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Twelve Game Music Tracks Worth Keeping
The field of game music has gotten considerably better over the years, a fact that Games Radar highlights in a simple 'list article' about iPod-worthy game music. They highlight some obvious recent gems, like Coulton's "Still Alive" and "Hikari" from Kingdom Hearts, but also bring back some older goodies with choices like "Everybody Jump Around" from Jet Set Radio or "Chemical Plant" from Sonic 2. "Sonic games used to have amazing music. And while single-player Mystic Cave Zone came a close second, this has to make the list. It may be basic compared to modern CD recordings, but just listen to how each of the console's sound channels is used - it's remarkable. Intricate and dramatic, this industrial anthem builds and builds before seamlessly looping in a non-annoying way."
He's just cranky because he spent years and years practicing guitar, then got pwned by his nephew who had the game for a week.
Seriously, guitar hero is a video game and plays more like a video game than an instrument. But speaking as a musician and an occasional gamer, I find guitar hero to be quite fun. And it seems to do a better job of capturing the experience of performing in front of a crowd than it does of playing an instrument.
OTOH, as a musician, I can also definitively tell you that, no, those video game them songs you're listening to are not cool, and they are not good music. Having the Katamari Damacy soundtrack on your iPod ranks just below Herb Alpert. Good for a couple chuckles, maybe, but not necessarily good music. Same with theme songs from anime... with the possible exception of flcl.