video game music

Olympics opening ceremony plays music from Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Sonic and more【Videos】

The soundtrack of the Tokyo Olympics is 16-bit.

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Percussionists recreate classic 8-bit video game music with enormous xylophones 【Videos】

To reproduce these melodies, it takes two players, sometimes three!

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Twitter users claim Dragon Quest theme is eerily similar to university song, North Korea’s anthem

Observations from two users on Twitter have sparked a discussion of Dragon Quest influences past and present.

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British musician collaborates with Japanese video game composers for stunning concept album

Music has been an essential part of the gaming experience for decades. From simple 8-bit tunes to orchestral compositions, the music of video games can be exceptionally beautiful. As such, it’s fair to say that composers of video game music enjoy a unique position in the entertainment world, straddling the line between being auteur artists and members of large teams of game creators. But what happens when you take the “video game” out of “video game music composition?” Something beautiful and unique!

We recently sat down and chatted with musician Smoke Thief about his new concept album and working renowned Japanese composers Manami Matsumae, Takahiro Izutani, and Saori Kobayashi. If you like video game music, you’ll definitely want to check out the new album Heart Beat Circuit!

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“Dedicated to Satoru Iwata” is the musical Balloon Fight tribute we have been waiting for

With the unfortunate passing of Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata this past week, thousands of kind words and tributes have been posted online to thank a wonderful man for all his hard work. An outpouring of beautifully drawn pictures from gamers around the world honored his memory. The tributes were not limited to words and art though, as a video game musician who worked with Iwata on a number of projects released a remix of the Balloon Fight theme song for his close and dearly missed friend.

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This ultimate Zelda piano medley will blow your mind, or at least get stuck in your head

Gamers, what is it for you that makes a game great? Is it the plot or storyline? The visuals? Characters? Great games undoubtedly need a bit of all of the above, but the music is especially important, since it will stick with you even when you switch off the console or finish the game entirely.

Some songs are beautifully moving, while others are unbeatably catchy, a good example of which would be the music from the Legend of Zelda games. So, of course, what could be better than a medley of all the best Zelda tunes? What about a mind-blowingly crazy one done on the piano?

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Let the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra transport you into your favorite Square Enix games!

Great stories make great games. But when all is said and done, when you have finished the game, saved the world and beaten down the bad guy, the thing that sticks with you the most is the music. Especially in roleplaying games, a grandiose soundtrack will elevate your game from memorable to unforgettable. There has been a trend in the past decade or so to perform live symphonic versions of famous video game music. These concerts have been incredibly popular around the world, but how would you like to hear the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra whisk you away to a fantasy world? Now, you don’t have to wait for their next concert!

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Japanese pianist stuns us with faithful representation of Mario Kart music and sound effects

Fan covers of video game music are nothing new by this point, but that doesn’t make them any less awesome. We’ve seen metal covers, beautiful acoustic covers, and NES cartridge harmonicas, but rarely have we seen someone so dedicated to conveying every sound in a game.

Using nothing more than two pianos, this niconico video user plays both the in-game audio and the sound effects. As one commenter put it, “This was so amazing, I almost forgot to comment!”

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