Guitar

Game Music

Shadow of the Colossus Guitar Arrangement Videos

March 25, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Man, the Shadow of the Colossus soundtrack is just too good (see Gideon’s soundtrack of the month article from a few months back). YouTube user Paolo apparently agrees, and has posted videos of himself performing various tracks from the game, including “The Farthest Land,” “The Opened Way,” and “Memories.” His arrangements feature 12-string guitar and electric guitar, and are actually pretty awesome.

Paolo also appears to be a fan of the Silent Hill series and Okami. He’s posted his performances of tracks from Silent Hill 2, 3, 4, and Homecoming along with a couple tracks from the Okami soundtrack. I highly recommend hitting up his YouTube channel and checking out some of his videos.

What do you think of Paolo’s guitar arrangements? Are there any other titles that you’d like to see him tackle?

[via OSV Tips, thanks Paolo!]
Game Music

Falcom’s Forgotten Fantasy: Faxanadu’s “Password Theme” for Three Guitars

September 23, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Oh, Faxanadu. I wish Falcom would give this game more love, as it was truly an amazing game with some awesome music. I certainly have a lot of memories about how difficult it was, the key guy who said “Nello!,” and the Lakitu-looking things that dropped bread when you killed them. I even remember having one of those “Wouldn’t it be cool if they made [classic game title here] 64?” discussions with some friends when the Nintendo 64 was around, and always saying Actraiser and Faxanadu.

Anyway, this guy has recorded himself on guitar three times over performing the password theme from the game. Awesome track, great arrangement, and trippy video! Really beautiful, which I never would have expected given that this song plays when you die.

Do you think the music from Faxanadu deserves more attention from Falcom? What do you think of this performance?

[via Nobuooo]
Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 08/2009: BlazBlue -Calamity Trigger-

August 1, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 7 Comments Share this

Aksys Games made some big waves with their recent Limited Edition run of BlazBlue -Calamity Trigger-, a fantastic 2D fighter for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. For the same price as the regular edition release, they included 3 bonus discs: a two-disc soundtrack, and a tutorial DVD. The hype around the game is well-warranted, and the love most people are showing for the music is also entirely justified.

After all, BlazBlue is the most recent game from Arc System Works, creators of the Guilty Gear series. And that series’ same music composer, Daisuke Ishiwatari, makes a fantastic return with this new soundtrack.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of published music floating around for BlazBlue, and there are some duplicate tracks between the different albums available. It’s hard to figure out “which is which” with these albums. The earliest soundtrack dates back to the end of 2008, when the arcade version of BlazBlue was released. For August’s Soundtrack of the Month, we won’t just delve into the music–we’ll let you know what you’ll find on each of the albums available, and help you decide where your best bet is in terms of finding good music.

If you’re ready to be smacked in the face with some of the greatest electric guitar licks in VGM today, you’ll get exactly what you’re begging for…after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

Tussie mussie: Kotaro Oshio’s First Cover Album (Review)

May 29, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

We hopefully brought Kotaro Oshio’s amazing guitar skills to your attention last month with our review of You & Me. In his review, Tim mentioned Oshio’s then-upcoming album, Tussue mussie, which he described as Oshio’s first cover album, and that’s exactly what it is. Tussie mussie features some downright lovely guitar arrangements of pop standards from both Japan and the United States going all the way back to the 1960s.

So, which tracks are featured? How about “Lovin’ You” and “Time After Time?” Do those get you excited? Maybe not, but trust me when I say these arrangements are great. As for the remaining 8 tracks on the album, I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with them, but if anything, I enjoyed them even more for it.

Find out why that makes sense in our review of Tussie mussie after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

Dinner for Two, Kotaro Oshio – You & Me (Review)

April 13, 2009 | Tim Sheehy | 8 Comments Share this

It’s April now, and in Japan the cherry blossoms should be in full bloom. Weather like this easily compliments the beautiful sound of Kotaro Oshio’s guitar work. For those who are unaware, Kotaro Oshio is one of Japan’s premiere acoustic guitarists. Famous for his unique use of techniques including finger picking, mute strumming, and tap harmonics, among others, Oshio quickly gained a following after a short indie stint in the late 90s. He recently released his latest solo work on March 11th–which we’ll no doubt be writing about in the near future. Last October, he tried something different by releasing a duet album featuring a number of Japanese musicians on various instruments from violins and pianos, to beat-boxing.

Read my review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Learn Final Fantasy Music For Banjo… Or Guitar, Whichever You Prefer!

September 19, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

In a pretty sweet announcement, wappa over at the Dog Ear Records blog published a photo and tracklist for an upcoming guitar learner book featuring music spanning across the entire Final Fantasy series. It’s called the Final Fantasy Official Best Collection CD Book for solo guitar. You’ll likely have to import this one from Japan if you want to get your hands on it, with the official price point being 2,500 yen.

The book apparently comes with a CD to help you figure out those tough spots. The tracks featured are some of my favorites, including “Matoya’s Cave,” “The Rebel Army,” “Searching for Friends,” and “Fisherman’s Horizon.” It’s quite a collection at 25 songs.

Are you going to be looking for ways to import this book from Japan? Are there songs that you feel are sorely missing from the list here?

Hit the jump for the fully translated list of songs that will be included. (more…)