fallout 4 2.png

Fallout 4 has three times the amount of musical tunes compared to Fallout 3, Bethesda has announced.

All of the tracks have been hand picked by the studio to fit in three distinct categories, according to Audio Director Mark Lampert. The first batch being those that many ears will recognize from artists like The Ink Spots and Bing Crosby. The second category will be lesser-known tracks by popular artists from the mid-1900s - Orange Colored Sky by Nat King Cole is cited as an example. Lastly, the third group is made up of music from obscure bands that many have never heard of.

"I'd be curious to know if anyone related to those bands hears this stuff," Lampert said. "Who knows when it was last on a radio?"

The biggest musical issue in Fallout games has never been the track selection, however, and Bethesda knows that. The developer's biggest task was making sure that the music in Fallout 4 didn't get old after only a few hours like it has in the franchise's past. Game Director Todd Howard took on the task personally. "I listened to (the soundtrack) all day at work for three or four days," he said. "Just the music, without the DJ."

He found that some tracks grew annoying, while others were too long and took away from the experience - those ones were canned. Through hours and hours of listening and iterating, the team picked the final set of tracks. Supposedly, these songs reflect a wide range of tones that Fallout 4 has to offer. Sometimes, they can even match up with a player's in-game situation.

"There were times when I was getting ready to launch a big battle and Ride of the Valkyries happened to come on," Lampert says. "And then there are much more mellow, downbeat pieces that just seem to fit the picture at night, when you're not in the midst of something."

Fallout 4 releases about a week from now, on the 10th November. Are you excited that you won't have to listen to Johnny Guitar on repeat? Let us know your favourite song from a Fallout game in the comments below.

[source bethesda.net]