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Holiday Gaming

The holidays are almost upon us, which means sooner or later we procrastinators really need to start, you know, shopping and stuff. December is always a wonderful time of year for gamers—sure, November starts the race … especially on Black Friday … but the real joy comes in the first real snow-flying month (unless you live in California … jerk).

In celebration of our favorite time of year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at December sales and landmark events in the past seven years—that’s the entire 21st-century thus far according to the good ol’ Gregorian calendar. So sit back and read on, and I hope you enjoy. The full feature is up at RadNerd, but here’s a brief preview:

Developers, publishers, and gamers put down their controllers and join hands for that special time of the year when they break fingers and rush out in a mad stampede to buy the latest and greatest of the tie-breaking holiday season. The winter holidays are as big and influential for the gaming industry as summer is for popcorn movies, and this season will fall in line just like a pixel-decorated, shining … okay, insert your own politically correct object here. Let’s just say Charlie Brown would weep with joy and throw that stick figure excuse for an ornament-hanger in the trash with all the annually recycled wrapping paper. Here are the top December games of the last seven years—because 2000 doesn’t technically count (and no one loves it).

2001

One year in and the holiday season has a bundle of soon-to-be favorites to offer gamers in exchange for their merry good cheer. Of course, it was also a year of new tidings: the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox entered the popularly dubbed console war.

PS: I hope you like the banner.

Tags: Holidays, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox
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Sounds of Nostalgia: Legend of Legaia

Do we need an excuse to play old games? Hell no! But sometimes music from OSTs can inspire us to try new ones or revisit past loves like dirty, secret affairs.

Before Sounds of Nostalgia ends on an indeterminate hiatus, I thought it would be best to leave things on a carefully chosen note. This time, I’m highlighting one of my favorite games of all time—and one that’s underrated at that—Legend of Legaia.

In the days when all I seemed to have a taste for were RPGs, Legend of Legaia made more than a passing blip on my radar. Its unique storyline captivated me, inspiring me to pour in hour upon hour of my time into the game, which follows a trio of very different heroes who are forced to band together to save the world from the dark grip of the monster-bathed Mist. From the enigma surrounding the story to its memorable characters, I was hooked—for better or worse. Legaia deserved the patience required to raise each party member’s levels, especially when gameplay became grueling during the bread-themed quest in Sol’s dizzying heights—filled with both entertainment and, on its lower levels, a gamble with death. Boss battles amounted to truly fearsome challenges (holy shit minotaur), and oftentimes I found myself running about areas like a chicken with my head cut off (or maybe just with a Chicken Guard) in the hope of gaining precious experience.

Despite the game’s labors, the thrill of seeing Juggernaut for the first time, hearing the energetic theme of Drake Kingdom, and kicking Songi’s ass is something I’ll never forget. No RPG has worked its way quite so deep under my skin before, and it earned every inch. What Legend of Legaia lacks in PS1 visuals and mercy for weak-hearted gamers, it makes up in a moving soundtrack and a fantastic, visceral adventure dripping with humor as well as heart-pounding moments. Most importantly, the game teaches the sometimes much forgotten value of what, “I just beat the damn game!” should mean to a gamer.

“Young Nobleman of the Mist” is one of the OST’s longer tracks, but “The Misty Nest” (Mist Generator theme) easily reigns as my favorite. After all, it was the only happy side to having to venture into one of those evil fortresses again.

Don’t forget those Doors of Light, and remember—say “no” to sequels, and no matter how hard you cuss at Songi, he’s not going anywhere for awhile. (Bastard.)

Tags: Legend of Legaia, PlayStation, Sounds of Nostalgia
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Sounds of Nostalgia: PaRappa the Rapper

Do we need an excuse to play old games? Hell no! But sometimes music from OSTs can inspire us to try new ones or revisit past loves like dirty, secret affairs.

How can I do Sounds of Nostalgia without taking the time to honor one of first games to truly launch music-based video games? Envision a 2D world where you’re a rapping dog who learns zen-esque, fighting-styled moves from an onion-headed guru, and you’ve stepped into PaRappa the Rapper (discounting its iffy, over-the-top weird sequel). Kick, punch, chop, jump, duck, and turn to the rhythm and u rappin’ COOL. So kick, punch—and remember, it’s all in the mind.

