VG Frequency

Video game music news portal ThaSauce has launched the first full episode of their podcast, SauceCast, hosted by Dyne and injury, the premiere edition focusing on the events of MAGFest 6 along with other community news at developments at ThaSauce.

Aside from (or dare I say “including”) the comical overuse of the word “phenomenal” (that’s starla’s version of me saying “aight”, “tite”, “hot”, “yo”, and “bro” in my radio days), I was enjoying every minute. There were a few slight dead spaces in the convo I would have edited to make things keep flowing, but I’m anal. Regardless, this was way slicker than anything I’d ever put out, with iTunes sections and everything. Very nice.

Dyne and injury were able to keep things short and to the point while I felt like I’d gotten the info I needed. Granted, I was there for MAGFest, so none of the info was new to me specifically.I’m interested to see how it goes when news I’m not familiar with is tackled, but the team at ThaSauce sound up for the task. Lots of fun akin to the other girl/guy podcast teamups of VGDJ-past. I definitely enjoyed SauceCast and am looking forward to more!

After a lengthy search involving scores of law enforcement agents, BT’s daughter, 3 1/2-year-old Kaia Transeau has been found, allegedly abducted by her mother Ashley Duffy in December.

This past Tuesday, the BTmusic.com forums had this brief message notifying fans of the end of the alleged kidnapping incident (corrected for typos):

Thank you all for your prayers, well wishes, and support!

This evening Kaia was found!!

Ashley was arrested, and a warrant executed.

Karen Durrett [Editor’s note: Ashley’s mother] is also being interrogated by Federal Marshals.

Kaia right now is with CPS, being prepared to being reunited with BT.

In one of the very few times you’ll ever find me linking to TMZ, TMZ.com had the scoop on the rescue. However, Maryland news outlet The Gazette has since clarified that the legal aspects of the case, particularly custody, have been pretty murky, resulting in Duffy being cleared of her abduction charges. ABC News provided an even more in-depth breakdown of the case earlier today that’s a must read for a better grasp of the events.

With that said, who knows what the future will hold in this custody case, since there’s currently no organized agreement for shared custody of Kaia between BT and Duffy. When we hear more, we’ll keep you posted.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2008
www.videogameslive.com

VIDEO GAMES LIVE ANNOUNCES 40 SHOWS FOR 2008 WITH MORE ON THE WAY!

Countries Include Taiwan, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Mexico, China, U.S., Canada & MORE

Special Performances to Take Place During Game Developers Conference, San Diego Comic-Con, Leipzig Games Convention, Broadway in New York City and a 7,000 Seat Bullring in Mexico!

LOS ANGELES, CA – Having already performed to sold out audiences around the world since 2005, the most successful video game concert in the world – Video Games Live will continue its ground-breaking tour in 2008 with the announcement of 40 performances across the globe.  Video Games Live is produced and created by veteran video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall.  It features music from the most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements along with synchronized state-of-the-art lighting, solo performers, special fx, stage show production, electronic percussion, unique on-stage interactive segments with the audience and a pre-show festival.

Video Games Live is best described as utilizing the power & emotion of a symphony orchestra mixed with the energy and excitement of a rock concert combined with the cutting edge visuals, technology, interactivity and fun that video games provide.  Video Games Live is not just a concert, but a celebration of the entire video game industry that people of all ages adore.

The highest and most prestigious level of symphony and venue quality continues with the announcement of some of the world’s most renowned orchestras and local theatres, halls, auditoriums and arenas.  To further attract the biggest audience possible, Video Games Live also partners with pop-culture’s most important conferences and conventions.

  SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Exact dates and venues for the following cities are to be announced (TBA) shortly:

Anaheim, CA
Atlanta, GA
Boston, MA
Brazil (multiple cities)
Dallas, TX
Glasgow, Scotland
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Los Angeles, CA
Milan, Italy
Paris, France
Shanghai, China
Winnipeg, MB

All past, current and future tour dates and ticket information can be found at:
www.videogameslive.com/dates

“Our goal of building Video Games Live as a worldwide brand has become a reality,” said Marc Geiger, Senior Executive Vice-President of Touring for the William-Morris Agency. “Tommy & Jack have created a very special and unique event experience that is not only a hit with gamers but also speaks to a general mainstream global audience as well.”

About Video Games Live™ (www.videogameslive.com)

Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance.  Video Games Live is an immersive concert event celebrating music from the biggest video games of all time.  The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendance making it the largest video game concert in the world.

