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Comic Con 2010: Bear McCreary Goes Hip Hop, Talks SOCOM 4

July 23, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Yes, hip hop. The last time we talked to composer Bear McCreary it was all about Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. With new projects on the horizon, we thought it’d be a good time to catch up on his latest projects, and we were right. Along with his upcoming videogame score for SOCOM 4, McCreary also touches on his feature film debut with Step Up 3D as well as Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. He also hints at some big gaming announcements that will come in the near future, and will be of particular interest to hardcore game music fans.

He’s got me excited, and the instrumentation used in SOCOM 4 definitely has me more excited about the game than I have been up to this point. Hit the jump for our Comic Con interview and see why you should be excited about the SOCOM 4 soundtrack as well. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 2010: Capcom Soundtracks and Game-Themed Headphones (Gallery)

July 23, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Capcom always hits Comic Con really hard, and this year is no different. The giant arena has returned, this time with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tournaments, and a number of special guests are here from Japan to deliver panels and sign autographs. With Okamiden, Ghost Trick, Bionic Commando 2, Dead Rising 2, and others on display, it’s certainly the place to be at Comic Con.

Most interesting, however, is the Capcom store that has videogame soundtracks on sale (mainly the US-printed Sumthing Else versions) and the unique Okamiden and Ghost Trick headphones that can be used while playing the games. These headphones are actually Astro Gaming headsets that have the paneling swapped out, but they’re still cool. We’ve also photographed some of the cool swag Capcom is handing out, including an awesome Okamiden “wolf howling at the moon” T-shirt.

See what Capcom has to offer fans at Comic Con in our gallery after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 2010: Enjoy Metroid: Other M In Style, Plus DQIX Shirts (Gallery)

July 22, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Comic Con 2010: Enjoy Metroid: Other M In Style, Plus DQIX Shirts (Gallery) Share this

I have no idea how I missed this one. I saw people walking around the Capcom booth with Dragon Quest slime shirts, and asked them where they got them, and apparently they got them from Nintendo. I didn’t even know Nintendo was here (they’ve skipped the last several years)! Upon searching around, however, I did find their small booth showing off Dragon Quest IX and Metroid: Other M.

Yeah, not much, but what they lacked in quantity they made up in quality. The playable Metroid: Other M demo is running in its own darkened theater, complete with a comfy armchair and a nice display. I was impressed. They also have Dragon Quest IX kiosks set up throughout the area with special maps available only at Comic Con. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph the shirts, but they’re blue with a white outline of a slime. Pretty cool!

And yes, I did drop by Square Enix’s booth to show them what they missed out on by not publishing the game here in the United States. They looked like they were ready to head over to the Nintendo booth to get their own shirts.

Hit the jump for our gallery of Nintendo’s booth. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 2010: Square Enix Music and Action Figures (Gallery)

July 22, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

We’re here at Comic Con 2010, a great place to catch up on anime and games that we missed out on at E3. Square Enix always has an impressive booth, and this year is no different. There are actions figures of all varieties, including those from Final Fantasy XIII and Kingdom Hearts as well as figures from Halo: Reach, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 5, and even Bayonetta. It’s quite a collection, and we have all of the display cases in our gallery for you.

We know you care the most about the music, however. Square Enix does have a display case dedicated to music, and rather than having Akio Shiraishi and Izumi Tsukushi walking around with iPods as they did last year, they’ve instead built casings for the iPods for fans to listen at their own leisure. While the majority of the music here is the same from last year, they do have the Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII OST -PLUS- albums for sale.

Watch for our interview with Izumi Tsukushi this weekend and enjoy our gallery of their booth in the meantime. Hit the jump for our photos. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 2009: Pop’n Music US Debut Features Japanese Songs, But Still Needs Some Work

July 27, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

While the gaming division of Konami didn’t have a presence at this year’s Comic Con, they fortunately hosted an off-site event where gaming media could get their hands on some titles that they may have missed at E3 as well as a couple new titles, including the upcoming Wii take on the Pop’n Music series. It’s the first time the series is making its way to the US, and if you’ve seen the countless versions on arcades and PlayStation consoles in Japan you’re likely pretty excited about this new development.

Well, let me tell you right out that the game has a long way to go. It looks great, retaining the series’ vibrant visuals, but the controls are somewhat lacking in accuracy, precision, and, well, number at the moment. Basically, you use the remote and nunchuk and either flick your wrist outwards, swing up and down, or flick them inwards to hit the 5 possible notes, but it’s just not all that responsive, which is quite frustrating to say the least. If they can figure out how to manage the controls on the Wii and up the difficulty (I was already blowing through the more challenging stages despite the controls), this could definitely turn into an awesome rhythm title for the Wii. They intend to feature both English and Japanese-language tracks in the game (awesome), with one being Jamoriquai’s “Virtual Insanity,” a personal favorite of mine.

Are you a fan of the Pop’n Music series? Have any requests from either the East or West that you’d like to see included in the game?
Game Music

Comic Con 2009: Video Games Live Returns to San Diego for Round 2

July 27, 2009 | Chris Ling | 3 Comments Share this

The crowds at San Diego Comic-Con had plenty to celebrate as Video Games Live returned to perform simultaneously with the event. The second appearance of VGL in San Diego marks the 30th venue the concert series has performed this year alone. Certainly this is a testament to the interest fans have in the wide world of game music.

You’re probably wonder what was new, so I’ll tell you. New pre-concert videos, a Mega Man segment, and the much-talked about Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross segment all made an appearance. Overall, it was a good experience, so check out the setlist at the very least.

Our impressions of the show, after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 2009: Square Enix Music Division Interview With Izumi Tsukushi and Akio Shiraishi

July 26, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I can’t believe it’s already been a year. We met Izumi Tsukushi, the manager of Square Enix’s music licensing division, at last year’s Comic Con, and we were fortunate to get to see him again this year’s show and ask some questions about the state of things at Square Enix. As an additional bonus, Akio Shiriaishi, the promotions and marketing manager for the music division was also on hand to discuss music.

So, what did we find out? First of all, Square Enix is going to be bringing their music in full force to events in both North America and Europe. That’s good news. They also have their sights on Yasunori Mitsuda for their next orchestral drammatica-like “best of” album. Other topics include the SaGa soundtrack box, Blood of Bahamut, Chrono Trigger DS, Shota Shimizu’s Chrono Trigger single, and Square Enix’s Tokyo Game Show sampler which will feature music from both Final Fantasy Gaiden and an unannounced music project. It’s certainly an interesting discussion, so check it out!

Read our interview with the Square Enix music licensing team after the jump (more…)