Super Locomotive (1982) is before Journey featuring a cover of YMO's Rydeen and Pengo from the same year features a cover of Gershon Kingsley's Popcorn Ultima III also had a "full" OST with changing music for different areas and situations, from 1983 or possibly 1984 (Apple II PC/C64)
I guessed the right Tom and Jerrys cause I studied animation and know the art style trend. I'd guess old school animation was "better" back then than today is because the studio structure, business, philosophy, art culture, and budgeting were different. 1945 Tom and Jerry were shown in theaters 2014 made for TV. When any industry births, there are no rules, it's the wild west, everybody's experimenting, trying to figure out what works, it's closer to an independent game spirit. Their mind-set is there are no limits and are more creative driven. Also consumer-wise, everything is fresh, exciting, new. Eventually, once an industry matures, everything gets bigger, or cheaper, more structured, standardized, business driven, manufactured, formulaic, old and recycled. That's not to say new can't beat old, but things and climate just change. I also suspect that artists were more dedicated to their artform because even though technology has given us shortcuts, it's also distracted us more, whereas old schoolers had nothing to do but master their craft. The general music industry's demise may be a whole other story.
9:20 OK but you just mentioned a bunch of stuff which doesn't qualify from previous years ;) I'd also take issue with this "real music" label. Anyway I'll mention some more interesting 80s ones (you can find more on my site Mini-Revver): Reactor (ARC, Votrax SC-01)(1982) - While I don't know much about the full capabilities of this custom sound chip, the track used here during the instructions demo is something pretty special. A thick kick drum (probably made with a quick downward sweep of a pulse wave) and a gritty, saw-like bassline are combined to make a short and intense electro track which, while the intention was possibly to make it sound like Queen's We Will Rock You or something, ends up being reminiscent of much later bands such as Justice, MSTRKRFT and Daft Punk. Interstellar Laser Fantasy (ARC, Laserdisc)(1983) - The longest and most varied OST up to this point and the Laserdisc format allowed a giant leap forward in terms of production and instrument quality. Stylistically it's also quite forward thinking for its time, featuring a number of ambient tracks (sometimes pure ambient noise), sweeping atmospheric synth parts and some semi-orchestral fanfares, while also having a distinctly game-like feel by incorporating "laser" sfx and playful staccato notes into some tracks. Good stuff. Jammin' (C64)(1983) - Partially interactive (the music changes depending on which instrument you are carrying) Ghostbusters (C64)(1984) - The player can actually trigger a voice sample at will while the theme song is playing at the title screen. Ballblazer (C64, 1984 or 1985?) - Apparently the "jazzy" solos are actually generated by the game itself as you play, and also affected in some way by what you're doing in the game. Lazy Jones (C64)(1984)(Nena - 99 Luftballons, Visage - Fade to Grey, possibly Electronic Ensemble - It Happened Then) - This one's notable for featuring seamless transitions between tracks as the player moves between rooms, although they're all the same tempo and have similar structure. Monty on the Run (C64)(1985) - Various techniques that became C64/western chiptune staples were used here in the frantic, lengthy (near 6 minutes) and varied main theme: fast arpeggios, alternating bass and drums on one channel, ring modulation (and phaser modulation on the first solo lead?), chorused bass around the middle, decent noise drums, and a variety of lead timbres. Some or most of them for the first time. The Last Ninja (C64)(1987) - Lots of cool things happening here, both stylistically and technically. If the later Revenge of Shinobi can be described as Japanese folk music meeting american funk, rock and dance, then this is almost the opposite of that with contemporary electro/synth pop/synth prog with a more European flavor being blended with the folk, while the former is also being evolved into something new and strange in long and varied tracks conveying various moods as well as sometimes changing moods within the tracks themselves. Psycho Soldier (ARC, OPL+Y8950, w/ sampled vocals)(1987) - The theme is one of the first chiptune tracks with sampled vocals featured in a game (I believe the lyrics are chopped up into many smaller samples as if you listen closely you can hear a bit of a pop between them). Hawkeye (C64)(1988) - Besides some great sound design, the loader tune here is notable for its interactive element. Players can switch between 8 patterns for each channel as well as the timbre of the lead, in real-time. Kinetix/Dynamix (C64)(1988) - Can be considered the first techno OST in video games, and having been made in 1988 it's pretty much in sync with the genre's evolution outside of games. Phantasy Star III (MD)(1990) - While this OST was a step back in several ways compared to its predecessor (no samples, fewer effects, mostly worse instrumentation), it does feature a couple of interesting things: First, there's a rough transitional system which changes what music is playing during a battle depending on how your party is doing compared to your enemies. Second, the overworld theme actually evolves over the course of the game, with added harmonies as you progress.