Following up on news last month, BT issued a press release regarding his daughter Kaia, abducted by her mother and still missing. We at VG Frequency continue to wish BT well for his daughter’s hopefully safe return. You may need to right-click and view the image to read it properly:

Announced recently via MySpace blog, if you’ve got RealPlayer integrated into your browser, check out Music4Games founder Greg O’Connor-Read contributing to BBC Radio 3’s The Choir. The most recent episode focused on choral music in games and film, with an impressively thorough list of examples. Read through what games are on tap for the show, and swing by to check it out:

On Sunday, 6th January 2008 The BBC Radio 3 show “The Choir” profiled choral music from film and video game soundtracks including “Assassin’s Creed,” “Clive Barker’s Jericho,” “Final Fantasy,” “Halo,” “Headhunter,” “Hitman,” “Primal” with commentary from Music4Games’ Editor Greg O’Connor-Read. The show is hosted by Aled Jones (”The Snowman.”)

Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY is a new concert tour celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Final Fantasy. The game was first released in Japan on December 18, 1987, and the concert premiered in Stockholm, Sweden on December 4, 2007. The inaugural event was attended by Nobuo Uematsu himself, who was interviewed before the concert started by Johan Köhn of Spelmusik.net.

How did you approach the challenge of composing an opera piece?

- It was very interesting, because I had never listened to opera music when I was asked. I didn’t have any knowledge on composing such a piece, so I did it in my own style. When Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama found out about the opera part in Final Fantasy VI he called and asked me why he hadn’t been told about this great idea earlier, so that we could have worked together on it (laughs)!

Ah, but who cares about that. Let’s get to the good stuff:

I know you’re always getting this question, but how is it going with the third Black Mages album?

- Yes, I get that question very often, but I would now like to promise to people that the album will be released in March 2008.

THE BLACK MAGES II The Skies Above, the last Final Fantasy series rock arrangement album by TBM, was released three years ago, so their third album has been a long time in the making. Hopefully it will be released on time.

Thanks to Mustin for passing along word. We sincerely hope BT recovers his daughter safe and sound, especially given how this has happened right in the middle of the holiday season. In the event that you cannot read the text in its entirely, please enlarge the image by viewing it via the right mouse click option.

Please contact me with any info. and please copy and paste this bulletin along.

lynne@binaryacoustics.com

Lynne
(bt’s assist)

More than 1,000 videogamers and videogame music enthusiasts will converge at the Hilton Mark Center at 5000 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Va., on January 3-6, 2008 for the sixth annual Music and Gaming Festival, a nonstop weekend of tournaments, concerts and workshops.

Three large rooms packed with videogames will be available free for all registrants at the festival, also known as MAGFest. In addition, video game tribute bands will perform rock, electronic, power-metal, and orchestral versions of popular game themes on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Unlike larger, more commercialized conventions, MAGFest aims for a laid-back atmosphere of fun.

“Our goal is to fuel the community of gaming and connect people with each other, whether they are industry leaders or casual gamers,” said Brendan Becker, 28, who runs the festival.

For starters, MAGFest will offer 24-hour access to virtually every kind of gaming – console, arcade, PC/LAN, or handheld. From the ancient Atari 2600 and the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the latest Wii, Xbox and Playstation consoles, all video game platforms will be available. Competitive types will be able to participate in dozens of tournaments for games such as Gears of War, Halo, Rock Band, Smash Brothers, and Wii Sports. Even tabletop gamers will have their space.

On the music side, Friday and Saturday night concerts will feature at least eight bands — with names such as The Advantage, Armcannon, and Powerglove — that specialize in videogame cover songs.

“We’ve become a videogame music mecca, of sorts,” Becker said. “It’s nothing short of awesome to watch all of these guys play on stage at MAGFest and see hundreds of gamers chant, rock, headbang, or sing along.”

Visual effects at the concert will be provided by No Carrier and noteNdo, who use modified Nintendo game consoles along with custom software and a technique known as “circuit bending” to project mind-twisting images on the wall behind the performers.

Two of this year’s musical acts defy the electro-rock stereotype and present classical treatments of videogame tunes. Select Start, a six-piece chamber ensemble which has been featured on National Public Radio, draws from a repertoire of more than 50 videogame theme arrangements. Daniel Brown, a solo pianist, will perform his arrangements of the soundtrack to Battletoads while the game is played on a large screen.

In addition to games and music, MAGFest will offer workshops by videogame artists, musicians and programmers, discussions on videogame culture, trivia and costume contests, dealer tables, an auction of videogame equipment, and a 24-hour video room featuring videogame-related movies and cartoons.

