The title, which is also coming to Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo Wii and DS is set to include ‘full support at the controller’s launch’ for its family friendly experience, revolving around the adventures of Aragorn across the entirety of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. So expect fully realised sword play and archery utilising the new Playstation Move tech.

This, plus slightly enhanced graphics and controls, minus Wii D-pad = LOTR:AQ PS3

So why are we excited? Well as opposed to much of what we’ve seen so far from game title announcements, this is a fully fledged, original title as rather than a collection of glorified tech demos; with multiple and exceptionally complex uses for the same device. The game itself, as you’ll see on the title’s official website, looks like pretty standard action adventure license fare, but the desire to fend off a pack of marauding Orcs with a virtual blade that you have direct control over, is pretty strong, and as the game comes from the teams behind House Of The Dead Overkill, Battalion Wars 2 and a stream of successful LEGO ports, Headstrong Games and TT Fusion, our money’s on this being a solid experience all round.

The Lord Of The Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (as well as Playstation Move) is released this Autumn.

If you’ve played a Way Of The Samurai title before, which is admittedly unlikely as the titles have never done particularly well on western shores, you’ll know what to expect; a pre-industrial revolution Japan (this time set during the Sengoku period), a mysterious Samurai who happens upon a turbulent township, warring factions and a branching storyline that makes most games that claim to have multiple endings look positively narrow pathed by comparison. If you liked either of the first two Way Of The Samurai titles then stop reading now, get down to your retailer of choice, and pick this up without hesitation. Oh but before you head off, check out our interview with Yen Hau of Rising Star, publishers of the title in Europe.

For the vast majority that haven’t experienced the WOTS series you should know that this isn’t a mindless high action adventure, it is instead a role playing game in the truest sense of the word. You are playing a role in WOTS3 and the title is at its very best when you understand and adhere to the notion that you are becoming a Samurai, albeit a Samurai in which you mould through your decisions and actions. Opening with a battle in which a nameless Samurai falls and is thought dead by his aggressors, the nameless Ronin is found by two wandering villagers and brought back to a small village named Takatane. From there on in the story truly is what you want to make of it, though there are plot lines that permeate throughout, namely the seeming oppression of the region by the Fujimori clan, the rebellions of the Ouka clan and the desire for peace the battle scarred Takatane village so desperately desires. It is the journey through the story that is the most exciting part of the narrative; how your Samurai conducts himself within the society he is a part of. Unsheathing a weapon for example is a clear sign of aggression, and will quickly get you into trouble with the long sword of the law. This mechanic is key to WOTS3, you can draw your blade at any moment, a kind of feudal renegade interrupt if you will and it’s also the clearest reinforcement the game gives you that you must be mindful of how you conduct yourself in this world.

Weapon forging becomes a way to further personalise your experience, including naming your own sword.

I decided very early on with my playthrough of the game that I would only draw my sword when absolutely necessary, and always choose to knock out opponents rather than kill them, though I could have easily have gone through the entire title as a blood thirsty killer. It’s this self enforced verisimilitude that is the greatest draw of Way Of The Samurai 3, deciding to truly live in this digital world, rather than simply exist within it.

But games are products that live and die by how they look, how they sound and how they feel to play, and unfortunately Way Of The Samurai 3 is by no means without criticism. Visually the game sits awkwardly between the very best PS2 and early current generation era quality graphics. There are moments of staggering beauty to be found, the sunlight dappling between the trees on what is obviously a scorchingly hot day in the Amana region for example, but flat textures are abound, lip syncing is poor and animation can be ropey at times. The English language voice acting is laughable in areas, though there is the option to turn on the Japanese audio instead, which is a nice touch and most likely important to the kind of market Acquire is going for here.

Combat can get brutal, but NPCs never fail to lighten the mood with their odd quips...

Combat this time round is better than previous releases though still feels stiff and not as deep as one might wish; it’s easy to mash the light attack button through most of the game, using life restoring items to tank through the title’s harder challenges. Speaking of challenges, there are plenty of mini-games, side missions, trophies, weapon upgrades and other knick knacks to keep things interesting. Instant travel also returns from the previous outing, which picks the pace of the title up somewhat, and small icons on the map known as ‘inklings’, areas that will continue the current story, help give WOTS3 a little more impetus and guidance in a title that can, at times, feel overwhelming in its lack of direction.

