GameTyrant Audio: Recent Episodes
GameTyrant Audio
Hosted by Nick Borrego, GameTyrant Audio is here to bring you interviews, reviews, nostalgia trips, and anything else related to the glorious world of gaming culture!
Check out the limited podcast series Worlds Collide that discusses the development history of God of War!
Next week’s episode marks the start of an indefinite hiatus for the Melee Stats Podcast.
Now that all is said and done, the Bad Melee Podcast will go down as an important moment in the history of Melee content.
There’s a lot of Melee content out there, but podcasts fill in a unique niche; they’re a great way to kill time that you’d otherwise spend twiddling your thumbs. Give these ones a try, and who knows—one or both might find their way into your regular commute!
The Polyhedron Collider Cast are at it again, discussing interesting topics on their site's podcast channel. They always have some interesting discussions, such as Episode 32's 'Wreck & Ruin, This War Of Mine And Reviewing Board Games', and Episode 29's 'Runewars Miniatures Game, This War Of Mine And Cave In.'
On their latest Episode 32, they discussed something that got me thinking harder than I wanted to today. The topic is simply 'Kickstarter', but they go into a detailed discussion about the impact that Kickstarter has had on tabletop games, speaking about which campaigns got them supporting the production of boardgames and which campaigns they regret not having supported.
PLEASE NOTE: There is strong language and adult content in this audio
It's not something I think about everyday. They actually got me looking on Kickstarter for Boardgame campaigns to see what is being offered. There's one called Teledrome: Televised Transdimensional Arena Combat that has already been funded 155% that looks pretty cool with some funky figurines. There is also Basira, which actually allows you to create your own tabletop games through their products.
At about the 57th minute, there was another piece that got my utmost attention. They discuss where tabletop developers issue the entire Kickstarter campaign with expansions immediately, which casts the impression that once the campaign is successful and the products sent out, then no further development for the game is planned. My view on this, if I was with them to discuss them, is that perhaps the developers can present a business plan of expected DLC in the next year or two, should they reach profits to be able to develop them.
Unfortunately, many simply just cash in and walk away. They achieved their goal and move on. There's almost a lack of intellectual committment to further develop products and thereby interact with player expectations. Hell, be like Fantasy Flight Games and get your products registered for Regional Championships!
Just my thoughts. What did you think of the podcast and what are your feelings regarding Kickstarters impact on tabletop games? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.
With all the exciting things happening in gaming in the past week, we completely slept on the news that Secret Of Mana is getting a 3D remake! Rather than be late to the game with a trailer, I decided to defer to our Dark Pixel brethren as they happened to cover the news in their latest podcast and really dug deep into the news. Check out their thoughts on the game as well as some other gaming news below.:
Those looking for some multiplayer footage of Call Of Duty WW2 need look no further. Ross and Dean featured the game in our latest episode of GameTyrant Insiders. Check out Ross playing through as the two discuss current gaming news below!
Glorious!
Every Sunday at Midnight EST, GameTyrant Insiders recaps all of your gaming news in a one-hour long stream. We play some games, talk about games, and have a good time! This latest episode features YouTubers Oddest of The Odd and Physical Gamerz, most famous for their hilariously awesome video Bloodiest Nerf War Ever and terrifying Silent Hills P.T. in real life, totaling over a whopping 2.4 million views! We discuss about their highly anticipated new video, Friday the 13th Game In Real Life, and hang out with the Odd Crew playing some Friday The 13th of course! Check out the new episode below and subscribe to the Gametyrant youtube for more awesome videos like this! You never know who we'll have on the show next.
About a month ago I revealed that Eurogamer had interviewed Bioware lead writer, Alex Kennedy, whereby he confirmed that a new Dragon Age is on the way. I was a bit hesitant to call it 'confirmed', even then, but it seems that Bioware wants to definitely let us know that we can expected another iteration in the franchise.
Series creative director Mike Laidlawi spent some time chatting to 1099 podcast, where the subject of the discussion was actually about how Dragon Age is made and the probability of Jade Empire 2. During the discussion, he revealed that something is happening with Dragon Age and that they are hiring a lot of people.
As I've jokingly said, I am the creative director for the Dragon Age franchise and they haven't fired me yet.
Bioware seems to be very tight-lipped about whether this is actually happening or not, resorting to teasers instead. It's like they want us to get excited about it, but still be able to pull the plug without killing us with disappointed. And then saying "But we never expressly confirmed a sequel."
