Game Music: My Favorites – Numbero 14: My week off!

eJa4GAr More articles about gaming music

So, I got a week off last week. I was planning to relax, but I did a lot of other things. From family stuff to studying and working for my evening classes. I also got sick in the last few days. Which is a major bummer since I could have done a bit more if I was less sick. In any case, I think it’s time to write another article about gaming music. Also, thank you Kitami for providing me with this art. I was planning to use it a while ago for a new series I had in mind, but I kind of put it on hold. In any case… If you are new to this series of mine, I listen a lot to game music. It keeps me focused at work and it can cheer me up when I’m down. I try to avoid duplicates on this list. Also, one track per franchise per article. For example, no two Zelda tracks in one article… But in two, just fine. Also, no remixes except when I tell otherwise in the introduction. So, are you ready for a few tracks that are lately playing quite a lot for me…? And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the music and or the games.

Giana Sisters – Twisted Dreams (PC) ~ Dark Giana Track 2

Giana-Sisters-review First Impression

I wasn’t lying in my first impression article. The music in this game is truly amazing. It wasn’t an easy one to pick just one track from this game’s soundtrack.

After some time deciding, I chose this one. Just the mix of chiptune and rock vibe is mind blowing. If only I could play guitar and play this track. But that won’t be for any time soon, since I couldn’t even play the flute back in high school.

Why did I choose this track? Well, because it reminded me a lot of the original game. It might be a re-imaging but damn, the remake of this track is truly well done. Also, I’m still surprised how they were able to mix elements of chiptune and rock so well together.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (DS) ~ Objection! 2004

Pw3-cover-english

I’m disappointed at Capcom for cancelling the Ace Attorney spin off. Well, not exactly cancelling. The Great Ace Attorney. Oh well, I hope I can find a playthrough with English subtitles somewhere on the internet. Thankfully, they are bringing Ace Attorney 6 to the west.

I once tried to write a rant about Japanese games never getting a western release, but it didn’t turn out that well. Because I was listing to this nicely made track from the Ace Attorney series.

That reminds me, I should write an article about the Ace Attorney games I didn’t take a look at yet. I’ll put that on my ever growing list of games I want to review or write about.

In any case, I don’t think I need to explain why this is one of my favorite game series. Go dig around on my blog, you will find a couple of articles why I think this is one of the best series ever.

Virtue’s Last Reward (3DS) ~ Blue Bird Lamentation

Virtues_Last_Reward Review

This. Song. It gets me every time. Just like the “Don’t Say Goodbye” songs at the end of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon… The writing, the atmosphere and the presentation make this a hard to swallow track. Then, they add a track like this. It will play with your feelings. And it will give it a hard slap. Not once, but at least twice.

Just play this game and when you get to this point, when the song plays… You will understand why I’m saying this. I wrote this part of the article at least three times since each and every time, I just wrote the same thing twice. The emotions that this music triggers is just that strong to me.

It’s a damn shame I forgot about this amazing track in all my other game music articles. But I have another “excuse” to talk about this track. They finally, FINALLY announced the sequel and it’s coming to the west! Heaven YES!

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS) ~ Boss Theme One

Now, here is a game I really should play again one day. It’s a game I nearly finished before somehow I lost my save file. If I remember correctly, I stupidly saved while I was in a new game. Yeah, that mistake. All those hours in a RPG, lost.

Well, back in 2012, there was an article floating around that there might be a new Golden Sun in the making if the fans asked for it. I’m really curious if the developers are making a new Golden Sun title. It would give me a reason to play the games. This is one of the games I always want to play but another game comes and distracts me. But I’m sure, one day I will actually play this game again. I’m sure of it!

Oh yeah… The music. I nearly forgot. The music of the first boss was the most memorable to me. Recently, I got the tune back in my head for some reason… It might be a sign. A sign that I need to play this game.

Age of Empires 2 (PC) ~ Music 10

1362731523 First Impression

Well, recently I replayed Age Of Empires II HD Edition with my friends. Various memories came back to me. Memories from playing sessions when I played a lot of this game and memories from when I played this game with my sister.

This game was a big part of my childhood. I always played some singleplayer maps where I tried to conquer my enemies with various tactics. The “funny” thing is that I’m really bad in choosing what units are effective. So, yes, I’m not that good at the game. But I still had and I’m still having a lot of fun with this game. Now, I only wish that they make a remake of the original Age Of Empires game for Steam. That would be a real blessing. Now, I have to use my retro game PC to play the original.

