Why isn't music focused on anymore?

[Grape Juice City]

Some of you probably remember, back during the days leading up to MKX, a youtuber under the handle of Statronika started releasing character themes for the majority of the announced roster at the time. Turned out there was no real affiliation between him and netherrealm, so they're not official. But some of them are pretty good so I just treat them as if they were.

MK trilogy is still my shit, but I'd be down if NRS went in this direction.

 

[fr stack]

Personally, I hate music in games. I mute all game and menu music as soon as I start any game. So I really wouldn’t even know how “good” any in game music has been then last several years. I’ve never heard any. It’s always a distraction from what’s going on in the game for me.

Im the exact opposite to u lol if im losing i pick one of my favourite songs and i swear it makes me play better!

 

[Vslayer]

Some of you probably remember, back during the days leading up to MKX, a youtuber under the handle of Statronika started releasing character themes for the majority of the announced roster at the time. Turned out there was no real affiliation between him and netherrealm, so they're not official. But some of them are pretty good so I just treat them as if they were.

I love his work, a lot of them really fit with the characters.

 

[Spinky]

The music on Shang Tsung's stage is damn solid. At least for the first round before it goes back to the usual stuff. That plus certain parts of the menu/gear screen music surpassed my (extremely low) expectations for this game's OST. Curious to see whether the rest will be the same.

 

[TrulyAmiracle]

I'm so glad someone brought this up, as someone that buys/downloads tracks from most games I play and enjoy listening to them while I'm working on stuff or as workout music it's sad that NRS has literally 0 tracks in my library.

They nail a few in the trailers but then the game has nothing even close to it, MKX Cage trailer music and the i2 villians trailer music were amazing, the Dmitri track for MK11 is sick too so it kinda sucks that the actual game is just random tracks that feel soulless.

If they don't wanna make the tracks at least give us a Tekken tunes mode so I'll put the music myself.

Tekken generally has really good tracks but the option for the tracks you don't like is super sick, especially for NRS and their whatever soundtracks.

 

[scarsunseen]

As much as I love the old music, it was fitting for the early 90s and the studio probably doesn't want that in 2019. Just brainstorming...

 

[JGillette]

Tbh i think MKD’s soundtracks were awesome, such an unique game in all aspects

 

[Badboy Takuma]

nrs shoud hire me i could compose the mk music all you guys want and deserve.
@Eddy Wang already listened to some of my stuff.
thing is it takes a lot of time to do which i don't have atm.
mk music should be: dark, eletronical, ethno, oriental.

 

[xInfra Deadx]

When the fuck are they gonna get Adema to record Immortal 2? I want to see them green screen some nu metal band over a badly rendered ps2 stage in 2019.

You are reaching at the bottom of the barrel as far as that era of nu metal goes...and nu metal has not aged well at all.

 

[pure.Wasted]

The music on Shang Tsung's stage is damn solid. At least for the first round before it goes back to the usual stuff. That plus certain parts of the menu/gear screen music surpassed my (extremely low) expectations for this game's OST. Curious to see whether the rest will be the same.

Sounds like a mix between Witcher 3 and Avatar TLA/LOK.

Which are both amazing soundtracks, so this is a very very good thing.

 

[TackyHaddock]

The key factor is whether you even really NOTICE the music. I did in the early MK games, as the haunting melodies from the 90s arcade cabinets are forever seared into my memory. Now, not sure I even notice it.

 

[Rice]

I actually like what i heard so far from MK 11 but the biggest problem like with MKX is that its too fucking quiet.

Turn up that shit NRS.

 

[MadPropz101]

I wish Mick Gordon did the music for MK, his work on Doom and KI is orgasmic.

 

[MK2D]

Dan Forden is composing metal for some stages in MK11, i personally think the Black Dragon Club song its amazing.

Though no one finds MK music interesting these days, in every new Era MK there is at least one stage with a music which i think its good, in MKX it was the Kove, here in think Black Dragon Club started on a good foot.

They also hired a new composer to create new pieces and according to Dan which works mostly with sound effects these days, he is doing a good Job.