Whatever the reason is for their small teasers, I'm still excited about a new Dragon Age. For your convenience, I've embedded the podcast below for your hearing pleasure.
Source: GAMESPOT
E3 2017 has officially come to a close, and with it, a ton of conversation has sparked regarding the best and worst of this year's gaming convention! Dean and Ross recap all of the action at this year's con and talk about GameTyrant's experience in the latest episode of GameTyrant Insiders below.
Need a recap of the latest news about everything gaming related? How about checking out interviews and exclusive discussions with special guests like Game Developers? Or maybe you just want to come hang out with us for an hour and get in on the conversation yourself! This is Gametyrant Insiders.
GT Insiders is a weekly Gamecast streamed live every Sunday night at 11pm EST. Our latest episode features SUMOMAN and an exclusive interview with Developer TequilaByte Studios!
We encourage community interaction so be sure to follow us on Twitch so you can join in on the conversation and be on the next show!
Need a recap of the latest news about everything gaming related? How about checking out interviews and exclusive discussions with special guests like Game Developers? Or maybe you just want to come hang out with us for an hour and get in on the conversation yourself! This is Gametyrant Insiders.
GT Insiders is a weekly Gamecast streamed live every Sunday night at 11pm EST. Our latest episode features Max Woods from Dreamincode to talk about their latest project, Mesozoica! A Prehistoric Tycoon Game for every Jurassic Park fan out there.
We encourage community interaction so be sure to follow us on Twitch so you can join in on the conversation and be on the next show!
As Nintendo Switch impressions are flying out around the web today, we're going to point you in the direction of our friends at Dark Pixel. Landon, Mike and Casen spent a couple days with the system and have given the most honest and in-depth impression I've seen so far today. If you're at all curious about the Nintendo Switch, these guys are gonna answer the questions you never even thought to ask! I've had their video on in the background while I work all morning and I feel like I know everything I need to know before purchasing. Skip to about 2:25 in the video to hear all their talk on the Switch!
In case you haven't been keeping track of us on Twitch or Facebook (which you totally should), GameTyrant has been running a podcast by the name of Game Race! Game Race pits me (Mick) against GameTyrant's Ryan as we talk gaming while racing to get further progress than the other in whatever game we're playing this week. If you haven't watched before and want a weekly update on what happened this week in gaming, be sure to check us out!
This week's episode of GameTyrant Audio focuses on some highlights of the E3 showcases of EA and Bethesda! More DOOM? Skyrim remastered? Star Wars? Mass Effect: Andromeda? Hell yeah!
There is obviously much to talk about. We have some of our guys heading over to the event as we speak, but this week's podcast will cover a lot of the details behind the EA and Bethesda showcases that displayed so much glory today.
With such limited technology in those times, these games have cemented their places in our memories forever and have shaped the gamers we are to this very day.
From the works of Austin Wintory’s Journey OST to some old school 16-Bit rendition of classic Star Wars music, GameTyrant Audio is proud to present part 4 of the “Gems” series.
The payoff of waiting this long, the sense of generational evolution, the tribute paid to the classic feel of the game, the sheer immersion of its extremely brutal, fast paced, highly rewarding gameplay and stunning visuals that were all tied together with Mick Gordon’s juggernaut sound had me banging my head like it was my first experience at a fully immersive metal show, getting thrown around in the General Admission section. The cool thing, though, is that the dude with close genetic ties to Viking ancestors wasn't there to kick the shit out of me.
Do you want to work in games? Does the very idea of working on awesome franchises like Ratchet & Clank, Counter Strike, and Oddworld sound way better than digging ditches or spinning signs? We think so! Michael Bross talks about his twenty year career in games music and what kind of work and dedication has gone into creating the sonic landscapes of some of the greatest games in history.
Voice actors in video games have been a crucial element in the immersion of storytelling in games. As the medium evolves, it becomes even more crucial that the voice talent behind these characters knows how the experience works with the gamer. D.B. Cooper is one such talent and veteran of the industry who has proven over and over that when it’s time to do it right, she is who to call.
Recent news has announced the exciting new frontier of the games industry in China, as games and consoles from elsewhere in the world have recently been permitted for sale within their country. This has been a huge jump in broadening the horizon of gaming as so many wonderful aspects of Chinese culture influence the world we live in. With this country’s classic style of storytelling, visuals, and music, Revelation Online proves that we are in for some really incredible gaming experiences from that part of the world.
