Rhythm Heaven

Game Music, Reviews

Hot and Bothered For Rhythm Heaven Fever (Review)

February 10, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Hot and Bothered For Rhythm Heaven Fever (Review) Share this

It’s looking like 2012 is going to be a big year for the Wii despite the launch of the Wii U is looming. Titles like Xenoblade and Retro City Rampage will certainly hit this year, and it’s possible that The Last Story and Dragon Quest X could slide in late into 2012. But first up is Rhythm Heaven Fever, Nintendo’s latest installment in the Rhythm Heaven series created specifically for the Wii.

We had a blast with Rhythm Heaven back on the DS and with Rhythm Heaven Fever at E3 last year, so does this latest title live up to the series name, or does it fall flat as another gimmicky motion-control title for the Wii?

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

Rhythm Heaven Fever: Join Nintendo for the game’s Launch Party Next Week

February 2, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Rhythm Heaven Fever: Join Nintendo for the game’s Launch Party Next Week Share this

Will you be in the Los Angeles area next week? As it turns out, Nintendo will be hosting a launch even for Rhythm Heaven Fever which we loved last year at E3. The game’s due out on February 13, and the event is being held in celebration and is open to the public. Fans will be able to enjoy the game a full three days early as well as partake in food, music, and exclusive swag. It’s all going down on February 10, 2012 from 6-10 PM at the iam8bit Gallery.

Should be a good time. Will you be going?

Hit the jump for Nintendo’s official press release. (more…)
Game Music

E3 2011: Nintendo’s Got Game (Booth Audio Impressions)

June 20, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on E3 2011: Nintendo’s Got Game (Booth Audio Impressions) Share this

Nintendo had a lot of stuff to show off this year. In addition to a new console announcement, there were a ton of games to play and hear on both the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii. We spent time with many of the games to catch a peek at what we can expect to hear from these games over the next year, and have posted many of the official E3 2011 trailers on our OSVchannel for your listening pleasure as well.

The games we checked out include Super Mario, Mario Kart, and Paper Mario on the 3DS as well as Rhythm Heaven, Kirby, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Wii.

Join us after the jump for a crash course through the Nintendo booth this year. (more…)
Game Music

E3 2011: Nintendo’s Got Rhythm with Rhythm Heaven and Shield Pose

June 14, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

I was completely surprised by the appearance of Rhythm Heaven on the Wii at E3 this year. It wasn’t discussed at Nintendo’s press conference, and if somebody hadn’t mentioned the title to me on the last day of the show, I would have never known it was there. I was fortunately able to run over and play through the three songs that were available right before the show floor closed.

I also checked out Nintendo’s Shield Pose technical demo on the Wii U, which is essentially a rhythm game as well. But I’ll get into this one a little more after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Strap Yourselves In For Press Start 2009: Symphony of Games

August 13, 2009 | Shota Nakama | 4 Comments Share this

So, I just happened to be in Tokyo to check out the Press Start 2009 concert that took place earlier this month. I got there about an hour before the show, but the venue, the Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijo (Tokyo Art Hall), was already was surrounded by pretty-obvious-looking video game music fans. Going into the building, some fans were digging into the merchandise section already, and others were playing their DS eagerly waiting for the show to start. I knew I was in for a treat.

For those who don’t know about Press Start, it’s an annual orchestral video game music concert organized by some of the big names in the Japanese video game industry including Nobuo Uematsu, Shogo Sakai, Masahiro Sakurai, Kazunari Nojima, and maestro Taizo Takemoto. It started back in 2006, so this year marks it’s 4th year in business.

With introductions aside, our review of the show is waiting after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Japanese

Anime Expo 2009: Tsunku♂ Talks About Seductive, Curvy Women

July 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

A big fan of Tsunku♂ and his Hello! Project acts: Morning Musumue, °C-ute, or Berryz Kobo? While I enjoyed Tsunku’s music in Rhythm Heaven, I admit I didn’t know much about his work in the J-pop arena. I definitely came out of his hour-long panel at Anime Expo this weekend with a lot more information about him, and also gained a huge amount of respect for his philosophical approach to music. This was his first trip to the United States, and despite the early 9 AM time slot, there was still a nice turnout. He was super-excited to see fans of his Hello! Project groups in the United States, and the crowd seemed to be really enthusiastic about his work.

While the majority of the panel was devoted to fan Q&A involving Hello! Project, Rhythm Heaven was mentioned a few times, and with interesting results. Unfortunately I missed the Morning Musume concert the day before, so I was totally in the dark about them and the other Hello! Project groups, but given that they’re such high-profile groups in Japan, I imagine some of this information will be of interest, particularly the parts about the Morning Musume recruiting process and about keeping his cool in the face of all the seductive and curvy women he works with.

Read our summary of Tsunku’s morning panel after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Dale Mixes His Own Love Potion for Fans of Rhythm Heaven

May 14, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Dale Mixes His Own Love Potion for Fans of Rhythm Heaven Share this

I always knew that Dale was talented, but somehow it escaped me that he was such a great singer. Maybe this is due to the fact that I’ve heard Dale at karaoke a couple times, and was never overly impressed. In his defense, though, he did have a few drinks in him on those occasions.

Well, fans of Rhythm Heaven should be pleased that he’s decided to apply his musical talents to the “Love Lab” track from the game, complete with a new arrangement and lyrics written by Dale himself. The original piece was created by Japanese producer, Tsunku, and featured doo’s and wah’s instead of proper lyrics, but after hearing this arrangement, I can’t imagine the piece sounding any other way. The arrangement was originally posted to Destructoid, with visuals created by Dtoid writer Jonathan Holmes, so I highly recommend checking it out.

Were you a fan of the original “Love Lab” game in Rhythm Heaven? Do you think Dale North’s arrangement and vocals add anything to the piece?

[via Destructoid]