Videogame Soundtracks

Featured, Game Music

Turntable Game Jams – The Resurge of Vinyl & VGM

June 23, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | 7 Comments Share this

If you’re one of the older members of our generation, you probably know what vinyl is. For the younger kids, vinyl is the older brother of the CD (compact disk) – that physical medium that predates your fancy MP3 players and iPhones. (Man, I’m old.) They’re also commonly referred to as “records”.

So now that you have had the history lesson, you might not be aware that vinyl has not exactly gone the way of the dinosaur. What used to be a neat hobby for collectors of older-style medium has seemed to have a resurgence within the past few years, and one of the things that seems to be included within this return to a simpler time of music-listening is video game music.

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Game Music, Software

A Puzzling Journey Into Sound: A.V. The Game (Review)

April 13, 2015 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on A Puzzling Journey Into Sound: A.V. The Game (Review) Share this

Launched as a Kickstarter campaign on July 9, 2014, A.V. was a modest success as it was successfully funded by 45 backers for a total $5654 just over its minimum goal of $5,500. The game has since been Green-lit on Steam and still undergoing refinements.

The creators describe the game as “a first-person stealth-puzzle-musical-adventure game (Try saying that 5 times fast). The game places the player in the role of a rogue music-processing algorithm from a computer’s sound systems. From this role, the player can view the world only through audible means.”

I share my thoughts on the game and the overall audio experience it offers its players. Is A.V. a worthwhile sensory experience? Read on to find out.

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Game Music, Miscellaneous

Expanding your Game Music CD Collection on a budget and finding rare gems

February 24, 2015 | Ryan Paquet | 3 Comments Share this

Over the past couple of years I have been growing my soundtrack CD collection and picking up things that I always wanted but missed out on because they were out of print, or a limited edition release. There are game music collectors around the world that occasionally decide its time to thin out their collection or start to convert to digital because they don’t have the space for CDs anymore. In this article I will share the locations of where I’ve found some great deals, and where you can too. I also want to know where you’ve found a rare item, or your experience buying game music online. It’s time to start shopping, click here to find out

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Featured, Game Music, Reviews

Dracula’s Dirge – Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 OST (Review)

March 4, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | 5 Comments Share this

Castlevania has gone through the gauntlet of interpretations and variations throughout its near-30 year tenure, and its music has always been a huge part of that diversity. From the upbeat catchy 8-bit bleeps of the NES titles to the haunting atmosphere of Super Castlevania 4; from the pop-oriented tunes of Rondo of Blood/Dracula X to the orchestral and symphonic tones used in Symphony of the Night and Lament of Innocence. To say the series had a menagerie of different styles of music would be an understatement, but somehow the music always seemed to work for the game it was composed for.

The first Lords of Shadow game took a different approach with its style of music. Mercurysteam and director Dave Cox had put Oscar Araujo (Animated film Ed Cid) at the helm of incorporating a different kind of soundtrack for the different kind of Castlevania game they were making. As Jayson summed up in his review of the first game’s soundtrack, the new direction being taken was fresh and some tracks were interesting, but in the end it was too big a departure from previous series titles to make it feel like it was really a Castlevania game and was instead simply its own stand-alone Lords of Shadow soundtrack. Indeed, it was a subject of much debate in the Castlevania fan community whether the music of the game helped or hindered its attempt at being both a Castlevania title and also its own creature. The sub-series’ interquel, Mirror of Fate, didn’t do much to quell the arguments.

With this kind of contention as well as Mercurysteam’s assurance that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 would have many of the shortcomings of the first game tweaked, does this third game in the series manage to capture the old feel of past Castlevanias? Or does it again fall short of its potential?

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Featured, Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

World 1-2: The Complete Collection (Review)

December 23, 2013 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on World 1-2: The Complete Collection (Review) Share this

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the interest of full disclosure … the World 1-2: Complete Collection album was promoted by Scarlet Moon Productions, founded by Jayson Napolitano. Below, OSV writer Michael Hoffmann gives his own opinion of the album.

With most remix albums you usually have some idea of what to expect. There are going to be several covers of the usual old-school vidogames, with genres of music that will vary from classical/orchestral to rock and dance remixes. While that is certainly true of World 1-2: Complete Collection, the album does much more. This isn’t just a straight forward remix album. Not only are there remixes of familiar game tunes, but this album also features several original pieces written by game composers including Chipzel (Super Hexagon), Austin Wintory (Journey), Manami Matsumae (Mega Man), Keiji Yamagishi (Ninja Gaiden) and Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill). World 1-2: Complete Collection is an album that seeks to create a pairing of newer artists remixing older pieces, and in some cases providing original content of their own, with veteran composers from the earlier gaming generations. It’s an ambitious concept and the result is quite impressive. The original World 1-2 album contained 20 tracks that were a mix of original music and remixes. The World 1-2: Encore tracks add another 14 remix tracks to form the World 1-2: Complete Collection. There’s a whole lot to cover, so let’s dive in. (more…)
Featured, Game Music, Indie Music

Bandcamp Weekly Podcast Focuses on Videogame Soundtracks

November 21, 2013 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Bandcamp Weekly Podcast Focuses on Videogame Soundtracks Share this

Recently the Bandcamp Weekly, a podcast hosted by Andrew Jervis, had a special show featuring interviews with various videogame music composers. During the podcast, Jervis spoke with Danny Baranowsky, Laura Shigihara, Austin Wintory, Jim Guthrie, Disasterpeace, and Big Giant Circles about their careers, the nature of game music, and their approaches to writing music. The show of course featured music by the composers themselves, as well as some selections from other videogame music albums.

It’s a great 90 minutes of discussion about various aspects of the game industry and how composers and their music are involved. For those of you looking to learn about some of the artists in the game music world, especially the indie games, it’s a great introduction and you may just find yourself checking out some new tunes to add to your library. Definitely give this podcast a listen.
Game Music

A Game Music Concert With Heart: The Golden State Pops Orchestra’s Videogame Soundtracks

May 19, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 11 Comments Share this

Let’s be honest. When you hear the words “videogame music concert,” you undoubtedly think of large touring concerts like Video Games Live and PLAY! A Videogame Symphony. However, we’ve been seeing more and more local productions cropping up, which I hope is a sign that the popularity of game music is on the rise.

I actually had never heard of the Videogame Soundtracks concert that took place two years ago in the unassuming city of San Pedro, just outside of Los Angeles, and I would have also missed their second run this past Saturday, May 16, 2009, if it hadn’t been for a Facebook invitation from one of the composers that was attending as a special guest. I’m glad I did attend, however, and I’m here to tell you that you should probably do the same if they come back for round three next year. Not only are you going to hear music that has never been performed live in front of an audience before, but you’re also in for a passionate performance from a wonderful orchestra in a lovely little venue that you would have never guessed existed by looking at it from the street front.

Find out what was played, who was there, and why you should be there next time in our review of the Golden State Pops Orchestra’s “Videogame Soundtracks” concert after the jump. (more…)