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Posts with tag Music

Video Game Hero has the guts, glory


The release of Guitar Hero: On Tour might make homebrew games like Video Game Hero seem obsolete, but this project has two great things going for it:
  1. Unconventional music tracks like "Eye of the Tiger" and the Inspector Gadget theme (after the post break)
  2. It's free (provided you have the hardware to run homebrew programs)!
The touchscreen controls are nice to have, but we'd really love to see Video Game Hero support On Tour's Guitar Grip, especially since we've already seen one other homebrew application utilize the slot-2 accessory. Whether or not programmers Sumiguchi and Daydream decide to add that option, we'll make sure to check this game out when they release it this August 20th!

See also: Music Monstars rocks Europe

Continue reading Video Game Hero has the guts, glory

Guitar Hero: On Tour huge hit, sells 300K in its first week

Looks like Activision struck gold yet again with its Guitar Hero franchise, as word hits that the DS title Guitar Hero: On Tour has sold more than 300,000 units in its first week in North America. It set all kind of company precedents, telling us that it probably won't be the only Guitar Hero game to release on the DS.

So, what about those precedents? Well, for one, it's the single most successful game launch on the DS for the company. Not only that, but Guitar Hero: On Tour is also "one of Activision's top five best-selling launches of any title on any platform in the company's history." Now that's impressive.

Did you pick up On Tour? What do you think of the game?

Gallery: Guitar Hero: On Tour



[Via Joystiq]

Rhythm Tengoku screenshots, boxart are Gold

It won't be long before you'll have to break open your piggy bank -- Rhythm Tengoku Gold will be out in Japan as soon as July 31st! If you never had a chance to play the original critically-acclaimed rhythm game for the GBA, consider it your mission to import this DS remake later this month.

Hit our gallery below for a handful of screenshots from Rhythm Tengoku Gold! They're mostly larger versions of the images shown on Nintendo's fact sheet, but they're still a good preview of how the touchscreen-enabled title will play on the system, book-style. Besides, as this upcoming release shows, the world needs more Rhythm Tengoku.


[Thanks, Peter!]

WRUP: Rocking out edition

Holy cow, DS gamers! There's a bunch of new games available this week! Guitar Hero: On Tour? Check. Mega Man Star Force 2? Check. My Weight Loss Coach? Check. Too many games to choose from? Check.

With the wide assortment of new games available, what will you be enjoying on your DS this weekend? Planning on playing something new? Something old? Something blue? Wait, that doesn't sound right ...

What are you playing?

Gallery: Guitar Hero: On Tour

Dancing with the Stars cha-cha slides over to the DS

It seems that Dancing with the Stars was such a hit that Activision decided to bring the sequel to Nintendo's other current-gen system, the DS. The games developer and publisher decided to nix the PS2 and PC versions in this iteration, and focus on what Nintendo has to offer (massive casual audiences) instead.

Will Dancing with the Stars: Get Your Dance On! (DS) have the same Samba de Amigo-like "charm" as its predecessor did on the Wii? Maybe, but probably not (especially since it won't include maraca-esque motions). Not only do we cringe a little at the license, but Activision also has yet to prove themselves as worthy DS rhythm game developers. (If you plan to cite Guitar Hero: On Tour as a counter example, keep in mind that it was developed by Vicarious Visions.) Even though we're skeptical and cynical by nature, we'll wait and see how this Q4 release moves along. We wouldn't want to miss the next Ouendan or Elite Beat Agents because we were too busy scoffing, after all.

RepeaterDS stu-stu-stutters audio samples


It might not be the most pleasant music -- some would even argue that it's not music at all -- but there's definitely, uh, something going on in the above RepeaterDS demonstration video. According to developer Bret (a.k.a. Clone45), the same programmer behind cellular automaton sequencer GlitchDS, RepeaterDS is "a music application that allows you to 'play' a sample by drawing on the DS screen.

The application imports audio files and records your gestures, with vertical movements controlling repeat length and horizontal movements controlling the playback offset into the sample. Messing with the directional pad and pressing different buttons will also affect the resulting sounds in some manner incomprehensible to us.

We're not sure how exactly one would incorporate the stuttered audio into anything, except for maybe in a stop-motion zombie film featuring G.I. Joe figures, but the effect is pretty cool!

Metareview: Guitar Hero: On Tour

Whether you plan to base your Guitar Hero: On Tour purchasing plans on the track list or reviews, you're likely to be confused. The reviews seem to be as schizophrenic as the compiled tracks themselves, with some outlets loving the game and others hating it.

IGN (90/100) thinks the game really works on Nintendo's handheld: "For the Nintendo DS version, you lose the full-sized guitar, but that's pretty much all you're losing because everything else, with the exception of a single fret button, has been placed in rather intuitive locations on the Nintendo DS thanks to a well-constructed peripheral and incredibly tight programming."

GameSpot (60/100) hated the peripheral, and believes that On Tour takes the fun out of Guitar Hero: "While the size of your hands is certainly a consideration, the attachment is functional at best. Given that the game actually begins with two screens that instruct you to keep your wrist straight, take frequent breaks to avoid cramping, try different play styles to find one that's comfortable, and even visit the game's Web site 'for more play comfort suggestions,' it's apparent that someone was aware that the game could present physical problems for people. It would have been nice to be able to play the game with some sort of alternate control scheme, but such an option isn't available."

GameSpy (70/100) was on the fence, finding both negative and redeeming qualities in Vicarious Visions' attempt: "The guitar peripheral doesn't work as well as we had hoped, something that could prove to be a major sticking point (after all, who wants to keep playing a game that hurts you?). Still, it's a solid entry in the franchise and gets points for innovation, so we're hopeful that this won't be the series' last foray into the handheld domain."