By far the most accessible of the series so far, Way Of The Samurai 3 is a unique and deeply ambitious title that is unfortunately marred by a number of technical shortcomings stopping it from being truly exceptional. It should be praised for its high level of player involvement and is a big step forward for the series as a whole, but for all of its progression, as an actual game it feels antiquated. However, those that can look past the flaws will find one of the most compelling and wholly engrossing gameplay experiences this generation has to offer.

MLG Rating: 7/10

Platform: Playstation 3 / Xbox 360 Release Date: 12/03/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a copy of Way Of The Samurai 3 for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of one week on a Playstation 3.

Speaking about the title, executive Producer Tom Gillo reports that  ‘Our core focus for Bodycount is to deliver best-in-class gun play that places the gamer at the heart of the experience. From the jaw-dropping devastation caused by firing into enemies or shredding the world around you in a hail of bullets, Bodycount will crystallise that moment of pulling the trigger into an exhilarating sensory overload of action.’

If you’re not in the know, one of Stuart Black’s previous titles was Black, a gem of a game released back in 2006 for PS2 and the original Xbox that entirely focused on destructive environments, massive explosions and all guns blazing action. Black’s aesthetic and permeating motif was bullets. Lots and lots of bullets, a theme that looks set to continue.

The creative director, now working at Codemasters (the team behind Race Driver: Grid) said of his new title ‘If Race Driver: GRID was all about the purity of racing, then everything in Bodycount is absolutely centred on the bullet and its impact on the world. Our shredding tech enables us to create a different kind of gameplay, where players and AI can’t hide behind indestructible cover and rely on whack-a-mole mechanics. Here the environment is constantly changing as the game world is shot to hell; it’s going to be a huge amount of fun.”

Complete with online multiplayer and co-operative game modes, and with the knowledge that Mr. Black is no stranger to excellent FPS’s we’d be inclined to agree. Check out the official website for more info on this forthcoming release.

“While most mob-inspired games’ emphasis is solely on action, Mafia II features a deep and compelling narrative that is embellished with a sophisticated, era-evoking atmosphere,” says Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “In partnering with Playboy, we are able to add a unique element of authenticity to the game by using vintage images from the magazine that illustrate the power of Playboy’s influence on the attitudes and culture of that generation.”

What, like you've never sat around in your crackers, with a jazz mag on the table, while a male friend tries to look unaffected by the homo-erotic situation...

A cynic might say that this could just be one big publicity stunt on both parties, what with print media dwindling and with this Mafia title needing to distinguish itself in a dominated market, but we think this could be an interesting addition to the Q3 scheduled title that could help further embellish a richly detailed world.

And… you know… ladies in the buff are quite nice too.

You can find out more about Mafia II here: www.mafia2game.com

Players can expect more of the 8-bit art, ‘classically inspired bosses’ and chip tune sounds of 2008’s Mega Man 9 NES stylings, as well as a plot revolving around an outbreak of Robot Flu, a virus that is causing the metal mechanicals of 20xx to go out of control.

Most gamers though won’t be here for Mega Man’s deep, rich, moving story lines, they’ll be here for the difficulty, and Mega Man 10 looks set to continue the series infamously steep learning curve. Thankfully, those new to the series will find an easy mode to ease them in a little gentler, but hardcore fans will be happy to know that new Mega Man Challenges await to test even the fastest of response times. Keiji Inafune has reportedly had a hand in this release, so we’ve no doubt over the title’s quality, our only question now is, are we up to the task of completing it?

For more info on Capcom games check www.capcom-europe.com

So along comes the Rising Star published, Marvelous Entertainment developed Half Minute Hero regardless, going against rational thought and developing a new IP JRPG exclusively for the least popular handheld on the market. And by god, they’ve gone ahead and made a fantastic little title.

Far and away the most accessible, elegant and downright playful JRPG since Dragon Quest VIII, Half Minute Hero’s primary game type gives so much to the player by taking away all of the filler. Providing a stripped down experience of playing a JRPG in short, exceptionally moreish bursts, this main quest revolves around the concept of having just thirty seconds to stop an apocalyptic spell being cast by a series of ‘Evil Lords’, with our Half Minute Hero having to consistently save the world time and time again whilst tracking down the uber baddie responsible for spreading this world destroying bit of Voodoo throughout the land! Think WarioWare meets Famicom era Final Fantasy and you’re not far wrong in both feeling of frantic play and plot cohesion, the game having an irreverent, slightly silly humour to all of the proceedings. Fans of Paper Mario’s slightly surreal, slightly self-aware writing will feel instantly comfortable with the superb translation present throughout this, and indeed all of the other modes of play HMH has to offer, but more on these later.

