Ep. 363 - Love in the Time of Dragons

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I thought Witcher 3 had pretty good music but that’s getting to be pretty old at this point!

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I’m basic but I’ll note that Playstation’s HBO’s Naught Dog’s AAAA game the Last of Us also has a banger soundtrack by gustavo santaolalla

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Ash mentioned it (WELCOME) but our video game music cup runneth over so dramatically that we got this just one month ago

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Here’s another music nomination

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My first past-ten-years video game music call out is Rivers in the Desert. I’ve literally danced to this in my living room during boss fights.

“Heartbeat for a tin man, oasis in a singed land, remind us what we’re here for, creating new life, creating rivers in the desert.”

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For the record I wasn’t trying to get on your case for cursing (I curse all the time without thinking about it as well). I just thought it was a fun moment!

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I think there’s a certain argument to be made that video game music shouldn’t sound like “normal” music. In the mid 20th century, when modern composers began experimenting with musique concrète, tape music, and eventually synthesizers, some composers expressed a sentiment to the effect that electronic music should not be attempting to simulate the timbres, melodies, or rhythms of conventional music scored for acoustic instruments (Stockhausen, Schaeffer, Varèse).

Similarly, I sometimes feel in games that – with the rich technology at our disposal – why are you inserting a J-Pop single that could be in any anime or commercial? Why use bland Hans Zimmer “epic orchestral” that might as well be royalty-free library music? But I think the medium of games has changed so much that it’s worth wondering if some modern titles actually are trying to be video games, and therefore the argument doesn’t apply.

Limitations (whether in resources/labor available or technology/tools) are often a prerequisite for creativity. I think the best modern game music is straddling the line of self-imposing some sonic restrictions while appealing to contemporary melodic sensibilities (see: Disasterpeace’s excellent score for Fez, or the mentioned Undertale). Do I think Shoji Meguro is a great songwriter? Absolutely. Does he write good “video game music”? In my opinion, no.

I realize most game enjoyers do not care and consider this a silly semantic nitpick.

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Thank you! I was going to post several of these myself. Here are some more:

Ori and the Blind Forest
• The Spirit Tree - https://youtu.be/eAJZV61uf64?feature=shared

Splatoon
• Splattack! - https://youtu.be/LBQmvJyIKTg?feature=shared

Hyper Light Drifter
• Vignette: Panacea - https://youtu.be/3GKdMhEqHLc?feature=shared

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
• Pac Jump Up! - https://youtu.be/9hUT8VsLIG4?feature=shared

Rez Infinite
• Starlight Infinite - https://youtu.be/WFcZqESby_Y?feature=shared

Octopath Traveler
• My Quiet Forest Home - https://youtu.be/pRLyqtSXEaE?feature=shared

• Those Who Govern Reason - https://youtu.be/f3F_xd5R_4I?feature=shared

Pizza Tower
• It’s Pizza Time! - https://youtu.be/B7gGacb8cO4?feature=shared

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HALF PRICE BOOKS SHOUTOUT! I worked at the Dublin store from 2017-2018 so I wonder if Brandon and I crossed paths at some point

Also Jaffe love the new “credit” mechanic!!! what a fun addition to the show, can’t wait to see what the first game everyone is forced to play is whenever that happens!

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Might have! I started going to the dublin store more frequently post pandemic though I think (because I moved to east oakland and thus it became a Pretty Close Store instead of a Pretty Far Store).

I also just want to point out the only reason I DIDN’T include Fez is because jaffe said it had to be after 2014. but I would’ve mentioned Fez otherwise, I really think it’s excellent.

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Hello there, medium time listener, first time caller.

There was a call for charity organizations, and I understand if that discussion may be happening on Patreon. I will be making a recommendation in this thread, since I haven’t seen one elsewhere.

When recommending a place to donate for Ukraine, I feel a sort of discomfort. It’s tough to choose one group or person or cause over another considering how every city, every village, every brigade, battalion, company, platoon needs help. A lot of credible fundraisers pass me by, maybe I’ll make a greater effort to document them all from now on. I’ll share two.

Solidarity Collectives is a group of Ukrainian Anarchists providing support for anti-authoritarian fighters defending Ukraine against the Russian invasion, and supporting those affected by the war. This includes providing aid and support to schools, villages, and animals. They have been able to supply soldiers and communities with much needed aid that help them survive and even thrive. They even manufacture FPV drones. They announce fundraisers semi-frequently for groups and individuals both in the military and out. I believe you can donate to humanitarian aid funds specifically as well as to their general fund. Their socials are linked at the top of this page. Also, they’re hip and cool and have style. There’s a spooky fundraiser for scary drones.

Solidarity Collectives

Twitter link for scary drones.

paypal for scary drones is kseniia19.beziazychna@gmail.com

Apologies if I botched the hyperlinks. It’s been a while since I’ve used a forum.

Next is Liberty Ukraine. I know less about this organization, but their main page shows an impressive record and a lot of people assisted. They are a nonprofit with millions of dollars raised. Their current fundraiser is for engineering equipment including trucks w/cranes and excavators. These are vital at any point in the war, but especially now with the front in southern Donetsk buckling. For a long while, Ukrainian forces in this sector do not have sufficient reserves to work on fortifications behind the frontline, and units at the front have been expected to do the work of digging and preparing fortifications for themselves and the rear. These excavators and cranes will make work much easier and require fewer men, digging trenches and bunkers that will save lives faster and help slow and stop the Russian advance.

Fundraiser for Excavators - Liberty Ukraine

Liberty Ukraine

Sorry for the word dump. Thanks to this community for being neat, thanks to Insert Credit for the content. Solidarity to you all, I’ll get to posting more light heatedly upon completion of the episode. Far from within the last ten years, but I’ve been listening to the Megaman Zero 1-4 soundtracks with official and unofficial covers and ‘remastered’ tracks and albums and it has to be my favorite stuff ever. Zero Memories - Frozenith, apparently also an art book upon purchase.

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was coming in to post zero ranger but checked if it was posted first. such a banger:

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I’m dropping my one sided beef with Brandon Sheffield now that I know he is also a Momo Ayase enjoyer.

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Yes! Your list is so good, and the music in that game is phenomenal.

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Two minutes later,

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i can’t find your @exodus bluesky post requesting sci-fi, so everyone has to see my garbage response here

have you seen Island City (1994)? if no, you’re welcome (?) if yes, please do make that movie podcast. make it anyway, but hurry a bit more

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I haven’t, and it stars batman!! I’ll try to hunt it down.

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not sure if these have been mentioned in this thread already, these immediately came to mind to me:

:100: but consider adopting a rescue - adopt don’t shop

edit to say: meant to reply to the original post, ended up duplicating this message while trying to fix it :see_no_evil:

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Ash rules. This is a great group of folks to hear talk about stuff.

It’s also nice that when recommending this awesome podcast to folks I now don’t have to include the caveat that it’s four white dudes talking but video games BUT IS ACTUALLY REALLY GREAT I PROMISE.

I’ll avoid extending sympathies to Brandon, but I’ll say I appreciated his vulnerability in the opener, and I appreciate all the work he does for the show (and that everyone, including Esper, does, of course). I’m interested in his idea to give the show a more material/political impact through donation (it would likely be the thing that makes me a dirt bag). I also hope he doesn’t always feel obliged to entertain us when things are getting tough, and finds a work balance that feels good.

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Oh if it’s no longer the dirtbag then we are no longer dirtbags right

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