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  Sound Director Kenta Nagata Talks New Super Mario Bros. Wii

  Sound Director Kenta Nagata Talks New Super Mario Bros. Wii 02.02.10 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment

  

  There was no doubt that New Super Mario Bros. Wii would be hugely successful. The game kind of came out of nowhere, and it has been rocking the sales charts since it was released at the tail end of 2009. We’ve been trying to hunt down the audio team for an interview, and while I admit it took longer than we had hoped, at least we got it done!

  Joining us is New Super Mario Bros. Wii Sound Director Kenta Nagata to tell us about how the team approached the game’s music, from why Mario sports a Latin sound despite being Italian, to the role of “rhythm” in a game with so many characters on the screen at once. It’s a nice look back at the game and its music, so please enjoy!

  Hit the jump for our interview with Kenta Nagata. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  A Boy And His Blob Audio Retrospective With Daniel Sadowski

  A Boy And His Blob Audio Retrospective With Daniel Sadowski 11.24.09 | Jayson Napolitano | Comment?

  

  As promised in our A Boy And His Blob soundtrack review last week, we’re back with a second interview with composer Daniel Sadowski, following up on some of our pre-release interview several months back. He has a lot to say about his work on the project and some of the individual tracks from the game. You might get a kick out of the fact that he says Blaster Master was a musical inspiration for him.

  The biggest news of all, however? There will be an iTunes release for the game’s soundtrack. We don’t know when that will be, but we’ll be sure to let you know when. In the meantime, check out our interview with Daniel Sadowski and visit his Facebook page for more up to date information on the upcoming soundtrack release.

  Hit the jump for our interview with Daniel Sadowski. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  Putting Some Shine On Toushinden Wii: DVD Pre-Order Bonus

  Putting Some Shine On Toushinden Wii: DVD Pre-Order Bonus 11.19.09 | Audun Sorlie | 1 Comment

  Remember Toushinden? It was one of the launch titles on PlayStation back in 1995 under the name Battle Arena Toshinden. The game was quite awesome in my opinion, as I always enjoyed fighters and took a special liking to ones that didn’t immediately fall into the Street Fighter II clone pit. The music was great too, done by Yasuhiro Nakano with some assistance from Makoto Mukai. Toushinden was followed by numerous sequels for PSX and Game Boy, and even got the anime treatment from Masami Oubari, the man who was also behind the Fatal Fury and Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer animes. The series eventually faded at the dawn of the PS2 release, and nothing has been heard since.

  Until now that is! Takaratomy have announced they are reviving the series on the Wii, and have released some promotional videos to showcase the game, which can be compared to Castlevania Judgment. They also announced that pre-orders will come with a limited edition DVD, containing a making-of, character profiles, artwork, voice actor interviews and the complete soundtrack! As of now the composer is not known, and it is unclear if they are bringing back Yasuhiro Nakano to score the game, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on the chance of that happening. Takaratomy have however revealed they are using the voice actor group AKB48 with talent like Sato Amina and Yui Matsushita. Another male voice actor who has been confirmed is Hikari Midorikawa, a well known voice actor fondly remembered by fans as Heero Yui in Gundam Wing. The game is out on December 10th.

  What do you think of Toushinden returning?

• Game Music

  

  Renaissance Woman Winifred Phillips’ Latest Work: Spore Hero Original Videogame Score (Review)

  Renaissance Woman Winifred Phillips’ Latest Work: Spore Hero Original Videogame Score (Review) 10.21.09 | Patrick Gann | 6 Comments

  

  Before you begin reading this review, I implore you: if you don’t know the name Winifred Phillips, just check her credentials on Wikipedia right now.

  Though she has had recent involvement in the game music scene, perhaps the most impressive work of hers is the music she composed and produced for NPR‘s Generation Radio Theater Presents (later retitled Radio Tales). She was a radio actress for this program alongside all the music written here. As a long-time NPR fan, I have to point this out to contextualize Phillips’ past work.

  Since familiarizing herself in the world of game music, Phillips worked on God of War earlier this decade, and SimAnimals earlier this year (see our coverage here). Now, she’s moved on to Spore Hero, the Wii-exclusive side game to the innovative “create-your-own-species Sim” Spore, which received mixed reaction last year despite much early hype. Spore Hero for Wii was released very recently (first week of October 2009 in North America and Europe), and Phillips’ score went on sale, digitally, through EA’s record label EARS in the same timeframe.