What are some of your favorite Sounds of Nostalgia?

Tags: PaRappa the Rapper, PlayStation, Sounds of Nostalgia
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Sounds of Nostalgia: Top 5 Silent Hill Vocal Songs

It’s a special edition of Sounds of Nostalgia, following up on the previous Silent Hill feature.

Akira Yamaoka ranks as my favorite video game composer. His music has helped Silent Hill become a memorable and highly successful survivor horror series. From its twisted understanding of fear and hell to its uncanny ability to weave obscure references from past games into entirely new storylines (“There was a HOLE here; it’s gone now,” the Hope House, etc.), it’s no wonder fans come in swarms for more of the psychological horror and demented bloodshed. Of course, there’s one thing in particular that I look forward to most with each new soundtrack: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn’s and Joe Romersa’s vocals, which provide invaluable insight into Silent Hill and the stories at hand.

5. Hole in the Sky (Silent Hill: Origins)

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn lends her powerful vocals to the strong theme of “Hole in the Sky,” which resonates the panic of falling into the dark grip of Silent Hill. The lyrics, “Shadows that look like blood/Dead as far as the mind goes” and “Just when I think I’m okay/Shadows surround me,” tell of the infamous and dramatic transition into the evil Otherworld of the town’s locations. You really never get used to those sirens.

“Fear that comes from my head/Lives in the mirror” accurately pins the experience on the sufferer’s own mind and sins, and the repetition of “Let me out” describes the heart-pounding need to escape the town that just won’t let you go until you’ve been punished—or you’re dead.

4. Alex Theme (Silent Hill: Homecoming)

Alex Shepherd is the newest protagonist with a secret to grace the Silent Hill series, and McGlynn’s vocals brilliantly portray his character. “The answer, is drowning, this pain will last forever” captures the essence of Shepherd, trapped in a nightmare he cannot escape with memories of an event he struggles to remember. Additional references to water, such as in, “Your promise is broken/I drank your sacred water” not only further presses the matter, but also builds upon the general story involving the Silent Hill cult, the Order.

McGlynn mentions “soldier” twice and “order” multiple times, tying Alex into the lyrics that do well to describe the complicated relationships he has with his brother and father as well as his purpose in revealing the founding families’ pact: “Your power is over/I’ve come to change the order.” The music blends a haunted melody with the fragmentation of quick lines and a fierce power, giving the entire song a feeling of confusion and strangeness (“Inside my head is humming/Sometimes I hear them coming”) that gracefully encapsulates both Alex’s mission and his dark connection to Joshua.

3. The Sacred Line (Silent Hill: Homecoming)

“The Sacred Line” functions similarly to “Alex Theme,” only on a grander scale. After you learn the secrets of Homecoming, the credits roll and this song puts the finishing touches on the story. Strong music and lyrics complement the themes of the game and Alex Shepherd’s struggles (especially with his brother and father: “In time, we’ll be forgiven”)—all while suggesting an unfinished, inconclusive air that fits the story well. And most of all, the lyrics resonate “the sacred line” of life and death that’s central to the game: “This line that can’t be broken/This line that never will be crossed again.”

The chilling lines, “We have fear to swallow” and “Opposite of what you hear/Dying is the least of fears,” drive home the oath with which the series operates: In the midst of Silent Hill‘s torture, you’ll either be dead … or wish you were.

2. Hometown (Silent Hill 3)

As a revision of the classic theme from the first Silent Hill installment, in “Hometown” vocalist Joe Romersa ties together what was started in Harry Mason’s experience with its continuation in Silent Hill 3. One of the best moments of the third game occurs when Heather returns home to her adoptive father, sitting on the chair. It’s hard not to conjure that image when hearing the words, “Now it’s too late/Too late for me/This town will eventually take me”; it’s easy to begin to wonder what was going through Harry’s head in the hours before Heather came home.

Romersa smoothly transfers the focus from Heather to the original protagonist, recalling the fear and ending of SH1—”‘She’s gone!’ and fear has overcome” and “He spoke of tortured souls/So outrageous the toll”—on top of the disturbing song intro. Romersa brings forth a sense of dread from the original game with images like, “Four and twenty dead birds/They bleed upon the nest,” “Dark creatures singing a terrible song,” and “While angels sing, in endless dark/The dead seek out sin.” The transition and imagery calls out to Silent Hill‘s roots, forcing us to remember how it all started.

