MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651 
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Sept 9, 2019 12:23:54 GMT
This week, I want to discuss everything relating to the acclaimed video game composer Jeremy Soule ![]()  How do you feel about his music? Does he deserve all the praise he gets? Is he really the singe greatest western game composer as some say he is? And what do you think of him as a male human being? Please discuss. |
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Sept 11, 2019 17:10:38 GMT
The recent accusations against Jeremy Soule are convenient for me because I've actually been wanting to talk about Jeremy Soule with the pub for a long time now.
I'm not going to comment on the sexual abuse accusations, I'm just here to say that I think he is an overrated composer and in fact might be the single most overrated game composer that I know of.
A lot of his music sounds extremely same-y, and I also don't like his constant preference for orchestra over synth, although for some of his games (TES especially) it is appropriate.
About his work in the TES games, has anyone else here noticed that all the Todd Howard TES games have main themes that sound ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME!
Even Morrowind's theme sounds eerily similar to Oblivion's.
Anyway, I also want to say that, as soothing as his TES OST sounds, I MUCH prefer Arena & Daggerfall's "Renaissance-y" OST, mainly because I love baroque/harpsicord/harp/ocarina music but also because I think it's much more fitting for background music in medieval fantasy games than orchestral stuff is.
Overall I think he's an overrated composer and I don't find his work nearly as memorable as most people do. It's the kind of music that I would label as "background filler".
|
|
|
|
Post by winnersdontusedrugs on Sept 14, 2019 21:59:54 GMT
I always thought that Skyrim and Oblivion had two distinct sounds to them. I also think "Peace of Akatosh" might be one of the best tracks in an RPG period, especially for an exploration theme.
I do wish there were more renaissance-ish music in RPGs though. Those kinds of soundtracks used to be common in older CRPGs, and I think they would benefit from more modern technology, as being restrained to MIDI and such didn't do them any favors. I guess the modern market thinks it's passé now.
|
|
scipioafricanus
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Sega Does What Nintendon't... except the 32X
Posts: 3,574
|
Post by scipioafricanus on Sept 14, 2019 22:25:32 GMT
The Skyrim music is absolutely perfect for the game.
|
|
Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,821
|
Post by Cervantes on Sept 15, 2019 9:55:01 GMT
I only know his music from Skyrim (that I remember). While I think it's usually very appropriate for the game, it tends to be on the bland side of things: even though I spent more than a hundred hours in the game, I can't clearly remember a single tune. It's mostly ambient music - like, let's say, the music in Marvel movies, which rarely ever leaves a mark and it's just there to fill the scene, but it's competently made.
Compare it to almost any Zelda game to see what I mean. To get a closer comparison for this style of orchestral, epic medieval fantasy music, Dragon's Dogma also better succeeds at being much more memorable.
Not that Skyrim's music is bad - it isn't. It's like Skyrim itself: agressively average on every aspect.
|
|
dschult3
CGR Undertow Groupie
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,777
|
Post by dschult3 on Sept 16, 2019 0:34:28 GMT
It's like Skyrim itself: aggressively average on every aspect. I have never heard someone say this before now. I think I will add this phrase to my way of speaking. |
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Sept 18, 2019 0:02:23 GMT
I always thought that Skyrim and Oblivion had two distinct sounds to them. I also think "Peace of Akatosh" might be one of the best tracks in an RPG period, especially for an exploration theme.
I do wish there were more renaissance-ish music in RPGs though. Those kinds of soundtracks used to be common in older CRPGs, and I think they would benefit from more modern technology, as being restrained to MIDI and such didn't do them any favors. I guess the modern market thinks it's passé now.
I just want to clarify that I DO like his music and think it's high quality. My problem with it is that, as I said in my OP, I never find myself remembering any of it. A good comparison of soothing, ambient background music would be Astal on the Saturn. Despite the fact that I haven't played the game in almost a decade, I still fondly remember the music and find myself playing it in my head. And while Oblivion might be my most played modern game (800 hours at least), I never find myself humming/thinking about the OST. Also, I've realized recently that Oblivion's main theme sounds like almost an exact copy of the LOTR theme. Looks like Jeremy Soule is both an overhyped composer AND a potential plagiarist! |
|
stratogustav
Supreme Overlord
Warrior with Bandana
Posts: 7,460
|
Post by stratogustav on Oct 11, 2019 3:55:09 GMT
I would like to play more Skyrim VR, there are just too many things going on, it is hard to do everything. I was never into the game, but on VR it is a whole different experience.
|
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Jan 31, 2022 2:09:01 GMT
Alright, listen up everybody, because I'm about to end this man's career once and for all. I've been thinking about Jeremy Soul lately and over time I've only found more and more reasons to hate his music. Let me explain what I mean: Argument #1 against Jeremy Soul's music: it lacks depth This last summer, as I was recovering from my bicycle accident, I couldn't do much so I was listening to music more than normal, and the VG OST I spent a lot of time listening to was Star Fox Adventures (composed by the great David Wise), particularly the primeval Thorntail Hollow theme and the beautiful Krazoa Spirit themes: Notice how much more detail there was put into those tracks than Jermey Soul's TES OSTs (especially Oblivion's and Skyrim's)? Just compare these David Wise tracks to that Peace of Aktosh track that winnersdontusedrugs posted and you'll see what I mean right away. They difference in detail is night and day. One is minimalistic, forgettable background filler (albeit pretty sounding) and the others are actual music with tons of little audio details everywhere hidden between multiple layers of audio track. Argument #2: his lack of variety Last year I played through Majora's Mask again, and after listening to all of those haunting variations of the same music that change between the four different lands young Link ventures to, I realized that they would make perfect examples for my argument against Jermey Soul's tunes. Listen for yourself to these four distinct musical variations that set the mood for each of the four different provinces in MM: Notice how Koji Kondo utilized different instruments for each of the different regions to match the atmosphere of the climate/environment? The Southern Swamp theme incorporates a sitar, the Snowhead region incorporates tubular bells into its theme, the Great Bay region features steel drums to give it an eerie tropical vibe, and the Icana Valley theme features a haunting chorus to drive home the sensation of being in a haunted wasteland. You NEVER get that in the Todd Howard TES games. The music NEVER changes between the different environments of the game world. I have a theory why. My theory for this is because Jeremy Soul is a lazy, grossly overrated bunghole who puts fuck-all effort into his Bethesda projects. Correct me if I'm wrong here. Argument #3: THE SKYRIM THEME SOUNDS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THE PIRATES OF THE CARRABIAN THEME! LISTEN: I KNEW there was a song that the Skyrim theme reminded me of, but I couldn't remember it until now! I HAVE OFFICALY EXPOSED JEREMY SOUL AS THE LAZY, PLAGARIST HACK THAT HE IS! If you need any further proof that Jeremy is a fraud, you're in luck because I'm not done: THE OBLIVION THEME IS A SIMPLE RIP-OFF OF THE LOTR THEME! LISTEN: That's it, it's official. Jeremy Soul is a lazy, unoriginal, uninspired plagiarist-hack. You're finished, Jeremy. I just finished you. Light's out. Taman shud, bitch. GTFO.  |
|
