So I'm a Little Obsessed

The 109 items pictured include the NieR remix album and the REVENGEANCE OST so it's not all K-Pop

47 Songs.

I have 47 K-Pop songs.

Am I overreacting to this fact?  Maybe a little.  In truth, it doesn't even really matter, it's just another style of music and we all dig what we dig, and pigeon-holing people for liking a certain style of music is pretty dumb.  On the other hand, I'm not even done collecting the K-Pop songs I want, and truthfully need to purchase at least 21 more, plus iTunes doesn't even have all of the songs that I want that are not included in that count.  Have you ever outwitted iTunes?  It's not as satisfying as you might think.

I spent the entirety of a night going through iTunes and listening to samples of songs to ensure they were the right versions of them (since a lot of Korean groups do Japanese versions of their songs and yes, I know that and yes there was a Japanese version of a song that I didn't want because it was the Japanese version and yes, I knew immediately that it was in Japanese) so that I could purchase them and download them and then upload them to the Amazon Cloud where I could then download them again on my Kindle because all of this makes sense and is in no way overly complicated and dumb.  It was not a night I particularly enjoyed, but it was a necessary one for the music that I will now be able to consume on a regular basis as I go out and about or even just play games and don't want to run an Internet Radio thing because, I mean, I pretty much only use those -for- this anyway.

I suppose this -shouldn't- be a surprise given that I use K-Pop as a sort of bridge whenever I had nights where there just was nothing to talk about but I wanted to give it the old try anyway, and I'm pretty sure I never really re-used a song, while I am also pretty sure I had more than a few of those nights and posts.  And especially given that my catalog of songs that I listened to just kept growing and growing as I kept it up.  It's just really weird to actually put a number to it, especially when you can look at all the other things that run similar.  Like, I have more K-Pop songs than were on the NieR soundtrack, for instance.  With the NieR Remix Album and the REVENGEANCE OST I bought, it only -slightly- outnumbers the K-Pop songs I have bought and will be eclipsed when I finish buying them.

By the way, I keep saying when I finish buying them.  That's because I ran out of money.  I bought a $50 iTunes card going "oh that'll be plenty" and I ran out.  (Well, I can get one or two more songs, but my point stands)  If a lot of the songs weren't $1.29 instead of $0.99 though, for some reason, it would have been less of an issue, but such is life.

Anyway, yes, I spent an entire night doing that, and I just wanted to share that fact with you.  Because I dunno, I just sort of find the situation funny in a sense.  And I like talking about funny things!  They're usually....actually funny, though.  Oh well.

I saved Girls' Generation for last and this proved to be a very big mistake since I want the most songs from them out of anyone, and that in itself is kind of worrying

Music! Grumbling About Grand Theft Auto V Edition

If I have one single, solitary complaint about Grand Theft Auto V it's....that the controls are still shit in the broad strokes of it, even if they're serviceable 80% of the time.  If I had two complaints, the other would be that melee combat is utterly unsatisfying, shallow and boring outside of some really nice sucker punches.  But, uh, that's not the point.  The point is that one of my complaints about the game is that the radio tracklist this go around is very, very disappointing.  I've never looked at Grand Theft Auto games as having exceptionally wonderful selections for their radio stations (and in truth, I spent most of my time on the Talk Radio stations anyway) but after Grand Theft Auto IV's wholly enjoyable Massive B Soundsystem track list, I admit, I had some high hopes.  Or...at least moderately off-the-ground hopes.  I was quite disappointed, I must say.

Still, there are some stand-outs among the rest of the songs that you've likely never heard before, and for reason as it turns out.  On the originally named pop station, Non-Stop Pop, the tracklist consists of songs from the 80s all the way to about three years ago, and it doesn't feel like many of them were actually picked from any Top 20s list from any point between those two eras.  Funnily enough, I don't actually think this one was on a list either, but I have a special attachment to the song after it was featured in the ten minute long musical orgasm that was the Encore from Daft Punk's "Alive 2007".  Stardust was also featured in a really, really good mash-up/remix that I heard a while back, with Beastie Boys and something else, though unfortunately it seems to have an aversion to Youtube, being taken down whenever it's put up.  Unfortunate, really, since it's a fantastic bit of music.  Anyways, tonight's first song is, obviously, "Music Sounds Better with You" by Stardust.

It's not fantastic on its own, since I've heard it mixed with Daft Punk so much, but it's still enjoyable and, well, it makes me -think- of the mixed version so there's that too.  I imagine that's kind of cheating, but if so, then it only helps further illustrate the problems that I have with this soundtrack, when a song that I like has only been a tertiary part of -other- songs that I like, which I like a lot better than this base song.  Whenever it's on, I keep it one, however, but that's more or less just so that I can actually -not- scan through the radio stations over and over and over again.  Because that does get a little old, as you might imagine.

Some of the soundtrack is comprised of Bands that you know, with songs that you likely don't.  Or if you do, they're not...you know, the 'hits' that you know from that band.  It gets very, very frustrating and I think the worst offender here is Los Santos Rock Radio, as the station is almost primarily -full- of examples of this.  The one that burns me the most here, however, is the next song I'm going to feature.  It's not a bad song, certainly, but it just makes you go "Really?  You went with that?"  It's not the first Grand Theft Auto game to do so - I realized as much when I looked at the GTA IV tracklist, but it's far less of a problem there - but it really just feels like it's a little over-much and I don't particularly know why.  Whenever this song, "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen comes on the radio, I just think of what could have been.

I can understand not wanting to use We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites the Dust or Bohemian Rhapsody as those are the Queen songs that everyone knows so that maybe you figure people are sick of them.  Or that they're like, much more expensive to license.  Not like it matters because it's fucking Grand Theft Auto V, but still.  I just don't understand using Radio Ga Ga instead of Bicycle Race, Under Pressure, Killer Queen, Crazy Little Thing Called Love or Don't Stop Me Now.  Basically what I'm saying is that there are a ton of Queen songs I would have picked before Radio Ga Ga, and it bothers me greatly that Rockstar didn't think similarly.  Since Radio Ga Ga just...isn't as fun to listen to as any of those other songs, in my opinion.  Nor was it ever nearly as popular as any of those songs at any given point in time.  Which is the point of a radio station, you see.

If nothing else, there is at least -one- song on that is an absolute, 100% perfect fit for the game, for the atmosphere and for the enjoyment factor.  The song in particular is from West Coast Classics, quite possibly the best station in the entire game since at least it's a -little- consistent in quality and theme.  If I'm listening to a station for a clip at a time, you can bet it's likely this, and not particularly because I like Rap (I don't generally, actually) but because there's this song and at least two others that I can be perfectly content listening to while driving around, playing the game  The song is "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion these days, apparently), and I'm sure you can tell why it just fits in GTA V if you've never heard it before this point.

If I could, I would probably just make this song repeat over and over again while I'm getting around because it's just the best chill-out driving song you can have in the game.  It works for all three characters even;  I can picture Michael and Trevor bobbing their heads along with the beat, slightly leaned back in their seats moreso than normal, just enjoying things just as much as I could imagine Franklin doing so.  Also, I just enjoy the song myself which is of course the most important part of it, but still, I can justify it in-game as well!  As opposed to something like "Gimme More" by Britney Spears, which I can listen to for the novelty of it, but the likes of Trevor would probably rip his radio out of his truck and toss it out the window before listening to it fully.  Doesn't mean I -don't- listen to it, just that I admit that my immersion is completely and totally broken, which is clearly an unfortunate thing to have in a GTA game.

While there is Gin and Juice, it's easily the best inclusion to the soundtrack, and that's....that's a little sad, unfortunately.  Not that the song isn't great, but because it's not even a contest - it's the best because it's the best and that's all there is to it.  It stands head and shoulders above all else and there's really no arguing the point.  Hopefully with some DLC or with some updates or hell, even just in Grand Theft Auto Online (or Because of GTAO) we might get some more music, but I'm not exactly confident.  I want to be, though.  The Lost and Damned added some great tracks to GTA IV, so hopefully, they're just holding some good things back for the next entry or something. 

the only way the song could be more appropriate in GTA V would be if you could smoke pot -while- driving -while- listening to that song

Music! KARA Edition

It's been...quite a while since I've done up a proper Music! post even though I have been listening to quite a bit of new music recently, so with nothing else to really post about tonight, I figured now was as good a time as any.  As I am wont to do even when I'm -not- battle severe mood issues, I've been turning back to K-Pop (he says, pretending he ever left it in the first place for a slight bit of his masculinity) and among those K-Pop choices, KARA has come up more than once.  In fact, it's come up three times, which is rather convenient, as you know I generally go through three songs at a clip because I feel that's a good amount at one time.  That's just me, of course, and it's just kind of how I do things, but it's served me well so far, so I'm gonna stick with that.

