01/05/2009

“THIS is the f*cking Street Fighter game I care about”

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

So how was everyone’s weekend? The first one of 09, for me at least, was quite relaxing. Got the chance to hang with Travis who came to town for the holidays, plus some business I guess. Myself and Katie along with Travis and his gal pal Jessica went to the New Museum, which I had been dying to go for ages now. It’s a great space, though the stuff that was found inside… not as hot. Also got to watch a bit of Vermillion Pleasure Night, thanks to the wonder that is Netflix on the Xbox 360. It’s basically a sketch/variety show from Japan that’s part SNL, part Liquid Television, part cable access, and sports a primarily all female cast. It’s where OH! Mikey/The Fuccons, my favorite Japanese import for the boob tube since (the original) Iron Chef stems from, as a segment on Vermillion originally. And… it’s pretty decent. Though I have a feeling I would be more into it if I was a gay dude. Here’s a taste.

Oh, Katie and I also spent about three hours at the Virgin Megastore looking for stuff to add to our Netflix. Which is where I almost bought this.

Though the definite highlight had to be FIGHTING WEAPON BATTLE: EXTREME EDITION EXTENDED, FOR A NEW MILLENNIAL FIGHT!!!

… Well, not really. Colin was a no-show, as was Nullsleep. But myself along with Joe Salina and the master of ceremonies, Dave Maruo, plus his pal Carl, all gathered at Dave’s place in Greenpoint, Brooklyn… in his kitchen to be exact, which is where his Astro City cabs are set-up, right next to the kitty litter… to soak in the best damn fighter of 08, and more than likely 09 as well. First off, a closer look at the set-up.

Yup, that’s a Wii hooked up to an arcade cabinet. Control-wise (Dave himself will have to field questions about the picture and sound; Slonie already asked if there’s a RGB convertor for the Wii), the Astro City’s inputs are connected to the Wii via PlayStation control wiring, along with a PlayStation to GameCube adaptor. I think? But in the end, arcade perfect controls for a game that deserves it; I can’t even begin to imagine playing any SF-type game via the Wii’s Classic Controller, even if it is pretty nice.

As for the game itself… holy sh*t is Tatsunoko vs. Capcom ever awesome. Seriously. Forget Street Fighter 4, this is the real hotness right here. And please excuse the crappy pics once again, but hey, it’s tricky as hell taking quality pics of any game running off a CRT monitor…

First off, how does it play? F?n fantastic. Feels kinda like Marvel vs Capcom 2, but better? It’s not all over the place, making things much easier to handle. Yet the game’s still a button masher for sure, and perhaps as air crazy as MvC2, but the four of us, nor any of Dave’s other friends (who also enjoyed the game, though not enough to stick around… instead, they spent the rest of the night with LitteBigPlanet, lol) knew enough about the controls to engage in ariel fisticuffs. Though overall, it’s seemingly tighter, but just as frantic and action packed, yet one doesn’t need to be a master of technique like in Street Fighter 3 nor be a combo-memorizing machine like in MvC2 to keep up. So the point is, anyone can enjoy this game. Though diehard SF players will need to push the difficulty to the max (the default setting was admittedly a real push over, at least from what we experienced), and even then they will still complain. Whatever.

Controls are far from complicated: you’ve got three attack buttons, weak, medium, and hard. A fourth button is used to bring in a partner for brief assistance. Hit back on the control stick along with the assistance button will swap characters. The match is won when both folks on the opposing side is down and vice versa. As you fight, a super meter will be filled to help unleash, you guessed it, a super move. And if you have more than one, you can bring in both characters for a double attack.

Each side has a nice sampling of folks from their respective universes. On the Capcom side you have Ryu and Chun-Li along with Alex from Street Fighter, Morrigan from Darkstalkers (man, is it ever nice to not see her same stupid sprite from fifteen years ago once again), Mega Man Volnutt (aka his Legends incarnation), his sister Roll, Batsu from Rival Schools/Project Justice, Sōki from Onimusha, Viewtiful Joe (whose super allows him to move super fast, though a slowing down time move, if one exists, has yet to be found), a girl from the future sporting a gigantic cannon from some Japan only quiz game, plus the mech from Lost Planet. Lilith from Darkstalkers and Sexy Silvia from Viewtiful Joe also make special guest appearances briefly during certain folks’ super moves. Any guesses for whom?

