, I think to really feel it in a game setting is for people to have a surround sound system with really good low-end. If that's not readily accessible the low ends might dominate too much on a regular two speaker set up. However, in an ideal sound environment, it would be pretty sweet to hear it and feel it as well.
Just be quiet.