Mar 18, 6:05 pm
I’m a big scaredy cat. I’ll say that right now. There’s no getting round it. No nerves of steel, me. The one thing I can do to pretty much completely remove my fear when watching a scary movie like The Shining or Psycho is to mute the sound. Instantly no matter what is going on on-screen I’m no longer scared. Sound effect and even more so – music are the culprits. Nothing heightens emotion more in movies.
I think the same has become true for games as they have become more movie-like. It started back with iMUSE the Interactive MUsic Streaming Engine created by frustrated composers at LucasArts, looking to set the tone and feel of the early Monkey Island games. In fact Monkey Island 2 was the first game to use dynamic music that subtly changed with the mood of the environment or the action.
The graveyard. Cello-eating man not pictured
We kinda take that stuff for granted now, but I was reminded of its importance playing through the Cemetery section of GRAW 2. I found myself literally on the edge of my seat and genuinely scared. I was jumping out my skin at things in my peripheral vision - even if it was just a curtain moving in the breeze in my house. But you can’t blame me with that damn creepy music like someone slowly eating a cello while I squat in the dark on someone’s grave waiting for my moment.
Tom Salta recording with the Hollywood Studio Symphony and the Page LA Studio Chorus on the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California
So I’d like to thank Tom Salta GRAW2’s composer for me almost soiling myself and shooting like I’ve got both eyes closed and all my fingers broken. Yeah Tom I’m blaming that one on you.
“A Bridge Too Far” by Tom Salta (GRAW2)
Not the graveyard music, but you’ll get the idea
Click here to download more GRAW2 music samples
