SC 1/2 Music Comparison

[solidsamurai]

Sound Track

Terran soundtrack in starcraft 1 is consistent in how it goes together, and provides ample atmosphere to the sort of space opera that was intended.
The music isn't any more of a distraction than the player wants it to be, and provides the ideal accent to the action on the screen.
Pretty much the whole reason video game music existed to begin with.

Compare that to the starcraft 2 terran soundtrack,
which pretty much doesn't know what to do with itself and is all over the place -
modifying its themes with unecessary transitions that
really don't suit this faster paced RTS, where combat is just around the corner.

StarCraft 2 Soundtrack

Terran 01; The music begins with electronic and guitar, followed by a rock build up, and then suddenly goes smooth jazz and then suddenly breaks down into soft guitar.

And then it sporadically goes into rock again, with this big accelerating build up. When the acceleration reaches its peak, it goes back into smooth jazz with violins. Finally, it ends with the rock chorus that accompanied the first build up. There's just too many break downs, imo.


Terran 02; Begins very soft with only guitar, and barely audible background. Then it builds into something that feels like one of the police's sappy singles ('Every breath you take' - one of those songs). Then, when it feels like there's a beat, it breaks down. This feels like a jazz coffee house.

The drums sound like fucking elevator music and the guitar is what I can only describe as 'family friendly'. And then it suddenly transitions into something heavier with a beat and the guitar does a solo. And then it breaks down, and the music finally sounds somewhat what terran should suond like, but then it ends. Fuck.


Terran 03; Chilling start, but then the guitar comes in family friendly and the drums are reminescent of a The Police soft rock single. Then the beat shifts, and it begins to sound like porn music. This is all happening while as your army is getting slaughtered.

Then the music transitions into country rock with heavy violin (or whatever the fuck that instrument is). Country rock?! Shit.

When it breaks down, it turns into a fusion that sounds slightly more terran, but then the guitar comes in again. The exit sounds pretty terran, which is okay, considering this stuff is barely audible during gameplay anyway, fuck it.


Terran 04; The music begins very porno. Kinda like a jazz/rock ballad. It's fine, but doesn't exactly rhyme with burning down an opponent's base or dropping a triple nuclear strike.

Music transitions into more porn, though the guitar seems to be romantic and weepy. I don't get it. And then... um... there's a sappy build up with the guitar. And then it goes quiet. Done.


Terran 05; Starts dark and brooding, but then it gets romantic again. Wtf is going on... I don't care. That said, this is the best of the bunch, just because the brooding aspect of this music is the only piece that actually reflects on the story.

And of course, just as I wrote this, it suddenly transitions into the build up 'fuck you' chorus from the first track. Not that there's anything wrong with that - it's just not very intense, and it would've been mere background if it were in remotely the same vein as SC 1.

Music transitions to romantic violin and guitar. And then there's a slow high note, ending with chills. I dig the chills, don't dig the other stuff. You know the drill.


Protoss 01; Cliche fantasy opening, with cliche mysitcism 'oos' and 'ahs'. It's all tunnels and echo. Then there's a gradual build up, but it's like waves.

Then the build gets larger, but then it dies. It gets cut off, like it got recalled, replaced by more oos and ahs. Then another build up. Some echos. Um.

A drum beat, I think? Okay, no. Transition. Music is blue and new age now. Echo and build up, but this is replaced by warpy music. And um, a bunch of sound effects.


Protoss 02; A bit reminescent of SC 1 protoss - this music gives some semblance of civilization. Transitions into funky drum beat. And then it's basically just echo for a while and a choir arrives to hum for a bit.

The music gets dramatic, but suddenly turns epic note seconds in - fuck drama, replace it with epic! And then echos soon after. More choir oohs and ahs. Doesn't really mean anything. It's like the first sound track - trying to be intriguing, without any substance.

Music takes a turn for the better, taking hymnes from SC 1 protoss, and the drum beat goes well with it. Transition into darkness and foreboding, which is meaningless. No substance! It's foreboding, about a prophecy, with no substance and it really feels like they're throwing this shit in here.

Some high notes end with the track getting asphyxiated.


Protoss 03; Eery opening. Sounds slightly romantic. Choir hums the same hymne that they've been doing all along. There's what sounds like a build up, but it's actually just a startling accent, and it's all really soft and romantic.