The first song is not the first KARA song I've heard (that was actually "Wanna" which I'm linking here because it's not featured) and in fact, I don't know what number it is.  I just know that, of the three I'm going to show off tonight, it's my least favorite which isn't to say I dislike it, because I really do like it.  It's just, obviously, I like the other ones more.  That kind of happens sometimes.  What's surprising to me is that I don't listen to this song more often than I do, but that's generally just because I'm listening to the other songs of theirs I enjoy.  Still, this is light and fun and all of that good stuff, I just suppose it's perhaps not quite as much as the rest.  Still, first up is "Step" which may or may not actually be spelled "STEP", I don't know.  It's kind of one of those things.

It might be a surprise, but I don't actually pay a lot of attention to these videos, since I tend to just sort of pull them up on my Vita, plug in my headphones and listen while I do whatever (since they're not on Music Unlimited because why would they be on a service called Music Unlimited).  Which I am in no way bringing up because it's going to be relevant in the next video or anything like that.  I'm just stating that, having actually watched the video before I embedded it, it's a pretty perfect fit for the song.  Light and 'poppy' and such, while also keeping your attention through the actually passable dancing and wardrobe.  Of course, the real fun is the song which is...obviously the reason I brought it up.

The next is, I believe, the second KARA song I actually listened to, but I might be misremembering that and it really doesn't matter.  Like, even in the slightest, it doesn't matter.  What -does- matter is that I have this weird little thing with some K-Pop songs that I call the "Oh, damnit" moment.  The "Oh, damnit" moment is the exact moment where I mumble those words to myself and concede the fact that I am going to listen to this song for the rest of the night.  Very obviously, this next song has one of those moments and the exact moment is about twenty one seconds in when the synth or whatever that is starts kicking in.  Keep that in mind as you watch this video for "Pandora".

Remember that part where I said I don't really watch the videos?  Well, surprisingly enough with all of that set-up, it was a lie when it comes to this actual video.  I don't even know why beyond, well, the obvious, and it's really quite perplexing.  The song is, at least, something I enjoy a little more because it's just a little...heavier?  I suppose might be the word.  I don't want to say anything about 'depth' because I'll just make myself look silly, but there's some type of quality to the song that I just enjoy a little more than Step, and maybe I'm just not supposed to know what that is.  I will say that, again, aside from the obvious, I am a fan of the outfits and the hairstyles the girls sport in this one.  That's...probably the point, but I'm just saying that it worked this time.  Also babbling.  ....Mostly babbling.

The last song is basically the one of the three that I've listened to the most and, as with the other two, I cannot really provide reasons as to the why.  If I had to guess, I would say that it's got a goodly bit of variety in the sound itself, even if it is as repetitive as, well, most songs altogether.  The girls all show off a little bit of range, I feel, and are given an appropriate amount of time to sing their piece, as it were, so maybe that's what draws me more to this one since, even if it's present in the other songs, I notice it in this one.  Though, I should point out that I merely listen to this one, and would be remiss if I didn't point that out as well as a particularly ridiculous 'dance move' towards the end.  I won't tell you when, because you'll know and I am apologizing in advance for the silliness.  You will be happy to note that the single-word title theme has been maintained however with "Jumping", this last song.

...Well, I warned you.  Still, before that point, it's fairly acceptable and really, that's not bad so much as it's likely to make your eyes roll in a dismissive moment.  Surprisingly, I'm not so much a fan of the outfits here as I was in the other video, but, well, that's just a thing about it.  Still, as stated this is the song I've listened to the most out of the three for better or worse.  It's pretty much hard to think of different ways to present this type of feeling after two others of the same, but I'm sure you understand the sentiment at the very least.  Or maybe you're just listening to the song and don't care.  Or something along those lines.  Either way, I dig it, and that's pretty much what I was putting across here.  That goes the same for the other two songs before this one too.  Hopefully you dig it too.

really though, what was with that dance move I mean, you're not even being subtle

Long Day, Am Exhausted

So please, as is tradition, enjoy some K-Pop.

It's been a rough week, but hopefully things should start getting better from here, aside from it being Summer and all.  I am eagerly looking forward to June 9th when I finally get a 3DS XL to play around with, and Animal Crossing:  New Leaf to do the playing around.  I -was- actually going to write something along those lines tonight, but that'll be for tomorrow when I can focus.  Because I can't really do that now, what with being sore and achey and hot and tired.  Simultaneously.  So, yeah, g'night, folks.

Music! Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE Edition (For Real This Time)

In the middle of my third playthrough of REVENGEANCE, I've finally come to the realization that it's not only Mistral's Theme that I'm a fan of, but rather the entire soundtrack, now that I've heard it so many times.  It's not a fondness through repetition, nor was it something that is particularly catchy - It's simply that after hearing the tracks enough times, I could pin it down.  When you find yourself humming along with it, or timing your movements to certain parts of the song, well, yeah, you know it well enough.  That I'm listening to them outside of the game is probably proof-positive enough that I enjoy them, I would say.  Especially considering the versions I'm using require more than just listening to the soundtrack I got (since mine was just the instrumentals).

I didn't exactly plan it this way and it is technically a slight spoiler to sort of...state things this way, but I'm going ahead with it.  Of the three remaining boss fights (of the core group anyway, not counting the final bosses, you know the drill), I ended up sort of ranking them, and wouldn't you know it?  I like them in the exact order through which they come up.  Beyond my above-and-beyond enjoyment of "A Stranger I Remain", of course, which is outside of this post anyway, so no worries.  That said the first song of tonight is "The Stains of Time", which is Monsoon's theme, the second member of the 'Winds of Destruction'.  (Mistral being the first)

I'm just using the Remixed versions of every song since, given they're the closest we have to 'Official' as I ranted about, it's just the easiest way about things.  I've noticed that, compared to Mistral, not a whole lot is lost in the three remixes for tonight which is comforting even if they are still way too short by their very nature.  It's hard to really pin down -what- I like about "The Stains of Time", but if anything, I'd have to guess the guitar, because let's be honest, it is pretty damn kickin'.  The vocals are delivered well and fit the song pretty nicely, while the lyrics are actually pretty good as well.  The chorus being the best part of it all, if only for the punctuated delivery you get.  That would be the part of this song I tried to synch things up with when I was fighting Monsoon, but, well, that didn't happen.  Still was fun trying, though!

After the Monsoon fight, actually quite a while after, you end up fighting Sundowner who is the first member of the Winds of Destruction that you're introduced to in the game.  For good reason too, as he's actually the leader of the three of them. Presumably their basic cyborgs as well, but mostly the three of them.  (Mistral, Monsoon and Sundowner).  There's some codec conversations in the game that describe their theme and their name origins which, of course, all have to do with winds and specific regions.  Sundowner, specifically, is some type of wind condition in California or something - honestly it's interesting in the game, but I can't retain that sort of thing.  Still, nice that they put some thought behind it.  Continuing his little theme with 'sun', his theme is titled "Red Sun".

Not gonna lie; the vocals of this song are really what drew me into it.  The opening riff is nice, but it doesn't carry very far into the song.  When it ends, though, the vocals pretty much kick in right then and I didn't even really pay attention to the lyrics the first few times I really started listening to it.  When I did, though....it's almost kind of silly how out of place the lyrics -are-, in a sense.  When you play REVENGEANCE for yourself (and you damn well better if you haven't already) and are in scenes with Sundowner and eventually fighting him, remember that "Only love is with us now, something warm and pure / find the peace within ourselves, no need for a cure" is part of his official theme.  And then hold your head like a Psyduck and get back to enjoying the game.

The last video tonight is the theme of Jetstream Sam who is probably the most featured bad guy in all of the trailers that have been shown for the game.  With good reason - Sam is pretty much awesome, even though is is a bad dude.  Now, I know I said there were only three members of the Winds of Destruction and they all had Wind-themed names and yes, Sam has a wind-themed name, but he's not an official member.  He's just sort of working with them for the bigger picture in REVENGEANCE which I am not going to say anymore about because spoilers and I've spoiled enough as it is.  Still, Sam's theme might actually be my favorite of all four now, and I don't want to stall anymore.  So without further stalling "The Only Thing I Know For Real".