So what exactly is it that HMH does differently and how does it remove this so called fluff? Well apart from the main hook of a half minute time limit (that can be extended by giving gold to an exceptionally conceited but well intending goddess whose mantra is ‘time is money’), the neo retro, 8-bit graphical stylings and absolutely rock-tastic soundtrack, Marvelous’ genius lies in taking processes that are now rote in the JRPG mantra, flipping them on their head and automating or concentrating them to such a point that every other Japanese role playing game seems nigh on banal by comparison. Take combat for instance, instead of asking you to repeat that age old (and frankly laughable) activity of requiring you to hammer the action button until the enemy is defeated, HMH takes this role out of your hands entirely, fisticuffs is little more than two pixel art characters crudely bashing against one another until one runs out of health.

That’s not to say that progression in combat isn’t challenging, it certainly is, but none of the thinking takes place within battle, the puzzle of defeating enemies instead lies within the world map as you try to discover the best way of tackling each enemy type and boss character. Insects for example can prove a real pain early on, and unless you’re going to grind Hero’s level (and risk that thirty second time limit ending), you simply won’t be able to progress. Unless of course you use the clues given by NPCs to find a fly swatter, at which point clearing out the creepy crawlies is a breeze. The game’s pace is intense, there’s no big reliance on stats, character stereotypes are lampooned instead of celebrated, and all the other stuff that is so off putting to the ‘average gamer’ is simply gone. It’s so refreshing that the game becomes an utter joy to play.

The other modes mentioned earlier utilise the overall aesthetic and world created in the main game but try something new, to varying degrees of success. Among these are Princess Mode, a side scrolling shooter with incredibly light RPG elements which is a fun, if limited diversion, and Evil Lord Mode which is a very rudimentary and slightly obtuse strategy game. These aren’t the main bulk of the title, and in comparison to the Hero Mode, they pale into insignificance.

Players who understand the mechanics of JRPGs will instantly fall in love with Half Minute Hero’s concepts and structure, whilst finding the gameplay twists fantastically compelling, likewise those grown tired of spiky haired adolescents moping around for thirty hours or more will find a title that makes the genre relevant again. PSP owners have a new must buy and damn good reason to keep hold of their console, RPG makers have something to aspire to when developing their own new titles and we all might have, barely three months in, a serious contender for Game Of The Year 2010…

MLG Rating: 9/10

Platform: PSP Release Date: 19/02/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of Half Minute Hero for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of one week on a PSP-2000.

If you think this is going to be a super deep JSRPG however, you’d be very much mistaken, this is casual action all the way, with a family friendly, yet still visually appealing design. Play is shaping up to be a little like a combination of Flow and Geometry Wars, with a similar theme to the former of DNA evolving, simple controls and a top down view, and the vast number of enemies and bold aesthetic choices seen in the latter.

Three modes of play will be keeping the fun from extinction, as will online leader board rankings, with rivalries sure to be built rapidly if this title manages to attain any leverage on these shores. The developers PeakVox are a relatively unknown quantity, though their small catalogue of work is very much focused on the non-gamer community, so they definitely know their audience, if nothing else.

NIS America (essentially the Western wing of Nippon Ichi) will be bringing Viral Survival over from Japan, via WiiWare, to Europe this spring.

Available as of the 25th of February through the Apple Store priced at £5.49 the original has also been co-released with it’s sequel Final Fantasy II, both sporting updated graphics, specially modified controls and extra dungeons.

At over a fiver these are some premium apps we’re talking about here and it seems like selling the two titles independently is a little stingy, but then again this is a much loved franchise, not to mention Square Enix’s bread and butter, and we’re willing to bet there are some FF fans who still haven’t checked out the series’ roots that will want to pick this up for their mobile gaming platform of choice. Now’s as good as time as any, especially with the mighty Final Fantasy XIII just round the corner from a European release.

Desi Adda is a collection of six traditional Indian games that include sports, dancing, board games and kite flying. Prakash Ahuja, CEO GameShastra, Inc. said that ‘The games that feature in Desi Adda are inspired by established and traditional games of India,’ ‘Making it available on the PlayStation Network will help to introduce them to a wider audience.’

