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Most faved MMO music themes
MMO.Maverick
Member CommonPosts: 7,619
Posting about some MMO music themes elsewhere, made me realise again how much I love the music that can be heard in some MMO's. No, I don't mean the music tracks you play while turning the ingame music off, I really mean the music themes and songs inside the game itself 
People tend to forget how much the ingame music can contribute to the atmosphere of the game you're playing, when hit the right chord it can really pull at your heart and immerse you into the game world you're wandering around in. The music really helped to move me when I first approached Kelethin in Everquest, or entered Stormwind in WoW.
And say what you like of Funcom or the gameplay of AoC, but I'd rate the music in AoC among the best, especially the Cimmerian themes. I recall often that I halted my questing for a moment just to enjoy and listen to the music while in the Cimmerian mountains.
So here are a number of my faved MMO music themes that can still give me chills from time to time:
Nighttime Journey Through The Eiglophian Mountains (AoC)
The Dreaming - 'Ere the World Crumbles.. (AoC).
Kelethin (Everquest) and here's the EQ2 version of the Kelethin music theme
So, what's the most memorable music you have encountered in the games you played that added to the atmosphere or gave you goosebumps?
(music in regular games count too, can't recollect any at the moment myself except the Resident Evil 2 music themes which added to the overall creepiness of the game)
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Comments
I agree that AOC had some good music but FFXI takes the cake on this one. In no other MMO have I actually sought out the OST to find specific titles that I've heard in game. These definitely struck a chord on my emotions when I played and is still what I love the most about Final Fantasy. A couple of my favorite tracks are Selbina and Mhaura.
As far as MMO's go I would have to say Lineage 2, Guild Wars and then maybe EVE.
Generally speaking MMO's are not that good in the audio department. The music tends to be generic afterthought and spoken dialog is still nowhere near where it needs to be compared to the rest of the gaming industry.
edit, yeah AoC was pretty good also
Ah yes, I'd forgotten about Final Fantasy, thanks for the reminding :-)
Not just the MMO, the single player games had some atmospheric music too.
Two of the song I liked, the title song Faye Wong - Eyes On Me of FF8 (one of the lesser games in the FF series though but it had great cinematic cutscenes for that time), and Cloud's theme of FF7, the first of the FF series which was pretty good back then.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Necroing this because there's no newer thread on the subject and this one is fine.
The Dreaming Anew - Memories of Cimmeria from Age of Conan. It's just perfect. Any other MMO I've played would have scored the cold, bloodsoaked Conall's Valley with some bombastic percussion and brass cacaphony to impart just how manly it was, yet they took the higher road and gave us this haunting piece that, to this day, gives me shivers every few seconds that it is playing. Helene Bøksle's voice is inhumanly awesome, here, more than anywhere else I've heard it.
Merchants, Looters and Ghosts from EVE Online. I love all of EVE's music. It started my love affair with the electronic ambient genre and I blame it for all the time I've ever spent just staring at EVE's visuals. It's the kind of music I'd want to listen to as an immortal posthuman god amongst the stars. However, it is this track that I'd probably choose as standing out amongst all the others. Close runners-up are Red Glowing Dust and this nameless track which was the login theme during both Revelations and Empyrean Age.
The Kelethin theme from EverQuest. Although it was infuriating that MIDIs sounded completely different depending on your sound card in those days, and on some cards EverQuest's music was awful, Kelethin's theme was always beautiful. In fact, when I was 12 and my mother was very ill, it was discovered that she enjoyed this track so much that on some days I would log in just to idle somewhere out-of-the-way in Kelethin so she could listen to it. The nostalgia is strong with this one.
Vanguard's layered music. Not only for the technical appeal of using the most complex layering system I'd ever seen at the time of its release, but moreover for the results of that system. Each area effectively had dozens of possible tracks depending on several variables, all of them nice, but some of them amazing. Some examples I layered together myself: Pankor Zhi and the Fallen Lyceum.
LotRO's Rivendell Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXCt0p1EISY
LotRO Tom Bombadil Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3dPApPyIGs
EQ2 Qeynos Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23uAlZVFrz8
WoW Cataclysm Stormwind Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZeQQa2TxeI&feature=related
EQ Felwithe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvmMcApGIRg
Actually, I'd say my favorite MMORPG soundtrack has to be the one from Aion. It' was elegant in a way that really struck me deeply. I wasn't able to continue playing very far into the game, but I do have the soundtrack on CD. It certainly helped immerse me into the world at the time.
Secondly, Eve Online's soundtrack. I keep it on my Iphone and listen to it occassionally.. when I need to tune out the world, you know? It's very relaxing. The music really made the Eve Universe feel.. expansive, dark.. vast.. in a way, empty. I felt more like exploring the stars then in any other game, in large part because of the ambient beauty.
All in all, I believe that music greatly influences all of gaming. I' try to continue listening to them in MMO's as much as I can, instead of just having Itunes in the background. If the game looks good and plays well, it better sound epic. X)
i like many music themes from many mmorpgs, but i have to say (and i know many many people will agree) the music from WoW is one of the most epic music themes out there as of today. right now those are my faves, really really amazing music
I couldn't find the specific track, but it's one you hear in Storm Peaks at night in WoW. Not sure if they still use the same tracks since 4.0.3, but it was gorgeous music. They use a variation of it in SW now since the latest patch.