Apparently Dan “Toasty!” Forden has either been audio director or lead sound designer for MK (and Injustice) since the original, so either he’s running out of ideas or being led astray by the powers that be.

Having said that, I wonder how much of it is nostalgic vs just solid creative chops. I remember the music of MK1-3 mostly because anything of it was awesome to me as a kid. Now if I listened to MKX music as a kid, chances are I could probably feel the same way.

 

[J_in_CA]

So far the music seems pretty good, especially the track from Shang Tsung's Island Ruins arena. I also like the music during Geras reveal trailer, I hope that makes it in. I've always liked the more epic sounding music more than just a bunch of guitar. Hell I'd love it if they got something like the music from this old tv version of Mortal Kombat in the game. It actually fits pretty well IMO.

 

[aldazo]

To me is not that the music is bad, it is true that it is not that catchy like in the new KI or Tekken7 but it was not bad at all, neither in MKX nor MK9; I would even say the MK9 soundtrack was very good. Furthermore, some IGAU tracks are just the best I have heard in fighting videogames recently, specially the Atlantis and Gotham soundtracks, they are just marvelous.

The big issue I see with the soundtrack is that the default volume is too low, everytime I played a NRS game, after less than an hour of play, I usually go to options and increase the background music volume at least 50% up, so I can feel the epicness of the fights.

 

[Kenshi_mk]

That's litteraly the only song I like in the whole MK serie. So yeah, they really have to get better at making them.

 

[Under_The_Mayo]

Big agree on this. MKX was alright, certainly better than Injustice 1. But nothing memorable like the classics. MK9's music was just fantastic, and the classic soundtrack was great. They should include that option in the new one. Resident Evil 2 Remake has an original soundtrack option and the game is much better for it.

 

[Krankk]

Was there ever a statement from the higher-ups of NRS on the lackluster and unhype music in their games? Like did Ed Boon ever say why they don't put effort into their music?

Now obviously, we all know that they're going for a very cinematic feel with their story and the amazing transition from the story to the fights... and obviously they're doing a great job... and obviously they are all very proud of their music...
... but at the same time even they should realize that the songs during the fights are just ... not exciting. I just can't believe, that NRS fighting games, which do so much right, can't create that extra bit of excitement with songs that rival the music in Killer Instinct / Tekken / Guilty Gear / UMVC / even Street Fighter.

And we also that at least some people at NetherRealm can pick great songs for some trailers. Just look at these few trailers with (IMO) great music... Doesn't the fighting look ten times more exciting?

 

[Fatal1ty_93_RUS]

Dan Forden moving away from creating music for NRS games was the biggest loss in the franchise's history

 

[Circus]

Some of you probably remember, back during the days leading up to MKX, a youtuber under the handle of Statronika started releasing character themes for the majority of the announced roster at the time. Turned out there was no real affiliation between him and netherrealm, so they're not official. But some of them are pretty good so I just treat them as if they were.

MK trilogy is still my shit, but I'd be down if NRS went in this direction.

Totally agree 100%

Confession...
I listen to this song regularly to this day by Statronika.

Some of the themes he's made for characters like Subzero, Ferra/Torr, Kotal, and Kano are legendary. The guy is SO talented. It's a shame he's not working a game like Mortal Kombat.

 

[Metin]

There is nothing wrong with MK music, it could be better but never been bullshit or trash. I think those second hand and cheap industrial metal like KI songs or tetris sound like SF musics are bullshit.

This was a godlike main menu theme.. Sounds like you are going to war..

 

[FunnyMan]

You are reaching at the bottom of the barrel as far as that era of nu metal goes...and nu metal has not aged well at all.

lol I was definitely being sarcastic my man. Tho I will admit the nostalgia from playing deadly alliance at 8 years old is still there.

 

[ThatOneGamer]

We need a jukebox mode where we can set stage themes from all the old tracks.

Sent from my CPH1725 using Tapatalk

This would be awesome.

 

[Eddy Wang]

This shit is fire and its just Round 1

As this music progresses through rounds it becomes way more intense, honestly Dan Forden did an amazing job, and it seems most of the songs from MK11 are mostly metal, which its fine, i really hope they turn the volume up so we can have a good balance with music and battles.