This week on Night-Time Listenings, we listened to licensed music in videogame. Wee did this in chronological order, from the earliest to the most recent. First up, we raged on the road with Road Rash and Soundgarden. Then we drove for our lives in Twisted Metal with Pitchshifter. Then we reminisced with Etro Anime and Digital Devil Saga. We then flew with Ragriz with Ace Combat 5 and Puddle of Mudd. And finally, we beat up some punks with MadWorld and Ox.
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Road Rash – Rusty Cage Performed by Sound GardenI remember listening to this song almost everyday back in 2005 when I was a temporary Muralist. It was a Summer job after all, and I was 16 years old then. But you guys probably remember this from the old EA classic Road Rash. It made its appearance in Road Rash 3 (I think). I gotta say this make for some excellent driving music. Fast, non-stop, and straight hard rock. The way the song starts, it’s like seeing the garage door open slowly on a sunrise, and you’re on your motorcycle/car/truck ready to ride off. Besides this, what else makes for some good driving music?
Twisted Metal III – Microwaved Performed by PitchshifterOnce Twisted Metal exchanged hands from SingleTrac to 989 Studios, strange things happened… The gameplay became… tamer and slightly wacky. Then Rob Zombie got more involved. But there were still some good songs in some spots. I still like this song though. What you’re hearing is “Microwaved” from Pitchshifter. It played on the Washington DC stage, and like Field of Screams from TW2, it was wide open. One cool thing about this game was that, like some other Playstation games, you could pop this baby into a regular CD player and play the music in it. What other games did you put in a CD player to listen to the music?
Digital Devil Saga – Danger Performed by Etro AnimeProbably struck a chord with some Atlus fans out there. “Danger” by Etro Anime was used as the theme song for Digital Devil Saga. While the atmosphere of the game was somber, it was a very welcome departure from what was being released back then. This song is perfect complement to the game. It’s somber like its atmosphere, but has a serene speed like the action and gameplay. I finally managed to play the game through GameFly some months ago. To those that don’t know my plight with trying to get this game, you can read here about it here and here. So, what other games have you had trouble getting?
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War – Blurry Performed by Puddle of MuddThat trailer man. Once the reporter begins reading that passage in the story of Razgriz, you heard this song play. This was going to be one hell of a game. I To the fans out there, I probably don;t even have to say the name of the game this was in… but I’ll say it anyway. This was the theme song for Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. This entry would up the drama of the game, with the player playing more of a role with the choices and the storyline, rather than having a more passive role in the story like the previous game. Personally, I like AC04: Shattered Skies more, but this comes at close as hell second place. So, rather than ask the obvious question, I throw you a different one. Whose your favorite pilot in the Razgriz/Wardog Squadron?
MadWorld – Get It Up Performed by OxPoor Platinum Games. Poor SEGA. None of these guys can get a break. But there werre still better times for these two companies. Case in point, when MadWorld came out. While it didn’t sell as well as it was expected, those who did play it found enjoyment in it. And the soundtrack. This takes me back when there was something known as Talent in rap music. The subject of hip-hop is very polarizing, I’ve lived in the (South) Bronx long enough to tell apart good rap from c/rap. And this, this is good rap, as is the rest of the sound track. Now can we please get Anarchy Reigns Sega? Who’s with me on this?
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