  For our review of the Spore Hero Original Videogame Score, follow the jump. And don’t let the cover art fool you: this is really, really good stuff. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  Dead Space Extraction Interview: Audio Director Don Veca Talks Scare Tactics

  Dead Space Extraction Interview: Audio Director Don Veca Talks Scare Tactics 09.24.09 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments

  

  I’m still shocked that Dead Space is coming to the Wii. Last year we had a lengthy and interesting chat with Don Veca, Audio Director for the original Dead Space, which turned up all sorts of information about the proprietary sound system they created for the game and some of the technical details of what Dead Space was capable of. With that, I thought it’d be fun to ask about what they were able to accomplish on the Wii.

  Overall, it looks like this game is going to sound amazing. While I’ve played it a few times at various events and conventions, background noise has often interfered with my ability to get fully immersed, and even though there isn’t any new music, per se, I’m looking forward to hearing it in a more static format as opposed to the free-range style that we heard in the original game.

  Check out our interview with Dead Space Extraction Audio Director Don Veca after the jump. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  Bone Chilling Bonus: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Pre-Order Soundtrack

  Bone Chilling Bonus: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Pre-Order Soundtrack 09.14.09 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments

  

  Silent Hill, a series with a massive fan following, has always been noted for it’s excellent use of audio, from the creepy sound effects, to the vocal themes tied to the game. With the re-imagining of first title, titled Silent Hill: Shattered Memories being right around the corner, there’s alot to be excited about for the common Silent Hill fan. Especially with the confirmation that Akira Yamaoka is back to compose the game as noted in the interview we had with SHSM producer Tomm Huelett at E3 2009.

  So how can you sweeten the deal further? Well, turns out if you pre-order the game today, you will receive the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Soundtrack! The CD is expected to contain new composed music along with some arrangements of older material. Make sure to put a pre-order in now as the game is set to launch November 3, 2009.

  What’s your thoughts on the direction they are going for with the game, and do you think Yamaoka’s work will be as good as the earlier titles? Let us know!

• Game Music

  

  E3 2009: Hands on with Dissidia and Crystal Bearers

  E3 2009: Hands on with Dissidia and Crystal Bearers 06.04.09 | Tim Sheehy | 2 Comments

  

  I had the chance to drop by the Square Enix booth for some one-on-one time with a few of their upcoming titles. I loved how they provided headphones for most of the games on the floor, allowing you to fully experience the music and voice acting that they clearly worked hard on.

  Dissidia: Final Fantasy featured the newly recorded English voice cast, and sure enough the acting is top notch. Not once did it feel forced or out of place. The music–if you haven’t heard–is absolutely stunning and thankfully the PSP does a wonderful job providing quality sound output.  I thought the controls were definitely interesting. I expected it to be a fighting game but having heard that it actually played like an action RPG, in the same vein as Crisis Core, I didn’t know what to expect. Sure enough, Crisis Core was a great way to describe the game. It’s similar, at least in the freedom of movement, but with the ability to jump, and with a number of different commands available.

  Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers was up next, and the music fits the game perfectly. I had a lot of fun with the mini-games it provides, and the cut scenes are quite beautiful for a Wii game. The exploration gameplay was lacking a tad, but probably only due to the non-implimented text, making conversation with townfolk impossible with the demo on the floor. Still, I can’t wait to get the game as it was quite fun and definitely different than your typical Final Fantasy title.

  Is anyone else as excited about these titles as me?

• Game Music

  

  The Sweet Sound of Nostalgia: Punch Out!! In-Game Audio Impressions

  The Sweet Sound of Nostalgia: Punch Out!! In-Game Audio Impressions 05.19.09 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments

  

  It’s crazy to think that Punch Out!! is already here. It kind of snuck up on all of us, as Nintendo waited until pretty late in the game to announce the title. Since the announcement, however, I had been wondering just how much of the game’s music would be referencing the music of the original Punch Out!!, and I’m here to tell you that you that most of it does!

