Fast paced music for extended periods

Quote:

I do know a few games that are very good at this,

Such as?

Music looping for long periods of time works if the game itself is really fun. For example, Castle Crashers has some fantastic music but the harder levels can take a while to play through - especially in the insane mode. Thankfully the funny, crisp visuals and tight game play seem to make the entire experience more entertaining.

There can be many approaches to video game music and the old arcade/Sega Genesis title Strider took an opposite approach where different phases of a level used different music. It ended up having a good deal more music than most arcade games. Now some games use the fade in/out approach or event based which eases up the strict looping, continuous music. Another approach would be interactive music mixes or layering. SSX: Tricky did an excellent job of muting/un-muting various tracks in a mix depending on the game play. Go off the beaten track and certain elements would be muted or lowered in volume. Soar through the air and the drums drop out then come back when you land. All of this helps the music become less stagnant and thus less repetitive.

Finally, the more well written the music is, the easier it is to listen to it over and over. I find looping music needs to have clear, distinct sections and effective builds and releases. Of course the looping point itself needs to be smooth but the content itself should have plenty of character. If you get a looping track that lacks character and is highly repetitive then you compound the problem.

That's my take anyway.

Nate

Quote:

Finally, the more well written the music is, the easier it is to listen to it over and over

That seems to be the gist of it from what I can see also.

Quote:

AntiGuy I do know a few games that are very good at this,

I remember playing the 15 minute brawl on Super Smash Bros. Brawl. While completing took 15 minutes the number of retries can have it tolling to nearly an hour. Oddly enough that song is still catchy!

No More Heroes (on hard) can also be a very lengthy experience with fast music that works well.