Yeah, still my all time favorite OST of any game I've played. So many incredible synthwave tracks to get lost in. Just perfectly nails that 70's sci-fi atmosphere.
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Mass Effect 1 really had some of the best sci-fi music in gaming
- Thread starter Chromie
- Start date
I recognize that Mass Effect 2 was probably a better game, but I think Mass Effect is my favorite between the two.
I like the Mass Effect OST, and this is one my tunes on it. To me, it just really elevates the atmosphere of that level. This version is not on the released OST though....
"FIRE THE FIELDS THE WEED IS SOWN!
WATER DOWN YOUR EMPTY SOUUUUUUULLLLLL!
WAKE THE SEA OF SILENT HOPE!
WATER DOWN YOUR EMPTY SOUUUUUUUUULLLLLL!"
"AND I NEED YOU TO RECOVER!
BECAUSE I CAN'T MAKE IT ON MY OWWWWWWWNNNNN!"
This was stuck in my head so much that I used to murmur this for an entire year at the office.
Still goosebumps thinking about that last hour, right from Sovereign's V.I. encounter, till the Council and Anderson briefing and transition to the credits.
The days when BioWare were absolute madlads. What a fuckin' ride...
WATER DOWN YOUR EMPTY SOUUUUUUULLLLLL!
WAKE THE SEA OF SILENT HOPE!
WATER DOWN YOUR EMPTY SOUUUUUUUUULLLLLL!"
"AND I NEED YOU TO RECOVER!
BECAUSE I CAN'T MAKE IT ON MY OWWWWWWWNNNNN!"
This was stuck in my head so much that I used to murmur this for an entire year at the office.
Still goosebumps thinking about that last hour, right from Sovereign's V.I. encounter, till the Council and Anderson briefing and transition to the credits.
The days when BioWare were absolute madlads. What a fuckin' ride...
Mass Effect 1 and Metroid Prime's OSTs are in a completely untouched league of their own when it comes to Sci-Fi atmosphere. No other games OSTs even come close to the type of feelings that you get while playing them, just completely sucking you into the worlds.
Edit: As noted by Cranster below, Halos 1-3 definitely belong in that echelon too. Alexander Brandon's work on Unreal/Deus Ex definitely comes close as well.
Edit: As noted by Cranster below, Halos 1-3 definitely belong in that echelon too. Alexander Brandon's work on Unreal/Deus Ex definitely comes close as well.
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Yea, I played 2 and 3 first so when I looked up the soundtrack I was surprised to see literally every good piece was from Mass Effect 1.
Probably some of the best music in a game, ever
I'm disappointed in myself! As a self proclaimed Halo diehard, the original Halo trilogy definitely stands with Mass Effect and Metroid Prime in that regard. Good catch!
Mass Effect 1 is one of the rare games where I can listen to most of the tracks and know where precisely in the game they play. It's hard to put into words on how much the Ilos and Vigil themes resonated with me during the final act; definitely some of BioWare's best work.
Mass Effect's music stuck with me. I liked 2, 3, and Andromeda's soundtracks too. But Mass Effect 1 was something genuinely master class. The others felt like they were "epic" scores, but ME1 had a soundtrack that captured something really different. It had a heart that fit perfectly into the universe it was created for.
This image should be burned into my TV from me leaving it on just to listen to the music.
Mass Effect 1's soundtrack is perfection. Vigil's theme, the Galaxy Map, Noveria... All incredible. Every time I hear the end credits song I want to start another playthrough.
The Outer World's soundtrack has a lot of different styles in it, but Roseway really captured the feel of Mass Effect 1 -- both the music and the questline. Check it out if you haven't heard it already.
This image should be burned into my TV from me leaving it on just to listen to the music.
Mass Effect 1's soundtrack is perfection. Vigil's theme, the Galaxy Map, Noveria... All incredible. Every time I hear the end credits song I want to start another playthrough.
The Outer World's soundtrack has a lot of different styles in it, but Roseway really captured the feel of Mass Effect 1 -- both the music and the questline. Check it out if you haven't heard it already.
As a Sci-Fi game, The Outer Worlds was a massive disappointment for me. It didn't feel like a sci-fi game at all. It was more or less what they were going for, but I think they missed the mark.
The soundtrack definitely had a darker, synth heavy edge compared to the sequels, which I missed tbh.
The eerie music that played during numerous side missions helped lessened the aggravating nature of them.
The eerie music that played during numerous side missions helped lessened the aggravating nature of them.
I remember when ME1 first came out; I scored an early copy due to Kmart screwing up. They sold it like 10 days before street date. I made a thread in the old place about my love for the game and it's soundtrack; it had such a profound effect on me, a true masterpiece. At the time it was my favorite Microsoft exclusive, by far!
Yep. I can accept the areas where 2 and 3 refined things, but the music was so perfect in 1.
And if anything, it's so much harder to get it right in the first installment of a new universe.