Other special guests include:

* “Stuttering Craig” Skistimas and “Handsome Tom” Hanley of ScrewAttack, which provides videogame content for MTV’s GameTrailers.com website
* James Rolfe, also known as the Angry Video Game Nerd, another regular on GameTrailers.com
* Brian Colin, CEO of Game Refuge, which has developed several humorous titles for Bally/Midway, others, and themselves
* Videogame-themed webcomic artists Applegeeks and Paradox Lost
* Jake “Virt” Kaufman, videogame music composer
* OverClocked ReMix, a site dedicated to fan-made arrangements of game tunes
* X-Strike Studios and Dark Maze Studios, two film groups that produce full-length feature films based on videogames
* Fargate Productions and Main Moon Productions, two more film groups who produce videogame-inspired projects and shorts
* Flavor Grenade Studios, a videogame design outfit headed by DJ Potatoe
* Robert Aldrich, who writes anime- and videogame-inspired stories
* Virtual Fools, a cadre of self-designated “videogame scholars” who offer academic critiques of videogames and surrounding culture

Registration for MAGFest is $35 in advance, and $40 at the door. Visit http://magfest.org/ for full registration information or http://magfest.org/section.php?8 for a complete, up-to-date list of guests.

While “Producing Pro Podcasts” is more in line with my future aspirations, the December issue of Electronic Musician (Vol. 23, No. 13) has a great article from Activision’s Nick Peck on the ins-and-outs of providing audio in the games industry. “Fun and Games” covers all the basics, not just including how to get involved, but what to expect when you actually get your foot in the door, as well as how to build yourself up once inside the game audio industry.

For any of you burgeoning soon-to-be-legends out there, the piece is a good read from the perspective of a long-time pro, well worth checking out in full.

Following up on news of the C64 Orchestra’s first album, Run 10, CNN.com recently spotlighted the Commodore 64 as part of the computer’s 25th anniversary. Andreas Wallström of C64.com (and featured in Makke’s Artura arrangement “Dublin Delight“), was interviewed on the legacy of the computer along with Harry McCracken of PC Gamer and Rob Kramer of productiehuis Oost-Nederland.

In the story’s information on the C64 Orchestra, CNN also noted the planned US release of Run 10 as January 15, underscoring the C64 popularity not just in gaming and emulation but music as well. The story also features brief video of the C64 Orchestra performing live, as well as over 20 user-contributed photos, a part of CNN’s I-Report.

Sometimes there’s so much going on that I neglect to give my own homebase, OverClocked ReMix, its due. A couple of weeks ago, the online arm of Australian mag 3D World interviewed site creator/CEO/CFO/CIO/president/grand poobah David “djpretzel” Lloyd.

Online Editor Darryn King conducted the interview for the site’s Lifestyle section, featuring several questions djp typically (and surprisingly) isn’t asked including what makes a good video game soundtrack, when he realized OC ReMix was becoming big, and why he feels the site has been so successful.

OCR remains the premiere destination for video game arrangements in the world; swing by 3D World if you want the latest points-of-view on the scene from the orchestrator of the movement. OC ReMix has its own forum thread regarding the interview, where you can also comment. You can always check out OverClocked ReMix’s media coverage at the site’s Press page.

Last week, Jayson Napolitano of Music 4 Games interviewed Arnie Roth, the conductor and co-creator of the Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY concert tour. With the premiere concert in Stockholm set to begin any minute now tonight, it’s a great time to highlight Roth’s latest interview.

In it, Roth went over the reasons for creating Distant Worlds, the possibility of other Final Fantasy series composers besides Nobuo Uematsu having their work arranged for the tour, concerns about saturating the marketplace for VGM concerts, fan reaction during the performances, the substantial amount of brand new material developed for the concerts, the official CD and possible DVD releases, and why (if allowed only one choice) concert-goers should choose to attend Distant Worlds.

Solid questions, with some good insight from Roth, particularly in highlight the breadth of new material Distant Worlds will be showcasing. Audun “AkumuHau” Sørlie of Nitro Game Injection is in attendance tonight and is a friend of Roth’s, so hopefully he’ll share some thoughts on tonight’s performance in the coming days.

Appearance Marks National Television Debut of Video Games Live

Hollywood, CA - In yet another ground-breaking effort to show how artistic and cultural video games and their music have become, the world’s leading video game concert series Video Games Live will be making their national television debut at Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” on Sunday, December 9 at 9:00 PM ET. Video Games Live will perform a select number of hits from their world touring event as well as brand new never before seen material.

Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” pays tribute to the outstanding achievements of games, designers, animation, breakthrough technology, music and performances of the past year in the industry. The awards also provide a glimpse at the future of gaming – including exclusive sneak peeks and world premiere footage of some of the most anticipated games of 2007 and beyond. Taping in Las Vegas on Friday, December 7, the 5th anniversary celebration will gather some of the world’s hottest creators and designers as they honor the year’s greatest achievements gaming.

“It was quite an honor for us to be contacted about performing in the show,” said prolific video game composer and Video Games Live co-creator/host Tommy Tallarico. “Spike TV’s goal of celebrating video games and bringing them to the masses is exactly the reason we created Video Games Live in the first place.” Video game composer and co-creator/conductor Jack Wall added, “We’re really excited about this opportunity which gives us a platform to reach millions of people. We have a few new surprises in store for the audience that we’re really looking forward to performing live.”

