Politics of love and music - August 2, 2001 - Andrea Hartmann and Tamzen Marie Baker
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. http://www.thegia.com/psx/vgst/media13/vsintro080.jpg <-- Hardin... what in blazes are you staring at? Don't say we didn't warn you. To protect GIA from devastation!
To unite in VS adoration!
To wave hello to #fret with love!
To extend fan girl syndrome to the stars above!
Tami!
Andrea!
Fan section Editors Unite!
A Double Agent column to write! Fritz: Booyaka! This's the way That's right! | After all this time, cynical and jaded | | Hmmm...bands and games. I'm not sure I can think of any one band that would fit any one game, but there are songs that would work. I know before I got bored w/ RPGMaker95 I was doing all sorts of stuff. Jimi Thing by Dave Matthews Band during a sequence where the main characters were drugged, Firestarter by Prodigy for the big Flame Elemental boss, stuff like that. As for yesterday's column, and this: "I don't know about you, but fighting Ultimecia on FF8 just never gave me the fear I got when I finally faced Chaos on Final Fantasy 1 or when the DragonLord turned into the massive Dragon on DW1. Fighting Nick Bruiser just wasn't as chilling as fighting Mike Tyson. Am I old fashioned?" Old Fashioned? No. OldER? Yes. I know for me that when I was younger nothing got my heart pumping like fightin Darksol and the Dark Dragon in Shining Force. Now when I play it I scoff at their feeble attempts to fight me. Bosses now don't frighten me anymore because I am older, because I have a better grasp of games, and because I have just plain gotten better at them. Even if Zeromus in the FFC version of FFIV was waaaaaay cheesier than he was on the SNES, I still kicked the crap out of him and never felt my pulse rise simply because I'm older and better. -Me | Andrea: That is an excellent point... I don't get anywhere near as excited by final battles now as I did when I was younger... well, except FFVII's final battle, which scared the crap out of me. Screen goes black, I think I won. Then creepy music begins playing, and nothing's happening. "Hmm... what's going on?" Then that thing descended, and my response was a very vehement utterance of... well, something that probably shouldn't be printed here. As that was the only PSX game I'd played at the time, as well, it didn't help my fragile mental state when a vocal track kicked in.
Hmmm... perhaps it's just me, but I suspect last battles may continue to impress even the older, experienced gamer, if developers use their newest advances in technology in such a way as Square did; even if we don't have the easily frightened minds of children, there are other ways they can take our breath away if they try hard enough. And with the invention of survival horror as a genre, it seems some companies have caught on to the fact that many of us still want to be as shocked by games as we were when we were twelve. Tami: When I was younger, I used to have to stand for every boss battle because I would get so excited. I would jump around and yell at the screen, and I really thought I ahd outgrown this by the time the PSX rolled around. But when my parents came home one evening to find me pantomiming Cloud's sword slashes and materia usage, I realized I had as few marbles as ever. But hey, if gaming can't make me act all giddy like a kid at Christmas, what can? | The grrls will hook u up dood | | R there any FF7 nude codes? if so, please post them. Thanx | Tami: *whispers* Those are a trademark GIA secret! If you mail AK and beg, maybe you can get them out of sympathy. Andrea: I'll warn you, though - they only work on Barret. | Taking care of business | | Dear Double Agent double girls, Sunsoft did release a new Blaster Master game for psx in Japan last year. And it was minorly hyped for a us release (I bought the stragt guide at walmart for it). But it got pushed back about 7 different times and finally cancelled..or put on indif hold...or something. It's a shame because it looks like such a great game. Anyway here's to Frogs turning into kick-ass tanks. (Cheers). ~bdg | Andrea: Sick. Absolutely sick. A new Blaster Master... and we don't get to enjoy it? My old-school nerd side would be rolling over in his grave... if he was dead, and not very much alive and kicking. At any rate, thanks a lot for the tip; now we know. And knowing is half the battle. Tami: Blaster Master...I'm missing my younger days... I find myself wanting to play a lot of NES and SNES games lately. Have I become disillusioned as well? Hmm... | The Alpha and the Omega | | Hey there ladies
I was just reading the lastest Fritz fanfic and just laughed off the chair. Do you two know if there's another fic down the pipe since his fics are just insane. Also, do you two think that chaos in Xenosaga will be a villian since he'd be too much of a cliched one since he got dark clothes and silver hair.