Developer NetEase reached out to Neal Acree as they love the cinematic feel of World of Warcraft’s music, and wanted to bring his influence into the stylistic palette of Revelation Online. From the beginning of the album to the finish, it tells its own gorgeous story and now I’m super excited to get my hands on the game coming out soon. It’s rare for the soundtrack to hit the market before the game actually does, and honestly I wish it would happen a lot more often!
Tune into this new episode of GameTyrant Audio as I chat with Neal Acree about the creation of this masterpiece as well as his time in China to promote it. We were sure to talk about the range of styles in local Chinese food in that you can get authentic takes on classic dishes all the way to Indiana Jones Temple of Jones style cuisine (although some may even say they’re the same thing, to each their own). They even have their own unique take on KFC! As the show’s first repeat guest, it’s a huge honor to have Neal Acree back on after we last talked about his history with Blizzard and World of Warcraft.
Revelation Soundtrack on iTunes
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Join GameTyrant Audio on this journey to the bottom of the sea to hear how the music of Garry Schyman set the classic and incomparable tone of BioShock, solidifying the game as one of the most thought provoking and fear inducing horror stories ever told!
In this conversation, we go into the details of how someone loses a following of 85,395 in about 3 hours.
In this third venture down the glorious, winding road of video games nostalgia, GameTyrant Audio is happy to bring you some of old favorites from the chiptune 8-bit era to the full blown orchestral music we started to hear when gaming started showing up on discs!
We discuss some of the details of game development. Additional news and updates at for DIVE:Starpath can be found at GravityWellStudios.com.
As a supplemental boost to whatever it is you’re doing that involves ear buds or stereo speakers, allow me to invite you on a tour of the gorgeous sounds in this masterful work by Petri Alanko.
Nick Borrego and Mick Joest of GameTyrant.com review the month in news, rumors, and reviews. Fable Legends cancelled, Hideo Kojima tried booting David Hayter long ago, Dragonball Z on Unreal Engine 4, and more!
This episode of GameTyrant Audio goes knee deep in the dead with DOOM's closed beta multiplayer. We had an awesome time and Nick Borrego explains why.
GameTyrant Audio reviews the phenomenal soundtrack to Tom Clancy's The Division by Ola Strandh
In this episode of GameTyrant Audio, I have included 5 awe-inspiring video game songs from history that I think you might dig. If you haven’t heard these, this will be an intro to some of these masterful works of art. From 16-bit era to recent gen, this music has laid the groundwork for what would be some of the most memorable game experiences in my life.
I talk about how The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past’s overworld music, for example, represents a landmark gaming experience in my history. What does this have to do with me possibly getting struck by lightning, toying with my very mortality as a young person? I explain.
What are some video game songs that have impacted your life over the years? Let me know in the comments below, fellow GameTyrant visitors and listeners!
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Jason Graves is responsible for some of the most intense video game music that has ever graced our ears (Dead Space series, Tomb Raider, Until Dawn), and Far Cry: Primal is every bit as hardcore as you’d expect. The sounds of huge percussion and wailing vocals are perfectly matched with the tone of UbiSoft’s latest bloody entry into the series, and in this week’s episode of GameTyrant Audio, you can hear much of how the soundtrack sets you perfectly in the brutal and unforgiving environment of the Mesolithic Era. No saber toothed tigers were harmed in the making of this podcast or in this game. They've been dead for a very, very long time, and I have no clue how that could have ever possibly happened.
Far Cry Primal: Original Game Soundtrack on iTunes
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Scoring TV shows and films since 1995 including shows such as Supernatural, Tim Wynn’s video game work continues to rock out like one would expect in XCOM 2. From the beginning of the album all throughout, it’s an action sci-fi sound that is likely to get your blood pumping and ready to send some aliens straight to kingdom come.
In this interview we talk about how opportunities can present themselves when you least expect them, and that one opportunity presented itself to Tim in the form of a game poster hanging in the mens room. Now neither Tim Wynn nor myself are recommending anyone go searching the men’s room for career opportunities. The point is that you never know where you’ll find something to talk about. So basically get out, do some legwork, stay hydrated, and start some conversations if you want cool things to happen.
