Having a great soundtrack, can make a great game, become excellent, so games that can combine amazing gameplay with an awesome soundtrack, will for sure be remembered. Having the right soundtrack can help players feel more immersed in the game, or at times, can even make you feel like a complete badass.
Rock On!
Rock music is a genre that if paired with the right game, can create an amazing and unique experience. A lot of popular games have amazing soundtracks, and if you ever played any of the TonyHawk’s Pro Skater games, you know exactly how a soundtrack can make the game feel even better. Riding around and doing tricks while listening to some amazing rock and punk music, is an awesome feeling. Of course, this doesn’t apply to only skating games, as racing games like Burnout and Need For Speed also have great rock songs, that make you feel epic.
It is impossible to talk about how rock music and games go together, without mention Guitar Hero, a game filled with classic songs from bands like Metallica, Aerosmith, DragonForce, among many others. And of course, Rock Band also is a nice example. As you join with other friends, and together as a band, play your favorite songs.
Some games are extremely well-known for having an amazing soundtrack, and games like Halo have an amazing soundtrack, that takes inspiration from the rock genre. It is impossible to talk about rock in games, without mentioning Doom. In Doom you walk around and kill demons with different types of weapons, the game is fast-paced and frenetic, but what makes it even better, is the soundtrack. Nothing makes you feel more powerful than fighting against demons, while a piece of nice rock music plays in the background, making you feel invincible.
Games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Fighting Revengeance, also use rock music in their soundtrack. For action games, this genre of music fits in perfectly, as the music makes the fighting sequences more epic, and some songs even can say a lot about the character. In Devil May Cry 5, the three main characters have theme songs, and just by listening to them, you can discover a lot about them.
Another genre of game that uses rock music a lot, is fighting games. The Guilty Gear Franchise has a lot of amazing music, and having the energetic feeling of rock music when fighting, can make you as a player feel even more hyped.
An extremely famous game that uses rock as its main theme, is Brutal Legend, where the main protagonist is voiced by rock legend Jack Black. The game uses metal and rock music as a plot device, and the weapon you use to fight is a guitar.
Collaborations
It is to be expected that bands would come to realize how big of reach videogames have, and it didn’t take long for some of them to look for opportunities to work with certain companies. Bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me The Horizon, Green Day, are some of the bands that worked with the video game industry. Avenged Sevenfold created a song specifically for a Call Of Duty game, Metallica has a Guitar Hero game dedicated only to them, and Bring Me The Horizon wrote a song for the game Death Stranding.
In the future, we can surely expect more bands to work with the gaming industry, as it is an amazing opportunity for both parties involved. Nowadays, more and more games have been focusing on creating a unique and amazing soundtrack. Having a great game with an even better soundtrack can be something exceptional. Even games like Grand Theft Auto always had stations that focused only on rock music, as there was no better experience than to travel across the map while listening to some great music.
One of the greatest composers as of right now is without a doubt, Mick Gordon. He was responsible for the soundtrack of the latest Doom games, and also did the soundtrack for Killer Instinct. Mick can combine rock with metal, and he uses creative ways to make new sounds and to make exceptional songs. His work with the Doom games will for sure always be remembered as one of the best around. Doom 2016 won the game awards for music/and sound design. That goes to show just how important music is, and that when done correctly, it can be the factor that makes a game go down in history.
We can always expect to hear more rock soundtracks in future games, as it is a genre that goes along perfectly with so many games. Be it fighting games, a hack n’ slash, or even a shooter, nothing is better than having a badass soundtrack accompany you on your journey.
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