Author: Taro Omiya

Taro Omiya is the founder of Omiya Games. He has experience in game, software, and web development.

Weekly Game Music: Co-op (Magnetis)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

New week, new music.  More techno, now with 90% more jazz.  Here’s a music from Magnetis, Co-op.  It’s composed by Romain Gauthier, the same composer as Edge.

Magnetis is a Tetris-based puzzle game that involves dropping a pair of blocks to clear more blocks.  Unlike Tetris, however, you clear blocks by creating a line segment where two like-colored magnet blocks faces towards each other.  This eliminates any blocks in-between the two magnets.  If, however, two magnets of different colors are matched together, everything in-between becomes garbage blocks, potentially blocking any other formations.

Magnetis was released on the Wii in 2009.  It was later released on the PC via Steam.

Leave a Comment on Weekly Game Music: Co-op (Magnetis) | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: Mind Mapping (Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

New week, new music.  Continuing the techno trend, here’s Mind Mapping by Ryutaro Nakahata (hey, another Taro).  It comes from a popular Japanese arcade game, Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress.

Beatmania IIDX 16 EMPRESS simulates a DJ deck using 5 buttons and a disk.  Much like any rhythm game, the object is to hit the right button when the “notes” hit the bottom of the screen.  The arcade was released in 2008 in Japan.  It was later ported to the Playstation 2 in 2009.

Leave a Comment on Weekly Game Music: Mind Mapping (Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress) | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: The Gensokyo The Gods Loved (Touhou: Mountain of Faith)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

New week, new music.  Since I’ve already posted Cave Story before, it’s only natural that I post about another game series created by one amazing Japanese man: the Touhou project by Junya Ota.  Here’s a remix of The Gensokyo The Gods Lovedfrom Touhou: Mountain of Faith.  It’s yet another trance from the infamous zts.

Touhou: Mountain of Faith begins when Reimu Hakurei, the Hakurei shrine’s miko (Japanese shrine maiden), is informed by mysterious authority that the shrine must be closed.  Asking why, the figure claims the shrine lacks faith from its local citizens of Gensokyo.  Confused, Reimu informs her magician friend, Marisa Kirisame, addressing the terrible consequences of closing the shrine.  Marisa, noting that something smells fishy, convinces Reimu to investigate on this authority.

Touhou: Mountain of Faith is a top-down shooter, much like the old arcades.  Unlike those arcades, however, ships and aliens are replaced with magical girls, fairies, gods and Japanese monsters.  Most important, however, is how this series defines the aptly-named sub-genre, bullet hell.  The game literally tests your pattern recognition of screens and screens of lasers.

Touhou: Mountain of Faith was released on the PC in 2007.

Leave a Comment on Weekly Game Music: The Gensokyo The Gods Loved (Touhou: Mountain of Faith) | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: Another Winter (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

New week, new music.  Here’s an excellent music from an indie video game, based off of a movie, based off of a graphic nove- aw, screw it!  Here’s Another Winter from the excellent chiptune band, Anamanaguchi.  It’s from the downloadable game, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is lightly based off of Bryan O’Malley’s graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim.  Unlike the novels, it starts with Scott Pilgrim meeting and making out with Ramona Flowers, instead of Knives Chau.  From there, the game wastes no time: Scott Pilgrim has to defeat Ramona’s 7 ex-boyfriends, and his girl friend and band-mates, Stephen Stills and Kim Pine gets to join in the fun.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game plays very much like an old-school 2D beat’em-ups.  Up to 4 players can join in on the bash-fest of numerous pixelated thugs and enemies.  To spice things up, one can earn money to learn new abilities and experience points.  Furthermore, many items, including fallen bodies, can be picked up and thrown for extra damage.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game was released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in 2010.
[social_share/]

Leave a Comment on Weekly Game Music: Another Winter (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game) | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic