Tag: Music - Page 11
Ninterview Meet The Man Who Makes Hip-Hop Music From Classic Nintendo Hardware
"The controller we have created is like wearing my childhood round my neck"
We recently came across a UK based hip-hop producer and DJ by the name of Imperial, who makes quite a striking impression with a strange musical instrument strapped around his neck, which has parts that might seem very familiar to our readers. This musical instrument is...
Rumour Former Rare Composer David Wise Is Working On An Unannounced Nintendo Title
Man behind Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze's music is back
David Wise is a living legend for many Nintendo fans, having contributed some amazing music to a dazzling array of classic Nintendo releases - the most famous of which is arguably the Donkey Kong Country franchise. Wise has since gone freelance but composed the fantastic soundtrack to...
News 30th Anniversary Super Mario Concert Comes to Japan this September
No love for the West, Nintendo?
It seems that Nintendo has a thing for putting on excellent concerts to celebrate landmark anniversaries for its most treasured franchises. Here in the West, fans have had the privilege for the past few years of attending the Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses, a touring orchestra that covers several tracks and...
Music Tissues At The Ready For This Yoshi's Woolly World Song
Still a better love story than Twilight...
You know that music video you've always wanted? The one where a boy expresses his love for a tiny, knitted, fictional, egg-laying video game character? Well want no more! Yoshi has been my favourite character from the Nintendo universe for as long as I can remember. His gorgeous little face and that...
Video Retro Music is Hard-Wired Into Your Brain Because of Science, Not Just Because It's Awesome
Jumping to the beat
When playing retro games it's common to admire the music, with a sense among some that chiptunes of the 8- and 16-bit era are a cut above modern soundtracks. There are still spectacular soundtracks in modern gaming, particularly those performed by live bands and orchestras, yet for some retro music can't be topped. There are...
News Mega Ran Prepares for UK Tour After a Crazy Year
"I'm determined to make time to do some touristy stuff"
North American hip-hop artist Random AKA Mega Ran is well known on the music scene thanks to his cutting edge retro-styled beats. Since the creation of his alter-ego Mega Ran, this former teacher has become one of the premier artists in hip-hop's nerdcore genre, released multiple albums,...
News Here's Your Next Helping Of Guitar Hero Live Tracks
A mix of old and new
Activision has released the next set of songs for its forthcoming music title, Guitar Hero Live. This week's helping includes shock rock outfit Marilyn Manson, newcomers Royal Blood and veteran outfit the Deftones. Here's this week's list: Royal Blood "Little Monster" Marilyn Manson "Disposable Teens" Killswitch Engage "In...
Music Play Nicely With a Colourful Death in This Charming Splatoon Song
"I don't need BB guns now I've found this!"
You've heard all about Splatoon right? And you're excited about it too right? Right! Well I am too and recently the guys at Nintendo Life asked if I'd share my excitement about the game by writing a song about it. Of course I obliged! I've been eagerly waiting for Splatoon to arrive since it was announced...
News Newly Confirmed Guitar Hero Live Tracks Bring The Spandex And Poodle Perms
"Got any Priest, mate?"
Activision is releasing the full track list for its forthcoming Guitar Hero Live in batches, and it has just announced the second helping of songs. While some fans expressed disappointment at the first drop, this week's offering should get classic rock fans more excited as it includes Pantera, Rage Against the Machine and...
Weirdness Former My Chemical Romance Frontman Can't Get Enough Of Zelda: Wind Waker
"I play Zelda with my daughter now"
When Activision announced its plans to relaunch Guitar Hero recently, ex-My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way was one of the artists it recruited to promote the move. Way has since been talking to UK newspaper Metro about gaming in general, and has revealed that he's a big fan of The Legend of Zelda - and the...
News Composer Noriyuki Iwadare Returns For More Langrisser Adventures
Iwadare helps to reincarnate the series
Fans were no doubt pleased to discover earlier this year that the Langrisser series is being reignited to bring Langrisser Re: Incarnation Tensei to the 3DS. After a 15 year break it is fair to say that fans are ready, and now the buzz can be heightened further by the announcement that world famous composer...
Review Music On: Electric Guitar (3DS eShop)
While my 3DS gently weeps
If someone were to come up to you on the street and loudly proclaim "My 3DS is an electric guitar!!", you'd probably just smile politely and try to put as much distance between the two of you as possible. Their boasting isn't total insanity however, as Music On: Electric Guitar is an ambitious little app that aims to...
