Okay, first they strayed from their SQ series naming conventions with SQ Chips, and now they’ve added the date to their title for this year’s TGS sampler CD. But anal rant aside, it’s that time of year again, and while we’ve posted about some of the surprises on the sampler, we now have it in-hand for a formal review.
While the tracks here are once again snippets of the full-length versions that will later be featured on their respective final releases, I think this disc gives fans a lot to look forward to over the next year.
The true Dark Souls starts next week, and you may or may not have heard by now that Demon’s Souls composer Shinsuke Kida did not work on Dark Souls. As it turns out, Motoi Sakuraba is responsible for the game’s soundtrack, and he’s brought along our favorite vocalist Emi Evans along for the ride.
So, does Sakuraba bring his progressive rock stylings to the mix, or does he follow in Shinsuke Kida’s epic orchestral footsteps? Is it worth your money to pick up the limited edition version of the game just to get your hands on the soundtrack?
We’ve been covering the little snippets of music we’ve been hearing from Diablo III at past BlizzCon events since all the way back in 2008. We enjoyed what we were hearing, but it was somewhat of a tease to only hear one or two new pieces per demo build. Only now, however, are people really getting their hands on a meaty portion of the game with the recently-released beta, which explores Act I of the Diablo III.
There are a handful of new tracks featured, and I have to say that I like what I’ve been hearing. With Joseph Lawrence handling the majority of interiors with support from the rest of the audio team at Blizzard Entertainment, the Diablo III soundtrack is shaping up to be exactly what fans have been waiting for.
We’ve just got our hands on one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and given how glorious the packaging is on this one, we just had to record an unboxing video. We flip through the entire book which contains 19 discs of music along with a special 20th anniversary DVD containing the orchestral performance, composer interviews, and a behind-the-scenes making-of video. The book also comes with complete credits for each title, liner notes, and tons of artwork.
The book drops in Japan on September 14, so enjoy this unboxing video two days early and let us know what you think of the set. It’s still available for pre-order from CD Japan and Play-Asia if you’re interested in snagging one after watching the video. Oh, and let us know if you like the new over-the-shoulder video format better than the head-on!
How do you think the Seiken Densetsu Book compares to the SaGa Premium Box from last year? Do you think this set is worth the 21,000 Yen asking price?
We’re still wrapping things up from Comic Con a few weekends ago, and thought the touch-screen enabled Admiral headset from NOX Audio was one of the strangest things we saw at the show (yes, even more strange than some of the cosplayers).
We’ve talked about last year’s Specialist headset and Scout earphones, each with their own unique design elements, but NOX Audio is working full-throttle on the Admiral headset, a unique beast equipped with a touch screen and Wi-Fi capabilities.
Is it worth your attention, or just a gimmick? Find out after the jump. (more…)
We mentioned a few weeks back that Square Enix was preparing a trio of albums to commemorate Fuji TV’s 2011 United States of Odaiba event. These included previews of the upcoming SQ Chips album and Final Fantasy Type-0 soundtrack as well as a sound effects collection CD. I was excited for all three, and the 500 Yen asking price made them an affordable treat for anyone who could make it out to the event.
So what do they offer? While you’ll be able to enjoy SQ Chips and Final Fantasy Type-0 in their entirety in a matter of months, the Square Enix Sound Effect Collection is a release that is unique to the event.
Are they worth you putting in the effort to track them down? Find out after the jump! (more…)
Have I mentioned that I love what Korean game developers have done with the audio in their games over the years? I admit I didn’t know much about Rusty Hearts prior to checking it out at Anime Expo 2011 this past weekend, but I’m definitely a whole lot more interested after what I saw and heard.
So, what is Rusty Hearts? It’s a free-to-play beat ’em up MMO title developed by Korean-based Stairway Games, and in addition to featuring some impressive anime-inspired visuals, it also sports some pretty amazing music. One of the game’s producers was on-site to show off one of the game’s new characters, the half-vampire Frantz. I explored a dark Gothic-style town that acts as one of the game’s central hubs where I heard some moody acoustic guitar and concert piano work that reminded me of a dark, loungey version of Granado Espada.
Upon entering the wine cellar, one of the game’s opening dungeons, I bashed through enemies with special attacks using both the computer keyboard and an Xbox 360 controller. The producer noted that Rusty Hearts draws on titles like Devil May Cry, Final Fight, and even Castlevania as influences, and I definitely picked up on the Castlevania influence in the music department. While the looping track was short, I was loving the electric guitar work and overall Gothic rock style of the track.
While we only heard two tracks in the demo, I’m looking forward to hearing more and finding out who’s doing the music. Perfect World is opening up a closed beta, so head over to their website and sign up. We’ll have more on this game soon, so check out the above trailer and let us know what you think.
