Bag of Blues

Gaming...stuff

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Kick Master: Greatest Hits

Macren: Who ever heard of a Kick Master? I lived by the blade; I died by the blade!

Thonolan: You died to a skeleton slut, ya' fookin' slag!

[bagofblues]

If'n any of y'all is interested, Señor Fellheart and I are streaming Kick Master-- drunk as *fuuuuuuck*. If you want to laugh and tell us how bad we are at life, feel free to join.

http://www.twitch.tv/fellheart

[bagofblues]

Fuck it, dude. Let's play Kick Master.

Ancient drunken proverb

[bagofblues]

Streaming!

Both Fellheart and Cetra-Blues are drinking and playing some Siren: Blood Curse, come join us !  http://www.twitch.tv/fellheart

[bagofblues]

We got drunk and Bag decided to raise a Pidgey army. You have to shout to summon them.

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What other composition could better accompany a duel to the death?  Probably none.  A dark symphonic waltz plays out as blades clash and destinies are met; the kind taut, badass scene that would bring a tear to a Kurosawa fan’s eyes.

The whole piece is great, but for me, the piano really just steals the show.  Most of the melody is in the strings, and at times the piano can be hard to hear, but there are some really awesome sounds being produced that set the tone of the piece.  A few cleverly dissonant chords, quick melodic ideas contrasting the slow movement of the strings, a succession of strong cadential chords between key sections of the piece; it’s the modest hero of Violent Emotion.

For those curious, there is an orchestrated version of this song, but it just doesn't do it for me.  It sounds great for the most part, but there’s something about the instrumentation that fails to completely capture what made the original so awesome. It's probably because they downplayed the piano.

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Bag of Blues - 00.mp3

Here we on the verge of December and yet we still can't stop talking about horror music. Join Bag & myself as we discuss our list, along with future plans for the blog (maybe).

[bagofblues]

In case you missed any of our entries, here's a list of The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming. Odd numbered days are Blues' picks while even numbered days are Bag's.

Day 1 - Ultimate Koopa (Koji Kondo / Super Mario 64)

Day 2 - Ceremony (Hiroki Kikuta / Secret of Mana)

Day 3 - Spores (Ron Hubbard / The Immortal)

Day 4 - Damned Ending (Zakir Rahman / The White Chamber)

Day 5 - [Unnamed Track] (Theresia)

Day 6 - Level 8 (Naoki Kodaka / Blaster Master)

Day 7 - Brain Voice (Junichi Masuda / Pulseman)

Day 8 - Werewolf (Kris Force and Jarboe / The Path)

Day 9 - Soul Asylum - Crimson Palace Stage 2 (Capcom / Mega Man X7)

Day 10 - The Transept (Mikko Tarmia / Amnesia)

Day 11 - Nightmare (Konami / Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse)

Day 12 - Gravelord Nito (Motoi Sakuraba / Dark Souls)

Day 13 - Silent Heaven (Akira Yamaoka / Silent Hill 2)

Day 14 - Abandoned Pit (Michiru Yamane / Castlevania Symphony of the Night)

Day 15 - Sneaking Around (Yasunori Mitsuda / Radical Dreamers)

Day 16 - [Final Battle] (Keiichi Suzuki / Earthbound)

Day 17 - The Library (Capcom / Resident Evil 2)

Day 18 - The Choir (Mikko Tarmia / Amnesia)

Day 19 - Royal Tomb (Koji Kondo / The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

Day 20 - Mors Praematura (Jessica Curry / Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs)

Day 21 - Confusing Melody (Yasunori Mitsuda / Chrono Trigger)

Day 22 - Big Sister on the Move (Gary Schyman / Bioshock 2)

Day 23 - Who Are You? (Nobuo Uematsu / Final Fantasy VII)

Day 24 - Destruction (Yoshino Aoki / Breath of Fire IV)

Day 25 - The Sub-Gate of Clozer Woods (Mokoto Tomozawa / Mega Man Legends)

Day 26 - The Place (Hirokazu Tanaka / Earthbound)

Day 27 - Mysterious Statue Chamber (Kenji Yamamoto / Super Metroid)

Day 28 - [Scary House 2] (Jason Graves / F.E.A.R. 3)

Day 29 - Kill Angels (Akira Yamaoka / Silent Hill)

Day 30 - Not Safe (Alias Conrad Coldwood / OFF)

Day 31 - [Unnamed Track] (Theresia) [Blues' Pick]

Day 31 - The Dark World (Mark Lovegrove / Trilby's Notes) [Bag's Pick]

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 31 part 2!

Unfortunately, the version of the song that I found is missing the background whispers that really set the tone, but this version still works.  This song plays while Trilby investigates the dark, bloodstained 'alternate' hotel, and boy is it effective.

It's really hard to adequately describe the piece.  It's like ambient orchestrated mayhem; these sounds aren't made on accident, but it's not exactly easy to go into great detail, either.  Small pieces of other songs from the series are quoted in here, and other sounds are just to signify what's present in the dark world.

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 31

Happy Halloween! With this, we bring our list to its end. For my pick, I wouldn't say I saved the best for last necessarily, but... I told you this game would show up again.

