09Dec

Video Game Music of the Week – 09-15.12.2013

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Sega CD was one of the most fascinating consoles (okay, console add-ons) of its time. Using CDs when carts were the norm, it could offer so much more thanks to that extra space. Most Sega CD games failed to take good advantage of the technology, but there were wonders like the Lunars, Snatcher, Sonic CD… Another very notable thing about the Sega CD, which, at least in that aspect, set it head and shoulders above the others at the time, was the high quality music the CD medium allowed. And this week’s theme is exactly one of those great Sega CD tunes – the song Bosque from Hudson Soft’s game Lords of Thunder. It was suggested by Between Life and Games forum user Aramonde.

Composer: Satoshi Miyashita
Game: Lords of Thunder (Sega CD)
Song: Bosque

Lords of Thunder music – Sega CD – Bosque

03Dec

Video Game Music of the Week – 02-08.12.2013

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Another game me and my brother really loved when we were little was the NES version of Dick Tracy. Being a detective was great fun, and I’d even drawn a map of the city, taking notes on where all the clues were separately. Back in the day, with my limited English knowledge at the time, I usually found clues by trial and error rather than actually reading what hints the previous clue and interrogating criminals would give me, but it was still awesome. The game was pretty difficult, too, and beating it was a major achievement. I remember being very happy about it. The bashing Dick Tracy got in an old AVGN episode was quite undeserved.

The music in the game wasn’t particularly special, but the tune playing during the sidescrolling stages, when you’re looking for a clue, or to interrogate or arrest a criminal, was quite memorable. Therefore, I am sharing it with you today.

Composers: George Sanger, David Hayes
Game: Dick Tracy (NES)
Song: Building

Dick Tracy – Building

27Nov

Video Game Music of the Week – 25.11-01.12.2013

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This week’s song’s story is one of the funniest and most precious game-related memories I have of my brother. Back then, I was like 12-13 years old, and would save up money from my allowance little by little, hoping to accumulate enough to buy something significant eventually. One day, as I came home from school, I was shocked to find the little savings I had all gone. Naturally, the first suspect was my little bro, and, after denying it for a little while, he eventually confessed… He’d taken the money and spent it all at a local arcade in our neighbourhood, all on THIS game – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.

Considerably superior than the first TMNT arcade game, Turtles in Time achieved great fame later on, when it was ported on SNES. Recently, it was even remade and released on PSN and XBLA. The music was also pretty good, containing some mixes of the main TMNT theme (as Turtles games by Konami usually did :) ). The song I chose is from one of the later stages, Neon Night-Riders. I consider it the best in the game, its sound is really refreshing and quite typical of that era where arcade games were still a very big thing in our children’s minds.

Composer: Mutsuhiko Izumi
Game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
Song: Neon Night-Riders

TMNT IV Turtles in Time OST, T10 – Neon Night-Riders

20Nov

Video Game Music of the Week – 18-24.11.2013

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This week’s song is a rare example of a famous band performing a video game song – not only that, but it was written specifically for the game! The band’s name is Blind Guardian, and the game is Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, a not particularly famous action RPG from 2008. Another fun detail is that the members of the band appear in the game as characters, and actually perform a concert (starring this song) if you complete the respective quest. It was suggested for Video Game Music of the Week by Between Life and Games forum user azuarc.

Composer: Blind Guardian
Performer: Blind Guardian
Game: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
Song: Sacred

Blind Guardian – Sacred [FULL SONG | INGAME CONCERT]

11Nov

Video Game Music of the Week – 11-17.11.2013

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Speaking of ninjas, this week I’ve chosen a song from a game that is one of the first examples one thinks of when hearing “ninja game” – Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, easily considered one of the Mega Drive/Genesis’ finest. The song is called “Whirlwind”, and was suggested by Between Life and Games forum user Firion. It’s a great example of the Mega Drive/Genesis’ top-quality sound chip.

Composers: Hirofumi Mursaki, Morohiko Akiyama, Masayuki Nagao
Game: Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Song: Whirlwind

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Music- Whirlwind

06Nov

Japan – an unforgettable adventure (Special)

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Laputa Robot

This is it, the culmination of the Japan article series detailing my honeymoon there in September! You’ve surely noticed in the first five parts had certain words in bold, and, in case you hadn’t figured it out by now, those were the best things about the particular towns and/or days. But here, I’ve got two truly special experiences – the Studio Ghibli museum, and a Japanese concert we went to. There are also my thoughts about Japanese food, Japanese women and the costs of a trip there. Enjoy!

All pictures in the article have been taken by me and my wife. Click on them to see them in bigger size.

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04Nov

Video Game Music of the Week – 04-10.11.2013

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Aside from Captain Tsubasa II and the Nekketsu games, another game I really liked back in my carefree days when I was playing my NES was Little Ninja Brothers. Come to think of it, it was my first traditional RPG, so much as Captain Tsubasa was, after all, a football/soccer RPG and thus quite different from the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Little Ninja Brothers had mostly action battles (certain dungeons had RPG battles with turn-taking), but, other than that, it was a lot like those two, albeit with a much more lighthearted story. The soundtrack also had some adorable themes, and the one I’ve chosen today plays quite far into the game, when you reach the desert around the town of Chatzy.

Composer: Akinori Sawa
Game: Little Ninja Brothers / Super Chinese 2
Song: Chatzy Desert

Little Ninja Brothers (NES) Music – Chatzy Desert

 

04Nov

Japan – an unforgettable adventure (Part 5)

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Kawaguchiko Sunset

This is the fifth part of my article series detailing my honeymoon in Japan this September. The retelling of our adventure ends here, but the promised “Special” part with some truly special Japanese experiences and impressions will be the last one. Enjoy!

All photographs in this article have been taken by me and my wife. You can click on them to see them in bigger size.

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