Game Title: Last Alert
Your name: Jelle Hol
Pretty or ugly: ugly
Description:
This game for Turbografx-CD was originally Japanese, and translation to English was rushed and cheap. The intro starts with a reasonably fair narration, only to be cut off briskly as a transition to a new event. The whole intro is made up of these sudden transitions and breaks immersion (also because there is absolutely no music – apart from the strange theme song). Furthermore, the voice acting is terrible (for reasons stated earlier), containing only the slightest till absolutely no emotion. Finally, the upbeat music in the actual game is not fitting the grim and epic mood of a mercenary soldier hired to infiltrate a base.

Game Title: Windows 3D Pinball
Your name: Jelle Hol
Pretty or ugly: pretty
Description:
3D Pinball, that came with every PC having Windows XP, is a great example of creating a decent arcade feel. The game has not that many different sounds, and the music is very simple and repetitive. Most of the elements in the pinball machine play a sound when you hit them, just like real machines. So when your ball gets hit back and forth all over the field, you can see your points rising in a cacophony of sound, which is very satisfying. Furthermore, most of the sounds have a distinct meaning (e.g. losing your ball, refueling, wormholes, etc.), so if you may lose sight of the ball, the sounds could help to localize it (even if it's too late…). The music is effective in filling up any moments where the ball isn't hitting anything.

Game Title: Shrek 2
Your name: Rogier van der Helm
Pretty or ugly: ugly
Description:
The sounds in this game are repetitive. It's not horrible until you enter combat, and you start attack your enemies, at which point every attack has exactly the same sound. The 'random' comments the characters make are repetitive as well, and the music does not adapt to the situation, including mini-cutscenes during which the music merely fades a tiny bit (but not enough).

Game Title: Diablo II
Your name: Rogier van der Helm
Pretty or ugly: pretty
Description:
The music of Diablo II offers rest from the chaotic combat that the gameplay offers. I find it's subtle enough and offers enough variation that I don't mind that it's on repeat.

Game Title: Sim CIty (SNES)
Your name: user1920
Pretty or ugly: ugly
Description:
I feel bad about the criticism, as the music in the game is pretty good, but it is the use of the music that is lacking.

As the game itself starts and you begin playing, a soothing theme plays. This theme will change as your city expands and grows larger.(3:40) The problem with the music is that it repeats, repeats and repeats. So while the music changes eventually, the nature of the game has you stuck in a particular state for a very long time. Before too long you just cannot stand hearing it anymore.

It probably wasnt possible to include a lot of music, but i remember getting very annoyed with it.

Game Title: Mass Effect 2
Your name: user1920
Pretty or ugly: pretty
Description:
Start at 3:00

This soundtrack/scene continues to give me the chills even after listening to it many times.

It starts off quiet, a lone spaceship enters orbit, a low key but slightly speedy melody plays. The crew mirrors this, they're working hard on something, but for now all is quiet.

As a crewman reports a contact, the melody drops away into a silence.

A drastic shift in tone, the music becomes menacing, a deep base, threatening. Something bad is coming.

A moment of silence, a trumpet sounds and the enemy ship fires. The sound of the weapon is high pitched, it sounds visceral, sharp even.

The music changes now as we see the crew trying to deal with the situation. A high energy tune picks up. Meanwhile the enemy ship continues to lash the protagonists with the high-pitched sounding weapon.

A nice touch is the use of the theremin music, perhaps to underline the alien nature of the enemy.

The music takes a backseat as we enter a conversation. Im a fan of the way the escape pods sound as they eject, the mechanical whir-click-chug.

We can hear the normandy powering down, explosions dot the hull, a very dull sound effect, perhaps to highlight the lack of atmosphere, without giving up sound all together.

This is getting a bit too long. I feel that the sound design is excellent. It conveys the dread the characters must be feeling, the appearance of this deadly, unknown and alien threat. The individual sounds effects like the alien weapon sounding high piched and almost painful to the ears just punctuate it and bring it together.

Game Title: Digimon Rumble Arena
Your name: Daniël de Ridder
Pretty or ugly: ugly
Description:
Als je het spel start, word je lekker gemaakt met een stevige beat en cinematic, terwijl het eerste level van het spel meer een "spionage game" feeling geeft.
Dit gebeurd wel in meerdere fighting games, maar in dit spel geeft het veel afbreuk op de gameplay.
Ook de opvolgende levels hebben dit probleem, waardoor er eigenlijk weinig opzwepende muziek voor komt in de gevechten zelf.

Game Title: Starseed Pilgrim
Your name: Daniël de Ridder
Pretty or ugly: pretty
Description:
De verschillende "zaadjes" die je plant hebben allemaal hun eigen toontjes, waardoor je niet alleen ziet wat je plant, maar het ook kan herkennen aan het geluid.

Zolang je blijft planten, houd je de symphonie op gang.

Game Title: 10 Really bad videogame audio examples
Your name: Joel Sjouke
Pretty or ugly: ugly
Description:
I don't think this one needs a lot of explaining….
It basically causes ear cancer for most people.

Game Title: Pokemon Stadium
Your name: Lisa Plokker
Pretty or ugly: ugly
Description:
Very repetitive. Sound effects are pretty awful too.