Although I’m not familiar with the Guin Saga novel series that has been running for over 30 years, when it was announced that Nobuo Uematsu would be handling the score for the anime, it immediately became one of my most anticipated soundtrack releases of the year. People have been saying lots of good things about the anime itself, and based on the visuals that had been shown from the anime, I was confident that Uematsu would be in his element with the soundtrack.

As it turns out I was right. There’s a lot of great music on this 2-disc collection. I think Uematsu has done a great job breaking away from that “Final Fantasy” sound (not saying it’s bad), creating a number of memorable themes and an all around high-quality score. I definitely look forward to checking out the anime series when and if it comes stateside.

Hit the jump for our review of Uematsu’s latest. (more…)

According to a recent post on Music Machinery, the artist on Last.fm with the highest plays-per-listener ratio, which the blogger dubs the “passion index,” is Team Shanghai Alice. Some of you may recognize TSA as the one-man development studio (he also goes by “ZUN”) behind the ridiculously popular Touhou Project doujinsoft series. Or if you’re not yet acquainted with this particular cult phenomenon, hit the jump to learn more. (more…)

One of the coolest games released this year has to be Street Fighter IV. Capcom has really outdone themselves on this game, making the gameplay and graphics extremely over the top and fun. As a quite big Street Fighter fan I have to say SFIV really lived up to the name and was absolutely worth the (quite extensive) wait. Even the choice to go 3D worked out, as the backgrounds are absolutely bustling with all kinds of activity (and they even react to the fight, in various hilarious ways).

So what of the music? The Street Fighter franchise is nothing if not marked by some of Capcom’s most recognizable themes. For Street Figher IV, Capcom went with the relative newcomer Hideyuki ‘eicheph’ Fukasawa. He’s impressed with the soundtrack of Chaos Legion, but will he be able to live up to the expectations of a Street Fighter soundtrack?

Find out after the jump! (more…)

If you recall, I was very impressed with Stephen Rippy’s score for Halo Wars earlier this year. It featured some great electronic ambiance and was a bit of a departure from Marty O’Donnell’s Halo sound. Well, on that note, Rippy wants you to take the music in an even different direction, and has just posted up some instrument stems for fans to go wild with on his website.

I’ve never been one to be able to create remix with stems, but I know there are people out there who can do it.  I think it’s really cool that he’s been given permission to post these files, as big companies like Microsoft are usually pretty protective of their game content.  In any event, I’m looking forward to hearing what anyone is able to turn out, so get crackin’!

Have any thoughts looking back at the music of Halo Wars?  Is there a particular style that you’d like to see remixers tackle this time around?

For those of you who don’t know, Kalafina is one of Yuki Kajiura’s many vocal projects. Consisting of Keiko, Wakana, and Hikaru, of which the first two are also part of other Kajiura projects, such as FictionJunction. Kajiura’s style is definitely in a world of its own, featuring lyrics in a made-up language and a musical style that fuses rock, classical, and electronic elements. Their first full length album debuted in March and is entitled Seventh Heaven. Having already covered their debut performance in the United States at Anime Boston 2009 and having sat down and discussed their work, I figured it was time to tackle the album.

How do I find the album? You’ll just have to check out the writeup after the jump! (more…)

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is an unusual game in today’s world. It doesn’t rely on high explosive sequences, cinematic cut scenes that last longer than a wedding or space marines fighting an alien invasion. It’s about a girl searching for her friend in a forgotten world, with ancient Gods assisting her on her way. It’s also a platformer, very much in the style of good old classics, something many have been wanting more of the recent years. Hot off yesterday’s review, we had the chance to discuss the game with the Spanish dev team, Over The Top, and the composer, Steven Gutheinz on the creation on this interesting WiiWare title.

You can read our interview after the jump. (more…)

You may remember Jack Menhorn’s from our “Mirror’s Edge is Still Alive” contest back in February. He was our runner-up, and as it turns out, he’s also a pretty versatile musician. He recently posted a chiptune album titled Music For Games to his website, featuring 6 tracks that vary in style from the dancey “Dip Chance” to my favorite, “Stride Get!,” which has a nice whimsical melody that reminds of Guardian Legend. The artwork is also pretty snazzy, reminding me of Final Fantasy III on the DS.

Oh, and that’s not all. If you check out the music section on his website, you’ll find a flash player with some additional non-chip tracks. In particular, I like “Jazz – HeyMoon” and the dreamy “Random – retniw.” Anyway, it’s all free, so there’s not reason not to check it out.  I’d love to hear him do a jazz album next.

Anything on his site catch your fancy?  Do you dig the cover art for his Music For Games release?