All posts for the month July, 2010

Tunage – Kinuyo Yamashita

Kinuyo Yamashita

Kinuyo Yamashita (also known as James Banana or Kinuyo Ueda), began her gaming music career at Konami, composing the acclaimed score to the original Castlevania (under huge time constraints!) and the Famicom only King  Kong.  Konami continued to call on her to compose other major soundtracks for them in the late ’80′s, including Parodius, Esper Dream, Gradius II and others.  She left Konami by the early ’90′s and began a long stream of collaboration with Natsume, providing the music to both Power Blade games, Pocky & Rocky, the Metabot series and more.  She also was contracted by Capcom to compose Mega Man X 3′s Super NES soundtrack.

Today Yamashita is a freelance composer who continues to produce video game music.  Her energetic spin on music creation has pioneered a more “rock” styled sound for game compositions, and she has certainly left her mark on the industry.  This page was originally created before Wikipedia finally conceded a page for her after a nasty internal war with some overzealous moderators debating her “notability”, and it’s because of that silliness that Tunage exists in the first place.  It is with pride that LVLs. will continue to honor Yamashita’s musical career and showcase why she deserves recognition as a legend in gaming music’s young hall of fame.

Complete Discography (newest to oldest)

DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou arrangement soundtrack CD (2010, Soundtrack, Cave, Stage 4)

Mr.Balloon’s Wonderful Trip (2010, iPhone and iPod, Masahills, sound effects/voice acting)

Walk It Out (2010, Wii, Konami, composition)

Kisō Ryōhei Gunhound (2009, PC, ?, all composition)

Akagawa Jirō Mystery: Yasōkyoku - Hon ni Manekareta Satsujin (2008, DS, Marvelous, composition)

Shugo Chara! 3-tsu no Tamagoto Koisuru Joker (2008, DS, Konami, composition)

Yokojiku de Manabu Sekai no Rekishi: Yoko-Gaku (2008, DS, Takara Tomy, composition)

Kikansha Thomas DS 2-Asonde Manabu DS Yōchien (2008, DS, Rocket Company, composition)

DS moote tabini deyou♪Kyoto (2008, DS, JTB West, composition)

Hello Kitty no Gotōchi Collection: Koi no DokiDoki Trouble (2007, DS, Rocket Company, composition)

Cinnamon Ball Kurukuru Sweets Paradise (2007, DS, Rocket Company, composition)

Kikansha Thomas Kokugo Sansū Eigo (2007, DS, Rocket Company, composition)

Osumitsuki Series Shokusai Roman Katei de Dekiru! Chōmeijin- Yūmei Ryōrinin no Original Recipe (2007, DS, Rocket Company, composition)

Katei no Igaku DS de Kitaeru Shokuzai Kenkō Training (2007, DS, Rocket Company, composition)

Cinnamon Ball Yume no Daibouken (2004, GBA, Imagineer, composition)

Shinkata Medarot (2004, GBA, Natsume, composition)

Medarot 2 Core (2003, GBA, Natsume, composition)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wrath of the Darkhul King (2003, Game Boy Color, THQ/Natsume, composition)

Medabots Infinity (2003, Gamecube, Natsume, composition)

Medarot G (2002, GBA, Natsume, composition)

Croc 2 (2001, Game Boy Color, THQ/Natsume, composition)

Medarot 4 (2001, Game Boy Color, Natsume, composition)

Medarot 5 (2001, Game Boy Color, Natsume, composition)

Medarrot Navi (2001, GBA, Natsume, composition)

Disney/Pixar Monsters, Inc. (2001, GBA, THQ, composition)

Medarot 3 (2000, Game Boy, Natsume, composition)

Keitai Denjū Telefang 2 （2000, GBA, Natsume, composition)

Shirubaia Melody – Mori no nakama to odorimasyo! (2000, Game Boy Color, ?, composition)

Medarot 2 (1999, Game Boy, Natsume, composition)

Bass Masters Classic (1999, Game Boy Color, THQ/Natsume, composition)

WWF WrestleMania 2000 (1999, Game Boy Color, THQ/Natsume, composition)

Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbō Jigoku Yūuuen Satsujin Jiken (1998, Playstation, Kodansha, composition)

Digital Figure Iina (1998, Playstation, Natsume/Imagineer, composition)

Big Mountain 2000/Snow Speeder (1998, Nintendo 64, Southpeak/Imagineer, composition)

MEDABOTS/Metarot (1997, Game Boy Color, Natsume, composition)

Keitai Denjyu TEREFANGU (1997, Game Boy Color, Natsume, arrangement)