I....am pretty certain that I don't have to explain why I like this song.  Nor do I have to point out what there is to like about it.  I will do the latter point, however, and tell you what is great about the song:

Everything.

There's a really interesting sort of fusion feeling behind it, with the 'whistles' you get that are reminiscent of Samurai duels and the like, along with the rockin' guitar and such.  Which, funnily enough?  There is a reason for it that's openly given in the game in several different ways.  And it is similarly pretty awesome.  When you actually get to hear it in-game, it cranks up the intensity to 11 and makes it one of the more memorable sections.  All of this is purposefully said to entice you to play/buy the game, of course, so please do that.  In droves.  Because I want Metal Gear Rising 2:  RE-REVENGEANCE.  So do you.  But mostly me.

There are other songs on the soundtrack that are equally worth a listen, but these are pretty much the most important ones, by virtue of being the boss themes, so that they're awesome is good.  Quite good.  And really, that's all I wanted to convey.

Music! Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE (Kind Of)

So, this is going to be a slightly different type of Music! post in that I'm not going to solely gush over three particular pieces of music from the mentioned Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE.  What I am going to do is express my appreciation for -one- song and then point out my annoyance with the way the whole OST has been wobbled.  Because, in all honesty, it has kind of been wobbled in one of the honestly weirdest ways I've ever seen something as simple as a soundtrack done.  I suppose that's....impressive in a sense, but really, I would've preferred things been easier since REVENGEANCE honestly has a really good soundtrack and this all is only going to detract from opinions of it.

The song I really want to focus on here tonight is possibly my favorite song off the entire soundtrack, which is Mistral's Theme - "A Stranger I Remain".  Mistral is the first real boss fight that you experience in the game as REVENGEANCE Raiden, so perhaps there is something of a different connection there, but really, I do rather enjoy the song that accompanies the fight.  Or...rather, I like -a- version of the song that accompanies it.  This statement requires a two-fold explanation of just what I mean - the first being the easiest.  One of the cooler things that REVENGEANCE (yes, all caps all the time, deal with it) does with the soundtrack is that there is an Instrumental version and a Vocal version of every song.  If you enter a fight with a full Blade Mode gauge (possibly even accrue a full gauge during the fight), you will be treated with the Vocal version, otherwise you just get the Instrumental.  That's pretty cool.

The other facet to the explanation is that there really seems to be no 'official' version of any particular song beyond what are on the actual, printed Soundtrack CDs out there.  The issue with this is that there are two Soundtracks - the Instrumental Soundtrack that came with the Limited Edition, and the Vocal Soundtrack that is available in stores and such.  Except, the Vocal Soundtrack is a little mis-named because it is actually the Remix Soundtrack since every song on it (bar one) is either a Platinum Remix, a Maniac Agenda Remix or a "Low Key" version.  There are also 12 Instrumental tracks that are, of course, the remixed versions of said tracks, so they're not Vocals at all.  Which means that there is no -Official- Soundtrack with the original versions of the songs available anywhere.  This is bad.  This is a Bad Thing™.

I think the easiest way to show off this disparity is by just getting right to it.  First up is the version of the song that's actually on the soundtracks and actually in the game, which is the Maniac Agenda Mix.

So, it's pretty simple, really.  A short tune meant for looping because Boss Fights will either take a little bit or less than a little bit and you're probably not really paying attention to the music.  Being that it's slightly more electric and metal than the original version (which is next) it makes for a little higher energy for the fight which is most welcome.  Unfortunately with being such a short remix, there's quite a bit of the song that is cut out which is a bit of a shame because it's a good song all told.  Well, kind of.  Again, it's all a bit of a complicated situation which I will further expound on now.

So, now that you've had the Remix, it's time for what is -possibly- the original version of the song.  I say possibly because, in truth, I have no damn clue if there's an easily accessible version of the originals of -any- of the songs, much less A Stranger I Remain.  Still the uploader is "MetalGearRisingOST", so I would assume this is kind of the only thing they are doing and thus I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt in this.  As said, this is (kind of, possibly) the 'Original' version of the song.

I would like to point out a couple things with this song.  First off the two minute rock interlude is a little self-indulgent and I always dislike this in songs.  It just irks me unless it's like a really mega-kickin' riff.  Secondly, you get to hear the parts of the song that -aren't- in the remix version, which I actually really like these parts.  Those parts are what got me to like the song overall, honestly, though it wasn't that version of the song that I listened to to hear them.  That is, in fact, the third part that I wanted to mention which is the most hilarious of them at all.  In that entire song, the whole five minutes and twenty-one seconds, compared to the two minutes twenty-six seconds of the remix, it actually leaves the entire first verse of the remix version out.  I don't know if that is exclusive to the remix or what, which seems silly if so, but it adds to the confusion.  The lyrics that are missing, by the by:

I've come here from nowhere
'cross the unforgiving sea
drifting further and further
it's all becoming clear to me
that violent winds are upon us and I can't speak
internal temperatures rising
and all the voices won't recede

I cannot imagine how this is a thing that has happened.  The only thing I can figure on, like I said, is that that verse was recorded solely for the remix version of the song, but that's rather silly and I don't know if I want to believe that.  It's something that, as said, further complicates what is already something of a complicated thing.

And just to add another layer of confusion to the whole basket, neither of those is the version of the song that I've been listening to.  Because there's yet -another- version that has -all- the lyrics that I stumbled across first, and, as such, it's the version I'm used to.

I'm honestly not sure if that's a fan-made version, but I can't tell of any obvious splicing and the background to the missing verse in this version doesn't sound like the background to the same verse in the remix.  Where it actually shows up.  So, in all honesty, I have not a damn clue what version of the song is the actual version of it.  Because I have a version with all the lyrics in said song that I've heard in other versions combined, and then I have a version from what seems like the closest to an 'official' uploader that is missing an entire verse while also including a mentioned over-indulgent two-minute guitar solo.  I personally like the last version I embedded, but that might also be because I am used to listening to it and such.  Still, the verses are all in it and they're all fairly nice.

It's a rather unfortunate situation that mars an otherwise really good soundtrack.  In that you have no idea what's -actually- there to give props to the artists, and what is possibly the work of someone else who took a song (possibly multiple versions of it) and played around for a few hours in a music program.  I'm holding out hope that they're going to do a digital release of the original tracks which will kind of cement just -what- is real, but I don't know why they didn't just do that when they released the game and the Vocal Remix album, if they were actually going to release the originals.  Still, there's a monetary gain to be had in doing so, so there might yet be a chance that it'll come out in the following weeks.  In the meantime, we do always have youtube, I suppose.

Tonight is Writing Night

Which probably means I should be writing here, right?  Sorry, but I'm being a bit selfish tonight.  I've been working on a short story lately and I really want to get it written.

To that end, I've spent the bulk of the night reading and doing a bit of writing.  For the rest of the night, I hope to skew that figure towards the latter rather than the former.  In lieu of actually giving something here in written form, I do what I always do:  I give you K-Pop.

G.NA is one of the few K-Pop artists I was introduced to through Music Unlimited, which is funny when I mention that the K-Pop selection is limited on the service.  Which, to be fair, it is - G.NA, NS Yoon-G, T-ara (no longer on the service), Girls Generation (one album, basically), BoA, 4Minute and Gangnam Style.  That is....literally pretty much it.  Then again, the service -did- just introduce a Video Game Music Channel (with an absurdly small and strange selection.  Hilariously, there are Halo soundtracks but not, say, Uncharted soundtracks, or inFamous soundtracks....you know, Sony properties) so maybe it -will- actually grow.  Maybe.  Probably.  Probably not.  Right.

Anyway, 'Supa Solo' is a pretty neat track and I've been listening to it fairly often the last couple nights.  Hence why I am sharing it.

That said, time to get back to the grindstone, as they say.

So, I Caved and Subscribed to Music Unlimited

For the last few weeks, a fairly tantalizing offer has been sitting in the windows of the Playstation Store - a rather steep discount for Sony's Music Unlimited service.  When I say steep, I mean steep, in that a year usually costs $60, yet under the sale, a year is going for $12.  Twelve dollars.  Without sounding like a shill, that is a dollar a month for music that I would otherwise likely be too lazy to look up and listen to by other means, as well as being music that I can theoretically 'keep' on my Vita for the next year thanks to the Offline Mode, but I'll get to that in a moment.  As you know, I am a sort of person who often talks himself into spending money on 'value' specifically because lookit dat value and it has backfired in the past, but I don't exactly see that happening here.  At least, not from the very limited exposure I've received today since buying it before the store updated.  (Dunno if it's still available, actually, but I was indeed worried about missing out on it from hm-hawing about.)

