Tag: Music - Page 4
Quick Beats Sonic Mania Composer On Portuguese Rap And His Musical Hero
"Jun Senoue bought me sushi once"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. We...
Quick Beats Mega Man Composer And Inti Creates Founder Talks Backdraft And Bongos
10 rapid-fire questions for Ippo Yamada
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
News Monster Hunter Orchestra Concert Confirmed For Online Performance
Performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Monster Hunter Orchestra Concert has been held annually in Japan since way back in 2009, and now it's been confirmed that this year's event will once again be an online performance. While it's disappointing for concert-goes in Japan, of course, the pleasing news is that fans will be able to watch it...
Feature Sayonara Wild Hearts Composer On Creating The First 'Pop Album Video Game'
"I want to keep growing as a composer"
It seems as if video game music continues to grow and reach new heights with each passing year. Incredible soundtracks are no longer limited to big budget titles and the work of long-established names, as the Indie space and the growth of tools and knowledge has introduced a fresh generation of composers. One...
Quick Beats Donkey Kong Country Composer Talks Aquatic Ambiance And Get Lucky
"There have been some amazing songs over the last decade"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter...
Talking Point What's The Best Sound In Video Games?
Our favourite bleeps, bloops, and vwoops
Our summertime Video Game Music Festival has largely, if not entirely covered the wonderful world of soundtracks, which you could probably have guessed from the name. But what about all the stuff that isn't-quite-music? Don't noises deserve love too? YES. So, here you go: Our favourite sounds in video games...
*creeeeeeeeeeak*
Audio design is an underrated part of a video game's soundscape, though you almost definitely have appreciated a particularly good noise at some point in your gaming career — whether it's the creak of a Resident Evil door or the sound of Sonic collecting a ring, audio design helps create the right mood for a game. Our Nintendo...
Quick Beats The Composer And Solo Dev Of 'The Garden Path' Talks Arcade Fire And Young Thug
"Music has never been better"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today...
Quick Beats Final Fantasy Composer And VGO Founder On Road Trip Music, Rock, And The '80s
Put on some Van Halen
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's quick...
Talking Point It's A Golden Era For Video Game Music Fans, So How Do You Listen?
When you're not playing the games, obvs
Being a fan of Nintendo-based video game music has historically been pretty tough. Older aural aficionados would cling tightly to their Killer Cuts CDs, dedicated collectors wept at the triple-digit pricing of rare Japanese CD sets containing most, but never quite all, of a popular '90s RPG soundtrack, and...
Random Acapella Group Perfectly Recreates Nintendo Console Sound Effects
From Famicom to Switch
From the Switch's famous 'click' to the GameCube's iconic, erm... you know the little tune we're talking about, Nintendo's systems have boasted plenty of great start-up sounds over the years. Want to know how to make them sound even better, though? Acapella. MayTree, a popular acapella group from Korea, has shared a video of...
News Spiritfarer Collector's Edition And Vinyl Soundtrack Up For Pre-Orders, Coming 2022
Oooh, pretty box
Following on from the news that Spiritfarer is getting a colossal new update, Thunder Lotus has also announced that their colossal Collector's Edition and regular-sized vinyl soundtrack are available to pre-order from iam8bit. The Collector's Edition includes: Digital download card for the Spiritfarer soundtrack by composer Max...
Quick Beats Final Fantasy And Vagrant Story Composer Hitoshi Sakimoto Talks YMO And Dua Lipa
"It’s been played often"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today we're...
Guide Best Mario Music Ever: Our Top 10 Mario Songs - Super Mario Playlist
Super Mario Music
As a part of Nintendo Life VGM Fest, a season of music-focused interviews and features celebrating the video game audio in all its forms, we're assembling a bunch of playlists featuring some of our very favourite tunes. We've looked at the funky/groovy end of the spectrum, and we've also looked at the tracks we queue up when we...
Quick Beats Mega Man Composer Manami Matsumae On Ocarinas And Bohemian Rhapsody
"I saved up my allowance to buy Queen's Jazz"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick...