Music Say Hello To The World's First LSDj Music Album On A Game Boy Cartridge
Includes Nordloef, Tommy Creep, Pixel Hero Zero and Solarbear
The Game Boy may be as old as the hills, but it's alive and well in the world of chiptune music. In recent years an active musical community has grown up around Nintendo's iconic handheld, intent on creating awesome tunes and even playing them to live audiences. If you needed any more of...
News Marvel at the Launch Trailer, Live Music and Tracks of Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2
Full details inside
After a lengthy period of furious winking, release date movement - for the better in this case - and rumours, Nintendo revealed the details for Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2. Some of the rumours actually proved correct, either by dumb luck or otherwise, and the line-up has certainly got plenty of fans excited. If you missed it, the...
News Unreleased SNES Music Game From The Creator Of Electroplankton Comes Back To Life
Making noise with the SNES Mouse
Back in the 16-bit era Interactive media artist Toshio Iwai designed a SNES music composition tool that was to be released along with the SNES mouse in a bundle package, just like Mario Paint. There was even a US trademark filled for the game's western release under the name Sound Factory. Sadly, it never got...
News Xenoblade Chronicles X's Soundtrack Is So Epic, It Needs 4 CDs To Contain It
55 songs, coming to Japan May 20th
With Xenoblade Chronicles 3D release date fast approaching, it's hard not to yearn for the brand new title from the series, Xenoblade Chronicles X. However far away the (still undecided) western release date might be, new information for the game has been arriving in spades leaving fans wanting more. Recently we...
Exclusive Theatre Musical 'The Legend of Zelda: Harmony of Hyrule' to Tread the Boards of Broadway
Everyone sings but Link
When rumours of a Legend of Zelda TV series on Netflix circulated, there was an understandable mix of trepidation and excitement; its description of "Game of Thrones for a family audience" certainly raised eyebrows. However, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata subsequently came out and said that the apparent leak was inaccurate,...
Big bands
With Club Nintendo in the middle of its farewell run, members are in their final few months in which they can spend their stars and coins. The North American platform has gone big with various rewards and downloadable games, and after a bit of a delay Nintendo of Europe recently got in the act with its own range of download games. We've...
Video Bask in the Glow of These Live Performances from the Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Soundtrack
Gorgeous
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D has many qualities, such as the scale of the adventure and the well-crafted real-time combat mechanics, yet any list of praise should also reference its music. Sweeping orchestral numbers, low-key yet beautiful piano melodies, its range is vast and contributes a great deal to the experience; this is a game to play...
News Tickets Go On Sale Soon for the Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions Concert Tour
Buy them a day early using a special code
Major franchises that are beloved by Nintendo fans have some of gaming's most iconic soundtracks, and the enduring popularity of the Symphony of the Goddesses tours for The Legend of Zelda demonstrate that live events can be a huge success. It's no surprise, then, that Pokémon will enjoy similar treatment...
Weirdness Should Rap Star Iggy Azalea Ever Go To Mars, She'll Be Taking Her Nintendo Handheld
But is she named after the famous Koopaling, that's what we want to know
Australian rapper Iggy Azalea - real name Amethyst Amelia Kelly - is a pretty hot property in the music world right now, despite the fact that she's been referred to as the female Vanilla Ice (sounds like an insult if you ask us). If you need any proof of this, then you should...
Video Allow These Charming Renditions Of Classic Zelda Tunes To Gently Massage Your Pointy Elf-Ears
A sweeping orchestral arrangement
Here at Nintendo Life we love it when our favourite video game music gets a quality video tribute with costumes, location, cinematography and a musical arrangement to match. Recently we covered Taylor Davis' amazing work and here is someone very much on a similar level of quality. Vocalist Jillian Aversa has...
Feature A Night at the Symphony of the Goddesses: Master Quest
We take on the latest tour
Since the introduction of the iconic theme song on the NES in 1986, the body of music that has grown out of the Legend of Zelda series has been nothing short of legendary. Beginning with modest 8-bit sounds and eventually evolving into the sweeping sonatas in modern games, the songs have grown into something much more than...
You've got to spend those stars on something
Update 2: This soundtrack is now back on Club Nintendo in Europe, so act fast! Update: It seems that a lot of Club Nintendo members in Europe are desperate to spend their stars, as this soundtrack has disappeared again - supply not quite meeting demand, we suspect. Original Article: The end of Club...
Unfortunate news for Club Nintendo members down under
Limited stock has been a serious problem for Nintendo in recent times. With boss Satoru Iwata yesterday revealing the New Nintendo 3DS hardware was held back from an earlier release in both North America and Europe for this exact reason, this only added to the ongoing troubles fans have had...