I am a man who enjoys his music, I think I have well established that.  What's more is that I believe I have established myself as a man who likes what he likes in music, but certainly isn't averse to looking into things that others may find....questionable at best.  In a sense, just having a whole bunch of music that I haven't particularly listened to in any way at my finger tips seems like the perfect thing for me, or at least, that's what I've thought.  I've just been too lazy, really, to look into anything of the sort, but this was the urging that I needed for that it seems as, even now, I'm listening to the album from The Lonely Island that I haven't gotten around to buying yet simply because I came across an Akon song in one of the Top Lists.  While that's not -exactly- the progression they expect to happen, it did and helped prove the worth of the selection for the month, I suppose, since I am certainly getting more than $1 of enjoyment.

Still, the thing you have to wonder about with a Music streaming service is precisely what music is there to be streamed, since, as is the case with all these sorts of things, there will inevitably be something that you want that is unavailable.  As with Netflix all of one search in, I already hit a blank expanse of disappointment, but this is at least a -little- understandable.  I get that the service probably isn't going to jump on offering K-Pop* music and I don't like it, but I understand.  In all actuality, there is a -little- bit, though, as there's an album of Girls' Generation, as well as an album of like eight versions of "The Boys" which is a little much I think, and I saw a few other names, but the selection for them is barely there, so my intentions of using this as a K-Pop machine have gone up in smoke.  Sure, there's feasibly an entire year for them to partner with some studios and bring some music, but I'm just really doubting that's going to be a thing that happens.  It's a shame, but again, I at least understand this.

In terms of the rest of the music, I haven't sought deep below the surface, but there is at least an alarming amount of perceived content here, so I'm sure I'll find it rather difficult to truly be disappointed by the lack of something integral to me.  In fact, in the last ten minutes I have switched to the Rock & Metal Top 100 and have heard Black Sabbath, Journey and quite a few other bands that make me happy inside.  The few things that are 'obscure' that I know of, I checked and found albums for them as well, so I'm really not sure what to think in terms of holes.  I guess it's a sort of situation where you don't know until you start looking and wreck the whole house of cards, but I haven't done that quite yet and don't really intend to.  I'm much more enticed to simply enjoy what's offered as I further try to figure out the finer touches of the system.  It has only been a day, after all.

I wouldn't say that I'm wrestling with understanding how the whole thing works, but I will say that I'm not quite used to these things, so I am a little confused as to how I can do some things.  Like, you would think as a music thing that only streams music, it should be wholly possible to just back out of it to the LiveArea for it to continue playing music as the Music app does.  But that only works if you're in Offline Mode, I think - there were little hints and tips coming up and I kind of glossed over a lot of them which is proving to be not my finest move.  Still, that -is- a rather lovely thing that Music Unlimited offers - any song you listen to can be added to a Playlist that you can set to be "Offline" which basically means you can listen to the songs in that Playlist anytime.  Riding on a bus?  You can listen to it.  Stuck in some place with no wi-fi signal?  You can listen to it.  Your internet shit the bed because you have a goddamn awful ISP that you hate with a passion that burns in such a way that the heavens themselves shrink in abject terror?  You can listen to these songs.  More importantly, you're just doing other shit on your Vita?  Yeah.  Those songs.  You can listen to them.

I imagine there is also a way that you can listen to music that is actively being streamed maybe, but it's not so much a concern as you can just pre-load a playlist with things that you want to listen to and then...well, listen to those songs while you do whatever it is that would otherwise keep you from being inside the actual Music Unlimited app.  Something to note is that, despite saying "Music", there are other things that are offered on audio CDs, such as Comedy routines (Stand-up acts, I mean, live ones generally) from a few well-known folks such as the late George Carlin, Brian Regan, Chris Rock, (the also late) Mitch Hedberg and etc. etc.  That was a pleasant surprise to say the least and will likely continue to justify the cost of entry for quite a while.  Which, for what it's worth, I believe I've found my $12 worth here, so if you're interested in a music streaming service and want to attempt something like this, I'd certainly recommend it.  Hopefully I am not jinxing myself on it, but it's not really given me problems so far and has, in fact, given me enjoyment instead!

*yes, the first thing I looked for was something K-Pop.

shut up, Haplo

Music! Girls' Generation Edition

This post.....has been a long time coming, I suspect.  I've dabbled here and there in K-Pop posts, talked about people in particular like BoA, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of people out there are conditioned, at this point, to equate K-Pop with Girls' Generation.  Mostly because of the staggering success(?) of "Gee", which you'll find that people who don't even really know much about the genre at all, have heard the song.  They have presence in the genre, is basically what I'm getting at, and to say that they will come up in a conversation -about- K-Pop is something of an understatement I think.  Aside from that, being that I've listened to a lot of Girls' Generation in the past week, so it seemed like a pretty good fit, being that I'm still trying to sort of pin things down with regards to how I feel about Retro City Rampage and how I can put those feelings into words.  The hard part, as it seems to be with all of my 'Music!' posts is just condensing things down into just three different songs since I generally have twice that at base, but I like the three-song format, so I'll stick with it.

The first song introduces a sort of trend that follows in the rest of the songs I'll feature, or at least the videos for them, in that I'm just going with the 'dance only' versions of the videos.  I've found that sometimes, not all of the time, but sometimes the 'normal' version of a video for a song ends up loaded with....let's say unnecessary elements and when you just want the song and the framing of the song itself, and not the minute and a half of 'build' that 'sets a scene' and such, these dance only versions are very handy.  In the case of the first song here, I watched the original video and it's....just awful.  The parts they splice in that aren't just the basic dance parts (generally there's two costumes for each half of the song with a little mixing in between) with separate costumes are gaudy-looking and badly implemented and just make it kind of hard to watch.  But with this version of the song, it's really quite pleasant to watch and the song itself is pretty enjoyable as well.  So, with that introduction, here's the first song of the Girls' Generation post - "Hoot".

I think, moreso than any other video, I really like the overall aesthetic and theme of this one the best, really.  I'm not sure why I really like the whole '80s spy movie feel that the video has (which is expanded on in a...not so great way in the actual video), but it just works, and I think that's why this is a song that I keep coming back to.  Gonna be honest and say that the outfits make that easy to do as well.  Like with the feel of the video itself, I don't know why I like the outfits in particular, perhaps because they, well, fit the whole thing well, or perhaps because they're simple, yet well accessorized, but they're just really outstanding.  Well worth the loss of basically all my masculinity in saying that, clearly, which is saying....well, something I suppose.  Really, as a general rule, whoever picks out the outfits for the Girls' Generation videos does a pretty bang-up job 90% of the time, but they knocked it out of the park with this one.

Next up is another video where they did a pretty stellar job with the wardrobe despite the outfits being more or less pretty simple in concept.  The oddity about this song, however, is that it's actually a Japanese version of the song, as it was the first one I heard of it and by the time I heard the original Korean version, I was too attached to the Japanese one to move along.  After consulting several music experts (Read:  Not experts at all), we have deduced that, despite the song -being- Japanese, it's still a K-Pop song by virtue of the group being identified as a Korean group.  Despite....at least two of the girls being American-born, actually.  That brings us into a whole other discussion, however, so I'm going to just move along.  Because if I start wasting time trying to dissect the semantics surrounding a Japanese version of a Korean song whose band members aren't actually all Korean, it's going to get really weird and really confusing really quickly.  So, to move on, here's "Mr. Taxi".

I should say that, despite my warning, that's not labeled as the dance only version of the song, but after watching the dance only version, it's...pretty much identical.  This one has better quality, being directly from the source and all, so I'm running with that for the sake of having decent videos all throughout this.  Provided you're cool with Japanese versions of Kor-I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm not going to get into that here.  It's just going to be something I think about for....uh....the rest of the night, likely.  And it's going to bug me a whole lot, but that's really not the point of contention here.  I'm not sure if it's something that I need, or necessarily want, to say, but for the first few times I watched the video, I couldn't help but start giggling at the intro of the chorus where they do the little 'turning the wheel' move.  I don't know what's worse - that I have watched the video a -lot- of times by this point, or that I -still- laugh at that, since I'm not quite sure what it says about me.  Or....what any of this says about me.  Probably not good things.