In any case, I think that this song is one of my favorites. Oh, if you wonder about the name… I wasn’t able to find the names of each track. Somehow I wasn’t able to find the original names of this track. If you know, feel free to leave me a comment and I will fix it in my article.

Oh, and the new upcoming content for this series makes me almost forget that we, most likely, will never see Age Of Empires 4.

Wrapping up

I used this article to also talk a bit about announcements of games that are coming to us. Games that I’m truly excited about. Just today, I learned about Age Of Mythology’s new expansion pack. I linked an article from the official website. Also, are they creating a new expansion pack for Age Of Empires II HD?

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully, you guys and girls discovered some new and nice music to listen too. In any case, I hope to welcome you in another article but until then, game on~.

Gaming Music – My Favorites #13: Not unlucky.

photo-1024x768 Link to my previous music articles.

It has been a while since I wrote one of these, is it not? Well, it’s time to fix that. I wanted to do something special for the 13th article of this series, but the only thing I was able to come up with is 13 tracks. I’m sorry, but that’s a bit overkill. Anyways, for the people who don’t know this series on my blog… In these articles I talk about some game music tracks and why I think they are really good. I try to always link to a sort of extended version or at least a high quality one. I have a rule where I can’t talk about more then one track of a game (series) per article. I think I might have broken my other rule of trying to always get unique tracks. If you see me do that, feel free to point it out! That way I will try to do something unique in the next article. Anyways, enough talk! Put on your headset and get ready for some, according to me, amazing game music! (And as always, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the music, games and/or your own favorite game music.)

Europa Universalis 4 (PC) ~ Battle of Lepanto

EuropaUniversalisIV_Packshot_edited I think this is one of the best tracks in the entire EU IV soundtrack. It starts off kind of calm but around the 2 minute mark, that completely changes. When I close my eyes while listing to this I imagine an epic battle, where the camera slowly pans around like in those medieval war movies.

The chanting is perfect. It adds some additional flavour to the track and it makes it that more exciting to try and win your battle.

And what I adore even more about this track is that near the end, it goes to a calm-ish vibe again. Like it wants you to take a step back (or zoom out) to look how the situation is. Maybe I’m looking way too deep into this track, but it’s the vibe I actually get from this masterpiece of game music.

First Impression of this game.

Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl (3DS) ~ Battlefield – Dyed in Scarlet

If you read my previous article, then you should already know that I’m enjoying this game quite a lot. I also praised the music for being ear-candy. If I didn’t, well, then I do it now.

This is the music that plays when you fight one of the bosses. And this sounds just amazing. It really sets the mood for an epic battle. And let me tell you, the battle with that boss is tough. You won’t be able to beat it that easily. The build-up to the boss is also incredible. Making the music sound that much better.

I have to admit that once I just put my 3DS down to enjoy the music and forgot about the battle I was in for at least 5 to 7 minutes. Now, that is proof that this is good music to me.

Kirby’s Dream Land (GB) ~ Bubbly Clouds

When I was looking through my game collection for some inspiration for this list, I found this gem of a game. I got this game as a present from my aunt. I was a bit jealous of my sister, since she got the sequel, where the copy ability was present.

But did that stop me from enjoying this game? Oh hell no. The first time I finished this game was on one of those long car rides from Belgium to Austria to have a nice relaxing walking holiday in the summer. Man, I remember bringing my gameboy into the mountain woods and play this game. Reaching this level, the 4th one if I recall correctly, and then looking around me to take in the scenery… Those are some amazing childhood memories.

SmoothMcGroove did his magic on this tune. Go listen to it right here.

Doom (PC) ~ E1M1 At Doom’s Gate

Doom_cover_art

So, first of all… this is one for you buddy. MiseryLC, my best friend loves this game to death. And I think he has a very good point. I used to play the demo of this game over and over again.

I haven’t grown up with any oldschool console or PC games. I grew up with a Gameboy. But each time I felt like playing some old school games, since my pc couldn’t handle newer games… I kept coming back to idSoftware.

This song takes me back to those memories. But lately, it’s reminding me of the amazing friendship I have with my best friend at the moment. Also, his birthday is in the near future. Here is to more years to come man! We shall make it a wonderful day!

