PS Euphonies

Here comes PlayStation! It may have to do with how the games are stored, but at this stage, videogame music have progressed so much that they have begun to sound as though they’re coming straight from audio CD’s. We’re talking about a leap from MIDI to WAV. Not only did the audio quality make full-blown orchestra arrangements sound authentic – unlike the “compensated” orchestra of the SNES days - it also allowed more experimental developers to make the music part of playing the games. PS-exclusive games like Parappa the Rapper, where buttons are pressed to make the titular character rap, couldn’t be done in SNES.

It’s also at this time when CD’s containing videogame music began to get mass-produced and to earn mild commercial popularity. Whatever anyone may think of Faye Wong’s Eyes on Me (for the record, I don’t happen to think very highly of the lyrics, and they could’ve used different arrangements) it undoubtedly made an impact in the videogame industry because it is a song that everyone in Japan and Taiwan has heard. People have begun paying attention to videogame music. Consequently, more talents have hopped aboard the recording booths Capcom, Square, Ubisoft, etc.

With the new freedom PS offered to composers and musicians, more soundtracks that reverberated within every fiber of my being were made. Hear my 10 favorite pieces after the jump!

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