Manabu Namiki

Featured, Game Music

CAVE Music History 2003 – 2012 Video Series

July 7, 2013 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on CAVE Music History 2003 – 2012 Video Series Share this

In 2011, I started an ambitious project: to collect every audio CD published by the developer/publisher CAVE (Deathsmiles, Dodonpachi, Espgaluda, Mushihimesama, etc). I completed this project earlier this year.

And now, even as I face the dreaded possibility of having to sell that very collection, I was able to glean so much knowledge and enjoy so much great music from a bevy of amazing Japanese composers. The man who introduced me to the quality of music from CAVE, Don Kotowski, joined me in a 3-hour audio recording wherein we listen to two songs from each album and give our commentary. My commentary tends to be focused around critique of the music, while Don has tons of expert knowledge about the music’s origins, having interacted with many of the musicians who worked on these albums.

It’s taken me 4 months since the audio recording with Don took place, but I’ve put together an eight-part YouTube video series (playlist here) corresponding with that audio recording for a full-on A/V experience to learn about this game company and their music. Most of their games are “bullet hell” shmups, though they stray into other, even more niche territory (such as the visual novel Instant Brain).

Don and I wanted to provide this video series as a method for game music fans to get up to speed on one very specific set of music, one whose fans tend to be even more hardcore than, say, fans of Nobuo Uematsu or Falcom Sound Team jdk.

Video embeds after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Arrange Your Face Off! DariusBurst Remix Wonder World (Review)

August 23, 2012 | Patrick Gann | 1 Comment Share this

Available at: CDJapan | Play-Asia

I have much love for Zuntata (OGR et al). And for shmup fans, Zuntata equals Darius. The latest game in the long-running series, a revival of sorts, was DariusBurst. The OST was released in January 2010, and then, only a few months later, a mammoth album dropped.

That album was DariusBurst Remix WONDER WORLD. The album had two discs, and they were themed. Disc one: “Breath of a living thing,” were more acoustic arrangements. Disc two: “Breath of a machine,” much more on the electronic/synthesized side of music.

A total of 22 tracks, 11 tracks per disc, each handled with special care from talented, well-known VGM personalities. How could it possibly be bad? Here’s a hint: it can’t be. This album is filled with yummy-in-my-tummy goodness.

For more details, including an in-depth look at the track arranged by baiyon (this is baiyon week, after all!), join us after the jump. And stop back later tonight for a review of yet another DariusBurst album! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Namiki Thrives in BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER THE GAME OST (Review)

August 8, 2012 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on Namiki Thrives in BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER THE GAME OST (Review) Share this

Former Basiscape member Manabu Namiki is well-known and well-loved for his work on various shooters from CAVE, from those that he completed entirely, or almost entirely, on his own (Ketsui, ESPGALUDA II) to those where he was a part of the Basiscape team (such as Mushihimesama and Mushihimesama Futari).

But, for my money, one of his best works in years is a game that isn’t really a shooter at all, despite having the word in its title. Yes, I’m referring to BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER THE GAME, a franchise that started with a simple illustration, and then a vocaloid song, and eventually an OVA and a game and detailed figurines … you can get the whole franchise history via wikipedia.

The PSP game, developed by imageepoch as part of their “JRPG” label (part of an attempt to revive the apparently-dying genre), is coming to North America and Europe sometime in either late 2012 or early 2013. But I would recommend VGM collectors import the soundtrack now, while it’s still available (CDJapan | Play-Asia). My unabashedly positive review, after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

A Bloody Good Time: Trauma Center 2 Soundtrack (Review)

March 14, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on A Bloody Good Time: Trauma Center 2 Soundtrack (Review) Share this

We really dug the original Trauma Center soundtrack that SuperSweep put out last year. It featured a nice blend of jazzy electronic tracks, and the addition of the Wii version tracks was a nice touch. A few months later, SuperSweep released the soundtrack for Trauma Center 2, which takes an all new direction.

Responsible for the score this time around are SuperSweep’s Manabu Namiki and Noriyuki Kamikura, and with Namiki in the mix, you can probably already get a sense of what’s in store for your ears if you haven’t already heard the music in-game!

Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 08/2010: Deathsmiles

August 2, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this

Last month we provided you a review of the bonus soundtrack for the North American release of Deathsmiles. The game, and soundtrack, were published via Aksys Games. The soundtrack was actually the “Premium Arrange” soundtrack, originally published for retail purchase in Japan by developer CAVE. It’s certainly a good album, but after posting that arranged soundtrack review, we realized some readers might want to know more about the OST itself.

Well, it’s quite a good OST. Virtually the entire score is composed by Manabu Namiki (Basiscape), and it upholds the high quality standard people have expected from “shmup” soundtracks. That’s why we’ve chosen to add it to our prestigious “Soundtrack of the Month” list. After the jump, check out a detailed review of this fantastic soundtrack. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Aksys + CAVE = Instant, Epic Win! Deathsmiles Soundtrack CD (Review)

July 19, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 1 Comment Share this

The people (and by people, I mean heroes) at Aksys Games who brought us Blazblue: Calamity Trigger are now giving even more awesome niche Japanese goodies to North America. In this case, it is the first officially localized title from shoot-’em-up (or “shmup”) developer CAVE. Said game is Deathsmiles, available on Xbox 360 since the end of June.

If you can still find it, the Limited Edition release of this game comes with a bonus pressed soundtrack CD. Aksys is usually pretty good about their soundtrack releases (you’ll remember Blazblue came more complete than either Japanese release, and Record of Agarest War came with that hilarious porn-groove track). In this case, though, we were scared. The CD only had 15 tracks, but the OST printed in Japan was 20+ tracks. What gives?

Well, here’s the deal. They didn’t give us a reprint of the Japanese OST. No, instead, they gave us the Deathsmiles Premium Arrange Album, featuring arrangements from a variety of composers. Though people will argue both sides of it, I have more often heard people ranting (happily) about the arranged album than the OST, though both are great.

So they’ve done us a huge favor by giving us access to a physical print version of this excellent, hard-to-find Japanese arranged CD. Not to mention an excellent game. Our thoughts on the arrangements just after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Reborn to be Wild: Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (Review)

January 8, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

So I just went back to our Contra ReBirth review and realized that I had predicted the future! I noted that while there wasn’t enough music in Contra ReBirth to warrant a soundtrack, perhaps we’d see them bundle it with the Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth soundtrack, and that’s exactly what they’re doing! Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth doesn’t have a whole lot of music either, but I like what’s here, probably more so than I did the Contra ReBirth stuff.

Manabu Namiki returns once again (credited as a Basiscape composer, with the Basiscape logo even in the credits!), providing mainly reworked tunes from Castlevania’s past. There’s a good variety, and several of the tracks are catchy and nail the Castlevania mood perfectly. The game is a lot of fun, too, and pretty damn challenging!

More about that and the game’s soundtrack in our review after the jump. (more…)