#WeeklyGameMusic Archives - Page 12 of 26

#WeeklyGameMusic: 9-bit Expedition (Dustforce)

Posted on September 13, 2014 by Taro Omiya

#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.

Let’s go for something more relaxing and slightly more old school with 9-bit Expedition, composed by Terence Lee. It’s a good thing this music is so calming because the game, Dustforce, can be very, very difficult.

Dustforce‘s story is pretty simple. Ahem! The world is in chaos, and covered in dust. Eeeeeeevil dust that transforms innocent animals into violent creatures. And generally making everything ugly. It’s up to the 4 acrobatic, wall-climbing janitors to rid of the dirt and smudge that contaminates this oh-so-vulnerable world!

Sarcasm aside, Dustforce has some very sick moves to show. It’s a hardcore 2D platformer, and each janitor has awesome capabilities, including double-jump, wall-climb, running on ceilings, and most important of all, whipping down enemies with lots of lights and flashes. Said abilities are critical for eliminating dusts on floors, walls, ceilings, breakable blocks, and animals. For casual play, removing all dust isn’t exactly necessary, but for completionist, it is a must to get the best scores in every level. Elegant and acrobatic, this game is a true feast for the eyes and fingers.

Dustforce is available on Steam for PC, Mac, and Linux.

Leave a Comment | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

#WeeklyGameMusic: Just Dropped In (Stick It to The Man)

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Taro Omiya

#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.

That’s right, folks. I’m here to drop more game music again. First on-plate is the wonderful Just Dropped In, composed by Kenny Rogers. A comical song that fits right in the hilarious game, Stick It to The Man.

The game stars Ray, a rather dull but otherwise ordinary man with a bad haircut. As he finally gets off his job as a hardhat tester, an airplane accidentally drops off its package on poor Ray’s head, rendering him unconscious. A short while after he wakes up in a health clinic, then thrown out due to lack of health insurance coverage, Ray discovers he suddenly started gaining psychic abilities, letting him move heavy objects from one place to another, turning thoughts into physical objects and vice-versa, and most importantly, being able to read minds. Shocked, confused, Ray hobbles back home while a few sneaky and mysterious agents start following him.

If I were to summarize Stick It to The Man in a sentence, it’s Psychonauts in 2D. The game significantly modernizes point-and-click adventure by combining it with platforming, and it comes off very naturally. Not to mention the outrageously hilarious dialog! The mind-reading capabilities not only serve as hints to what objects to bring to who, it also provides some insight on very psychologically unstable people. It’s incredibly funny how everyone in the game are almost self-aware that they’re in a game, then explain it away with a completely different reason.

Stick It to The Man is available on Steam for PC and Mac.

Leave a Comment | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: The Flaming Tree (Tsugunai: Atonement)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. This week, we return to a calmer tune, with a hint of wonder. Yasunori Mitsuda composition, The Flaming Tree, has a mysterious feel to it. Quite fitting for a spiritual game like Tsugunai: Atonement.

Tsugunai: Atonement tells a story of a daredevil mercenary named Reise. When he attempts to retrieve the Treasure Orb as one of his missions, however, the gods angrily handicaps him by splitting his soul away from his body. Now only a ghost, Reise must atone for his sins by possessing other people and helping them aid their life.

Tsugunai: Atonement is a turn-based RPG. Unlike a generic JRPG, however, the “party” is only one character Reise happened to possess at that time. In this sense, the town acts as a character hub for Reise, where each possessee have their own special abilities. Once possessed, Reise may visit a nearby dungeon to fight through monsters and defeat the main evil.

Tsugunai: Atonement was released on the Playstation 2 in 2001.

Leave a Comment | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: Bird’s Eye (Senko no Ronde DUO)

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. This week’s music is a futuristic composition, Bird’s Eye, that sounds like it’s only a step away from spaghetti western. This strange hybrid of music genre by Yasuhisa Watanabe is conveniently in a game that also combines two unlikely gameplay: Senko no Ronde DUO.

Senko no Ronde DUO describes a future where the human race now lives beyond Earth. The Aria Federation, the space army of sorts, learns of an evil plot: someone is trying to obtain their best superweapon! The Federation immediately commands eight mech pilots to hunt and destroy this terrorist.

Senko no Rondo DUO is a 2-player mech fighter where both characters navigate on a single plane. Hits are dealt not through fists and feets, but through laser guns. And LOTS of them. Each character’s super-power practically turns them into a bullet-hell boss, switching the game from a 2-player shoot’em up to a bullet-dodging exercise.

Senko no Rondo DUO was released for Xbox 360 in Japan in 2010. No US or European release has been made.

Leave a Comment | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: Budoar (Samorost 2)

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. This week, we return to the subtle with the strange world of Samorost 2. Budoar by Tomáš Dvořák is a mellow composition with an excellent melody. It’s unique mood fits well with the alien planets our heros explores.

Samorost 2 narrates a nameless man’s journey, starting with a sudden alien abduction of his dog. Still in his pajamas, the man hurries into his rocket ship and locates the abductor’s planet. Learning that his dog is used as a power generator in a hamster wheel, he quickly sets off on a stealth mission to save his loyal pet.

Samorost 2 is a beautiful point-and-click adventure where one clicks on items and points of interest to guide the man’s way into the alien hideout. Unlike most point-and-click adventures, Samorost 2 doesn’t retain saves. Instead it relies on a password system similar to the Megaman series. The many planets the man visits are incredibly detailed and varied, sometimes resembling…something you can’t quite put a finger on.

Samorost 2 was released on the PC, Mac, and Linux in 2005.

Leave a Comment | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic

Weekly Game Music: Opening Theme (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Taro Omiya

New week, new music. This week, we drop all the subtle music for one that’s obviously epic. That’s right, it’s the Opening Theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee. And not just any sort of music, but an actual live performance of Hirokazu Ando’s greatest composition. Enjoy!

For the uninitiated, Super Smash Bros. Melee is the second game in the outrageously popular Nintendo series, Super Smash Bros. Popular, because it’s a fighting game starring Nintendo’s most popular mascots. Hard not to like it, really. In Melee‘s irrelevant story, each mascot are initially plastic figures made “real” when played on a table-top game. An elegant way to explain why characters from different universes can exist in the same game.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is an unusual 2D fighting game in that fighters do not die from depleted health, but rather, from being knocked out of the level. The more damage the player accumulates, the easier it is for him/her to be smacked out of the level. As a consequence of its objective, Melee has a very strong platforming aspect, too.

Super Smash Bros. Melee was released on the Gamecube in 2001.

Leave a Comment | Categories: #WeeklyGameMusic