Guitar Hero goes On Tour with a complete track list


Guitar Hero: On Tour released this week, but those of you interested in buying it might want to know the full track list first (including an unlockable song). Yesterday we revealed the venues and songs for On Tour's sister game, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, so it's interesting to compare the two. Aside from one of the games being predominantly full of Aerosmith songs (we'll let you guess which), the style and essence of the two lists are very different. On Tour takes a much more poppy approach than Aerosmith and all the previous Guitar Heroes, as we've seen, but throws in some classics as well to appeal to the core audience.

We're not sure how we feel about some of the nausea-inducing tracks (read: Maroon 5 and kin), but we were able to stomach a few terrible tracks in Elite Beat Agents and enjoy it regardless. Now that the final track list is here (with a total of 26 songs), where do you stand on the game?

Continue reading Guitar Hero goes On Tour with a complete track list

Rhapsody: A Musical Minigame

NIS is including extra stuff with the DS version of Rhapsody, in addition to the inevitable Etna/Prinny cameos that will ensure that PS2-era NIS nerds will desire this PS1-era NIS remake. Cornet's trumpet-playing has been expanded into a minigame in which Cornet plays trumpet in the town square to earn Imotium chips from the townspeople. This takes the form of a minigame in which you blow into the microphone in time with an onscreen indicator.

Other new stuff includes a "Kansatsu Notes" feature, in which not only does the game provide a database of information about its characters and monsters, but the main characters offer commentary as well. Dengeki has posted tons of screens of these modes and other parts of Rhapsody.

Imagine Figure Skater could be good, might not be


This could really, totally be a good game. Last time we checked, figure skating is a sport accompanied by music. It requires rhythmic motions and impeccable timing. All of these features are perfect for adapting to the touch screen on the DS. Tracing skating lines, tapping at the appropriate times, using smooth stylus skills -- yep, sounds like a winner.

Imagine Figure Skater is marketed towards young girls, what with the absence of any male characters and the emphasis on hair and accessory customization. Sure, some of us might not have considered playing a figure skating game in any form, but we probably said the same thing about lawyers. In any case, the first screenies are in the gallery to start you down the long, complex road of "Should I buy this game when it comes out in August?" The answer is ...

Gallery: Imagine Figure Skating


[Via press release]

Bust ghosts and wish upon stars with Band Brothers DX



As we've previously noted, there's a lot more to Band Brothers DX than J-pop. Nintendo just updated the list of the game's downloadable content, and there are several tracks (most of which tick the "shamelessly camp" and "80s" boxes) that will be recognizable to western eyes. These include cheesy power rock anthem "The Final Countdown," "Last Christmas," "Y.M.C.A.," and ... the Ghostbusters theme?! Man, you better believe that we're just one Thundercats theme away from getting our import on right this second, Nintendo! Here's what being offered up, complete with YouTube linkage:
  • "Ghostbusters"
  • "Last Christmas"
  • "Daydream Believer"
  • "Stand by Me"
  • "The Loco-Motion"
  • "Saturday Night"
  • "The Final Countdown"
  • "When You Wish Upon A Star"
  • "Gonna Fly Now"
  • "Highway Star"
  • "ABC"
  • "Y.M.C.A."
As if choosing what to download wasn't already difficult enough! Hit the gallery for a dozen fresh shots of the title.

Gallery: Band Brothers DX


[Via Siliconera]

Band Brothers DX: choose your DLC carefully

It feels churlish to complain about the expansive range of DLC offered up by Band Brothers DX. In case you forgot, the game will allow users to download up to 100 extra songs from a choice of 200 (far outstripping the amount of tracks offered by any other DS music game), yet posters on NeoGAF have now discovered that once you've downloaded one of your 100 tracks, that's it -- there's no way to delete tracks, or replace them with new songs.

Curious about this limiting feature, N-Sider's Matt Behrens checked out the official site for the game, which seemed to confirm the findings. On the site, Nintendo explains that this is due to rights restrictions that prevent the erasing or replacement of the music, and urges players to use "Audition Mode," a feature that plays songs before you elect to download them. Sounds like solid advice!

[Via N-Sider]

Band Brothers DX Speaker Channel in action

When we heard about the Speaker Channel that would allow Band Brothers DX players to share tracks with one another, we were immediately smitten with the title, even if we knew in the back of our mind that we'd probably never get to play it. Regardless of the end product's quality, strives such as this set precedents for others to utilize the DS and Wii together in interesting fashions.

Now, we can view the Channel in action, courtesy of the video uploaded over at the Touch DS site. We'd like to embed it, but, alas, we cannot. So, head on over and give it a look.

The World Ends With You remix album is a sensory overload


We already know that the It's A Wonderful World + The World Ends With You remix album will sound amazing -- one only needs to play the game or listen to samples of the compilation on Square Enix's dedicated site to appreciate that Takeharu Ishimoto's magical soundtrack is one of the best this year -- but the packaging of the album will also look totally classy.

Unlike the original soundtrack, this album contains tracks from both the Japanese and the North American and PAL editions of the game. It hits Japan (and the iTunes Store) on July 30th, when it will retail for ¥2,100 ($19).


[Via Go Nintendo]

Final Fantasy tracks remixed for new album releasing to Japan


When asked by Final Fantasy junkies what their favorite aspect of the franchise is, you're likely to get a variety of answers. From the battle system to the epic tales weaved by each game, Square Enix has accrued quite the fan base over the years. If you ask us, one of the things we've always loved about those games were the music.

And here comes one more reason to be jealous of the Japanese. Famitsu reports that Square Enix will be releasing a remix cd on August 6th that focuses on Final Fantasy tracks. Nobuo Uematsu's famous songs will be remixed by Ante.

If you'd like a taste for yourself, check out the official site for the remix right here.

[Via Famitsu]

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