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.

Monthly series showcasing music from the world of gaming, today with Elle Osili-Wood focusing on open universe games - where you are free to roam where you like - featuring highlights of scores by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger), Ilan Eshkeri & Shigeru Umebayashi (The Ghost of Tsushima), Ludvig Forssell & Justin Burnett (Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain) and Gareth Coker (Halo Infinite). And she's joined by Inon Zur, Israeli-American composer of Starfield, the vast new game in the open world genre.

Louise Blain probes the universe for gaming's alien beings in pursuit of an 'out of this world' selection of extraterrestrial gaming music. Her line-up includes George Strezov's ‘Stranded Alien Dawn', Austin Wintory's ‘Aliens: Fireteam Elite', Mick Gordon's ‘Prey', Andreas Waldetoft's and Bert Meyer's ‘Stellaris', Winifred Phillips's ‘Spore Hero' and Andrew Prahlow's ‘Outer Wilds'. Louise also focuses on scores for the ‘Mass Effect' franchise and Destiny 2. Her guest is the ‘Beyond Skyrim' composer Eric Gordon Berg.

Louise Blain uncovers some of the most imaginative, creative games around - from the astonishing storytelling in What Remains of Edith Finch to the upturned morality of Shadow of the Colossus. And her guest Winifred Phillips talks about scoring Sackboy, Assassin's Creed Liberation and Jurassic World Primal Ops.

Louise explores music for games in which an unusual character makes a striking supporting role. Featuring games such as Ratchet and Clank, Portal 2 and Bioshock Infinite. And in this month's Cut Scene, Louise talks to the hugely successful Japanese gaming composer Takeshi Furukama.

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.

Louise Blain looks at what gaming music brings to the time travelling universe with games such as Chrono Trigger, Dishonored 2 and Braid. She is joined by Deathloop composer Tom Salta, who will be talking about his new game, The Outlast Trials.

Louise Blain explores the lighter side of gaming soundtracks with a look at music for some of the wittiest games on the screen and talks to composer Grant Kirkhope. The programme looks at some of the ways humour appears in games and in gaming scores and features music from Oli Woods' 'Worms WMD', Peter McConnell's 'Psycholnauts 2', River Boy's 'Cult of the Lamb', Christopher Heral's 'Rayman Legends', Ryan Ike's 'West Of Loathing', Dan Golding's 'Untitled Goose Game', Toby Fox's 'Undertale' and the 'Stanley Parable' from the Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra. The programme also features cues from 'Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope', 'Yooka-Laylee' and 'Kingdons of Amalar - Reckoning' by Grant Kirkhope and this month's HiScore is Gareth Coker's 'Immortals - Fenyx Rising'.

Louise Blain showcases the best soundtracks for turn-based video games - from Darkest Dungeon to Humankind from The Banner Saga to Into The Breach. Waiting his turn for the CutScene is Louise's guest Tim Wynn, composer of the soundtracks for XCOM2 and the brand new Marvel's Midnight Suns.

Louise Blain looks as gaming music in a post-apocalyptic world and talks to Bear McCreary about his score for the latest instalment in the God of War series. The programme includes music from Alexei Omelchuk's 'Metro Exodus', Jesper Kyd's 'State of Decay' and Jessica Curry's 'Everybody's Gone To The Rapture' with a musical nod in the direction of Tom Clancy as well.

Louise Blain goes on a virtual city break, sampling the soundtracks of gaming's most compelling urban landscapes. She takes in some of the cities which are centre stage in video games such as Venice in Tomb Raider 2 with a score by Nathan McCree and the terrifying plague ridden imaginary city of Yharnam in Bloodborne, beautifully brought to life by the composer Tsukasa Saitoh and others. And to hear how music enhances these gaming metropolises, Louise hears from the composing duo Joe Henson and Alexis Smith - known as The Flight - who wrote the Ivor Novello award-winning score for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which imagines the cities of ancient Greece.

Gaming has always enjoyed a special relationship with the movies, but title don't always transfer well from one medium to the other. Louise looks at the symbiotic relationship between games and movies and talks to composer Nainita Desai about his music for the upcoming new Sam Barlow game Immortality. The programme includes music by Stuart Chatwood for Prince of Persia, Henry Jackman for Uncharted 4, Jim Dooley for Epic Mickey 2, and Mark Mothersbaugh for Ratchet & Clank. The programme also has music from Jason Graves for House of Ashes, Harry Manfredini for Friday the 13th and John Paesano for Marvel's Spider-Man. The Hi Score is Jeremiah Pena's music for Jurassic World Evolution.

