Topic: Save your criticism

[Rugal]

What really annoys me is the fact that films don't have music anymore.
Everyone have seen me complaining here about LoS' soundtracks, but that is mostly because I consider it generic and boring for being a Castlevania, because I consider CV 1986-2008 the best music ever done. Better than any band, any composer, anything, EVER.

But... and this may come as a surprise for many... Araujo's compositions are in fact better than today's move standards (and with today I mean the last couple years).
Sure, from time to time we have soundtracks like Solomon Kane out (I believe it's from 2010), but almost all films have completely boring "soundtracks". WAY MORE BORING than LoS.
I watched The Wolverine on last weekend. And while the movie was very good, it didn't have music. Really, just pay attention and try to follow or understand what's going on. It's just random chords with no form whatsoever, no melody, nothing. We've always had parts that follow a certain scene that, as music, didn't make much sense. But every soundtrack used to have the main theme from the movie, character themes, and a lot of identifiable melodies.

Remember Pirates of the Caribbean saga? It's not been SO MANY years since that. But movies have completely lost their soundtracks.
What's the theme for The Wolverine movie? It doesn't have a main theme. It doesn't have a proper theme. AT ALL. In all the movie.
And that applies to almost every movie that comes out from Hollywood today (this still doesn't apply to european or korean movies, luckily, I don't know about the rest of the world).

I had to say it, I was very annoyed about the soundtrack and I want to know if anyone feels the same.

You know what? I was arguing with my gf a few days ago about movies having shitty "soundtracks".

She wanted me to watch the Hunger Games 2 trailer, so I did. Trailer was cool and all, but the music? lol It was just all rampant generic Hollywood trash banter that ANYONE could come up with. They'll never change it, though. The general populace has been fed that shit music so long that people are used to it and okay with it. Anyway, I still think Star Wars has the best movie soundtrack. It was so good, they reuse it for a majority of their games and it all fits perfectly.

Another thing I should mention.. The Metal Gear Solid series. It has awesome music, but every game post MGS4 has been given that Hollywood bullshit generic music. Why? What was wrong with the music in the first four games? Peacewalker's soundtrack is awful when compared to the rest of the series. Why is Kojima trying to go Hollywood with his games now? Especially with that Keifer Sutherland douche voicing snake after David Hayter did it for 15 fucking years.. Anyway I'm going off topic.

Enjoy yourselves.

[Pfil]

Don't forget that Kojima was involved in the first LoS, so maybe he had the idea of going Hollywood for the soundtrack.

I personally find the trailers music so, so irritating.
I don't want to sound arrogant, but for any person with trained ears, that kind of music is nonsense pseudo-symphonic noise.

[VladCT]

...but every game post MGS4 has been given that Hollywood bullshit generic music.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Vocal Tracks - Rules of Nature (Platinum Mix)

[Rugal]

I'm sorry.

You're absolutely right. I forgot MGR.

MGR's Soundtrack is awesome. So, let me rephrase in saying Peacewalker's soundtrack wasn't good compared to the rest of the series.

[beingthehero]

I like Peace Walker, but yeah, the first time i played it i was pretty surprised at how forgettable the music was. Portable Ops had the same problem (along with a zillion other issues).

Funnily enough the last Metal Gear game that I thought had a great soundtrack was Metal Gear Ac!d 2...

[DoctaMario]

I'm sorry.

You're absolutely right. I forgot MGR.

MGR's Soundtrack is awesome. So, let me rephrase in saying Peacewalker's soundtrack wasn't good compared to the rest of the series.

C'mon, really?? Rugal's Respect rating is in the positive?? We're slipping here at the Dungeon! WTF guys!? xD

Don't forget that Kojima was involved in the first LoS, so maybe he had the idea of going Hollywood for the soundtrack.

I personally find the trailers music so, so irritating.
I don't want to sound arrogant, but for any person with trained ears, that kind of music is nonsense pseudo-symphonic noise.

I don't think that having trained ears is a good reason to say that a piece is good or bad, but that's just my opinion. If anything, it makes people distrustful of other folks with trained ears.

One could say that Schoenberg is nonsense noise too, and he's considered the father of a major movement in music. Just sayin'.