Feature The Garden Path's Solo Dev On Hollow Knight And Final Fantasy Influences
"I'm a big fan of lo-fi music and lo-fi games"
We're bending the rules a little bit for today's Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival interview — this game isn't actually out yet. Scandal! But hopefully you'll forgive us, because The Garden Path — which recently finished its Kickstarter campaign, hitting the
Quick Beats Celeste Composer Lena Raine On Her Love For Ghibli, Hurdy-Gurdies, And Her Cat
The cat is called Bobbin
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's...
Random This In-Development Musical Video Game Went Viral On TikTok
Take note
I was browsing TikTok last night, attempting to distract myself from the sticky heat of Nova Scotia by peeking through into other people's lives, when I stumbled across this TikTok, by developer Stephen Ddungu: TikTok is not huge for video games yet, but that's starting to change. The algorithm that determines what's on your front page...
Feature Video Game Orchestra Founder Talks Live Music And Composing For Final Fantasy
The Woodwind Waker
When I was younger and more full of bad decisions than I am now, I used to go to gigs and watch rock bands sweatily flailing around the stage in cramped, smoky bars. Nowadays, I'd much rather sit in a concert hall and close my eyes while a bunch of talented orchestral musicians play a fancy version of the Skyrim soundtrack (which...
Quick Beats Shovel Knight Composer On Q*Bert, The Prodigy, And Magical Bongos
10 rapid-fire questions for Jake Kaufman
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
Quick Beats Hades Composer Talks Weird Al, The Beatles, And Radiohead
"I would aspire to write something as cool or as beautiful as that"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Guide Funky Video Game Music - Groovy Playlist
Turn up the bass, baby
As part of our season of celebrating video game music that we're inventively calling the Nintendo Life VGM Fest, we're making a few lists of ~moods~, because that's pretty much how we organise our Spotify playlists these days. Everyone knows that video game soundtracks are full of epic orchestrations, relaxing melodies, and...
Soapbox Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Was The Basis For My Taste In Music
Sick jams, dude
The year was 2005. iPods were the hot thing, YouTube had just been launched, Twitter didn't exist yet, and the words "podcast" and "social media" had only just been added to the dictionary. It was, in short, a great time to be a kid, as well as the nexus point of many of our modern everyday experiences, like being able to listen to...
Feature Mega Man, Shovel Knight, And Save Me Mr Tako Composers On Getting 'That' Retro Sound
A roundtable on writing retro tunes in modern times
As any self-respecting subscriber of the Gaming Historian knows, one national survey conducted in 1990 found that more American children could identify Mario than Mickey. That sounds about right to this writer, who was one of those children. What truly astonished us, however, was witnessing...
Talking Point Which Video Game Song Could You Listen To For Ten Hours?
Ten hours is a loooong time
We've all been witness to the rise of "Ten Hour Versions" on YouTube, and while many of us may have scoffed — who wants ten hours of something that isn't either sleep or a Lord of the Rings marathon? — I will say that I have actually listened to some of them for way longer than I would like to admit. Except I will...
Feature How Fire Tonight Took A Decades-Old Synth-Pop Song, And Made A Game Out Of It
Flamey-o
Information Society in 2019, looking extremely cool You might think that there would be more video games based on songs, and yet, there really aren't. At least, I can't think of any, but then again, I am writing this at 10am on a rainy Friday morning, so my brain isn't exactly at its peak. But Fire Tonight, named after Information...
News Pokémon Launches 'Pokémon 25: The Red EP' And 'Pokémon 25: The Blue EP'
Update: Stream both here!
Update: And The Blue EP is now ready to stream, too. Give it a listen below! Original Article (Fri 6th Aug, 2021 15:00 BST): As part of its ongoing 25th-anniversary celebrations, The Pokémon Company has today launched 'Pokémon 25: The Red EP', the first of two musical compilations marking the occasion. The Red EP...
Guide Chill Music From Video Games - Relaxing Playlist
Chill the beans right down with these tranquil tunes
Throughout Nintendo Life VGM Fest — our season of music-focused features, interviews and other audio-based bits — we'll be bringing you some of the Nintendo Life team's personal playlist picks of the best music in all of video-gamedom. Our collective gaming experience spans many decades' worth...