The last video, since I inadvertently became a fashion critic because who am I even kidding anymore, is a rare miss in the outfit category.  Rather, the outfits themselves are pretty fine, it's just, uh....one accessory in particular that is a little strange to say the least.  However, this is one of the videos where I actually have to pick between two different dance versions, and to hammer in the fashion point, I'm going with the latter.  Or, if you go by numbering or whatever, the former, but semantics.  Again.  Don't need that right now.  I do want to offer the other version, however, so I will do that by linking it here, and if you like the song, I'd recommend checking that out to differentiate to the other outfits which are much nicer more or less.  Not a whole lot else to do with this one besides get it out there.  So the last song featured in this grouping of Girls' Generation songs is "Paparazzi".

So, yes.  Those gloves are.....well, they are something, I suppose.  What that something is, I'm kind of at a loss for, but it is certainly -something-.  Delving into the comments (which is always a bad idea, never do it, I do it because I hate myself or something) suggests that they wore the gloves to draw attention to their hands to show off all the hand movements the dance bits actually entail which...makes sense, but there are ways that could've done it a little better.  If that's the real reason of course, as another theory just says it's a shout out to actresses of the past who wore gloves like that, though not expressly as pink and unfitting.  Whatever the reason, it really does just seem a little excessive, for a lack of a better way to explain it.  Without being exceptionally rude, at least and I don't want to be rude.  Still, of the three songs I featured tonight, this one -might- be my favorite - it's a hard call between this and Hoot, and I think it more depends on my mood, but it is a pretty good song regardless.  I'm a sucker for the bit at the end when one of the girls says something and rolls her "R" with it and I'm not entirely sure why, but I suspect it might have something to do with the fact that it's a little different to hear and I cannot roll Rs.  So it's nice to hear every now and then, I guess.

I really didn't anticipate this write-up to actually make me feel this, uh...not embarrassed, not shamed.....self-conscious? about my music choices and such, which I suppose is saying something since I went into this going "Hey, Girls' Generation, gonna talk about that".  Still, at the end of the day, it's just music and you either like it or you don't - the reason behind whichever doesn't matter so much to anything.  Still, I feel like I have to work up a little masculinity again after this one, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go ahead and binge on some Burn Notice and such.  Possibly look for, uh....sports to watch.  Maybe.  I'm not sure if that counts as helping anymore after all the jokes about them and such.  Maybe I'll just default to throwing Sleeping Dogs in again and kicking the shit out of dudes.  Yeah.  Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

Review - Sound Shapes

Sound Shapes is as unique a game as you could hope for after being touted so long and as loudly as it has been.  It also presents me with the unique opportunity to talk about a game that I have Platinum'd the day after I started playing it through no real large amount of effort.  As such, it left me wonder if I should review it or simply do a post about the Platinum as I am wont to do, and I sided with the former because I believe that experience has given me enough of an approximation of the game to judge it, with the fact that it took such a short amount of time being factored into that, and not exactly positively.  Not entirely negatively either, because for as short as the game is, it offers quite a lot to talk about which is certainly an impressive task if you really think about it.  And believe me, Sound Shapes offers quite a lot to think about within the confines of it's short, but pleasurable experience.

Basically what anyone who has played Sound Shapes will tell you is that it is not a music game, but rather a game designed around music which is somewhat of a rarity.....ever.  I can't think of too many games that have musical elements, and of those, it's always more that the music is the point, rather than not.  It's not a rhythm game, it's not a game where you have to hit this and this and this to hear something beyond white noise.  For the campaign side of the game, it seems to straddle that line between being a fully-fledged game and being something that you describe as less a game, and more an interactive thing (I'm avoiding saying 'experience' again) like Flower.  As such, you might find that it's a hard sell and perhaps rightfully so, but, like Flower, it's hard to imagine someone stepping away from Sound Shapes with a negative opinion of it.  Sure, it happens, but these tend to be the outliers rather than the norm, and I've yet to find evidence to the contrary here.

All of that, unsurprisingly, makes Sound Shapes a difficult game to actually sit down and pick apart since it is one of those games that you can't really judge by its parts, because doing so only paints half of a picture.  At the same time, a game is generally what it is, what its parts are and while there is room to discuss just what that does to us, what it invokes and causes, the case is usually always not "I felt so calm while playing the game" and more "The game was easy to play because the controls were thankfully simple and intuitive."  Why I make it such a big deal is because, at its core, Sound Shapes asks us to believe that it is a Platformer game with the very slightest hints of puzzle elements and it is hard to believe it until you start getting into the difficult (read:  nearly impossible) part of the game in the appropriately named 'Death Mode' which is less a full-fledged Platforming -thing- and more a series of very punishing mini-games.  So if you strip that layer away from it, what do you have?

You have something that absolutely oozes style from every single one of its non-existent pores.  Sound Shapes' Campaign is practically a work of art in every screen as you go through the fields and hills of the first album, the Pixelated land of space pictured above, and a city ablaze for the first (and best) of the three Beck tracks.  Every album has its own distinct art style and each one is so well defined, so detailed, that it almost becomes a distraction while playing.  At least, I found myself stopping every now and then to just take a look at the screen, not to think of a strategy to proceed, but just to take in the visuals that are so crisp on the Vita's wonderful screen and run at a framerate that I assume is locked, though I'm not an expert on that.  I can just say that it played smooth for me the entire time and I have no complaints there.  Which is good, since I imagine the 'wonder' might be somewhat lost if the frames started chugging away.

The music is similarly wonderful, though I would say not consistently, as there are a few things that just aren't to my taste; mostly the stuff towards the beginning that is just really laid-back and 'moody'.  Among the best things for me personally were, unsurprisingly, the Beck and Deadmau5 tracks ('Cities' by Beck is pretty much my favorite song/level in the game as is), but I admit there was a particular charm for everything, even if it wasn't in a way that didn't particularly resonate with me.  At least that aspect of the design, the sound and just the looks of the tracks, is pretty flawless, and especially so once you get into the creator and really start realizing just how much of the 'music' is made not with the notes you collect, but with the foes on the maps, the decorations, and just all the little pieces of detail that you might not give a second look to otherwise.  Whether it's the slight maraca sound the flames in the Cities level make, or the definite bass addition brought by cannons or the faulty equipment of the Industrial-like levels that fire off electric shocks.

With that, despite the complexity that it involves of all these elements creating the 'songs' of a level, it's all fairly simple regardless, which is a task that is more confusing to consider than to experience.  Everything just works because of it and I think if anything, that's what I've been trying to impress upon you most with this, is that the elements of the game are not things that are exclusive to themselves nor simply good on their own as is sometimes the case (games touted for their soundtracks above all else, if the only thing, and the like), but they all just blend together to draw you into the game for as long as it lasts.  Which...is also a negative of the game, I would say, since the tracks (hell, the albums and double-hell, just the game itself) are fairly short, so where you might just be getting into a song or something, you'll find yourself at the end of the track and it's time to move on to the next one because there's nothing else to do besides...well, just listening to the music, if you so desire.  Generally at the ending points of the level, it's just a matter of waltzing up to them and finishing the track and usually, you might want to be shooting for a quick time for a high score, so lingering is not a luxury you are afforded.

The simplicity, however, lends itself to the actual gameplay as I've inferred a few times already, which is where the game starts to falter and why it's hard to throw it out there as a must-play game.  You're not especially -playing- it, so much as you are just navigating these set-pieces made of wonder and fantastic music and art, and the only real challenge presents itself later on in the Albums, but even then, death is simply negligible.  There's at least one checkpoint on just about every screen and getting to that is generally the thing you're lead to doing first, even if you're not so inclined to head for them first.  The obstacles, as they are, are generally the mid-points of screens so you'll sometimes get a checkpoint at the front and back of it meaning if you can manage it once, that's all you need.  This pretty much eliminates all of the challenge, as you might imagine, which is good for the game itself considering the theme of it, but -as- a game, it's generally not a thing we applaud completely.  There are exceptions, of course, but Sound Shapes offers itself as a platformer, as I said, so you generally expect it to behave like one.

When it -does- start behaving as a platformer, however, you generally want it to stop, because this is where it kicks into the aforementioned "Death Mode" which only unlocks after you complete the entire campaign.  This is because Death Mode takes one section from a level (sometimes two) and makes a little mini-level out of it by sealing off the exits.  You are given a set amount of time and a set amount of notes to collect and the goal is simply to collect that amount of notes in under that time while not dying.  If you die, you are treated to the rather passive-aggressive message as seen above and given the chance to just try again.  You can and will lose a lot of time on a single level and the payoff is always bittersweet since you know that every other challenge is like the one you just spent all that time trying to conquer.  Rare is there a challenge that does not offer that, so it almost seems like the game is a little off-base with itself, when the campaign itself is not hard at all, where the other facet of it is hair-tuggingly difficult.  There is no curve, simply two planes of existence, and it is jarring to think of them existing as the same game.

