Oh shut up, I couldn't help it. I know everyone and their mom (and their Aunt Mildred) are getting sick of that phrase, and it's many spawn. But I really, really wanted to use it in something. So bear with me. It's my first article.

First, a bit about myself, whether you really care or not. I'm nuke345 (no, that's not my real name, silly goose). I've been with DXO since quite near the beginning, namely August 2000. I'm a notorious procrastinator when it comes to work. I've been officially a staff member for months now and this is my first piece of work. Sad, huh?

So I plan on making it good. Only one thing wrong. I don't know what to write about! I've been having a perpetual writer's block for this site. I can't think of anything!

Ah! Eureka! My perpetual writer's block hath been slain! I present to you my REAL first article.

Where's Mah Tunes?!

Music. It is deeply rooted in our very brains. It has been a form of communicating both thoughts and emotions for thousands of years. It has served numerous purposes, one of which is entertainment. Music is an essential part of any form of media (excluding literature, I suppose). We hear music through our CD Players, radios, on our TV shows, in our movies, and more recently in history, our games. And that's what I'm really here to talk about. Actually, I'm not really here, per say. But that's beside the point.

Games have had music since almost the beginning, but it has never been taken seriously. Music takes a back seat to what is considered more important, such as graphics, control, story, etc. Obviously the gameplay is much more important than the music. But how much more important are, say, the graphics of the game compared to the music?

Many will say that graphics can make or break a game. They can, it's true, but I believe that music is just an integral part of any game that seeks to immerse it's player. Music sets the mood for the scene laid out on your monitor. It can skyrocket your adrenaline, such as in Quake II, amplify the mystery, as in our beloved Deus Ex, make you feel pain and sadness, like Final Fantasy VII, or just scare the shit out of you, as in Silent Hill.

Let's take a look at some games and their soundtracks, and see what developers can and should do to improve the music of our games.

Exhibit A: Deus Ex by Reeves Gabrels and Alexander Brandon

I've got the DX Soundtrack playing right now. It's good stuff. I remember first playing the game, during the intro, feeling like I was watching a movie. Not because of the graphics, or player models, or even the camera movements. But the music. It seemed so cinematic. The way that it climaxes with Bob Page's "We will be crowned it's Kings. No, it's Gods" or something. Now it's gone to the main theme. A perfect theme. You can just imagine the movie credits going by during this song, can't you? And it has what every good theme requires. A memorable tune. I still find my self humming "dah, dah dee dah dah…" every once in a while. And that tune is repeated throughout the game. Even on the pianos. I'd like to thank Alexander Brandon for his wonderful music, which helped make Deus Ex the game it is today.

Exhibit B and more in "Where's Mah Tunes?! Part 2"…