Transitions into eery and foreboding, except even more looming this time, like an approaching axe murderer. As strings squeel, the choir interjects. Celo plucking actually goes sort of well with this new theme, but then there's another eery build up. If there's was an actual hyme with the not-often celo, that'd be cool, but nah - they don't do it.

Celo (I think) starts playing the strings - the rich sound, to make it sound brooding. Music transitions into a jungle pick up, and then it ends with drums. A lot of transitions for no particular reason - it's like they're trying to keep the themes hidden, so that players don't have a clue wtf is going on. Whatever, it's protoss, they're just mysterious, right?

It's all they ever do, I guess.


Protoss 04; Reminescent of old starting theme from SC 1 protoss. Which automatically makes it good, of course. It also has an eery background. Well holy shit, this theme actually works - I mean all they did, was inject... fuck, as they were going with the old theme, they interjected the damn choir again.

Okay um, it still salvages itself. It has a good warcraft 3 undead type of percussion (forget what the instrument was called). There's a natural feel too, what sounds like bird calls and the celo even places more brooding - very good! I'm actually kind of liking this track. Great for any wilderness atmosphere - if someone was just taking a walk on Aiur or something, it'd be perfect.

The track ends with a simple fanciful violin break down. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it sounds like 'Amish Paradise' by Weird Al Yankovich. But only for about half a second.


Protoss 05; The fancifulness continues. Timpanee drum comes in. Some nature. Transitions into an action movie build up. And then it turns into echos and chaos. More echos, and then there's a build up. And it reminesces (very fondly) on the original SC 1 protoss. Which is, of course, automatically good. Nostalgia makes everything better.

But it ends as soon as it begins, more echo and foreboding and drama. Transitions into... silence. Okay, done.


Zerg 01; Funky fusion opening. Build up into gritty industrial. No hymne can be made out, but this track still sounds evil enough for zerg.


Zerg 02; Dark and deep opening with a bass rythm. Guitar interjects, and it sounds kind of like the age of empires 1 sound track. Until the guitar begins doing an egyptian hymne.

The riff is mostly depressing. It rests for a while, and then starts up again. My only issue with this is really that it doesn't sound particularly insectoid or animal,

and the music would probably go just as well with diablo 3, because it sounds dark and depressing.


Zerg 03; Echo opening. Primal, egyptian. Those sorta things. Sort of the music that belongs with dreams. And then warcraft 1 orc type music interjects but gets cut off to a bunch of mixed sounds.

They just kinda threw a bunch of stuff in here. Echo tunnels. The lowest keys on the big old wooden piano are left to vibrate with a mic tied to it. That's about it.


Zerg 04; Music that sounds like I'm regaining my hearing. The familiar spookiness cuts in with the drum beats and some fusion of keys.

Music is appropriately chilling, but it still sounds all over the place when slapped together with the other tracks (which it is).

That's sort of my problem with all this music - like a bunch of artists each had their turn (oh me me me, include my sounds!).


Zerg 05; Chilling and amoebic. Heart beat rhythm. Nine inch nails type of chorus interjects. And then it dies and there's a bunch of echos, for no reason.

Could have included a contiguous hymne, but I guess the next artist had to have their fill.


Zerg 06; Dark beginning. A rythm starts up with water droplets and stalactites. And guitar interjects. Sure fine, zerg always have this one guitar thing and it sounded fine in Brood War right?

But still, there's no real hymne and the riff is a few simple chords - so it doesn't do much.

More water droplet sound - the sound is just looped. Some quiet drums, and the occassional thundering kick accent. And then the track literally ends with a loop and silence. Well, what else can say but done!


Zerg 07; Why is their so many tracks?! It goes all the way up to zerg 09. It's because these are basically just sound clips. Anyway.

There's a dark build up that gets rather big and loud, and it feels foreboding and creepy. This goes on for quite a while.

I guess there's some drums that come in occassionally. The sound is actually contiguous here - unfortunately, it's also quiet boring and the atmosphere is no different than the other tracks,

while strangely sounding entirely apart like a different track that doesn't at all run together with the others. How they pulled that off, I dunno.


Zerg 08; Starts with echos and riff raff. Builds up into a... thing. Sounds somewhat reminiscent of SC 1 Zerg - at least the drums and the electrical keys.

The accents are good. Everything is in place. This track is great. Probably my favourite one of zerg! But of course, all things have to end in 3 minutes or under - did blizzard have a quota or something? Nothing really makes sense anymore.


