E3

Game Music

E3 2011: Square Enix’s Heroes of Ruin Composer Is…

June 16, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on E3 2011: Square Enix’s Heroes of Ruin Composer Is… Share this

A lot of people were surprised by Square Enix’s announcement leading up to E3 that they’d be publishing an original IP developed by U.S.-based developer n-Space. We had some hands-on time with Heroes of Ruin, a four-player MMO-style fantasy action title, and enjoyed some of the tweaks that have been made to the traditional MMO-style gameplay. The demo led us through a forested area and through a battle with one of the game’s mini-bosses, cutting off before the main boss battle.

What we were most interested in, however, was the game’s audio. We were told that the soundtrack is being composed by film and television composer Sacha Alexander Puttnam. While his game credits are sparse (Tiger Woods ‘Golf’ and Adventure Ecology), he has worked on several films, documentaries, and television shows, and has a long history as a recording artist. What we heard in the game was your typical orchestral fantasy score, but I have high hopes for what Puttnam will be able to accomplish. Also of note is the fact that Tony Porter is heading up sound design, who I had the pleasure of writing alongside during my days at Music4Games.

Are you surprised to see Square Enix publishing this title, and more surprised by their choice of composer? What about this game has you excited?
Featured, Game Music

E3 2011: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Has Lots of Battle Themes

June 13, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 9 Comments Share this

During our separate hands-on and hands-off demos of Final Fantasy XIII-2 at E3 2011 last week, there was a lot of music to hear. While the game pretty much controlled the same way as Final Fantasy XIII, it sounds like Masashi Hamauzu (confirmed to be working on the title) has a number of tricks up his sleeve to make sure the game’s soundtrack provides something familiar yet refreshing.

We heard a number of pieces throughout the demos, but what stood out most were the battle themes. We heard four in all, and I think you’ll be surprised by what you’ll be hearing. Hit the jump for more! (more…)
Game Music

E3 2011: WayForward’s BloodRayne Betrayal Scored by Jake Kaufman

June 9, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

I suppose this news isn’t really a surprise to anyone, but we’ve confirmed that Jake Kaufman is responsible for the soundtrack to WayForward’s stunningly beautiful reboot of the BloodRayne franchise, BloodRayne: Betrayal. We saw the game in action and were not only impressed with the visuals, but also the side-scrolling action gameplay that we were told is inspired by games like Bayonetta and Ninja Gaiden (I confirmed that there are fortunately no falcons).

Regarding the soundtrack, Kaufman was responsible for scoring the game’s 15 stages and boss battles. Even more, we were told that Kaufman has created an alternate 8-bit version of the entire score which can be accessed by pressing a series of buttons. Knowing Jake personally and knowing that WayForward worked on Contra 4, I asked if the button sequence was the Contra code, but was told it’s not.

In any case, the game will be out soon for PSN and XBLA, and deserves some attention not only for its contradictory beauty with blood and gore, but also for its soundtrack. Majesco and WayForward are currently discussing the distribution of the soundtrack as well, so we’ll hopefully have more news on that soon.
Game Music

E3 2011: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Expected to Work on Silent Hill Downpour

June 7, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on E3 2011: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Expected to Work on Silent Hill Downpour Share this

During a Silent Hill: Downpour developer panel, one of the title’s producers let it slip that there are plans to have composer Daniel Licht collaborate with series vocalist Mary Elizabeth McGlynn on a track for the game. The topic came up when it was mentioned that Daniel Licht’s music was making a perfect compliment to the game despite Akira Yamaoka’s musical legacy. I naturally commented, “But I guess we won’t be seeing any vocal tracks this time?”

We were told that they’re aiming to have the two collaborate on the title’s main theme, and I for one am incredibly excited by this news. I figured the departure of Akira Yamaoka meant the absence of McGlynn’s characteristic voice from the franchise’s future, but it appears as though I may have been wrong.

Also, there are plans to produce a soundtrack for the game, but whether or not it will be sold or included as a pre-order bonus as past soundtracks have is yet to be determined. Be on the lookout, and let us know what you think of what you’ve been hearing from Daniel Licht thus far.
Game Music

E3 2011: Miyamoto Discovers an Item With Live Orchestra

June 7, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

A part of the fun of having a full orchestra and choir assembled for Nintendo’s press conference this morning was the live scoring of the events on stage, from a grand entrance by Miyamoto to various jingles that Miyamoto asked the orchestra to perform as he enacted various scenes from the franchise.

One of the most comical moments was when Miyamoto had the orchestra perform the item discovery jingle as he pretended to open a chest and raise the contents above his head in typical Zelda fashion. Sounded quite nice with a live orchestra, too!

Do you think the use of an orchestra at their press conference bodes well for the Skyward Sword soundtrack and other game soundtracks from Nintendo going forward?
Game Music

E3 2011: Nintendo Press Conference Opens With Live Orchestra

June 7, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

The biggest surprise of Nintendo’s E3 2011 press conference came right at the beginning as a live orchestral was lifted into the Nokia Theater playing a beautiful rendition of the main theme from The Legend of Zelda. Yes, they opened their press conference by paying tribute to the music of the franchise, and followed with some music-oriented announcements. I couldn’t help but feel that they were talking directly at me.

So, just what was performed and announced? In addition to performing the beautiful and mysterious main theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (due out this year) as well as a few comical jingles from the series, it was announced that two CD releases from the franchise are in the works.

And no, it’s not the Twilight Princess soundtrack. Find out what was announced after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

E3 2010: We’re Finally Done

June 22, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on E3 2010: We’re Finally Done Share this E3 2010: We’re Finally Done

E3 ended a good five days ago, but we’re only finishing up now. It’s been a productive event–the most productive of any event we’ve covered on OSV, actually–and I’m still trying to catch up on sleep. I’ve been feeling for awhile that videogames in general have been in sort of a slump, although it’s arguably been a good time for game music. I’m now more hopeful on the actual gameplay side of things, although who knows what the promise of motion controls and 3D technology will mean for music in games.

We do have one more piece dealing with E3 that will hit on Thursday night. Yes, our podcast. We’ll be talking about what we saw and heard at the event as well as discussing some tidbits that didn’t make it into our posts. You’ll want to check it out. In the meantime, you’ll want to catch up on anything you may have missed this past week, including our chats with Yuji Naka about game music, David Cox about Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Tetsuya Nomura about Kingdom Hearts 3D as well as our coverage of the Nintendo and Ubisoft press conferences.

Aside from that, please feel free to let us know what impressed you the most at E3, and we’d love to hear your feedback on our coverage of the event. Were there gaping holes in our coverage? Would you like to see us do more event coverage like this in the future? Your wish is our command!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming!