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Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster comes with physical bonuses too
This video for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster explores the additional goodies that Collector's and Limited Edition buyers can expect when the remakes arrive on March 18, including the bonus artbook and visual soundtrack found in the Collector's Edition of the game.
Jukebox Heroes: Firefall's soundtrack
There's something about militaristic science-fiction shooters that brings out the piano in the composer, isn't there? That's what I was thinking when I first heard one of the Firefall themes. Not that the track was bad, just that it made me wonder why these simple piano themes have been linked to such games. Oh, it's probably because of Halo, but I'd like to think that there are greater reasons than that. So this week we're going to be taking a crash course on the Firefall soundtrack. As far as I know, composers Michael Bross and Boon Sim's score isn't available to buy or download anywhere, so the avid video game score collector is going to have to do a little digital yoga to coax those files out of the library. I think it's worth hunting around for it, as Firefall's music is an obvious labor of love and a desire to create a quality product. "Initially, we experimented with something that was mostly synth-driven and atmospheric," Bross said in an interview, "but then there was a desire from the team to have something that leaned toward the orchestral. Over time, though, we settled into something that combined both orchestral and modern elements that lend very well to an epic but atmospheric feel."
Pokemon HeartGold, SoulSilver soundtracks now on iTunes
Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, the 2010 DS remakes of the Game Boy games that added the train-as-you-move Pokewalker device, can now be relived sonically. The 270-song Pokemon HeartGold & Pokemon SoulSilver: Super Music Collection soundtrack is available for $9.99 on iTunes. Good thing you don't have to capture those tracks individually! The new release follows the availability of soundtracks for Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen and Pokemon X/Y earlier this year. If you're still holding out for jams from other Pokeregions, remember that we can expect to see soundtracks for the following duos in 2014: Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Pokemon Black/White and Pokemon Black 2/White 2. If you don't already own HeartGold/SoulSilver but still want to kick up those childhood memories, this is a decent alternative from paying the steadily-increasing entry price for new copies of either game.
Tearaway soundtrack has folk-dubstep mash-ups and more for $8
The soundtrack for Vita's charming papercraft-themed platformer, Tearaway, is now available on the PlayStation Store for $7.99. The soundtrack features 44 tracks of original music by Kenneth Young and Brian D'Oliveira, which ranges in style from folksy chants and sea shanties to dubstep. There's also folk-dubstep mash-ups, which - calling it now - is bound to become the next big thing to happen in music. Young states in the "Music of Tearaway" trailer that this is the first officially-released soundtrack from Tearaway developer Media Molecule, as well as their first soundtrack comprised entirely of original tracks - no licensed music to be found here. But seriously, folk-dubstep. 'Nuff said.
Peter McConnell's Broken Age score available Jan. 28
Peter McConnell's original orchestral soundtrack for Double Fine's Broken Age will be available for download next week. McConnell's previous work can be heard in Double Fine's Brutal Legend and Psychonauts, as well as in classic LucasArts adventure games Grim Fandango and Monkey Island. The full soundtrack will be available for download on Bandcamp when the game's first act officially launches on January 28. Samples of select tracks can be heard right now over on McConnell's Soundcloud page. Broken Age is an adventure game about two teenagers, Vella Tartine and Shay Volta, living separate lives in their own distinct worlds. The two are linked by their coming-of-age predicaments, and players can switch between each teen at any time. We streamed a good chunk of the game yesterday, so feel free to give our archived video a peek.
Jukebox Heroes: Guild Wars Nightfall's soundtrack
We're slowly but steadily working our way through the Guild Wars library, having already covered Prophecies and Factions in this space. It's time to move on to the third and final full campaign of the original game: Nightfall. Nightfall has a special significance for me in that it was my starting point for actually going through the entirety of the game prior to Guild Wars 2's release. While I've never been a fan of desert and Middle Eastern settings, I must admit that Jeremy Soule's return to the score isn't something to be ignored. Perhaps there aren't as many stand-out tracks as in the previous campaigns, but on the whole the score is well above-average compared to many MMO soundtracks.
Jukebox Heroes: Meridian 59's soundtrack
There's a lot of general distaste and dislike out there for video game music that comes in MIDI or chipset form. Many gamers have simply never really experienced eras when the sound for computers and consoles were limited in such ways, so to go back to listen to them seems downright painful. For MMO players, there are only a handful of games that came out during the MIDI era, and pretty much all of them have since updated to MP3 versions. Yet I have a fondness for older-style game music. I agree with what Ryan Shwayder once wrote when he said, "I think MIDI composers had to become masters of capturing the real core or heart of what made a song feel right. They had to take a minimalist approach to the song because they had a limited number of channels and potential sounds to work with. And it is my belief that some of the best creative works come out when an artist has to work within constraints." That said, most of Meridian 59's soundtrack out there is of the remastered variety, so that's what we'll be listening to today. By the way, the original soundtrack by Composer Gene M. Rozenberg is available on the official website for free!
Jukebox Heroes: Reader request 3
Since it's our very last Jukebox Heroes column of the year on the very last day of the year, I thought it would be most appropriate to open up the reader request lines once again and feature MMO tunes that are your favorites. If you'd like to put in your own request for the next time I run one of these columns, please list your favorite MMO music track in the comments along with an explanation as to what you love about it! So check out what your fellow soundtrackophiles appreciate and stay tuned for a totally rockin' 2014!
Spelunky, Ridiculous Fishing, more soundtracks now 'pay what you want'
Composer Eirik Suhrke isn't just the man behind some of the finest indie gaming soundtracks in recent memory, he's also generous enough to offer up those soundtracks at whatever price you'd like, just in time for the holidays. A visit to Suhrke's Bandcamp page reveals that his discography includes the tunes from Spelunky, Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box and more. Even better, you can own or gift any of these albums on a "pay what you want" basis. Running low on funds? Maybe kick a dollar toward Suhrke. Feeling more generous? Spend $20. Whatever the amount, it's entirely up to you, and as the 62-track Spelunky soundtrack demonstrates, you're getting a lot of quality video game music for your money. Helpfully, Suhrke's albums are available in most major audio formats, including MP3, AAC and FLAC. According to his recent Twitter announcement of the sale, Suhrke's albums will remain at this floating price point through the end of the week.
Jukebox Heroes: Forsaken World's soundtrack
I must admit that Forsaken World is one of those MMOs I know very, very little about. When I was in an experimental mood, I downloaded it for an evening but found the cluttered interface and cash-shop-heavy approach a turn-off. That doesn't mean I couldn't go back to listen to the music, of course! Forsaken World was composed by Austrian Roland Mair-Gruber. I am not that familiar with Mair-Gruber (his portfolio is a little skimpy thus far), but if this score is anything to judge him by, he's a lover of serene soundscapes. This is the kind of soundtrack that you could just put on the background in a spa, for the most part, although that doesn't mean it's forgettable. I liked it enough not to consider my time listening to it a waste, even though there weren't as many standout tracks as I've heard elsewhere. So what should you listen to from Forsaken World? I've got you covered this week in Jukebox Heroes!
Preview the Warlords of Draenor soundtrack
Something you may have missed amongst all of the BlizzCon coverage from last month was that Blizzard posted 4 tracks from the Warlords of Draenor musical score. They're tucked away in the corner of the media section on the Warlords website as MP3 file downloads. You can find them here on the official website or download them directly below. Foreshadowing (MP3, Youtube) Gardens of Karabor (MP3, Youtube) Magnificent Desolation (MP3, Youtube) The Clans Join (MP3, Youtube) The "Gardens of Karabor" track may remind you of the original Black Temple theme from The Burning Crusade with a new twist. New music for the Alliance capital perhaps? "The Clans Join" will remind you of current Horde themes, only much more ... savage (I knew I could work that word in somehow). "Magnificent Desolation" is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I can't wait to hear the rest of the music.
Pokemon FireRed, LeafGreen soundtracks on iTunes, rest to come next year
Nintendo has released its Pokemon FireRed & Pokemon LeafGreen: Super Music Collection soundtrack via iTunes, letting Pokemon fans nationwide listen to iconic series tunes without having to lug around a Game Boy Advance. The full album, priced at $11.99, includes a total of 90 tracks from the 2004 Game Boy Advance remakes of Nintendo's first-generation Pokemon games. The tracks are also available individually, so if you really want to pay 99 cents for the 11-second-long Game Freak logo jingle, you can do just that. The release follows up on the recent iTunes debut of Nintendo's Pokemon X and Y soundtrack. The series will continue in 2014 with upcoming soundtrack releases for Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Pokemon Black/White, and Pokemon Black 2/White 2. If you need more Pokemon-themed music right now, we'd like to suggest the landmark album Pokemon: 2 B A Master, featuring classic tracks like "What Kind of Pokemon Are You?" and the unforgettable ballad "The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye)."
Jukebox Heroes: More of Guild Wars 2's soundtrack
It's been well over a year since I last touched on Guild Wars 2's OST, Super Adventure Box aside. Wow, has it really been that long? Sometimes it seems as if it just came out! At this point in the game's lifespan, there are two categories of music that you'll find: the Jeremy Soule original soundtrack and the in-house pieces done by Maclaine Diemer and Leif Chappelle. I'm going to wrap up my favorite Soule selections in this column and leave the latter category for a later column. Let's get down to making out with our ears, shall we? Here are six more great Guild Wars 2 tracks that are among my personal favorites.
Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack
Ah, Star Wars Galaxies. Even almost two years after your demise, it doesn't seem possible to shake you loose from our thoughts. Maybe the NGE was a blessing in disguise, a never-depleting power source of rage that will forever give life to your memories. In any case, it's time to talk about the one aspect of the game that was there before SWG was created and will go on indefinitely afterward: the soundtrack. Talking about Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack puts me in an odd position because a great deal of the OST is lifted directly from John Williams' movie scores. And what hasn't been said about those classics, really? But there are a few tracks here and there that I could pick out as being unique to the game, although the actual composer who did the job escapes my Google Fu. So let's take one last trip to a Galaxies far, far away, shall we?
Game Music Bundle 6 offers tunes from Guacamelee, Braid and more
For two years, the Game Music Bundle series has served as a convenient alternative to leaving games running in the background to listen to music. Its sixth entry aims to do the very same with over 20 soundtracks, including Fez composer Disasterpeace's soundtrack for Famaze. The bundle also includes the first official digital release for Braid, along with soundtracks for Guacamelee, Kentucky Route Zero, The Stanley Parable, Mighty Switch Force and more. A dollar will earn the soundtracks to Dust: An Elysian Tail, Braid, Rogue Legacy, Electronic Super Joy and Famaze, but contributing $10 will grant you all 24 albums involved in the bundle. Of course, if you'd rather give the composers more than a few cents, you can pay any amount above $10 that you feel is fair.
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!
CIG releases Star Citizen livestream vids, tops $33 million
If you missed yesterday's four-hour Star Citizen livestream, you missed several new behind-the-scenes videos that are definitely worth a look. We got to see footage of the Avenger with its new texturing and PBR effects, a peek inside SC's orchestral recording sessions with composer Pedro Camacho and audio director Martin Galway, and a look at the game's HUD and UI development hosted by all of the principle developers, including Iron Man 3 design veteran John Likens. Finally, we got a quick look at the new hangar-based weapons test rig that will be playable by the end of the year as well as a second look at the Foundry 42 video released last week. Oh yeah, and the game topped $33 million in crowdfunding, too, prompting yet another letter from the chairman. We've embedded all the videos for you after the cut.
Jukebox Heroes: Dragon's Prophet's soundtrack
Considering the lack of chatter I've heard about Dragon's Prophet post-launch, I'm willing to say that this title's been having a difficult time gaining traction in the main MMO community. Gameplay aside, I was looking forward to this MMO's release because I hold Runewaker's Runes of Magic in high regard when it comes to its soundtrack. I was hoping for the same level of quality in Dragon's Prophet, and I really wasn't disappointed. The OST was composed by Alex Pfeffer, Alexander Röder, Mindy Lo, and Rmoney Chen. It's a series of grand, stirring orchestral tunes that would be at home transplanted to just about any fantasy MMO that you're playing. Listening through it all, I found that it had a high ratio of quality tracks, so much so that narrowing it down to six picks proved problematic. I think I found a good balance, however.
Sonic CD dual remix album tackles the regional soundtrack debate
The game music aficionados at OverClocked Remixed have released a lengthy and comprehensive Sonic CD remix album, honoring the game's 20th anniversary and addressing its hotly debated dual-soundtrack release. The Temporal Duality album brings together 39 artists for a three-disc collection of 38 arranged tracks based on compositions from Masafumi Ogata, Naofumi Hataya, Spencer Nilsen, David Young and Sterling Crew. Fans have argued for years over whether Sonic CD's original Japanese soundtrack or its completely different North American counterpart is superior, but Temporal Duality balances out with tracks from both versions, letting listeners decide for themselves. (Editor's biased opinion: They're both great, but the US soundtrack is superior since it's connected so closely with his Sega CD-owning misfit childhood. Your opinion will likely differ.)
Trove starts alpha testing, sells supporter packs
Trion Worlds has sent out its first wave of Trove alpha invites today as the game moved into its latest phase of testing. On Reddit, Trion devs addressed how players may gain access to the alpha: "We will be inviting people both at random from the pool of everyone who has signed up as well as directly inviting strong Trove supporters: community contributors, streamers, and so on." If you're not content to wait for an alpha or beta invite, you can cut the wait with a few bucks by purchasing one of Trove's new supporter packs. These start at $5 and go up to $2,500, with perks such as testing spots, in-game credits, in-game items, the soundtrack, and even the ability to help create a biome. Basically, $5 gets you the beta and $20 (on up) gets you the alpha, if that's what you're seeking. Additionally, the more that the community chips in for these packs, the more additional rewards will be unlocked for everyone in the form of "bonus milestones."
