Angry Gaming 12.17.07: Early Christmas Presents

Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 12.17.2007

Your Christmas presents have arrived early and this year Angry Gaming is giving the gift of music.

Welcome to Angry Gaming, the rampant immolation that burns the gaming industry's Yule log to ashes. I am your hate master, Damian Sarcuni, but you can call me by my new holiday name, Angry Claus! Sing it with me, to the tune of Jingle Bells! An-gry Claus, An-gry Claus, some-thing some-thing something!


Early Christmas Presents

A funny thing about Christmas and the act of giving presents to kids is the nature through which it's done. On TV and in the comics, when kids wake up on Christmas morning they absolutely freak. "Mommy, Mommy! Look at all the great stuff Santa brought me!" The key words in that sentence of course are "all the great stuff". I'm not sure how each individual family handles the gift-giving thing but where I come from we like to let the kids know which side their bread is buttered on. Oh sure, Santa will bring you something nice, at the END, but that brand new Wii console you opened Christmas morning didn't come from a fat guy in a red suit, it came from Aunt Mary's bottomless well of a pocket book. Those Xbox 360 games? All mom's blood sweat and tears. Nothing decent ever just popped out of a sleigh in my household, the tags on the gifts were a great reminder of that.

Not that it matters much, as kids don't exactly differentiate the source of their booty. They make a mental note of course, to remember who to ask for the good stuff on future holidays and birthdays, but for the most part the joy of a child's Christmas comes from wallowing in the overwhelming sea of new stuff to enjoy in the coming year. As we grow older though, we learn to be a little more appreciative of where our gifts come from and the value they hold individually. Making out like a bandit each holiday is still nice, but no longer do we absolutely need that copy of Resistance: Fall of Man to complete our holiday collection.

I guess what I'm saying is it's the thought that counts, and that's why this edition of Angry Gaming is so special. For your holiday listening pleasure, we've rounded up three of the best and rarest music tracks from some great video games over time. These songs didn't necessarily garner fame and fortune or immediate air play on American radio stations, but damn all if they didn't make a few unwitting gamers stand up and take notice. This being Angry Gaming of course, we'll also take a brief look at the games themselves and how the music fit in to each game. As far as the links to the actual music, if you can't download it by clicking on it then be sure to use the old "Right click, Save as" routine. Enjoy, and happy holidays from the hate club!


Soul Blade – The Edge of Soul



Bah! Soul Edge, Soul Blade, Soul Calibur, how do we make sense of it all? Let's review…the first game to be released in Namco's popular sword swinging 3D fighter was Soul Edge, which was a hit in the arcades. When it was ported over to the Playstation console it became Soul Blade which sported new music, a variety of play modes, more stages and fun, fun, fun. Soul Calibur is the sequel to Soul Edge/Blade, and the series has continued under that title ever since.



Despite its obvious title reference, "The Edge of Soul" first appeared on Soul Blade, under the "Khan Super Session" version of the soundtrack. Although not much is given in terms of detail for the credits, the song was apparently composed and arranged by Bentenmaru (a.k.a. Khan), and Kazunori Miyake. In the original Playstation game, the song played as an intro set over a beautiful montage that flushed out the personalities of all the characters in the game.

The track is certainly an inspirational one. Listen long enough and you'll start to believe the purpose of your entire life is to love, to shine, and to go. There's a bit of confusion in the lyrics too because the chorus is written as being "To love! To shine!" but it doesn't sound like the word love is used. Also, if anyone has ever played Soul Edge then you know that there isn't much love going on between most of the characters apart from the giant Native American in the loin cloth and a small boy. I wish I could say that came out wrong, but there's really no other way of putting it. Regardless, enjoy "The Edge of Soul".

To download "The Edge of Soul" Click here.

To see the lyrics for "The Edge of Soul" Click here.