On the Tatsunoko side… are a bunch of characters that none of us were familiar with! Though everyone knows Ken and Jun from Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets/G-Force, plus most anime dorks have seen the Casshern movie by now. I also vaguely recall seeing the Tekkaman cartoon while growing up in South Korea. There’s also Gold Lightan, who along with the Lost Planet mech, is so big that each takes up two character slots, meaning no partner for either guy. And the last boss, for whatever reason, is the final boss in Ōkami.

Believe it or not, the game totally looks better than SF4, no joke. At least character-wise; despite the sharp decrease in the number of polygons used, the fighters in TvC are still more appealing and cooler looking, thanks to the far superior art design. I personally have never been a fan of the look of the characters in SF4, especially the new faces, though I will admit that the little flourishes, like the painterly effects are still nice. Yet, everyone is SF4 is ultimately very ugly. But not here! Also the stages in Sf4 are more interesting overall I guess, but that’s because the environments for the Tatsunoko characters are based upon their sources, and we all know how detail-oriented, or lack thereof, the backgrounds in those shows tended to be (as well as most anime from the 70s and 80s). Plus, whenever a super attack is unleashed, the entire stage gets sucked into a black hole, so if there’s too much stuff to move around, I’d imagine that there would be quite a bit of slowdown as a result. But nothing looks horrible per say (with the action being as fast and furious as it is, most folks won’t have much of a chance to check out the backgrounds anyway), and overall everything looks simply stunning; characters move fast and fluidly, plus the colors are vibrant and spot-on, not at all gaudy and overly pastel as in SF4.

Regarding the audio, it’s what you expect in a Capcom fighter. Each character has his or her theme that plays whenever they enter the fray. But unlike most Capcom Vs titles, in which the first character’s song plays till he or she dies, than the second character’s kicks in, here it switches on the fly, leading to a rather jumbled aural experience. Everyone on the Tatsunoko side has the same, generically wistful animu themes, though they’re all trumped by Roll’s super happy J-pop jingle, but not in a good way, that will stay in your head for days. At least it’s not as fruity overall as MvC2, which is either a disappointment or a relief, depending on the person.

I honestly haven’t had this much fun with a Capcom fighter in a very long time. Certainly not as much as SF4, which mind you, far from sucks. But it’s just no Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Unfortunately, it’ll never come out here, and all we can hope for is a PS3 port since that system has no issues when playing imports. Though that would mean getting a PS3, which is another big headache right there. So, I guess it’s time I figured out how to play imports on my Wii!

Anyhow, afterwards, Dave swapped the Wii for the DC and we got in a bit of Third Strike action…

… Too bad getting Super Smash Bros Brawl would never work on such a set-up. Oh well. Anyhow, more pics, if anyone is interested can be found here. Plus Dave managed to snag a vid or me and Joe playing, though you really can’t see anything we’re doing, nor my wacky button technique that everyone found rather ridiculous.

9 comments

01/01/2009

When All Is Said And Done, 2008

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

First off, a pic from last night…

… Most folks I know stayed in, even those that generally go out and celebrate New Year?s Eve. I guess it was a combination of it being a midweek night, the shitty economy, and the brutal weather. But myself and Katie, along with Joe and June, plus Joe’s friend from back home, John, all braved the elements (which as a result meant that hardly anyone was out and about last night) and hung out at a couple of bars near Union Square. It was nice and chill.

But anyhow… 2008, what a year. Like for so many others, these past twelve months have been a real roller coaster. On the negative side of things, I lost a fairly lucrative full-time paying job and have been struggling to cut it as a full-time freelancer ever since. To the point that I am seriously considering a serious shift in focus career-wise for the upcoming year. I’m certain I’ve uttered those words once or twice before, but now I’m forced to be serious; it’s just become so Goddamn difficult to pay the bills from writing about games alone, though I will continue to do so around here and maintain this blog (something Katie was concerned about when I pondered the future with her the other night). I’ve always had my hands in various projects in other areas, and this year saw me get involved in a record number of them, and more or less all of them went absolutely nowhere due to assorted reasons, with the crap economy being the usual culprit. Either that or my all-around crazy, and often times bad luck! Let’s just say often poor timing…

Yet, in the end, I honestly can’t complain. And not just because I’m not the only game journalist out there scraping for work, nor someone in general who lost their job this year. I guess there’s more than enough reason to be bummed out, but I’m not. Ultimately, there were quite a few positives, making 2008 pretty darn kick ass; perhaps the most pleasant discovery was how, if you simply have a positive attitude and just ask, ye shall receive. Like asking to see Lady Refstrike‘s ass; a simple and earnest request about her underwear got her to lift her skirt and bend over (well, I was interested in getting a pair for Katie). Anyway, 2008 was full of little moments like that (actually, that anecdote was from 07, but I like repeating it any chance I get), and here are some other highlights…

- Finally shared to the rest of the world the ecstasy that is Love Love 2.

- And finally made it out to San Francisco and the Game Developer Conference. Among the many highlights: meeting the Red Power Ranger and cursing out some no-name local AM news reporter at a party.

- Was somewhat of a minor hit at the New York Comic Con 08, though it remains to be seen if I will be involved with next year’s show (pro-tip: if you want to do work with people, don’t criticizes whom else they’ve hired to do the same thing, even if they end up inciting a KILL THE GAYS chat at a show).

- Also made what was supposed to be my final appearance at I-CON, but I guess I simply cannot get enough of Long Island (and have committed to be back next year).

- Got pretty much the awesomest birthday present ever.

- Despite the fact that I still have the tendencies of a 15-year-old, came a little bit closer to being an adult: began living with a girlfriend!

- Tried in vain numerous times to get a podcast started. Eh, I think a cable access show would be better avenue for me anyway.

- Speaking of, became a staple on several call-in shows this year.

- As predicted, was the one guy who didn’t go gaga over Grand Theft Auto 4.

- Finally got a Xbox 360. Didn’t get a PS3.

- Met tons of awesome and interesting people, like the creator of Metal Gear Solid, an American Gladiator, and the original snarky video game blogger (and still the best imho) Solid Sharkey.

- Made many people’s lives better by spreading the joys of The Fast And The Furious 3: Tokyo Drift.

- Speaking of movies, the VERY long-awaited (at least for me) Iron Man movie came out, and it didn’t suck!

- Became the owner of a very cute, but also VERY stupid cat.

- Both validated and dispelling many people’s assumptions of myself in the flesh, based on my “internet persona.”

- Witnessed the drummer from The Misfits hit on said girlfriend.

- Correspondents get! Sup Hilary and dmauro. Also a street team of sorts, again dmauro and Isfet (the worst part about going to video game events is my inability to play them well).

- This website finally saw a print version, via the fort90zine!

- Got a free t-shirt from Yoshitaka Amano.

- Finally saw Killing Joke in the flesh, my fave band stemming from my high school daze, and got to hear my favorite album of all time, Millennium, also live.

- Discovered the joy that is Video Pizza.

- Saw a one-armed guy (actually, a guy with one and a half arms) rock out on Rock Band at a bar.

- Also saw a rodeo clown buy drugs in a Brooklyn subway station, and learn assorted rope tricks from the dealer. This was just yesterday btw.

But since this blog is mostly known for facts and opinions about video games, I guess I should do…
________________________________________________________________________________

Another stupid best of 2008 list? How splendid. But what else can I say? Truth of the matter is, there is indeed a law stating that all video game bloggers have to do such things at the end of a calendar year…

Quite Simply, The Top Five Games Of 08:

Now, I realize most folks go for a top ten list, so why only five? Is it because only five good games were released this year? Far from it; most people haven’t realized it, or perhaps feel differently, but once again, it’s never been a better time to be a gamer. Not only is the number of choices available positively staggering… no matter who you are or what you’re into, there’s something for everybody… but the overall quality of games in general continues to go up and up. Plenty of boundaries, whether they be technical or artistic, continues to be pushed, and the future has never been brighter. Sorry if you disagree, but I’d have to say that you’re either no looking hard enough, or you might have to simply rethink your platform of choice.

But that being said, still why only five games? I played plenty of superb games from 08, but only five really took ahold of me and didn’t let go. Games I poured endless numbers of hours into, and which stayed with me well afterwards. And they are…

5. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
A time when even the most loyal and diehard Nintendo fan has to feel disenfranchised, at least we have this love letter to those that helped make the house of N in the first place.

