I'm really not a fan of where I currently stand in life. I have a crummy job, making crummy wages, and I'm not really going anywhere. After a talk with my brother; he gave me quite a different, and inspiring point of view. He told me that this was actually a positive thing, as I have no ties. This is true, I really don't have anything tying me down here, besides the lease on my apartment, but, that's going to go up early next year. The end goal for me is to become a video game journalist. Whether that be for Kotaku, Revision3 games, Game Informer, Giant Bomb, or any other site that I admire. I just have to become a video game journalist. No better time than the present as they say.
I'm not saying that I'll be moving out to Los Angeles, San Fansisco or anywhere like that as soon as my lease goes up next year, but on the other hand... what's holding me back? Money, well that's one thing, but is it really enough, or something that is worth putting in my way just because I don't want to go into debt? But I feel like Bilbo Baggins. WOAH! LITERARY REFERENCE!
It's true, though. I live comfortably in my hobbit hole and make comments about my neighbors behind their back because I've got it so good, and I am much more civilized than they are. Though, this is not the life for me. I need that call to adventure. I need a kindly old wizard to cross my doorstep and take me on the adventure of my lifetime.
Being my mind the one that it is, and working the way that it does. My mind went straight to video games.
I feel like most adventure type of games don't exactly establish this call to action and adventure. Generally it's already been established that you're, the main character of the game, is already well established as some kind of adventurer/ some kind of badass. I never get that feel of normalcy. Generally, players are thrown into the thick of it right from the get go. Except for one game in particular.....
That's right Zelda. The Legend of Zelda is very close to my heart, so there is a great deal of bias, however I also haven't really played that many other adventure or RPG games that I could really get into. Generally a LoZ game starts off with Link just living life. It's nothing interesting, but it's comfortable. Life is good. He's got a roof over his head. Sometimes, he even has a job that keeps him busy and out of trouble. Then suddenly, there is that call for action. That one thing that seems to come out of nowhere, that upsets the balance and the state of normalcy.
If this is all sounding familiar, it's because it's the tried and true method of the heros journey tale.
Did you watch it? Good.
The Hero with a Thousand faces is the basic breakdown of the heros tale that we all know and love. Link is the quintessential hero of video games, and of heroism. He's not the only one. Sora of Kingdom Hearts, The Kid From Bastion, Alexandra Rovias of Eternal Darkness, Jade of Beyond Good and Evil and many more. Though, these games don't establish that sense of comfort that the hero is ripped from by the call to adventure.
That contrast between the state of normalcy, and the grand epicness of adventure is what can really drive home the sense of adventure. I'm reminded of Red Dead Redemption; where, towards the end of the game, John Marston has completed his mission that was beset upon him by the government and was given his state of normalcy back to him. This moment in the game is beautiful. John Marston, throughout the game had always talked of his family and his ranch that he wanted to get back to after he was done. True to their word, the government gave John back his family and his land, just as he wanted, so that he can get back to what was normal. I didn't mind playing through this part of the game. It was kind of relaxing to have all of this nonviolence. I was happy to see John and his wife reunited and to see the way that he looked at her even though she was yelling at him to get some menial task or another done. I enjoyed the state of normalcy.
This contrast can be used quite effectively, if used properly. It's not a bad thing to be thrown into the middle of things, but it certainly makes clear what it is exactly that you're fighting for when you go on your adventure.
P.S.
I know that normalcy is not what the beginning of this post was about, but my life isn't being overrun by monsters or general evilness, that I need to fight for it. I need to fight for change so that I can make my state of normalcy something worth fighting for.
Showing posts with label Gamecube. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gamecube. Show all posts
Friday, August 30, 2013
Sunday, August 11, 2013
TOP 5 LICENSED VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS!
I play a lot of video games. I mean a lot. They're kind of my only window to the outside world and what the goings on are with things other than video games. In fact, a lot of the music that I listen to I heard from one video game or another. So, without further ado, here is my list of my TOP 5 LICENSED VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS!
In case you didn't get that from the title.
Rules: No music games. So nothing like Amplitude, Rockband, etc. Also, the soundtracks of the game are entirely licensed songs, not just a few songs like the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack, which I love so much.
5. Burnout 3
Among the symphony of crashing cars and twisting metal, there is a fantastically high paced and high quality soundtrack to play among the carnage. Featuring top hits of the day such as "I'm not OK" by My Chemical Romance, "This Fire" by Franz Ferdinand, "My Favorite Accident" by Motion City Soundtrack, and many others. This is a great soundtrack that compliments the energy and speed of the game. Though, to be honest, it doesn't really seem to fit while listening to it in my car while I'm obeying traffic laws...