Louise Blain with gaming music designed to underscore the murky world of crime and punishment. Louise's guest is the composer Richard Wilkinson who talks about his score for the forthcoming Peaky Blinders game. The programme also features music from Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, Austin Wontory's Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Jesse Harlin's Mafia, Woody Jackson's Red Dead Redemption 2, Thief by Luc St-Pierre, Jesper Kyd's Hitman: Blood Money, and Michael Hunter's music for Grand Theft Auto 4.

Louise Blain features music for games which really test a player's capabilities, physically and intellectually, and Louise talks to Kristofer Maddigan about his music for 'Cuphead', including the much anticipated Cuphead sequel - 'The Delicious Last Course' which is out at the end of the month. As well as 'Cuphead', the programme includes music from 'Bloodborne' by Nobuyoshi Suzuki, from Tomas Dvorak's 'Machinarium', Yugo Kanno and Akihiro Manabe's 'Nioh 2', Richard Beddow's 'Total War Saga - Troy', Damian Mravunak's 'The Talos Principle', 'Hades' from Darren Korb, Bobby Krlic's 'Returnal', 'It Takes Two from Gustaf Grefberg and music from 'Destiny 2' by Michael Salvatori, Skye Lewin and C Paul Johnson. This week's HiScore is Ben Prunty's 'FTL'.

Japan is one of gaming's most important epicentres. Louise Blain goes in search of the music of this key sub-genre. Featuring such composers as Koji Kondo (Super Mario Brothers), Shunsuke Kida (Demon's Souls); Yasuaki Iwata and Manaka Kataoka (Zelda: Breath of the Wild) and Kow Otani (Shadow of the Colossus). And we hear from Cody Matthew Johnson and Yoko Honda, the composers of an arresting soundtrack to the new samurai game Trek to Yomi, featuring highly authentic Gagaku music.

Louise Blain ponders the notion of solitude in gaming. She wanders through the woods of Wyoming in Firewatch, saddles her horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 and explores the gargantuan architecture of Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. Our CutScene marks the tenth anniversary of Journey with its composer Austin Wintory. Louise talks to him about how his symphonic re-working of the soundtrack with the London Symphony Orchestra. Louise also features the soundtracks of not one, but two of this year's BAFTA-nominated game scores - Returnal by Bobby Krlic and Psychonauts 2 by Peter McConnell.

Louise Blain explores music for games that are all at sea including Sonic the Hedgehog, Minecraft Dungeons, Spiritfarer and Sea of Solitude. Her guest for the CutScene is Robin Beanland who talks in detail about his Score for Sea of Thieves, and there's music from the newly released Changing Tides in the much loved Far series.

With the release of the new action role-playing game 'Horizon Forbidden West', featuring the character Aloy, Louise Blain foregrounds music for games where women take the lead. She looks at the ways in which the representation of women has developed in gaming and features music from 'Mirror's Edge Catalyst', 'Uncharted: Lost Legacy', 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey', 'Dishonored 2', 'Control' ,'Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice' and 'Tomb Raider'. And Lousie talks to composer Joris de Man and vocalist Julie Elven about the creation of the score for the Horizon series.

As we enter the new year, Louise offers thoughts on gaming and the future - music for games set in the future plus a look at possible future developments in gaming and gaming music. And our Cut Scene features an interview with French composer Olivier Deriviere.

Louise Blain explores some of the fabulous music composed for multiplayer video games. And today's cut-scene features an interview with the composers of the global sensation Destiny 2: New Light, Michael Salvatori and Skye Lewin.

Louise Blain looks at music for games in which chosen paths determine the outcome of the game and she talks to composer Richard Jacques about his score for the new 'Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy' game. The programme also includes music from Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Deus Ex -Human Revolution, Vampyr, The Walking Dead, Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin, Detroit - Become Human, The Forgotten City, and The Dark Pictures Anthology, as well as Richard Jacques music for Mass Effect and the new Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

In this month's episode of Sound of Gaming, Louise Blain carefully packs her bags to go on a journey through the soundtracks of the best survival games. These are the games where we have to carefully manage our scarce resources, forage for supplies, and craft tools and weapons to stay alive. From the dangers of the night in Don't Starve - where our task is exactly as the title suggests - to attempting to stay warm in the frozen wilderness of The Long Dark, survival games are an often intimidating prospect. Louise will be exploring the atmospheric soundtracks of these lonely landscapes and talking with composer Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones, Medal of Honour).