Purchase XCOM 2 by Tim Wynn on iTunes
As storytelling is at the core of what Telltale Games delivers, the music plays an even more important part in the execution of the experience. I had a good time with Minecraft: Story Mode, but even more than the game itself, I enjoyed the music behind each scene. From building to battling to searching for my lost pet pig, the music did a great job of setting the tone and atmosphere for each setting.
I caught up with Antimo & Welles, the composers behind the music of this series. They talked about how working with Telltale Games has been and how their reference material included musicians like Reggie Watts. Based on what we discussed, Telltale Games really wanted to take a unique and unconventional route to creating the feel for this game.
Check out their work in Anadel to hear more of their amazing stuff and catch them at one of their upcoming live shows.
From Courtney on Twitter, fan artwork by @bornthisjesss
On this week's show, GameTyrant Audio brings you another angle on the voice acting and motion capture process in Fallout 4. Courtney Ford is the actor behind popular Wasteland companion Piper Wright, and she was generous enough to take the time to talk with me about her work in this massive open world adventure.
Having roles in TV shows such as Dexter and True Blood, Courtney has worked on some top level productions. In one of the greatest stories about humble beginnings we've had so far on this podcast, Courtney speaks about her earliest days in acting, referencing work for a kid's party character service. She describes being dressed up in a dolphin costume when the head popped off in front of a crowd of 6-year-old kids at a birthday party.
Creating the personality behind Piper was a two and a half year process for Courtney and the team at Bethesda. She shares some insight on how to accurately perform in accordance with the game's environment, such as when you first meet Piper as she's knocking at the door to get into Diamond City.
Talking with Courtney was every bit as fun as I had hoped. A variety of subjects were discussed, from Fallout 4, to tight spandex mo-cap suits, to giant spiders in hotel rooms.
You can follow Courtney Ford on Twitter and Instagram.
One of the best parts of modern gaming is the way the actors deliver performances that give the characters such a believable, personal, and relatable element. Such a talent was required with Bethesda’s latest Fallout installment, as they made a specific effort to infuse the experience of survival in The Commonwealth with a lot more emphasis on story this time. Courtenay Taylor, as per usual, brought an incredible performance to Fallout 4 that exhibits a staggering amount of versatility and depth in the game’s female protagonist.
I wanted to find out how it was to work with the team at Bethesda and what it took to record such a vast amount of voice over work. A surprising concept Courtenay brought up is the fact that it’s helpful to learn the sweet science of boxing; it turns out that getting hit/throwing a punch can teach you a lot about how you sound and how you can convey that accurately in the vocal booth. We also talk about how sometimes it’s the people in her personal life that inspire her work.
My first experience hearing Courtenay was her performance as Jack in the Mass Effect series. Between what she brought to that, Fallout 4, and around 80 other games, we’re thrilled to have such an awesome guest on this week’s episode of GameTyrant Audio.
You can follow Courtenay on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
My first experience hearing Courtenay was her performance as Jack in the Mass Effect series. Between what she brought to that, Fallout 4, and around 80 other games, we’re thrilled to have such an awesome guest on this week’s episode of GameTyrant Audio.
With over 480,000 YouTube subscribers, Malukah has enchanted us with her incredible renditions of beloved songs from Skyrim, Destiny, Halo, The Witcher 3, Game of Thrones, and has even had her signature take on some work from The Foo Fighters.
She has contributed to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Banner Saga, and the list continues. When she released The Dragonborn Comes, it sparked the beginning of a huge new fan base as its view count climbed by the millions. People around the world immediately were sold on the power of her voice and the lyrics that represent why we identify with the stories and characters in video games.
I am excited to have had the chance to talk with her about how she creates these arrangements and what has inspired her as an artist over the years. We also talk about her awesome dog Thor, 90’s metal, and the fact that Spaceballs rocked her world as a young child, and still does.
You can find Malukah's music on her YouTube channel or purchase her tracks on Loudr.
With over 480,000 YouTube subscribers, Malukah has enchanted us with her incredible renditions of beloved songs from Skyrim, Destiny, Halo, The Witcher 3, Game of Thrones, and has even had her signature take on some work from The Foo Fighters.
When Beep was launched on Kickstarter, it was quickly selected as a Staff Pick, and received over $60,000 in its month and a half crowdfunding campaign.