Watch in 4K if you're fancy enough
The Legend of Zelda Symphony is currently gearing up for its latest world tour, with concert dates in the Americas and Europe on the way. It kicked off in Tokyo just recently, however, and as this tour is the first - in this series, at least - that'll feature music from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask,...
Video YouTube Musician Smooth McGroove Performs Majora's Mask Milk Bar Acapella
Milkin' it at the perfect time...
Popular YouTuber Smooth McGroove is at it again, and this time he tackles the 'Milk Bar' from Majora's Mask with a great level of detail and precision (as always). His 'Oath to Order / Calling the Four Giants' upload a week ago proved to go down exceptionally well with all the hype surrounding Majora's Mask 3D this...
News A Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert is Coming to Japan
No news on a western tour, yet
As you may remember, we reported about a week ago on the upcoming Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses: Master Quest tour line-up. Promising orchestral covers of a plethora of music pieces spanning the series' rich history, the symphonic experience is something to look forward to for many fans of the franchise...
News The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses - Master Quest Concert Song List Revealed
Zelda fans are in for a treat
Following the news that the “Symphony of the Goddesses” tours were returning in 2015 on a worldwide Master Quest comes new information via NeoGAF after the concert’s arrival in Japan over the weekend. With tickets sold out, Nintendo were nice enough to broadcast it to Japanese locals via NicoNico. The good news...
Music Here's The Entire Gradius III Soundtrack In NES Style, Just Because
The remix you didn't know you needed
Gradius III was one of Konami's first releases for the SNES and took the popular shooter franchise into the 16-bit realm for the first time. As is the case with many Konami games, it featured an excellent soundtrack by Konami Kukeiha Club, the company's in-house music team. In its pure, untouched form it's a...
Video Listen to a Drummer Nail the Mario Underground Theme
More than one way to beat World 1-2
Videogame covers are found in abundance on YouTube. You have covers with acoustic guitar, covers with Mario Paint, and even covers with just a guy singing mostly "Baah!" with the tones of an angel. One piece of the cover scene that doesn't seem to get as much attention is the drums, but we thankfully have artists...
Weirdness Legendary Composer Koji Kondo Drew Inspiration From '70s Rock Bands
Smoke on the water
It's always interesting to see the progression and evolution of music through history. Most genres start out small, but have far-reaching impact; with later entrants refining and perfecting the old sound until it is nearly flawless. As any musician could attest to, inspiration is a key factor to the formation of new music - it is...
News Gunman Clive 2 Soundtrack is Now Available for Streaming and Download on Bandcamp
Wild West vibes
Gunman Clive 2 is out on the 3DS eShop today, and we're big fans in our review. It delivers high-quality gaming in various ways, and it shouldn't be overlooked that the soundtrack plays a vital role in ensuring that it's one of the best download experiences on the portable in recent times. Picking up from the Wild West vibes of the...
Poll Which Current Generation Nintendo Soundtracks Would You Buy?
Moving beyond occasional Club Nintendo giveaways
Earlier today Nintendo Europe added The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds soundtrack to Club Nintendo, which is jolly for those in the region with a load of stars to spend, but disappointing for anyone else. It continues Nintendo's slightly odd policy of creating some of the greatest soundtracks...
News The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Soundtrack Added To European Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo isn't dead yet!
Following the announcement last week that Club Nintendo is scheduled to close its doors this coming September - to be replaced by a new loyalty scheme altogether - many avid Nintendo collectors assumed this also spelled the end of updates to the rewards catalogue too. However, that does not appear to be the case. With...
News Ninja Gaiden NES Team Discusses Its Origins and Design Approach
Have a listen to composer Keiji Yamagishi's new music, too
Ninja Gaiden is one of the most challenging games on the NES, combining fast-paced action, a fantastic soundtrack and brutal difficulty to make players work hard for their success. In some respects it was also a trendsetter, with cutscenes and cinematic moments that were ahead of their time...
News Super Smash Bros. Double CD Soundtrack Listing is Revealed in Full
Will 72 tracks be enough?
We know that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS have - between them - an enormous soundtrack that represents the roster's diverse range of franchises, in addition to the Smash series itself. For those that want to enjoy the music the o
Review Mes Comptines (3DS eShop)
Straight Outta Comptines
If you know My First Songs or its sequel on the 3DS, then Mes Comptines (French for “My Rhymes" or “My Nursery Rhymes") will be very familiar territory, even with a language shift. This is the same simplistic rhythm game for small children as its predecessors, and that's really not such a bad thing. Mes Comptines comes...
