Show Notes
Louise Blain looks at how gaming titles grow in scope and effectiveness and is joined by award-winning composer Stephanie Eonomou for a look at the impact of this on the music. The programme features music by Stephanie composed for Assassin's Creed - Siege of Paris, and the recent Assassin's Creed - Dawn of Ragnarok. The programme also includes scores from Gustavo Santoalalla's The Last Of Us; Brad Derrick's Elder Scrolls-Blackwood; Beyond Skyrim - Morrowind - The New North by Eric Gordon Berg; Bioshock 2 - Minerva's Den by Gary Schyman; Bill Elm and Woody Jackson's music for Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare; and Jesper Kyd's Borderlands 2 - Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep. This month's HiScore is Marcin Przybzlowicz and Mikolai Stroinski's The Witcher - Blood and Wine.
More from Sound of Gaming
Elle Osili-Wood guides us through the soundtracks for the best robots in video games as well as exploring how AI is being used as both a story-telling device and gameplay mechanic in gaming. Featuring music from Halo Infinite (by Gareth Coker) with themes around human-AI bonds, NieR: Automata (Square Enix Music) which asks what counts as being alive, and Detroit: Become Human (Philip Sheppard) which explores the idea of civil rights for robots. Producer: Barnaby Gordon
Just as it is in the real world, food is a fundamental to many games. It isn't just points, like Pac-Man's cherries, it looks delicious, it sizzles temptingly and it brings people together. Maybe you're Link in Zelda Breath of the Wild - knocking up seafood paella - or Venba, the south Indian mother connecting with her son through the language of cooking, or maybe you are Wilson in Don't Starve trying, well... not to starve. Whatever you play, grab a plate and join Elle Osili-Wood to sample the music of the tastiest games around.
Elle Osili-Wood's guest is composer Wilbert Roget II to talk about his music for the brand new Star Wars game - Star Wars: Outlaws. Along the way we encounter all sorts of other rule-breakers, from the games that challenge our preconceptions about what they are (Dave The Diver, an action adventure which becomes a role-playing game and then a management simulator!) to games that ask the player what rules they are prepared to break (Papers. Please) and Metal Gear Solid, which challenges you to question its own rules. Producer: Barnaby Gordon
Video games have come a long way from the pixels of Pong and Pac-Man. From games based on medieval manuscripts like Inkulinati and Pentiment, to hand-drawn wonders such as Cuphead, games have become works of art in themselves. Some even ask the player to create that art. Elle Osili-Wood dusts off her easel and to illustrate the best of them. Elle's guest on the programme has been involved with a number of such titles - "Chicory: A Colorful Tale" and "Ori and the Will o'the Wisps" - she is the go-to woodwind soloists for game and film composers alike: Kristin Naigus. Producer: Barnaby Gordon
Not only are many games inspired by some of the world's great mythologies, they also set out to create rich mythological type narratives themselves. Elle Osili-Wood reflects this as the latest iteration of the Prince of Persia franchise reaches our screens. Her guests are the game's co-composers - the ground-breaking Iranian musician, Mentrix, and celebrated video game composer Gareth Coker. To listen on most smart speakers, just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Sound of Gaming."