4. Braid (Xbox 360)
The indie darling of 08 actually delivered despite the ungodly amount of hype. This platforming genre-bender is yet another love letter, but of a different sort, which I dare say is perhaps also one of the most important games to come out in a long time.

3. Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360 or PS3)
A reminder of why we play video games: to have fun. More so than Tony Hawk Pro Skater during its heyday, RB2 is the ultimate, across the board smash hit that not only shock the foundation of gaming to its very core (much to the chagrin of hardcore gamers), but was a sequel that smartly added to the original in a way that most other sequels fail to do. Plus, finally was there a game in which paid DLC was not some evil monster.

2. No More Heroes (Wii)
Again, another hardcore action title on a system that desperately needed one, though because of the Wii?s reputation, Smash Bros not withstanding, NMH sadly was largely ignored. Also, yet another game where people bitched and moaned about the purported piss-poor graphics and the such. But who needed it? Here’s a game that positively screamed personality, from the wacky bosses, to the wanna be cool otaku protagonist. The use of the Wii-mote and nunchuck, for an action arcade game, actually worked wonderfully (I honest can?t imagine who it would have played in its original next-gen incarnation), and it also happens to boast the single most catchiest and versatile jingle in a game since perhaps Super Mario Bros.

1. Persona 4 (PS2)
Like I said in my review, not only is it by far the best damn Japanese role playing game to come in, seriously, the last ten years, but it finally also offers something for “the rest of us”. The combination of hardcore dungeon crawling plus monster creation/management, along with a high school simulator, replete with hangin’ with buds, dating girls, and holding part-time jobs, was beyond addictive to play as well as flat out brilliant in its execution. I normally abhor the idea of investing 100 hours into some RPG, but I played just that amount, a little more actually, and was taken by the charming characters, as well as the gripping story, the entire time. A textbook example of a genre both defying and embracing its conventions, I just hope I don’t have to wait another ten years for something equally as compelling.

… Once again, there were plenty of other games of note; Professor Layton never made it so much fun to be stumped, and GRID never made it so much fun to constantly crash and restart a race, for starters. If not for Persona 4′s mesmerizingly elegant presentation, I’d have to give the nod to GRID. Speaking off, might as well mention those other titles and their unique qualities…

Best Game That No One Has Bothered To Talk About:

Cubello (WiiWare)
It’s really hard to describe, other than it’s what one would believe puzzle games, or video games in general, would (or should) look like in the 21st century, via a sci-fi movie or tv show. Instead of explaining the concept, how about everyone just look at the game in action here. But yeah, it’s not exactly the most balanced puzzler in the world, but it manages to mix a bunch of different concepts together rather elegantly, and is just plain hella fun to zone out to at the end of a long, hard day.

Best New Paint Job:

Rez HD (Xbox 360)
Guess I can’t mention the games of 08 without bringing up my personal favorite game of all time which was actually made better. Though I will confess that I haven’t played it nearly as much as I did the original, mostly because I went through the PS2 version to an absolutely insane degree. That and I lack an HD set to fully take advantage of the new experience.

Best Completely Overall Of A Classic:

Space Invaders Extreme (DS)
You know, as revered the original is, I’ve never been able to give it the time of day. So kudos to Taito for doing the impossible and breathing new found life (and playability) into the all-time classic. And somewhat on the same note…

Best Game I Played This Year That Wasn’t From 08:

Pac-Man Championship Edition (Xbox 360)
Talk about late to the party, I know. But again, I’m just amazed that Namco Bandai was able to actually improve upon the original, something that had been tried for almost thirty years. And somewhat done with Ms Pac-Man, but this game completely surpasses it.

The “Wow… simply, WOW” Game That’s Not Even One In The First Place:

KORG DS-10 (DS)
Again, it’s not even a game, but a serious music creation software suite. Been messing around with my copy pretty regularly for the past month or so and I haven’t even scratched the surface. Would help if I had some actual skills and understanding of music, naturally. But yeah, it seriously has the potential to rock the world of electronic music in a few years.

