Silent Hill

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!]
Featured, Game Music

GDC 2010: Akira Yamaoka Talks Grasshopper Manufacture

March 12, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 10 Comments Share this

Okay, so it took us longer than we expected to get our interview with Akira Yamaoka, but it’s finally here. We had to track him down in person to get it done, but at least we’ve discovered a number of interesting things about his decision to leave Konami and what his role will be at Grasshopper Manufacture moving forward.

Will he contribute to the Silent Hill series in the future? Was he involved with the No More Heroes 2 soundtrack? Will he be working on a follow-up to his solo album, iFUTURELIST? And what will his first major project be at Grasshopper Manufacture?

Find out in our interview after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Contest Reminder: Win The Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Soundtrack!

December 15, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

You have less than a week left! Patrick discussed Yamaoka’s final Silent Hill soundtrack as an employee of Konami in his review yesterday, and we have two copies to give away courtesy of Konami. How do you enter? Simple! Just head over to the original contest post and leave a comment about what you think the future direction of the series will be with Akira Yamaoka’s departure. You have until the evening of December 21 at 11:59 PST to enter, so get typing!

Now that the game is out, do you have any thoughts regarding how the music fits in with the game? Are you loving that “Always on my Mind” arrangement as much as I am?
Game Music, Reviews

Yamaoka’s Final Work With Konami? Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Soundtrack (Review)

December 14, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 2 Comments Share this

OSV was quick to confirm the recent rumors that Akira Yamaoka was leaving Konami. Akira Yamaoka isn’t just the composer for the Silent Hill series, he’s also a producer and creative lead. With Yamaoka gone, will Konami choose to keep making Silent Hill titles, or is this the end?

And, whether they choose to proceed with Silent Hill or not, is Yamaoka done writing for Konami? Or will he “pull an Uematsu” and do contracted work with his ex-employer?

We’ll leave the speculation to you (and we’re happy to hear it!). But in the case that this is a clean and final break between Yamaoka and Konami, we’d like to present to you our thoughts on Yamaoka’s final work on the Silent Hill series (a remake of the original title).

After the jump, check out our review of the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Soundtrack. (more…)
Game Music

Contest: Reflect on Silent Hill, Win The Shattered Memories Soundtrack

December 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 17 Comments Share this

We’ve confirmed that Akira Yamaoka is gone, and while we’re all still wondering what will become of the Silent Hill series in his absence, Konami has generously sent us extra copies of the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories soundtrack to give away to you guys. As this will be the final Silent Hill soundtrack he writes as an employee of Konami, we thought it’d be a good time to reflect upon the Silent Hill franchise and what’s next in terms of the series in general and, more specifically, the direction of the game’s audio in the future.

We’re going to make this one easy and simply require that you comment on this post with your thoughts and predictions to enter. Just make it something thoughtful and more substantial than a few sentences. We’ll continue taking entries until December 21, 2009 at 11:59 PM PST, at which point we’ll pick two winners to receive a copy of the snazzy pre-order bonus. We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Game Music

Confirmed: Akira Yamaoka Resigns from Konami

December 1, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 33 Comments Share this

While rumors have been going around all day regarding Silent Hill series composer and producer Akira Yamaoka leaving Konami, OSV has received official confirmation from Yamaoka himself. This is huge news for the gaming industry, as Yamaoka has been one of the biggest critics of the Japanese gaming industry. It will be interesting to see what he does if he decides to work freelance in the gaming industry.

Watch in the coming days for an extensive interview with Yamaoka on this move and his future plans. Will he continue working on Silent Hill? Will he be working on a solo album? Will be focus on music or game production? We’re just as anxious as you are to know more!

Are you surprised by this announcement? Do you think Yamaoka is going to focus on music or production moving forward?
Game Music

Boston’s New Resident Game Concert: Video Game Orchestra’s “Awakening”

November 10, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

With two performances under their belt, including one at Anime Boston that Don and Tommy attended last year, it would appear as though the Video Game Orchestra has laid claim to the Boston area when it comes to game music concerts. This is good news, as the passionate and highly talented performers have a lot to offer, which you can easily see from their series of YouTube videos on their YouTube channel.

Turns out they have a new show coming up, titled “Awakening,” which is currently slated for December 5, 2009 at the Berklee Performance Center. It will feature music from Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, AFRIKA, Super Mario Bros., Silent Hill, and Chrono Cross, and will feature composer Wataru Hokoyama as a special guest. I suppose this list of games doesn’t stray too much from the norms, but my guess is that there will be some surprises in the “and more” that appears on the flyer. I recommend checking out their official website for tickets before they sell out (we missed their debut performance last year for that very reason).

Read the official press release for more details after the jump. (more…)