After reading many raves about game soundtracks, I have decided why I don't like much game music today. I prefer soundtracks that offer a great variety of styles, such as the Dragon Quest series, or the Phantasy Star series. What made those old soundtracks so great? They were well composed, and they didn't rely on fancy instruments to make them sound good. They were, for the most part, short, sweet, catchy tunes, and they weren't trying to be anything that they weren't. The soundtracks consisted of many styles of classical, as well as some modern music in the PS series.

In today's games, it seems that all the soundtracks are trying to be too epic. What is generally not exceptionally catchy music is overcomposed and too repetitive. Perhaps I'm just not a big fan of the instruments that are used in games like Star Ocean 2. Perhaps my opinion is in the minority. I am just sick of soundtracks getting praise when I feel I could write much better music myself. Don't get me wrong, some games execute the "epic" feel very well. However, it seems that today, too many composers try to acheive that feel, and the music comes across as bland and overdramatic. I think that composers need to lighten up a bit. If they would experiment with different styles of music more often, they'd broaden their abilities and understanding, and, quite possibly, make video game soundtracks much more enjoyable.

Written by JediLeroy