Insanity. Insanity brought on by overwhelming fear. That's what this track makes me think of. In Theresia, you're traversing a maze-like labyrinth with blood, corpses and traps at every turn. Rarely is there a moment you can ever feel safe. You press on, despite the feeling your fight for survival is already over with you on the losing end.

Desperation, fatigue, delirium... if you threw these words into a blender, I feel like this song would be the outcome.

- Cetra Blues

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 30

I had a tough time deciding on which track to use from OFF.  Tender Sugar is dark, mysterious, and foreboding… while Endless Hallway is tense and discomforting.  Not Safe, on the other hand… is creepy.  Creepy, desolate, and lonely.

It plays in several areas throughout the game, but I found it most fitting while backtracking through the areas that had been ‘purified.’  All the color is gone, nobody is walking around, and this song plays.  You can encounter enemies while in the purified zones, but they’re grotesque looking humans… and this song continues to play.  You don’t get any special battle music.

The continuous two-note drone fades in and out, like chimes banging together in a light breeze.  A loud knock rings out and a muffled cry can be heard, answered by a dark wave of unsettling whispers.  The knocking continues.  At this point, do we really want to know who’s knocking?

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 29

Kill Angels is solely responsible for my love of creepy ambiance. As soon as I could get my hands on this song as a younger lad, I listened to it all the time. 

At this point, there isn't much I can say about it that I haven't said for other tracks. It's dark, foreboding and ominous. It's a perfect fit for the world of Silent Hill, where you may as well be walking in complete darkness. It possesses a kind of gentleness with how slow and and calm it is... yet even so, it manages to creep me out all the same.

- CB

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 28

Normally you might think a game titled F.E.A.R would be a bit more focused on… fear.  I guess to be fair the first game and its expansions are a little more on the fear-inspiring side of things, but the resulting sequels did their best to steer clear of any possible scares.  Well, except for maybe a couple parts here and there.

FEAR 3 (or F.3.A.R if you prefer) took a very different approach to the concepts from the previous games, making it more of a horror-themed action game than anything else.  However, I would be lying if I said the soundtrack didn’t have some stellar moments.

This theme plays in one of the creepier locations seen in the game, sort of an old abandoned house rife strange imagery and jump moments.  The song is, yet again, rather simple, but it does have a sort of otherworldly quality to it, almost as though the melody itself is struggling against the confines of time.

(Unsure on the official name of this one, but I think it's most often referred to as 'Scary House 2.')

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 27

As a song more complimentary to the visuals, I considered against using it. However, while it may not stand out on its own, I feel Mysterious Statue Chamber deserves a spot.

Without this daunting tune, this statue would merely serve as an indication: 'You have four main bosses to defeat. Go beat 'em.'

But the very second you enter this supposedly meaningless room, the music begins... and suddenly, the message is a bit different. You have four of the most bizarre creatures to overcome on this vast, maze-like planet. It's kill or be killed and unless you can defeat them all, you're screwed.

My first time playing Super Metroid, I had to take a moment to really let it all sink in. I may not have been scared per se, but I can damn well tell you I was intimidated.

And that's what Mysterious Statue Chamber is. It's freaking intimidating.

- CB

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 26

I apologize for using Earthbound once again, and while The Place doesn’t quite fit the theme of the 30 days as well as previous entries, it’s still pretty awesome in its own right.  Set in the final area of the game, the last dungeon is a trip.  Hell, just the journey there is bizarre.  So after all of the madness you encounter as you head towards the final showdown, you’re treated to an almost dream-like location with a song just as off-putting as your surroundings.

While it may be a bit of stretch to say that its scary, the erratic and unpredictable way in which the sounds move certainly makes it an odd choice for dungeon music.  I’d say its a bit foreboding and off-putting, as though perhaps you’re peeking inside someone else’s nightmare.

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 25

Much like our preceding Mega Man entry, this is a case of a song that simply doesn't belong. 

Well okay, that isn't fair. The dungeon themes in Mega Man Legends are all fitting, but they're so dark compared to the rest of the game's upbeat, optimistic score. They almost sound like unused Resident Evil tracks.

I digress. I could've chosen any of the game's main three dungeons for this entry, but The Sub-Gate of Clozer Woods is probably the most intense. The whole song has this feeling of cleithrophobia. It's similar to a lot of our other picks in that it's a minimalist piece with some small touches that really ramp it up on the eerie level. By itself, the song is a red flag. You know this dungeon you just entered is a dangerous place.

That low, haunting wail effect is what makes it feel like a deathtrap.

- CB

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The 31 Days of Horror Music in Gaming - Day 24

Breath of Fire IV strikes an interesting balance between playful sections and horribly serious segments.  Destruction is one of those tracks that plays during the ‘horribly serious’ moments.  

There’s just something very unpleasant about Yoshino Aoki’s ‘Destruction.’  The whole thing makes me uncomfortable.  The song itself is already dark and somber, and then they just had to have it play during one of the strangest parts of the game.

The song starts off with what sounds like a clock ticking and a sort of synthetic heartbeat.  This is already perfect for setting the scene; there’s bizarre organic material all around you as you race against the clock to save a loved one.  Strange sounding groans and a low dissonant melody kick in soon after, further cementing the notion that there’s something strange going on here .  

That loud, repeating wall of dissonant sound is just fantastic.

It’s a simple song, but works perfectly with the events transpiring in-game.