This was really good. Very insightful and informative. However, and this is a personal nitpick, I thought that your rant parts didn't go well in this. You already showed plenty of good examples, there's no need to rant out.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t think of Phantasy Star and it’s not a game I’ve actually played through. Usually the candidates I have to refute are Ms. Pac Man and Samus Aran (Metroid 1). (Nobody remembers Kangaroo :P) By meaningful, I mean Rosella wasn’t simply a sprite gender swap. It affected and informed things both inside and outside the game. It subtly affected how other NPC characters interacted, judged, and treated you in the game…a useless peasant girl who shouldn’t be there in contrast to the noble knight Sir Graham. The fairy tales Roberta Williams could draw from were also different…e.g. Pandora’s Box (the girl who nearly destroys the world by her curiosity) and the Princess and the Frog…it is more socially acceptable for Rosella going around trying to kiss things than Sir Graham. Roberta Williams also admitted that killing Rosella in the elaborate death sequences Sierra was famous for was disturbing and uncomfortable for her and invoked out much stronger emotions in her. (One of the most vivid ones in my memory is an Ogre chases Rosella down, grabs her by the pigtails and drags her whole body by the hair behind him, while she is flailing on her back, back to his house, where he does terrible things once the door slams close.) And Sierra was actually bracing for a backlash by making the protagonist a woman. So I’m curious, how do you feel Phantasy Star fares by these metrics? Are there things you feel that would not work or need to be very different if the character was male instead?
Do you have audio footage from Fonz/Moto-Cross (ARC, 1976, Sega)? Supposedly the first continuous in-game music. I agree, there's a ton of innovation on PCs and in the arcades back in the 70s-80s.
Se esse documentário durasse cinco horas, eu assistiria cada minuto com prazer. É curiosa a diferença daquele sobre Red Dead Redemption, que parece feito pra crianças de três anos. Não posso dizer que falta conteúdo inteligente no UA-cam, porque cavando nós achamos, mas seria ótimo se houvesse mais. Muito obrigado pelo teu trabalho.
Great video mate!
This is really great! Love the extensive Sierra coverage. Excellent!!! 🌲🌲🌲
Nice dude :) I left a like👍🏻
Super Locomotive (1982) is before Journey featuring a cover of YMO's Rydeen and Pengo from the same year features a cover of Gershon Kingsley's Popcorn
Ultima III also had a "full" OST with changing music for different areas and situations, from 1983 or possibly 1984 (Apple II PC/C64)
Amazing job, I really was looking for something like this!
I guessed the right Tom and Jerrys cause I studied animation and know the art style trend. I'd guess old school animation was "better" back then than today is because the studio structure, business, philosophy, art culture, and budgeting were different. 1945 Tom and Jerry were shown in theaters 2014 made for TV. When any industry births, there are no rules, it's the wild west, everybody's experimenting, trying to figure out what works, it's closer to an independent game spirit. Their mind-set is there are no limits and are more creative driven. Also consumer-wise, everything is fresh, exciting, new. Eventually, once an industry matures, everything gets bigger, or cheaper, more structured, standardized, business driven, manufactured, formulaic, old and recycled. That's not to say new can't beat old, but things and climate just change. I also suspect that artists were more dedicated to their artform because even though technology has given us shortcuts, it's also distracted us more, whereas old schoolers had nothing to do but master their craft. The general music industry's demise may be a whole other story.
9:20 OK but you just mentioned a bunch of stuff which doesn't qualify from previous years ;) I'd also take issue with this "real music" label. Anyway I'll mention some more interesting 80s ones (you can find more on my site Mini-Revver):
Reactor (ARC, Votrax SC-01)(1982) - While I don't know much about the full capabilities of this custom sound chip, the track used here during the instructions demo is something pretty special. A thick kick drum (probably made with a quick downward sweep of a pulse wave) and a gritty, saw-like bassline are combined to make a short and intense electro track which, while the intention was possibly to make it sound like Queen's We Will Rock You or something, ends up being reminiscent of much later bands such as Justice, MSTRKRFT and Daft Punk.
Interstellar Laser Fantasy (ARC, Laserdisc)(1983) - The longest and most varied OST up to this point and the Laserdisc format allowed a giant leap forward in terms of production and instrument quality. Stylistically it's also quite forward thinking for its time, featuring a number of ambient tracks (sometimes pure ambient noise), sweeping atmospheric synth parts and some semi-orchestral fanfares, while also having a distinctly game-like feel by incorporating "laser" sfx and playful staccato notes into some tracks. Good stuff.
Jammin' (C64)(1983) - Partially interactive (the music changes depending on which instrument you are carrying)
Ghostbusters (C64)(1984) - The player can actually trigger a voice sample at will while the theme song is playing at the title screen.
Ballblazer (C64, 1984 or 1985?) - Apparently the "jazzy" solos are actually generated by the game itself as you play, and also affected in some way by what you're doing in the game.