The night will feature award presentations and appearances by magician Criss Angel, “TNA” wrestling stars Kurt and Karen Angle, actress Tia Carrere, “Chuck” stars Joshua Gomez and Zachary Levi, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, former NFL star Rocket Ismail, UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Ultimate Fighter 1” champ Forrest Griffin, legendary boxing promoter Don King, MTV reality couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, NFL quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart, rock star Dave Navarro, “Jackass” Steve-O, comedian Patton Oswalt, comedian and Comedy Central star Brian Posehn, MTV’s Tila Tequila, actor Anton Yelchin and many more will be announced shortly.

Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” tapes Friday, December 7 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will premiere Sunday, December 9 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). The official sponsors of Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” are Burger King®, GameStop™, Mountain Dew, Stride™ Gum, Tag™, U.S. Air Force, and Verizon Wireless.

Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

The November 2007 edition of Pelit, Finland’s top gaming magazine recently reviewed OverClocked ReMix’s Final Fantasy VII arrangement album Voices of the Lifestream. Translated from Finnish by fan Joonas Lehmusjoki, the 5-star review from Pelit’s Juho Penttilä is presented in full:

MUSIC FOR THE ANNIVERSARY

What happens, when fourty-two musicians remixes the soundtrack to a classic videogame? Even though the project is done by OverClocked ReMix, known for its quality remixes, my mind just kept telling me it’s not going to be good. But what does my mind know.

Voices of the Lifestream has been released just in time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Final Fantasy 7. The album had been in the works for over one and a half years, including 45 remixed FF7 songs divided into four discs. The total running time for the album is massive three and a half hours. And all of this is downloadable for free from their website, including the cover and disc art.

There are almost as many music styles on Voices of the Lifestream as there are musicians who have been making it. The album is opened by the ethereal “Deliverance of the Heart,” where bright female voice is combined perfectly with Nobuo Uematsu’s beautiful melodies. After this you’ll be hearing all from techno and rock to classical music styles. The highlights of the first disc are the wonderful “Lunatic Moon,” strongly electric guitar based “Full Frontal Assault” and slow and atmospheric “Materia Junkie.”

The quality stays as strong with all the other discs. You’ll be hearing the majestic “Jenova Returns” and “Beginning of the End,” and beautiful, fully piano arranged songs “A Life Without Parole” and “Stone Eyes.” “Midnight at Club Corel” and many other great songs give their parts to the whole experience, before the album is ended successfully with “Golden Ivories of Gaia” potpourri.

The length of the album is also its weakest link. When you combine this many different styles and musicians there is bound to be few ugly ducklings. Thankfully there aren’t many of them. Unnecessary songs, like the million times heard Chocobo theme and “Golden Feathers” should’ve been left out of the album.

Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream is the most interesting event on the Internet music scene in a long time. Although there are a few flaws, the album surprises one song after another and stays interesting throughout its whole length - as long as you don’t listen to it in one go.

Voices of the Lifestream is a must-listen for all fans of Nobuo Uematsu’s music, but the music on the album works even for people who have never played any of the Final Fantasy games.

Juho Penttilä

Well, if you’ve ever considered yourself an artist, you know just how to deal with criticism: roll with the good, and utterly and totally disregard the bad. Don’t include the Chocobo themes? I can’t imagine how much bad press Voices of the Lifestream would have gotten had the team NOT included those themes.

As for the overwhelming positive, you don’t take our word for it of course. Page 19 of Pelit’s November 2007 issue is right here at VGF if you wanna check it out. For more information on OverClocked ReMix’s media coverage over the years, visit their Press page.

Terrible news today as confirmation came in from Singapore’s Straits Times that musician and arranger Reuben Kee, 23, was killed this past Friday along with four other Singaporean boaters in a boating accident in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The bodies of Kee and the other boaters were recovered today by Cambodian police, nearly a day and a half after the men drowned in a freak accident after the conclusion of the Cambodia-ASEAN Traditional Boat Race.

Community-wide, our thoughts and prayers go out to Kee’s family and friends.

Reuben Kee:

Homepage
@OverClocked ReMix - Memorial message board thread
@Anime Remix
@Blogspot
@Facebook
@Friendster
@Last.fm
@MusicBrainz
@YouTube

Reprinted below are two articles from the Straits Times, published before (print) and after (web, previously linked) the recovery of the missing boaters. More thoughts on this tragedy, as well as Kee’s brief career, will be covered here in the coming days:

Five missing Singapore rowers feared dead

Judith Tan
In Phnom Penh
Liaw Wy-Cin
In Singapore

When the search for the five missing dragon boat racers in Cambodia resumes this morning, chances of finding them alive appear to be bleak.