Imperial Mog | Tami: Look for another Fritz fanfic in the next update. I've also got the inside info that he's working on a sequel to American Aibo! Cause Fritz rocks.
As for Xenosaga, it seems that chaos is meant to be the anthithesis of KOSMOS. Whether that means, with KOSMOS looking to be a heroine in the story alongside Shion, that chaos is evil, is not really predictable. The informatin we've gotten so far points to him being a central playable character. I only hope that Xenosaga is a worthy addition to Xenogears without becoming a rehash or a marketing ploy. | FFX Review? | | Yo Ladies, I was just wondering, will the GIA be reviewing the Japanese version of FFX or waiting for a domestic release? I'm anxious to see what American gamers think of this game... --The Steve | Tami: The GIA doesn't currently review import games, but the buzz of FFX has been generally positive so far. Andrea: Our own Nich Maragos has the game, and has written up some non-spoiler impressions, which can be found here. But yes, a full review will wait until the game's domestic release - things such as English localization and any potential censorship factor into a review, after all, and we can't tell those things by playing the original Japanese version. | Giving love where love is due | | Hi Andrea and Tami! Amazingly, I'm not going to stoop to flattery to sneak my way into the column. I'm just going to trust my lucky fortune cookies. Anyway... I have a bone to pick with Konami. Of course, they make wonderful games: Metal Gear Solid, Zone of the Enders, and a whole slew of others make up an endless list. These are all great action games. But, little do many people know, is that Konami make great RPGs as well. Here's my point. The translations of MGS and ZOE were, in my humble opinion, superb. The voice acting was wonderful, the graphics and music top notch, and storylines fresh and entertaining. Why, for the love of everything holy, couldn't that have been the case with the Suikoden series? It was a great series with what I consider to have the most promising success after the horror that Final Fantasy 8 inflicted me. The music was, again, magnificent, and the collection and broad range of characters was what drew me to this series. But why are there so many exclamation points and question marks at the end of a sentence? And why does Nanami continuously talk to her brother (or, rather, I should say ABOUT), never using a pronoun? The series was great, don't get me wrong, but the localization and translation efforts were, to put it bluntly, shoddy at best. Why does Konami do such dastardly deeds? Just one more complaint, really, then I'll get back to my cookies. Whatever happened to Suikogaiden Volume One: Swordsman of Harmonia? I downloaded the opening video and I was simply blown away. The characters were actually animated in an anime style, including many of my personal favorites from Suikoden 2! Not to mention, from what I've learned, Suikogaiden has a great storyline, continuing in the footsteps of its predecessors. Once again, Konami has stumped me, this time by not bringing this game to the US. Konami still, though, is my favorite company. They continue to please and tantalize with their wonderful games, and I suggest to all of you Square-heads to get out there and pick up Suikoden. You might like it! Anonymous, please. | Tami: I have always been a Suikoden fan - in fact, after FFVI, the two Suikodens are probably my favorite games, and I don't get sick of playing because of that variety of characters. I don't think the translation and localization is anywhere near FFT calibur, but I'll agree it's not the best out there. Despite that, the main characters in both games definitely have heart, the gameplay and 108 characters is unique, and I adore the music.
