A Special Mixtape and an Apology

First things first.

Apologies for the lack of updates recently. Currently, Jason is working on changes to the site and has literally been consumed with work (I haven’t seen him in weeks and he seems only able to communicate using carrier pigeons) and me…well…I’ve just been incredibly lazy watching The Shield, eating expensive biscuits and playing Singstar.
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As a way of saying sorry and because I thought it would be a good idea I’ve compiled together various pieces of music taken from various computer games that I have played and loved over the years. Some are quite recent, others hark back to the glorious days of 1997 where point and click games were ‘cool’ and running over penguins in a souped-up convertible, with Iron Maiden pounding from the speakers, whilst giving the finger to the BBFC was the most daring thing ever. Anyway…. enjoy!

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Gears of War – Cole Train Rap

I’m not sure of the official title of this, but it has a last.fm page, so it must be correct, right? Anyway, those skillful enough to complete the ‘It looks a bit Games Workshop‘ macho-fest Gears of War, will know doubt have heard the hilarious rap at the end provided by Lester Speight (voice of Augustus Cole.) To say it fits the tone of the game is stating the bleeding obvious, but it does, just as much as the dramatic classical pieces that crop up through the various acts. Plus, the scratching is just brilliant.

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Bullfrog Productions – Aum!

Taken from one of my favourite games of all time, the deliciously evil Dungeon Keeper, ‘Aum!‘ is an ominous riff-driven piece of music that combines elements of old school metal and orchestral wailing. It is featured at the beginning of the game as a kind of trailer. I have nothing else to really add except I’d like to know how to play the ‘der ner, der-ner-ner, der-ner-ner-ner-ner-ner’ riff. Tasty. I always imagine the Horned Reaper (main character) strutting down the corridor, decapitating heroes to this piece of music.

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GLaDOS & Jonathan Coulton – Still Alive

Want to really piss someone off? Then keep singing this at them. It’s another end credits tune sung by the guide/antagonist from Valve’s Portal. The lyrical content references many situations the player experienced throughout the game, such as cake, Aperture Science and even Black Mesa. Despite the physical form of GLaDOS lying in pieces at the end of Portal, she makes reference to still being alive, which is oddly disturbing, especially set to such lo-fi electro-pop.

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Iron Maiden – Be Quick Or Be Dead

Okay, so it’s not official computer game music, but come on…..it’s Iron Maiden! Not only was SCI’s Carmageddon 2 one of the best driving games ever, it also had one hell of a soundtrack comprising of not 1, but 4 Maiden songs on constant rotation. These were interspersed with some trippy drum ‘n bass beats it provided an excellent soundtrack to mowing down deer on the fun fair level. Also, possibly the most aptly named track for a game that involves running people over? Hell yeah.

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Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori – Never Forget

Taken from Halo 3, ‘Never Forget‘ is a very moving and beautiful piece of classical music. It always amazes me how this kind of music can fit so well with a game featuring such strong graphic violence. It certainly acts as a calming effect on the player, whilst fitting in with the somber but harsh tones that are associated with war. There’s something about it that sends a shiver down my spine.

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Epic Games – Go Down

Unreal Tournament fanatics will recognise this piece straight away. Some of you may also be puzzled at the lack of ‘headshot!’ and various weapon noises, which I have come to associate with this piece. Featured quite prominently in the levels ‘Deck 17′ and ‘Morpheus’ it is the polar opposite of Halo 3’s classical schmaltz; opting for a more fast-paced dance beat to get the player’s pulse racing. Boom, baby.

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Stay tuned for a very special ‘Mad Mac reviews’ post, where he gets to grips with various indie-darlings and attempts to rip them to shreds with his own kind of sarcasm and bemusement. It should be a good one.

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Sounds

Due to technical problems, said music files will not be shown in the usual player, but can be streamed instead from this link at muxtape.com. (Just click on the song name and a timer will start and the song should immediately start.)

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By Ross Macdonald