Join Louise Blain as she journeys into the world of video game monsters. At times terrifying, fantastical or actually, just plain cute, these creatures often inspire developers and composers to some of their best music. We'll meet every creature: dinosaurs, Pokemon to hungry sharks. And, in our cut-scene, British composer Ben MacDougall takes us through the several musical worlds that comprise the game Godfall and its new expansion Godfall: Fire and Darkness.

Louise Blain with gaming music inspired by the world history and civilisation marking the launch of 'Humankind' with a new score by Arnaud Roy. Louise looks at how world history has been potent source of inspiration for game designers and looks at the pains to which some games and their composers have gone to in order to bring the past alive. Featured soundtracks include 'Far Cry: Primal', 'Rome: Total War', 'Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey', 'Europa Universalis IV', 'Kingdom Come Deliverance', 'God Of War III', 'Assassins Creed: Origins', 'Assassins Creed: Unity' and 'Civilisation VI'. French composer, Arnaud Roy, talks about his music for the new game 'Humankind', which is out later this month; and also in the programme, a chance to hear a sneak preview of music by Austin Wintory for his new game 'Aliens Fireteam Elite'.

Louise Blain looks at music for games which reflect some of the darker aspects of the fantasy realm and probes the hybrid world of Metroidvania. And she's joined by composer Gareth Coker who talks about creating the score for the two 'Ori' games and also the light-hearted venture into Greek mythology, 'Immortals - Fenyx Rising'. Featured scores in the programme include Salt and Sanctuary, Nioh 2, Dead Cells, Hollow Knight, Axiom Verge, Guacamelee! 2, Ender Lilies - Quietus of the Knights, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will o'the Wisps, Immortals - Fenyx Rising, and this month's HiScore - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Louise Blain features conducive gaming music with which to chill - and perhaps set the world to rights - and she meets composer Ilan Eshkeri to talk about his music for Sims 4.

Louise Blain focuses on the theme of horror in gaming music, including Little Nightmares, Silent Hill, Dying Light and the Resident Evil series. Louise meets composer Jason Graves to talk about his music for Dead Space 2 and Until Dawn, and about his musical creation known as “The Instrument”. Also in the programme, a sneak preview of Bobby Krlic's new score for the forthcoming release, Returnal.

Louise Blain scopes into one of gaming's great pleasures: the acquisition and wielding of special powers, from telelekinesis to shapeshifting, teleportation and spider-sense. Including a cut-scene interview with Inon Zur, composer of the brand new Outriders game.

Louise Blain reflects on this week's 2021 Bafta Gaming Awards, talking with the nominees and featuring the music - considering them as a possible litmus test on the shape of gaming in the 2020s. Music featured in the programme is taken from the nominees for the Best Gaming Music category, which are: GHOST OF TSUSHIMA by Ilan Eshkeri, Shigeru Umebayashi, Peter Scaturro; HADES by Darren Korb; THE LAST OF US PART II by Gustavo Santaolalla, Mac Quayle, Scott Hanau; MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES by John Paesano, Scott Hanau, Alex Hackford; ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS by Gareth Coker; and SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE by Jay Waters, Joe Thwaites, Joanna Skorupa. Nominees for the Game of the Year include ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS which has proved such a hit during a year of lockdown. Louise looks at these, and more, listing the winners. In Louise's words: "Gaming was such a lifeline for so many people over 2020 and the 2021 British Academy Games Awards nominations reflect that. I don't think many of us would feel quite as connected to friends if we hadn't spent months fishing together in Animal Crossing: New Horizons or sharing the emotional web of The Last of Us Part 2. Vitally, 2020's games are a clear indicator of the diversity possible in this industry. I can't wait to explore the incredible scores nominated in the Best Gaming Music category. From the heroic joy of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales to the indie sword-spinning action of Hades, these are soundtracks to define a year like no other."

Jumping, climbing, running, Louise Blain focuses on music for platform games, from Donkey Kong and Mario to the present day. Lena Raine, composer of the award-winning 2018 game 'Celeste' joins the programme to talk about that and some of her more recent work, and there's music from Rayman Legends, Cuphead, and Ori and the Blind Forest.

Music for a gallery of gaming villains and, in particular, Boss Scores - the underscore and themes for the final nemesis between player and antagonist. And we also showcase some of the quieter music that prepares the player for their biggest battles. This week's edition includes a cut-scene interview with Stuart Chatwood, the composer of Darkest Dungeon and Prince of Persia. Presented by Louise Blain.

