Customer Reviews

Alan Wake [Original Video Game Soundtrack]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anticipation for a commercial score to Alan Wake has has been rather large, and Petri Alanko succinctly quenches that demand. If you have played the game, you'll know the music, and you'll want to own this score. There is some material missing, but the CD is almost full and I appreciate the fact that better material had had room made for it.


Also, as another has made a point on out of a review, it is GOOD to see so many video game scores becoming physical, marketable commodities. Alan Wake contributes to this growing market. Quality has become underrated since the inauguration of digital music stores; other video game soundtracks such as Mass Effect 2 by Jack Wall & Assassin's Creed 2 by Jesper Kyd deserve to be released commercially and physically. Also, being distributed via Amazon MP3, they are sadly unavailable to anywhere outside the US.

I am giving this videogame soundtrack a very enthusiastic 5-Star rating because it is the kind of soundtrack I love. It is well orchestrated with the right amount of slow and action passages, and a minimal amount of synthesizers (unlike a lot of the videogame soundtracks currently available out there which makes them all sound the same). At times it sounds mysterious and ominous. I have never heard about, nor have I ever played, this particular videogame before but after listening to some samples from the soundtrack I purchased and downloaded it right away. Definitely recommended to all those who, like me, collect movie and videogame soundtracks.

Well first thing's first... If you're not a fan of ambient or piano-based music then the Alan Wake soundtrack is probably not for you. If you're open to this genre then you're in for quite a treat. The entire sound is minimal and creepy. It gives a great atmosphere of mystery. This soundtrack is good enough to be a movie soundtrack in my opinion. As far as I can tell no music has been omitted this time (Sumthing Else usually cuts music from their soundtracks thus making them incomplete). Fans of the game will do well to pick this one up!

Alan Wake is a complex score to approach. When it first starts off it stays pretty low profile. While I was listening I actually started to get aggravated at the fact that all I was hearing was dark ominous tones with no structure. However, patience pays off as this is a very slow developing score. Once it does fully develop and take off this score becomes an amazing noir filled dreary weaving of motifs that transports your mind into a cloud of mystery.

While strings and piano make up most of the score Alanko does add some percussion into the mix to give it the action side. Electronics are utilized to great rhythmic effect. The strings in the score are quite breathtaking at times. There is true heartache felt within the score and that can easily turn into adrenaline pumping action, which can easily turn into intriguing mystery. So, this score does have many faces indeed.

The album itself is packed to the brim with a 75 minute running time, which can lead to some "track fatigue". Since the score has a very distinct style and slow played out melodies it can feel like it drags a bit. It's very hard to pick tracks apart from the pack based off sound, but one has to remember this is a video game score. No matter how close the line between film scoring and game scoring is becoming one can't forget how different of an approach game scoring is.

You will get the occasional long drawn out tracks, but the album itself does a nice job of giving the listener some sort of progression. I've heard game score releases that were just loops and loops, which thankfully this is not. Alan Wake is a very cinematic game so the score itself does become a journey in itself. I recommend the score. It's definitely above what most video games scores are. Towards the end the score transcends into beauty with lush orchestrations. Is this score worth it? Absolutely. It's a very unique experience that will take a little patience, but in the end the journey is a rewarding one.

Support the cd release not the mp3. your money goes a long way in supporting high quality music not compressed convenience.