Namco Bandai

Game Music, Reviews

Welcome Back to the Stage of Destiny: Best of Soul Calibur Soundtrack (Review)

September 28, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

I’ve always been a huge fan of the music from the Soul Calibur series despite never really getting into the game aside from the amazing arcade title, Soul Edge (Siegfried is my character, by the way). Well, with the recent release of Soul Calibur Broken Destiny for the PSP, Namco Bandai has surprised fans by including a little CD tucked away in the back sleeve of the “Art of Soul Calibur Broken Destiny” booklet that was included as a pre-order bonus for the game.

“Best of” is a big title, so you’re likely wondering what’s on it. Well, there are 25 tracks, 10 of which are from Broken Destiny, of the rest of which are distributed evenly with three tracks each from Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II, Soul Calibur III, and Soul Calibur IV. It’s really a great collection, and amazing how well all the music fits together despite the age and number of titles between them.

Find out the details in our review of the CD after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Huge Waste of Money: Classic Namco Sound Effects Now on iTunes!

September 2, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 6 Comments Share this

Do you remember being at the arcade as a kid, playing the great Namco classic Pac-Man, and saying to yourself, “Man, I wish I had these sounds effects on my Walkman so I could listen to them anywhere, any time. That would be radical!” Well, brace yourself, ’cause today that wish has become an amazing reality. Namco has some special exclusive iTunes releases for you today, such as PAC-MAN Game Sound Effects. Now, I know your pants already hit the floor, but just wait till you see the tracklist!

01. Credit Sound
02. Start Music
03. PAC-MAN: Eating Cookie
04. Extend Sound
05. Ghost: Normal Move
06. Ghost: Spurt Move #1
07. Ghost: Spurt Move #2
08. Ghost: Spurt Move #3
09. Ghost: Spurt Move #4
10. PAC-MAN: Eating Fruit
11. Ghost: Turn to Blue
12. PAC-MAN: Eating Ghost
13. Ghost: Return to Home
14. Miss
15. Coffee Break Music
16. Game Play

The complete running time? 3 minutes. NAMCO also released Xevious Game Sound Effects which contains such heartfelt classics such as “Blaster: Shoot #1” and “Zapper: Shoot #1.” They’re yours for the small price of $3 USD. Radical!

[via VGMdb]
Game Music

Namco Bandai Composer Plagiarizes Music From Chrono Trigger, Lufia II, and Warcraft II

August 27, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this

I actually think this is kind of old news, but interesting nonetheless. I sort of missed the big hubbub until a post about the topic resurfaced on Soundtrack Central, but apparently Namco Bandai composer Kennosuke Suemura recently “borrowed” the melodies from “Battle with Magus” from Chrono Trigger and “The One Who Will Save The Earth” from Lufia II for his recent Super Robot Taisen series soundtrack.

Worse, this isn’t the first time this has happened. The same composer was supposedly involved in a similar incident involving music from Warcraft II when working on a previous title in the series. Namco Bandai has since released a formal apology and paid a settlement to resolve the issue, but it’s kind of funny that the composer went after Square Enix and Blizzard Entertainment, two of the most vigilant companies when it comes to cracking down on unauthorized use of their property.

What do you think? The series has always been known for combining elements from all kinds of different games, but did Suemura go too far this time?

[via Soundtrack Central]
Chip Music, Game Music

Revisiting Your Childhood: Koji Yamada Talks Retro Game Challenge

March 19, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Into all things retro? If you are, I imagine you’ve already heard of and played Retro Game Challenge, as it received numerous positive reviews from the gaming press. When I played through the game, I was particularly impressed with the 8-bit music, and started wondering if it was truly written using the limitations of the Famicom.

Well, my question has been answered. We’ve been able to speak with Retro Game Challenge composer Koji Yamada about his work on the title. We ask him what it was like writing a soundtrack to a retro game, and find out that yes, he did in fact write the music using the limitations of the Famicom. It’s definitely an interesting discussion about retro games and music, and it’s the first time to my knowledge that Koji Yamada has taken part in an interview in English.

Hit the jump to hear what Koji Yamada has to say about the game music of yore! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Long Album Titles Strike Back: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Limited Edition Soundtrack (Review)

November 19, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

What a surprise! Namco Bandai has been doing right by game music fans lately with the recent soundtrack disc included with the Tales of Vesperia Limited Edition and now the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Limited Edition on the PlayStation 3. This limited edition version not only comes with a soundtrack disc featuring 18 pieces of music from the game, but also a limited-print laser art cell and a Naruto trading card, all snuggled tightly in a collectible tin case.

The game itself does prove to be fun as well as artistically beautiful, but I’m sure you want to know if the soundtrack album and other goodies are worth the additional $10. The album features about 40 minutes of rock music with Asian influences from composer Yasunori Ebina, who seems to be involved with the anime series as opposed to past Naruto games, and it actually makes for an interesting listen.

Check out our impressions after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Practice Your Cheering Skills For That Next Big Game Music Concert: We Cheer Review

October 24, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Yep, believe it, we’re covering this. I was thinking what most of you out there are thinking when I first saw this game, and that is that this must be another sorry attempt at a rhythm game on the Wii, but this time aimed at young girls. While I can’t deny that the game is aimed at girls (duh!), I have to admit that We Cheer offers some great ideas and a decent song list if you can get over the fact that you’ll be taking up cheerleading in your living room.

So, am I saying We Cheer is a great game? There are some serious flaws with We Cheer involving the motion controls, but when the game wants to recognize your movements, it is strangely rewarding… and yeah, feel free to laugh if you want. It’s time to bust out those pom-poms and learn a lesson in cheerleading.

Read the verdict after the jump. (more…)