Massively: Jukebox Heroes: Eleven MMO soundtracks you can get for free

[Zosimus]

The reason why I posted this here and it relates to UO is the Ultima X Odyssey soundtrack.


Hope you all enjoy the article over at Massively by Justin Olivetti



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Jukebox Heroes: Eleven MMO soundtracks you can get for free

by Justin Olivetti on Jan 22nd 2013 6:00PM
Anarchy Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EVE Online, Ryzom, RuneScape, Global Agenda, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Atlantica Online, Giveaways, Miscellaneous, Jukebox Heroes, Music
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Collecting MMO soundtracks is a scattered, scavenger-like experience. Releasing video game soundtracks isn't exactly high up on studio and publisher to-do lists (although we're seeing more love from digital stores), so whether or not a title will get a music release is really a crapshoot. What does get released is never in the same place twice: Some game soundtracks are released as special editions only, some only as CDs, some as full MP3 album releases, some directly from the composer, some are buried on websites, and so on.

So I'm constantly looking everywhere trying to beef up my MMO soundtrack library, and as a result I've uncovered several scores that the studios are giving away for free. I'm all over free (legal) music, especially when it's in my area of interest!

If you've been looking to start an MMO soundtrack collection or are looking to add to what you have, I've put together a list of 11 MMO scores that you can get today free of charge. Sound good? It does to me!

1. Anarchy Online

We touched on Anarchy Online's synth-ambient soundtrack a few weeks ago, and I'm still adamant in my stance that it's a score worth having. Happily, Funcom has made two of the game's soundtracks available on its FTP server: Volume 2 and Shadowlands. While it's not a complete soundtrack, there's a ton of music there to sift through, including my favorite, the battle tracks.

• Anarchy Online: Volume 2
• Anarchy Online: Shadowlands

2. EVE Online

One day we'll get around to talking about this unique space soundtrack, but that doesn't mean you need to wait to scoop up 28 of the game's tracks from the official site. There is also a set of ringtones if you're looking for that sort of thing.

It just impresses me when a studio makes a priority to feature its MMO score on the official site like that. I've always thought that the music is just as important to promote as the videos and screenshots.

• EVE Online music page

3. RuneScape

This was a huge find when I stumbled across it a month or so ago. Jagex goes above and beyond in providing a treasure trove of music organized into several "albums." It's good stuff too, and there are also remixes and shanties (shanties, people!) if you can't get enough of this.

• RuneScape music page

4. Star Wars: The Old Republic

Just two weeks ago we were talking about SWTOR's score and how the studio released it in two parts. While the first half is unfortunately limited to collector's edition holders, that shouldn't stop you from downloading the second half of this game's incredible soundtrackfor free.

• SWTOR music page

5. PlaneShift

Unless you're familiar with this title through our Rise and Shiny column, you may be squinting at the screen and going, "Plane what now?" All you really need know is that, yes, this is an MMO, and yes, the studio released the entire soundtrack free and clearas a download. Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to it, am I right?

• PlaneShift download page

6. Glitch

Glitch's closure last year has put the future of the game's website in jeopardy, so it behooves you to scuttle over there and vacuum up all of the great free musicthat the studio released. After all, if you can't play the game nowadays, hearing the music may be the next best thing.

• Glitch music page

7. Ryzom

It's not fancy, but Ryzom's music pagehas 28 sound files lined up all in a row for your downloading pleasure. I've listened through it all, and there are a couple of tracks that definitely made it worthwhile.

• Ryzom music page

8. Dungeons and Dragons Online

Turbine really did a smashing favor for music fans by making a huge swath of DDO's soundtrackavailable for nothing. The site's music page has two albums totalling a whopping 39 music tracks. Very good music, too, especially if you're familiar with the game's world.

• DDO music page

9. Atlantica Online

The last few offerings on this list won't give you as many tracks as some of the previous items will, but you know what they say about making up quantity with quality! Atlantica Online hands out 15 tracksof the game's score, and that's 15 more tracks than most games give away.

• Atlantica Online music page

10. Global Agenda

Only seven tracks for you here, but they contain one of my favorite MMO holiday songs: the Christmas music from the game. Considering that this title is going through a bit of a restructuring and all that, I wouldn't consider this music page to be there for the indefinite future.