1. Cradle of Forest (Silent Hill 4: The Room)

Considering Silent Hill 4 features a story involving adult and child versions of the same serial killer and the cult orphanage he grew up in, Joe Romersa’s vocals on the eerily beautiful “Cradle of Forest” couldn’t fit the mood better. Romersa hauntingly infuses dark imagery with children playing: “Deep in the forest night/Children dance the waltz” and “Dance like butterflies/Shadows appear/Right before my eyes/Sounds echo the absurd/Hard to explain something that I heard” do well to reflect the horror of the series as well as the story at hand. “Their eyes/What are they looking for?” “Red moon colors the trees,” and “Their song/Starting to make some sense/Only if you’re listening” only empower the song more.

The chorus is what pushes “Cradle of Forest” to the top of the list, however. Not only does it strike up memories of the dark forest in the game, where Walter Sullivan chases you like a madman, but the words speak of the serial killer’s true nature: “Hear the forest talking/Insects and birds/Does the scent of soil and beast/Breathe the life into the animal you hide?” Not to mention the following lines, “When you think you’re really alone/Feel the eyes of someone looking in on you” mirrors the heavy feeling that permeates the entire game—you’re locked in your own apartment, and the only person who seems to know you’re truly there and alive is the serial killer who plans to take your life.

See which song almost made the cut and why it didn’t after the jump.

(more…)

Tags: PlayStation, Silent Hill, Sounds of Nostalgia
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Sounds of Nostalgia: Silent Hill

Do we need an excuse to play old games? Hell no! But sometimes music from OSTs can inspire us to try new ones or revisit past loves like dirty, secret affairs.

There’s nothing quite like Silent Hill. The survival horror series stands on its own, and while the games aren’t quite what they used to be, they’re still as screwed up as ever. Even the not-so-great Silent Hill movie succeeds as one of the better adaptations, especially since it manages to retain the spirit of Silent Hill with so many nods to the fans—not to mention my favorite scene, where Pyramid Head rips the skin off Anna.

Anyway, few fans can forget the first installment of the series—the game that redefined “what the fuck” moments. Who can mistake the classic alley scene at the beginning? Or the first time you were thrown headfirst into the dreaded otherworld—which I’m pretty sure is what hell really looks like. From static radios to monsters in the fog, exploring hospitals and cursing at the sudden lack of road before you, Silent Hill truly grasped the raw notion of horror and made you stare at it mercilessly before shoving you blindly into hell. The combat system might be worse for wear, but we loved the game for its ability to scare the shit out of us with psychological, weird stories that don’t make a shred of sense but horror scenes that completely do. And the puzzles were always annoyingly fun, like they should be.

While “Promise (Reprise)” ranks high as one of the best Silent Hill songs, it’s hard to scrub the eerie beginning of the “Opening Theme” out of your psyche. And isn’t that just perfect?

What are some of your favorite Sounds of Nostalgia?

Tags: Music, PlayStation, Silent Hill, Sounds of Nostalgia
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Sounds of Nostalgia: Threads of Fate

Do we need an excuse to play old games? Hell no! But sometimes music from OSTs can inspire us to try new ones or revisit past loves like dirty, secret affairs.

I’m jumping ahead to the memorable days of the first PlayStation console in this Monday’s Sounds of Nostalgia feature. The other day I popped in Threads of Fate (known as Dewprism over in Japan), which is probably one of my favorite PS1 games—and a highly underrated one at that. I had forgotten how much great music Threads of Fate has, like “To the Ultimate Relic.” Not to mention loads of hilarity that makes me wonder what kind of magic (Green? Red?) voice-acting would cast on this game if it premiered in today’s next-gen world.

I’m holding my tongue (err … typing fingers) for now, because I might have more brewing about both Threads of Fate and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in due time, so watch the blog for a special update soon. In the meantime, go hunt down Threads of Fate. You might be pleasantly surprised by how much fun it is.

P.I.N.T.O.! (Shhhh.)

What are some of your favorite Sounds of Nostalgia?

Tags: Music, PlayStation, Sounds of Nostalgia, Threads of Fate
Posted in Video Games | 1 Comment »