31 replies to this topic

[Archmage Silver]

BioWare announced yesterday that Inon Zur is the composer of the soundtrack for Dragon Age: Origins.

This bodes well for the game if you consider some of his previous works familiar to most people here: Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001) & Icewind Dale II (2002).

Even his music for Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (2003) was good, even though the game itself wasn't very well finished - this is from my personal experience.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA - September 24, 2009 - Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of EA, announced today that award-winning composer Inon Zur has composed the original score for Dragon Age: Origins. Zur has been lauded for the emotional musical compositions he crafted for some of the most critically acclaimed video games including Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, Crysis, Fallout 3 and Prince of Persia.

Original News

Edited by Archmage Silver, 11 December 2009 - 09:31 AM.

[Archmage Silver]

BioWare has added a sneak preview of the soundtrack on the main Dragon Age: Origins site.

[Eleima]

I'm very excited about this piece of news. Inon Zur has always produced music of great quality: I'm thinking of Baldur's Gate: Throne of Bhaal, Icewind Dale 2, Syberia 2, The Prince of Persia series, Crysis...
I have no doubt that he will produce a great soundtrack for Dragon Age: Origins.

Now that that's been said... *rushes off to listen to the preview*


Edit: *comes back from listening to the preview* Yeah, like I said... Great stuff!

Edited by Eleima, 26 September 2009 - 11:59 PM.

[theacefes]

Oh nice. Something besides that completely inappropriate music (for the game anyway - not in general ) they had in the earlier trailers.

[Eleima]

I completely agree with you, Theacefes! In particular, I really wasn't a fan of that metal music...

[Archmage Silver]

According to some rumors I've heard, Marilyn Manson's trailer music was a gimmick conjured up by EA marketing as opposed to being entirely BioWare's decision.

[Eleima]

Sometimes, I want to curse EA to the Nine Hells and beyond!

[Kaeloree]

It was BioWare's marketing dept. who decided on the Manson tracks, from what I've read on the DA forums. You'd be surprised at how un-evil EA are actually being. From what I can tell, BioWare have had a vast amount of freedom with DA.

Sorry, I'm just a bit tired of people blaming EA for everything. I can understand, but EA isn't what it used to be.

I thought the Manson tracks were a clever marketing ploy; I'm sure they attracted people who wouldn't usually play RPGs. That was their intention--nothing more, nothing less. It was just a different marketing tack.

[theacefes]

I never blamed them. I'm happy with EA as they have been the backing for many many good games and have ultimately saved many studios from having their game pitches be nothing more than game pitches.

To be honest, I'm very surprised EA even allowed Bioware to continue developing DA, unless it was already so close to being finished that there was no point in pulling the plug.

Re: the tracks - I don't quite understand why the company would want to reach out to non RPG players when they have an entire lineup of willing players who have been waiting for the next cool fantasy RPG for a while. I think using tracks like that has a good possibility of alienating a good amount of this demographic (the existing fans) since it's specific to a certain sect of music/culture, whereas using the actual game soundtrack in a trailer would not do this, since it's expected.

Edited by theacefes, 27 September 2009 - 04:04 PM.

[Kaeloree]

I think it was more of an experiment than anything else--I'm not sure what they learnt from it, though. I think it did alienate some fans (there was a huge uproar on forums all over the 'net when it happened), but with any luck it drew a bunch of new people who might enjoy the genre.

While the amount of RPG playing gamers might not be insubstantial, it's still pretty small in the grand scheme of things. Anything companies can do to extend their reach is, IMO, worth doing. Companies have to stay afloat somehow... and though I think the Manson thing was a bit of a stupid mood, it's cool to see they're trying new tacks. The better off BioWare and EA are financially, the more cool games we're gonna get from them.

Most of the trailers have used the normal music, which--a bit more on topic--is awesome. I love the main theme; the woman's singing DA's Elvish. It's beautiful.

[GeN1e]

Sorry, I'm just a bit tired of people blaming EA for everything.

Ah, but it is to be blamed for everything. Just like Microsoft. Corporate scums, etc.

I think it did alienate some fans (there was a huge uproar on forums all over the 'net when it happened), but with any luck it drew a bunch of new people who might enjoy the genre.

We can only pray it will not. I mean, more people equals more money, sure, but not when those are from the wrong crowd. How it was? "When I saw monsters, I clicked my characters to attack. It took me some time to realize that I wasn't actually attacking, as it turned out there was a delay between actions, so even when I clicked to attack, it was queued" - some journalist after trying DA at EA or somewhen around that time.