Lazy Jones (C64)(1984)(Nena - 99 Luftballons, Visage - Fade to Grey, possibly Electronic Ensemble - It Happened Then) - This one's notable for featuring seamless transitions between tracks as the player moves between rooms, although they're all the same tempo and have similar structure.
Monty on the Run (C64)(1985) - Various techniques that became C64/western chiptune staples were used here in the frantic, lengthy (near 6 minutes) and varied main theme: fast arpeggios, alternating bass and drums on one channel, ring modulation (and phaser modulation on the first solo lead?), chorused bass around the middle, decent noise drums, and a variety of lead timbres. Some or most of them for the first time.
The Last Ninja (C64)(1987) - Lots of cool things happening here, both stylistically and technically. If the later Revenge of Shinobi can be described as Japanese folk music meeting american funk, rock and dance, then this is almost the opposite of that with contemporary electro/synth pop/synth prog with a more European flavor being blended with the folk, while the former is also being evolved into something new and strange in long and varied tracks conveying various moods as well as sometimes changing moods within the tracks themselves.
Psycho Soldier (ARC, OPL+Y8950, w/ sampled vocals)(1987) - The theme is one of the first chiptune tracks with sampled vocals featured in a game (I believe the lyrics are chopped up into many smaller samples as if you listen closely you can hear a bit of a pop between them).
Hawkeye (C64)(1988) - Besides some great sound design, the loader tune here is notable for its interactive element. Players can switch between 8 patterns for each channel as well as the timbre of the lead, in real-time.
Kinetix/Dynamix (C64)(1988) - Can be considered the first techno OST in video games, and having been made in 1988 it's pretty much in sync with the genre's evolution outside of games.
Phantasy Star III (MD)(1990) - While this OST was a step back in several ways compared to its predecessor (no samples, fewer effects, mostly worse instrumentation), it does feature a couple of interesting things: First, there's a rough transitional system which changes what music is playing during a battle depending on how your party is doing compared to your enemies. Second, the overworld theme actually evolves over the course of the game, with added harmonies as you progress.
Thank you so much for this!
DOS dominated...uh, only in America. In Europe an Japan it was the Amiga and MSX. DOS only 8 their market when these platforms fell by the wayside.
God bless Bob Siebenberg for gifting me the SQ3 music 🎶
I grew up on Sierra and if I had a time machine I would love to just be at Sierra when they were at their peak. 💛
This was really good. Very insightful and informative.
However, and this is a personal nitpick, I thought that your rant parts didn't go well in this. You already showed plenty of good examples, there's no need to rant out.
Thanks for the feedback!
One small thing, Phantasy Star (1987) came before KQ4 and it too had a meaningful female lead.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t think of Phantasy Star and it’s not a game I’ve actually played through. Usually the candidates I have to refute are Ms. Pac Man and Samus Aran (Metroid 1). (Nobody remembers Kangaroo :P) By meaningful, I mean Rosella wasn’t simply a sprite gender swap. It affected and informed things both inside and outside the game. It subtly affected how other NPC characters interacted, judged, and treated you in the game…a useless peasant girl who shouldn’t be there in contrast to the noble knight Sir Graham. The fairy tales Roberta Williams could draw from were also different…e.g. Pandora’s Box (the girl who nearly destroys the world by her curiosity) and the Princess and the Frog…it is more socially acceptable for Rosella going around trying to kiss things than Sir Graham. Roberta Williams also admitted that killing Rosella in the elaborate death sequences Sierra was famous for was disturbing and uncomfortable for her and invoked out much stronger emotions in her. (One of the most vivid ones in my memory is an Ogre chases Rosella down, grabs her by the pigtails and drags her whole body by the hair behind him, while she is flailing on her back, back to his house, where he does terrible things once the door slams close.) And Sierra was actually bracing for a backlash by making the protagonist a woman.
So I’m curious, how do you feel Phantasy Star fares by these metrics? Are there things you feel that would not work or need to be very different if the character was male instead?
Do you have audio footage from Fonz/Moto-Cross (ARC, 1976, Sega)? Supposedly the first continuous in-game music.
I agree, there's a ton of innovation on PCs and in the arcades back in the 70s-80s.
pretty documentary
I got the animation order correct. I am correct in guessing that the first one is 40's & the last one is 2010's, but I screwed up in the middle.
You mean you got some of it correct but also part of it wrong; in other words, you were not correct. You rounded it up when you felt close.
Se esse documentário durasse cinco horas, eu assistiria cada minuto com prazer. É curiosa a diferença daquele sobre Red Dead Redemption, que parece feito pra crianças de três anos. Não posso dizer que falta conteúdo inteligente no UA-cam, porque cavando nós achamos, mas seria ótimo se houvesse mais. Muito obrigado pelo teu trabalho.