Dragon Dance/Pocket Color BLOCK (1997, Game Boy Color, Natsume/Crave Entertainment, composition)

Casper (1996, Super NES/Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Kuraingu Doragon (1996, Playstation, ?, composition)

Mark Davis’ The Fishing Master/Oomono Black Bass Fishing: Jinzouko-Hen (1995, Super NES/Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Mega Man X3/ROCKMANX3 (1995, Super NES/Super Famicom, Capcom, all composition)

The Heian Fuuunden (1995, Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1994, Super NES/Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

GS Mikami Joreishi wa Nice Body (1993, Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling (1993, Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Natsume Championship Wrestling/Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling Dash Sekai Saikyō Tag (1993, Super NES/Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Power Blade 2 (1992, NES/Famicom, Taito/Natsume, all composition)

Pocky & Rocky/Kikikaikai～Nazo no Kuromanto (1992, Super NES/Super Famicom, Natsume, composition)

Power Blade/POWER BLAZER (1991, NES/Famicom, Taito/Natsume, all composition)

Hana Taaka Daka!? (1991, PC-Engine, Taito/Natsume, all composition)

King’s Valley II (1988, MSX, Konami, composition/arrangement)

Parodius (1988, MSX, Konami, composition)

Konami no Uranai Sensation (1988, MSX, Konami, all composition/sound effects/sound programming)

Esper Dream (1987, Famicom Disc, Konami, all composition/sound effects/sound programming)

Arumana no Kiseki (1987, Famicom, Konami, all composition/sound effects/sound programming)

Tsuinbii2 (1987, Famicom Disc, Konami, composition)

Gradius II Gofer no Yabō (1987, MSX, Konami, composition)

Maze of Galious/Gariusu no Meikyu (1987, MSX, Konami, composition)

Uşas (1987, MSX, Konami, composition)

Syaromu (1987, MSX, Konami, composition)

Hinotori (1987, Famicom, Konami, composition)

Castlevania (1986, NES/Famicom Disc, Konami, composition)

King Kong 2 Ikari no Megaton Punch (1986, Famicom, Konami, composition)

Examples of her Work:

Castlevania

Vampire Killer
 (more…)

by WildcatJF on July 30, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Games, Music, Tunage
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Posted by WildcatJF on July 30, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/tunage-kinuyo-yamashita/

Retro Comps Pt. 2 – Franchise-specific comps worth your time and money

12/31/2012 – I’ve decided to let this feature lie. These comps are great, but their release is getting near 10 years ago, and I don’t know if the information in here is worth updating anymore. I won’t remove it, but I won’t be making any further updates to it.

Retro compilations have become a quick way for publishers to get a ton of games out into the hands of retro hounds at a low price.  These collections offer up a ton of excellent history on the gaming industry’s earlier days.  However, which collections are the best for your dollar?  That is what this feature is set to answer.  This will focus on franchise-specific collections I have played for systems in the last two generations (i.e. no Namco Museums from the PS1). This is a fairly large post, so for space reasons, click below to read on.

(more…)

by WildcatJF on July 30, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Games
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Posted by WildcatJF on July 30, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/retro-comps-pt-2-franchise-specific-comps-worth-your-time-and-money/

Virtual Console No-Shows: Jumpman (C64)

Since our poor European friends are lacking a Virtual Console update, I’ll take a moment to talk about a game they were fortunate enough to get a long time ago, yet we over in the States have yet to see.  It’s not much of a consolation prize, alas.

9. Jumpman (C64, Epyx/Commodore Gaming)

Brief Synopsis: This is an action/arcade style game that takes a little inspiration from Donkey Kong.  Jumpman, our hero, must defuse all of the bombs scattered throughout the stage all the while avoiding a multitude of traps, making tricky jumps and ultimately beating the clock.  The game’s speed can be adjusted, allowing beginners a chance to get the hang of the controls and experts to zoom through stages in a blur.

Why is it Missing?: Europeans have had Jumpman since September of 2008 – quite a long time.  Our last Commodore 64 update was way back in November of last year. Why such a long stretch between C64 updates?  I’m guessing that Nintendo has evaluated the performance of Commodore 64 titles both in Europe (who haven’t seen a new title since February of 2009) and here, and found the results a little lacking, so haven’t felt the need to continue adding them to either service.  Both sides have a backlog of ratings (Europe has Creatures, Speedball and Spindizzy on tap, while North America has Impossible Mission on queue), but nothing seems to be coming from them.  Shame, really, as the C64 has a bevy of excellent gaming goodness available for it.  There’s no official word on the matter, but I’m pretty well inclined to believe I’m not too far off in my deduction.

