J is for Just Released
There are few game characters that amass a huge cult following without having to do anything. The most recent, and one of my favorite (non)characters is simply a box. More specifically, it’s a Weighted Companion Cube. For fans of the game Portal –released as one of the many titles included in Valve’s recent Orange Box– the Weighted Companion Cube is more than just another ordinary cube. It is something to love and cherish. Aside from my beloved, though, there are many things that have happened since my last post.
The biggest news for the site is the new look. I decided to take the site away from a template and build a new look for it. I’m still working out a lot of the bugs for it, so bear with it for a while longer. Also, in site news, I’m looking for writers who are willing to contribute weekly to VGMe. If you are interested, drop me a line at dastafarin@gmail.com using the subject “Writing for VGMe” so that I can find it amongst all the spam.
Now, on a completely random note, I want to bring up something that I was talking about today and that is the complete impatience I find in other players online. Recently I’ve been playing a lot of Gunbound again, after having been away from it since the original version entitled “Thor’s Hammer.” After going back, I’ve found a lot of people on the game are anywhere between somewhat impatient to extremely impatient. It’s disturbing and extremely annoying. As soon as I log into a room, it’s almost guaranteed that at least one person will spam my username about 50 times and tell me to ready up within the first 10 seconds. Now this game is a lot worse than many other online games in those regards, but the same still holds up in some capacity for many online titles. Sometimes telling a person to “Ready up” is warranted and necessary, but 99% of the time it’s simply irritating. I know to get ready, I’ve played the game before. I don’t need someone “yelling” at me to hurry things up and forgo any preparations I may wish to make before entering into a match.
MUSIC
Jet Set Radio garnered a good amount of press and recognition back during its release for its (then) cutting edge use of cel-shading, its unique gameplay and its soundtrack. The game was originally released for Dreamcast, but also made appearances on the Gameboy Advance and the Xbox.
The track selected is the title track from the game. The artist behind the song, Hideki Naganuma also did many of the other tracks for the game along with a collection of licensed music. The song uses a sample from the old BBC Radio comedy Hancock's Half Hour (wikipedia). It is house electronica and is very enjoyable. Although the style is one that garners either love or hate, it is a definite winner for most who enjoy the genre.
Jack Wall - Anthem of the Tyrant Jade Empire Original Soundtrack
While I've used Jade Empire in a previous post (What about the yankees?), it is one more the better soundtracks on the Xbox, and in the J category quite simply.
Unlike the previous song posted, "Anthem of the Tyrant" has almost no Asian influence on the composition. It is fairly straight forward Western Classical, but still quite good. As can be inferred from the name of the song, it is one of the darker, more “epic” tracks from the album. It uses a lot of deep, guttural horns along with almost-screeching strings.
G is for Games and Gears.
One of my favorite parts of some of the games I own is the nostalgic feel I get from them. Most of the games I own that are over 5 years old are still in my collection for sentimental value. Whether it’s the first Final Fantasy I ever played or a Super Nintendo game I have played so many times I’ve lost count, it’s these old titles that keep me coming back for more. I’m sure most people have a game like this; one that they can’t get rid of. Having grown up through the reign of Nintendo and Sega, though, I’m curious to see what games lend themselves to such an honorable position in the next ten to twenty years. When the preteens and younger of today grow up to become adult gamers, will they look back fondly on games like Ratchet & Clank or will their games be the more mature titles like GTA? Where I’m playing old games like Super Mario World, maybe that game will be replaced by God of War.
No matter what they are playing now, I do know that they should also be playing the games I grew up on. I know most parents want to give their kids the best, and right now that includes a 360, a Wii, maybe a PS2 or a PS3, but they should also (or instead) give them a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis. There are a few reasons I say this. One is obviously that young kids really don’t care about technical superiority. Sure, given the option, many kids will more than likely go for a 360 over a SNES, but a lot of that has to do with their own perception of what makes them look cool. Saying you have a 360 at school makes you a lot cooler than saying you have an SNES (unless you are in the right crowd). However, when they are at home, there is no one there to make fun of them for not playing the latest and the greatest, so why not let them enjoy games that make up for their lack of technical prowess with solid, enjoyable gameplay.
My second point is if you are a gamer parent yourself, you probably understand the importance of “knowing your roots.” Having a good background in classic games helps to develop a gamer’s taste and style. By playing many older titles and seeing how games were developed and executed in the early days allows for a better progression in ability and understanding. It also allows for more enjoyment of modern titles when you know the evolution of the game itself. For instance, having played the original Metroid titles, I get a huge amount of enjoyment out of the Prime series because I can see the evolution with my own eyes and understand parts of the game that would be lost to those who aren’t already versed in the Metroid series.