It would have been about 40 hours since the boat carrying 22 Singapore dragon boat racers capsized in the river on Friday.

Singapore naval divers will be using sonar equipment to comb the Tonle Sap River near the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, together with local rescue workers.

According to eyewitnesses, survivors and race officials, the Singapore team was making its way back to the starting point, after the race, when the tragedy occurred.

Instead of waiting for a boat to tow them back, the team had decided to row towards shore themselves.

When they were close to shore, a wave hit them, causing the boat to collide with a pontoon and overturn. Team members were sucked under the pontoon. Seventeen racers surfaced and five did not.

The missing racers are: Jeremy Goh, 24; Stephen Low, 31; Reuben Kee, 23; Poh Boon San, 27 and Chee Wei Cheng, 20.

It is believed that a combination of strong currents and fatigue after the race could play a part in the likely drowning of the five men. They could also have been knocked unconscious when the 500kg boat capsized in the 9m-deep water.

The racers were not wearing life jackets.

One survivor who declined to be named said the team panicked under water and the current was pushing them down, so they all kicked their way upwards. He was treated for bruises on his face.

Eyewitness Joey Paraiso said on television last night that the current was strong. “It happened so quickly. The Singaporean rowers, one by one, floated and saved themselves. There were some railings that they were able to hold on to.

“They were not able to swim normally, so they just looked for something to hang on to… The current was a bit strong,” he said.

The race was held to celebrate Cambodia’s Water Festival, which takes place each year at full moon to celebrate the changing of the Tonle Sap River course.

This year, more than 1 million people were expected to attend the three-day race, which is Cambodia’s biggest annual event. There were 432 participating boats.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday expressed his sadness at the accident.

“I share the deep concerns of the five Singaporeans. The Singapore Government will do all it can to provide the necessary assistance,” he said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said: “Our priorities are to find the missing, to provide comfort to family members and then find out what happened.”

Relatives of the missing men flew to Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon. On arrival, they went to the site of the accident before going to a hotel to be briefed on rescue efforts.

A brother of missing racer Jeremy Goh, who declined to be named, said Jeremy left fro Cambodia on Thursday and was due back tomorrow.

He said at Changi Airport yesterday: “We’re just going there to see what’s going on and hoping for the best.”

Reprinted below is the Associated Press article, published on the Straits Times online, confirming the death of Kee and the four other missing men:

Five missing S’porean bodies found in Cambodian river

PHNOM PENH - POLICE pulled the bodies of five young Singaporean men out of a Cambodian river on Sunday after they went missing when their boat capsized after a holiday race, officials said.

The bodies were spotted floating downstream from the accident site in the Tonle Sap river in the capital, Phnom Penh, said police officer Mom Sitha, a member of the 150-strong party searching for the victims.

‘The bodies of the five missing have all been discovered,’ Mom Sitha said.

He said the bodies were located at four different sites downstream, from one kilometre to four kilometres south of where the five Singaporeans disappeared after their dragon boat capsized on Friday.

Their grieving relatives gathered on Sunday at Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital, where the bodies were being brought for autopsy.

There had been 22 Singaporeans on the boat, which had just competed in a traditional Cambodian boat race festival. As they were returning to shore, the Singaporeans decided to continue rowing for leisure, but their boat hit a swirl and capsized, according to Cambodian officials.

Police boats were able to rescue only 17 of them at the scene.

Relatives of the missing had visited the search area Saturday evening, sobbing and hugging each other. One woman fainted.

Naval team
Singapore’s navy sent a team of eight - a mission commander, six divers and a medic trained in underwater rescue - to assist the Cambodian authorities in their search and rescue efforts.

The commander, Major Rayson Lim, said they used sonar equipment to probe underwater.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a message to his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, ‘conveying his shock and sadness’ over the accident, Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The Singaporeans were among eight teams from neighbouring Southeast Asian countries that participated in the annual event. The accident occurred on the first of three days of racing.

Some 440 colourful dragon boats, mainly from across Cambodia, were racing to celebrate Cambodia’s annual water festival, which marks the start of the rice harvesting season and the time of the year when the Tonle Sap river reverses its flow from north to south. — AP

Kyle “KyleJCrb” Crouse knows friends in high places, in this case through his co-director of the Tales of Phantasia/Tales of Symphonia arrangement album Summoning of Sprits, Aleah “Kureejii Lea” Baker, also the wife of Archie Comics scribe Ian “Potto” Flynn. Flynn, who has handled writing duties for Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic X, was interviewed on the most recent installment of Nitro Game Injection.