As for Suikogaiden, there's probably several reason why it didn't see the US light of day. The first is that Suikoden is not a name like Final Fantasy - it's much more of a cult hit, sadly enough. The second's gotten more attention, and gives hope that III will also be released here. The last I heard of Suikogaiden is that it was a more text-based adventure, which was thought to be less appealing in the States and a headache to translate. Andrea: There's the conception that American gamers won't look at a game unless it dazzles them with graphics at every turn. I don't know how much truth there is to that, in all honesty - I do know several gamers who place what seems to me to be a ridiculous amount of importance on graphics - but I do know that it's not all of us who feel that way. Hey, I'm playing through the first Suikoden now, and my initial response to the graphics was "This looks like a 16-bit game, just shinier." And I'm loving every second of it. (Except the hour or so I spent trying to win against that stupid, cheating Tai Ho... but that's another story.) Tami: Haha! I just restarted Suikoden two days ago and I beat Tai Ho AND Gaspar on the first tries! (The first time around I got so mad I threw the controller, my best friend who doesn't play games picked it up, pushed the button and won. Lousy dice...) | Proof that the spectrum is broad | | Andrea,
Tami, I have a dream. Quite a few readers might agree with this dream of mine. Quite a few readers might think I'm a total fruitcake. However, since this topic fits my dream perfectly, I have to write in whatever the reaction. My dream is that, one day, Enya will produce the music for an RPG. Enya's first solo project was in fact a soundtrack album - for a BBC documentary called 'The Celts." The documentary is long forgotten, but the album is still sold just about everywhere; it's one of my favorites. If you like the Xenogears or Chrono Cross soundtracks, pick up The Celts and you'll understand. There is a connection between Enya and Mitsuda, interestingly enough: Davy Spillane, player of the Uilleann pipes, played on Enya's million-selling 'Watermark' album and later, helped create the Xenogears OST and arranged album (there is a two-page interview with Spillane in the Xenogears liner notes). So the concept of accomplished Celtic musicians working on video game soundtracks is not without precedent. But even so, this is a particularly bittersweet dream of mine since even though I know the results would be fruitful (especially if she scored a Final Fantasy or Seiken Densetsu game, for example), it is quite unlikely or simply not going to happen... but my word, it'd be sheer perfection if it did. Chris Kohler
Bands in RPGs, eh? Actually, I've had an idea for that for a very long time: They should make an RPG starring Trent Reznor. Hell, he already broke industrial music into the "mainstream," why not do the same with games? And since the trend with main characters in RPGs seems to be making them chock-full-o'-angst, he'd fit right in alongside Cloud and Fei. And he'd be the perfect choice if the game designers wanted to throw in lots of weird "avant-garde" symbolism. _And_ let's not forget the fact that, aside from being more bishounen than all the dark, angst-ridden RPG guys, he has the advantage of being a real person. If it became successful (which it would), they could make merchandise based on it. Finally, you could buy a genuine Trent Reznor Snuggle Pal at your local store, instead of crying your eyes out every night wishing you had one! Honestly, the man is so perfect for the job I'm surprised no one else has thought of this. Sephiroth Katana | Tami: Strangely enough, I'm familiar enough with both Enya and NIN to understand both of those. (Now what does that say about my musical taste?) As I said briefly yesterday, different games evoke different feelings and styles...although if we were ever to center a game around a real person (besides those sports titles of "Yuro Mama Super Football Gold Edition XIX") we'd probably end up with a cult phenomenon that everyone had to be involved in that quickly warped itself into a phenomenon that no one wanted to be associated with. And it would spawn countless attempts to mimic the original, filling our stores with the Survivor, Big Brother and Temptation Islands of the video game world.
It would be a sad day indeed.
Of course, I watched Survivor like the rest of the country, follower that I am.
And Celtic music rocks. I spin flags to Xenogears Creid. Not that you care.
Andrea: I don't think I could deal with Trent Reznor as a character in a game. I absolutely can't take him seriously, ever since I saw the video for Closer, which to this day is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen on MTV. But then, I make fun of angsty RPG characters too, so I guess it makes sense... | A Dream Job? | | I think it would be cool to make a game and then put a bunch of musicians in a single room with a copy of the game to play. They could write the music to respond to how they feel at points in the game. Who? I have no clue. Eric | Tami: Sign me up! I have two years of theory classes and actual composing experience! I can play piano!
Seriously I wouldn't doubt that, in a way, that's exactly what game composers do. I wonder if anyone in my life knows that my secret desire since I was eleven has always been to compose music for video games. Well, now the whole world knows. Oops. | I WANT THE SEXY YOSHIDA SKETCHES | | Heeeeellllloooooo Ladies, ^_~ ... Er. I don't suppose either of you know where to find big high quality images of the art from Vagrant Story's end credits, do you? A rather mundane question for the column, I know, but after searching the media archives of a dozen or so video game sites (the GIA and the offical site included) without so much as a pixel of success, I'm desperate. Would it help if I said I was looking for the Sydney sketch specifically? Which I am, but probably shouldn't admit...
