Have you listened to games recently? Forget playing for just a moment, close your eyes and take a listen to the sounds that are coming from the game world. Surprising, isn't it? So many developers are neglecting to make a decent aural experience a feature of the experiences they offer

Sound can play such a useful role in a game, which is why it is baffling to find that many games neglect this aspect. It's not a lack of fully-orchestrated music, as this can sometimes be totally wasted. But when developers add music to a game, just because they think it has to have some kind of sound, that is what makes you turn off the volume and long for Mp3 support.

Take the recent edition of Mario Party. A fun game for brainless nights, but with too many flaws to make it truly average. The music there is appropriately themed for the levels, but the sound itself feels somehow out of sync with the world. It's not a problem that you can easily put your finger on, but more like an unpleasant itch that for some reason you just can't reach. There's an indefinable piece missing from the puzzle that gives the feeling that the music programmers were given one little note a few months before the game was due for release. Either that or they were just lazy. Sound cannot make or break a game like sloppy controls or gameplay bugs, but it can seriously damage the experience if it is not given the care it deserves.

Games don't necessarily have to have an orchestral score to sound great. Back in the 16-bit era almost every single piece of in-game music was created electronically and the tunes still managed to be memorable. The score from Mario games is probably the most recognisable piece of in-game music ever created and it was only the 8-bit bleepings created with the limited hardware of the time. There are of course some games that could do with an orchestral score, and Zelda is the biggest culprit in the Nintendo stable. It would be a pleasant, though not essential move for the series, particularly as other RPG's found on the other machines are piping out the sweet sounds of the London Philharmonic through their 5.1 enabled speakers. Yet still the theme from The Legend of Zelda is memorable after all those strings and bassoons of latter-day RPG's have long faded from the speakers.

Metroid Prime 3 did not need an orchestral score to make it such a fabulous game, the sound designers created a hauntingly beautiful accompaniment to work in tandem with the atmospheric visuals. The hollow and sometimes minimalistic tunes played along quietly in the background, subtly changing and intertwining as the situation demanded, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes almost completely absent, but always managing to stay relevant. Teams the world over should take note of Retro Studios effort, not just for its graphics or reinvention of a hallowed franchise, but for the completeness of the package it offers.

Then there's the question of Voice Over: not all games need these either. Lego Star Wars, for example, would have been painfully ridiculous with actors doing the voices. Occasionally VO can be unintentionally hilarious, like in the Resident Evil games � anyone for a Jill Sandwich? Then there are games that might benefit � The Zelda series, for example. It would be good to hear Link speak just a few lines. But then again, having him speak would remove some of the immersion in the game. By giving the elf a voice that is not that of the player, the world suddenly becomes detached and less related to the actions of the player. If for example Link were to suddenly say to his fairy "I don't trust that man" then some of the mystery would be taken from the experience.

Oblivion is a good example of Voice Over limiting the gameplay: moving on from the heavy text of Morrowind, Bethesda hoped to create a more immersive style of play with the addition of spoken character dialogue. This in fact had the opposite effect intended as every character had exactly the same thing to say as all the others, after a while it became comical and broke the proverbial "Fourth Wall".

Half Life is a fine example of the usefulness of spoken dialogue contrasted with a purposefully silent protagonist. While NPC's around him vented their frustrations loudly, Gordon Freeman remained silent, allowing the player to fill in the unspoken dialogue of the character they were playing. Of course, it helps that the dialogue spoken by the NPC's was generally well done and believable.

Licensed soundtracks are another matter entirely. Music from well-known artists can boost the profile of a game, but can also cause headaches for the developers. The complex licensing issues can prove prohibitive in themselves, without even considering the costs involved for the production. Still, when it is done and when it is done right, a game with a licensed soundtrack can be a great thing. The best example of this is unquestionably Grand Theft Auto Vice City, the authentic 80's music of the mock radio stations enhances the game so much that it would truly be a lesser game without it. Conversely, 1080 Avalanche really missed the mark with most of the allegedly "up-and-coming" tripe that featured on its soundtrack (with the notable exception of Cauterize). Tony Hawk's is a good example of the hit-and-miss nature of the tunes on offer: some are perfect to skate to; others are just cynical examples of the attempts by the developers to latch onto Zeitgeist bands that no-one will ever listen to again.

Sound is another window to the soul of the player, and it is a shame that recent releases have only given lip service to an aspect that deserves so much more attention. While not as apparently important as the graphics, the music and effects of a game work subtly in the background to further augment the gaming experience, when was the last time you really felt enriched by in game music? Once a year is not enough, and as Nintendo have proven with the success of the Wii, there's more to gaming than fancy graphics.

So, licensed, orchestral, digital or Mp3 support, which do you prefer? Leave your comments below...

Iun Hockley
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