Technology gets better, graphics get better, technology gets better, graphics get better.  What happens to the music?  9 times out of 10, the music gets the shaft when all the other aspects of gameplay make quantum leaps.  The question I always ask myself is: why?

Anyway, this week I’m talking about one SNES game that stands out musically where others dropped the ball.  You’ve guessed it from the large image up there ^ and I guess… also the title of the post.  Chrono Trigger.  Man this game had it all.  It boasted a great story line, an AMAZING sound track, and one of your party members was a freaking frog!  Everything you could want in a game.

In all honesty, this game set the bar very high for video game composers in the future, and very few have come close to reaching it.  If you haven’t played Chrono Trigger or don’t remember the music, you live in a sad, sad world devoid of some of the most beautiful aural experiences ever.  Wanna see why Chrono Trigger’s music is at the top of my list? Click the jump!

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Wouldn’t ya know it? As I was writing this, Nathan managed to post the entire tracklist, but… uh… enjoy the first part of the article anyway.

With the start of E3 today, Harmonix has revealed the entire setlist for Rock Band 2 as well as a few other awesome details to secure at least 60 of my hard-earned dollars. THere will be 75 regular tracks as well as 9 bonus tracks, all of which will be master recordings. In addition RB2 will feature two debuts: AC/DC will make its first appearance in a video game and in even bigger news, a track from Guns N’ Roses (possibly) long-awaited Chinese Democracy will be a part of the setlist.

Rock Band 2 will also sport a number of other cool amenities. in addition to all DLC being cross-compatible, owners of the first iteration of the series will be able to copy those songs onto their console’s hard drive for use in Rock Band 2, saving the hassle of switching discs. In addition, despite the 84 tracks, MTV wanted to include over 100, so they will be releasing at least 20 master tracks for free via download.

If you really want to know, personal highlights from the tracklist include Journey’s “Any Way You Want It”, Beck’s “E-Pro”, Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer”, and The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”.

Low points include Panic at the Disco’s “Anything they have ever written”.

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Horray! AC/DC! It’s about damn time! And a pretty solid set overall, really. Hit the jump for the full list of 84 songs.
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Stubbs the Zombie in “Rebel Without A Pulse” and Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows will both be available on Xbox Live Monday, May 19th for 1200 Microsoft Points each. I’ve never played Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, so I don’t have an opinion about that release, but Stubbs the Zombie is definitely worth trying.

Stubbs the Zombie is one of the few original Xbox games that I really enjoyed mostly due to the game’s humorous presentation and soundtrack. Stubb’s soundtrack features covers of songs from the 50’s and 60’s by artists such as Cake, Ben Kweller, and Phantom Planet. Few things in life compare to seeing humans fleeing from zombies while listening to “If Only I Had A Brain“.

Do you guys have any experience with either game? Will you be buying either of these when they’re released on Monday? Do you get the feeling that I like Stubbs?

[via MajorNelson's Blog]

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I decided to make these two topics into one post, so the site doesn’t end up with a flooded page of Grand Theft Auto IV news, which I’m sure will happen this week no matter what.

Anyway, Xbox 360 Achievements has posted a list of all 50 achievements in GTA IV for the Xbox 360. You can view the list, but be warned, as some of them may or may not contain spoilers.

Kotaku has also posted some new details up about Grand Theft Auto IV, revealing the awesome track listing that’s included on the soundtrack of the special edition game. You can view the godly listing (Nas and Busta Rhymes, ftw) after the jump.

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The downloadable songs for Rock Band have definitely been successful, with 2.5 million sold already. While the Rock Band DLC should continue to come at a steady pace, now there’s the possibility of songs being sold in other games too:

What’s more, there’s no reason for “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” to be the only videogames that sell music. It’s only a matter of time before other games begin offering new downloadable soundtracks as well.

Titles like the “Madden” football series, the Tony Hawk skateboarding franchise and the venerable “Grand Theft Auto” games are well known for their extensive soundtracks. Offering gamers the ability to replace their soundtracks every few months after the initial release is not only technically possible with today’s new-generation consoles, but also on the horizon.

This is incredibly stupid for a number of reasons. First of all, the songs you buy in Guitar Hero III or Rock Band are specialized for those games - they are meant to be controlled by the player, and so additions like specific buttons mapped for each instrument throughout the song make them unique. However, if you bought music for most other games, I imagine it would just be like buying it from anywhere else (like iTunes) with nothing special except for it being exclusive to one game - chances are you would only be able to use it for the specific game you bought it in. That’s fine when it’s customized like in Guitar Hero III or Rock Band, but when it’s just the normal song it doesn’t seem worth it at all.

Secondly, most games allow custom soundtracks, so it makes much more sense to buy the song elsewhere and then just listen to it in the game. The article states that the ability to replace soundtracks is “not only technically possible with today’s new-generation consoles, but also on the horizon” - fortunately for us but it seems unbeknownst to them, it’s already here. Buying music for a specific game when you could instead buy it for use anywhere, including that game, is just plain dumb. However, Electronic Arts worldwide head of music Steve Schnur seems to think it’s actually a good idea, saying “that’s certainly something we’re interested in.” Unfortunately for him, I don’t think anyone else shares that interest (unless they stand to profit).

[Reuters, via Evil Avatar]

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IGN has the full list of every song initially available in Rock Band, although there are some as yet unrevealed tracks that can be unlocked and there will be even more through downloadable content. However, while we may not know those tracks, here is the complete licensed track list revealed so far, organized by year:

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Halo 3 has an amazing score, and soon you’ll be able to listen to it without even having to play the game. Sumthing Distribution, who also released the Halo 1 and Halo 2 soundtracks, says on their site that the Halo 3 Original Soundtrack will be available on November 20th. However, you can already pre-order it from Amazon.com, so if you want to make sure you get it immediately after it’s released go ahead and order it now. It’s only $12.99 for 2 CDs, and should be well worth it:

From the most successful entertainment launch in history, comes the most anticipated video game soundtrack of the holiday season. Bungie created a new variation on the Game’s musical themes this time around. Martin O’Donnell, Bungie’s composer incorporated a full live orchestra and chorus which goes “above and beyond” what they’ve done in the past.

If you’ve played any Halo 3 you should already know that this will be an amazing soundtrack, with Martin O’Donnell doing a great job as usual.

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