The film features the audio talents of games such as Halo, Destiny, BioShock, Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong, Little Big Planet, the list goes on and on. What had started as a project to cover some of the history of games audio evolved into showcasing modern approaches to how this music is created for such a rapidly evolving medium.
Harnessing the powers of Twitter, and trying not to come across as a complete dork, I managed to earn some time out of Karen Collins’ crazy post production schedule for a talk about everything that has gone into this amazing project.
We discuss the challenges of making all of this happen, a few days in Japan that flew by before any sightseeing could possibly commence, and how it was to see such an enthusiastic response on Kickstarter.
It wouldn’t be my kind of show if I didn’t ask Karen about her previous years before her career and path into such enormous amounts of extensive research, so we also discuss how she was really into German industrial music at the early age of 12. I’m pretty sure I had no idea that kind of thing even existed until I was a senior in high school.
Hit the play button below to find out why Beep is already sold out at its screening at GDC, and what has driven Karen to put so much of her life into game audio.
Learn More About BEEP
Harnessing the powers of Twitter, and trying not to come across as a complete dork, I managed to earn some time out of Karen Collins’ (Director of BEEP) crazy post production schedule for a talk about everything that has gone into this amazing project.
In this week’s episode, I talk to Tom Salta about his work in the Halo series over recent years. His story further establishes how there really is no Point A to Point B approach to achieving a career in music, as he didn’t initially set out to be a soundtrack composer. In his early days, he worked along side with Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor, and Bobby Brown as a producer/engineer, among many other songwriters.
Halo: The Fall of Reach is an animated film that depicts the origins of the Spartan program and what horrors these kids had to cope with as they were being shaped into these highly trained elite military combatants. Tom has been a huge Halo fan since its original installment on the Xbox, and he talks about his moment of sheer excitement when he was offered the job to begin work on the Halo franchise with 343 Industries.
You can find the Halo: The Fall of Reach Soundtrack on iTunes or Amazon.
In this week’s episode, I talk to Tom Salta about his work in the Halo series over recent years. His story further establishes how there really is no Point A to Point B approach to achieving a career in music, as he didn’t initially set out to be a soundtrack composer. In his early days, he worked along side with Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor, and Bobby Brown as a producer/engineer, among many other songwriters.
More Episodes of GameTyrant Audio
One of the coolest things to happen to games over the past few years is the ability to upgrade classic games for new and returning audiences. We’ve seen games like Shadow of the Colossus and Final Fantasy X get amazing HD re-releases.
We always get an upgrade in visuals, sometimes we get an upgrade in mechanics, but my favorite is when the score gets a huge overhaul. That is the case with Grim Fandango Remastered by Double Fine, and the results are just as beautiful as you’d expect from this ridiculously talented development team.
Peter McConnell (composer) and I talk about how much work had to be done to save the most vital components in returning to the music of Grim Fandango from 15 years ago. As it obviously turns out, technology has changed a lot since then, and we go into how using some of the old assets to combine with the new required some pretty serious engineering skills. Doing away with the old meant replacing with a full orchestra. The Grim Fandango Remastered orchestral sessions were recorded in Melbourne, Australia to renew the classically brilliant and hilarious qualities of this beloved score.
Hit the play button below to also hear about Double Fine’s Tim Schafer on bongos in a brainstorm meeting, and how it was just too glorious of a story for my Internet to handle.
Grim Fandango Remastered Original Soundtrack can be found on iTunes.
Grim Fandango Remasterd on iTunes
Be sure to check out Peter McConnell’s additional works on iTunes including Broken Age, Psychonauts, and Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft.
Peter McConnell and I talk about how much work had to be done to save the most vital components in returning to the music of Grim Fandango from 15 years ago. As it obviously turns out, technology has changed a lot since then, and we go into how using some of the old assets to combine with the new required some pretty serious engineering skills. Doing away with the old meant replacing with a full orchestra.
When you need the job done right, you call a professional. IO Interactive knew David Bateson was their guy from the beginning. A decade and a half later, Square Enix is poised to release the reboot of the long-running Hitman franchise, this coming March.
As the first voice actor on the podcast, it was super fascinating to hear David speak about the origins of his acting career. There’s a pretty great story about his rejection from an acting agency, as well as keeping his composure at an audition when another participant was kissing his own hand in heated passion.
