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.
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.