Drixxel
08-14-2008, 03:22 PM
The dude crafts a good tune. I've been listening through a number of SNES soundtracks lately, and I noticed parallels between two in particular - Plok, and Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. Same electric guitar sound, similar percussive sounds, similar use of instruments drifting through the left and right channels, the occurrence of the same weird laughter sample stretched and warped. The tiniest bit of research revealed these soundtracks to be written by the same gentleman, a one Tim Follin, a name I recognized mainly from his credit on Solstice.
After reading a bit more about the guy, it was interesting to discover the slight degree of bitterness with which he viewed the gaming industry, specifically how the very nature of video game music in its early form was ridiculous (forcing music out of hardware designed with sound effects in mind) and the inconsistent, unpredictable nature of projects he worked on. It was also fairly astonishing how young he was when he began his career in game music (15 years old!).
Tim has now retired as a composer for video games with the intention of focusing on film scores and graphic design, but I hadn't come across any mention of his work in those fields through my readings. Anyone have any idea what ol' Mr. Follin is working on these days?
So ultimately, what are some of your favourite Tim Follin soundtracks? Having his hands in nearly 50 games across a number of consoles, you're sure to have encountered at least one work by the man, and maybe even enjoyed it.
Tim Follin's gameography: http://www.giantbomb.com/tim-follin/72-19074/
My personal favourite, of what I've heard:
Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, SNES ... Long & dynamic tracks, approaching four minutes before their first repeat. High-quality, diverse instrument sounds. Top quality composition. Altogether awesome tunes.
After reading a bit more about the guy, it was interesting to discover the slight degree of bitterness with which he viewed the gaming industry, specifically how the very nature of video game music in its early form was ridiculous (forcing music out of hardware designed with sound effects in mind) and the inconsistent, unpredictable nature of projects he worked on. It was also fairly astonishing how young he was when he began his career in game music (15 years old!).
Tim has now retired as a composer for video games with the intention of focusing on film scores and graphic design, but I hadn't come across any mention of his work in those fields through my readings. Anyone have any idea what ol' Mr. Follin is working on these days?
So ultimately, what are some of your favourite Tim Follin soundtracks? Having his hands in nearly 50 games across a number of consoles, you're sure to have encountered at least one work by the man, and maybe even enjoyed it.
Tim Follin's gameography: http://www.giantbomb.com/tim-follin/72-19074/
My personal favourite, of what I've heard:
Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, SNES ... Long & dynamic tracks, approaching four minutes before their first repeat. High-quality, diverse instrument sounds. Top quality composition. Altogether awesome tunes.