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.
I is for Inching closer to release
Tuesday is the launch of the game every Halo fan has been waiting for since they threw their controllers in disgust at the ending of Halo 2; Halo 3. As much as I don’t want to be excited about it, I am. There is something about the Halo series that has a hold of me no matter how much I try to fight it.
The Halo series is a huge part of the current gaming culture. While you may find gamers who haven’t touched it, you would be hard-pressed to find one who hadn’t even heard of it. As the game that single-handedly established Microsoft in the gaming world, Halo was very important in directing current trends and exposing tactics of certain companies. Halo’s past is riddled with cheap (though unsurprising) tactics, disappointment and endless delays. It also harbors monsterous release numbers and one of the strongest fan-followings of any game.
When the first Halo title was announced back in the summer of ‘99, the game was set for release for both Windows and Mac OS. The game was an immediate hit amongst journalists who had had a chance to preview game earlier in the year at E3. Halo was seen as the title to bring gaming to the Mac in a way that it had not seen previously. It was only a year later, though, that the hopes of this killer Mac title were destroyed when Microsoft announced that it had purchased Bungie Studios (developers of the Halo series) and would make the game a Microsoft exclusive. As if this wasn’t enough of a blow, the game would no longer be initially released on PC, but on Microsoft’s new game console, the Xbox. This transfer of platform severly changed the development of Halo and when Bungie rewrote the engine, it changed from a 3rd Person title to a First Person Shooter. While the end product was considered inferior to the game displayed that first year, it still found success and aclaim as a console title. The control scheme and many of the methods of gameplay used in the Xbox version of Halo became mainstay parts of console FPS titles for years to come.
I give the history of the original title for a reason. Halo has one of the more interesting pasts for a game series and it shows in the games themselves. While original title felt almost incomplete on Xbox and the second felt stunted, both titles, for as flawed as they were, hold a special place in many gamers hearts. That place could be one of absolute love or utter hate, but no matter what it is, Halo is known to everyone. It is with this and on the back of the biggest game release in history (Halo 2) that Halo 3 will make its appearance.
MUSIC
ICO was released in 2001 for the PS2 and quickly fell under the radar. Though being critically acclaimed, it found itself in the "cult classic" niche. Directed by Fumito Ueda, who later when on to develop Shadow of the Colossus, ICO is a unique adventure game set in an abandoned castle. Michiru Oshima and Pentagon composed the soundtrack for the game, creating a minimal, atmospheric score.
As the last track of the album, "ICO ~You were there~" features the vocal talents of former Libera member Steven Geraghty. The song is extremely beautiful, using a mixture of synthesized instruments and real ones to create a powerful yet subtle ambiance that is only accented by the high vocals of the young singer.
Yasuhiro Kawasaki - Temple Illusion of Gaia Original Soundtrack
Published by Enix in Japan and Nintendo everywhere else, Illusion of Gaia is an RPG released for the Super Nintendo back in '94. It is part of the so-called "Soul Blazer" series which consists four titles developed by Quintet that share both "plot themes and gameplay elements." Illusion of Gaia ended up being the only major soundtrack developed by composer Yasuhiro Kawasaki who did only minor titles afterwards such as the Japanese version of Sim Tower: The Vertical Empire for PC in '95.
The track "Temple" is about as cliche of a SNES RPG track as you can find. Though showing off the best of the best in the world of VGM is important, the mediocre songs are just as vital. By '94, the major RPG franchises of the day were already in full swing with the fifth iterations of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series both already on shelves. Because of the success of their style of music, many other titles turned to mimicry to help them find success in the market, including Illusion of Gaia's soundtrack. The production sounds like early Final Fantasy but less inspired. This is perhaps why Kawasaki found little work after the release of this game.
F is for Final Fantasy?
Before we get on to the music, I want to say something in regards to the current generation of consoles. I’ve been playing video games for a long time. I remember when I received my first NES when I was a little kid and playing games like Super Mario, Rygar, Paperboy, and other classics. With this history in the subject, I’d like to say that the current battle over the superiority of one system is stupid. Sure, I love the Wii. Sure, I enjoy playing 360. That doesn’t mean I think the PS3 is a piece of shit, though. My own personal misgivings over what I see as a lack of titles for the PS3 at the moment doesn’t make the system itself any better or worse, because in the end a system is only as good as its games. That’s the reason I still play my SNES all the time. In the end, it’s the games that make or break a system, not the specs. No one cares if a system has the latest and greatest hardware or not. They just want to have fun. They don’t care how “revolutionary” motion-sensing controls are if it’s not fun.