Most Overrated:

Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360 or PS3)
Of course. Again, I could go on and on about how crappy it is, but I know most folks will either laugh once again, or choose to ignore me, so moving on…

Biggest Disappointment: (Two Way Tie)

1. Mega Man 9 (WiiWare or others)
The one game that every diehard Mega Man fan (such as myself) had been waiting years for. Too bad it was too damn hard.

2. Thunder Force 6 (PS2)
Again, another dream game made real, though this time, it’s just too boring and doesn’t feel at all like the previous entries. Plus that goofy end-boss, good God.

The Game I REALLY Wish Came Out Here: (Two Way Tie)

1. Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Wii)
While Street Fighter 4 is cool and all, this is the game I want, which we’ll never see, due to assorted licensing issues.

2. RIZ-ZOAWD (DS)
Basically a RPG that tells the tale of the Wizard of Oz with what I hear is some really wacky, and inventive, control scheme. This one actually has a chance of coming out here, though I’ve yet to hear any interest thus far.

The Game I Wanted To Hate, But Ended Up Really Enjoying After All:

Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360 or PS3)
Once more of the record, it ain’t no Burnout 3 or even 4, but it’s still lots of fun on its own right. Plus the visuals are perhaps the best ever, for any home console arcade racer, and the amount of content is simply ridiculous.

The Game That The Rest Of The World Passionately Despises, But Which I Can’t Bring Myself To As Well:

Castlevania Judgment (Wii)
Yes, it totally sucks, but the overall premise is actually pretty neat (note: I am as big a Castlevania fanboy as they come), with a rather brilliant roster (though most are completely marred by the well-meaning, but ultimately atrocious art direction).

Even Though My Days Of Listening To Nothing But Video Game Soundtracks Are Well Past Me, The One Game Score That I Couldn’t Stop Playing On My iPod: (Two Way Tie)

1. No More Heroes
As previously noted, there’s one hook that is constantly repeated throughout the entire game that NEVER gets old and makes a serious case for Masafumi Takada as the new Koji Kondo.

2. Persona 4
And as also previously noted, during the 100+ hours I played the game, I heard the same exact battle music over and over again, and not once did I ever become sick of it. Quite the opposite to be completely honest. Additionally, the whole thing is simply aural bliss.

Series I Officially No Longer Give A Rat’s Ass About:

Soul Calibur
You know, I’m one of the few that actually liked part 3, but part 4 is just too ridiculous, as well as broken. Sorry, but those Star Wars characters was the line that shouldn’t have been crossed. Also, all the female characters look like prostitutes that have been working the streets for three days straight. Speaking off…

Game With The Hottest/Cutest Girls:

Persona 4 (PS2)
Nuff said!

Best Console Game That Ended Up Working MUCH Better As A Portable Game:

Everyday Shooter (PSP)
Jonathan Mak’s “shmup mix-tape” actually works far better on the small screen. I just found it more enjoyable while sitting on a train, with the soundtrack going directly into my head via earphones, than sitting on a couch or computer. Though the system’s crappy buttons is at their absolute worst here.

Best Arcade Game That I Can’t Believe Ended Up Being So Awesome As A Portable Game, But Was:

Ketsui (DS)
While still not quite as amazing as the arcade original, I was expecting a total horror show, and proven completely wrong. Once again, never doubt Cave!

Best Portable Game That Worked Better On A Console, But Was Still Neat Nonetheless:

Echochrome (PSP)
The M. C. Escher-esque puzzler could have been the ultimate portable puzzler (which as far as I’m concerned, is the best platform for such games) if not for the fact that certain facets only work on a large, high-def display. Plus, the rules themselves are a tad bit inconsistent…

Best “Last Game Ever For The Dreamcast, Seriously” For This Past Year:

Wind and Water – Puzzle Battles
The best DC game to come up this year was NOT a shump! Sounds crazy, I know. But there’s always 2009.

Most Embarrassing Game Purchase:

Doki Doki Majo Shinpan Duo (DS)
You know, that loli molestation game for the DS that everyone freaked out about last year? It was so much fun that I of course had to pick up the sequel!