Editorial note: the game I actually played the most is the more fantasy based game: Heretic. Just something in that game was a bit more interesting to me then Doom. I’m not saying it’s better then Doom… Nah, in my eyes, they are equals.

Ace Attorney – Miles Edgeworth – Investigations 2 (DS) ~ Objection 2011

AAI2Coverenglish

First Impression (of the fan translation)

Man, is this a great game. Finally, we get a better look into Miles and his friends’ personalities. If you thought that the first game was great, then go play the fan translated sequel.

The music is also just great. I love hearing the familiar, yet very fresh tune. One of my favorite tracks in this game is the one I selected for this article. It plays when you finally proved the lies you expose. It’s so upbeat and adds to the rewarding feeling you get.

Also, I have almost fully finished the game. So, that means I might write a full review on this game in the near future. So, stay tuned for that.

Wrapping up

So, there you have it. 5 songs added to my ever growing list of amazing game music. I hope you enjoyed listening to them. If you have suggestions, never be afraid to contact me.

I love gaming music. Quite a lot. To the point that I listen to this amazing website called RadioNintendo, every day at work and lately when I’m writing articles. Well, certain articles…. because with articles like reviews, I play the game soundtrack in the background so I can better visualize the game while writing.

But check the site out guys, the owner is quite a cool guy and the small community is starting to grow over time. It’s quite lovely to see. While the site might have a hick-up here and there, it’s some quite impressive coding.

In any case, I think I’m going to wrap up this article right here. Thanks for reading and until the next one. Until then, take care & game on.

Gaming Music – Number 7: Moar good tracks

First Impression: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 5 – Dual Destiny’s (3DS – eShop) ~ Silence!

The Japanese box-art because we only got an eShop release.

Wikipedia entry

After my anger towards Capcom for not releasing Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth Investegations 2 on the DS, I finally got my hands on a new official Ace Attorney game. And this in brand new 3D! Pokémon Y has to wait, I have a client to defend. Yes, you read it correctly, I choose a 3rd party game over an official Nintendo game. But don’t worry, I’ll write my review of Pokemon X & Y soon. Anyways, this game is excellent. And this article is meant to convince you even more to download and play it. It’s cheap, extremely cheap in fact. You pay half of the price you would pay for a normal Ace Attorney game. So before I start this first impression, I’m at the start of the 3rd case. That’s the mid-way point. If you take that all cases are of the same length. Yet, comparing it to previous installments, the later the case, the longer it is. Anyways, in the Ace Attorney series you play as an attorney or a prosecutor in the spin-off Miles Edgeworth: Investigations. Your goal is to search crime scenes, question suspects to get enough evidence to be able to defend your client against everything the prosecution throws at you in court. It’s a visual novel adventure game, and it’s a hidden gem series to be honest. So, before I continue, let me know in the comments what you think of this game and/or this review. Anyways, let’s start!

Wright is back!

For real, Phoenix Wright is back in full force. In one of the previous installments we learned that Phoenix Wright actually stopped being a lawyer. If you play Apollo Justice, you’ll learn why. I won’t spoil anything here. But one thing is clear, this game is filled with references to anime’s and older Ace Attorney games. Yet, you don’t need to have played the previous installments to enjoy the extremely well done writing.

The writing is funny at time and makes for a great laugh. The characters are memorable and well done. They are believable and are a great addition to the great cast of characters. I’m a bit bummed out that some characters won’t appear in this new installment, yet I might speak before my turn. (And an objection will be raised in my face).

And not only the extremely well done writing is back, it’s now presented in an extremely better way. Gone are the days you skipped over text, you can now scroll back in the dialogues. A long awaited addition. Thanks for finally adding this. I’ll directly mention the extremely handy fact that the save feature is better implemented. Now you have a button to save on the touch screen and wait… what’s this? Two save slots?! Yes, you have two locations to save your progress. And it saves extremely fast! That’s neat.

Anyways, back to the story part. This time around, some parts of the story are presented with anime cut-scenes and they look brilliant. I love when one comes on and the voice acting is how it should be! Well done and on the spot good. I love how you now hear more of the voices of the characters outside the “objection” and “hold it” phrases. All in all, the story and it’s presentation is top notch.

Pretty neat!

Besides the story, the game got a graphical update that blew me off my socks. It’s a game where I don’t mind having the 3D slider on. It’s visuals look sharper and pop out even more with the 3D. The art style is what the series needed all along.

This game is a visual eye candy for anime games. The animation is superb. I like how some locations look alive when you come to them, like flags blowing in the wind and various other details. It makes the game have more immersion.

The UI (= User Interface) got an upgrade as well. It controls a lot smoother and it’s how it should be all along.

The character animation itself is just a tip of the mountain of amazing design that this game has. The fact that this game looks more realistic like seeing the crowd behind the defendant makes the scene much more alive. The camera often zooms out to show a view of the whole court room and when you have the 3D slider on, this game blows you away.

The gameplay just got some neat tweaks as well. Your partner will tell when you have everything at a certain location and that makes getting stuck a lot less frequent. Also, the notes that Apollo uses makes for a great check list if you may get stuck. You also can call in help of your partner who’ll say which statement is the one you’ll need to present evidence on when you failed several times in the cross examination.

Is there something bad?

Of course, I’ll continue to praise this game. But there is one thing that I dislike. The fact that there might be future DLC. Why Capcom, why? -Sigh- If this is the only bad thing about this game, I can let it slip.

The music is like expected top notch. And before you all get mad, if a DS game series gets it’s music in a concert, that’s something. If a DS game series get it’s own movie… Yeah, then you have a great game on your hands.

I already explained how everything got better compared to the previous entries and it really is that way. The better UI, nicer visuals, improved animation, anime cut-scenes… I can’t get enough of this game. My college work might suffer if this game continues to be this good. So yeah, I might need to give my 3DS to someone so I can still concentrate on my college work.

This game’s price is a steal. It’s only 25€. Just wanted to mention that.

Also, some old elements with Apollo return from his installment. Yet, the new mood matrix gameplay, which I didn’t have the luck to play around with it often, is extremely interesting. It provides a new and refreshing element for the new and veteran players.

In terms of length, this game is pretty lengthy, yet I’m hoping that the 3rd, 4th and 5th case keep me playing for a long time. Since this game has been released 3-4 days ago and I would love it if this game lasted me more then a week or two. Oh well, if you play on a game as often as I do on this game, I can’t be helped I guess.

So, that’s going to be it for this first impression. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Give this game a chance and you’ll understand why this game is worth it’s purchase. Now, I’m going to sit down and continue to play this wonderful gem of a game.

Review: Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney (DS) review ~ Objection!

Oh no, on my own blog I got questioned about a mediocre game, and now I find out that I’m sued. Can this day get any worse. I was just trying to publish content and enjoy my day. When I was working on new video’s and finishing games up for articles I got a letter saying that I have to go to court that I’m sued for a serious gaming offense. Well, now I’m standing here in court. About to defend a game that people should play. It’s attacked by the internet. I feel like the Completions now, with his series “Defend it”. But this isn’t a bad game at all. So, why do I have to go to court to defend this? I feel something bad is going to happen. This isn’t just to sue me for defending this game, I’m sure of it! Wow, I’m not making much sense now am I? I better should get myself together. That interrogation earlier really messed me up. Come on, calm your nerves Jonez! You are a Neko and cats always land on their feet. You played this game, you know the ins and outs. Let’s defend this. Your honor! The defense is ready for defending this case. Waiting for at the end to receive comments of people what they think of my way to defend this and how they liked the game if they played this.

Opening statement

downloads So, I got no time to look into the case file for this one. So, they say this game isn’t one of the best entries on the Nintendo DS? HOW CAN THEY SAY— Calm Jonezy. It’s only the opening of this case. You can do this.

Well, they have a point. When you overlook one piece of evidence this game can be pretty frustrating. Also, this game can be pretty linear. That are the only two negative points I can say about this game. If I’m allowed to nitpick even, the game is sometimes a tad bit too hard. You need to think outside the box. Even when you are already thinking outside the box. Some cases really demand your full attention and remembering everything of the case.

But it’s time to raise an objection! Time to prove that this game is actually not as bad as you first might think! So,

OBJECTION! This game is amazing. Mind blowing. And here are my evidences to prove it!

Evidence #1: Amazing gameplay.

As I explained in my CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – 3 Dimensions of Murder I already explained why games like this are fun. Your honor, think about it. How fun is it to solve a crime? Isn’t that why we are all here? To solve something feels extremely rewarding.

