Thoughts on VF4 music?

Now that we've all had the chance to hear it clearly on the PS2 ver (it's pretty damn hard to hear music in arcades most of the time), what does everyone think of the VF4 music? I like it quite a bit (I've always been a fan of VF series music), but I'm rather disappointed there isn't as much melody to it as in previous VF installments. Still, it's got a nice amount of variety to it and fits the fights perfectly.
Oh yes, a VF4 OSV was just released in Japan:

http://www.sega-am2.co.jp/VF4PS2/media/VF4ST.html

I'm a VGM music CD collector, so I'll probably be getting it sometime in the near future. There's no word on an arrange album like VF3 Vocal, so I kinda doubt one is coming. Still, you never know.

 

I have liked the little I have heard from the various movies I've seen, my fav is the music on Lei-Fei's stage /versus/images/icons/smile.gif

 

Well, I actually don't like the music in Pt4 as much as I did pt2. Man that music was awesome, especially on the saturn. I pop the disc into my CD player here and there just to listen to the music.

 

The remix music for the Saturn version of VF2, though... UGH that stuff is awful.

 

Hmm I like it overall, I agree though it doesn't quite have the melodies of the previous games, and some stages seem kinda like to be generic filler. Other stages, like Jacky's in particular, fit an intense fight really well. Still, it might grow on me more in the future. I wasn't too hot on VF3's music at first but I grew to like it a lot.

 

I personally like the VF4 soundtrack a good deal. Others have heard my wanting to get the soundtrack.

I really love the old soundtracks, but I guess the VF4 music decision was going along the general trend these days. And the trend is pretty sound. Reduce the melodies and focus more on rhythm and beats. Doing this allows the match to flow on its own as if it was the melody or off beats of the whole experience, and you don't see that much collision between action and sound. Or at least that's what I think of it.

Along with the graphical style and what not, I guess this is just another step into a more "mainstream accepted though edgy" appeal for VF. But I think it was done quite nicely.

I'm looking forward to getting the soundtrack myself.

-Chanchai

 

I think the music is horrible. Especially on the training stage, which my co-worker is always idling on. "Weeeeeeee-ooooooo-weeeeeeee-oooooooo" high-pitched tones. The rest of the gee-tar rawk and lamebient techno sounds are totally mediocre at best. I can see someone enjoying it during battle, but to actually throw it in your CD player to listen to I cannot. Blech! But that's just me.

 

Hey Chan, it's ironic you mention that, as the trend towards rhythm and less melody was always something I didn't like as much...I mean, I miss the days of SF2 when I would even go as far as to download remixes of various SF2 BGMs. Wouldn't do that for Tekken or VF3/4.

Overall, I'm pleased with VF4's music. It's better than VF3 as a whole but not quite up to par with VF2's and VF1's music.

 

vf4 music is in my opinion, the "worst" in the series, I thought i'll never say this. there are VERY VERY VERY few tracks i like, like evryone's favorite lei fei stage music, but thas preety much it!!
the music in vf4 just doesnt make you wanna put it on your discman or car like all previous VF games did. the music in vf4 just FITS the mood of the stage perfectly, thas all. maybe it'll grow on me (i never had that problem with previous VF games, they were good from the start)

 

piccolo, i quite agree about VF4..... i remember Akira's VF2 sound track was so awsome! every other one seems shallowed down since then...., that was his finest image IMO...

 

I hate to go OT alot, but I noticed that Ice-9 studys at Duke in North Carolina. And since I am a student in Charlotte, NC, I was wondering if you guys have VF4 gatherings or maybe tourneys in the area?!? /versus/images/icons/smile.gif

About the songs, I liked VF3's more; they were different and varied, while the majority of the tunes in 4 are similar IMO and not as entertaining.

 

Wouldn't it be cool if AM2 had included VF1-3 music in the PS2 version? Oh well...maybe on VF4tb.