[Pfil]

I'm not very fond of his music, but I doubt he could be compared to the nonsense to we are subjected with almost every super production coming out from Hollywood.
And I doubt anyone with training based on the classical and baroque periods would like his music in a movie or game.
Just like Schoenberg started a movement, so did Edward Schoener. Listen to his works and tell me if you like it.
Anyway, I wouldn't dare to compare Schoenberg either to, say, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach or Chopin.
Just like I wouldn't compare pop art to, say, a painting from Michael Angelo or Da Vinci.
And pop art is a major art movement too.
Just saying.

About Rugal's respect, he's been saying some cool things, and I have the right to give him my respects, if anyone's wondering. I feel he's had some unfair negative votes and I felt like doing it. Please note that every post I up-voted is saying something I already stated elsewhere, or kind of. Mostly about LoS, and mostly about its music, so...
I don't think 15 positive votes is a big deal, to be honest.

[Belmontoya]

I have music training and have been composing and playing for over 10 years. I think the LOS soundtrack was done very well. It's not there to give you catchy hooks that get stuck in your head. It's music is meant to supplement the game. This type of composing takes a great amount of restraint and I have a lot of respect for it. I don't understand why people keep calling it "Hollywood". It's a soundtrack.

Yes it's different, and it's meant to be.

[Lelygax]

About Rugal's respect, he's been saying some cool things, and I have the right to give him my respects, if anyone's wondering. I feel he's had some unfair negative votes and I felt like doing it. Please note that every post I up-voted is saying something I already stated elsewhere, or kind of. Mostly about LoS, and mostly about its music, so...
I don't think 15 positive votes is a big deal, to be honest.

So you have been upvoting him too? I've upvoted some earlier posts that I found to be fair and polite.

[The Silverlord]

I don't think that having trained ears is a good reason to say that a piece is good or bad, but that's just my opinion. If anything, it makes people distrustful of other folks with trained ears.

All this talk of needing a 'trained ear' or a degree and years of experience to offer an authoritative or more knowledgeable opinion on music being good or bad kind of saddens me.

Kinuyo Yamashita (Yamako) by her own admission didn't have much experience when she started out:

"Before I worked at Konami, I had very little experience with music. I mean, my parents made me take piano lessons at age 4, but that’s all. I studied electronic engineering in college. So I didn’t really know I could compose music until I started working at Konami."

But her work was inspired and her tunes are timeless within our series.  Perhaps there's a case here that, someone with less credentials and experience, is less constrained by convention and accepted parameters of musical theory and technique.  Or maybe not.  I've been playing and composing guitar for twenty years, but sometimes I do wish I could unlearn some things and get back to an open book.  There is always complaceny.

But meantime try picking out a structure in a piece like Vampire Killer . . .

I think we need to adopt a little more respect and modesty.  And also accept that we have been terribly spoilt with good tunes and composers for over 25 years.

[Inccubus]

I don't understand why people keep calling it "Hollywood". It's a soundtrack.

Yes it's different, and it's meant to be.

Like I mentioned about my recent play through of the PC demo, there's a problem when I'm humming the Star Trek main theme instead of getting any enjoyment out of the music that actually is playing. And that's the problem here. Because to many of us it sounds like a multitude of equally forgettable movie scores that leave no lasting impact.
The music may have been meant to be different, but that doesn't make it good. This soundtrack does nothing to make the gaming experience any more enjoyable than if there were no music at all and just ambient noise instead. Hell, they could have just used nothing but Bach and Beethoven and it would have made for an infinitely better score.

[Ahasverus]

I hum the LoS soundtrack all time

[Neobelmont]

I hum the LoS soundtrack all time

I hum Belmont's theme 

[Flame]

I ALWAYS find myself humming Waterfalls of Agharta. I'd make the case that "well it IS a Classicvania Orchestration" but I tend to specifically hum the LoS version. There's something just so soothing about the way it was done. I'd even call it superior to the original. (Plz don't shoot)

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

I don't think those tunes are hummable.
It wouldn't sound, to someone hearing you hum, like anything.

However, I think what changed, was us... not really the medium.

I'm gonna put this here again, because apparently people didn't notice it the first time I posted it:
Extra Credits: Video Game Music