4. Project Gotham Racing 2
It's really good when your soundtrack includes variety, even more so when said variety is from multiple countries. PGR2 has an amazingly wide selection of music to choose from, and you can completely customize it by creating your own mixtape. There is so much different music to choose from, it's a marathon to get through it all. Tracks including, but not limited to "Fight Test" by The Flaming Lips, "Automatic" by The Androids, "Tango Shoes" by Bif Naked, "Maschine" by Unheilig and so, so many more.
3. Need for Speed: Underground
Ok, so I play a lot of racing games. I guess I have that need for speed. Say, speaking of which.... Need for Speed has a really great soundtrack for a game that was the first of its kind. What with all the customization and the tuning of the cars. The release of NFS Underground coincided with the release of the movie The Fast and the Furious, a movie all about illegal street racing, over the top modifications of cars, and lots of homoerotic undertones, bro. The soundtrack to NFS Underground had a solid mix of rock, electronic, hip-hop, and Little Jon and the East Side Boys. Each time that you start up NFS Underground the song "Get Low" by Little Jon and his East Side Boys will play every time, so that you get that a cappella "badumdumdum..."
2. SSX 3
This is one of the greatest licensed soundtracks of all time. Seriously. The music in this game fits so perfectly with the insane stunts and the eccentric characters of this game, they couldn't have done a better job. Even the radio's DJ Atomika gets in on the action and brings his own slice of personality to the table. SSX 3 is filled with so much character and personality that it's only fitting that the soundtrack do the same.
1. FIFA 13
A sports game? Yes. A sports game. EA Sports games have surprisingly good soundtracks. You'd think that having music that plays only during the menu screens would defeat the purpose, but it just works so well for FIFA 13. Reason being, is that the amazing soundtrack plays during the incredibly addicting and helpful training games and during the waiting periods in between games in the tournament and career screens. This incredible soundtrack includes "Searching" by Matisyahu, "Top of The World" by Imagine Dragons, "Club Foot" by Kasabian, and so many great other great songs. Sometimes, I don't even play the game, I just turn the TV up really loud and let the music play while I do other things around the house.
In case you didn't get that from the title.
Rules: No music games. So nothing like Amplitude, Rockband, etc. Also, the soundtracks of the game are entirely licensed songs, not just a few songs like the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack, which I love so much.
5. Burnout 3
Among the symphony of crashing cars and twisting metal, there is a fantastically high paced and high quality soundtrack to play among the carnage. Featuring top hits of the day such as "I'm not OK" by My Chemical Romance, "This Fire" by Franz Ferdinand, "My Favorite Accident" by Motion City Soundtrack, and many others. This is a great soundtrack that compliments the energy and speed of the game. Though, to be honest, it doesn't really seem to fit while listening to it in my car while I'm obeying traffic laws...
4. Project Gotham Racing 2
It's really good when your soundtrack includes variety, even more so when said variety is from multiple countries. PGR2 has an amazingly wide selection of music to choose from, and you can completely customize it by creating your own mixtape. There is so much different music to choose from, it's a marathon to get through it all. Tracks including, but not limited to "Fight Test" by The Flaming Lips, "Automatic" by The Androids, "Tango Shoes" by Bif Naked, "Maschine" by Unheilig and so, so many more.
3. Need for Speed: Underground
Ok, so I play a lot of racing games. I guess I have that need for speed. Say, speaking of which.... Need for Speed has a really great soundtrack for a game that was the first of its kind. What with all the customization and the tuning of the cars. The release of NFS Underground coincided with the release of the movie The Fast and the Furious, a movie all about illegal street racing, over the top modifications of cars, and lots of homoerotic undertones, bro. The soundtrack to NFS Underground had a solid mix of rock, electronic, hip-hop, and Little Jon and the East Side Boys. Each time that you start up NFS Underground the song "Get Low" by Little Jon and his East Side Boys will play every time, so that you get that a cappella "badumdumdum..."
2. SSX 3
This is one of the greatest licensed soundtracks of all time. Seriously. The music in this game fits so perfectly with the insane stunts and the eccentric characters of this game, they couldn't have done a better job. Even the radio's DJ Atomika gets in on the action and brings his own slice of personality to the table. SSX 3 is filled with so much character and personality that it's only fitting that the soundtrack do the same.
1. FIFA 13
A sports game? Yes. A sports game. EA Sports games have surprisingly good soundtracks. You'd think that having music that plays only during the menu screens would defeat the purpose, but it just works so well for FIFA 13. Reason being, is that the amazing soundtrack plays during the incredibly addicting and helpful training games and during the waiting periods in between games in the tournament and career screens. This incredible soundtrack includes "Searching" by Matisyahu, "Top of The World" by Imagine Dragons, "Club Foot" by Kasabian, and so many great other great songs. Sometimes, I don't even play the game, I just turn the TV up really loud and let the music play while I do other things around the house.
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