  I’ve plowed through a good portion of the game, and while I can’t say a whole lot about the specific tracks as it’d spoil the identities of some of the returning characters, I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and the quality of the music, which we all know has been lacking in a number of core Nintendo franchises on the Wii.

  Hit the jump and learn all the precious details regarding the music of Punch Out!! on the Wii. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  Pimptacular Interview With MadWorld Composer Naoto Tanaka

  Pimptacular Interview With MadWorld Composer Naoto Tanaka 05.12.09 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments

  Yeah, that’s right. Naoto Tanaka apparently ordered rapper Sick-YG to write “pimp-themed” rhymes for the game’s final battle, and it sounds awesome. For those who weren’t aware, MadWorld’s soundtrack was a collaboration between PlatinumGames composer Naoto Tanaka and eight different hip-hop and rap artists, and Tanaka has generously taken time away from his next project to talk with us about his unique score for MadWorld.

  Topics include his inspiration for the game’s unique sound (Linkin Park & Jay-Z?), the lack of a soundtrack release in Japan and the United States, and Tanaka’s past works that was credited to his secret alias. Tanaka also reveals that he’s an oldschool game music fan who used to recreate chiptunes in his free time, which definitely makes him a cool dude in my books.

  Hit the jump for our exclusive interview with PlatinumGames’ Naoto Tanaka. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  The Conduit Soundtrack Confirmed… Official Remix Contest In Progress!

  The Conduit Soundtrack Confirmed… Official Remix Contest In Progress! 05.01.09 | Jayson Napolitano | Comment?

  

  How does a chance to win a professional version of the ACID software suite, five sample libraries, merchandise from High Voltage, and an appearance on The Conduit’s official soundtrack album sound? The Acid Planet website is currently running a remix contest where the grand prize is just that. You have until June 11th to enter, so get writing!

  Even if you’re not the musician type, you can hear a track from the game as well as download 66 individual instrument tracks by visiting the contest website. It’s cool to finally hear some music from the game which is due out later in June, so be sure to check it out. We mentioned that composer Diego Stacco would be handling the game’s score, and I’m looking forward to hearing more of his music. I’m just happy that they’re releasing a soundtrack album!

  Have you been following The Conduit? Think we’re going to see the standard trance remix take the win in this contest?

• Game Music

  

  Interview with Deadly Creatures Composer Dave Lowmiller

  Interview with Deadly Creatures Composer Dave Lowmiller 04.14.09 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment

  

  Deadly Creatures is one of those Wii casualties that deserved more attention than it received. While it appeared to be your typical 3D action platformer on the surface, there were a number of innovations that made it a worthwhile experience for those looking to get more out of their Wii. What I found particularly interesting was the game’s sound, both in terms of music and sound design.

  The world of Deadly Creatures is experienced through the perspective of the a tarantula or scorpion, but the story is told through overheard conversations of humans that appear throughout the game. A pretty unique concept. And the music? It’s not what you’d expect, as it blends indistinctly into the sound effects and dark atmosphere generated by the visuals. Fortunately we’ve been able to catch up with Dave Lowmiller at Rainbow Studios to discuss his “music” for the game, which is an interesting discussion about blurring the lines between soundtrack and sound design. I highly recommend checking this one out on iTunes to get an idea of what it’s all about if you didn’t play the game.

  Hit the jump for our interview with Deadly Creatures audio lead, Dave Lowmiller. (more…)

• Game Music

  

  M’s Galore: Major Minor’s Majestic March Interview with Masaya Matsuura

  M’s Galore: Major Minor’s Majestic March Interview with Masaya Matsuura 03.26.09 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments

  

  Major Minor’s Majestic March is finally out next week. We loved this game when we saw it last at E3 2008, and were disappointed when it didn’t make it in time for Christmas. I suppose “March” is a better month for the game’s release, and you know what’s even more great? Matsuura himself has been calling the game M4 in magazine articles I’ve read since this interview… pretty cool!

  Anyway, we’ve been fortunate to catch up with Masaya Matsuura regarding his latest project. We talk about the game, why it’s different, Matsuura’s take on current rhythm games and music in games, and even discuss the music that Matsuura creates outside of games.

  Read our majestic interview with Masaya Matsuura after the jump. (more…)

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