Death Mode comprises just about half of the entire trophy list that Sound Shapes offers, handing you a Silver trophy for every single Death Mode track that you finish.  It's a little bit of an odd decision, but it's certainly not one I'm complaining about since you definitely -earn- a trophy with just about every Death Mode track you finish.  I suppose that I'm just surprised at the amount of sense it makes - akin to the look of shock a man in a desert offers when you hold out a bottle of water.  Here is a man who has toiled, has gone without in the harsh environment, and then you hand him exactly what he deserves for his trials and his ability to overcome.  Some of them, like the image I provided, don't exactly feel like it's worth it, however, as the challenge tends to come down to split-second timing and fighting against the game who insists on spawning the notes randomly and depending on the random generation, you either stand a chance of getting the win in the time allotted or you don't.  It is that simple - the game can decide that you simply aren't going to win this round and there is naught that you can do about it.

The other, infinitely more tolerable section that is unlocked upon completing the campaign is "Beat School" which is basically a series of 'challenges' to try and help you get your music ears on and think of how songs get composed.  Giving you a blank sheet in the Creation tool, it provides a simple song and tasks you with re-creating it by placing notes in the places that will give you the sounds it entails.  It succeeds because it is just that - you don't have to mess with placing shapes and terrain, decorations or obstacles, simply recreating music based on just listening to it.  Not being musically inclined, it was quite a boon to me and I found it to be the most balanced part of the game.  It was not too easy nor too difficult (aside from the very last Beat School) and it didn't rely on the game trying its best to keep you from the prize.  Honestly, I wish there had been -more- Beat School tracks and, with any luck, any DLC offered in the future will come with a few extras that make use of the different sounds said tracks in DLC albums will offer.  I could go without more Death Mode tracks, but we are not quite that lucky.

Speaking of the creation tool, I think I'll end by talking of it since I have had quite the positive experience with it, which surprised me a little.  While playing around with Beat School, I contemplated just how complex it was to get the sound you look for when creating, and it was just a little bit intimidating at first.  However, as with most things, the solution is simply to jump in full-boar and mess around until things start working.  The fairly simple menu-based tool facilitates this pretty nicely as well, making it rather intuitive to use once you get your head in it.  I've got a three-screen track being worked on currently and once I get around the logistics of getting the sound I want with the three-screen limitation (notes you place on one screen only carry over three, so the first screens notes cannot be heard on the fourth screen, etc.) I'll be able to publish it, provided I stop seeing this screen.  Such is the price of modern games relying on he internet as they do, unfortunately, as it seems game servers can never -ever- handle stress at the start, but simply seems to be a process that has to be eased into.  Still, I suppose it just gives people like me time to improve their skills at making these tracks as that aspect will be what keeps people playing it a month from now, and not the game itself, unfortunately.

The Good

• The game absolutely lives and breaths style, managing to always be interesting in art and music design
• It's rather simple for the most part of it, allowing you to enjoy the art and music
• Visuals are smooth and crisp
• It is, at times, rather inventive with the actual level design, managing to be genuinely clever
• I dare say that it is a very innovative game, for just how it handles the method of music delivery
• Beat School is inventive and fun, offering a good challenge if you have a good ear for it
• The Creation Tool is simple and easy to use - if I can make something I'm pleased with aesthetically in a few hours, you know it's intuitive
• Offers a unique experience, if nothing else, which we seem to be lacking

 The Bad

• Barely has a challenge to it for most of the game
• Is quite short, both in tracks and albums (Seriously, I know there's only three Beck songs, but they couldn't....do more with them for one or two other tracks?  Remixes?  Hello?)
• When it is not being clever and inventive with level design it's....well, not, and that is far more common
• Death Mode is genuinely frustrating with random note distribution deciding a win or loss more than your skill could hope to
• Seriously, the game is short
• I had to convince myself that Sound Shapes is more a game than an 'Experience' several times while writing this

Mogs Says

Sound Shapes at its best will have you wanting to shout from the roof-tops that it is a wonderful thing and that everyone should experience it, and at its worst, will have you wondering if there is actually enough there to justify the $12-15 price tag.  Some will argue that the short length of the game overall shows off a dedication to the product itself, ensuring that every level was on its own level of quality, where others will say that there just needs to be more meat to the game itself.  It's hard to say which of those people is wrong and which is right, since I find myself saying "If/when Album DLC comes out, it better be free" because I think it will seriously help quell worries about the game.  But the rational part of my head says that it will not be that way, and has me wondering just how I'll feel when that time comes to pass.  If you need a comparison, ask yourself if you liked Flower after buying it for full-price.  If yes, then you might like this, since you probably weigh the experience more than the mechanics.  If not, then perhaps just wait for a demo or a price drop before you take the plunge.

How Did I Forget About Sound Shapes?

So, being one of the first wave of titles really announced for the Vita (then NGP), Sound Shapes has surely been in the back of all our minds for quite a while.  And there has been news coming out for it steadily since the early stages of the Vita's release, as Sound Shapes, er, shaped up more and more in development, but I suppose I filed them all aside in lieu of not being release date announcements.  But I suspect that it was a little too much, as even when the release date was finalized through the PSN PLAY promotion (August 7th, for those interested, which should be all of you) I haven't really given it too much thought.  So tonight when I was anxiously looking about for something to talk about, I saw the latest news on it, the fact that three new Beck Songs will be in the game, I had a moment where all of that excitement and such that I should have had going for weeks now hit me at once.  So much so that I wondered just how I left it overlooked so pointedly to this moment, but that doesn't matter so much as I am making steps to rectify that now.

In that vein, let's sort of re-familiarize ourselves with the news that has come out about the game in recent memory, shall we?  The biggest news, I suspect, is that some time prior to E3, Sound Shapes was announced to be a PS3 title as well which was sort of a double-edged sword, of course.  People will always complain when a game is not available on another system, as well as when a game is announced for one system, and is then later moved to something else.  Because, in terms of the latter, it makes the original version 'less special' or other such nonsense.  I'm sure others have already claimed that a PS3 version simply shows a complete lack of faith in the Vita to carry the game and blah blah blah, nobody cares.  The upside to this, however, was that everybody, regardless of owning a Vita or PS3 or both, gets to enjoy the game at the same price - $14.99 (or $11.99 if you have Plus).  And when I say the same price, I mean the same price overall, as if you buy one version, you get the other version on your account.  So if you own one system only, Sound Shapes will be there waiting for you if you pick up the other eventually.  Obviously any DLC purchased will work on both versions as well, should you go that route.

Now the question swings to "Okay, it's a game about music, so who all is involved?", which is an easy thing to answer of course, but not exactly a short answer to give.  Attached to the game already is Beck (as mentioned above), Superbrothers, Jim Guthrie (same link) and Deadmau5 who you all might have heard about by now.  Just...maybe.  You know, people who clearly have had no musical impact or anything like that.  (Of course I'm being facetious.)  That's all that has been announced so far and I imagine it might be all that'll be announced for the game proper.  Of course, this is where you have to wonder about DLC and consider that they could technically try and woo just about anybody they want.  It's a musical game, after all, which means by its very nature that it's supposed to be a varied thing in its own build.  While I could suggest a few people I would buy on-sight (Daft Punk, of course), I'm not really going to put down a whole lot here, as I'll choose to simply be surprised.

We know what the game is 'about' in a way, what with all the talk of music and such, but that leaves the very real question of, well, what -is- the game about?  The game is a platformer built around music.  That is the simple answer.  The complex answer is....well....complex.  You'd be best served finding one of the many youtube videos about the game to help you with understanding the concept.  (I'm not linking any here because they're all in the Blog posts I've linked already)  But allow me to try, because when I say it's a platformer built around music, I mean exactly that.  The level creation tools (you can make your own levels, of course) have you make a song first and then you tool the level you make around that so you're running through parts of the song as you go through the level for an interactive music experience.  It sounds -really- cool just as a concept and, after looking at some of the videos, I'm convinced that it works in practice as well.  Because, I mean, I see it work in the videos, especially the Jim Guthrie video, as he goes through the process of making a level.  It doesn't show the entire process of course, but it seems fairly intuitive.