We talk about the early days of voicing Hitman and about how advancements in games technology has helped IO Interactive really hone in and evolve the process of creating Agent 47. We touch base on how the new Hitman reboot takes everything great about the classic franchise, while giving it the technological update it deserves, creating some of the most compelling and intense new Agent 47 action to date.
David Bateson talks about the early days of voicing Hitman and about how advancements in games technology has helped IO Interactive really hone in and evolve the process of creating Agent 47. We touch base on how the new Hitman reboot takes everything great about the classic franchise, while giving it the technological update it deserves, creating some of the most compelling and intense new Agent 47 action to date.
Music for this week's episode provided by Jesper Kyd, composer of Hitman: Blood Money and Hitman: Contracts. Both soundtracks are available on iTunes.
With the unique, authentic Slavic sounds of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, between songs for folks gathering around, to music suited for brutal sword fights or exploring the vast landscape in the world of The Northern Kingdoms, Mikolai Stroinski delivers an extraordinary soundtrack that takes you through an exciting and imaginative journey from beginning to finish. We also cover how co-composer Marcin Przybylowicz and Percival made a huge impact on the way the score was created.
The Witcher 3 Soundtrack on iTunes
While Stroinski was busy on this project, he had another acclaimed open world game to score at the same time: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. In a contrast to The Witcher 3, Ethan Carter had much emphasis on the supernatural and a tone of mystery within the story. Mikolai talks about how very minimal sound manipulation was used to create these unique and haunting tones with orchestral instruments.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on iTunes
As a composer who migrated to the U.S. from Poland 15 years ago and has made a huge name for himself in the world of games and films music, we’re honored to have him on GameTyrant Audio to speak for a bit on how he makes it all happen.
Mikolai Stroinski (The Witcher 3) is a game composer who migrated to the U.S. from Poland 15 years ago and has made a huge name for himself in the world of games and films music, we’re honored to have him on GameTyrant Audio to speak for a bit on how he makes it all happen.
You would be hard pressed to find a Top 10 soundtracks list from the games of 2015 that doesn’t feature this amazing score from master composer Jessica Curry. The gameplay in Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is beautiful, mysterious, occasionally melancholy, and always intriguing. The music plays a major role in why the concept of this game was executed so well.
In this interview, Jessica talks about her experience with initially dabbling in more synthesizer style work for Rapture, how discovering Elin Manahan Thomas helped transition to a mostly orchestral score, and even goes into mentioning a music teacher in her past that said she didn’t have what it takes to be a composer.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture Soundtrack on iTunes
We get into Jessica’s philosophy on life and music, which I interpret as revealing how her work has so much character, depth, dynamics, and overall brilliance. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is an experience that is complex, unsettling, and visually stunning at the same time. Hit the play button below to hear how its acclaimed soundtrack came together.
In this episode, we get into Jessica Curry's philosophy on life and music, which I interpret as revealing how her work has so much character, depth, dynamics, and overall brilliance. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is an experience that is complex, unsettling, and visually stunning at the same time. Hit the play button to hear how its acclaimed soundtrack came together.
Neal Acree first made the jump from film and television to composing game music when he scored the opening cinematic to Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in 2006. His list covers every expansion on the franchise since then as well as music for StarCraft, Diablo III, and Overwatch. Though perhaps best known for his work on Blizzard games, Neal has also branched out into other markets with works like his critically acclaimed score to Revelation Online for Chinese developer Netease.
In this podcast, we talk about what inspires him, how it is to work on one of the most successful gaming franchises in history, and how the team at Blizzard keeps things new and exciting with each expansion. We also touch base on how it was for him as a musician early in his career, and how he managed to hold on to a Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back vinyl from his childhood, then to have the chance to have John Williams sign it for him decades later.
Neal Acree first made the jump from film and television to composing game music when he scored the opening cinematic to Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in 2006. His list covers every expansion on the franchise since then as well as music for StarCraft, Diablo III, and Overwatch.
On this episode of GameTyrant Audio, we join up with composer Inon Zur to talk about the sounds and development of music concepts for Fallout 4. As one of the most anticipated games of all time, Inon Zur discusses how he and the team at Bethesda established this new evolution in the Fallout series.
As Fallout 4 is all about survival, discovery, and the re-purposing of items scattered throughout the barren wasteland of post apocalyptic Boston, Zur mentions how a lot of household items were re-purposed for the use of creating a unique musical sound that is parallel with Fallout’s signature style.
