Hello everyone, dear friends! Today I start a new section on my channel – NAPALM. “NAP” at the beginning of the name is an abbreviation that means Copyright Infringement. In this format, we will consider soundtracks for video games and look for suitable compositions. I want to say right away that this name is not connected with the desire to make money on the works of composers, but rather to introduce the viewer to their best creations.
You know, I really love music, all kinds, the main thing is that it is made with taste and ideally suits both the context of a particular work and life. That’s why my ears always catch on to the sound. Because of the correct sound design and selected soundtrack, I can completely forget about the age of the game or close my eyes to some flaws and dive into it headlong. Believe in what is happening. Video games are an amazing art form with a lot of advantages. But personally, this industry has significantly influenced me and shaped my musical taste. As you already understand, today we will look at games about Spider-Man, but from a side that few people have looked at.
Here is a video version of the material, there is much more material here than in the article.
Leitmotifs of Spider in Cinema
To begin with, let’s remember what were the main compositions and leitmotifs of the image of Spider-Man in popular culture. For example, cinema.
Intense, but at the same time emotional, main theme Daniel Elfman from the Trilogy Sam Raimi. Energetic "I am Spiderman", composed Hans Zimmer and his team from the cinematic universe Mark Webb. Or composition Michael Giacchino with spider universe main theme Marvel, which gives The Avengers and a little youthful notes. All of these are definitely the most recognizable themes of the hero in the red and blue tights.
Spidey’s Leitmotifs in Animation
Now let’s dive a little deeper – animation. There were a lot of them, but I just can’t help but mention a couple. I am sure that everyone who was born in the 90s or early 00s will get goosebumps from the “opening” Spiderman 1994.
A great theme that perfectly conveys the mood of the entire animated series, even more than the entire main soundtrack.
The basis is more like some kind of noir Tom and Jerry or Medievil due to the abundance of orchestral instruments. Despite the differences between the “opening” and the rest of the soundtrack, the spider’s leitmotif is immediately recognizable (Composition Spidey Suit). For me personally, the cartoon would be even more brilliant if, during fights with iconic villains, a guitar “solo” would play, with that same robotic voice that would voice the thoughts of the antagonist, as was the case in the second part The Amazing Spiderman With Electro. (Composition Hans Zimmer – My Enemy) However, the 1994 spider still turned out to be a standard of quality in an animated adaptation, despite the “passable” musical score.
At the end of the 90s and early 00s, a boom in electronic synth sound began in the entertainment industry. But this is actually a delightful aesthetic. Many composers, in addition to varieties of rock, began to resort to genres such as techno, trance, Eurodance, rave – all this with the aim of enlivening the picture, adding a small pinch of futurism. Although, in fact, even without composers of musical accompaniments, such a movement in music was popular. Among the brightest representatives that come to mind are Prodigy And Scooter. So, most likely, the “music makers” were simply following the trends. And the trend was directed towards the future, in anticipation of the new millennium.
Spiderman https://dafabetcasino.co.uk/withdrawal/ Unlimited 1999
As you probably know, the series was not brought to its logical conclusion, and it literally ended with an episode where the heroes fall into a deadly trap. Because of what, it seems that they are dead, but he killed them Pokemon. Ratings for the cartoon about Pikachu were much better, but this, by the way, is not an excuse at all, we could have ended on a good note. In popular culture, the trend towards futurism and cartoons was simply filled with them. Nanoparticles, genetic engineering, space with alternative dimensions. And it was cool. Well, the last main theme that I will mention is the main theme of the cartoon Spiderman 2003. I think it’s very stylish. The 3D animation of that time just fits perfectly with the sound.
I know very well that there were a lot of other cartoons based on Spider-Man, but I decided to mention those that stuck most in my soul. Moreover, today we will mostly talk about games.
I think it’s very stylish. The 3D animation of that time just fits perfectly with the sound. I know very well that there were a lot of other cartoons based on Spider-Man, but I decided to mention those that stuck most in my soul. Moreover, today we will mostly talk about games.
My first Spider-Man game
Let’s start with my favorites. Spiderman 2000 . I love this project. This is my first virtual adventure for this superhero. I was so impressed by this game that 10 years ago I created my own and only community on VK for the spider duology on the first Sonya. While still a schoolboy, I collaborated with a well-known blogger in narrow circles – Provider TH, who not only made a great review of the first part, but also advertised my group in the review of the second. For this I have great respect for him. The group is still alive today thanks to the efforts of my colleague Evgenia Devyatkina. In addition to working on the community, he made a full-fledged cover album on the soundtrack of the first three-dimensional spider.
