Show Notes
With the release of the eagerly awaited Cyberpunk 2077, Louise Blain immerses herself among the sounds of RPG (Role Play Games) and meets composer Marcin Przybylowicz. Role Playing Games are some of the most creative and empowering gaming environments that there are. Games which let the player pursue a fictitious destiny as someone other themselves Where they get to choose and sometimes even create their own avatar. Louise focuses on games that offer a real potential for character creation in an exploration of the musical world of RPGs. Featured game scores include World of Warcraft; Pillars of Eternity; Eve Online; Dragon Age - Inquisition; The Sims; Fallout 4 and Final Fantasy. This week's CutScene features Polish composer Marcin Przybylowicz talking about his music for Witcher 3 and also about his score for the greatly anticipated newly released games Cyberpunk 2077.
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."