Summary
- Radio stations can transform a game, making it more enjoyable and immersive, especially during mundane tasks like traveling.
- Engaging radio content is crucial; bad radio can ruin the atmosphere, leading to disinterest and a lack of immersion.
- Memorable radio hosts with unique personalities and backstories are key to enhancing the game world, making players feel connected.
Adding well-made radio stations can take a game from good to truly memorable. These stations can add a lot more than just background noise. They add storytelling, cultural references, and constant entertainment that greatly deepens the immersion and overall fun.
The Best Radio Stations Make a Difference
The effect of a carefully put-together and entertaining audio accompaniment is hard to overstate. It changes how the player sees the game world and how they interact with it. While impressive graphics might grab attention at first, the thoughtfully chosen music and the lively voices of radio hosts stick in your mind, leaving a strong impression.
One of the biggest ways in-game radio makes a difference is by turning boring tasks into something fun. Travel is a part of nearly every open-world game, but it often feels like a dull chore. A good radio station, though, can completely change this experience. Instead of moving silently from one place to another or listening to the same sound effects repeatedly, the player can drive along to a handpicked soundtrack, soaking in the atmosphere and feeling immersed in the world.
The music doesn’t even have to be the best, and few games show this better than Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Though not a traditional radio, the sea shanties sung by the player’s crew serve the same purpose, making travel more appealing because the music is so memorable. It may not be as technically impressive as adaptive music, but it’s still great. Nintendo puts a lot of development time into its music, and now you can even listen to music from its games via a dedicated streaming app.
Then there are the DJs who are charismatic enough to keep the game interesting. You have DJ Vertain Child (Saints Row 2), Three Dog (Fallout 3), Mr. New Vegas (Fallout: New Vegas), and Lazlo (Grand Theft Auto). These hosts really make the games seem realistic, and they’ve been hard to replicate.
Bad Radio Can Damage a Game
Boring or repetitive radio stations can hurt a game’s overall quality and player enjoyment more than you might think. When the audio feels dull or uninspired, it breaks the sense of immersion, making players feel disconnected and less interested. This is especially noticeable in open-world games where exploration is a big part of the experience, like Starfield.
If the radio content isn’t engaging or not there, it makes the world feel emptier and more tedious, particularly during long trips or repetitive tasks. Playing Starfield is much harder due to the lack of good music or dialogue to fill the silence. This was a particularly hard pill to swallow given Bethesda’s reputation for radio stations in the earlier 3D Fallout games.
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That said, Fallout 4 is a perfect example of how bad radio can hurt a game’s mood. The game focuses too much on songs about nuclear war, which fits the theme but gets old fast. This lack of variety and subtlety takes away from the weird, fun charm that made earlier Fallout radio stations so great. The DJ is dull and depressing (just like the main character, am I right?), which makes the whole experience feel even more dreary and makes players want to turn it off.
Some soundtracks will change your opinion of a game, and radio pushed Big Iron on His Hip to become a meme. However, bad radio makes the entire soundtrack seem uneventful. I did plenty of playthroughs of Fallout 4 before realizing you could meet the DJ of the radio station. I usually had that radio off because it wasn’t very good.
Even sports games need good soundtracks to keep players engaged. It’s hard to think of a bad Madden or NBA 2K soundtrack, because they’re so good. It’d be hard to think of a WWE 2K game that doesn’t try to add a ton of music to immerse players.
The DJs Have Their Own Lore Too
Some games don’t just play music; they feature radio DJs who are full-fledged characters with their own backgrounds and personalities. For example, Lazlow Jones, a recurring figure in the Grand Theft Auto series, appears as a fictional version of himself.
He starts as a shaky intern in Vice City Stories and eventually becomes a self-centered celebrity in GTA V. His radio persona changes over time, from the bold rock DJ on V-Rock to the increasingly clueless and struggling host of Integrity 2.0. Lazlow’s career, marked by scandals and setbacks, fits the satirical style of the GTA universe, making him both memorable and somewhat tragic.
In Fallout 3’s Capital Wasteland, Three Dog, the DJ for Galaxy News Radio, acts as a voice of hope, broadcasting from a heavily guarded station. He truly believes in standing up against injustice, and his shows mix music with updates on the wasteland’s struggles. Voiced by Erik Todd Dellums, Three Dog’s lively personality, signature phrases, and comments on the player’s choices made him a beloved character.
Fallout: New Vegas introduces Mr. New Vegas, a different kind of DJ. Voiced by Wayne Newton, his calm, smooth style brings a classic Vegas feel to the post-apocalyptic desert. He’s actually an AI created by Mr. House, serving as the voice of the Free Economic Zone. His unshakably cool attitude and Vegas-inspired charm make him a perfect fit for the game’s themes.
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From the Saints Row series, DJ Veteran Child, voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, is both a Sons of Samedi lieutenant and the host of 89.0 Generation X in Saints Row 2. Known for his drug dealings and rocky relationship with Mr. Sunshine, he’s ruthless and unpredictable. His memorability comes partly from being voiced by Neil Patrick Harris and partly from his major role in the Saints Row world.
These DJs aren’t just background voices; they’re fully developed characters with their own stories. Making good DJs can make big parts of games memorable, and we don’t see that enough today.
GTA VI Has a Chance at Great Radio (Even Without Lazlo)
The lack of Lazlow Jones, a well-known voice in the Grand Theft Auto series, creates a gap in the radio content of the upcoming GTA VI. While Lazlow’s exit after almost 20 years working at Rockstar Games might disappoint many fans, it also gives the series a chance to try fresh and interesting ideas for its in-game radio.
This is important because many games will try to take what made GTA VI successful. If they see good music, we’ll see soundtracks taken more seriously in future games.
The secret to a great radio experience is not just about famous DJs. It’s about building strong personalities that players connect with and that help make the game’s world feel real and engaging. I used to play GTA radio while doing other things, and I’m hoping GTA VI has great music to play in the background too.
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A clear and well-written character is the most important thing. The DJ should have a one-of-a-kind voice, point of view, and backstory that makes them stand out. Their lines should be clever, interesting, and fit the game’s setting and story.
The music should also match and work well with the game. A great soundtrack is nice, but it will feel off if it doesn’t match what players will most likely experience. Mafia 2 is a great example of this, where the radio music perfectly fits the vibe of 1940s and 50s New York, pulling players deeper into the game’s world.
A good soundtrack can make players feel like they’ve stepped into another time. Similarly, Sleeping Dogs matched its music to the fast-moving, neon-lit setting. Here’s hoping GTA VI can make its radio feel special again by picking a good DJ and songs that match the game’s location, themes, and mood.
