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'Assassin's Creed Symphony' concerts will also feature holograms
This summer, Ubisoft and MGP Live will debut the Assassin's Creed Symphony -- a concert series bringing the game's soundtrack to stage. As the saga of Assassin's Creed plays out on screen, a live orchestra and choir will perform the score. The just-released trailer, which you can watch below, promises an "immersive experience," complete with holograms of your favorite characters.
London’s best orchestra is putting on a PlayStation concert
PlayStation, Classic FM and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are teaming up to bring new meaning to the term "gaming culture". This May, PlayStation in Concert comes to London's Royal Albert Hall, bringing to life music used in games from Original PlayStation, PS2, PS3 and PS4, performed by the 80-strong Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and City of London Choir. Expect the sweeping soundscapes of The Last of Us, The Last Guardian, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and LittleBigPlanet, among others. And there will be a "spectacular" light show, too.
Tidal's next exclusive concert pairs Deadmau5 with a symphony
Electronic musician Joel "Deadmau5" Zimmerman is stripping down his sound and adding string instruments to his army of synths for a Tidal-sponsored "Where's the drop?" concert next month. Tidal subscribers can jump in on today's pre-sale, while the general public will be able to buy tickets starting tomorrow. The concert takes place April 1st (no foolin') at Los Angeles' historic Wiltern Theater. In case you forgot, Zimmerman is a one of the service's artist-owners, along with Jay Z, Jack White and Daft Punk.
A robot conductor led a live orchestra performance
Just a month after humanoid robot Pepper conducted a Buddhist burial ceremony, a robo-contemporary has conducted the world-renowned Lucca Philharmonic orchestra alongside opera great Andrea Bocelli. Do robots need a heart to complete tasks of passion? As shown by YuMi, the robotic maestro designed by Swiss Firm ABB, maybe not.
'Zelda' concert tour to celebrate 'Breath of the Wild'
If you love The Legend of Zelda, or appreciate top video game tunes, there's nothing like a Symphony of the Goddesses performance. The live, orchestral concert series has dazzled fans of Link and Hyrule for the past five years, with epic renditions of classic tracks from A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and more. Today, concert organiser Jason Michael Paul Entertainment has announced the dates for the 2017 Tour. It's also teased some set list changes, including a new piece from Breath of the Wild, an "all-new movement" from Skyward Sword and an updated overture.
The 'Ocarina of Time' soundtrack is coming to vinyl
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, music had a pretty big role. For instance, all it took to summon a rainstorm or change the time of day was playing a few notes on an the titular musical instrument. And now you can get in line to buy those iconic tracks and more on 180 gram vinyl. Hero of Time is scheduled to release second quarter of next year and will set you back $40 plus shipping. Rather than just pressing the MIDI score from the Nintendo 64 game to wax, however, a 64-piece orchestra performed the tunes. I see what you did there, iam8bit.
Music MMO Anthymn rebrands and preps Kickstarter campaign
After falling well short of fundraising goals in 2013, music-focused Anthymn is gearing up for another shot at a Kickstarter campaign in the near future. The title has rebranded itself as Maestros of the Anthymn, and according to its Facebook page, it is getting ready to make the case for crowdfunding. "To all of our amazing friends and fans -- we are proud to formally announce the name of our upcoming Kickstarter project," String Theory posted. "Welcome to Maestros of the Anthymn, a groundbreaking episodic adventure of song, sword, and sorcery for PC and Mac. Stay tuned later today for our big update on the game, our vision and what's next for the Kickstarter launch plans!" It is unclear whether or not Anthymn will be retaining its MMO focus or going another route entirely with this rebranding. The original concept was for an entire fantasy world where music and magic infused entire nations and where every class had a musical focus and theme.
Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts music from Tokyo Philharmonic
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra recorded Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo, a live album of classic video game music, during its two days of sold-out shows in 2012. The performance includes orchestral renditions of music from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross – and the full album is now available worldwide on iTunes, courtesy of X5 Music Group. Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura says of the new album, "Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo is a wonderful experience – I cannot imagine a higher appreciation of my work." Hear "Fantasy 1: Kingdom Hearts," the only track released in full to the wide and wild internet, below. It's a fairly spectacular feast for the ears and heart.
Zelda-themed Symphony of the Goddesses returns in 2015
The Legend of Zelda-themed orchestra Symphony of the Goddesses begins a new tour next month, the "Master Quest." The concert series will kick off at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee on January 21 and 22, wrapping its nine-month tour at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas on October 22. Symphony of the Goddesses will perform an orchestral score approved by The Legend of Zelda series composer Koji Kondo. The four-movement symphony features the stories of Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Link to the Past. Head past the break for the full list of dates for the Symphony of Goddesses Master Quest tour. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will receive a 3D remake for 3DS in spring 2015.
Massively unboxes EVE Online's Collector's Edition
Sci-fi MMO EVE Online initially launched as a physical disc sold in stores back in 2003 and saw limited success in the fledgling MMO space. A decade of regular updates and digital distribution has seen EVE grow organically into the largest sci-fi sandbox on the planet with over half a million subscribers, but until now something has been missing: EVE has never had an actual collector's edition box. To celebrate 10 successful years of operation, last month CCP officially released the EVE Second Decade Collector's Edition box. I recently received a review copy of the Collector's Edition from CCP and have put together an unboxing video with my general impressions of the items within. The collection comes in a sturdy presentation box and contains a 192-page commemorative hardback book looking back on the first decade of EVE's history, along with an anniversary re-release edition of CCP's board game Danger Game and a physical Rifter model that doubles as a USB hub. The pack also comes with a new account key with 60 days of game time, a soundtrack CD of the EVE music played by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and keys to unlock billions of ISK worth of virtual collectables in-game. It's pretty expensive at around €150 or $150 US, but the virtual items can be sold in game to claw back some of the cost in the form of PLEX. Enjoy our look at the new CE!
Making music together: An interview with Anthymn
It's safe to say that many of us on the Massively team were seduced by the promise and potential of Anthymn when we first saw its Kickstarter campaign. The concept of an entire fantasy MMO that revolves around music instead of swords and sorcery is a refreshing approach in this day and age. The folks at String Theory Entertainment are downright passionate about bringing the power of music to online games. While Anthymn is still in an early stage of development, the idea behind it stretches back a decade or so. The developers aren't just using music as a quirky feature for the sheer heck of it, either; this is a studio full of musically talented folks who know how infectious and bonding a song can be. We sat down with the creative leads behind Anthymn to get a better feel for the project and the future of the game, with or without Kickstarter's help. Check it out after the jump!
'Orchestral battle' Anthymn needs money for the music
"For the first time ever, players will shape an online world with music," promises String Theory Entertainment CM Daniel Marrable. He's referring to the MMO-in-progress Anthymn, which is currently in the throes of a Kickstarter campaign. Anthymn is a fantasy MMO that revolves around music for its classes, combat, and way of life. It's set in a land that's divided by musical races that are warring with each other for supremacy. A young maestro wants to create a national anthem that will not only unite his country but bring peace to the land. This quest will fuel players' adventures across the continent. String Theory wants to create a unique feel to the title, including systems such as rhythmic gameplay, apprenticeships, and community collaboration. If the concept art looks a tad familiar, it's because a few of the devs also worked on Guild Wars 2's art. Check out the video pitch after the jump, and drop a few bucks if you feel that Anthymn is a project worth supporting!
EVE Online Second Decade collector's edition revealed
Moments ago at EVE Online's tenth anniversary Fanfest, CCP revealed plans for its Second Decade Collector's Edition box. EVE never really had a proper collector's edition, and the tenth anniversary of the game is the perfect opportunity to release one. The box will come with an awesome physical Rifter model that doubles as a USB hub, a CD of the tenth anniversary EVE symphony from this year's Fanfest, and a series of codes to redeem to cosmetic items in EVE Online and DUST 514. The box is due for release in October 2013 and on the EVE store and Amazon and can be pre-purhased right now for $149.99 (€149.99 for those in Europe). Cosmetic upgrades for EVE include a new golden pod skin that applies permanently to one character, some new bloodline-based in-game clothing, and several collector's edition ships. Players will get a five-run blueprint copy of the tenth anniversary Gnosis battlecruiser and a re-skinned red Tash-Murkon Magnate, and pre-purchasers will get a bonus Nefnatar Thrasher. DUST 514 items include a set of permanant Amarr templar drop suits and weapons with the same stats as normal items but lower skill requirements.
What to expect from EVE Fanfest 2013 today: DUST 514 keynote and more
EVE Online's colossal tenth anniversary Fanfest hasn't even officially begun, but the excitement from attendees is already practically palpable. The Reykjavik nightlife has been invaded by hundreds of foreigners yelling about internet spaceships as players from around the world reunite with their online comrades and meet corpmates for the first time. Over the course of the weekend, a record 1,400 EVE fans and hundreds more press and partners will flood into the Harpa building for non-stop news and festivities from EVE Online, DUST 514, and World of Darkness. The talks and events start later today, but last night CCP kicked off the festivities with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra delivering stunning renditions of tracks from the EVE Online soundtrack. Today, I'll be reporting back from key talks including the Retribution expansion roundup at 8 a.m. EDT (noon GMT), ship rebalancing at 9 a.m. EDT (1 p.m. GMT), lowsec PvP and crimewatch at noon EDT (4 p.m. GMT), and of course, the DUST 514 keynote speech at 2 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. GMT). I may also be able to join in on the roundtable discussion on wormholes and live events at 10 a.m. EDT (2 p.m. GMT) for an inside look at CCP's current thoughts. Check out the Fanfest timetable and let me know if there's something interesting you think I should try to squeeze in. I'd expect the tone of these talks to be one of looking back at another successful year and the great player response to the Retribution expansion. We probably won't hear much of anything about the Odyssey expansion today, but I do expect some big DUST 514 news from the keynote. While many are probably hoping for word of a PC release, I'd be very surprised to see CCP actually do it. We'll most likely just get a release schedule for the PS3 launch and possibly footage of the game running on a PS4 devkit. I'm personally also hoping for more details on post-release updates such as the ability for DUST corps to own and manage their own territory and industrial supply chains. Whether you're a die-hard fan of internet spaceships or just a gawker on the sidelines, EVE Fanfest is the EVE Online event of the year (and the key source of new DUST 514 and World of Darkness scoops!). Follow Massively's Brendan Drain as he reports back on this year's Fanfest starpower, scheming, and spoilers from exotic Reykjavik, Iceland.
Mailbox for iPhone arrives to keep us on top of Gmail, aims for true inbox zero (video)
Anyone who gets a regular deluge of email knows how tough it is to clear the inbox rather than just hope all those messages will go away. Orchestra thinks its new Mailbox app for the iPhone has a simple solution to the glut: treat email like task management. Along with reducing mail deletion to a single swipe, it lets readers postpone action until the evening, the following day or whenever it's easier to handle. It may come in handy for a few power users as well when it supports multiple accounts and can send push notifications. There are a number of caveats beyond just the iOS-only nature, however -- it supports just Gmail for now, and it doesn't have ways to assign custom labels or select multiple messages at once, like Google's app. When Mailbox is free, however, it's worth a try if your inbox has ever looked more like a monument to neglect than a clean slate.
Mailbox for iPhone targets the "broken to-do list" of email
Feeling oppressed by your inbox? Struggling under the weight of unread messages? You're not alone. With half a billion results for "manage my/your email" there's obviously a need for help. Now add in the new wrinkle: many of us are interacting with email primarily or exclusively via our mobile devices, something that the legacy POP and IMAP protocols were never truly built to handle. Big problems need smart solutions: enter Mailbox, a free app and matching cloud pre-processor for mobile email. The team behind the iOS and web to-do app Orchestra decided to bring its savvy to the email challenge after the experience of trying to manage tasks without integrating the inbox proved frustrating. "In hindsight, it was obvious," said CEO Gentry Underwood. Even with the power of Orchestra in hand, "people kept sending us tasks by email." Underwood doesn't mince words about the effectiveness of email for task management: "Email is a broken to-do list," he says, and "the way we live our lives on email is ridiculous... marking messages unread, sending things to ourselves" -- all symptoms of a round peg in a square hole. For a fuller rundown of what's not right about email, read Underwood's manifesto on TechCrunch and his interview with AllThingsD. Mailbox's approach to dealing with the onslaught is to optimize the heck out of your inbox, specifically tuning it to the mobile experience. The company's cloud servers download and compress your messages from Gmail; the app gives you tools for quickly reading, replying, snoozing ("I want to see this tomorrow morning") and sorting your email. Mailbox tries to keep your attention on critical items while allowing you to do email triage, catching opportunities to deal with messages where and when you can in short bursts of engagement. The app's previews to a selected few testers have garnered some raves, and today's launch of the app is bound to excite many more... if they can use it. %Gallery-178258% Aside from the Gmail-only support in the initial release, users of Mailbox may need to wait in line. The company is scaling out its middleman servers to match demand as it builds, and in order to avoid overloading new users will be added to the system by reservation only. Mailbox has been accepting reservation requests since late January, and now that the app is available for download it's going to start to fulfill them -- queued users will get a text message with a signup link and activation code, and away they go. The app will even tell you where you are in the queue until you get your magic stamp of approval. (I requested a reservation on January 27, and there are only 228,431 people in front of me. Shouldn't be long now!) The pace of reservation fulfillment may seem slow at first, but the company says it should accelerate as the shakedown period for the infrastructure continues. This tiered access may be somewhat atypical for an App Store release, but Underwood says it's the only way to fairly and reliably bootstrap the service. When it comes to the scaling process, Orchestra has done all it can, but "we don't know what we don't know," he says, and "email just has to work." Rather than opening the floodgates and seeing what breaks, the plan is to "add users as fast as we can, but no faster." Mailbox is free at launch and intended to remain so, with premium buy-up features planned down the line. If the app UI sounds confusing, check out this demo video. It's swipe, swipe and hold, and act upon -- all very easy once you get the hang of it. If you're already on the reservation list and ready to start Mailboxing, let us know your impressions in the comments.
Lord of the Rings Online reveals Riders of Rohan soundtrack
Whether you play Lord of the Rings Online or not, there's no doubt that the game boasts stunning visuals and an impressive music score. With less than a week to go until the Riders of Rohan expansion is released, today Turbine teased players with a sample of the expansion's incredible soundtrack. To capture the sound of Rohan, composer Chance Thomas spent five years digging through the Lord of the Rings lore and pulling out every reference to sound or music for inspiration. The result is an orchestral soundtrack with an open and hopeful tone that captures the feel of the plains of Rohan. Chance's aim with the soundtrack is to really set the tone for each area and to evoke emotions from players that will enhance their game experiences. "Every part of Middle-earth has its own character," he explains, "and we've tried to give it its own voice." Read on to watch the Sound of Rohan preview video in HD or preview all 23 tracks in the iTunes store.
Wear a tie and watch this video of the Legend of Zelda orchestra recording a CD
It's difficult to compare to a live symphonic performance, but a CD that comes free with initial printings of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a close contender, followed by anything that we would have to pay for, and ending with "Buying the songs on iTunes for a long ride on the New York subway with only one headphone in our right ear and a wet Doberman Pinscher growling into our left the entire way." A five-minute video showing the recording of the CD falls somewhere between "Free CD" and "Going to Best Buy to buy the CD, finding out they don't have it, driving across the street to Target and buying it plus $100 worth of stuff we didn't know we needed that day." We'll take it.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has fully orchestrated soundtrack
Put down your recently sharpened number two pencil and that crisp piece of parchment, there's no need for strongly worded letters. Unlike The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link's final adventure on Nintendo Wii will have an entirely orchestrated soundtrack. Nintendo of America confirmed as much to me this morning during a brief play session with the upcoming sky-bound Hyrulian romp, Skyward Sword. It's not as though the news is entirely unexpected, however -- Nintendo production head Shigeru Miyamoto hinted at the possibility earlier this year during E3, when he told attendees of his developer roundtable, "I don't think we could do what we did with Mario Galaxy 2 and not try to match that with Zelda." And hey, considering that Nintendo brought out a full orchestra just for its E3 presser, we're glad that the company would deem its big upcoming Wii title worthy as well.
Magnetic Cello almost makes it cool to play the cello (video)
Say hello to the Magnetic Cello, the perfect companion to your magnetic drum kit. Crafted by college student David Levi (AKA "Magnetovore"), the instrument vaguely represents a traditional cello in structure, but the similarities pretty much end right there. To play it, for example, musicians use not a horsehair bow, but a magnetic rod that produces a voltage within an attached coil (the "bridge," in this case). Its "strings," meanwhile, consist of resistive ribbons connected to a voltage-controlled oscillator, allowing users to manipulate volume with the magnet-bow. The result sounds surprisingly cello-like, though Levi says he's still tinkering with its tone and playability. Waltz past the break to see the beast in action for yourself, or find more details in Levi's provisional patent application at the link below.