I'm not too sure how successful I'll be in the whole creating music thing, but I'm more than willing to give it a shot, of course.  Being that I'm in Plus and I'm interested in the game, I think $12 for two copies of the game is more than fair and will likely be buying it for my Vita as my new "Play whenever I have a minute" game over Treasures of Montezuma Blitz, hopefully.  Or at least being -one- of said games, since I gotta level with you, I'm friggin' seeing in match-three vision I play ToMB so much.  It's ridiculous.  Getting to enjoy some new music while also playing a new game, a platformer at that, is tantalizing, so I don't see a way I would be able to think I could pass it up.  Let's hope that others feel the same way come August 7th, as I really want this game to succeed, if just because it's a different game, and if just because it's been associated with the Vita since it was announced.  Would be a nice bit of validation, I suppose.

Music! BoA Edition

So, it's been a while since I've done up a Music! post lately, and considering I've delved quite a bit more into some new songs and such lately, I believe it's about time.  I briefly considered doing a second K-Pop Edition since my library has exponentially expanded since the first K-Pop Edition, but that's....kind of where I ran into an obstacle.  You see, I believe I have started to listen to and enjoy too much K-Pop (such a thing is impossible in some circles, of course) but I say this for the express purpose of the fact that thinking on just three songs to feature from the grander library I've come across is quite a task.  I needed some way to narrow it down, so I decided on being a bit more specific and simply focusing on an artist at a time.  So, in that vein, I instinctively went to BoA first, as I've certainly been listening to more of her stuff than anything else lately.  Even still, picking three just from her catalog is a bit rough, but I can certainly make it more manageable than the alternative.

The first song to put down is probably the easiest of the three, since I simply want to throw down the first BoA song I was exposed to.  It really is just as simple as that, as in my persistent nagging of friends for their reserves of K-Pop references, as if it were something far more valuable than it was, I was eventually tossed this video for my efforts.  It was, to put it shortly, exactly what I wanted in that it was entertaining and upbeat while also exposing me to another (fantastic, as I later learned) artist to look into to cut my dependence on others more and more.  Since I could only listen to the same Miss A, Girls Generation and 2NE1 songs so many times, and looking into the rest of their songs wasn't turning up any winners.  (Of course, it didn't help that I wasn't looking at the right songs, as I have since found songs from all three of them, but that's for another time.)  BoA, as you could guess, ended up opening quite a few new songs for my listening pleasure, of which I'm sharing now.  But like I said, it started with this song, and this song is "Copy & Paste".  Hope you like silver things.

I think what first drew me to the video itself (speaking of just beyond the song since I am providing the actual videos for these, being as they've been my exposure) is the fact that the dance routine featured in it is quite a bit more elaborate than most other K-Pop videos I've seen.  This is because BoA is a pretty fantastic dancer, which will only shine through more and more as I get through each video.  Copy&Paste doesn't really show it off as well as I remember, but that may just be because I've seen more than it, which lets me evaluate her abilities overall.  I guess we'll see, since again, this is the first of three that I'll be sharing and I assume at least...one....or so of you good folks who read this on a semi-regular basis will play along.  Maybe.  Hopefully without judging me.

Now, whereas Copy&Paste is the first song I got into of BoA's, the second here is one of the more recent ones I've discovered and it's quickly rising up in my own personal popularity.  Not because I think the song is a lot better (I pretty much can't judge the songs themselves since it's more a mood thing), but simply because the video for it is so much fun.  I personally can't watch the video without getting sucked into the enjoyment it sort of permeates.  I just can't imagine that it was not a fun video to make in any fashion, so that part of it is certainly enjoyable on its own merits.  Aside from that, the video has like everything one could want from a song without realizing it.  Seriously.  To prove this to you, I humbly suggest that you do give a listen/watch to "Lose Your Mind", if just to get in on the fun.

Seriously.  Catwalk, Weapon Demos (that staff-twirling could totally be part of combat and you all know it), Chair Dancing and a Guitar Solo out of friggin' nowhere.  In the same video.  What more could you possibly want?  I submit to you that there is very little that I could think of beyond what was offered.  Although, to be honest, I chuckle to myself a little everytime I mention all four of those elements in a row because it seems....kind of nonsensical.  And I believe that's kind of the point as to why I point them out to begin with, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.  Like I said, pretty much everything about the video just oozes -fun-, which is why I really really enjoy it and wanted to show it off at least.  It also does help illustrate my earlier point about the dancing being more elaborate than your usual video.  Which also, of course, speaks to BoA's dancing chops which are, as shown, quite good.

The last pick is kind of the hardest here, because I want this video to be the one to show off the most, to really drive in the point that I've been making about the dancing which is honestly one of the main selling points when it comes to BoA.  The first song was easy, as I just wanted to throw down the first song I heard.  The second was a little harder, but I decided on Lose Your Mind because it's the most fun of them.  And now, as I said, I just want the last one to just hit it out of the park in terms of my whole point here.  Which...that's a hard thing to narrow down.  I could honestly put at least two other songs in this spot and it'd show off just as much in that sense.  But, as this is a Music! post, the song itself counts just as much, and I went with this one because of the song, since I've probably listened to it about four hundred times.  I wish I was kidding.  The song is "Hurricane Venus" and, of the three videos here, this one offers some weirdness, so don't let that distract too much.

I don't really know what's up with the feathers, masks and flying or anything and it doesn't really matter, I say.  Despite the video being decidedly what you might expect from the genre in terms of outfits worn and such, the song and dancing is fairly consistent with the rest in that they are both quite enjoyable.  The song at least is pretty different from the other two as well, which might be why I've listened to it as much, but I don't know.  That also probably does not matter so much.  Regardless, I think that was a pretty good one to end it on since it probably makes my point pretty emphatically.  I think the real reason BoA's pretty great at the dancing thing is because she has an absurd amount of body control which is accentuated quite well in this video.  Maybe a little moreso than the previous two (though Lose Your Mind was pretty good for that as well)  If K-Pop isn't your thing, I doubt anything here will change your mind, but if you enjoy it generally, then hopefully I've given you a few more songs to enjoy.  Without judging me, I remind.

Music! Persona 3 Edition, Part 2

Even though I've put Persona 3 Portable down for now, despite really wanting to get along in both my NG+ and Girl Mode games (The former because I missed one thing which prevents me from getting a series of capstone personas, the latter because I hate getting 'strong' again), Persona 3 (and Portable) has been on my mind.  Especially in the soundtrack area as I'm not sure the soundtrack for Trails in the Sky is hitting me quite so profoundly.  It's a tall order of course, as I am fairly picky with Video Game Music, but it doesn't hurt to hope that any and every game will have some music that you can't help but find yourself listening to, humming or thinking about.  Unrealistic, of course, but when we think of those games that have managed the task, well, I'm sure you get where I'm coming from here.  But regardless, Persona 3 continues to impress, even if I stray off into songs that I don't have on disk.

Today, I'm featuring a few songs from the Persona 3 Portable soundtrack which is actually just geared towards the Female Protagonist, considering the Male Protagonist storyline is mostly a combination of Vanilla Persona 3 and FES.  Despite Girl Mode, as I call it, not specifically being geared towards female players, but rather veterans of P3 looking for a new spin on the same old scenarios they're familiar with, it -is- fairly girly and the soundtrack does reflect this in a way.  This isn't a bad thing and it's not very overt, nor does it overtake the mood of the music in the game which I'm happy to say is still fairly groovy, but it is noticeable and quite different.  What better place to start with this, then, than at the beginning.  The song below, "Soul Phrase" is the introduction song for Persona 3 Portable in particular.  (Oddly enough, if you wait long enough, you can see Persona 3's intro movie, possibly FES' as well, at the start of P3P.  This is how I got confused last time, thinking Burn My Dread was still the opening song for P3P.)

It's a little more subdued than Burn My Dread, but it's more fitting to the game as a whole, I'd say.  It has a somber nature around it, yet is striking throughout which is rather appropriate.  I can't really make sense of the lyrics just by sound, but I suppose that's neither a strike against the song or the game, as it's less what they say and more how it sounds that really matters.  On top of all that, it's just a fairly nice song - there's a nice blend of the vocals and the electric guitar that carries through the song, providing those hard-hitting moments that resonate with the game proper.  It simply does a very nice job of getting you prepared for it, I say, since it's not upbeat enough for you to expect something rather action-packed, but it's stimulating enough that you realize the game, in its portable form, is more than the 'visual novel' nature might lead you to think it is.