Biggest LOL Headline Of The Year: (Two Way Tie)

1. Anything related to the failure that is the PS3.
As any gamer with a half a brain what they think about the system, and the answer will always be the same: why? And at last, the analysts are also starting to realize that it’s not exactly God’s gift to geeks either. I’ve yet to talk to a single coder who works on the platform that actually likes doing so, nor have I yet to speaking to a single PS3 customer that’s happy with the abysmal selection of exclusive titles, or how all the games that are also available on the 360 is also better there. There’s so many things to harp upon, whether it be the super colossal mess that is PlayStation Home, or Sony completely forgetting what got them to the dance in the first place, which is the dropping of backwards compatibility. But moving on…

2. Prince of Persia Rips Off Shadow Of The Colossus? No…
This one is more personal than anything else, but to read the original story by my good buddy Steve Totilo, simply go here. But long story short: it’s hardly a surprise. When I was working at Ubi Soft, when my producer came back from E3, she was ranting and raving about a game that she had seen… Ico… and how amazing it was, and none of my ideas had come close to it’s level of brilliance. Yeah, she was the super supportive type. And then she basically decreed that I had to come up with an idea, any idea, that basically ripped Ico off. Point being, Ubi has a hard-on for the other guys (which is not bad per say, you just gotta be smart and creative about it), and I guess it was only a matter of time someone else noticed.

Best Game Related Vid: (Five Way Tie)

1. The Back To The Future/Wario Ware Vid.
… Which unfortunately has been removed from YouTube. Damnit.

2. The Trailer To Barkley, Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden.
And yes, this game is very much real.

3. Crash Man’s gay love letter to Mega Man.
Say it with me folks: LOL Japan!

4. A dog and a statue playing Street Fighter 2, in Portuguese.
I have no idea what the hell is going on here.

5. Bill O’Reilly playing Battletoads.
So childish, yet so effective.

The Game I’m Most Looking Forward To In 2009:

Metal Gear Solid 4 (Xbox 360)
Once more, nuff said!

… K, enough video game talk. What about the best film of 08? Hard to say; either Speed Racer (again, I’m dead serious when I say that they’ll be showing it in film school in 5-10 years time) or The Shadow Spirit. And best thing I read? Also difficult to say, though Bear Bear simply stands out the most.

Finally, time for one last top ten list…

The Ten Best YouTube Vids Of 08:

10. Ronald McDonald going nuts in Japan.

9. The most uncomfortable freestyle rap showdown ever.

8. What a kawaii day!

7. Cooking hot dogs and peaches, the insane packrat way.

6. Journey at the center of the earth.

5. It’s a story about friendship, between a dog and a duck.

4. Just one word: prisencolinensinainciusol.

3. Screw the real thing, I’d rather see this fake G.I. Joe The Movie.

2. bai biscit

1. Ladies and gentleman, introducing, Mean Green.

… The best non-YouTube video is a two way tie, between the creepy Dutch television host and the reason why I am now a card carrying Tim and Eric fan.

Plus the nod for hottest new internet created superstar of the year is another two way tie, between Chris Dane Owens and the crazy gangsta girl on the train.

5 comments

12/29/2008

“You’d have to be stone deaf not to recognize Tommy as one of the world’s most talented video-game musicians.” – Tips & Tricks Magazine

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

… The quote above was scribbled on the back of a picture of Tommy Tallarico, standing by his yellow Ferrari, parked in front of his mansion, which accompanied the tickets to his pet project, a Christmas present from Jason. Just felt like passing it along because there’s like seventeen different references and in-jokes, which the guy is the absolute master of, but anyhow…

Yes, Video Games Live finally came to New York this past weekend (actually, New Jersey) and I was there! Along with my good pal Dave Roman. And no, I do not have a picture of me with Tommy Tallarico, as somewhat promised last time, I’m afraid. Sorry Jason. But… the show itself was actually not that bad! Which was actually a shock; to be completely honest, I really expected something far worse.

Some might recall my less than favorable words for the recent Video Games Live concert CD that was released not too long ago. And I still stand by what was said regarding the recording; the selection of pieces were questionable, as were a few of the pieces themselves, primarily Tron’s score, due to the lack of imagination and energy.

Then there was the location, Newark NJ. As much I still miss my last full-time gig, as a cell phone blogger for the massive IDT Corp, I sure as hell did not miss working in that hellhole of a city. So both those things made me wonder if Jason had either read my original review, or were more than familiar with it. Beforehand, I had dinner with both Dave and his wife Raina, and before she went off afterwards to do some shopping, I jokingly said to her “Take one last good look… one of us might not be returning by the end of the night!” The real joke being, most will agree that I’m most likely to be shot for whatever reason, but the thing was, I kind of wasn’t joking. Newark is just that bad.