 

Bu_Jasoom, someone from Virginia is actually coming over this Sunday for a bout of VF4. What is your skill level? Maybe you can join us this Sunday if you can make the long drive here...

 

That would be so fun. Unfortunately my skill level is humble, as there are no people to play against here. And you can't improve without playing against people. When I played the arcade version, I usually played alone. And now that I have the PS2 version, I played a few matches with 2 of my friends, but not to the point of where I can consider myself a good player. Too bad I can't spend so much time practicing during weekdays because of college work, but weekends are decent.

Will you be playing the PS2 version? or the arcade one? And is it gonna be a noon/afternoon session? Because I am assumin it is a 3-4 hours drive, so....

 

Well...unlike the past VF series..I found VF4's music to be very 'video game-ish'

But I still like it n will buy it as soon as the opportunity appears

 

Here is what I think, I like Sarah, Pai, Lei Fei, Kage and Jacky. The rest, poo.

 

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the trend towards rhythm and less melody was always something I didn't like as much...

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What makes game music unique and special, IMHO, is its tendency towards being distinctly melodious. Very few other types of soundtracks have any sort of melody to them. So while I think the music in VF4 is still good, I do prefer a different style.

VF1 Saturn is my personal favorite out of all the VF games. Very good melody, nice instrumentation and composition, and a unique sound overall.

I haven't checked the credits extensively but I think the music team for VF4 is different from previous installments. In the past, the music for VF along with many other Sega arcade games was done by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi's B-Univ sound team. With most of the music composition duties being handled by Wavemaster now, I don't know if B-Univ still really exists, or what sort of role Mitsuyoshi plays in VF sound development besides providing Kage's voice.
Fun fact: besides composing many VF tunes and voicing Kage in VF 1, 3, and 4, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi was also the VF3 On the Vocal singer. Most people would probably know him best as the man behind the Daytona USA vocals. Yes, that's right, the man who does Kage is the same person creening BLUUUUUUUUEEEE BLUUUUUUUUUUEEE SKIES I SEEEEEEEEEE...

 

Well, I guess no worries, since I only get to play against human competition a few times a year. There is NO VF4 arcade whatsoever as far as I know in my immediate area, so the PS2 version is our only recourse. (Not that I mind, it is Ver. C).

The session will be in the afternoon until dinner time, I think. Anyway, e-mail me ice-9@virtuafighter.com or PM to continue the conversation.

 

Maybe I'm completely nieve but when I downloaded some of the computer bouts from PS2 VF4 I really like the BGM. I thought it was pretty damn dope. It was a lot better than TTT BGM or any other fighting game BGM, aside from Street fighter. I liked the techno beats. It seemed like a nice touch.

 

Well... with the musical direction that was chosen for VF4, I am sadly predicting that VF4 gatherings might not have that traditional group whistling during car drives or during gameplay. You know what I'm talking about, Jeff! Hehehe...

Guess we'll still be hearing the VF1/2 soundtracks in the car, of course/versus/images/icons/smile.gif Those two are truly classic. We should also play Sarah's VF3 Subway track when Ghost Dog is around too/versus/images/icons/wink.gif

Regarding musical movements... what can I say... sometimes I regret it, but we're sort of in an age of all too many rhythms and beats above melodic substance. I listen to all of this sort of music, but I truly miss much of the old stuff and really relish the very few of the new stuff that works on the melodies. I mean, 90's alternative eventually pushed heavily into all rhythm, less melody. Hip Hop pretty much bites itself all over these days by following that trend (hence a lot of modern hip hop is obscenely generic imo). Trance and House rules one side of the dance scene, Jungle practically is placed ahead of Drum N Bass as far as I know (oh yeah, I do gotta check out the Breakbeat scene in Florida if I go there this year). Goes on and on and on and on.... I can see the reasoning behind it, why it's all popular... and I generally like a lot of it to a degree, but like many of you seem to represent, good melodies are what I miss at times.

Oh well, at least there are a few gems in the current trend, and there are still a few gems that go against this trend and do quite well.

-Chanchai