Mirroring the last post a little more, the next song I'm sharing is Persona 3 Portable's answer to Mass Destruction in the form of a little song called "Wiping All Out".  As I said, the songs, from what I've heard, seem to really try to capture the same spirit of Persona 3, albeit in a different way considering the different protagonist.  Admittedly, the song is, as I said earlier, a bit girlier in its composition and sound, but it's very much a very different version of Mass Destruction, which is all one could hope for, really.  Aside from the original song.  Or some of the real fun jazzy vocalizations that you can't help but mouth out or even sing to yourself despite having played the game for more than 100 hours.

It's still very much music to kill things to, especially Shadows, and the sentiment remains unspoiled.  "Wiping All Out" is very much Mass Destruction in theme, just on the naming of it.  It also has the same rapping that Mass Destruction has (admittedly with different lyrics) and plays during battle as Mass Destruction did.  While it's not as upbeat, I will say that Wiping All Out is enjoyable in its own right, as it manages to keep the jazzy feel, the general flow that goes through the rest of the songs (as did Persona 3's original soundtrack) and the fun in it.  It helps, I suppose, that the female vocalist is quite enjoyable to listen to as well, but that's clearly just my opinion.  Though it's one that I'm sure I'm not at all alone in having, as the soundtrack seems pretty liked from what I can tell.

The last song I want to feature sort of exemplifies just what I've been saying with the other two, in terms of keeping the general theme of the original game's soundtrack while adding a different spin on it for a very different scenario.  Again, while girly, the last song here, "A Way of Life" is the general overworld theme, s'far as I know, which means it's what will play as you're out and about at the station or Pawlonia Mall (I think, at least) and it's only after I've listened to it here that I really sort of get the song.  It's...just really a delightful song; not overly fantastic, not something that makes you want to get up and do something big, but it's something I'd definitely want to listen to while relaxing somewhere or, perhaps while walking around leisurely as I'm sure is the intention with the game.  (At least, I've always considered the soundtrack in the game to be what the main character listens to when appropriate since regardless of male or female, they love their headphones)

Like I said already, it's just a nice, enjoyable little song.  It's not anything more than it tries to be, nor is it anything more than it simply -is-, but it doesn't need to be.  Despite not having any real jazzy influences (mostly the rockin' sax from other songs on the soundtrack) it's still decidedly part of the soundtrack by sound because it very much carries the same mood as the rest of the songs.  And it really ties them together I think, by being just....well, 'funky', as I've said of the other songs.    It's fun which is something that, as the sole descriptor of a song, means a whole lot more than I could hope to cover, so it will have to suffice along with my assurance that you know what I mean when I say that.  It's clearly evident upon listening to it, especially if you're really intent on just listening to it and relaxing with it.

I'm sure that, depending on how my time with Trails in the Sky goes, I might just be ready to hop back into the world of P3P afterwards.  Unless I have Resistance:  Burning Skies at that point, in which, well, I'm playing that.  I can't wait to see just what the Vita's first real first person shooter has to offer, though perhaps not as a direct representation of 'the bar' as it were.  Since it is still early software and all.  Though, I'm sure all the while til then, I'll be enjoying the smooth sounds of the Persona 3 extended OST (through Portable, I mean) because it simply stands out more in my head lately.  And with good reason, I should suggest.

Music! Persona 3 Edition

As promised yesterday with the write-up of my experience with Persona 3 so far, I decided tonight would be the best time to do the first installment of Music!  Persona 3 Edition (because I will assuredly need to do at least one more) since I've been playing the songs in my head all day.  Also listening to them through my Vita's speakers.  But mostly in my head.  Of course, this isn't a recent development; ever since I got the original Persona 3 with the soundtrack included (at least, the 18-track one America got), I've listened to the music of Persona 3 with joy as it is fantastic, so this is pretty much just me getting re-familiarized with it as I actually play the game.  In all honesty, as is usually the case with these Music! segments, I find it really, really hard to just narrow it down to three songs to feature, but I don't want to throw down the whole soundtrack and just say "There you go, it's all amazing".  Even if it is.  I'm sure you can understand why.

The first song I picked is the first song you'll likely hear if you're playing Persona 3.  Because it's the song that plays during the intro bit.  In a way, it's not actually one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack, but on the other hand it's such a good theme that I can't help but like it.  I'm not sure if I'd say that it sets the mood for the game, as that is kind of a hard task to do, but it certainly does set -a- mood.  It's inviting and interesting; the whole of it is just pleasant to listen to if you're not paying attention and if you are, there's something to grab you.  If you're me at least, because hearing, "I once ran away from the God of Fear" grabs my interest real fast, even if it's just an abstract thing tossed out there.  Which...with Persona, I'm not too sure if it is.  Regardless, the first song here is "Burn My Dread (Opening)".

Like I said, it's not mind-blowingly great, nor is it particularly extreme in any fashion, but it's a nice, inviting theme, and I think that makes it the best choice for the opening track of the game.  Even the 'engrish'-y bit doesn't really stick out once you've heard it enough times, though I'm not particularly bothered by that in the first place.  If Persona 3 was a bit easier to pin down in mood (which, I assume, would make it a little less good of a game), I'd say this probably captures it well, but with the extremes, it really just can't touch all of the game, so it's not going to give you an overall just like that.  But as something to play before the start menu, it works nicely and is just...well, pleasant to listen to.

The next song is one that will kind of show off the 'other side' of Persona 3, as it were.  This sort of paints the picture as to why it's hard to capture the entirety of the game in just one or two songs, and why it's hard to point out three that are good to listen to while also giving a good approximation of the game itself.  "Deep Breath Deep Breath" is a song that plays during more combat-oriented scenarios, namely some of the "Operations" you undergo in the game (as well as an Operation quite unlike the others, which makes it kind of hilarious) and does well enough for that as well.  If I had to say anything about the whole of the soundtrack, about something that carries all throughout it (aside from quality), I'd say that it all has some level of "Funk", or another similar word that means kind of that.  Even the above song has that sort of quality around it, and that type of catchiness pervades the entirety of the songs contained, and that's a good thing.

I think it's kind of hard to point at another song on the soundtrack (Aside from the last song I'm going to use) that is as opposite in mood from "Burn My Dread" really.  Where "Burn My Dread" is light and, I hate to say 'cheery', but I'm sure you know what I mean, "Deep Breath Deep Breath" is darker and a bit more mysterious, perhaps conspiratorial even.  (Once again, that's appropriate in both main situations it's used in, amusingly)  I do think it helps accentuate my 'funk' theory at least, since it is quite a track for that.  I think the rap helps with that, but just the way the song goes, it's pretty prevalent to me at least.  It's just something about the song, I guess, but it really grew on me and is definitely one of my favorites.

The last song, though, is probably my favorite track off the whole OST.  If this is not your first "Music!" post of mine, then you'll notice I generally like Battle Themes, especially when they're done well and Persona 3 is no exception in this.  As for this particular song, there's really just no part of it that I don't like, though I'm sure it's a little easier to understand why after you listen to it yourself.  And I -do- expect you to do so, if you don't listen to the others, at least listen to this one.  It's "Mass Destruction" and as I said, it's the general battle theme for the game, thus you'll be hearing it a lot.

I honestly think that, without such a good battle theme, battles in Persona 3 would become a chore at a certain point.  Even with it, they tend to come along that border, but not quite as close as it would without the song.  This is probably my ultimate example of the overall 'funky' level that goes through the whole OST, though, since this song just -exudes- it with the female vocals scatting about.  It's jazzy goodness, despite the, again, rap going throughout it and I personally just can't help but enjoy it no matter what.  We just got hit with a Magarudyne that knocked out two members?  "Ooo yeah~"  I'm definitely going to lose this battle?  "Baby baby~"  It's infectious and I cannot help but mouth/sing along with the words even some thirty or forty hours into the game.  I suspect that won't change no matter what, and I hope that the Girl side of the game retains at least that music, since it will ensure the maximum enjoyment.  Since I am planning on doing that side of it.

Those are three of the songs that have made Persona 3 Portable quite enjoyable for me and ensured that I kept on playing it when I didn't think I would because I lost a game week of progress.  Which I'm definitely not bitter about at all, nope, no sirree.  I expect that at some point down the road, perhaps into the Girl course of the game, that I'll do another spotlight on the soundtrack, but I don't hope to get to doing it right away.  While I write in 'Music!' posts, I'm not sure they can always be considered seriously written posts, though I'm sure -someone- might disagree with that.  Regardless, I enjoy it, and I enjoy sharing the music since it is so often overlooked in favor of....well, most other parts of the game.  Probably not so much with Persona 3 in particular, but you know what I mean.