Omega Boost - Shade



Alas, Omega Boost, we hardly knew ye! This Playstation title was doomed to mediocrity from the start. The reason for that is there is more originality in a Wizards of the Coast card game than there is in Omega Boost. Stop me if you've heard this storyline before: in the future, mankind goes to war against self aware, violent machines of our own creation, and must send a champion back through time to stop the war before it happens. The machines of the future pursue this champion, only they don't have Arnold Schwarzenegger on their side and mankind's champion happens to have a giant robot on his. The end result of this: a futuristic space clone of the Panzer Dragoon series.



That isn't to say that Omega Boost wasn't fun. I'll forever remember some of the robot blasting action that was glazed over with some of the best monotone voice acting I've ever heard. More importantly, I'll always remember the music in Omega Boost's opening cinematic, a song called "Shade" by a band called "Feeder". Feeder is a Welsh rock group that is actually still around today, just recently having toured this past summer. Though mostly known throughout Europe, Feeder has in fact been involved with international artists throughout the industry, and if "Shade" is any indication they are worth checking out.

"Shade" itself is a great track reminiscent of classic Filter songs from the 90's. The guitar is quite hard hitting and made the opening sequences of Omega Boost seem that much more epic. I also like the overlapping of vocal tracks throughout the song, particularly the chorus' repeat of "Do you really know?" Amusing trivia, Omega Boost was also mentioned in the Eiffel 65 track "My Console". From Welsh rock to Italian Euro-dance? Hmmm, maybe this game got around more than I originally thought…

To download "Feeder - Shade" Click here.

To see the lyrics for "Shade" Click here.


Prince of Persia: Two Thrones – I Still Love You



I saved the best for last. The ending credits to Prince of Persia: Two Thrones packed an unexpected surprise for fans that played through the epic storyline. Namely, the song that plays in the background as the credits roll is "I Still Love You" by Stuart Chatwood with vocals by Maryem Tollar. Chatwood is best known for his work with Canadian rock group "The Tea Party" which also happened to appear on the soundtrack for Road Rash 3D. This man gets around in his video games, doesn't he? More amusing trivia: The Tea Party's drummer, Jeff Burrows, also made an appearance on "I Still Love You".

The lyrics for the song play in perfectly to the storyline behind The Two Thrones, which if you haven't played through yet I'd rather not spoil for you. The lyrics can be taken quite literally when applied to the game, but they still also manage to work on their own. There's not much else I can say except that this is a truly beautiful and moving piece of music, and even if you aren't a fan of the style you have to at least respect the skill with which Chatwood writes his music.



When the game was first released, I went online in search of finding the lyrics for "I Still Love You" but couldn't find any, so I spent some time discerning and writing them down on a blog I was keeping at the time. I've never received more hits from more search engines, ever. Therefore, as a service, I'm pasting the lyrics for the song below as opposed to linking to them. Again, these are just really good words and I love nothing more than to spread them around as much as possible.

Alone
And there's no tomorrow
I should have known
All the pain and sorrow

If I could only
See your mind
Desperate measures
For desperate times

I can't stand the pain
Soon you'll know
I still love you
The fact still remains
Time will tell
I still love you

At peace
At the same time cryin
There's grace in solitude
But there's no use in dyin

Things between us
You can't hide
A strangers hand weighs
Upon your mind

I can't stand the pain
Soon you'll know
I still love you
The fact still remains
Time will tell
I still love you

You can't see him
But he's there inside
There's two voices
You will decide
In time
In time

I can't stand the pain
Soon you'll know
I still love you
The fact still remains
Time will tell
I still love you

To download "Stuart Chatwood (Feat. Maryem Tollar) - I Still Love You" Click here.

The Anger

Merry Christmas to one and all! What can I say? Gimmicks aside, I'm a sucker for the season. Angry Gaming will be taking off next week to enjoy the holiday festivities, so until then enjoy the music and embrace the hatred. Oh, and as always, no reporting me to Metallica's lawyers!