~Ian P. | Tami: Sydney....*drool*....this is all your fault, Andrea. I haven't even played Vagrant Story and I'm obsessed with Sydney and Hardin! Andrea: "Sydney and Hardin" indeed. Heh heh... I'll just smile innocently here. Anyhow, I've heard it's possible to get some of the images off the disc itself by using some program similar to those used to snatch the FMV out of games, but I don't know which, and the person who told me this also told me that she couldn't get all of them for some reason. Anyway, I really, really wish I could answer your question. Because then I would know where I could leech them from as well. Anyone out there know? | The People's Picks | | I first got into Nine Inch Nails when The Downward Spiral came out and didn't get the older albums till later. I bought Breath of Fire for the SNES the same day I bought Pretty Hate Machine and the two are inseparable to me now, especially the techno sounds while in the robot(if anybody remembers) and the trippy sounds worked perfectly with the dream sequence with Nina and the final area. I think the synthesis of the two is the reason Breath of Fire is still the Rpg I remember the best.
That and listening to Nirvana's In Utero while playing Zelda:A Link to the Past a whole summer with my friend are about two of my favorite gaming memories since they combine my two favorite things, though I don't think companies should choice bands because they are going to pick the wrong band to somebody if not everybody. I think the should leave it up to the gamer. achilleszero, still listening to Nirvana
Here's a strange one for ya - Sonic Youth and Valkyrie Profile. Don't ask me why, but Kim Gordon's voice is how I personally think Lenneth should have sounded. Yup, I'm that nutty. -Negative Creep
Hello(gosh does anyone use hello anymore?) Andrea and Tami.
You two are responsible for about 70% I come to this site(no insult to all the hard work all the other editors do). Anyway on to the main topic. Well not really bands but specific songs come into my mind for cirtin FF's.
Hears all that I can think of. FF4: Aerosmith-The Other Side(Just the overall felling of the game),Whitney Houston-I Will Always Love You(Rosa's feelings for Cecil),Matallica-The Unforgiven(most defiantly Kain's theme),and Kid Rock-God Only Knows Why(dunno its just fells right). FF6: Guns N Roses-November Rain(Best describes Locke's struggle), No Doubt-Don't Speak-(Describes Terra in ways),Matallica-The Thing That Should Not Be(Kefka personified),Everclear-Father of mine(Gau's Story),Eric Clapton-Tears In Heaven(Cyan's story),and Red Hot Chilli Peppers-Under The Bridge(The strife that all the charticers fell in the game). FF7: Bon Jovi-Bed Of Roses(If you listen to the lyrics it seems like it is Cloud Talking to Aeris),Aerosmith-I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing(Entire Story of FF7), Orgy-How Does It Fell(For good ol Hojo),And Led Zeppelin-Stairway To Heaven(Sephiroth's Story). FF8: Nirvana-Nevermind(Squall personified),Cline Dion-My Heart Will Go On(Rinoa's Story),Guns N Roses-Estranged(Would be good for the ending part where Squall is all alone on that island in time),Bob Dylan-Blowing In The Wind(Seifer's story), Alice In Chains-The Rooster(when Seifer goes crazy),Bon Jovi-Dead Or Alive(Irvine most definitely),Madonna-Frozen(Edea's Story),10,000 Maniacs-Whats Going On(Quistis's Story),and 2Pac & Dr.Dre-California Love(Just cause of the mad max fell of the game). FF9: Seal-Kiss From A Rose(Games medieval fell),Matallica-Whisky In The Jar(Zidane's theme),Hanson-MMM Bop(For Vivi and Elko^_^),Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody(Kuja's Story),Janis Joplin-Peace of My Heart(Beatrix's Story),and Van Halen-Right Now(Games overall theme). Well those are all the ones I could think of.