Other (Legal) Options: Well, Commodore Gaming’s website claims to be releasing games for the iPhone – however, the website for that particular branch is dead in the water.  The rest of the site also seems locked in 2009, so perhaps something happened to the company itself and that’s why we haven’t seen any new updates from them in some time.  The latest news on them that I could find is from April of this year.

Meanwhile, Jumpman originally saw release on the C64, Colecovision, and Atari 400/800 systems, so if you happen to be a way old-school gamer and have one of those, you can try to hunt down a cartridge/diskette.  Can’t promise it’ll be easy, though.  I’ve never seen an actual copy of the game in the wild.  With any luck, we’ll have a second coming of Commodore 64 downloads for both regions.

by WildcatJF on July 30, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Games, Virtual Console No-Shows
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Posted by WildcatJF on July 30, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/virtual-console-no-shows-jumpman-c64/

Beast Wars, and why it is awesome – an article by David Willis

Man, I wish I could take credit for this, but as a fan of the 1995 Transformers spin-off cartoon, Beast Wars, I couldn’t just read this and let it slip. So here’s an excellent review of Beast Wars by renowned Transformer fan, David Willis:

http://shortpacked.com/blog/why-beast-wars-is-awesome/

by TEi on July 27, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Film, Misc.
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Posted by TEi on July 27, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/beast-wars-and-why-it-is-awesome-an-article-by-david-willis/

Overrated vs. Underappreciated – Dead or Alive 2 vs. N+

OVERRATED – Dead or Alive 2 (DC, Tecmo)

Dead or Alive – The fighting franchise where the breast physics seem to matter more than the gameplay.

You can buy that catchphrase from me, Tecmo Koei.

Joking aside, I probably wouldn’t have bothered using Dead or Alive 2 as an example in this series if it wasn’t for two things: its creator Tomonobu Itagaki thinking it’s the finest fighter that’s ever been made, and me looking back through some of my old Dreamcast magazines that gushed about how incredible this game is.  I decree that those claims are inaccurate at best.

I will say this in its favor – I dug the stage designs in Dead or Alive 2.  I especially liked the dramatic ones where you could knock your rival off a cliff into some other part of the arena.  And it does look nice for a Dreamcast title – it’s easily one of the standouts of the system.  The basic gameplay, however, is lacking a certain punch (ignore the pun) to truly make it one of the greats.  It’s heavy on the button-mashing, the reversal system is too easy to abuse (the CPU is very guilty of this), and the character movesets and designs are not all that spectacular.  The female half of the lineup were obviously the main focus, and all of these femme fatales have the “plunging cleavage, panty shot-ready and/or bouncing boobs” method of character design, aimed clearly at horny teens, which doesn’t really appeal to me, a 27 year old happily married chum, these days.  When I look at some of my favorite women in gaming, I notice that the majority of them are not of the buxom beauty type, a la Dead or Alive.  Anyway, blatant sexism aside, Dead or Alive isn’t all that fun to square off in for me.  The appeal of the series has always leaned towards extreme fan-service (as evidenced by the Dead or Alive Xtreme Volleyball/Paradise spin-offs), and the fighting engine was not as thoroughly executed as its pandering to sexually-desperate boys and men.  I wouldn’t count it as one of the finest fighting franchises, and I certainly wouldn’t say it’s a “perfect” example of the genre.  I guess it’s just not my kind of fighter.

UNDERAPPRECIATED – N+ (DS, Atari)

It’s a tough sell when you try to market a game that began as a freeware product.  N is such a title.  Atari seemed to agree, as they quietly shipped this out and watched it wallow on the shelves.

However, I think Atari and Silverbirch Studios managed to exceed the original in many ways with their enhanced retail sequel (of sorts).  For one, the DS controls are incredibly responsive, which is a necessity for this game’s tense platforming challenges.  The second screen serves as a useful map to the overall playing field, which was a massive benefit for the player.  And there’s a nice selection of bonus content the Flash-based original did not have – the ability to share custom-made maps (which is now available to the free version), multiplayer modes, and exclusive levels.  There’s something truly special about N+ that’s hard to explain in words, though – it’s some of the most sadistic gaming I’ve played, but it can also be among the most addictive and obsessive games I’ve taken on, too.  It is difficult, and can be nigh-impossible later on, but conquering a series of tough stages is incredibly fulfilling.  While I’m plugging the DS rev, I’ve heard the Xbox Live and PSP variants are solid, too.  And if you’re lacking in funds, there’s always the free Flash game!

by WildcatJF on July 26, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Games, Overrated vs. Underappreciated
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Posted by WildcatJF on July 26, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/overrated-vs-underappreciated-dead-or-alive-2-vs-n/

Artistic Discussion: The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art – 7/25/2010

Gah.  I’ve been terrible at keeping up with these this summer.  Sorry.