Soapbox Chiptune Is Great, But The Impact Of A Full Orchestra Is Unbeatable
Elevated storytelling
It's wonderful to see the love for video game music in our current Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival; it'll rightly celebrate all sorts of audio and soundtracks across varied games and genres. When the right music combines with an outstanding game, there is arguably no more satisfying experience in entertainment; the...
Quick Beats 'Journey' And 'Abzu' Composer On Star Wars, Neil Young And Podcasts
Rapid-fire composer quizzing with BAFTA winner Austin Wintory
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
News Welcome To The Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival!
A mini-season of musical magic
Welcome, one and all, to the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival — or VGM Fest, if you like — a 'season' of music-based features, interviews, retrospectives, and more. As you might expect, we're all lovers of game audio here at Nintendo Life, from retro-flavoured chiptunes to sweeping orchestral scores; from...
News Legendary Composer Jun Senoue Joins Sonic Colors Ultimate OST Remix Line-Up
Listen to his sample work
If you needed one extra reason to get excited about Sonic Colors Ultimate, Sega has now revealed legendary Sonic composer Jun Senoue - and the lead guitarist for Crush 40, has joined the remix roster for the upcoming release. Attached to this is a sample of his new remix for vs. Rotatatron & Refreshinator. In the words...
News NEO: The World Ends With You Soundtrack Now Up For Pre-Order, Here's A Quick Taste
Hear six tracks for free
Today, fans of the DS cult classic The World Ends With You are finally being treated to a brand new entry in the series – the aptly named NEO: The World Ends With You is available now on Nintendo Switch. As those who've played the original will know, one of the series' standout features is its energetic soundtrack –...
News Harmony Of A Hunter Returns Will Bring Us 5 Hours Of Metroid Music
A huge fan collaboration to celebrate the series
Nintendo's iconic franchises give us lots of fan creations, often in the form of extravagant artwork. For Metroid fans that enjoy the franchise music, the 'Harmony of a Hunter' albums (from a collective referred to as Shinesparkers) are among the highlights that pop up relatively frequently...
Random The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Opening Ceremony Showcased A Ton Of Game Music
Sonic, Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, and many more
Earlier today the opening ceremony for the belated, beleaguered Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics kicked off, and while many of us expected video games to feature in some fashion following Mario's appearance at the Rio 2016 closing ceremony, gamers were treated to a smorgasbord of VGM delights during the...
News Check Out Mabel's P25 Music Pokémon Song, 'Take It Home'
Jigglypuff at the Savoy
The Pokémon Company has been going big with its 25th anniversary celebrations, and not just with upcoming game releases. A high profile project has been its year-long music collaborations, which are all gearing up to a 'P25 Music' album release this Autumn / Fall. Before now it's included tracks like Electric by Katy Perry...
News Grant Kirkhope "Honoured" To Return As Composer For Mario + Rabbids Sequel
"I get to do another Mario game!!"
After a slip-up on Nintendo's end, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was officially unveiled during Ubisoft's E3 presentation. Being a sequel, a number of key figures have returned, and this includes the former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope. H
Gallery KK Slider Would Be Proud Of This Animal Crossing 7-CD Music Collection
Celebrate AC's 20th anniversary in style
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Animal Crossing franchise, Nintendo is releasing a lovely boxset which contains the soundtrack for Animal Crossing: New Horizons along with some other goodies. In this bundle you will get seven CDs. Four of these have all the
News One Of The World Premieres For The Summer Game Fest Is A New Weezer Song
Say it ain't so
The Summer Game Fest is this week, and the world premieres are starting to ramp up already. But one of the exclusives that host Geoff Keighley has planned isn't even a game — it's a new song by Weezer. It might seem like an odd marriage, but just last year Weezer released a video game as an album promo, and the year before, made a...
