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Game Music, Reviews

You’re It: Tekken Tag Tournament, Hybrid Style (Review)

November 21, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

We posted last week about Tekken Hybrid which is out this week, containing Tekken Tag Tournament HD, a demo of the upcoming Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and the Tekken Blood Vengeance CGI film all in one nice set. While the standard edition will be available for $39.99, those who want to splurge and spend $59.99 will get a nice case, an art book, and of course a double-disc limited edition soundtrack.

While we already noted what was contained within, we’re going to take a more in-depth look at the music to let you know what to expect. Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Skyward Sword In-Game Audio and Symphonic CD Impressions (Review)

November 18, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Can you believe that Zelda day is finally just around the corner? We’ve talked a lot about Skyward Sword over the past couple of years and have been impressed with what we’ve heard, and you may recall that a piano arrangement CD is being released in Japan along with retail copies of the game including a Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony CD. Yeah, it has a little something to do with that concert that was held in October.

So, with Hajime Wakai at the helm, does Skyward Sword live up to the franchise’s rich musical legacy? Does the bonus CD give fans who were unable to attend the concert last month an accurate taste of what they missed?

Find out in our review! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Damned if You Do: Shadows of the Damned (Review)

November 9, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Damned if You Do: Shadows of the Damned (Review) Share this

Yeah, we already reviewed the promotional soundtrack for Shadows of the Damned and loved it. It was actually quite an impressive sampler, featuring 12 tracks totaling around 30 minutes of music. Having loved what I heard, I was immediately excited when a full soundtrack release was announced.

We’ve listened, we’ve been surprised, and now we’re going to tell you about it.

Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Beginning a New and Excitingly Different Story: Final Fantasy Type-0 (Review)

October 27, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

While Final Fantasy Type-0 is out in just days in Japan (October 27), there’s still no word on a release date outside of Japan. I’m pretty sure it will come, however, as Square Enix has stated that they’re hoping to turn Type-0 into a franchise of its own.

With music by Takeharu Ishimoto, fans have wanted to hear more from the game, and we have been able to listen to the preview disc and unbox the limited edition soundtrack for you. We now have the three-disc soundtrack here in its entirety along with the limited edition DVD.

Find out if it’s a worthy addition to the Final Fantasy franchise in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Winifred Phillips, LBP2 and Toy Story: Triple Win!

September 9, 2011 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on Winifred Phillips, LBP2 and Toy Story: Triple Win! Share this

Hello OSV friends. Missed me? I missed you too. I won’t be writing nearly as much as I used to, but I’ve always been too big a fan of game music to disappear forever, and Jayson was gracious enough to allow me to do some guest contribution articles.

I return to tell you about some new work from one of my favorite composers, Ms. Winifred Phillips. It’s not a big chunk of music, but it leaves a lasting impression. What is it? Well, as the graphic above indicates, it’s some original music for the Toy Story DLC for LittleBIGPlanet 2.

Alongside music producer Winnie Waldron (more “win,” with thanks to Charlie Sheen), Ms. Phillips put together three pieces of music, each with six unique layers that fade in and out depending on the environment and what all is going on within the game. So while the music may only be three tracks, one could look at it as an amalgam of 18 miniature themes, in 3 different styles, layered together.

Interested in more? Check it out after the jump. Oh, I’ve missed saying that… (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Inon Zur’s RIFT Original Soundtrack (Review)

September 6, 2011 | Gideon Dabi | Comments Off on Inon Zur’s RIFT Original Soundtrack (Review) Share this

Like open-world games, scoring an MMORPG is tricky business. The player is often in the same areas for several hours at a time, essentially forcing the composer to neuter his score of being too melodic – as an overly melodic score can grow tiring to the ear after many hours of gameplay. Inon Zur is a composer who is no stranger to fantasy RPG’s tackles RIFT with a slightly different plan of attack than either of his Dragon Age scores. In this score, Zur chooses not just to rely on typical fantasy tropes, but to give it a distinctly modern feel, as well. This is no easy feat within the confines of the already-boxed-in criteria of an MMO score. What is especially refreshing about Zur’s score in that it is all new music whose only similarity to other fantasy scores is some orchestration and voices.

But did it work out as well as advertised? Does the score of RIFT grow tiring? Does it create the proper feeling for the world? Most importantly, does it adequately silence the voices of newbs who are constantly asking where to turn in quests? Read on to find out! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Soyo Oka and noisycroak: Zombie Daisuki Soundtrack (Review)

August 22, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Soyo Oka and noisycroak: Zombie Daisuki Soundtrack (Review) Share this

It’s about time we saw Soyo Oka’s name in the composition department again. While she’s most known for her work on the legendary soundtrack for Super Mario Kart, she’s been working mostly as an arranger in recent years, contributing to the DARIUSBURST arrange albums and the Akumajou Dracula Tribute Albums.

As it turns out, she’s teamed up with noisycroak’s Keisuke Itoh to provide a small number of tracks for the Zombie Daisuki soundtrack. The retro-style soundtrack has been released on noisycroak Records, so find out if it’s worth checking out in our review after the jump. (more…)