What a fantastic game...!
And if anything, it's so much harder to get it right in the first installment of a new universe.
What a fantastic game...!
While it is one of my favourite games of the year, I do hope they lean further into Sci-Fi for the eventual sequels. It was clearly a game where the budget restricted what they could do.
The ending (at least the one I got) implies that science and technology has evolved significantly in Halcyon. It also references other colonies, which could mean we will visit multiple systems just like Mass Effect. Then there is of course the mystery of Earth.
Vigil might be my favorite menu music ever because it's such a great understated tone setter for what game is offering: a sweeping space opera filled with episodic adventures into a galaxy full of planets and species to be explored. But what your introduction into it is is this slow, meditative, synth heavy build up which creates that sense of massive scale in a somber way.
fucking magical
fucking magical
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I miss the time in my life when this game dropped. I was in college and I had no job. I'd just go to my classes and come home and play 360 and this one was my shit. I would try to fall asleep to the galaxy select music. I think that's 'Vigil'? It's been awhile since I've played it.
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Indubitably, OP.
And for those who enjoy long form ambiance, check out the following:
GamingAmbiance ME 1 music playlist
GA's ME Uncharted worlds ambiance collection
And for those who enjoy long form ambiance, check out the following:
GamingAmbiance ME 1 music playlist
GA's ME Uncharted worlds ambiance collection
OP
OP
And saved.
I wish I ran a Star Wars RPG group just so I can sync up this music.
I haven't finished the game yet. But its limited budget was felt throughout the game, although I'm not sure how much it impact on the artstyle of stuff like armors, weapons, buildings, ships... well, everything. I do hope it gets a sequel though.
Love the Sound Track for this game. When they made it BC on Xbox and then the "X" came out, this was the ONE game I wish had the "X" enhancement. Seeing what some of the 360 games look like with "X" enhancements, this game would of been incredible if they did it.
THEY DID
ME2's OST aims to a different feeling and atmosphere, and thats what i love about it, i mean, i love the synth in ME1, but ME2 needed something different, and i always appreciated the changes.
ME3's OST on the other hand...
I remember my impression at the time was that they really nailed the cinematic look, or should I say experience because the music was such a big part of it. It seemed a real advance on what came before - I could easily have believed I was watching a film, it was that good. The writing and dialogue were fantastic and everything had this "matured" sheen to it - as if games were finally starting to match films for a viewing experience. That was my impression much more than it being a next generation game in terms of gameplay, though I suppose as a pc player I didn't tend to think in generations and had seen such large scale environments before in games, though not quite with the same sense of scale and realisation of a world (or several worlds).
The music absolutely contributed massively to this feeling - as it should - and it was pretty consistently great throughout the trilogy. I understand why the OP chose the first game to highlight, though - I think overall it did have a bigger "feel" than the sequels when they weren't rehashing themes. You can definitely feel that it was inspired by soundtracks from films similarly epic in scope like Dune and Blade Runner. I can't even give names to any of the tracks without looking them up but thinking about Mass Effect brings several immediately to mind. I've played through Andromeda at least twice, possibly three times, and none of the music stands out enough for me to remember it nowadays.
The music from the original trilogy set a definite mood and helped deliver on the promise of the concept. Future Mass Effect games will be hard-pressed to outdo any of it.
The music absolutely contributed massively to this feeling - as it should - and it was pretty consistently great throughout the trilogy. I understand why the OP chose the first game to highlight, though - I think overall it did have a bigger "feel" than the sequels when they weren't rehashing themes. You can definitely feel that it was inspired by soundtracks from films similarly epic in scope like Dune and Blade Runner. I can't even give names to any of the tracks without looking them up but thinking about Mass Effect brings several immediately to mind. I've played through Andromeda at least twice, possibly three times, and none of the music stands out enough for me to remember it nowadays.
The music from the original trilogy set a definite mood and helped deliver on the promise of the concept. Future Mass Effect games will be hard-pressed to outdo any of it.
All of this. I would say Vigil in particular is one of my favourite title screen themes, right up there with the Main Menu track from Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Metroid Prime's infamously weird and glorious title screen music.
But ME's music in general is just a perfect fit for the franchise. Some of the most powerful moments in Mass Effect 3 were helped with some callbacks in the music. Wonderful stuff.
But ME's music in general is just a perfect fit for the franchise. Some of the most powerful moments in Mass Effect 3 were helped with some callbacks in the music. Wonderful stuff.
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Everything about ME1 just seemed so perfect at the time. There was nothing like it at the time. This was peak Bioware. No, this wasn't Baldur's Gate but this was Bioware doing what they do best and was such a success. Everything seemed so well thought out. The music though, it really takes a great game and makes it excellent. It invokes such powerful feeling and really invokes the feeling I get when watching Bladerunner, 2001: A Space Odyssey or Alien. New worlds to explore that are begging for the player to step forward and immerse themselves in this new universe.