Get ready for your wallet to be upset with you. The Limited Edition SOULCALIBUR V OST is out, and it will cost you a pretty penny. But just look at that thing. It’s gorgeous! Can you really say no to that box?

Aside from the 56 track OST (3 discs), you’ll also get 20 pages of liner notes, a behind the scenes DVD detailing the creative process of the game’s score, and a set of character cards. It’s quite the package.

The soundtrack itself is a diverse mix of composers and performers spanning five different countries. It includes music written by Hiroki Kikuta (Secret of Mana), Andrew Aversa (Monkey Island 2: Special Edition), Cris Velasco (God of War trilogy), Inon Zur (Dragon Age series), and more with performances by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra and Choir.

You can find a handful of sample clips on EminenceOnline.com as well as a photo gallery showcasing that sweet, sweet packaging. I highly recommend checking out “Blood Thirst Concerto” (embedded below). (more…)

Were you as surprised as we were by how great the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo was? Perhaps while you were slashing away at wolves and throwing fireballs at bears, your attention was grabbed by the game’s music. If so, you’ll be happy to know the release of the official soundtrack is imminent.

On February 7th (the same release day as the game itself), you can grab the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Original Soundtrack in physical or digital format. The “dark fantasy score” is composed by Grant Kirkhope (GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, Viva Pinata) and performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Head over to Amazon to listen to sample clips. There’s also a full interview below with Kirkhope on the game’s music and sound. If you don’t have a full seven minutes free to watch it, at least check out the last twenty seconds. It’s practically guaranteed to make you crack a smile. (more…)

Raise your broom in victory. Dustforce released last week, picking up the torch from Roger Wilco in showing just how heroic janitors can be. You can grab the delightful speed platformer on Steam right now.

But it would be a shame to let the game’s music be swept under the rug. Instead, grab Lifeformed’s original Dustforce score, Fastfall. If you purchase the whole soundtrack (for $3.99), you’ll also get three additional bonus tracks. Even if you haven’t tried the game yet, it’s a nice, relaxing album of mellow electronica that’s easy to enjoy. You can hear a sample of the game’s music in the trailer below. (more…)

When it comes to the game music arrangement scene, people often remix what they know. For every reinterpretation of an obscure game’s music, you’re bound to find fifty Mega Man 2 or Chrono Trigger remixes. With their 32nd album release, OverClocked Remix is looking to tip the scale in favor of games a bit off the beaten path.

Unsung Heroes shines the spotlight on fifteen often ignored games including Secret of Evermore, Bahamut Lagoon, Breath of Fire II, and Legacy of the Wizard. Level 99 (one of the album’s assistant directors) notes on the album’s official site that each source tune holds a special meaning to the musician involved, making it a rather personal remix album.

Be sure to check out the trailer below and head on over to the official site to download the free album. With a theme like this, you might just find a new soundtrack or two to check out along the way. (more…)

They sure don’t make music like they use to… or do they?! Souleye, composer of the delightfully retro VVVVVV soundtrack, just released his new album, Adventure. If you’re a fan of chiptune music with a modern twist, Adventure hits all the right notes and then some.

On it, you’ll hear the music of Pulsen, some reworked and previously unreleased material from VVVVVV, and a load of new stuff. You can grab the album in physical and digital form for ten bucks. And if you shoot Souleye an email before making your purchase, he’ll even sign it for you! In the meantime, you can find clips of the album inexplicably played over the top of people skydiving in squirrel suits below. (more…)

On the second episode of Sound in Action, I take a moment to examine the modern JRPG. This includes games that have been recently released as well as a few that haven’t yet made it to North America (and some that might never make it). This episode features a mix of in-game music and official arrangements. You’ll also hear me gush a bit about the wonderful Xenoblade soundtrack among others.

You might notice I used better recording equipment this time around so the quality should be substantially better than the first episode. I want to thank everybody who’s given me feedback in comments, tweets, Facebook, and Skype. It means a lot. It was also one of the main motivators for making the show biweekly instead of monthly. That’s right! Your feedback has already come directly into play in the show’s fate. Please keep the feedback coming so I can keep striving to improve the show.

As always, you’ll find the full track list with purchase links at the bottom of the post.

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A new year, a new… podcast?!

Don’t worry, the “Barrel Roll!” podcast isn’t going away any time soon despite its absence this week. In the meantime, “Sound in Action” discusses the aspect of games that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: the music. As your host, I’ll take you through a selection of songs in each episode and talk about why I feel each song and soundtrack is notable. I don’t claim to have the ultimate musical knowledge, but I have been an avid listener of game soundtracks for over two decades and have been remixing game music for many years. Think of it less as a critique and more of a celebration of an often ignored subject.

That said, I need your feedback! Please have a listen and tell me what you liked and what you didn’t. This show is still in the idea phase and I want to make sure there is enough interest in it to continue producing it.

On this first episode, I take a look at six of my favorite soundtracks from last year. You can find links on where to purchase these soundtracks at the bottom of the post.

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It’s that time of year again where “Top 10″ lists saturate gaming blogs even more than usual. And yet, game music will once again receive little to no attention on most sites. That simply just won’t do! For the third year in a row, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on the sweeping scores and bumping beats that the soundtracks of 2011 brought us.

Of course, listening to every soundtrack released in North America last year is an impossible task and my taste might not sync up with yours. I may have not listed your personal favorite (let me know in the comments), but maybe you’ll discover something new. I’ve included a four song sampler clip and purchase link for each soundtrack below for your convenience.

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How would you like to be part of an elite club with only 1,000 members? I’m talking about the official “People Who Own a Limited Edition Physical Copy of the New Bad Dudes Metroid Album” club. It’s very exclusive, but we can make it happen (we know a guy).

Club benefits include having a copy of Metroid Arrange 25th Anniversary Album by the Bad Dudes (including a bonus track not available in the digital version), the ability to feast your eyeballs on a glorious, double-sided poster and four panel comic, and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re now just a bit better than everyone else out there.

All you have to do is follow the instructions below and let us know what your favorite Metroid powerup is in the comments of this post. Do you like tearing through enemies with the screw attack? Or maybe you prefer turning enemies into platforms with the ice beam. Space jump over to the comments section and let us know!

Contest Rules:

1. Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite powerup from the Metroid series
2. Limit one entry per person
3. All entries must be made by legal U.S. residents
4. Entries must be accepted by 5:00pm PST on Friday, December 30th. We will then randomly select one winner

If you thought we were done paying tribute to the 25th anniversary of Metroid, well… then you haven’t met the Bad Dudes. They don’t play by our rules. They don’t celebrate when we celebrate. But they do make music that will save the galaxy.

I’m talking about the same dudes that brought you the fantastic CHRONOTORIOUS album and fought the OverClocked ReMix community in musical combat. We are talking about some seriously bad dudes here. Dudes so bad they were commissioned by Samus herself to make the Metroid Arrange 25th Anniversary Album (if their totally rad trailer below is to be believed).

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