Zerg 09; Starts with a foreboding echo and plenty of ambiance, just like pretty much every sound track in the entire game. The strings sound pretty good though and the guitar actually interjects well. Saving the best for last? Fuck, whatever.

Track ends with a silent pause, as if the soundtrack needs a silent pause. I think Raynor's angry stare in the cut scenes of this game's campaign mode says it all.



I'll cover SC 1 music later. I'm sure we'll find that it runs together a little better than the 2010 stuff.

[Pr0nogo]

A lot of the music in SCII was as thrown together as the campaign.

[senervo]

I remember the Brood wars' soundtrack for Protoss had me thinking of stories, tales of travelers in distant and dark lands, foreboding messages and challenges. I think the only (protoss) track in WoL that comes even close to what they should have delivered in the music department was the 2nd track (only for it's slight difference from the rest of the songs and depressing atmosphere) I wasn't a big fan of the ''recycled'' tracks making it feel out-of-place and cheap. I was actually ok with some of the terran tracks (nr.1 and 2, in fact) but they never came close to the dopey-like awesomeness of the old songs and the zerg soundtrack, while ocassionally appropriate wasn't very interesting, which is the main problem with most of these tracks. there's barely any difference between them, nothing to remember.

[TheEconomist]

I remember the Brood wars' soundtrack for Protoss had me thinking of stories

Didn't Brood War use only the same music as the original?

tales of travelers in distant and dark lands, foreboding messages and challenges.

Deep bro. Deeeep.

[TheProgramer]

I enjoy the Terran music in WOL and find the others wanting.

I'll cover SC 1 music later. I'm sure we'll find that it runs together a little better than the 2010 stuff.

And that's why I don't want to read the rest of your post. I know from that comment that you will make the point that the old music runs better, and no matter what evidence there is you will only present that which fowards that point.

I remember the Brood wars' soundtrack for Protoss had me thinking of stories, tales of travelers in distant and dark lands, foreboding messages and challenges. I think the only (protoss) track in WoL that comes even close to what they should have delivered in the music department was the 2nd track (only for it's slight difference from the rest of the songs and depressing atmosphere) I wasn't a big fan of the ''recycled'' tracks making it feel out-of-place and cheap. I was actually ok with some of the terran tracks (nr.1 and 2, in fact) but they never came close to the dopey-like awesomeness of the old songs and the zerg soundtrack, while ocassionally appropriate wasn't very interesting, which is the main problem with most of these tracks. there's barely any difference between them, nothing to remember.

The Protoss music had the same effect on me too. It brought to mind a depressing urgency that the protoss story brought about in me too.

[Kimera757]

Didn't Brood War use only the same music as the original?

Yes, plus one new track per race (and also Radio Free Zerg).

[sandwich_bird]

Yes we know; sc2 music is mostly garbage when compared to sc1 music. I've been hating since beta.

[solidsamurai]

Didn't Brood War use only the same music as the original?

It had 1 new track for each race.

and no matter what evidence there is you will only present that which fowards that point.

Kay, well you know how it works, so why read into it? That's what everyone making a long opinionated post does after all, right? Reinforcing their own irrational opinion that was founded on inherent irrationality (because law of entropy or whatever)?

Reminescent of old starting theme from SC 1 protoss. Which automatically makes it good, of course.

If you couldn't read the intended poking fun at my own snobbishness, then I guess there's nothing I can do to entertain you. Ah well.

Fact is, the SC 1 tracks are better, but there were things I enjoyed about the SC 2 tracks. I will explain in detail what makes them better, and compare - if that doesn't change your opinion, I hope it will at least convince you that the opinion is formed not out of nostalgia, but an intelligent opinion of music and how it goes together with a videogame. That isn't to say that SC 2's music doesn't go together with the gameplay - it certainly does (after all the game is still playable /snob). Just, not as well. That's my opinion.

That's the best I can do. I'm not going to reiterate how awesome SC 1 music is in 'every way', or curse about the horridness of SC 2.

That's the most educated my opinion can get. If that isn't educated enough, then I clearly shouldn't be wasting my time with this and go do something more productive, like masturbation.

[topsecret221]

Personally, I don't dislike the SC2 music. I don't enjoy it nearly as much as the SC:BW music, but I don't dislike it, either.

Also...

Timpanee drum comes in.

Timpani.

Sorry I had to pick something so trivial out, but that's my instrument. Can't sit idly while it's misspelled

[senervo]

Deep bro. Deeeep.

meeeh... i'm usually a dopey like that. but it held that impact for me as a youngling.