Inon Zur

Game Music, Reviews

Carving Out Its Own Destiny: SOULCALIBUR V (Review)

February 13, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

When it was announced that an international team of composers would be scoring SOULCALIBUR V I think all of us were a little bit nervous about how it may turn out given the consistent quality of the franchise’s soundtracks over the years. Despite the names involved, I wondered to myself if composers like Hiroki Kikuta and Inon Zur could effectively capture the truly epic orchestral yet memorably melodic essence that has defined the series.

While those who picked up the collector’s edition of the game were treated to a single disc “best of” soundtrack in the US and Europe, Eminence has released the full three-disc soundtrack, including some snazzy packaging (an unboxing video to come later) and a special behind-the-scenes DVD.

But will the music do the trick for SOULCALIBUR fans? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Is Inon Zur’s Latest His Greatest? LotR: War in the North (Review)

December 7, 2011 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on Is Inon Zur’s Latest His Greatest? LotR: War in the North (Review) Share this

Editor’s note: Within hours of this post, multiple sources reminded us that the album published by WaterTower music was incomplete; specifically, many of the softer/slower themes for Rivendell were not included on the CD. The below text is a review of the WaterTower album, *not* the full score by Inon Zur. Several key tracks missing from the album are featured on Inon Zur’s website > Music. Other tracks missing from the soundtrack album are also now available here for free download. Additionally, there are three tracks available exclusively with the Collector’s Edition.

Can anyone write about The Lord of the Rings media without mentioning the film score by Howard Shore? It’s tough. But, with the exception of this very introductory sentence, I’m going to try.

So let’s restart this article by talking about Inon Zur. This guy is a powerhouse of composition, usually writing full orchestral scores for two, three, sometimes four high-profile games (often RPGs) each year. This year, he penned the music for Dragon Age II and The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, among others.

WaterTower (Warner Bros) published the soundtrack for War in the North this past November. After the jump, you’ll find out whether or not Inon Zur can trump his past successes. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Inon Zur’s RIFT Original Soundtrack (Review)

September 6, 2011 | Gideon Dabi | Comments Off on Inon Zur’s RIFT Original Soundtrack (Review) Share this

Like open-world games, scoring an MMORPG is tricky business. The player is often in the same areas for several hours at a time, essentially forcing the composer to neuter his score of being too melodic – as an overly melodic score can grow tiring to the ear after many hours of gameplay. Inon Zur is a composer who is no stranger to fantasy RPG’s tackles RIFT with a slightly different plan of attack than either of his Dragon Age scores. In this score, Zur chooses not just to rely on typical fantasy tropes, but to give it a distinctly modern feel, as well. This is no easy feat within the confines of the already-boxed-in criteria of an MMO score. What is especially refreshing about Zur’s score in that it is all new music whose only similarity to other fantasy scores is some orchestration and voices.

But did it work out as well as advertised? Does the score of RIFT grow tiring? Does it create the proper feeling for the world? Most importantly, does it adequately silence the voices of newbs who are constantly asking where to turn in quests? Read on to find out! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

A Fitting Tribute – Play for Japan: The Album (Review)

July 14, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

There has been a lot of talk about the Play for Japan album, a project spearheaded by Grasshopper Manufacture’s Akira Yamaoka. The album was devised by Yamaoka to raise funds for the victims of the horrific earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan in March of this year, and to help him with this effort, he recruited many of the top game composers from within Japan and abroad.

In fact, I’d say this is the most impressive artist list ever assembled, surpassing even Otomedius and the Premium Arrange album series by far. But does the music live up to the names associated with the project?

Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Play for Japan: An East Meets West Charity Album

May 26, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

We’ve mentioned a number of ways to help the people of Japan recover from the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011. As it turns out, Akira Yamaoka has come up with yet another way, bringing together some of the top game composers from Japan and the West along with artist Yoshitaka Amano for what is sure to be an amazing project. Artists will contribute original pieces of music, and 100% of proceeds from the album will be donated to the Red Cross in Japan.

So, who’s all involved? They’re all listed in the press release after the jump, but to highlight a few, Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Koji Kondo, Mitsuto Suzuki, and Hip Tanaka from Japan, and Bear McCreary, Chance Thomas, Inon Zur, and Tommy Tallarico from the US. I find it interesting to see names like Koji Kondo and Mitsuto Suzuki given that they’re still in-house members of game development studios in Japan, but I’m excited about hearing their contributions.

See the press release with the full listing (including track titles) after the jump, and visit the album’s website for more details and biographies for those involved. Are you surprised by any of the names that appear, and are you looking forward to the album? (more…)
Game Music

Meet Garry Schyman And More at Anaheim Comic Con This Weekend!

April 29, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Meet Garry Schyman And More at Anaheim Comic Con This Weekend! Share this

After Garry Schyman took the Composer of the Year award in our OSVOSTOTY 2011 Awards this year, you should all be pretty familiar with the fact that we’re huge fans of his work. As it turns out, Schyman will be attending the Anaheim Comic Con this weekend along with composers Inon Zur, Greg Edmonson, Sean Murray, and Kevin Sherwood.

Just what are they doing there, and why are we bothering to tell you? Well, the five composers will be speaking on a panel about game music on May 1, 2011 at noon, and will be on-site during most of the convention which runs April 29 – May 1 to meet fans and sign autographs. It’s not often that you’re going to find this many game composers in one place, so start pulling those CDs out of your collection and go get a nice, fresh Sharpie!

Will you be heading to the Anaheim Comic Con this year? Are you as surprised as I am to see a panel dedicated to game music there?

Hit the jump for the full press release. (more…)
Game Music

DRAGON AGE 2: Thedas is Safe Again in the Hands of Inon Zur (OST Review)

April 18, 2011 | Gideon Dabi | 1 Comment Share this

Despite being relieved of the duty of underscoring the Crysuit, Inon Zur has been plenty busy this year. Although the Dragon Age series received somewhat of an overhaul for its second major release, Dragon Age 2, Inon Zur scores his own sequel in a style not too dissimilar from his previous work. As I have mentioned before, one of the more enjoyable scores to review is the sequel that has been scored by the same composer. I’ve mentioned Bioshock 2, Dead Space 2, and Halo: Reach ad infinitum because – simply put – they are absolutely stellar examples of how to expound upon on one’s own work while creating new material with which to thread a narrative.

Inon Zur is a big fan of vocal music and his score to the original Dragon Age is no exception. A very melodic, pleasant, and unobtrusive score complemented the action quite well and provided several memorable cues, particularly where the action seemed to subside. As for the sequel, does Zur live up to the standard set by his peers? (more…)