Look at this first case, actually. In this case you get easily introduced to the mechanics of the game. Without being a real pain and actually telling you how to play the game. It’s in the story as if it’s part of it. It’s a nicely hidden tutorial.

Also, the game is pretty easy in its controls. You don’t really need more than your touch screen, actually. The controls are easy enough that you can finish this game without pressing any button. And it can’t get any simpler than just that.

Exploring the crime scenes, the interrogation of people, showing them evidence… There is a lot to do in this game. While it’s true that once in court you do the same thing over and over to win the case but hey, it’s fun. Since it makes you think and test if you paid attention during the story.

Evidence #2: Kick-ass story.

675848-phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-nintendo-ds-screenshot-cross-examination While it’s true that without a great story you can’t get into a game. This game has a story that will keep you in its grip for extremely long. It has been months since I played this game but till this day I know most of each case your honor. This game is extremely memorable.

Apart from the first case, all cases are extremely thrilling to play. It’s sometimes a real mystery who the killer is or how you are going to prove somebody is innocent. The only thing you’ll have to accept is how sometimes Phoenix has the suddenly solving answer up his sleeve. It’s a game, you have to forgive it that.

About the characters, many are so memorable that when I hear his or her theme song, I directly remember the character. Their personalities are extremely well-made. Some people are created, so you love to hate them, other you can relate. But they stay humans, and they aren’t generic characters who stay stuck in their role all the time.

Evidence #3: DAT music. DAT music, man!

The music for this game is one of the best ever that I heard for a visual novel game period. It gets stuck inside your head for a long while. I admit that even when I’m writing or editing your honor, I play this music here and there. I prefer it above my usual music.

Each character has his or her own theme and really sets the mood correct. You will have a hard time to sometimes press the “A” button to continue to the next part since the music is THAT good.

When a game it’s music gets played in an orchestra, well then it’s amazing. And keep in mind, this started in Japan as a Game Boy Advance title. So, they actually had its incredible music there already.

Yet, I have to give the attackers of this game one thing. This game misses voice acting. You only hear “Objection” / “Hold it” and the crowd in court whispering. The sound effects really set the mood for this game and the characters but voice acting would have made this game perfect.

Too much evidence.

aa-1 Your honor, to save ourselves some time for the next cases, I’ll be short now. Apart from the bad replayability this gem has a lot more to offer. It’s a pretty long game. Which actually makes this game miss another element. A log for what happened.

But I haven’t talked about the remarkable graphics. This game really does look pretty. Colorful and inviting. With high attention to detail.

The animation of the characters is also incredible. You really associate it with the characters and of some you hope to see what they would do in certain situations.

Thank you, your honor that there is a save feature done nearly perfect. You can save anywhere in the game. If only they said it to you that you have to press “START” anywhere in the game to save. But hey, that’s nitpicky and that breaking off the 4th wall would have been overboard too much.

For the DS remake they actually added a case. Which makes people who already played this game have something completely new.

The final point I have to say is that when you hold done the “next” button on your touch screen, it speeds up the text when you made a mistake. Which is extremely welcome.

But I think I’m going to leave it here your Honor. Time to wrap this up!

Conclusion

The bad:

– Can be repetitive.

– A log to check what happened, or more detail would have been nice.

– No voice acting.

– The replay value is pretty low.

The good:

+ Amazing music.

+ Memorable story.

+ Memorable characters.

+ Pretty long game.

+ No annoying tutorial. It’s neatly integrated into the game.

+ It’s easy to get into, but hard to finish.

+ The ability to shout “HOLD IT” & “OBJECTION” yourself is so rewarding.

Final words:

Phew, I won the case. Man, that was lucky. Since I haven’t even studied to become a lawyer. It looked so boring to me. Having to do all that legal paperwork. But this game shows that it can be fascinating and rewarding.

It’s a game that once you give it a chance, it will be so hard to put down. Everything is so amazing is this game that the bar was set extremely high for new visual novels on the system.

This game is so perfect that reviewing it makes you look for things they can improve on, but without those items the game still stays incredible. I can’t stress this enough, this game is one of the best out there on the Nintendo DS. And if you are any kind of fan of a good story, CapCom, a great adventure, amazing music, great characters… You really owe it to yourself to play this game! No doubt about it!

Score: 85/100

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