You. Me. Outside. Now

Some gaming deathmatches I would like to see:

Kratos (God of War) vs Amaterasui (Okami)

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7) vs Kefka (Final Fantasy 6)

Samus Aran (Metroid) vs Femshep (Mass Effect)

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) vs Nathan Drake (Uncharted)

Kratos (God of War) vs The Master (Actraiser)

Morrigan (Dragon Age Origins) vs Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)

Shodan (System Shock 2) vs GlaDOS (Portal)

Wander (Shadow of the Colossus) vs. James Sutherland (Silent Hill 2)

Vaan (Final Fantasy XII) vs. Vyse (Skies of Arcadia)

Aerith (Final Fantasy 7) vs. Nei (Phantasy Star 2)

Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy 7) vs. Taki (Soul Calibur 3)

Duke Nukem vs. Sonic the Hedgehog

31 Songs (addendum)

And so the month that was the Planet of Sound series, comes to an end. And I can tell you: Choosing the thirty one songs that made up the serial was not an easy task - let alone writing a paragraph each to go with them! There were so many other great video game tunes I wanted to include but to cut the selection down to thirty one was a tough call - as such many other tunes I liked had to be discarded.
But having said, there's no reason why the one's that didn't make the cut shouldn't get their moment in the sun. So, to wrap this serial up, I present some of the tunes that didn't make the list. Some of them were victims of my self-imposed restrictions and others had to be cut out for slack of room.
So, for the final part of the serial, may I present the rank outsiders:

Xenon 2: Megablast

For the unfamiliar, Xenon 2: Megablast was a game that, for it's day, was a big hit on the Amiga. It was put together by the legendary Bitmap Brothers who, at the time, pushing the idea of software developers into the public eye and incorporating well-known musicians into their works. Of course, this sounds old hat now but it was unique at the time (late eighties). And thus the theme for Xenon 2 was an accurate recreation of the song Megablast done by Bomb the Bass - which is in itself a remix of the theme to Assault on Precinct 13.
Of course, it seems quite unfair to have commercially available tracks in my list so thus it didn't make the cut. But damn, what a rockin' theme this - somehow perfect for gunning down enemies by the hundreds.


Shadow of the Beast - Title theme

Another lost treasure from the Commodore Amiga. I must admit I never played this game (thus automatically preventing it from making the cut) and it's only in recent years, through the magic of youtube, that I came across this theme. But what a stunning theme it is: It's a freaky theme that sounds genuinely scary with it's odd percussion and shrilling flutes. It's truly the sound of an evil forest wherein beasts lie and evil acts are being committed.
And it would seem that if you go to down the woods today you're in for a BIG surprise.....


Truxton - Far Away

Another theme I remember fondly from my childhood. It's a rocking theme and somehow fitting for flying through space and gunning down anything dumb enough to stand in your way.
I know I've been critical of the musical capabilities of the Megadrive before but you know what? I think this is actually much better then it's original arcade counterpart. Somehow, the original comes across as being a bit stiff whilst this seems much more energetic.
So why didn't this make the cut then? That's a very good question. Either space was limited or I didn't think of it at the time. Oh well, it get's it's own place here then!


ActRaiser - Filmore

This should've made the cut but alas, space was limited. Nevertheless, here it is in all it's sword-swinging, demon-smiting glory.
It's a rockin' theme driven entirely by the bass line. Indeed the latter deserves particular theme as it really grabs the attention of the listener and really delivers a sound that one wouldn't think possible on the SNES. The bass makes the tune rumble and drives it forward in a manner that would've made Cliff Burton proud.
Other than that, this is a grandiose theme perfectly fitting for a god. And for smiting demons with a huge sword.


Oh No More Lemmings - Ingame 4

This too should've made the cut: Oh No More Lemmings is loaded to the gills with maddeningly catchy tunes (again all sounding much better on the Amiga than anywhere else) so it was difficult to choose one. That and it was hard to find on youtube. But no matter: It's for the reason of making these tunes heard that this addendum was created.
As mentioned above, the music in Oh No More Lemmings have to be amazingly catchy. It sounds goofy but even now I see such a simple catchy melody - not unlike a children's nursery rhyme - and a load of colours laid on top of it. It may sound simple but really there is a lot of complexity being put to work. Indeed, I think that years later I can still recall these tunes and catch myself unwittingly humming them.
Thus it is hard for me to choose one because they're all so damn memorable. But I think this is the I like the best. Not sure why but I fear that if I try to explain it, it may lose significance. So lets move on shall we?