News Katy Perry's Pokémon Song 'Electric' Is Out Now
Feat. Pikachu and Pichu
Update #2: The moment has arrived, folks – Katy Perry's 'Electric' is out now. Enjoy! Update: Good Morning America has shared a sneak peek at Katy Perry's upcoming music video for 'Electric', the song created in conjunction with Pokémon (thanks, Serebii). Remember that you can pre-save the song at the link in our...
News Trials Of Mana 25th Anniversary Concert Virtual Tickets Go On Sale
Live Tokyo concert cancelled
Trials of Mana was a notable release on Nintendo Switch last year, serving up an impressive remake of the third game in the series. This year brings the 25th Anniversary of the game's original release in Japan, and Square Enix has provided an update on the planned Tokyo orchestral concert that was planned...
News Listen To These Jazzy Stardew Valley Lullabies To Get To Sleep
Harvezzzzzzzzzzt Moon
If you're the kind of person who can't go to sleep without the soft, gentle melodies of a Toby Fox soundtrack, then you're probably going to love this new album of jazzy lullaby renditions of songs from Stardew Valley. 'Prescription for Sleep: Stardew Valley' is a 12-track album with songs hand-picked by ConcernedApe, the...
News Nintendo Unveils Beautiful Animal Crossing Soundtrack Collection
Update: Now available on Amazon US!
Update: It appears the Animal Crossing soundtrack collection is also launching in the US, as it's just popped up on Amazon. If you fancy pre-ordering it, you can grab it below. <products id="14908,14921,14922" style="grid"> Original Article: As you may already be aware, Animal Crossing / Dōbutsu no Mori...
Random If You're Curious About How They Made SNES Music, This Is Worth A Watch
It was a free-for-all
Many of us have favourite SNES-era soundtracks, especially as they have that distinct sound of Nintendo's 16-bit machine. Of course, the actual technicalities of how those soundtracks came together can be fascinating, as composers and sound designers were working with resources a thousand miles removed from the range of tools...
Random The Lead Singer of The Mountain Goats Did An Improv Zelda: BOTW Soundtrack For His Kid
I am drowning, there is no sign of land
You may know American band The Mountain Goats from their upbeat, folksy songs about dysfunction and failure, growing up in the middle of Nowheresville, Texas, or that intoxicating feeling of teenage wanderlust and escape. Maybe you even know The Mountain Goats because they sang an alternate version of The Last...
Random Smooth McGroove Returns After Long Hiatus With An Acapella New Super Mario Bros. Cover
When the world needed him most
Smooth McGroove, the long-haired chap who makes intricate acapella video game music covers on YouTube, recently returned to the platform after an almost two-year break for health reasons. After posting an explanation for his long silence a couple of weeks ago (spoilers: kidney problems and adrenal imbalances that...
Random Balan Wonderworld Accused Of Including "Knock-Off" Ghostbusters Song
There's something strange going on...
It's been a bumpy launch for Balan Wonderworld - a boss section in the game was identified as being able to potentially trigger epileptic seizures and there's a suspicious amount of positive user reviews on Metacritic, raising plenty of eyebrows. If
News Fuser's April DLC Adds Darude Sandstorm To The Mix
The DJ game gets even more DJ
Fuser, the DJ rhythm game which came out last year, is still pumping up the jams with its regular DLC song drops. For April - that's tomorrow, by the way - the tracklist includes a decent mix of K-Pop, Rock, and R&B, as well as eternal banger, Darude 'Sandstorm'. Here's the full list of DLC tracks for April:...
News Two Bravely Default Soundtracks Just Got Released On Spotify
Joining End Layer
Are you still making your way through the Nintendo Switch exclusive, Bravely Default II? Want to pretend you're still exploring the land of Excillant even when you're not able to play the game? Then perhaps you might be interested in streaming Square Enix's latest soundtrack on the go. Fans of the original Bravely Default on the...
Random Concept Artist Antonio Demico Imagines Lil Nas X As A God In Hades
This one might not be entirely SFW, folks
Obviously this is not the image we're talking about Nintendo Life is a family-friendly website, so although Lil Nas X's music video for his newly-released single, 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)' is an absolute banger, we shan't be sharing it here for a number of reasons. If you have a search engine and a...