Sorry if they were heavily hard rock sided but FF and hard Rock mix well IMHO. Good luck on the column^_^ Sincerely yours, Sephiroth Yuppie
I'll always associate Dragon Warrior 2 with They Might Be Giants and R.E.M , since I spent hours leveling up in that game while listening to my first TMBG album (yes it was Flood) and my first REM album (Green). And yes, I do sing like Olive Oyl on purpose John
Dear GIA token females The first time I played Final Fantasy IV it was at a friend's house, and he forced me to listen to his Tom Petty CD every time I turned it on. I didn't even hear the game's soundtrack until like two years later or somesuch time period. So, Cecil's theme was "You Don't Know How it feels" and Rosa's was "Honey Bee." It kinda contrasted oddly when the characters did a victory dance to "It's Only a Broken Heart," but otherwise it seemed to fit somewhat well. I later purchased said album myself, and then it was promptly stolen. You know who you are, you bastard. Uhhh....can't...think...of anything...to finish.. on...uhhh...San Dimas High School Football RULES! love Aaron D. Roberts, sinner | Tami: So many good choices - I especially agree with a Sephiroth Yuppie's choices, both lyrically and melodically. Personally, I'm not sure I can really relate popular bands/singers to games. I'm too much a fan of most in-game music, especially in the Final Fantasies and Suikodens. However, I do use a lot of popular music when writing fanfics or drawing fan art. My latest fanfic opens with lines of Sarah McLachlan's Sweet Surrender, and some of my recent fanart has Dar Williams' lyrics scrawled across the top.
I think the reason behind this personally is that when I write or draw, I take these characters and make them my own for a short time. I put them in a place, whether ir words or pictures, that I've created out of my own mind. It's only natural to fit my own music as a backdrop and inspiration for that. It's in this way that I've come to associate certain songs with certain characters, just as I would associate certain songs with certain people in my real life. It's all about the music for me - I relate to the entire universe in song.
I suppose that's no stranger a way to look at the world than anyone else, ne? Andrea: Negative Creep, I have to completely agree with you. I've yet to play VP (blast this pathetic financial status!), but from everything I've seen and heard of Lenneth, she is very much a Kim Gordon type of character.
And Aaron - Tom Petty and a Bill and Ted reference in a single message? You freakin' rule. Although... the idea of Rosa's theme being "Honey Bee" is rather disturbing.
And for the record, lately I've been ripping off lyrics from Richard Shindell, Sonic Youth, and Boa for my Vagrant Story fan art and fanfics. | So it wasn't just a wonderful dream! | | I just felt I had to mention that I not only remember H.E.R.O. in all its Atari 2600 goodness, but still own my copy today. Sadly my 2600 has not functioned in many years, but you can't win them all. Must use...eye beams...conserve dynamite... As for music related to video games, I used to listed to a particular Queen CD while playing Star Fox 64...so often in fact that playing the game without the CD felt strange. However, I find myself listening to video game soundtracks and such while doing other activities quite a lot. In fact, I'd have to say I'm far more likely to have music from Vagrant Story, Suikoden, or Xenogears playing while I drive than to listen to other music while playing a game, or have it remind me of a game. -Volaran | Andrea: Yes! Someone else has seen the brilliance that is H.E.R.O.! After so many years, never having seen the game anywhere else, or having anyone I know say they'd played it... I have confirmed that it did indeed exist! Is it just me, or is Activision completely "the man"? Anyhow, I too drive while listening to game music - I have a mix tape that's specifically "game music to listen to while driving". "Rainbow Cemetary" from Symphony of the Night is perfect night driving music, you'll never find a better "speeding down the main strip on a sunny day" song than "Crono's Theme" or Xenogears' "Flight", and the final boss themes from FFVII and FFVIII are excellent choices at any time. No other battle theme has ever gotten me as pumped as the part in "The Extreme" where the bass kicks in, and I find "One-Winged Angel" particularly fun to blast and sing along with very loudly as I'm driving through a conservative neighborhood. Tami: Game music is awesome for driving, especially battle themes. Whenever I get a CD-RW, I'm going to make a whole set of game CDs for different moods - FF battle themes for driving, Xenogears Cried, Chrono Cross and Suikoden II's more melodic pieces for a quieter mood... Game music is great for studying too, because I find music without words to be less distracting and helpful for focusing my mind. | Thank you sir, may I have another? | | Hey you! "I just want to ask Chris how the hell he'd feel if WD had translated Vagrant Story and filled _that_ with references to Wheaties and Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? What if WD had given Sydney a flatulence problem...?" I reimagined a key scene in "Metal Gear Solid" as translated by WD. Snake: (Random speech about love and peace and choose life or something) But it's our time, it's our time down here.