Daytona USA

Sure nowadays we may laugh at the bad Engrish and the unrelenting refrain of "Daytooooooonnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" but I think that's the key to the theme's success. The refrain commands attention - which is exactly what an arcade game must do in order to reap the change from any passerby's. As a selling point it works a treat as people can remember the theme years later. It also doesn't that the theme is a fantastically energetic and rockin' theme - perfect for a racing game.
Again, I'm not sure why this made the cut. Maybe the fact that the refrain is the only part people remembering held it back. Maybe, again, I didn't think of it at the time - cut no matter. With this post, I now provide an excuse to shout out "Daytooooooonnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"


Panzer Dragoon - Flight

Another tune from a game I never played. True I've played Zwei (however briefly) but the first Panzer Dragoon game eluded me. Thus, it didn't make the cut. Sure there were some tunes from games I've never played that did make the cut (ie Chrono Cross and Shining Force 3) but for me they work just as well outside the game - which is rarer than one would think.
Still, this addendum was written to give those that didn't make the cut some attention so, lets talk Flight:
As time marches on, the series that is Panzer Dragoon will keep descending into a legendary status. It had some great ideas and wonderful art direction but sadly, it wasn't played by enough people. Sure there have been attempts to remake it but Team Andromeda has since folded and scattered - thus ensuring that there will never be another quite like it. Sure Panzer Dragoon Saga may endure as gaming's Holy Grail with the passing of time, it;s looking increasingly clear that the Panzer Dragoon series will never reappear to satisfy the longing of those who want to play it (like me!).
Yet scraps of information on the series remain on youtube: not least this wonderful theme. I love the orchestral arrangement in this theme and it fits perfectly the mood of flying across deserts on the back of a majestic dragon. Not much else I can say bar I love this theme - even if I never have (and probably never will) played the game it's from.


And with that, this serial comes to a conclusion. I hope you enjoyed reading this and you've come away from it having discovered something new. Until next time, may the music last forever. Cheers!

Degeneration (no.4)

And thus we arrive to the fourth generation.

Now those who’ve been following this series will note that my recollections seem somewhat hazy. This is due to things being experienced out of order and exact moments in my gaming history are difficult to pinpoint.
But now all that is changed. Because I can recall one particular moment that sold me over: It remains burned in my memory as a turning point and, in retrospect, marks my true beginning as a gamer. And that moment was this:

Megadrive (or as some of you call it Genesis)

I recall reading through my brother’s video game magazine and was hit by a full page ad for Sonic the Hedgehog. And, like hundreds of other people, it was all over. I had know idea who this blue guy was but I was sold with his big eyes, cocky grin and a general ‘bring it on’ disposition. Naturally, this led me gravitating towards the Megadrive.



Needless to say, when I finally saw one in action, I wasn’t disappointed. It seemed a world apart form the eight bit games I had seen before. Of course this was all 16-bit but it seemed beefier: Anything seemed possible within this new gaming technology, with colourful graphics, large worlds to explore and character that would be impossible to replicate on the Master System, NES or Commodore 64.
As luck would have it, my cousin had one so many times were spent talking about games and playing them to death. Many memories were built up and some I still recall: Playing two player games of Golden Axe 2, the theme to the first level of Truxton, the character of Rocket Knight Adventures, being floored by the rotoscoped graphics to Flashback, playing an ace conversion of the Mortal Kombat arcade, being impressed by the tactical pace of Jungle Strike, being blown away by both Sonic and being excited about the arrival of Tails in Sonic 2 (and subsequently laughing by how many times he died through following Sonic).

However looking back through an adult perspective, there is a lot that hasn’t aged well in the world of the Megadrive. A lot of games have aged horribly (most of them being part of the pre-Sonic era when this new technology was being figured out) through lousy graphics, crummy sounds and being dull to play. Many game soundtracks now sound dreadful given the limited sound prowess of the console (ie Shining Force 2) and many games were really overshadowed by Sonic. True sport games had a field day on the Megadrive, the Shining series had some gems and the Phantasy Star’s importance as a pioneering RPG series can never be overlooked but beyond Sonic, one would struggle to come up with an equally important IP – whereas Nintendo had how many? Three? Five?