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.

There are many theatres of war, a fact not lost on the gaming world. Louise Blain meets Call of Duty composer Jack Wall and looks at how the score helps bring these games to life.

It's a useful attribute for the gamer and a whole sub-genre of gaming. Louise Blain does 'stealth' and looks at The Pathless, released this week, with a new score by guest, Austin Wintory

Sound of Gaming returns to Radio 3 with a much-anticipated mix featuring some of the very best and newest gaming soundtracks out there. And with new scores comes a new voice. In the first of two programmes, gaming journalist and music enthusiast, Louise Blain, guides us though the many worlds of ‘action adventure' games, as evoked by the music. She looks forward to the release this week of the latest incarnation in the Assassin's Creed franchise - ‘Valhalla' - with a storyboard inspired by the Viking invasion of Britain and boasting a sonorous new soundtrack by this Louise's guest, Jesper Kyd.

Jessica Curry's adventure into the exhilarating, joyous world of video game music continues with guest Paul Wolinski of band 65daysofstatic. Music played in podcast: Yuka Kitamura - Soul of Cinder (Dark Souls III) Jonne Valtonen - Albion Online Main Theme (Albion Online) Disasterpeace - Vignette: Panacea (Hyper Light Drifter) Andreas Waldetoft - A New Dawn (Stellaris: Utopia) Garry Schyman - The Ocean On His Shoulders (BioShock) 65daysofstatic - Escape Velocity (No Man's Sky) 65daysofstatic - Supermoon (No Man's Sky) 65daysofstatic - Debutante, ft. Debbie Clare. 65daysofstatic - Blueprint for a Slow Machine (No Man's Sky) A Shell in the Pit - Farewell (Wandersong) Joel Corelitz - We Run in Tunnels (Hohokum) Erik Satie - Gnossienne No 4 Martin O'Donnell - Vision of a Lasting Flame Yoko Shimomura - Apocalypsis Noctis (Final Fantasy XV) 65daysofstatic - Hypersleep (No Man's Sky) 65daysofstatic - Blueprint for a Slow Machine (No Man's Sky) 65daysofstatic - Heliosphere (No Man's Sky) Takeshi Furukawa - End Titles (The Last Guardian Suite)

Jessica Curry with a special edition of Sound of Gaming looking at video game music on vinyl, including a special report from Newcastle vinyl store 'Chipfreq' plus chiptune and chat from composer Chipzel. Music played in podcast: Chipzel - Courtesy (Super Hexagon) Peter McConnell - Grim Fandango (Grim Fandango) Michiru Yamane - Castlevania Theme (Castlevania) Lena Raine - Sedate (ESC) Chipzel -New Terra (Interstellaria) Chipzel - Come On Down (Dicey Dungeons) Nobuo Uematsu - The Prelude (Final Fantasy VII Remake) Kevin Penkin - Florence (Florence) Joe Thwaites/Jim Fowler - The Organ Ice Station (Blood and Truth) Jonah Senzel Louey's Playhouse - Puzzle Remix (Pony Island) Jim Guthrie/J.J. Ipsen - Aspect Imaginarium (Planet Coaster) Scott Hansen - L (Hohokum) Jonathan Geer - Owlboy Main Title (Owlboy) Chipzel - With Love (Phonetic Symphony) Chipzel - Recovery (Interstellaria)

Jessica Curry continues her look at video game music with composer Wilbert Roget II. Music played in podcast: Wilbert Roget II - A Brotherhood of Heroes (Call of Duty: WWII) Christopher Tin - Baba Yetu (Civilisation IV), ft Soweto Gospel Choir. Christopher Young - The Saboteur Theme (The Saboteur) James Hannigan - Soviet March (Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3) Wilbert Roget II - Cobra in the Hedgerow (Call of Duty: WWII) Wilbert Roget II - Berga (Call of Duty: WWII) Koji Kondo - Legend of Zelda: Suite Wilbert Roget II - Home (Call of Duty: World War II) Claude Vivier - Zipangu Wilbert Roget II - A Matter of Time - Main theme (Mortal Kombat 11) Wilbert Roget II - The Plains (Anew: The Distant Light) Gareth Coker - Shriek's Tale (Ori and Will of the Wisps) Christophe Héral - Food Invaded (Rayman Legends) Marcin Przybyłowicz - The Trail (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)