Meryl: You had me at hello. You had me at hello. Or Snake: ..... It's our time down here.
Otacon: You had me at hello. You had me at hello. Or Snake: .... It's our time down here.
Vulcan Raven: You had me at hello. You had me at hello. The fisticuffs match atop Rex would contain references to "Rocky" and "Stop or my Mom will Shoot". I could go on for days. Gilbert who loves the heartless God "Metal Gear Sold" story currently up at the Onion almost as much as he loves "The Goonies". | Andrea: You're one of the most evil and terrifying individuals who's ever caused a message to appear in my inbox. I like that. | You're not alone | | Hi Andrea & Tami, Sure, the Eurythmics are cool, although not quite video game material. Maybe Blur? Kent? Delerium for those less vocal tracks (especially the last disc)? I don't know, video-game specific music seems best for shooters, platformers, and RPGs, which are my main kinds of games. Oh wait, I left out quirky games, of which Jet Grind is a great example, and those do well with specific music. Rez, anyone? I actually wanted to write about something you both said in the previous letters:
-- Tami: I can obsess over Flik, writing him love poetry and drawing sexy pictures of him, without ever having to worry if he's going to reject me, slap me or run from me screaming.
-- Andrea: I agree wholeheartedly. Except that I obsess over Sydney and Hardin. But anyway... Why is it that nobody obsesses over Zell in FFVIII? Sure, he can be a bit immature at times, but he's got a great smile, mischievous eyes, a toned body, gymnastic talent, and... um, you get the idea. I think Zell gets shortchanged because he isn't all angsty. I mean, why is Squall the hero? And why would Rinoa fall for a guy who does nothing but mope? I think Squall looks like a white version of Michael Jackson; all he needs is a glove. (I know, those Japanese are obsessed with MJ, why else would he appear in Space Channel 5?) Just my thoughts. "Andrea & Tami, GIA token females."
I suppose that makes me the GIA token gay male, and Dreamcast fan extraordinaire. (I own two, and if they put out the black sports pack, I'll be buying a third.) Riftweaver | Tami: I took the liberty of asking the person I know who is most obsessed with FFVIII to answer your pleas for Zell loving: Fritz: Did you not see his noble features?
His adorable naïveté revealing innocence!
His intricate tattoo symbolizing passion!
His spectacular hair signifying power!
His amusing, endearing dialogue!
His mighty hands with incredible strength!
His passionate heart demanding worship!
Tami: OK Fritz, you're scaring the readers again...
And I'm sorry, Riftweaver, but you're not allowed to be a GIA token until you work here and get hit on through email. If you're like me, you might get proposed to as well! I'm still trying to decide whether I should send my boyfriend after the guys that email and hit on me saying "dood, you like FFVI? there r no female gamerz out there!! marry me!" Oh wait...I met my boyfriend when he emailed fanfics and hit on me...what am I saying??
Ignore those last couple sentences, del. I love you, really.
*ducks*
Andrea: Actually, I've seen a fair amount of Zell worshippers out there... shockingly enough, they seem to be a lot more lowkey than the Squall and Irvine fangirl set. Er... most of them. Seems a bit backwards... And you got me as to why anyone would fall for Squall, who I have a very bitter hatred for. (No, this does not mean that people need to write me and tell me why they like Squall - I know why they like Squall, I just have a rather different viewpoint.)
And as for the GIA token gay male, I think AK has that covered.
...Wait, we made fun of AK twice already in as many days. Make that Glick. Closing Comments: Tami: Yeah, here's a topic then: What game characters do you think get wrongfully ignored and why? Tell Nich who deserves the limelight. Andrea: You know I will be. Anyone who has spoken to me recently or reads my journal knows exactly who I mean, too... Anyhow, looks like we'll be back on Monday, if nothing particularly odd happens - seeya then. -Tami and Andrea - woman of voices and woman of sullen antisocial silence, respectively |