Besides discussing his career so far and future aspirations, Flynn selected three tracks for the podcast, two of which were from OC ReMix. After selecting Sonic R’s “Can You Feel the Sunshine?” (shamelessly close to “Super Sonic Racing”), Flynn also selected SnappleMan’s “Malicious Fingers” from the Sonic 3 & Knuckles arrangement album Project Chaos, as well as the five-way Sonic & Knuckles effort from zircon, Geoffrey Taucer, pixietricks, Shonen Samurai & D-Lux, “Lover Reef”.

Actually gaining his spot with Archie via unsolicited story submissions (typically discouraged in the creative industry), Flynn is currently living out his dream. If you’re a fan of video game-themed comics or are interested in hearing how Flynn views the games and music from the various titles in the Sonic franchise, you’ll pick up a great deal of info from the NGI interview.

I posted quite a while ago about a list of the ten best 8-bit soundtracks, according to IGN. Well, MSNBC has posted its own list of the “Top 5 most memorable video game songs.”

Well, that’s what they claim, anyway, although the list is actually not about specific songs, but rather the entire game the song is from. But anyway, let’s check out what they picked:

• Super Mario Bros.
• Halo
• Ms. Pac-Man
• The Legend of Zelda
• Final Fantasy 7

Some odd choices, to be sure. I had a knee-jerk reaction against Halo, but the chanting opening of the main theme is actually a pretty memorable part of video game music, despite being so recent. Maybe not top 5 material, but it definitely ranks up there.

I mentioned a couple of months ago that the crew behind Video Games Live was going to release a compilation album of segments from previous shows called Video Games Live: Greatest Hits – Volume One. The announced release date for the album was October 15.

Well, that time has passed, and we’re still albumless. Tommy Tallarico was at the E for All Expo from October 18-21, and there he announced that, due to copyright issues, the CD was delayed until the Christmas season. Furthermore, the album could be delayed until 2008 if EMI Classics, the publisher, decides that they don’t want the album competing with other albums released around Christmas.

You can console yourself with this tracklist:

1. The Legend of Zelda® - Symphonic Suite
2. Warcraft® Suite
3. Civilization IV Medley
4. Final Fantasy® Piano Medley
5. Advent Rising Suite
6. Tron Montage
7. Sonic™ the Hedgehog – Symphonic Suite
8. Myst® Medley
9. Super Mario Bros.™ - Symphonic Suite
10. Mario™ Piano Medley
11. Halo® Suite
12. Final Fantasy® VII – “One-Winged Angel” Live

Check out the full composer/arranger/performer breakdown at the album’s listing at VGMdb.

Audio is also excellent, thanks largely to the top-notch soundtrack. Much of the music is made up of classic Mario tunes from a wide variety of different games, and it’s all modernized and orchestrated. These are some of the best renditions of these tracks since the originals, and you’re sure to be humming along as you play. - Alex Navarro, GameSpot

We’d be totally remiss if we didn’t gush about the amazing soundtrack too. Along with the cutesy classic Mario sound effects, the game features an amazing orchestrated original soundtrack that will surely go down in history as Nintendo’s best first-party effort to date. We found ourselves purposely hanging around on certain levels just to enjoy the fine new renditions of old-school tunes. - Bryn Williams, GameSpy

For what seems like forever Nintendo has been reluctant to use orchestrated music in its games. Super Mario Galaxy may seem like an unlikely candidate to get the aural upgrade, but once you hear the incredible music you’ll be thankful the developers went the extra mile. With over 26 orchestrated pieces, the music in Galaxy is the best ever in any Mario game. Not only does it sound epic, it is epic. The tracks are wonderfully composed and match the levels perfectly. Throw in a few remixes from Super Mario Bros. 3 and Mario 64 and fans will be soaking up the music in no time. - Craig Majaski, Gaming Age

And so on. The reviews for Super Mario Galaxy are almost universally positive, praising the game’s level design and gameplay, visuals, and, most importantly as far as VG Frequency is concerned, the soundtrack. There are several different things that can be referred to by “Club Nintendo,” but the one we most care about here is the Japanese Club Nintendo, a rewards club for Japanese consumers only. Points can be received from purchasing Nintendo products and be redeemed for nifty goodies. The latest batch of rewards are out:

The choices are a Wii Classic Controller shaped like an SNES controller, a Mario desk calendar, and a two disc soundtrack to Super Mario Galaxy. The soundtrack has 81 tracks: the 28 orchestrated ones that I’ve mentioned twice previously and 53 other synthesized tracks. The soundtrack says “Platinum Version” on the cover; no idea yet whether this means that another version of the soundtrack will be offered later, perhaps more generally to people other than Club Nintendo members. Those lucky stiffs.

Last week, classical video game arrangement sextet (dirty!) Select Start were profiled by the Gainesville Sun’s Kyle Mitchell alongside other acts in the Northeast Florida area performing last Wednesday at 1982.

