Dune 2000 (Video Game Score)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

For sci fi fans who follow closely the Dune adventures, they sure tested and played the games that aired on Westwood studios production, and certainly the newly updated Dune 2000 in the year '98, which brought back the popular strategic sense of ruling a planet, harvesting as much spice for wealth and destroying the opponents with your ever growing army, whether Harkonnen, Atreidis or Ordos. And so the game will have satisfied the fans of the genre. But what about the music? Toto, Graeme Revell and Brian Tyler all contributed to the style and the one with better results then the other but game music is another example. Don't expect something in either of the three styles but Dune 2000 has a certain quality, it doesn't listen like simple bleeps anymore. This is synthesized music with synthesized choir added to the proceedings to lend it more awe, in computer sense of course. And it all works, sounding close to every piece listed in the tracklisting. But even if its way too much at length, the music has the quality to make the game much better and so the player will not bore himself playing for 6 hours one sole mission if he has to. No, Dune 2000 is light art in the way it gives an electronical sounding score decent enough background music to enjoy it even on its own terms. The score from start to finish listens the same but there are some differences that make some tracks better, like already the opener 'The Ambush' with its synthesized choir and militaristic feel it listens as one of the better tracks, and basically the idea behind this doesn't change, even though on occasions the selections play better out then others that follow.

Synthesized choir, percussion and synthesizer compositions make the whole score work, even as said it overall sounds the same. Another good track is 'Fight for Power', containing a little more oomph then the others with again some good ideas and alternations on the theme of the single track. While the score offers small ideas changed from track to track, it doesn't have complete difference since basically it remains percussive (as the background and rhythm setter), synthesized military speaking and the choir backing up every track possible in lending it more scope. While it works, this is more a score you can and will enjoy in the game itself because from time to time you will start whistling along, while hearing one track after another isn't like listening to a film score, in that it misses diversity. As it supposed to be, the more powerful tracks are also the most memorable, like 'Harkonnen Battle' with its use as choir over the drums, 'Rise of Harkonnen' bringing a big difference with light, more playful tones still in the sense of tense action scoring, but you spot the difference right away and 'The Score', restating the theme of the first track without choir though. Together Dune 2000 brings solid music on disc and good music for the game itself, it overall justifies the choice of composer Frank Klepacki and the addition of a melodic if narrow sticking sounding score of style. It will not amuse those who seek their games melodically complex, bombastically loud and orchestrally enticing (like Medal of Honor and Outcast) but for those who played the game they will find much to enjoy, even if the music in the game does it more justice then all together packed in 70 minutes of music.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Ambush (4.14)

2. Attack On Arrakis (4.03)

3. The Atreidis Gain (4.16)

4. Enter The Ordos (5.13)

5. Fight For Power (5.51)

6. The Fremen (4.31)

7. Harkonnen Battle (4.16)

8. Land Of Sand (5.03)

9. Options (0.52)

10. Plotting (4.32)

11. Robotix (4.10)

12. Rise Of Harkonnen (3.37)

13. The Score (2.05)

14. The Soldiers Approach (4.01)

15. Spice Counting (5.10)

16. Under Construction (4.32)

17. The Waiting Game (4.13)

Total Length: 71.54

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