The performance took place at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, a very nice space in the middle of a wasteland, relatively speaking. The building, along with the recently erected Prudential Center a few blocks down, has always been a source of controversy, since anyone familiar with Newark is well aware of it’s calculated attempt to bring some culture… and revenue… into the city, but appealing mostly to those that are not from the neighborhood, to the point of alienating it’s locals. Still, it was nice to finally go inside the building the I passed by everyday, as I sped walked to and from Newark Penn Station, and again, it’s an elegant space. Even if there were a bunch of arcade machines in the lobby…

Before the show got underway, there was a cosplay contest, and the few attendees that decided to dress up all got on stage for the audience to select the winner. My personal favorite was either the girl who I was convinced was Meryl Silverburg but was actually Laura Croft or the black kid who dressed up as the lead character in Persona 3. But the winner was the duo of Pac Man and Inky (the blue ghost), and deservedly so; their costumes was awesome!

… I know you can’t really tell, but trust me on this one. That btw ends the pictures for this report I’m afraid. I foolishly didn’t charge my camera’s battery before heading out.

Anyhow, it was finally time for the show. The performance was conducted by Jack Wall (who himself is an accomplished American video game music composer, along with Tallarico… in fact, I just stared playing Mass Effect last night, which I believe was the last game he worked on), with Tommy acting as the MC. The music itself was performed by local musicians, the New Jersey Philharmonic, which both myself and Dave found particularly impressive. I don’t know if that’s standard procedure for a traveling orchestral series, but I’d imagine that a lot has to go into getting everyone up to speed with the material, in what I would have to assume is a very brief period of time.

Upon expressing skepticism over the quality of the show, many pointed out, and I myself believed, that any live performance is going to beat a recoding one, which definitely turned out to be the case. But also, via the CD, the total package is completely absent; the show kicked off with a brief look at the history of video games, starting with Pong, and I did get a real kick hearing violin strings being plucked in time with the visuals (in fact, virtually every piece was perfectly timed with its accompanying video). Another thumbs up right out of the gate were some of the choices made during this early highlight reel, which included Rastan of all things. But then again, given the general interest level of both Tallarico and Wall, a fantasy game that tried to go for a contemporary score similar to a Hollywood fantasy flick, no matter how primitive it might have been, was hardly a surprise.

Afterwards was an introduction and explanation of the show’s concept from Tallarico, who also noted that it’s a constant work in progress, which I certainly appreciated. Because that meant not having to sit through the Tron montage or the Advent Rising suite that were such bore fests on the live CD. The first real piece was the theme from Metal Gear Solid 2 (which was not on the CD), with footage from all four games playing alongside. Funniest part here was when Dave asked me, as he watched Old Snake from part 4 in action, “That’s his dad, right?” I unfortunately forgot to explain to him the whole history of the Snake character on the train ride home later that evening. Anyway, there was also some stage theatrics, which I was told to expect: some dude dressed as a foot soldier, patrolling the stage, while “Snake” in a cardboard box followed a few feet behind.

Before each song, Tallarico would introduce each game the music comes from, and I must admit…. despite any personal feeling towards the guy, mostly based upon interviews I’ve read or his antics from various shows of his on G4, which to be honest are not the most positive (though my only interaction with the guy a few years back, when I had to interview him, was totally a positive one)… the guy made a really good host. The dude has personality, and it was pretty clear why he’s been able to go as far as he has in his career (that and the fact that his work is for the most part excellent… though I was more of a fan of his Genesis days, especially his Cool Spot soundtrack). Plus, it’s true how Video Games Live is rather cheesy and perhaps nowhere near as good as how its done in Japan, but at least it’s something, right? I’m almost certain most folks in the audience, which was mostly young kids and teens, had never seen live orchestral music prior to that evening, so that right there is commendable, and who knows if a few of them might be inspired to look more closely at music as a result.

