While the game is already out in Japan, it hits store shelves in the US tomorrow, and we’ve got the highly contagious soundtrack sitting here just for you. You may remember that Carl was very impressed with the blend of quirky electronic music and moving beats provided by members of Basiscape, SuperSweep and others, and now it’s your chance to add this disc to your collection.
So, it’s down to the same question once again: what do you have to do to win? Simple! Since Let’s Tap emphasizes simple gameplay and a retro visual style reminiscent of classic games, we’ve decided to go retro on you. Answer me these questions three, and we’ll pick a winner at random from the correct entries:
1. What was the first project Yuji Naka worked on at SEGA?
2. What system was this game created for?
3. What was Naka’s official role on the original Sonic the Hedgehog?
They may look difficult, but they’re really not. Trust me (try Google)! Send your entries to [email protected] by June 30 at 11:59PM PST. Good luck!
Are you looking forward to the game’s release tomorrow? Were you surprised to see such a diverse team of composers working on the music?
If you’re like me, you probably had no idea what Impetuth was, but were interested in it solely based on Shinji Hosoe’s involvement. As it turns out, the game is a retro-styled indie vertical shooter with a fantasy setting that looks absolutely amazing, and as you can imagine, the soundtrack is pretty good too.
Shinji Hosoe isn’t the only composer involved, however, as Shoichiro Sakamoto actually handles the majority of the score. While I admit that Hosoe’s tracks are probably my favorite, I can’t deny that Sakmoto’s contributions are also great, and the bottom line is that neither of the two will disappoint you when you consider that this album is only $5!
Hit the jump for our review of Impetuth and to find out where you can get your hands on it for not a lot of money. (more…)
If you’re tired of our references to Kikuta’s foray into the realm of hentai games, too bad! I think it’s way too funny to let it go. In all honesty though, his work on these games has been amazing, from his Seiken Densetsu 2-esque LOVE RELAXATION album to the oddly-named NICE LIFE AS WIFE. This time we’re taking a look at IN THE SKY ON THE WATER, which is the soundtrack album for Sora no Iro Mizu no Iro.
You’ll find the usual mix of upbeat Kikuta standards here, but there are a surprising number of more serious and even brooding tracks on the second half of the album. It’s a nice blend of the old, familiar, and easy-going Kikuta that we all love and the more mature version that we’re still trying to get to know.
Find out why it might be a good idea to let Kikuta’s porn music defile your ears in our review of IN THE SKY ON THE WATER after the jump. (more…)
Ignition Entertainment had perhaps one of the most impressive showings of E3, with several strong titles. In addition to their SNK properties–namely King of Fighters XII and Samurai Showdown: Edge of Destiny–Ignition managed to land the license to the Tecmo developed DS title, Nostalgia, and the highly sought license for the Wii exclusive, Muramasa: The Demon Blade. I couldn’t wait to try my hand at these games, all of which looked impressive in their own right.
We’ve been following The Conduit for quite some time, posting all the way back in September that composer Diego Stocco would be responsible for the score. While we didn’t dig too deeply into Stocco’s resume at the time, we were sure to do so when preparing for this interview, and we discovered some interesting tidbits about his career. It turns out that Stocco works for Spectraonics and is the man responsible for the burning piano that we were raving about when Omnisphere was released last year.
While the topic at hand is The Conduit and Stocco’s approach to the score, we do take some time to geek out and discuss some techy issues like his work at Spectrasonics, the use of presets, and the ever expanding universe of sound. Deep stuff, I know, but it makes for an interesting read.
Read our interview with Diego Stocco after the jump. (more…)
Last week we stopped by the Tritton Technologies booth on the E3 floor to check out the exciting new products currently being developed. You may remember our review of their AX Pro 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound Headset the other month, and while it impressed us, I still felt that they were petty expensive. To answer my concerns, and likely the concerns of others, Tritton recently announced several new headsets that will also deliver Dolby Surround technology at a fraction of the cost.
The booth also let us listen and compare their product to that of their competitors, and that was an interesting experience. Their products performed well in comparison, however I find myself wondering how everything would stack up in a more controlled environment. I wasn’t able to see how things were connected, or how the signal was being routed, and that could really make a difference in output. I liked the idea of comparing the products though, and it was nice of them to show off their upcoming products, despite being works in progress.
That said, what really perked my interest was their upcoming AX400 wireless headset. I had a chance to sit down with it at E3, and found myself impressed considering the product itself was still being worked on. Assuming they can work out the remaining kinks, we should expect to see the wireless sets hit the stores sometime later this year.
A lot of new games were unveiled at this year’s E3. Some of them were completely new to us, and others were just surprise localizations. Some of the games announced feature some fantastic composers with a long history of good VGM. After the jump, we’ll highlight some of the new games and the composers working on them.