My last point is a simple one but probably a major one for parents. It gives you and your kid something with which to connect. Sure, you play a lot of the current titles with him but wouldn’t it also be fun for him to see what you grew up playing? For every Sly Cooper or Tak they have, you have a Bubble Bobble or a Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing. Whether they end up liking the games or not isn’t the point; it builds a connection. How many people remember doing something with a parent because they used to “do it all the time” when they were a kid? The enjoyment of the task never really came from the activity itself but the feeling of a connection with the parent.
With the Wii’s Virtual Console, I can see the need for one of the older systems sitting on the entertainment center dropping (though maybe every kid needs the experience of blowing until they’re dizzy into an NES console). Many of the classics from yester-year are becoming available to the younger audience through the VC and even the handheld market. I do feel, though, that whether the games are played on an original system or on a DS doesn’t matter as long as they are being played.
MUSIC
Gears of War is one of the best selling Xbox 360 titles so far, and with good reason. Developed by Epic Games using the Unreal Engine 3.0 and masterminded by Cliff Bleszinski, this third-person shooter game is the most fun you can have with a gun that also acts as a chainsaw. The soundtrack was scored by Kevin Riepl, composer of many other titles such as Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, Unreal Championship 2, and City of Villains.
The track “Train Wreck - Locust Theme” is a great example of the atmosphere that the soundtrack does such a great job of creating. The mix of winds, strings, and electronic sounds creates helps build tension in the music and while keeping the music exciting. The strings that appear about a forth of the way in sound like something out of Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain.”
Hiroshi Seiyama - BLUE WATER BLUE SKY ~May's Theme~ GUILTY GEAR X HEAVY ROCK TRACKS ~ The Original Soundtrack of Dreamcast!!
Originally developed for the arcade, Guilty Gear X helped establish the Guilty Gear series among the top tiers of the 2D fighters. The game (along with the rest of the series) was riddled with references to popular rock music and included a soundtrack to fit the theme. Writer and character designer for the Guilty Gear series, Daisuke Ishiwatari, also wrote the music.
“Blue Water Blue Sky” sounds like you’d expect a rock song with such a name to sound. It’s upbeat, extremely catchy, and worth listening to over and over again. If you have ever listened to early 90s Jrock, then the main melody to the track will sound very familiar. The writing style coincides with the 90s style of writing found in Jrock, but not in a bad way. Instead, it creates around 3 minutes of enjoyable instrumental rock that does a great job of representing what the Guilty Gear music is all about.
Miki Higashino and Yumiko Takahashi - Reminiscence Genso Suikoden II Original Game Soundtrack Vol. 1
The Suikoden series has been around for almost 12 years now and while the fifth installment in the series was released in 2006, the second game is considered the pinnacle of the series by many of its fans. Due to the immediate competition with the release of Final Fantasy VIII, unfortunately, the game was quickly overshadowed and fell into obscurity, remaining as one of the rarest PSX titles in the US. The soundtracks to Suikoden II and the rest of the series have proven to be popular with around 15 albums released to accompany the five Suikoden titles.
This track is one of my favorite Suikoden tracks of all time. The piano composition is extremely beautiful and compelling and the accompaniment of the traditional Japanese vocals helps to propel this track above the others. The tone of the piece is both uplifting and somber which is conveyed so well with the minimal use of instruments. Unlike the arranged version found later in the album, the use of only a piano, a few stringed instruments and the vocals helps to make the track much more emotional than the arranged version.
C is for Carpal Tunnel.
I’ve decided to make my next post on the very next day, since I need to make up for all that time I lost. Aside from that, I’ve added something new to the blog which I think will be a nice, welcomed addition. Now, below the mp3 link, will be a flash media player which will allow you to “sample” the track before downloading it. The tracks will play in their entirety, so there is no need to worry about getting only a 30 second teaser. You will hear the full thing. However, due to the nature of the player, there is a chance it may not work with some of the files, as most (if not all the files) I post are VBR. If you have any troubles with the audio playback, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do. The developer of the media player, Jeroen Wijering, warned that VBR would cause issues in playback, but from my testing, I have yet to encounter it, so hopefully everything works as it should. Anyway, on to today’s list.
Update: Since you can now hear the song live, there is no real need to put the genre.
Guido - Outskirts of Time Chrono Trigger The Brink of Time
Satoshi Ise - Theme of GOUKI remix Capcom vs. SNK 2 Millionaire Fighting 2001 Original Soundtrack
Michiru Yamane - Prologue Castlevania Original Soundtrack