News Koji Kondo Discusses Music Creation for Iconic Mario and Legend of Zelda Games
The man behind your musical childhood speaks
For those of you who don't know, Koji Kondo is the man behind some of the most iconic tracks in the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series soundtracks. The catchy and beautiful music he produced in these games during the late '80s and all throughout the '90s has remained with many throughout their...
News Composer Legend Hirokazu Tanaka Throws Down Killer Chiptune Set
Showing how it's done as Chip Tanaka
Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka has a firm place in Nintendo's musical foundation. Most prolific in the '80s and earlly '90s, some of the more memorable songs in his repertoire include the themes to Metroid and Kid Icarus, "Song B" in Tetris and "Balloon Trip" from Balloon Fight, among many other
News Koji Kondo Outlines the Importance of Music in Mario Maker
"We always want to make sure the music sounds fresh and new"
Nintendo played a prominent role during last week's début Game Awards in Las Vegas, with Reggie Fils-Aime on hand to introduce a few segments, including the well-received Legend of Zelda Wii U footage. Yet there was another prominent Nintendo figure on hand in Koji Kondo, the iconic...
News The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses - Master Quest World Tour Confirmed
Will include new music from Majora's Mask and Link Between Worlds
While there have been other musical tours and concerts to celebrate The Legend of Zelda, it's the officially-sanctioned "Symphony of the Goddesses" tours that have been widely acclaimed, which began with the 25th Anniversary celebrations and even a CD with special edition copies of...
News Image & Form Reveals That Steam Powered Giraffe is Producing the SteamWorld Heist Soundtrack
Will appear in-game, too
SteamWorld Dig, the 3DS eShop title — since ported to other platforms including Wii U — propelled Image & Form to prominence among Nintendo gamers and the wider gaming community, so there'll be plenty of attention on the upcoming SteamWorld Heist. Less a sequel and more of a spin-off, it sees the steam-driven robots...
News The 3DS Proves to Be a Popular Music Player in Japan
Exposed shoulder buttons not an issue
Contrary to the West, Japan has an app that allows 3DS owners to download and listen to music, and despite the prominence of smaller and more dedicated media devices, many Japanese gamers are taking full advantage of the system. Recently hitting 3 million downloads, RecoChoku is the app in question. The site...
Weirdness Fans of Patent Pending Song 'Hey Mario' Campaign for Radio One Airtime
Over a million views of the song's videos since last year
There are plenty of fans out there that show their love for Nintendo and its games through various means — we see art, dance, song and more. Songs aren't in short supply of course, especially those dedicated to Mario, but one band and its fans are pushing the boat out to get mainstream...
News Awesome Fan Album Metroid Cinematica Released Today
Music to our ears
A young composer by the name of Sam Dillard has been hard at work composing and compiling his tribute to the spectacular music of the Metroid series, and has announced that the album is available to download right now. The 16 tracks on offer are all based heavily on tracks from the Metroid series as you might expect, but these are...
News Rhythmic Rail Shooter Cosmophony Arriving In Europe & The Americas on 30th October
Fallen goddess
Last month it was revealed that Bento Studio’s musical rail shooter, Cosmophony, would be adapted and ported to the Wii U by Moving Player. Now, the latest announcement has revealed the upcoming Wii U eShop release will be arriving in both Europe and the Americas on 30th October, for the price of £3.49, €3.99 & $3.99...
Feature Ari Pulkkinen's Quest to Turn the Volume Up on Game Music
Music is "the biggest emotional aspect in any game"
There's surely little debating that music is absolutely integral to a video game experience. Nintendo has successfully riffed on iconic themes for decades, while still producing terrific new soundtracks in its current-day efforts that can only add to the excitement of the gameplay. This is...
News You Can Now Download The Entire Banjo-Kazooie Soundtrack For Your Listening Pleasure
And we mean the ENTIRE soundtrack
Rare's N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie is one of the best 3D platformers you're likely to find on any console, and its soundtrack was also pretty swell to boot. You can now download every piece of music contained in the game — that's 164 different tracks — over at composer Grant Kirkhope's Bandcamp page. It's not...
News Harmony of Heroes, Free Super Smash Bros. Fan Album, Launches on 4th October
101 tracks in total
Harmony of Heroes, the free fan album dedicated to the Super Smash Bros. series, has a confirmed release date of 4th October, just a day after the arrival of the 3DS title in Europe and North America. It's a large-scale project involving contributors from around the world, bringing together a grand total of 101 tracks. The lead...