• Global Agenda music page

11. Ultima X Odyssey

Last week a fan forwarded me a link to EA's FTP server, where several Ultima X Odyssey files still lurk, including a quartet of MP3s. Considering that we never got to see this unreleased MMO, it's pretty dang cool to listen to a bit of its music.

• EA FTP

That's by no means everything I've found out there that's free and legal to download, but it's a pretty good start, wouldn't you say? What MMO music offerings have you found in your own journeys? Sound off in the comments section to share your discoveries!

MMOs aren't just about looks; they also have great soundtracks that often go unnoticed. Heroes don't stand for that! Every Tuesday, Jukebox Heroes will check out a game's soundtrack and feature the best tunes to share and discuss. Your DJ for the hour is Justin Olivetti, and the request line is open!

 

[DerekL]

UXO... ahh, how we argued and debated and analyzed over every frame of those trailers back in the day.

 

[Basara]

Just reminder - in the same FTP (just up a couple steps and back down into the UO patch directory) is UOTrace, which is one of the best utilities for doing traceroutes for UO. Of course, the actual list of server addresses is a decade out of date, but there's a list elsewhere on Stratics of the current ones (unless the recent "move to the cloud" screwed them up)

ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/origin/patches/uo/

 

[Zosimus]

Tis a shame that Ea didnt follow their own motto.


EA Games....Challenge everything.


They failed at their own challenge and to be truthful UOX at that time was a step in the right direction. I guess 10 steps backward and falling off the cliff was a better idea for EA than moving forward

 

[Flagg]

Eve Online has utterly awesome, stunningly beautiful soundtrack.

Let me make half arsed attempt to set up a scene for you:
You are half a sleep IRL while in middle of incredibly boring mining run in Eve Online. You are listening the monotonic, steady, regular BZZZZZ BZZZZZ BZZZZZZ of your insignificant tiny mining lasers in the infinite surprisingly colorful and beautiful blackness of space. Suddenly THIS OMG MASSIVE HOLY **** WTH IS THAT grand mothership of all mining barges jumps right on top of you!! Think of openign scene of Star Wars without any action. Eventually it starts gliding further and further away as dude flying it starts doing his own(possibly incredibly boring) thing. As you watch it, this song starts playing.


You listen to it while half a sleep IRL. Feeling very small in infinitely incomprehensibly massive beautiful space. All the while your mining lasors tirelessly go BZZZZ.....BZZZZZZ.....BZZZZZZZZZZ.Over..and over..and over again. Space Odyssey 2001 opening all over again! (well, openign after them monkeys figure out how to beat stuff up)
If you go through all this and don't fall in content, cosy sleep on your cosy comp chair, you are inhuman!

In all seriousness, it is not possible for me to ever get closer to " video games are art!!!" argument in an MMO than that moment. Mostly due to that song. That song is awesome. You should listen to it. I'm only vaguely aware that it is propably a pretty valid question to ask if good video games should make us fall asleep;p

 

[G.v.P]

In all seriousness, it is not possible for me to ever get closer to " video games are art!!!" argument in an MMO than that moment. Mostly due to that song. That song is awesome. You should listen to it. I'm only vaguely aware that it is propably a pretty valid question to ask if good video games should make us fall asleep;p

The Smithsonian had "The Art of Video Games" up last fall, which was pretty cool. Small exhibit, but UO was represented (well, Ultima, not UO).
http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/

 

[DerekL]

They failed at their own challenge and to be truthful UOX at that time was a step in the right direction. I guess 10 steps backward and falling off the cliff was a better idea for EA than moving forward

It's always easy to be a Monday morning quarterback - especially almost a decade after with all the facts in and 20/20 hindsight. But in the summer of 2004, UO was still steadily growing and still holding it's own in the MMO market - they didn't know at the time that UO was peaking and subscriptions would soon start to drop. (A drop that continues to this day.) WoW wasn't out yet though people knew it was coming and likely would be huge (nobody then knew just how *HUGE* it would turn out to be though). EA's other MMO's at the time were either tanked or tanking... So, spending the big bucks on developing a new game that would cannibalize from their one success? One can easily see how they would be gun shy.