Music is a powerful medium. Capable of stirring up long-forgotten memories and evoking powerful emotion in the listener, music can reduce even the burliest of blokes into blubbering, crumpled heaps. And who says that us guys are afraid to show their sensitive side? Poppycock. Of course, video games are no exception to this rule, and as often is the case, a stellar soundtrack can greatly accentuate the on-screen antics, elevating even the most perfunctory scene to hard-hitting greatness.
In a continuation of our feature highlighting gaming’s greatest aural accomplishments, PSU shines the spotlight on a series that has become highly regarded for its mesmerizing score, Konami’s Metal Gear Solid franchise. Starting with 2001’s MGS2: Sons of Liberty, each major entry in the celebrated stealth-em-up series has benefited from the stonking sounds of music maestro Harry-Gregson Williams, a highly regarded composer who cut his teeth scoring a number of Hollywood heavy weights such as The Rock and Armageddon.
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Title: Old Snake
Soundtrack: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Composer(s): Harry-Gregson Williams
Williams’ sumptuous score for MGS4 is among his best work to date, particularly the focus of our latest entry, the haunting number “Old Snake.” On the surface, it’s a decidedly depressing ditty, but for good reason — Snake’s no spring chicken anymore, and this is reflected in the overall tone of the track. As such, “Old Snake” effortlessly encompasses our gravel-voiced hero’s inexorable demise at the hands of the FoxDie virus, which sees Snake ravaged by wrinkles of age at an accelerated rate. Indeed, David’s days of gallivanting around the globe while hiding under cardboard boxes and capping gun-wielding goons are coming to an end; Snake’s living on borrowed time, and he’s acutely aware of this fact. And thanks to “Old Snake,” gamers are too, making his final mission that much more poignant.