Music Spiderman 2000
And now about the soundtrack itself. Let’s start with the author. Tommy Tallarico. There are 3 things you need to know about him: he is a gamer, has won over 25 awards for best video game soundtrack, and is a huge Spider-Man fan. And in my opinion, only such a person is able to imagine what the sound of a game about Spidey. Tommy wrote a rock soundtrack with some funk overtones.
Yes, this guy even has a guitar with Spider on it 🙂
Yes, this guy even has a guitar with Spider on it 🙂
I want to warn you that there is a small snag here. The fact is that most of the soundtrack will be in compressed quality, since the game was not released in HD. The tracks were literally taken sample by sample from the game’s sound files and glued together into one and, by the way, not always like in the game. So I apologize for the quality. The first composition for analysis was the main theme, which immediately greets the player who starts the disc. This is a remix of the same song about a spider from the cartoons of the 60s. The instrumental version will be with the player and in the menu.
*Spideman, spiderman…*
The second composition is Hostage Situation, which is called the same as the level in the game. In order for you to be more immersed in the sound, I will describe to you how the sound fits into the game. Here we have a stealth mission, we need to free hostages from terrorists. And when the spider is not seen, a bass guitar will sometimes play, which creates a certain spy atmosphere. But if Spidey is noticed and a fight is inevitable, then a guitar and a couple of subtle synths come in. At that moment, five-year-old me simply fell in love with this sound and realized that Uncle Tom had thus opened the door to the world of Rock for me. The music mostly consists of three samples or goes into a sound loop so that the composition can be repeated very succinctly. Stage 1 – calm, stage 2 – the enemy noticed you, stage 3 – fight. As I understand it, this is either a problem with limited space on the CD, or the creative intent of the creators. If you want to hear a “drop”, go into battle or complete a task.
Tommy Tallarico — Hostage Situation
I want to highlight a few more tracks. Stop The Presses I’ll first let you listen to the version from PS1 and I want to immediately strain your ears and ask “Does this remind you of anything??»
If you haven’t understood yet, here’s the N64 version of the same track.
Yes it is Guerilla Radio from Rage Against the Machine! Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I don’t think so. The fact is that the creators made the game based on the spider Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater – Neversoft. Not only does the spider have advertising billboards and Spidey is there as a full-fledged playable character, but also the main theme of the second Tony Hawk This "Guerilla radio». Well by the way the track Hidden Switches from version N64 also very similar in style to Tony Morello.
Composition Spiderman Vs Mysterio. I’ll tell you the context to better understand the situation. The fact is that our friendly neighbor is being framed by a double. He steals the installation Doctor Octavius and already together with him and Carnage creates real chaos. Fills the city with gas. Because of this, our main character is an outlaw. Having gone through fire and water, Spidey meets his double, who turns out to be Mysterio. Without further ado, he turns into a giant and here we are waiting for a cool bossfight in two stages. And two stages equal two developments in composition. Here, I will ask you to refer to the video version, since there I demonstrated how the sound fits into the game.
At the end of the analysis of the first part of the spider, I will say that I really really want to wait for the remaster of this game. It’s a comic book in a good way, with a lot of cool design and mechanics, and as we found out, there’s also sound. Many who caught the game then and still call it one of the best games about Spider-Man. Considering that Aktivizhn, who have the rights to that same spider, have come out with gorgeous reissues Crash And Spyro. I would pre-order this spider’s duology without a second thought. Hah, stop I said Dilogy? Yes, this wonderful game had a sequel. If the first part was released on all current platforms, then the second part was only on the first Sonya. Because of this, few people have heard about her. The second part, although similar in appearance to the first, is in spirit a completely different story. Despite the fact that it came out a little weaker than the first part, judging by metacriticism, the players liked it, as did I. This time the game was made by the same people who just made the remaster Spyro and, released last year, a remaster Tony Hawk. (Vicarious Visions)
Music Spiderman 2 Enter Electro
You know, if the first part was "Rock’n’Roll Flight" Spidey into the gaming industry, then the second part is darker. This can be seen in the color scheme and sound. This color palette, in my opinion, was chosen solely so that, using a different time of day, it would be as different as possible from the original source. Moreover, it is logical.
In the first part of the spider, as I mentioned earlier, the city streets were completely shrouded in gas. This solution is the same as in the case of Silent Hill, was accepted due to technical limitations of the console. Therefore, since the spider managed to clear the streets, but the console hardware remained unchanged, then adding more night or twilight locations is the best option. This is especially logical, because a full-fledged level on earth has appeared here. For example, if you climb a tall building, you will see nothing below you except darkness. But what can I say if some houses, due to technical limitations, turned out to be more similar to the buildings in my childhood neighborhood than to New York skyscrapers?.