An epidemy of sorts, even Obsidian seems to go way too far off with AP, those realtime dialogs. Sigh...

At least DA looks to be fairly playable, I dare not to ask for more.

[Daulmakan]

No MM seems like a sensible decision, but I figure they scared several fans away with that gimmick, though.

[Vicen]

Bah its only trailer music that would not even appear in the game...Anyone who got "scared off" or what not from that music did not really want to play the game in the first place...and if they did why would they allow something so stupid like that to push them away from a game that seems certain for great glory?

[Eleima]

Sorry, I'm just a bit tired of people blaming EA for everything.

Ah, but it is to be blamed for everything. Just like Microsoft. Corporate scums, etc.

Hehe, I'm with GeN1e!!

Seriously, though, I'm not "blaming EA for everything", I just unpleasantly surprised by the metal at the end of the trailer(s), it kinda kills the whole immersion aspect, if you ask me. I've had bad experiences with EA in the past, but that won't keep me from trying different EA games, and it certainly won't keep me from buying DA.
Trust me, I'm the worst example of the "gamer who blames EA for everything". I was only joking when I said I wanted to "curse EA" (hence the smiley), it's just that some things they really messed up, but I'm perfectly willing to admit that they're doing some things right. Like letting Bioware bring us this new RPG. And.... (watch for perfect "back to topic" clincher) picking Inon Zur to compose Dragon Age's score!

[Daulmakan]

Bah its only trailer music that would not even appear in the game...Anyone who got "scared off" or what not from that music did not really want to play the game in the first place...and if they did why would they allow something so stupid like that to push them away from a game that seems certain for great glory?

Certain for great glory? Based on what? Failed marketing campaigns? Repeated pushed back dates? Wait, I know, surely it's because of great and well-thought concepts, such as "blood, lust, and betrayal"... Does the game even have dragons in the first place?

[Choo Choo]

Yes, the game has dragons.

And don't let the "Blood, lust and betrayal" thing scare you away. Look at the trailers and gameplay vids and stuff. The game looks seriously awesome.

[Archmage Silver]

To return to the topic... my short (unprofessional) impressions of the preview tracks:

Dragon Age: Origins
I like this track especially, the hauntingly beautiful melody and song stand out on their own. Aubrey Ashburn performs brilliantly as the vocalist. The end has a bit too much ephasis on drums, reminiscent of Howard Shore's work. Also, from 1:15 to 1:21 the track takes me right back Lionheart: Legacy of Crusader - Zur used the almost same sequence in a Mongol goblin camp track.

Rise of the Darkspawn
Not my favourite, it's not menacing enough in my opinion. I think Zur could have achieved more by using horns with a lower sound, and with long blows instead short and changing. A slower pace to the entire track would have made it more menacing and dark, without turning it into Imperial March.

Elves at the Mercy of Men
A pretty neutral toned track, it reminds me a bit of Zur's Icewind Dale II tracks around Wandering Village and Fellwood with something added that makes me think of the Orient. It has a beautiful melody.

The Dwarven Nobles
Is it just me or does every dwarf related song have horns in it? I suppose it sounds appropriate, considering that DA dwarves are backstabbing assasinating politicians who like to keep up the front of honor and valor. There's a bit of variation near the end though, which introduces a variation of the Dragon Age theme - a nice touch. This track could have done with a bit more thought, now it just sounds so generic to me.

Mages in Their Chantry
This track is perhaps least to my liking of the lot, with the exception of Rise of the Darkspawn. It strikes out for a dramatic effect, but I think it just falls short of that, instead it somehow reminds me of various songs composed for various space operas. This could well sound better ingame with a proper set up, but it doesn't fly on its own like the first track.

[Vicen]

Yes, the game has dragons.

And don't let the "Blood, lust and betrayal" thing scare you away. Look at the trailers and gameplay vids and stuff. The game looks seriously awesome.

Exactly...the game looks awesome and from what I have seen is at least going to be a 4 out of 5 star game if everything holds true

Edited by Vicen, 28 September 2009 - 10:56 PM.

[Archmage Silver]

Four new preview tracks have been added to the official site:

• Human Nobility
  
• Ferelden at War
  
• Ruins of Ostagar
  
• I am the One