Remembering classic video game soundtracks

I’ve been having a bit of a nostalgia high at the moment thanks to that Stunts entry I posted a few days ago… and there’s nothing wrong with that because it let’s us remember an era that will never come again.

Frank Klepacki may not be as well known to most as say, Koji Kondo or Harry Gregson-Williams, however fans of the Command & Conquer series should know him well. But to me, he is most remembered as the composer of one of my favourite DOS games from back in the day… Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty.

There were a few versions of Dune II including a version for Amiga and one for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, but the one I’m thinking of is the (proper) DOS version using Sound Blaster… the way it’s meant to be played and heard. For those of you who haven’t yet experienced what Dune II is about, here’s a YouTube video to illustrate just how awesome it is… you’ll find that the ambience and the epic scale of the game’s music is apparent right from the very start.

It is quite a foreboding soundtrack, even in the more calm moments of the game where you’re just starting off and are busily building up your base, exploring and harvesting spice. You’re doing what you have to do, but there’s always a sense that danger is near and that you’ll have to be on your toes. The soundtrack reflects just what a harsh environment you’re in on the planet Arrakis.

The danger level of the soundtrack intensifies during battles and skirmishes with the enemy factions, and of course in the event of a Sandworm attack. It all sounded excellent back in the early 90s when we were all playing Dune II, but I’ve discovered that it sounds even better today now that I have my PC audio hooked up to my sound system. It really brings out the bass and power of the soundtrack, especially during attacks.

Every time I hear this soundtrack, I want to go back and play through Dune II all over again… it’s just so epic! In fact, I think that’s exactly what I’ll do now.

Before that though, I’ve remembered one of my favourite video game soundtracks, now I’d like to hear about some of yours… I’m talking about really oldskool stuff here, nothing anywhere near recent, so basically nothing after the turn of the century.