While we’re on the subject of the current gen, however, I would like to say that the Red Ring of Death is by far the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve experienced in a long time. Much like the Blue Screen of Death (go Microsoft and your colored indicators of death!), it makes my stomach churn. However, unlike the BSOD, seeing that RROD brings along with it the knowledge that it will be a few weeks before I can enjoy another 360 game. I’m glad that Microsoft has increased their warranties on all the systems, but it’s still annoying to only be able to use your system for a few months before death is imminent. I guess that’s the price you pay for enjoying anything by Microsoft, though.
Today is the letter F. Obviously, Final Fantasy would be included in this list but it seems almost a bit unfair to post music from a series that is already so widely known and block out some other, just as deserving titles. So for the sake of fairness to my collection and your interests, there will be no Final Fantasy posted.
MUSIC
Although I didn’t include arguably the most famous “F” RPG, Fable isn’t too far off. Released in the fall of 2004, Fable was touted to be a new evolution in the world of RPGs, featuring a system that allowed for great user interaction in the story development. Whether the game lived up to the hype is up to you, but the soundtrack is definitely worth mentioning. Russell Shaw, having done other Lionhead titles, scored the soundtrack with Danny Elfman composing the theme.
The track itself is a wonderfully mellow tune. The mixing of atmospheric strings and quiet winds helped to create a feeling that someone could very well imagine as the soundtrack to a flowing field of grass in the late afternoon on a summer’s day. There is no real build up in the song, staying consistent most of the way through, with a small build to a slightly dark feeling about 3/4ths of the way through as the bass becomes much more prominent.
Yuka Tsujiyoko - Theme of Fire Emblem Fire Emblem IV Genealogy of Holy War Arrange Soundtrack
Genealogy of Holy War (or Seisen no Keifu) was the fourth Fire Emblem title in the series, appearing on the Super Famicom in Japan. While the title only found its way to American shores through fan-translations, other titles in the series have since been released in America and quickly found a strong following. Yuka Tsujiyoko scored the soundtrack along with most of the Fire Emblem franchise.
“Theme of Fire Emblem” is a classic RPG theme. The epic nature of the composition helps to build the anticipation in the player as the begin their quest while establishing a style of music that will be heard throughout their adventure. While sounding a bit generic after having heard numerous RPG themes, “Theme of Fire Emblem” still manages to make its own distinct impression on me and many other fans of the soundtrack.
PeeWee and Michiko Hill - Mute City F-ZERO
F-Zero needs no introduction. Originally released for the Super Nintendo, this futuristic racing game broke new grounds in terms of technology and the soundtrack wasn’t too bad either. Composed by Yumiko Kanki and Naota Ishida, the soundtrack has a very contemporary feel to it, which was enhanced when released to album and arranged PeeWee and Michiko Hill.
The theme for Mute City sounds much like late 80s/early 90s contemporary jazz. It’s upbeat with a catchy melody and helps to enhance the feeling of speed when playing. The saxophone work in this arrangement is strong and clear without overpowering the ensemble established in the song. The style to the track is slightly dated, however, sounding like it belongs on a 90s sitcom or movie.
What about the Yankees?
Though many of the songs posted on this blog have been from Japanese games, that doesn’t mean that only the Japanese can produce a great soundtrack. Here are a few tracks from American titles that I have loved since I first heard them.
Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori - Opening Suite Halo Original Soundtrack You’d be hard-pressed to find an American gamer who hasn’t at least heard of Halo. Though opinions over the game vary greatly, I can say that I loved the soundtrack. A more atmospheric arrangement than many Japanese titles, this song not only is a beautiful piece, but can evoke a lot of emotion in those who have played the game.
Stan Lepard, Northwest Sinfonia - Vendetta Suite Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge Original Soundtrack This piece has epic written all over it. The minute it starts, you are thrown back to the classic air-battles of hollywood, with bi-planes and dogfights. You can almost feel the cold sting on your face as you picture yourself in the open cockpit of a fighter plane, maneuvering around an enemy, trying desperately to get a good shot at him.
Jack Wall - Dawn Star Theme Jade Empire Original Soundtrack While the game was very hit or miss for most gamers out there, the soundtrack did a wonderful job of capturing the atmosphere by using classic Chinese instruments and arrangements. This song in particular is one of the more upbeat pieces and is quite enjoyable to listen to. Though the game’s soundtrack didn’t quite have the masterful sound that movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were able to produce (Thanks to the amazing talents of Yoyo Ma), Jack Wall still was able to produce one that was not only bearable, but actually worth listening to. It’s more than can be said for other American composers who venture into the realm of Chinese classical.