Akira-Yamaoka
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New Silent Hill soundtracks available to give your eardrums nightmares
Halloween is still a couple weeks away, but thanks to Sumthing Else Music, you can start getting in the spirit now with newly-released digital soundtracks from some of the more recent Silent Hill games, including Silent Hill: Downpour and Silent Hill: Book of Memories. While the Silent Hill series used Akira Yamaoka's creepy, clashing chords up until Silent Hill: Homecoming, it was Daniel Licht who composed the scores for Downpour and Book of Memories. Licht also composed last year's Dishonored, as well as the Showtime television show, Dexter, so the spookiness is strong with this one. Fog machine and bad dreams sold separately.
'World 1-2' album brings chiptune artists and legendary composers together
World 1-2, a new album produced by Mohammed Taher for the record label GameChops, is a collection of new material by relatively new voices like Super Hexagon composer Chipzel, and established artists like Mega Man's Manami Matsumae (who Taher's Koopa Soundworks connected to Yacht Club Games for Shovel Knight). Other artists on the eclectic mix include Danimal Cannon, Austin Wintory, Tecmo's Keiji Yamagishi, halc, and Akira Yamaoka.The album will be released on May 2 for $10. Five sample tracks can be streamed here, in case the collected talent on the album isn't convincing enough.
Black Knight Sword review: All flash, no flesh
While fairy tales have evolved over centuries into the family friendly Disney/Dreamworks films our nieces are all so fond of, they originally began life as terrifying stories of murder and misfortune designed to keep children in line, lest they find themselves in the oven of an evil witch.In that sense, Grasshopper Manufacture's Black Knight Sword takes an old school approach to the world of storybook fantasy, leaving warm fuzzies in a locked box beneath the stairs. Its dark tales of captured princesses, feuding sisters and the eternally damned are permeated by a sense of macabre wonderment that would make Guillermo del Toro proud.Unfortunately, the game is also analogous to fables of olde in a different, more tragic sense: It serves as a perfect cautionary tale for other developers, lest their own games buckle under the weight of their own sense of style.%Gallery-173410%
Lollipop Chainsaw's Akira Yamaoka-laden licks now available
Lollipop Chainsaw is out right now, but it wouldn't be complete without some aural stimulation: The Lollipop Chainsaw soundtrack, featuring tunes from Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill), is available today as well. The soundtrack includes collaborations between Mindless Self Indulgence's Jimmy Urine and Yamaoka, and a few licensed tracks from Five Finger Death Punch, The Chordettes and others.Check out the album's full track list, launched in North America by WaterTower Records, right here:
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D in theaters October 26
Open Road Films has acquired the distribution rights to Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, the sequel to 2006's Pyramid Head fanservice vehicle film adaptation of the Silent Hill franchise. The movie will hit your local cineplex on October 26, and when we say "hit," we mean "climb through a moist, fleshy hole, screaming with the voice of an injured fawn trapped at the bottom of a well."Silent Hill: Revelation 3D stars Sean Bean, Carrie-Anne Moss and loosely follows the plot of Silent Hill 3, in that one of the characters is named Heather Mason and there's a lot of gross stuff probably. Silent Hill films that aren't about James Sunderland still don't really sit well with us, but we'll see anything that reportedly has Akira Yamaoka's music in it.Actually, we have to see anything with Akira Yamaoka's music in it. We attended a talk he gave during GDC once, and the music he played for his panel was actually a spiritually binding contract with dark, eldritch terrors. If we don't see this movie, bad things will happen to our organs.
