Game Music
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Game Music, Gear, Reviews
Mondo of Blood – Castlevania Rondo of Blood & Symphony of the Night OST Vinyl Review
[Disclaimer: I received copies of both of these vinyls from Mondo specifically for review purposes.]
I’ve admittedly had a lot of opinions on the Mondo releases of the various Castlevania soundtracks on vinyl LP, but until now had not gotten the chance to do an in-depth review of any of them. Mostly I never reached out because I assumed my bias towards the franchise music would make my opinions too cynical, and it wouldn’t be fair. However, after four previous vinyl releases from Mondo for the series, and the announcement of both soundtracks to Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, I figured that perhaps now was the time to offer my critique.
The soundtracks from both games are held in high regard both with fans of the series and casual gamers alike. While far more have played through Castlevania Symphony of the Night than they have Rondo of Blood due to the latter’s limited release in the states via ports, the soundtracks for both offer different things while still bringing depth to the history of Castlevania music.
So, how do these releases stack up; both as individual offerings as well as compared to the other Mondo releases in the series?
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Game Music, Indie Music
Indie Game Steel Rats Original Soundtrack Now Available
November 14, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Indie Game Steel Rats Original Soundtrack Now Available Share this
The new indie game by Tate Multimedia, Steel Rats, recently released to Steam and consoles with positive reviews. Playing in a arcade-like 2.5D retro-future environment, the game is beating Devil May Cry 5 to the punch of motorcycle combat as you wreak havoc with the ultimate killing machine; your flame spewing, saw bladed bike. Given it’s almost cyber-punk aesthetics, composer Arkadiusz Reikowski was brought in to help to contribute to the atmosphere with a synth-heavy soundtrack.
Arkadiusz Reikowski, who has a knack with bringing out a certain flavor of aesthetics to the music of his past game works Layers of Fear and Kholat, continues with Steel Rats. Invoking a bit of a John Carpenter/Vangelis vibe with the soundtrack, Reikowski creates a synthwave soundscape that compliments the backdrop of futuristic robot-slaying.
Spanning 18 tracks, the game’s soundtrack offers an enjoyable retro sci-fi feel upon previewing it. The Steel Rats Original Soundtrack is currently available on Bandcamp and as DLC content on Steam.
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Game Music
Mega Man 11 Original Soundtrack Available Nov. 14th
November 9, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Mega Man 11 Original Soundtrack Available Nov. 14th Share this
The soundtrack to the latest release to the main Mega Man series, Mega Man 11 (aka: Rockman 11) will soon be available online through Japanese retailers. The two disc release features songs from the first game in the main Mega Man series in eight years, composed by Marika Suzuki. The album will have both songs from the game itself as well as several arrangements of boss themes featured exclusively for the CD release.
Mega Man 11 was released last month worldwide to positive reviews. Composer Marika Suzuki created a soundtrack that both forges its own path while also being well within the standards of past Mega Man music.
via NF Magazine YoutubeThe Mega Man 11 Original Game Soundtrack is currently available for pre-order on PlayAsia and CDJapan for around $30-32USD and will release November 14th.
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Game Music, Japanese, Reviews
Guitar Collections – FINAL FANTASY IV (Review)
I’ve had my eyes on FFIV’s Guitar Collections for a long time, and I’m proud to make this my first purchase to Scarlet Moon Records after reading Jason’s articles for so long and thereby being inspired to become a VGM article writer like him. I only wish I wrote as much as he did!
Anyway, I am not familiar with William Reyes, and I’m not sure if I should be. But I really like what he’s done here; Scarlet Moon has surely picked the right man for the job. And what a great, fantastic job it is! In this review, I will cover tracks that stand out to me.
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Game Music, Indie Music
VR Hero Sentry Original Game Soundtrack Now Available
November 7, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on VR Hero Sentry Original Game Soundtrack Now Available Share this
The realm of VR gaming is one that is still attempting to pick up traction, and composing for such games can be a daunting task when only a portion of gamers have the equipment to even play the game you are composing for. Fortunately thanks to Materia Collective, the soundtrack to the recent Steam release of VR Hero Sentry is now available through several distributors for a more widespread audience.
VR Hero Sentry is a VR ARPG that makes you take up arms and choose your hero, class and your own build as you fight off hordes and titanic bosses and offers you infinite gameplay and endless customization. Gregory Tan composed the game’s musical score, which works to accent the fantasy RPG elements of the game and create an immersive experience for the player.
The music required for VR Hero Sentry gave me the opportunity to experiment with various soundscapes mixed with instruments. ‘Whispers of The Land,’ for example, is a track that builds in many unexpected ways. That piece utilizes ethnic traditional instruments such as African percussion and pan flutes alongside modern ambient synthesizers, and was a composition that really pushed me out of my comfort zone, especially coming from a classical background. – Gregory Tan, composer
The soundtrack is a short one, comprised of only seven tracks total, but creates enough presence for the listener to get a true feel for the game’s methods and environments. The VR Hero Sentry (Original Game Soundtrack) is now available now on Bandcamp, iTunes and streaming on Spotify. -
Game Music
My Top 5 Piece of Scary Video Game Music (Brenna’s Picks)
October 26, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on My Top 5 Piece of Scary Video Game Music (Brenna’s Picks) Share this
Halloween is my favorite time of the year as a horror fan, as it is for so many of us. Growing up I was quite the opposite; everything freaked me out and some things left some lasting impressions on me. Right around my late teens things did a complete 180 and I began to love and appreciate the things I got spooked by as a kid, and this was amplified with my love of video game music that I had always retained. Thus my repertoire of beloved horror game music and game tracks is pretty extensive, ranging from classic horror genres to adventure and action games.
To pick the top five tracks that I deem the most fright-inducing is therefore a tough choice to make. I think I’ve narrowed it down to the ones that come to mind instantly when thinking of game music that immersed me the most within the macabre and the chilling (in no actual order), so take a look through and see if any of these make your own cut. (hehe)
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Featured, Game Music
My Top Five Pieces of Scary Video Game Music (Ryan’s Picks)
As Halloween approaches, over at Original Sound Version we are again looking at scary video game music. Back in 2015 I wrote Game Soundtracks For Your Soul Level 13 where I highlighted some of my most memorable pieces of scary game music. The games I highlighted included the Friday the 13th and Jaws on NES, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and Resident Evil 4. This year I’ve written about an additional top five pieces of scary game music. Other writers for OSV will share their selections as we get closer to Halloween.
Read on to see my top five picks for scary game music.
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