Let’s face it: fighting games have no place on mobile devices. Just ask Street Fighter with its pitiful four stars, or SoulCalibur languishing at four and a half stars. Or in the Android world, how about Punch Hero, whose install base is a measured in mere millions? Thankfully, Namco Bandai are here with Tekken Arena to show these fools how a mobile fighting game should be done.
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To kill a licence: Tekken Arena (Android)
Game music: Braid
Sometimes a puzzle game isn’t just difficult, it’s so neuron-wrenchingly frustrating that it needs a flawlessly written soothing score just to keep you from using your controller as a blunt instrument. Braid, obviously.
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Path planning and gameplay
Path planning, the noble art of getting from A to B, is an integral part of many games and has been the subject of a huge amount of research, not to mention wailing and gnashing of teeth. Like so many things though, pathing is something that the player will only notice when it fails – when it works it’s just another part of the game. There is more to path planning than work/fail however, and in fact the algorithms used, the decisions taken and the hacks compromises made can have a profound effect on gameplay.
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Game music: Pocket mine
What’s that you say? It’s been more than a couple of weeks since I posted anything by Big Giant Circles? For shame. Well then. here’s the latest game soundtrack he’s done – Pocket Mine.
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Game Music: Skyward Collapse
After Dawn of War last week, let’s tone things back down a bit and listen to something altogether more relaxing. Introducing Skyward Collapse, a game putting you in the mystical shoes of a Creator with the power to destroy men and gods.
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Game music: Dawn of War 2
The music to a Warhammer 40K experience. What’s to say? I might as well just write “music to write war to” and call it a day. Dawn of War 2. Much war ensues and the soundtrack is suitably chanty and loud.
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Game Music: Castlevania – Symphony of the Night
Castlevania is one of those series to have left a genuine mark in history and the evolution of gaming. Alongside Metroid, the series even gives it’s name to the Metroidvania pseudo-genre. And like Metroid, it has has some truly memorable soundtracks. Symphony of the Night is heralded by many as one of the best video soundtracks ever.
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Treasure Adventure Music: An interview with Robert Ellis
A bit of a change this week. I discussed Treasure Adventure Game a little while back in the last part of my game music history series, and this week the soundtrack gets a well-deserved post all to itself. But more importantly Robert Ellis, the composer, kindly agreed to an interview about Treasure Adventure Game, the upcoming Treasure Adventure World and video game music in general.
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lol game journalism
Sometimes the internet says something so mind-bogglingly dumb you just can’t help but laugh. Usually it’s Reddit. Recently there was a thread so full of stupid I just had to share. The subject? Games journalism, the gaming community and bias.
Or alternatively full-frontal, foaming at the mouth madness.
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Things to look forward to
Woolly Pootle. Bishops Twiddle. Just a couple of the things that made me giggle this week. But more than that, it’s part of something I’m really looking forward to. Silly names, hats and robots, there’s a good few games worth keeping an eye on in the near future, with nary an oozing AAA label in sight. Here’s a quick rundown of three upcoming games you should be excited about.
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