It’s interesting to see titles like this see release in their native country, let alone over here and further signifies how important the industry (and indeed the digital download model) is becoming to areas outside of the traditional markets of Japan, Europe and the US. We’ll be keeping an eye on this and other activity from the rapidly developing GameShastra over the coming months…

Desi Adda will be available to download in Europe for £9.99/€9.99 from the PlayStation Network on the 25^th February.

Xero: First question of course is, who are you, and what do you do?

Tommy Tallarico: My name is Tommy Tallarico and I’ve been a video game composer and sound designer for over 20 years and have been privileged enough to have worked on over 275 games including such franchises as Earthworm Jim, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Prince of Persia, Disney’s Aladdin, Spider-Man, Metroid Prime, Sonic the Hedgehog, Madden Football, Blitz Football, Unreal, Pac-Man, James Bond, Knockout Kings, Mortal Kombat, Test Drive, Scooby Doo, WWE, Lineage, Twisted Metal & Time Crisis.  I’ve also co-created, produced and hosted 3 worldwide television shows about video games including the Electric Playground (started in 1995) which is the longest running video game television show in history.

I’m the founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), which is a non-profit organization educating and heightening the awareness of audio for the interactive world.  I’m an Advisory Board member for the Game Developers Conference, a Governor for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS/GRAMMY’s), a spokesperson for the Entertainment Consumers Association, a proud member of the International Game Developers Association and a nominating peer panel leader for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

In 2002, I teamed up with fellow video game composer Jack Wall (Myst, Mass Effect, Splinter Cell) to create Video Games Live. My whole life, my two greatest loves and passions were always music and video games.  That was all I ever thought about and dreamed about.  It’s been an amazing honor and journey to be able to work in this industry for so long and I feel very fortunate to be able to continue doing it year after year. Tommy’s full bio can be found here.

X: We ask everyone we interview here at Midlife Gamer a very important question to get things kicked off, what is your favourite beverage and biscuit (I believe you US chaps call them cookies)?

TT: Lemonade and Oreos… although the two definitely do not go well together! I believe you British chaps call lemonade Sprite or 7-UP.  Our version is a quaint little refreshment made with lemons, water and sugar! (Touché! – Ed)

X: You hold the world record for having worked on the most number of video games. What is your current count, and what’s it like to be a world record holder?

TT: I’m currently at 279 and counting.  My mom doesn’t know too much about video games so none of my other accolades were that impressive to her.  But when I told her about the Guinness World Record she was extremely proud.  So that right there was worth all the hard work over the past two decades!

X: Are there any particular favourites of the games you’ve worked on?

TT: My two favorites are probably Earthworm Jim and Advent Rising.  Earthworm Jim because the project was so much fun to work on.  Our small team of friends had worked together on so many great products before that, but for that project we were just given a timeframe to complete whatever we wanted to. We would come in and just try to make each other laugh.  That was pretty much the game design for the entire project.  So that one was a lot of fun and I think you can really feel that in the final product.  Advent Rising (although not a popular or big selling game) was also a great joy for me because I finally got the chance to compose an Italian Opera which is something that I always wanted to do.  It’s probably the music that I’m most proud of from a composition standpoint.

X: Are you currently working on the music for any games in development? If so, which ones, if not, why the hiatus?

TT: I perform around 60 shows a year with Video Games Live now so I’ve gone to doing about 7 to 10 game projects a year to around 1 or 2.  Earlier this year I wrote 3 songs for the new Sonic game (Sonic & the Black Knight) and I’m just finishing up a Wii game called Flip’s Twisted World which I’ve been working on for almost two years in my spare time.

X: For those of our readers that aren’t in the know, what is Video Games Live?

TT: Video Games Live is all the greatest video game music of all time played by a live orchestra and choir, but what really makes it unique is that everything is completely synchronized to video, automated state-of-the-art lighting & special effects, stage-show production, interactive elements where we bring people up on stage and they play a video game while the orchestra changes the music in real time on the fly, depending on what the person does.  I like to describe Video Games Live as having the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra and combining it with the energy and excitement of a rock concert and mixing that together with the interactivity, cutting-edge visuals, technology, and fun that video games provide.

X: VGL is billed as including an extravagant stage show, special effects, accompanying animation and even actors on stage; do you feel the classical audience of the 21st century is uninterested in simply watching an orchestra perform?

