Game Music

Sneaking up on us like a Ninja: SHINOBI MUSIC COLLECTION announced!

June 29, 2009 | | 4 Comments Share thison Facebook Sneaking up on us like a Ninja: SHINOBI MUSIC COLLECTION announced!on Twitter

Shinobi fans, you better get ready for this one.

Wave-Master has just recently announced it will release LEGEND OF JOE MUSASHI ~SHINOBI MUSIC COLLECTION~. It will include many soundtracks never before released in CD form, such as Shadow Dancer, Cyber Shinobi and Alex Kidd in Shinobi World.

Yuzo Koshiro is responsible for many of the Shinobi soundtracks, and that alone should justify a purchase for any VGM collector. For some reason, it seems Richard Jacques’s Shinobi Legions soundtrack was left out however, which was released as Shinobi X in Japan. Wave-Master also cut some western talent off Daytona USA’s collection box in April, but if it is based on the same issues, is hard to say.

The set will be 4 discs and goes for 5040 JPY. You can be sure I will be running down to the post office in my white pj’s with my white dog Poochie tagging along to pick this one up. Actually now that i think about that, I only own a pair of pink pj’s…

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Game Music, Reviews

Why is there a spaceship in my living room?: Gradius House Remix (Review)

June 29, 2009 | | 1 Comment Share thison Facebook Why is there a spaceship in my living room?: Gradius House Remix (Review)on Twitter

Have you ever heard of a shmup series called Gradius? Well, I’ve only heard music from Gradius V, composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, but recently, a WiiWare game, entitled Gradius ReBirth, featuring music arranged by Manabu Namiki of Basiscape. Although you can only get the Gradius ReBirth Original Soundtrack from the Konamistyle store, I was more interested in this arrange album that was also being released around the same time. Entitled Gradius House Remix, it features, as you’d suspect, arrangements of classic Gradius themes, mostly of the first game. Even though I’m not familiar with the source material, I figured I’d take a chance with the remix album. I might not dance, but I love music that makes it easy for me to at least bob my head!

Get your turntables ready and meet me after the jump for the review! (more…)

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Game Music

Video Games Live Singapore: Hibino’s Strange Outfit and a Crazy Girl Who Wants Her One-Winged Angel

June 26, 2009 | | 4 Comments Share thison Facebook Video Games Live Singapore: Hibino’s Strange Outfit and a Crazy Girl Who Wants Her One-Winged Angelon Twitter

We aren’t quite sure if Hibino was channeling a 30’s mobster or Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor costume from the original Superman movie with his outfit, but he sure can play the saxophone. This is from the most recent Video Games Live in concert in Singapore, an instrumental version of the title track from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I always felt the song had such Bond-like flair to it right up until the “Some day, you’ll feed on a tree frog” line….

A second video features a rather enthusiastic female audience member getting disturbingly excited about the “One-Winged Angel” segment from Final Fantasy VII. Click on the jump to check it out!

Also, thanks to Tommy Tallarico for shooting these videos over. (more…)

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Game Music, Reviews

inFAMOUS Gets Famous With Amon Tobin on iTunes (Review)

June 26, 2009 | | Comments Off on inFAMOUS Gets Famous With Amon Tobin on iTunes (Review) Share thison Facebook inFAMOUS Gets Famous With Amon Tobin on iTunes (Review)on Twitter

I’m a big fan of Amon Tobin, so when it was announced that he was involved with inFAMOUS, I was immediately intrigued. Interestingly, this isn’t Tobin’s first game project, as he was also involved with the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory soundtrack. While I’m not familiar with that work, he certainly manages to pull off a more cinematic style with inFAMOUS that contrasts with his solo work.

It also turns out that Tobin didn’t work alone on the inFAMOUS score, although his name has been used extensively to promote the game’s soundtrack. There is actually a large list of artists involved, including Jim Dooley, Mel Wesson, JD Mayer, Martin Tillman, and Working for a Nuclear Free City. A big team for sure, but each of their individual styles truly meld into a cohesive listening experience through the 20 tracks on this iTunes release.

Our review of the inFAMOUS Original Soundtrack is waiting for you after the jump. (more…)

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Game Music

Meet Unique Note: Interview With Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki

June 25, 2009 | | 6 Comments Share thison Facebook Meet Unique Note: Interview With Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aokion Twitter

Hopefully by now you’re familiar with the names of Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki. We talked to Shibata at GDC about his role as Sound Director at Capcom Japan. Not only was he responsible for a lot of the music heard in the Devil May Cry series, but he was also responsible for putting together the amazing Breath of Fire Special Box and countless other projects during his tenure. Yoshino Aoki, on the other hand, is the lovely voice behind the Breath of Fire III soundtrack, as well as the composer of Breath of Fire IV and other title during her time at Capcom.

Well, we’re here to break the news to you. Shibata and Aoki have both left Capcom to form their own studio, Unique Note, and we have the first interview with the two about the move and what we can expect to hear from them in the near future.  Join us as we learn more about Shibata and Aoki’s background, why they’re heading out on their own, and what their goal is with Unique Note.

Find the joint interview after the jump. (more…)

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Game Music

Dragon Quest IX Trailer, Featuring Loads of Never-Before-Heard Music!

June 24, 2009 | | 4 Comments Share thison Facebook Dragon Quest IX Trailer, Featuring Loads of Never-Before-Heard Music!on Twitter

In case you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a new trailer out for Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky. The game is hitting Japanese store shelves on July 11 (it’s sure to cause lots of missed work, and maybe a street riot or two), with an OST release coming August 5.

Until now, we had heard precious little from the game’s audio: mostly just the “Overture.” But now there’s plenty more to listen to. So suck up the game’s audio, and visuals, and gameplay elments, in this sweet seven minute trailer. Thanks to our friends at Destructoid for the heads-up.

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Game Music, Reviews

Let’s Tap: Unique Concept, Fun Game, Amazing Soundtrack (Review)

June 24, 2009 | | 2 Comments Share thison Facebook Let’s Tap: Unique Concept, Fun Game, Amazing Soundtrack (Review)on Twitter

I’ll be honest. Aside from knowing that Yuji Naka, Basiscape, and SuperSweep were involved with Let’s Tap, I barely knew anything about the game. Based on some videos I watched prior to its release, I thought it was mostly focused on running and jumping through a variety of mini-games using tap controls, but it turns out that this description only applies to the “Tap Runner” portion of Let’s Tap. There are actually a number of different games and modes to check out, with “Rhythm Tap” being my favorite.

So what is “Rhythm Tap,” you ask? It’s exactly what it sounds like, and that’s a rhythm game that utilizes tapping as the sole input mechanism. I know it sounds much too simple, but it’s actually really engaging and a whole lot of fun. Plus, with an amazing soundtrack provided by Basiscape and SuperSweep (you can win yourself a copy in our contest here), there’s no reason not to give the game a chance for the $30 asking price.

Read our impressions of “Rhythm Tap” and the other mini-games inlcuded in Let’s Tap after the jump. (more…)

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