Shadows of the Damned 2 being considered by Grasshopper
Grasshopper Manufacture is considering a sequel to Shadows of the Damned, which is easily going to be this year's "damn the numbers!" moment if it becomes official. Eurogamer reports that Grasshopper chief creative officer Akira Yamaoka is thinking of a sequel, and believes EA -- which left the original IP to die at retail last time -- would "probably" be interested, before saying that "well, yes" it would.We adored Shadows of the Damned, which actually made the seventh spot on our top games of 2011, but critical acclaim isn't the same as sales. The game debuted at 31 on the UK charts and sold a measly 24,000 units in its first month in the States. We'll keep hope alive that Garcia Hotspur's Johnson will rise again. [Pixinity via Shutterstock]
The Damned collaboration: How Shadows of the Damned found its closing act
It takes a lot of people a lot of time to license a track for a video game. Among other things, that's what The Damned drummer Andrew "Pinch" Pinching learned in the fall of 2010 when he worked with Grasshopper Manufacture composer Akira Yamaoka on the title track from this year's grindhouse-inspired third-person shooter, Shadows of the Damned. According to Pinch, it took "about a hundred emails" before an agreement was even reached regarding the collaboration. "I kid you not, they are VERY thorough," Pinch explained to me via email earlier this summer. He was speaking to the GhM side of the partnership, which he described as "treading a different path in the games industry" from other dev studios. "I did a bit of research and found out about Suda51 and No More Heroes," Pinch added. "[He] was regarded as a bit of an edgy rebel, which appealed to me immensely. It didn't hurt that his games looked great as well." The end product of the collaboration was, as we now know, the excellent (and if I may say so myself, rockin') final track from Shadows of the Damned. But that wasn't always the plan, as Pinch told me. "Initially, they [GhM] wanted what everyone wants -- an old Damned track. In this instance, a track called 'Love Song,' which in hindsight would have fitted the theme of the game rather nicely." But "Love Song" wasn't meant to be, and The Damned pushed to create an original track for the game.
Lollipop Chainsaw preview: Suck on this
Buffy the No More Heroes Zombie Slayer. That's the best way to sum up Lollipop Chainsaw at first glance. Featuring a Lichtenstein-inspired pop art HUD and over-the-top humor drawn from the Suda 51 vein, the game revels in the expected brutality of a zombie outbreak, but adds a dash of the unexpected with rainbows and sparkles following finishing moves and combos. Developed by Suda 51's Grasshopper Manufacture, the cult name-dropping doesn't stop there. Writer and director James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Tromeo and Juliet, Slither) created the script, while Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill, Shadows of the Damned) is handling music -- but none of his work is featured in the current demo. Yamaoka said during our Gamescom presentation, "This game will be crazier than it is now." A terrifying thought, since the game already has the crazy dialed to 11. %Gallery-130904%
Silent Hill: Downpour 'not missing out' without Yamaoka, says Vatra dev
Vatra Games design director Brian Gomez doesn't feel that his studio's upcoming survival-horror title, Silent Hill: Downpour, is being too adversely affected by the absence of longtime series composer Akira Yamaoka. "I was worried when we lost him, we lost him really early on in Downpour. But I was a big fan of Dexter already, so I'm happy we got Daniel Licht," Gomez told me this morning after a GDC Europe panel on the SH franchise. "It was the closest to Akira but also brought something new to it," he added. Back in 2009, Downpour producer (at Konami) Tomm Hulett told us, "If Akira's music isn't there, it just doesn't sound quite right. And I'm sure that there are people out there who could emulate the sound and try to get it close, but there would be something missing." But time heals all wounds, and Gomez thinks the game will still fall in line with the franchise's established standard of audio. "As much as I would've loved the honor of working with Akira, I don't feel that we're missing out by not having him." That said, it's clear that Gomez wants Yamaoka back at Konami, and back on the Silent Hill franchise. Speaking to the ongoing friction between Yamaoka and his formeremployer, Gomez added, "I think this whole feud between he and Konami is just fucking stupid. Everyone needs to calm down, and bring him back in, and do something." Gomez had yet to play Yamaoka's latest work, the critically acclaimed (but commercially ignored) Shadows of the Damned from Grasshopper Manufacture and EA. "I've just been too busy with Downpour, unfortunately."