To help introduce certain pieces, such as the themes to MGS and God of War, as well as medleys from Super Mario Bros and Sonic 1, were video intros by the creative forces behind the source material. While Koji Kondo was the only actual composer of the bunch, it was still nice to see Hideo Kojima and David Jaffe get a little face time nonetheless, especially in front of a crowd who mostly did not know who the hell they were.

There was also a special guest for the night; some might recall Martin Leung, aka the Video Game Pianist, whose YouTube video of him playing music from Super Mario blindfolded was quite the sensation on the web a while back, came out to play a few tunes. In addition to some Mario music (and blindfolded, of course), he did a medley of assorted Final Fantasy pieces. I recognized songs from part four, five, six, seven, and ten, though there were certainly more.

Off the top of my head, I’d have to say it was about a 60/40 mix of selections from the west and the east. Speaking of, my favorite piece of the entire evening was from Sonic 1. Remember the medley that plays when you beat the game? It was that, though at a slightly slower pace, plus I believe they spent a little more time on each section. The whole thing reminded me how truly beautiful the soundtrack as a whole was. But anyhow, the differences in approach and philosophy between American and Japanese game music was quite apparent and very much on display; where Japanese game music is more melodic, with catchy hooks, feeling very electronic, even via a full orchestra, while American game music goes for a more grandiose, epic feel, like a big budget movie. I personally prefer the former.

Back to the on-stage antics; at one point an audience member was brought up to play a game of Space Invaders, in which the ship was controlled by the player’s motions, meaning he had to run left and right to avoid fire, and that was pretty cute. Later on, the winner of a Guitar Hero contest from earlier in the evening was brought up to play Sweet Emotion on Guitar Hero Aerosmith with not just the orchestral playing along, but Tommy also on a real guitar. Funny part is, how he had to score a certain number to get a prize, on hard, and the kid insisted on playing at the Expert level. Which was not a dumb move, because the kid was good and easily nabbed the bag of shwag. Though the strange thing here is how his “performance” easily got the loudest, most uproarious reaction of the entire evening. Interesting.

Another piece of note was introduced by Tallario, who explained that his group is constantly looking for feedback and suggestions as to what to perform at the next show, and the following was the most requested game to cover that they had yet to touch. I already knew the name before he had the chance to say it: Metroid.

As some might recall, Tommy was the original composer of Metroid Prime before being removed from the project for reasons that have yet to be completely specified from the source, though word is that Nintendo was simply not happy with that they had heard and was thus replaced, who later became quite incensed, and still claims to this day have worked on it. I believe his take on it is that some of his work did end up in the finished game, but without any credit. And anyone familiar with the reviews he’s done for Electric Playground and Judgment Day/Reviews On The Run, one might gather that he has some sort of axe to grind with Nintendo (when during the history of video games medley, music from the arcade version of Tetris was highlighted and not the far more recognizable Game Boy iteration, I had assumed this to be another example, though it was performed later on by Leung). Anyway, it kicked off with the theme from Metroid 1, which is still as atmospheric and amazing as ever, and immediately went into Metroid Prime. And because I didn’t recognize everything, though I will admit that it’s also been ages since I last played the game, I would have to assume that some of it is from his take on the score. Which was… eh, okay I guess.

The show closed with One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy 7 with Tallarico on guitar once again, and accompanied by a large assortment of FF fan art, no doubt compiled after a good hour long sweep of DeviantArt. Which was…. interesting to say the least. Though very much the crowd-pleaser (just like the montage of assorted classic game footage shown during the intermission, which even Dave marked out for since, as he aptly put it, it’s one thing to watch it on your computer at home or at work, but in a large group environment, it’s hard not to want to cheer), and Tommy more than anything, aims to please. Immediately afterwards was the real ending, a medley of the best guitar driven pieces from Castlevania, which was easily the best song on the entire CD; I had heard that Tommy was awesome on the guitar, and watching him in action, on a Spider Man-themed Fender I believe, was a real treat.

So yeah, it was certainly not the worst thing in the world, much better than I expected. Yes, much of the music chosen from American games all sounded terribly generic (with the exception of the Halo/Halo 3 piece), the theatric was every bit as cheesy as I was warned, and the whole thing was a gigantic ego trip for Tommy. Still, it’s great whenever the art of music for games receives any sort of recognition in such a setting, and here’s hoping that Video Games Lives thrives and continues to evolve.

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