Bear McCreary

Game Music

Play for Japan: An East Meets West Charity Album

May 26, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

We’ve mentioned a number of ways to help the people of Japan recover from the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011. As it turns out, Akira Yamaoka has come up with yet another way, bringing together some of the top game composers from Japan and the West along with artist Yoshitaka Amano for what is sure to be an amazing project. Artists will contribute original pieces of music, and 100% of proceeds from the album will be donated to the Red Cross in Japan.

So, who’s all involved? They’re all listed in the press release after the jump, but to highlight a few, Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Koji Kondo, Mitsuto Suzuki, and Hip Tanaka from Japan, and Bear McCreary, Chance Thomas, Inon Zur, and Tommy Tallarico from the US. I find it interesting to see names like Koji Kondo and Mitsuto Suzuki given that they’re still in-house members of game development studios in Japan, but I’m excited about hearing their contributions.

See the press release with the full listing (including track titles) after the jump, and visit the album’s website for more details and biographies for those involved. Are you surprised by any of the names that appear, and are you looking forward to the album? (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Original SoundCAST: Episode #009

December 17, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 9 Comments Share this Original SoundCAST: Episode #009

The latest episode of OSC is just Jayson and Patrick (me) chattin’ about everything awesome. That includes Tactics Ogre, Granado Espada, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Final Fantasy XI, and a lengthy discussion about box sets centered around the tentative Genso Suikoden box set.

The podcast runs a little over an hour and features plenty of music. Check it out, kiddo.

Download: Original SoundCAST Episode #009
Chip Music, Game Music

Bear McCreary Vs. The Angry Video Game Nerd: A Christmas Special

December 16, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with The Angry Videogame Nerd’s annual holiday episode? Well, this year is a real special one for fans of game music, as composer Bear McCreary has lent his talents to score the episode as well as provide a parody of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” cleverly titled “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Nerd.” The episode itself is featured above, which I highly recommend checking out for a good laugh.

McCreary has gone even further on his personal blog, however, detailing his collaboration with the Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) and offering insights and samples from his score. There’s an additional “Behind the scenes” interview with McCreary and the AVGN as well as complete downloads of both the score and the “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Nerd” track. I’m quite impressed with how he was able to fuse classic chip sounds with the small jazz ensemble that he used to create the underscore, and if you listen closely, you’ll catch references to a number of classics including Dragon Warrior, Super Mario Bros., and Sonic the Hedgehog among others.

Let us know what you think of the video and of Bear McCreary’s music. Did you pick up on any other musical references?

[Thanks Bear!]
Featured, Film, Game Music

Editorial Response: Everything is a Context

August 19, 2010 | Wes Chung | 11 Comments Share this

(As this is a response to Gideon’s Editorial ‘Context is Everything’, I highly recommend you read (and enjoy) it first. His insights and the personal expressions of the composers are well worth your time.)

Before I begin, I want to make a confession. I have no idea what the name ‘Auld Lang Syne’ means. Worse, I can’t even tell you a single line of the lyrics. Can’t name the composer. Don’t even know what language it’s from. All I know is that it’s a song traditionally (perhaps even compulsively) sung each New Year’s Eve, or at least hummed drunkenly as the balloons fall and the fireworks go off. Until I was at least fifteen years old, it didn’t even have a name as far as I was concerned. It was just ‘The New Year’s Song.’ I still don’t care to learn the lyrics, either. They don’t really matter in the context with which I associate the tune.

What the heck does this have to do with video game music – and you know it does, right? Because the context of this site is video game, anime, chiptune and other nerdly-type music…So where exactly am I going with this? (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Comic Con 2010: Bear McCreary Goes Hip Hop, Talks SOCOM 4

July 23, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Yes, hip hop. The last time we talked to composer Bear McCreary it was all about Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. With new projects on the horizon, we thought it’d be a good time to catch up on his latest projects, and we were right. Along with his upcoming videogame score for SOCOM 4, McCreary also touches on his feature film debut with Step Up 3D as well as Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. He also hints at some big gaming announcements that will come in the near future, and will be of particular interest to hardcore game music fans.

He’s got me excited, and the instrumentation used in SOCOM 4 definitely has me more excited about the game than I have been up to this point. Hit the jump for our Comic Con interview and see why you should be excited about the SOCOM 4 soundtrack as well. (more…)
Game Music

McCreary to Fill Another Dark Void Composing Socom 4

May 28, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 2 Comments Share this

Bear McCreary, composer of Dark Void, Dark Void Zero, and Battlestar Galactica, announced on his blog that he will be composing the music for Sony’s upcoming SOCOM 4. Featuring over eight hours’ worth of original music, SOCOM 4 is a franchise reboot that will feature Playstation Move integration.

From his Battlestar Blog: “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamt of a video game score that would feel as if it were being composed specifically for each player, adapting and shifting perfectly to capture the mood of the individual gamer. Thanks to the powerful technology available today, and the talented artists and programmers at Sony and Zipper, I was able to write a score that fulfills this promise.”

I am looking forward to McCreary’s contribution to the game and series. This may be exactly what this franchise needs to be relevant again.

[via VG247]
Chip Music, Game Music, Reviews

Fake Retro, Real Glory: Dark Void Zero Soundtrack (Review)

March 31, 2010 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments Share this

One of the first big title releases this year was Dark Void, which was released on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC early January. The game centers around a pilot during the WWII era who gets teleported into a different dimension where he meets Krang and battles the Technodrome. Well, maybe not that last part, but he did travel through dimensions, and we already reviewed the soundtrack and found it to be an enjoyable affair. While it may not have been the most memorable game, it did offer some excellent music, and one track in particular stood out among all these, the Mega Version 8-bit rendition of the main theme.

CAPCOM seemed to take notice of this as they had previously had great success with retro inspired titles like Mega Man 9 and Bionic Commando ReArmed and announced a faux NES title would be developed on the DSiWare dowload service. Bear McCreary was brought in to score and arrange, which was surely a dream come true for the admitted videogame music fan.

Hit the jump to see if they captured the NES feel! (more…)