Comic Con 08

Game Music

Comic Con 08: Interview With Bionic Commando Rearmed Composer/Director Simon Viklund

July 28, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

He’s from Sweden, which should indicate his music is amazing. The people from GRIN were actually on-hand at Comic Con to tell the fans first-hand about their upcoming Bionic Commando titles. Simon Viklund is the composer and creative director for Bionic Commando Rearmed and the lead sound designer for the 3D Bionic Commando due out this year.

We greedily pulled him away from the crowds at the Bionic Commando booth mainly to talk about Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, but we did briefly discuss the games he’s currently working on as well. I still can’t believe he’s from Sweden and is not involved with the demoscene.

So, will there be exploding heads? Read the transcript and be amazed after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: Rock Rock Revolution Brings The Boys to the Yard

July 28, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Comic Con 08: Rock Rock Revolution Brings The Boys to the Yard Share this

With Rock Band and Guitar Hero doing so well, it’s about time Konami fought back with its own rock title. After all, they fathered this genre with Guitar Freaks and DrumMania. Developer Zoë Mode is aiming to set Rock Revolution apart from its competitors by providing a realistic drumming experience.

The game was playable on the show floor and it was constantly swarmed by players queued up to play and attendees who just wanted to watch. Due out this fall, Rock Revolution is looking to be a challenging but equally rewarding experience. The guitar and bass aren’t really anything ground breaking, but I am pretty excited about the percussion, and you should be too!

So, how does it play? Is it too hard? Does it provide anything new? Find out after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: Konami’s U1-ASAMi Talks DDR, Plays On Expert

July 27, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

U1-ASAMi is a cool dude with lots of style. He’s typically seen decked out in smooth shades, leather pants, and boots. He’s been in the US a lot lately promoting his upcoming Wii title, Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2, and we caught him for a moment to discuss the title as well as his past at Bemani.

Even if you’re not a fan of the DDR franchise, do you at least agree that the music featured in the game sounds great? Are you looking forward to more waggle-based gameplay mechanics in Hottest Part 2?

Read a touching statement for the fans and find out what makes U1-ASAMi such a swell guy after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: Interview with Square Enix Music Manager Tsukushi Izumi

July 27, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Photo ©2005 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Square Enix has quite a presence of Comic Con. While there aren’t any games available to demo on the floor, Square Enix is showing off its wares from the North American merchandise store. Items include plushies, figurines, and keychains, and the booth has been consitently busy all week.

While soundtracks are not available for purchase, Square Enix’s general manager of copyright licensing and music publishing, Tsukushi Izumi, was on hand and took some time to speak with us regarding the recent addition of music to the Square Enix North American Store. We discuss what goes into producing soundtrack albums at Square Enix, touching on problems at former distributor Digicube and a the possiblity of a US soundtrack release for Nanashi no Game.

Hit the jump for a full transcript of the interview. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: de Blob’s Interactive Music is Super Amazing

July 27, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I’ll admit that de Blob really hasn’t been on my radar until today. I’ve been hearing great things about the music, and when I finally got my hands on it at Comic Con today, I was blown away by how interactive and innovative both the gameplay experience and the music truly are.

The entire soundtrack is performed and recorded by members of the popular Australian jazz act, The Bamboos. The music ranges from jazz to funk, but the interactive elements that are a part of the game’s focus really make the music an entirely new experience each time you play.

Read and be amazed by de Blob after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: Warhammer Online’s Epic Music Composed on Casio Keyboard While Driving

July 26, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Comic Con 08: Warhammer Online’s Epic Music Composed on Casio Keyboard While Driving Share this

Okay, while this video is a bit old, I was just reminded by the Warhammer Online team at the EA Mythic booth today that portions of Brad Derrick’s score were composed with a Casio keyboard on his lap during his hour-long commute to work. EA Mythic was even kind enough to record the dangerous but amazingly epic feat for your viewing pleasure.

Interestingly enough, this is Derrick’s first shot at scoring a project at EA Mythic despite his close to 15 years of experience working in audio for the studio. I’ve been enjoying the melodic fantasy music that I’ve heard in the game’s trailers, so I’m excited to see if his potentially fatal work has paid off.

Hit the jump for details about the soundtrack for this highly anticipated MMO. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: Video Games Live Rocks, Plus Tommy’s ‘Precious’

July 25, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Comic Con 08: Video Games Live Rocks, Plus Tommy’s ‘Precious’ Share this

While the show’s special guests are still sitting through the meet and greet after tonight’s VGL performance in San Diego, I’m at home with my feet propped up, writing about it. It was a good performance, and the cool San Diego weather was definitely welcome after the Las Vegas performance last month. The much-anticipated VGL CD also went on sale for the first time in a physical form, so there are lucky people out there tonight enjoying the show even on their way home.

So what was new? They added an awesome Guitar Hero segment which was actually the highlight of the evening. The winner from the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith contest held during the pre-show festival was invited on-stage to perform Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” on hard for the chance to win prizes including a new laptop. The orchestra provided a musical backing while the choir took care of the vocals, and “Joe R.” became a hero to every one of us in the audience as he performed almost flawlessly. He accepted the challenge, but opted to play on expert. He had everyone on the edge of their seats, and the crowd went wild when he passed the 200,000 point mark he needed to claim victory.

Aside from that, there was a funny bit near the end of the show where Tommy decided he needed to switch out guitars to something more appropriate for Comic Con. “Bring me my Spiderman guitar!” he called out to a stagehand. He then proceeded to reach his arms out into the air, making grasping motions and following with, “Bring it to me! Bring me my Spiderman guitar!” I thought he was going to start calling it his precious!

Okay, well, at least I thought it was funny. Anyone fans of past VGL performances? Will you be entering these pre-show festivals for the chance to rock out on stage at future shows?

Check out the full set list after the jump. (more…)