But in the terms of building a lasting impression, the Megadrive is in a class of it’s own. It’s arrival opened my eyes to the world of gaming: I discovered there was a world waiting for me and I charged right in: I read the CVG magazines my brother collected. I sought out the NES and the Master System. I became aware of Sonic’s intent to usurp the throne of some guy called Mario. I talked games with my classmates and built up bonds through common interests. I began to grow excited of the game that resided in the arcade machine. I built up an ear to the ground and grew excited about the hype machine (the arrival of Streetfighter 2 to home computers and the afore-mentioned arrival of Tails being two such examples). The wall may have been chipped previously, but this was a breakthrough. And it all came in the form of Sega’ s little black box.

SNES
Having spent the previous paragraphs gushing about the Megadrive it’s fair to say that I spent the fourth console generation as a Sega fanboy. So is there anything I can say about the other camp? Why yes there is.

I recall the SNES being really popular in it’s day: Even to the point when the Nintendo fans recovered ground lost by the Megadrive and, as before, outnumbering us Sega fans. But it was not without good reason. Now whilst I had a lot of focus towards the Megadrive, I will admit there some instances of the some Nintendo games slipping through the cracks. Through visiting friends at the time, I remember quite a bit: Getting my claws on Super Mario World and being impressed by how the familiar can be revamped quite dramatically, Playing Yoshi’s Island and thinking how the bizarre can actually come across as something very enjoyable, plunging headlong into the world that was Super Metroid and being very impressed with Donkey Kong Country.



But my own experiences with the SNES really come in two halves: With my childhood years and with my adult years. As described in the previous paragraph the childhood years were nothing more than flirtations but come my adult years, it was something completely different.
You see, it’s only in past few years that I started playing SNES games again – thus heralding the end of many years of wandering in the wilderness. In that period, I set about rediscovering the type of stuff that my comrades were doing years before. I hunted down many games that escaped my notice the first time and, needless to say, I found them very enjoyable. Even now it does indeed blow my mind that a game I noticed when I was a child could still work for me as an adult.

In fact, this perception of the SNES is an interesting counterpoint to the Megadrive: Whereas I can easily find a lot of things with Megadrive games that have been dated in the years since, this does not to be the case with the SNES library. I have played and enjoyed the likes of Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, Actraiser, Terranigma, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy 4 & 6 and, of course, Chrono Trigger. All of which hold up remarkably well in this age of hi-def graphics. An obvious point would be the high quality game play the game is built around has outlasted many of trends that has come since the game’s initial release but the same could be said at an aesthetic level: Many of the SNES game are still as beautiful to look at now as the day they were released. I’m still impressed by how much detail can be squeezed out of such graphical limitations. And many of the music in games still hold up – and it seems that, through the presence of orchestral arrangements and remixes, many will agree with me. I love the Final Fantasy music (who doesn’t?), I rate the Secret of Mana very highly, and I think some of Link to the Past music outdoes many of the successive Legend of Zelda games.
Indeed, it’s fair to say that many games on the SNES have withstood the test of time very well – in fact, it makes one wonder whether the games we’re playing now will have similarly staying power ten years from now…
But one must take the good with the bad and in the SNES’ case I can see a problem: If the NES was something of a franchise starter, then the SNES is where the franchises took root. And to does raise the problem in that everyone was playing the same damn thing – even to the expense of the other titles. Granted it’s because the games were great but even now, you ask someone which was the best game on the SNES and they reply with the usual suspects: Super Mario World, Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 (even as I type this I can see myself repeating myself and it’s damn depressing). Indeed, if you challenge anyone to name the best game on the SNES without mentioning those made by Nintendo or Square and they’ll struggle to say the least. Indeed, it’s this sense of entrenchment that may be costing Nintendo even now….

But criticism aside, the SNES was indeed one of the finest consoles ever made, blessed with superb titles and technological prowess. It represents for me staying power in games and a shining example of how something can last, and keep calling me back, years later. It’s a bastion still standing no matter what time, age and technological developments can throw against it.

Phew, what a mammoth post. No matter: I had a lot to say and I'm glad to have it said. See you this time next time next week for a shock to the system....