Good – Metal Gear Solid VR Missions (PS1, Konami)

Yoji Shinkawa’s Metal Gear Solid artwork is amazing, and Konami wisely put it to good use promoting their MGS spin-off for the PS1.  Gray Fox looks intimidatingly badass, and the excellent use of red makes it very striking.  It also works well with the digital backdrop.  Excellent work here.

Bad – Mega Man (NES, Capcom)

This was bound to end up here at some point…as Mega Man’s NES debut is often considered the godfather of terrible gaming artwork.  What’s hilarious about the whole situation is that Capcom is including Mr. “I’m Failing to be Mega Man!” in their upcoming Mega Man Universe project based on fan demand.  This has become that infamous.  Anyway, click on the pic to truly appreciate its awfulness first.  It’s a lot larger than this post will allow.

There’s so many things wrong here that it’s hard even to begin.  Mega Man’s pose is awkward in multiple ways – his legs jut out at odd angles, his shoulders are too far forward, his left arm is holding the gun unrealistically, his helmet is off-center, his right arm is not drawn to scale, his boots look like they were merely colored over his original legs…etc.  The background fails perspective 101 practically everywhere, with only the explosives resembling anything that looks like…what it should be, I suppose.  The random palm trees that abruptly cut off, the bizarre domes that are in the foreground that seem to serve no purpose other than adding some buttcrack peaches into the mix, and god, I could keep going.  When the best part of your box is the nifty 80′s grid BEHIND your composition, there’s a problem!

by WildcatJF on July 25, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Art, Artistic Discussion, Features, Games
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Posted by WildcatJF on July 25, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/artistic-discussion-the-good-and-bad-of-gaming-box-art-7252010/

Weekly Whose Line? – Moving People

Sorry for the tardiness. XD  Moving People is one of my favorite games, and this is one of the greatest ones they did.

by WildcatJF on July 25, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Film
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Posted by WildcatJF on July 25, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/weekly-whose-line-moving-people/

Skies of Arcadia Fan Art Frenzy – Lawrence and Doc and Maria

I’m pleased to finally begin my celebration of Skies of Arcadia’s 10 year anniversary!  I’ll be beginning with the minor cast.  I’ll work my way upward towards the leads (who were mostly all sponsored!).  In the meantime, enjoy my first two sketches in this exercise!

Click to see a larger view!

Click to see a larger view!

by WildcatJF on July 25, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Art, Games
Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by WildcatJF on July 25, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/skies-of-arcadia-fan-art-frenzy-lawrence-and-doc-and-maria/

Retro Comp Update – Data East Arcade Classics

I finally tracked down a copy of Data East Arcade Classics last week, so I’ve added a write-up to the Retro Comps article. (You’ll find it at the bottom.)

In short, I like it, but I’m a sucker for retro compilations. Data East Arcade Classics will make a nice addition to my collection.

by Nester on July 23, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Games, Site News
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Posted by Nester on July 23, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/retro-comp-update-data-east-arcade-classics/

Gamer’s Playlist: “Jungle Jam”

Gamer's Playlist

Chris “Vertex Guy” Kline has worked in many areas of the video game industry, but he’s probably best known for his rocking guitar tributes. Among them is “Jungle Jam”, based on the music from the title screen, first level, and tunnel levels of Konami’s classic run-and-gun Contra. His famous rendition of the theme has even been performed live at a few Video Games Live concerts.

The composition of the music is a little bit of a mystery. It’s often attributed to Hidenori Maezawa, but he is only known to have created the music for the NES version. The original arcade version credits Kazuki Muraoka as a sound editor, but lists no composer. I’ll collectively credit it to Konami’s sound team, Konami KuKeiHa CLUB. Once again, if anyone can provide more specific info, please leave a comment.

Title: “Jungle Jam”
Artist, Arranger: Chris “Vertex Guy” Kline
Composer: Konami KuKeiHa CLUB

To download the MP3 of this and more from Vertex Guy, visit his official site at www.vertexguy.com.

by Nester on July 21, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Gamer's Playlist, Games, Music
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Posted by Nester on July 21, 2010

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/gamers-playlist-jungle-jam/

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