I’ve been a video game composer for over 20 years and my partner in Video Games Live, Jack Wall, has been doing it for over 13 years. My goal in creating Video Games Live was that I wanted to prove to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games have become. I didn’t want to just put on a symphony concert for hardcore gamers, I wanted to do a show. Not necessarily even a concert, but a complete celebration of the video game industry and so the way we designed the show was with everyone in mind.

You don’t have to know a thing about video games in order to come out to the show and have a greater appreciation for video games in general and specifically game music. Most of the letters and emails we get after a performance are from non-gamers. Parallel to that, it’s also ushering in a whole new generation to come and appreciate a symphony.  We’ll get letters from parents after the show telling us that they took their 8 year old daughter to the show and she wants to start taking violin lessons so she can learn and play the music in our show.  The same thing happened to me over 30 years ago when I saw the Rocky & Star Wars movies.  For the first time I really paid attention to symphonic music which in turn got me hooked on the masters like Beethoven & Mozart.  I believe pop culture can have very positive influences on other (and more classic) forms of art.  Video games are one of them.  They have evolved into our culture and have become one of the top entertainments of choice for the 21st century.

X: When I saw the final concert of the European tour back in December, a significant portion of the stage show is conversation with industry veterans like Ralph Baer, positivity-creating community-driven competitions such as ‘human space invaders’ and even a few words from yourself regarding the ‘people who think video games cause violence’. Is there a political message behind VGL, are you trying to be the Rage Against The Machine of the HD Generation?

TT: Hell yeah!  It reflects my goal of proving to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games have become.  Only a certain percentage of our audiences are hardcore gamers so it’s important to show the history of games and where they came from as well as where they’re headed!

X: Are there any games which you’ve always wanted to include as part of the repertoire of the show, perhaps a franchise close to your heart, which you’ve had to leave out because it simply doesn’t translate well to a live show?

TT: Nothing yet, but it took me a long time to figure out a good way to get the Metroid franchise to sound right.  It was challenging because I wanted to retain that old school feel while still incorporating a big symphonic sound.

X: Have you run into any copyright issues with the music on the show, or as part of the album? How do the original composers feel about VGL?

TT: All of the composers around the world love the idea of VGL and have always been extremely supportive along the way.  Square-Enix does not allow us to use their video during our performances because they have their own Final Fantasy touring concert that they do a few times a year.  They also do not allow us to use any of their music on our CD’s or DVD/Blu-Ray’s.  It’s unfortunate, but we must respect their wishes.

X: The Video Games Live album reached the top ten of the American album charts, what do you think this means for game music in general? Additionally, when can we expect another album and is there any hint as to what the track list might look like?

TT: We’ll be recording our 2nd album during our big nationwide PBS television special which we’re taping on April 1st in New Orleans with the Louisiana Philharmonic.  There will be a CD, DVD & Blu-Ray available worldwide.

I think that the success of the album had a positive impact on getting game music more respected (and also proved that it doesn’t need video, lighting and all the other normal bells & whistles we have at our show for the music to be popular).  I think the album debuting in the top 10 was a huge accomplishment for game music in the U.S. and many nationwide media outlets such as Variety, Rolling Stone magazine, CNN, FOX News, etc. reported about it.  It was also the most distributed video game album to date.  From Brazil to Taiwan, France to Japan, Mexico to Korea… it is everywhere.  And not just as an import, but as a translated product manufactured abroad.

X: Is there any snobbery or pre-conceptions from ‘traditional’ fans of classical music when it comes to your concerts, likewise, do you feel that video game fans are turned off by the classical nature of the show?

TT: We don’t want to be considered a ‘traditional’ or ‘classical’ concert. From our perspective, we feel that the reality is that more traditional and ‘classical’ type of concerts are very difficult to attract a mainstream and mass market audience.  I believe that a lot of the traditional type of concerts will appeal greatly to the hardcore fans… and that’s great.  But that’s not our goal.  We don’t want to appeal to just hardcore gamers or symphony folks.  We want EVERYONE to be excited and interested in video game music whether you play games or not… whether you normally go to a symphony… or not.  In order to accomplish this successfully you need to appeal to people from more than just a symphony or aural standpoint.  Things like Cirque de Soleil for example isn’t just about the music.  It’s a combination of fantastic visuals, incredible music, amazing presentation, interactivity with the audience, etc.  These are things that make it so appealing to a wider worldwide market.