During the first week of Fallout 4, its soundtrack had reached Number 2 on iTunes, as well as the Fallout 4 Theme Song reaching Number 7 on all time sales for an original sound track song.
Fallout 4 Soundtrack on iTunes
Hit the play button below to hear how Inon Zur created the music for the latest installment in this legendary franchise, what he finds so inspiring about working with Bethesda, and how much importance he finds in his fans and how they respond to his work.
On this episode of GameTyrant Audio, we join up with composer Inon Zur to talk about the sounds and development of music concepts for Fallout 4. As one of the most anticipated games of all time, Inon Zur discusses how he and the team at Bethesda established this new evolution in the Fallout series.
I recently had the chance to have a Skype session with Jack Wall, the man behind the music of the latest release from the Call of Duty franchise. His soundtrack has some wonderful and very unexpected surprises, which is partially owed to the direction of the Zombies offshoot that Treyarch has introduced.
For years, we have had the privilege of experiencing some world-class soundtrack composition from Jack Wall, such as what we can hear in Myst 4, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect to name a few titles. In Call of Duty: Black Ops III, you can expect that his caliber of composition has only reached all new levels. It is everything you could expect from Jack Wall, plus a ton more. We’ve heard him deliver amazing epic pieces, beautiful ambient/electronic arrangements, but…big band? Yes, you will hear some big band along with Jack’s traditional electronic and orchestral styles in this album. With the help of virtuoso cellist Tina Guo, outstanding vocals from Antonia Bennett, as well as lyrics and vocal contributions by Rob and Cindy Shapiro, the collaborations in this album have helped craft a very diverse and original sound that tells a very dynamic and intriguing new story in the Call of Duty series.
Hit the play button below to find out exactly what made such an ambitious project come together so well and what it took to get there. Also enjoy the comedic gold of some of the game’s Perk Jingles such as Mule Kick--they actually managed to work in the sound of a donkey, and it is tops. This soundtrack has an unbelievable amount of range. From the seriously intense and beautiful, to the seriously ridiculous, it is an entertaining and inspiring listening experience that people of any variety of musical tastes can treat themselves to
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His music can be heard in many triple-A titles such as Tomb Raider, the Dead Space series, Evolve, The Order 1886, and now Supermassive Games’ new horror adventure, Until Dawn.
As the kickoff to a brand new GameTyrant podcast series, GameTyrant Audio is thrilled to have the chance to speak with one of the most accomplished and hardest working composers in the games industry. His arrangements have terrified us in Dead Space, fueled the adventures of Lara Croft, carried the intensity of battles against giant monsters, and have set the atmosphere for defeating werewolves in an alternate history London. In this podcast, we discuss how he crafted the beautiful and haunting sounds of Until Dawn.
You can pick up your own copy of the Until Dawn soundtrack on iTunes now.
As the kickoff to a brand new GameTyrant podcast series, GameTyrant Audio is thrilled to have the chance to speak with one of the most accomplished and hardest working composers in the games industry. His arrangements have terrified us in Dead Space, fueled the adventures of Lara Croft, carried the intensity of battles against giant monsters, and have set the atmosphere for defeating werewolves in an alternate history London. In this podcast, we discuss how he crafted the beautiful and haunting sounds of Until Dawn.
This week on the GameTyrant Podcast, Drew, Bryam, and I are discussing the many great performances in the growing world of video game voice acting and performance capture. We cover a few of our favorites as well as touching on a few of the real stinkers. (Cough! Mega Man 8... Cough!) Then we get off on a tangent or two and wackiness ensues. Give it a listen and let us know some of your favorite performances in video games in the comments below.
In this week's podcast Jake, Drewbles, and Bryam discuss the growing art of voice acting and performance capture in gaming. Then they get off on a tangent about Ganondorf being played by Dorf Lundgren. Wackiness ensues, and also some information manages to make its way in.
This week Drew, Bryam, and I discuss features we love from some of our favorite games centered around space exploration. Then we take all those metaphorical ingredients and cook them up into our own ultimate space-time gumbo. Oddly enough, it sounds a hell of a lot like what Star Citizen has been promising will come from their game!
This week Jake, Drewbles, and Bryam discuss the aspects of space exploration games that get them hooked, along with listing a few examples. Then the discussion leads into what we would like to see in the ultimate game for space explores and hope so desperately that Star Citizen will meet all those expectations.