The Scores that the Trion team is working on for Rift. http://www.riftgame.com/en/media/videos.php
Some of the AOC was good but I'll have to give the title comfortably to Guild Wars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oFGagjD18o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mc0OSVrhoE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBuxs6oxZ4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5X6zUdmTTc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vgfaUkLK6Y&feature=related
I loved Jeremy Soule's music from Guild Wars as well. However I liked the Eye of the North songs better:
Beyond the Northern Wall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cY2h1BR2YA
Under the Dark Span (Asura Theme): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb_qOaLm5q4
Song of the Shiverpeaks (Norn Theme): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULyRcptyjj8
Playing: Smite, Marvel Heroes
Played: Nexus:Kingdom of the Winds, Everquest, DAoC, Everquest 2, WoW, Matrix Online, Vangaurd, SWG, DDO, EVE, Fallen Earth, LoTRo, CoX, Champions Online, WAR, Darkfall, Mortal Online, Guild Wars, Rift, Tera, Aion, AoC, Gods and Heroes, DCUO, FF14, TSW, SWTOR, GW2, Wildstar, ESO, ArcheAge
Waiting On: Nothing. Mmorpg's are dead.
In order:
1. Aion
2. Lord of the Rings Online
3. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft has some really nice music. Perhaps the best part is that for some reason no matter how many alts you've leveled, the music never seems to get old.
Lord of the Ring's music seems to fit the game perfectly. This is especially noticable in the Shire, and Tom Bombadil's theme is one of my favorite of all time in an MMO.
Aion's music share's a combination of the traits mentioned above. What sets it above is that it has an unusual number of songs that fall into the 'fantastic' category. The original title screen theme was one of these, and there are several others that aren't found on the OST, yet are fantastic in their own right. A prime example of this is the music that plays in the item remodeling shop in Sanctum.
Lineage II Soundtracks ~
Main Theme :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AQtPq5b1EI
Several other themes :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBMVHF-btT4
Also the L1 ones by Joey Newman, awsome stuff, but couldn't find them on youtube xD
I'll go with the two that popped in to my head first
Guild Wars - Factions Theme
AoC - Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain
Agreed on this. I dont like Lineage 2, never seriously played it, but I keep some themes from it in my all time favourites playlist.
I also enjoy space music from EVE Online and Anarchy Online tracks
I think the soundtrack for Soul of the Ultimate Nation is probably my favorite.
(http://www.tracksounds.com/reviews/soul_ultimate_nation.htm)
Certainly was an unexpected surprize to find out the same guy behind The Lord of the Rings movie's soundtrack put this game's music together.
It's actually one of few games I choose to listen to it's music instead of my own, simply because it suits the game and adds to the atmosphere, how many f2p game's can you say that about (next to none in my experience)?
Lineage 2
The only game i really loved the themes, the music was simply magical in that game, if only it didnt involve so much grind and had balanced pvp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdSwHhd_VeA - hunters vilage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jOj0gjPnoo&feature=related - Dion village theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63McBBTn8pg&feature=related - war theme, around the middle is my favorite part
This was the only game that i felt the themes being alive and being Epic and the world was so beautiful and huge and detailed as it should be
Lineage 2 had it almost perfect from graphics/songs/animations/sizes/feel of epicness just needed more polish and less grind and balanced pvp
I'm not a sw fan but the planetary music in swg was epic, just hearing it now brings back so many memories.
Endor was probably fav, but even the title music was cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_7TR-X4eFY
Also VG had some great mood music.
Edit: I posted before checking all the links, man mmo's have some amazing music it has to be said, the AoC tracks are pretty incredible. It's remarkable how nostalgic you can get litening to the tracks and it reminds me just how many mmo's I've played over the years. The EQ2 theme is great, even the L2 is emotional and I didn't even play the damn game
-----
The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
Everquest opening intro baby..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKj36GJj_i8
that brought back memories lol
oddly enough,I remember dying to a pack of brownies in lower feydark as this song was playing... rotfl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftnd29Pg4kk&feature=related
Kerra's Isle,another cool song,would spend hours there camping wisps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMuC30JVu60&feature=related
I would stop in West Freeport just to listen to this one sometimes..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ6rOJEvpZM&feature=related
Call me biased but it MUST be the Asheron's Call theme. Still gives me goosebumps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEx6azrfEow
Maybe some nostalgia involved, but I really liked the music in Planetside. It wasn't subtle but never annoying making those big fights even more epic.
As for Me it's Prolly Age of Conan Most Epic Sound Track Ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kn99vRCbww&feature=&p=0714388D0401D9ED&index=0&playnext=1
Aion - Roar of the Warrior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqGdlUnOHIU
The game had issues, but its soundtrack was without a doubt phenomenal. This particular song always got me so excited. I got the soundtrack with the game, and I'd play this song whenever fort raids started. It felt so epic, I didn't even mind dying. Which was good, since clerics were always the first to die T_T
When the flute picks up after the chorus...*shiver* good stuff.
"Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."
Lineage 2 has the best MMO music.
AoC is probably my second favourite, but it's nowhere near close to L2.