Aside from the article (”The legend of Koji inspires”) flubbing a reference to “Axel F”, Mitchell does the band proud, underscoring how playing the classic, catchy melodies of Koji Kondo turns out to be anything but simplistic when adapted to a six-piece performance.A quick read from the Sun, but a good one, so give it a look. Be ready when the group takes MAGFest 6 by storm this coming January in Alexandria, VA.

On October 28, François Bezeau, better known as Rimo, finally launched VGM Rush, a site dedicated to Western VGM; that’s “Western” as in American, European, etc. as opposed to Asian, not “Western” as in Wild West cowboys and outlaws. The site features composer credits for a bunch of different games, associated soundtrack, arrangement, and original albums, and composer biographies and full works lists. VGM Rush is still less than a month old and obviously still growing, but it’s got some very good content for something so new and is definitely worth checking out.

One example of the burgeoning content is an interview posted on November 7 with Alexander Brandon, who composed for such games as Tyrian, Jazz Jackrabbit 2, and Deus Ex. The interview is excellent, covering Brandon’s game compositions, original work (including his latest original album, Era’s End), thoughts on the industry, and a whole slew of other good stuff. Brandon himself stated that the interview is “the most in depth interview [he’s] ever done.”

VGM Rush: Were you ever limited by a director when composing for a certain project or did you always write with complete freedom?

Alexander Brandon: I felt Deus Ex: Invisible War was more sparse than it should have been. The design lead really pushed “Thief” as a reference. Don’t get me wrong, I love that game series and all the audio in it, however DX I think has more depth to its gameplay choices and the music should have reflected that.

For just about all my other projects I provided solid reasoning into my decisions for either my writing or composers I would hire, and sometimes I’d get the usual “that sounds like a synthesizer” argument, to which I have a very powerful arsenal of responses now, but for the most part its complete freedom these days.

Just read the whole thing already. You won’t regret it.

I mentioned last month that Super Mario Galaxy’s soundtrack was going to feature some live orchestrated tracks. On November 8, Jayson Napolitano of Music 4 Games scored an interview with the two composers of SMG, Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota.

M4G: Video footage has been released showing an orchestra recording session for Super Mario Galaxy. How much of the score is being orchestrated? The music itself sounds like it’s from a Zelda game given its epic approach. Was this your aim with the score for Super Mario Galaxy?

Mahito Yokota: 28 tunes have been orchestrated, including the ones performed by smaller sized orchestras. We were not especially conscious of Zelda, but we were making music in order to make them match well with game tempo of Mario Galaxy and image that people explore the magnificent universe. I think you will notice when you play the game that tempo is very much constant, although rhythm of the music may be epic, because we prepared orchestrated tunes that will well suit tempo of the game play. On the other hand, when we create synthesizer music, we were looking toward melodious music for the orchestrated score, while we were putting emphasis on the atmosphere.

Koji Kondo: We created an orchestra score this time, because we wanted to express magnificence of the universe and cool ambiance. We created game music that matches with the game universe, which brought about totally different taste compared with the tropical image of previous Mario music.

Early reports on the music are that it’s quite good. Read the full interview.

The most popular forums on the internet aren’t the Something Awful forums or the GameFAQs message boards. No, that distinction belongs to Gaia Online, an anime-themed message board where users create a virtual character as an avatar and, through performing activities on the site like posting and playing games, receive site currency that they can use to buy items like clothing for their avatar, furnishings for a virtual home, etc. You can make new friends, trade items, and do all sorts of other nifty stuff that amuse the thirteen year old Toonami-watching set.

Well, Gaia Online is creating a free web-based MMORPG called Gaia Battle, which will presumably tie in with forum accounts and everything else like that.

But the world is not composed of only combat-oriented challenges. There are many ways to play in this world, whether doing favors for characters in the world, playing games, meeting at dance halls or in towns, or just simply exploring the landscape.

“But wait, CHz,” you should be saying quite loudly to your computer monitor, “why should anyone who’s outgrown practice internets care? And even if we did, why are you mentioning it on VG Frequency of all places?”

Well, like most games nowadays, this one will have music. And on tap as one of the composers is Yasunori Mitsuda:

We are privileged to have contracted music from a well-known and extremely talented game music composer, Yasunori Mitsuda-san. (Mr. Mitsuda’s wikipedia entry is quite impressive : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasunori_Mitsuda )

We are also very close to contracting with another brilliant composer with some incredible new ideas for music within an MMO. Details on that are forthcoming, but stay tuned!

That’s right, Yasunori “Chrono Trigger” Mitsuda.

You heard me. Yasunori “Xenogears” Mitsuda.

Yasunori “Bomberman 64: The Second Attack!“^* Mitsuda.

So, what exactly is Mitsuda doing composing music for a free MMORPG? Who knows. They must be loaded! Or maybe he works on the cheap. In either case, there’s one sample track embedded into the page confirming Mitsuda as a composer.

