Mass Effect Original Game Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

Jack Wall (Composer), Sam Hulick (Composer), Richard Jacques (Composer), David Kates (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, Richard Jacques, David Kates
• Audio CD (November 20, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sumthing Else
• ASIN: B000XXWKAW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,736 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the earliest stages of its conception, Mass Effect was meant to be an original artwork about the future, inspired by the great science fiction experiences of the past. This synthesis of originaliy and familiarity called for a truly unique soundtrack, with ambitious goals and unprecedented challenges.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work from a great publisher!, November 26, 2007

By 

Aldo Del Toro "I fight Aids!" (America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mass Effect Original Game Soundtrack (Audio CD)

As fas as video games go, rarely are they every truly epic, Mass Effect is one of those rarities. Simply put, it is a work horse of size and story, the soundtrack, shows the same traits. Orchestral and digital, an amazing coordination of styles and emotion interweave to deliver one of the most emphatic and enthralling audible ingestions you could have bouncing in your brain matter. Not to be missed.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great soundtrack for a great game, August 22, 2008

By 

Timothy Dodds "Mr Fossy" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mass Effect Original Game Soundtrack (Audio CD)

I think that people looking at this soundtrack will take little convincing to buy it. Like me, they probably thought that Mass Effect was absolutely brilliant and, at some stage, realised how much they liked the original music as well. Game soundtracks can be a bit weird - often not sounding as well on their own as when you actually played the game. Fortunately, the Mass Effect OST is mixed and sequenced well enough that it retains the qualities of its in-game counterpart.

However, it isn't without fault - when I went through it the first time (and a few other reviewers have already pointed this out), I was a bit shocked to realise that a few music pieces are missing altogether. These are mostly the minimal, ambient pieces you hear in different parts of the game, as well as some of the generic music you would hear when you were visiting the game's many unchartered planets. This is unfortunate, because I actually liked some of these pieces of music more than the main quest and primary mission themes.

Furthermore - and, again, others have pointed this out - the tracks mostly feature only one 'loop' of each stage in the compositions. So, all those intense little musical moments that would occur throughout a major combat setpiece (as in track 14: 'Protecting the Colony') seem very short here. Another example is track 3, 'Eden Prime' - a fantastic ambient composition that, at 1m 34s, is far too brief, and hardly does justice to the quality of the music.

I am making the Mass Effect OST sound really disappointing when, truthfully, it is far from. However, it seems as though a second disc would have allowed the producer to put all of the game's music on here and, on top of that, extend the compositions a little so it functions more as a stand-alone album, rather than a 'best of' compilation. All that aside, it is one of the best game soundtracks in years, and it is always great to see game music commercially available.

In short, buy it if you are a fan of Mass Effect, and loved its music. I'm a bit hesitant about recommending it to anyone else, however.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite The "Original" Soundtrack, August 22, 2010

By 

Star-Strewn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mass Effect: Original Soundtrack (MP3 Download)

While the music to Mass Effect was great, this soundtrack suffers from three main flaws:

1) A few tracks are replaced by alternate versions, such as Wards & Presidium
2) Many memorable pieces from the game aren't included
3) Tracks are too short, playing only a single time through

That said, there are several hauntingly beautiful gems on this soundtrack, like Vigil, Uncharted Worlds, and Liara's World. However, this soundtrack could've been much better as a multi-CD release. If they wanted to do alternate versions, they should've released the originals too.