Frictional Games' triology of horror adventure games recently received a soundtrack release through the composer's label, The Sound of Fiction. Mikko Tarmia handpicked a selection of 27 trademark tracks to be featured on this CD. The music styles include classical, ambiance and industrial. Like the games it originally accompanied, the soundtrack is dark and serious, and at times, tragic and disturbing.
The three Penumbra games represented on this album are: Overture, Black Plague, and Requiem. These PC titles were released between 2007 and 2008. Story-wise, they revolve around a dark mystery in Greenland, where the player explores a dark underground complex in search of an understanding of a letter from his father. ...
Tags: Mikko Tarmia
Review by Ashley Winchester
Review by Shawnphase
Let me preface my review first in somewhat of an nontraditional approach, and simply state that this fan-arranged album has it all. When I first approached what was in store for me from Christopher Getman, also known as Mazedude, I had no idea what to expect, and that was a good thing. The American Alum clocks in at almost over 70 minutes of music and tributes American game music ranging from Doom to Myst to Secret of Evermore. It had me admittedly first a little bit skeptical of whether or not I would be able to sustain interest, but it is truly a classic and displays the beautiful cacophony you could only ... 
After creating a string of hit Commodore 64 and Amiga scores, Chris Huelsbeck decided to produce his first original album, Shades. As with most of his productions, this release only features a few of his game works and the majority of the pieces are original and demo pieces. As a result, stylistic experimentation is the focus of much of the album. Though some experiments are immature and the quality varies throughout, Huelsbeck nevertheless offers a very chaming and emotional collective experience.
The album opens with a medley of well-selected themes from the first two Turrican games. Huelsbeck certainly captures the spirit of the series' music with his poppy vibes, positive aura, and surprising minor ... 
Amon Tobin's first attempt at a game soundtrack, Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory, was impressive both as an in-game accompaniment and stand-alone album. Some years later, he was asked to lead another game score, Sony's inFAMOUS, to depict the desolate environments and high-octane action. The breakbeat extraordinaire was nevertheless assisted by several other composers, including Jim Dooley, Mel Wesson, and Johnathan Mayer, who produce additional in-game music and cinematic underscoring. Dooley and Wesson are actually members of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions — the company often blamed for the saminess and homogeneity of a lot of film and game music today — and hence almost represent the antithesis of Tobin's cutting-edge style. Nevertheless, this is ... 
Review by Ersatz
I played Need For Speed before, but for the life on me, I couldn't remember what kind of music played in the background. Was it techno? Was it straight rock? I just couldn't remember, so I jumped at the chance to hear a Need For Speed album, and I always liked the third incarnation. Listening to the album through fresh ears, I would have to describe the music as being a cross of various genres, include country, rock techno, drum & bass and trance. If you can even FATHOM that, then kudos to you. If someone tossed that idea out there, I would have looked at them ... 
Away from their endless Star Wars productions, LucasArts have produced a number of excellent original adventure and action games. Each of these games was supported by a unique original score created by a member of the company's incredibly talented sound team. The Best of LucasArts Original Soundtracks provided a commemoration of their achievements over the years with a one disc compilation. Three of the selections — Outlaws, Grim Fandango, and The Dig — were previously commemorated with their own acclaimed soundtrack releases. This leaves little space for exclusives, but there are still some, namely two original orchestral compositions flanking the album and some selections from the Monkey Island series, Gladius, and RTX: ... 
When I sat down to begin contemplating Echoes of War, I thought very carefully about what I would be hearing. Consisting of a series of tracks from the Blizzard Entertainment music catalogue (Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo), these arrangements have been given a careful tuning to develop them to the point where they can be performed as a symphonic piece, instead of the traditional looping forms from the games. Until now, my experience with Blizzard Entertainment has been very limited, consisting almost solely of a few forays through the world of Diablo II. However, when I had the opportunity to review this album, I jumped at the chance. This is mostly ... 
In 1995,, LucasArts and Steven Spielberg took three astronauts into an adventure into space and another world with the PC graphic adventure The Dig. Michael Land, the leading force behind most Monkey Island scores, was assigned to create the score. To depict the scenes and emotions of the game, he chose to hybridise synthetic and orchestral elements, blending influences ranging from Wagner to Vangelis to Bach with his own subtle musicality. The resultant score is accessible yet unfamiliar, simple yet deep. It was so well-received by gamers that, for the first time in LucasArts' history, it even received a stand-alone soundtrack release.
The opener "Mission to the Asteroid" is the most expansive and cinematic entry of ...