Video Games Culture
Music In Video Games
Today video game soundtracks are growing more and more popular, and not just with fans of the games that feature them. As well as a great deal of games having elaborate orchestral scores composed especially for them, frequently popular music works its way into the mix (for example The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil in the recently released Call of Duty Black Ops). Sometimes what music people decide to listen to is rather surprising (video game-related or otherwise, of course). The World of Warcraft soundtrack, for instance, is surprisingly popular amongst not only fans of the MMO but also casual listeners; no doubt WoW Cataclysm is going to lure in a lot of new fans following its release.
There are certain pieces of iconic video game music that pretty much anyone will recognise. In that vein, here are a few of the most widely known and appreciated.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Pure, super speed perfection. Sonic 2 or 3 probably features the best tracks (and Michael Jackson was allegedly responsible for helping to compose the latter). However, let’s not forget (or rather DO forget) that awful drowning theme.
Super Mario Bros
Koji Kondo is the composer responsible for the musical score (all six songs of it) for Super Mario Bros, the tempo of the music increasing when the timer reaches 99. The iconic, Latin rhythmed track found in the first stage is known as the “Ground Theme”.
Tetris
Better known as “Korobeiniki”, the so-called Tetris theme was originally written and published in 1816, 128 years before Tetris saw its Game Boy release. Then a Russian folk song, it tells tells the tale of star-crossed lovers Katya, a peasant girl, and a peddler (the meaning of the song’s title).
However, if these classics aren’t your thing then you can always be one of those who invest in the soundtrack of World of Warcraft Cataclysm. You can almost smell the trolls!
|
|
Bad Boys II (Two-Disc Special Edition) $4.24 Hang on for maximum mayhem full-on fun and the wildest chase scenes ever put on film! The action and comedy never stop when superstars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith reunite as out-of-control trash-talking buddy cops. Bullets fly cars crash and laughs explode as they pursue a whacked-out drug lord from the streets of Miami to the barrios of Cuba. But the real fireworks result when Lawrence discove… |
|
|
At Worst… The Best of $4.02 CD > POPULAR MUSIC > ROCK… |
|
|
The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection (Salvador / Platoon / Wall Street / Talk Radio / Born on the Fourth of July / JFK Director’s Cut / The Doors / Heaven and Earth / Natural Born Killers / Nixon / U-Turn / Any Given Sunday Director’s Cut) $22.95 This 14-disc set is at least the third massive DVD collection with the Oliver Stone moniker. New to this set are two documentaries that aired on HBO: Looking for Fidel (2004), Stone’s second film shadowing the Cuban leader, focusing on the regime’s iron-fisted defector policy. Persona Non Grata (2003) is an examination of Palestinian conflict. Both of the films have a constantly moving camera, gi… |
|
|
Jean Renoir’s the River (The Magic of India Is Captured in a Young Girl’s First Love) $45.00 In postwar India, three adolescent girls develop competing crushes on a young American veteran who lost a leg in combat. As their romances and rivalries deepen, the background of the Indian society, culture and environment influences all their personalities in subtle and symbolic ways. They come to terms with life and into balance with themselves through a profound realization that more important … |
|
|
TONGAN TRADITIONS (Life, Customs, Fun and Games in a Tongan Village!) 1999 , 20 minutes… |
|
|
Pokemon: Is It Just a Game? [VHS] $19.95 … |
|
|
My Big Fat Greek Wedding $2.31 It’s not surprising that My Big Fat Greek Wedding grew more popular over the course of its theatrical release (whereas most blockbusters open big and then drop precipitously)–not only does it have believable situations and engaging characters, but these characters (particularly our romantic heroine, Toula, played by writer and performer Nia Vardalos) look like actual human beings instead of plast… |
|
|
Liberty’s Kids: Complete Series $38.03 History comes alive in this excellent Emmy and Humanitas Award-nominated 40-episode, animated series about the experiences of two young teens during the American Revolution. Far more than a simple chronicle of the battles and major events of the American Revolution, Liberty’s Kids tells the story of the cultural, scientific, political, and social forces that helped shape America’s fight for indepe… |
|
|
WWII in HD (DVD) $12.49 At first glance, the very concept of WWII in HD seems like an oxymoron. After all, isn’t the footage from back then nothing more than grainy black-and-white newsreel? And really, how much definition can be added to film that was shot more than 60 years ago? The answers: no, and quite a lot, actually. The quality of much of what is seen in the course of these 10 episodes (each around 45 minutes lon… |
|
|
Matchbox Spongebob Squarepants Pop Up Adventure Set $13.95 Matchbox Spongebob Squarepants Pop Up Adventure Set This playset features kids mostloved television heroes and their imaginative adventures and play themes. Features cool pop up opening mechanism and moving features. Moms love the stowandgo portability. Comes with one vehicle and two accessories. Not for use with some Matchbox vehicles…. |