This week Jake, Bryam, and Drewbles discuss movie tie-in games. We cover those that got it right and those that taught us, as kids, that most are just hot piles of garbage. We touch on how we think tie-in titles could improve and even become some of our favorite games overall. Which movie tie-ins surprised you and put hope back into your heart? More importantly, which ones made you learn to hate again? Let us know down in the comments and, hey, while you're at it, give our previous episodes a listen!
This week Jake, Bryam and Drewbles discuss movie tie-in games. The ones that got it right, the ones the taught us as children that most are just garbage, and how we think they could be turned into something amazing!
Last Week's Episode
Originally Posted on GeekTyrant
In this week's episode of the GameTyrant Podcast, Jake, Drew and Bryam discuss the evolution of both augmented reality games and virtual reality games. The discussion revolves around the upcoming Pokemon GO app for iOS and Android as well as the VR "theme park" known as The Void. We touch on some of our first experiences with both AR and VR as well as where we'd like to see these new technologies move in the future. Enjoy, and we'll see you cool kids again next week!
This week Jake, Drewbles, and Bryam discuss the evolution of both AR games and VR games including the upcoming Pokemon GO app and the new VR theme park, The Void.
Last Week's Episode
Originally Posted on GeekTyrant
The GameTyrant Podcast is back! We are going to bring you a new episode every single week, so get ready to have some tastey knowledge dumped all up in your ears! This week Jake, Drew, and Bryam go over games that let you make choices that influence the way you play. From the formulaic "good vs. evil" that was made popular by Fable, to the incredibly complex time-traveling hi-jinks of Chrono and his crew. We discuss what we think the future of influential choices in games should look like, and how the new generation of consoles could play into that.
The GameTyrant Podcast is back! We are going to bring you a new episode every single week, so get ready to have some tasty knowledge dumped all up in your ears! This week Jake, Drew, and Bryam go over games that let you make choices that influence the way you play. From the formulaic "good vs. evil" that was made popular by Fable, to the incredibly complex time-traveling hi-jinx of Chrono and his crew. We discuss what we think the future of influential choices in games should look like, and how the new generation of consoles could play into that.
Last Week's Episode
Originally Posted on GeekTyrant
Today we take you on a journey through a genre of gaming that many of us hold near and dear to our hearts: fighting games. Re-joining me in this discussion are GeekTyrant VS veterans Parker Abegg and Drew Lawrence, along with our audio engineer Justin Holman and GameTyrant Podcast newcomer Bryan Dayley, also of VS fame. We go over some of our favorites, a couple of lesser known titles, and discuss why fighting games remain one of the leading competitive e-sports - from trash talking at arcades to competing in professional tournaments.
Today we take you on a journey through a genre of gaming that many of us hold near and dear to our hearts: fighting games. Re-joining me in this discussion are GeekTyrant VS veterans Parker Abegg and Drew Lawrence, along with our audio engineer Justin Holman and GameTyrant Podcast newcomer Bryan Dayley, also of VS fame. We go over some of our favorites, a couple of lesser known titles, and discuss why fighting games remain one of the leading competitive e-sports - from trash talking at arcades to competing in professional tournaments.
Previous Episodes
Originally Posted on GeekTyrant
Geek ladies and geek gentlemen, welcome to the first ever GameTyrant podcast, hosted by yours truly, Jake Smith.
In this first episode, I discuss video game movies with two GeekTyrant VS veterans, Drew Lawrence and Parker Abegg, as well as our audio engineering wizard, Justin Holman. We go over the good, the overly-populated list of bad, and the ugly of the rocky world of video game movie adaptations. We delve deep into the grandfather of all crappy video game movies, Super Mario Brothers, as well as talk about what video game movies would need in order to go through the same sort of renaissance that comic book movies have seen.
Give it a listen, tell us what you think, and join the conversation in the comments below. Also, ADULT LANGUAGE is used, so listen at your own discretion.
In this first episode, I discuss video game movies with two GeekTyrant VS veterans, Drew Lawrence and Parker Abegg, as well as our audio engineering wizard, Justin Holman. We go over the good, the overly-populated list of bad, and the ugly of the rocky world of video game movie adaptations. We delve deep into the grandfather of all crappy video game movies, Super Mario Brothers, as well as talk about what video game movies would need in order to go through the same sort of renaissance that comic book movies have seen.
GameTyrant Podcast Library