Creating a unique show and presentation that reaches a wider audience of non-gamers is a huge factor in the success of Video Games Live.  The way we look at it is that there are 3 elements that make up a video game… interactivity/design, art/graphics, and audio/music.  What we have done is taken all of these elements and combined them into a live performance.  Having video screens really allows the non-gamers in the audience to follow along which is very important.  To have synchronised video and dynamic lighting as part of our live presentation makes it even that much more unique and spectacular… especially to the non-gaming members of the audience.

We like to think that Video Games Live is definitely a complete show experience and celebration of the video game industry.  It’s not just a bunch of classically trained musicians on stage playing game music, we wanted it to be so much more than that.  And although music is definitely the main focus of the event, we feel that by putting on a sensational show that can be enjoyed by everyone, it is helping to legitimize the gaming world to those people who may not be aware of how amazing it has become.

X: Are Guitar Hero and other rhythm action games ruining todays music industry as Bill Wyman and Chad Kroeger have insinuated, or do games like these encourage an interest in music?

TT: Not at all.  They are absolutely a very positive thing and the amazing increase of music instrument sales (especially guitars) over the past couple of years is further proof of that.  Hundreds of people have come up to me after our show and said that because of Guitar Hero or Rock Band that they went out and bought a real guitar or bass to start learning the songs for real.  Video Games Live has that same effect on people as well!  As mentioned previously, we’ll get a TON of e-mails and letters after a performance from parents saying that their son or daughter went to one of our shows and the next day they asked if they could start taking violin lessons because they wanted to learn how to play the music from Halo, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts… or whatever.  Music is a powerful thing… and so are video games.  Together they are making a culture impact on the lives of millions of people around the world.

X: Have you ever been tempted (or approached) to work on a music based title in the vein of RockBand, Bit.Trip Beat or Vib Ribbon?

TT: Not really.  Although I do have a Special Thanks in the original Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II games because I really helped to spread the word about the game (and helped them to get Aerosmith into the second one).  I also introduced Aerosmith to Activision for the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game.  Steven Tyler is actually my cousin (real name Steven Tallarico!).

X: Last, but by no means least, do you feel there is a difference between the work of a composer who has started out in the games industry, and a composer that moves into the industry, when it comes to providing soundtracks to interactive entertainment?

TT: Composing for video games is very unique and although similar to film & television, is still very different.  First of all, in film and television, music is considered background music, or ‘incidental’ music.  It’s considered background music because the medium of film and television is all about storytellig. It’s all about people talking to each other. So maybe a couple times during a film, you’ll get your chase scene, or maybe the big opening or credits at the end where the music is the feature.  But for the most part, the music is background music.  In video games I like to refer to it as foreground music. Because in a video game, it’s not dialogue that drives everything. It’s action and interactivity. Which means the music is always out front. The music — and the audio in general — is the thing that drives the medium.

It is our job as composers and sound designers to put the player in an emotional state of mind as he starts the level. That’s awesome for a composer. I’ll give you another restriction: Even the great John Williams has to sit down with George Lucas at some point, and George says, ‘Okay, at one minute, the music has to do this, because Darth Vader walks through the door. Then at 1:45, it has to do this, because the Death Star blows up.’ So when John Williams is creating music for Star Wars, he is completely boxed in to exactly what that linear piece of media is doing. Whereas with a video game composer, the designer will come to me and say, ‘Okay, we have 100 guys on horseback, with swords, all coming to attack you. Write me a three minute piece of music!’  Now I can just dream up whatever I wish and I might see storyboards, or play the game, and then I can sit there and just create without the restrictions of the linear media.  You also need to think about the interactive elements in a video game.  So although that first scene may have 100 people attacking you, you may also need to create a score that works or can easily branch off to the next piece of music for when only 10 people are attacking… or 1 or none.  A lot of times we’ll write and record the same song 4 or 5 different ways in order to accomplish this.

And it’s for all of these reasons that I’ve always said that if Beethoven were alive today… he’d probably be a video game composer!  He wouldn’t be a film composer. He wouldn’t want people talking over his music! He wouldn’t want to be constrained by exactly what the producer needed for that scene. He was all about putting somebody in an emotional state of mind which is exactly what we do in video game music, without all the dialogue and constraints.

For more information on Video Games Live, visit www.videogameslive.com