Do Not Want

Game Music

Huge Waste of Money: Classic Namco Sound Effects Now on iTunes!

September 2, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 6 Comments Share this

Do you remember being at the arcade as a kid, playing the great Namco classic Pac-Man, and saying to yourself, “Man, I wish I had these sounds effects on my Walkman so I could listen to them anywhere, any time. That would be radical!” Well, brace yourself, ’cause today that wish has become an amazing reality. Namco has some special exclusive iTunes releases for you today, such as PAC-MAN Game Sound Effects. Now, I know your pants already hit the floor, but just wait till you see the tracklist!

01. Credit Sound
02. Start Music
03. PAC-MAN: Eating Cookie
04. Extend Sound
05. Ghost: Normal Move
06. Ghost: Spurt Move #1
07. Ghost: Spurt Move #2
08. Ghost: Spurt Move #3
09. Ghost: Spurt Move #4
10. PAC-MAN: Eating Fruit
11. Ghost: Turn to Blue
12. PAC-MAN: Eating Ghost
13. Ghost: Return to Home
14. Miss
15. Coffee Break Music
16. Game Play

The complete running time? 3 minutes. NAMCO also released Xevious Game Sound Effects which contains such heartfelt classics such as “Blaster: Shoot #1” and “Zapper: Shoot #1.” They’re yours for the small price of $3 USD. Radical!

[via VGMdb]
Game Music, Reviews

A DDR Clone For (6-Year-Old) Christians: Dance Praise 2 (Review)

July 11, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 6 Comments Share this

Religiously-motivated company Digital Praise is in the business of cloning popular rhythm games, adding Contemporary Christian Music (henceforth referred to as CCM), and releasing these products exclusively for the PC at a premium price.

Today, we take a look at Dance Praise 2: The ReMix. Note the misnomer; none of the music in the game is remixed. Licensed music from the CCM industry is what you’ll find, and entirely unchallenging DDR-style gameplay is, sadly, all the game has to offer.

Our full review comes after the jump. (more…)
Software

Microsoft Songsmith: Now Everyone Can Sing (Also, This Will Never Work!)

March 3, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

So, watch the above video. It’s painful, but kind of funny. Microsoft seems to think that this “adaptable” program that creates a musical backing to whatever melody you sing will actually be easy to use and enjoyable to listen to. Let me tell you, after watching this, I tried singing some random, mundane things to myself in the car, and it’s hard to come up with a catchy vocal melody on the fly. There’s no way this is going to work for 99% of the population.

I guess Dale would be the best one to chime in on this one. I don’t sing, and I don’t record vocalists, but I don’t see how this could work. It looks like a cool tool for people who create jingles like the guy in the video, as it’s a quick way to go about creating a mock-up, but other than that, it looks like a toy for kids to annoy their parents with.

Do you see potential in Microsoft’s Songsmith software? Can you imagine the horrible off-key songs that people are going to be making with this?
Game Music, Reviews

Far From Revolutionary: Konami’s Rock Revolution (Review)

January 12, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this

It is ironic that the international leader in music and rhythm-based games has lost a section of the market to the unexpected phenomena known as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. But the irony turns to pure sorrow when we see Konami try and get back what they lost, and ultimately fail in the process. Rock Revolution (released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS) takes the gameplay elements developed in past titles (GuitarFreaks, DrumMania) and attempts to combine them to compete with the high-profile Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises.

What made this game so disappointing? Is there any hope for Konami to make a comeback in the guitar/band subgenre of music/rhythm games? Find out what we think by taking the jump.

(more…)
Game Music

Nintendo to Release Wii Fit Music on CD, Skips Everything Good

September 5, 2008 | J.P. Arevalo | 16 Comments Share this

It’s no secret that Nintendo is going the way of the casual gamer. Further evidence comes in the form of the latest CD gift for Club Nintendo members in Japan. Dubbed, Touch! Generations Sound Track, the CD features 25 selections from the various Touch! Generation titles released by Nintendo on the DS and Wii. This lineup includes games like, Nintendogs, Wii Fit, and Brain Age among others.

With so many excellent soundtracks in recent times, including Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, and Metroid Prime 3 (all of which did NOT receive official soundtrack releases), this borderlines on madness.

Hit the jump for a detailed tracklist of what you can expect from this welcome(?) addition to the Club Nintendo library. (more…)
Television

Worst Thing Ever: Iron Chef Music Changes

June 24, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this

In our recent review of Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai* SUPER ARRANGE VERSION, I joked that one of the pieces on the album sounded similar to the music used in the Japanese television show, Iron Chef. Well, I just had the cable guy out today as I’ve been without cable for a couple years, and of course the first thing I sought out was Iron Chef. Little did I know, however, that as of May 2008, the show had moved from Food Network to the Fine Living Channel where… it pains me to report, all the music had been changed!

The music from the original Iron Chef show, including the iconic theme song, was actually borrowed from the Backdraft film, composed by Hans Zimmer. According to Wikipedia (a reliable source), the music was removed due to legal issues with NBC Universal. The new music is considerably less epic and greatly detracts from the Iron Chef experience.

Is anyone as upset about this as I am? Will you join me in writing a letter to the Fine Living Channel to correct this great injustice?
Gear

Aww! Fisher Price My First Genelecs

June 22, 2008 | Dale North | 2 Comments Share this Aww! Fisher Price My First Genelecs

Okay, so they’re not Fisher Price. These are Genelecs, coming from the respected studio monitor maker. But the series name First Step reminds me of something like My First Dollhouse.

They’re not that bad. But they are a step down from the shapely black ones you’d see a recording studio. The new 6010A Genelecs are intended to be sold at consumer level. At less than $400, they’re quite a bit cheaper than their professional brothers, and their coloring looks about as serious as the previously mentioned dollhouse. What next, pink? Genelec even lists iPod connectivity as a selling point. Meh.

There’s also a 5040A subwoofer to compliment these Bathroom Tile White semi-montiors. I like Genelec, but I’d say save your money for the big ones.