Something to look forward to?

*: Some day I’ll return to doing those cool columns.

Two industry leaders in the video game industry team up to give lucky fans the chance to win a customized DreamAuthentics Katana Arcade Cabinet

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN — November 1, 2007) - DreamAuthentics, manufacturer of the official video arcade cabinet of the Video Games Live concert series, will give one lucky gamer at each show in North America the chance to win the newest custom-built personal cabinet—the Katana. Video Games Live™ is an immersive concert experience that features music from the biggest video games of all time, performed by the world’s most respected orchestras and choirs. The contest will kick off with the Los Angeles concert on October 19 at the Nokia Theatre.

“We are excited to give a Video Games Live fan the chance to win the most authentic, customized video arcade experience available,” said Rick Barretto, President and CEO of DreamAuthentics. “The winner will get to enjoy the newest addition to our lineup of arcade cabinets, the tabletop-sized Katana, valued at $2,495. It offers the ultimate in home entertainment, with over 200 video games and our customized jukebox feature.”

One Video Games Live attendee will be selected at random to play Space Invaders™ on stage during each show. If he or she can clear the entire first level of Space Invaders in two minutes, the attendee will take home DreamAuthentics’ Katana complete with Video Games Live custom artwork.

The Katana is fully integrated and ready to play with a custom PC-based game engine, a 17 or 19 inch flat screen display, over 200 licensed classic arcade games, and a two-speaker arcade audio system with subwoofer and exclusive jukebox features. The Katana’s custom computer platform can play any PC based video game, from favorite arcade classics to latest PC game titles. Users can also watch DVDs, listen to MP3s, surf the Internet, or hook up their XBOX®, PlayStation® or Wii™.

“The Katana contest with DreamAuthentics is very exciting for us and our audiences,” said Video Games Live™ co-creator and executive producer Tommy Tallarico. “The opportunity to play classic arcade games at home is a dream come true for any video game enthusiast.”

Video Games Live™ is a complete celebration of the video game industry which includes pre- and post-show festival activities such as costume contests, playable game demos, game competitions and meet-and-greets with game designers and composers. Video Games Live™ bridges a gap for entertainment by exposing new generations of music lovers and fans to a symphonic orchestral experience while also providing a completely new and unique experience for families and/or non-gamers. Video Games Live is the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra mixed with the excitement and energy of a rock concert and the technology and interactivity of a video game - all completely synchronized to amazing cutting-edge video screen visuals, state-of-the-art lighting and special on-stage interactive segments with the audience.

For additional information about DreamAuthentics visit www.DreamAuthentics.com or call 800.789.8424. To learn more about Video Games Live, visit www.videogameslive.com or for information about current tour dates around the word visit http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=dates.

About DreamAuthentics
DreamAuthentics is the leading manufacturer of custom built Personal Video Arcade cabinets that play both classic and modern video games. Game cabinets come with a built-in PC and can be fully customized with steel and lighted joysticks, custom graphics and advanced gaming options. DreamAuthentics arcade cabinets are available for purchase online at www.dreamauthentics.com.

About Video Games Live™
Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live™ (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the frontrunner in the field of live video game music performance. Video Games Live™ is an immersive concert event celebration featuring music from the biggest video games of all time. To purchase tickets visit www.videogameslive.com.

###

Sam Kennedy and Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com recently interviewed Hitoshi Sakimoto about his music, composition process, and all that jazz. The questions are a bit hit and miss at times (the interviewers make a big deal about Sakimoto’s strong melodies, a sentiment I don’t particularly agree with), but there are some decent parts:

1UP: You have an awesome studio; you have fans all around the world. It seems like you’ve got a pretty sweet setup. Do you look at all of this like a dream come true? And if not, what would be a dream come true for you?

HS: I don’t view it as a dream come true, to be honest. I started out as a game player, loving games. Then I got interested in the production of the games — that led me to where I am right now. I’ve always strived to create new things, to keep moving on and on and on. It’s not like my dream has come true — I feel like I’m perhaps only midway there. If, one day, I create something that is so satisfying that I know I couldn’t do better, I could maybe tell you then. But who knows if I’ll ever reach that point? Until then, though, I don’t look at this as my dream come true. That said, it’s very often difficult for people to reach others in different parts of the world. What I love about videogames and music is that it’s not as difficult to reach other parts of the world because these mediums don’t necessarily require language — you can feel or hear them. Also, the Internet era has pretty much taken away a lot of the borders between nations, so I feel very lucky to be alive in this time. I enjoy the opportunity to reach people overseas.

The coolest part of the interview is undoubtedly the fact that it took place and was videotaped in Sakimoto’s studio, so we can get a peek at where Sakimoto makes his music.

Actually, the best part is that, even though he’s a big name composer, his studio is still in his basement.

Read and watch the full interview here.