'Sdatcher' radio drama will be distributed for free, sold on CD later
In a tweet, Hideo Kojima announced that the Snatcher-universe radio drama, "Suda 51's Sdatcher," will be released as a free download. A CD will be sold later to pay the voice actors, including many Metal Gear series cast members. There's still no official release date for the drama, but it was planned to be concurrent with Hideradio podcast number 300 -- they're on 298 right now. Kojima subsequently tweeted the character art of Jean Jack Gibson above. Kojima also said that he's heard the music Akira Yamaoka is making for the drama, which was to be '70s progressive rock and '80s electro pop. Per Andriasang's translation, Kojima likes it but questioned its reception by the masses. And when you bring in Suda 51 to make a podcast radio drama based on an adventure game from 1988, you don't want anything to get in the way of that built-in mass appeal.
Grasshopper Manufacturing 'Lollipop Chainsaw' for PS3 and 360 [update]
Being a secondhand report of data out of an early leak of Japanese mag Famitsu, it's only right to approach the news of Grasshopper Manufacture's Lollipop Chainsaw for PS3 and Xbox 360 with skepticism. The reports also describe it as a game about a cheerleader raised by zombie hunters, who uses her acrobatic training and a chainsaw to destroy zombies ... which certainly sounds like a Suda game. Additionally, the zombies will spray pink blood on the screen when destroyed, something that Siliconera says is meant to convey a "pop" feel. According to Andriasang, Suda 51 is serving as creative director, with the very busy Akira Yamaoka working on sound. It's reportedly 70% complete, and will be published by Kadokawa Games. Update: Famitsu has posted the first artwork and screenshots of the game, including the above screen.
Akira Yamaoka 'tag-teaming with Suda 51' on game development
Akira Yamaoka's business card may identify him as Grasshopper Manufacture's "Chief Sound Officer," but the leather-bound composer's new job embodies more than just audio. During an interview at the 8-4 Play podcast, Yamaoka detailed his role. "At Grasshopper, I'm creating sound, but not only sound," he said. "I'm the leader of the development team, so I'm tag-teaming with Suda 51, and I'm actually involved with game creation as well as sound." He then went on to tease "a few titles we're going to announce soon, so stay tuned." Listen to the whole podcast to learn more about Yamaoka and his career -- including why he planned to quit Konami after his first week.
Play For Japan: The Album helps rebuild Japan, available now
Announced last May and originally slated for a June release, Play For Japan: The Album is finally available for your listening pleasure. The album features original tracks by 18 of gaming history's greatest composers, including Silent Hill's Akira Yamaoka, Metal Gear Solid 4's Nobuko Toda, and if you buy the album from iTunes, Super Mario Bros.'s Koji Kondo. The album is already available via iTunes in the US, Canada, and UK, and will be available everywhere else (from iTunes and Amazon) starting July 15. It costs $9.99 USD, one hundred percent of which benefits the Japanese Red Cross' efforts in rebuilding Japan's infrastructure. It also benefits your eardrums. The full track listing is after the jump.
Kojima announces Snatcher-inspired radio drama, for real this time
This week, Hideo Kojima teased a surprise announcement coming on the latest edition of his Hideradio podcast. The real surprise is that it's something he already announced in 2007: a radio drama inspired by his 1988 cyberpunk adventure game Snatcher, scripted by Suda 51. It's called "Sdatcher" as a pun on Suda's name. This is the long-awaited Kojima/Suda "Project S." The drama will include music by Akira Yamaoka, and will be released to coincide with the 300th episode of Hideradio -- this one is #296, and they are released biweekly, on Fridays. So ... two months or so? Of course, we'll then have to wait for some kind of translation, official or otherwise. We take back what we said earlier. The real real surprise with this announcement is that Kojima actually announced something that isn't Metal Gear.
Yamaoka scoring Grasshopper-developed Evangelion rhythm game
It's not often we'd rush to post about a Japan-only licensed anime game for PSP ... but the latest Evangelion game revealed by Famitsu is a little unusual. Rebuild of Evangelion Sound Impact, is, as the title suggests, a rhythm game based on the Evangelion anime series. It's also being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, led by Doshin the Giant creator Kazutoshi Iida. It also has over 30 tracks of music from the series, arranged by Akira Yamaoka. If you were, separately, a fan of Grasshopper Manufacture, Yamaoka, and Evangelion, well, now those fandoms are connected, and you're freaking the hell out. We're, um, guessing. Rebuild of Evangelion Sound Impact is due for release in Japan September 29, with two separate special editions containing either a soundtrack, or a soundtrack plus a t-shirt and headphones. Good thing the PSP is region free!
Game music superstars contribute new music to 'Play for Japan' album
The name of the "Play for Japan" charity initiative typically refers to playing games, but a group of well-known video game composers, led by Silent Hill's Akira Yamaoka, has decided to play some music to raise money for earthquake relief. The album features new songs by composers such as Bear McCreary, Nobuo Uematsu, Tommy Tallarico, Super Mario Bros. musician Koji Kondo, and Creatures Inc. president Hip Tanaka, who has branched out in recent years from his work as a Nintendo composer (Metroid, Dr. Mario) into the role of a chiptunes DJ. The album will be released in early June on iTunes, with all proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross. Check out the unexpectedly creepy cover art by Yoshitaka Amano above, and a significantly less creepy statement from Yamaoka after the break.
Silent Hill composer's guitar auctioned for Japan relief
What's scarier, being absolutely broke or regretting never taking a chance to have a piece of video game history? An auction for Akira Yamaoka's guitar and FX amps, which were used to create the audio atmosphere for a little franchise called Silent Hill, is currently underway on eBay (and will last for five days). The auction is part of Play for Japan, a coordinated effort to present consumers and gamers with means to help the relief effort in Japan. If you partake, you'll not only feel good about donating money to Japan, but you'll possibly give this guitar a new home and outlook on life, one filled with joy, sunshine and family -- not giant death bunnies and other unspeakable horrors.
Grasshopper releases free songs in memory of Japan's quake victims
Grasshopper Manufacture has released a trio of songs produced by its audio team in remembrance of those affected by its native Japan's devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Two of the songs, "Otomodachi, as you wake" and "Otomodachi, before you sleep," were created by Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka. A third, "Otomodachi, in the afternoon," is by his GhM co-worker Tak Hiraoka. The tracks are available for free via the dev's Facebook page. Although they don't cost a cent, consider contributing to the relief efforts of the Red Cross (redcross.org) if you like them -- or even if you don't. It's nice to be, well ... nice.
Silent Hill soundtrack collection is frighteningly huge
For the next entry in its outlandishly enormous CD box set series, Konami is releasing a collection of music from the Silent Hill series. The Silent Hill Sounds Box, despite its name, isn't just nine discs full of radio static; it's actually eight discs of game soundtracks, from the original through Silent Hill: The Arcade, with a ninth disc full of trailers. The ¥13,230 ($160) set also includes a booklet full of concept art. It'll be released in Japan on March 16, but is unlikely to make it into even the least haunted towns in America.
Shadows of the Damned composer sounds off
EA revealed Grasshopper Manufacture's Shadows of the Damned at its pre-TGS event earlier today -- and it was about Damned time. We cornered one of the "Video Game Band" members, composer Akira Yamaoka, to discuss his role creating music and sound for the "psychological action thriller." We also discuss his old gig at Konami and how he feels about passing the Silent Hill torch (at least for now). Joystiq: Were you excited to have your new music premiere in the trailer this evening? Akira Yamaoka: Very exciting, yes. Were you also nervous about showing your first project outside of Konami? Not nervous. I was more excited about the project. %Gallery-102296%
