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Kenogu Labz

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Posts posted by Kenogu Labz

    Anime

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    You should all check out Monster by Naoki Urasawa as it's a masterpiece within video/animation as a whole. Seemingly a hidden gem as it gets overshadowed by more mainstream anime such as Death Note and Attack on Titan, it fits into a similar genre as a suspense/mystery/action/drama story. The English dub is one of very few which is almost as good (if not better) as its Japanese counterpart in voice over/dialogue. It's not all that long either, roughly doubling Death Note's 37 episodes at 74 episodes. You realize it's split into two acts after watching it through; I bring this up because the first act (37 episodes) has a slower pacing which tends to scare people off who aren't willing to invest as opposed to the immediate pay off of its comparable in Death Note. All the same, it is vastly superior (at least in my opinion) and well worth the slow burn. Read the synopsis below.

    As a side note, it's also being turned into a live action TV series so you know it's great!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_%28manga%29 (Don't read too much it'll spoil all the great twists!)

    I can double this recommendation. It's probably a good approximation to 'The Fugitive', really. Only problem is that I don't think it's available for streaming anymore, and I don't even know if there's any physical copies to be found.

    Your "feels" VGM

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Thanks for the continued responses guys!

    I'm now specifically looking for the following:

    • tense/anxious songs similar in feeling to this song but doesn't have to have the same "sound."
    • danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
      )
    • angry/lashing out songs that aren't malicious (no example for this womp womp)

    edit: VGM still of course :)

    Lesse... the angry category is gonna be tough to hit, so I'll just throw in examples that I think fit; perhaps you can use those to narrow the search?

    • (A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda) - This may match the tense and danger aspects, but might also be a bit too aggressive in that second half.
    • ,
      (The Banner Saga) - Not really matching the more precise tension of the Deus Ex linked above; despite that, these tracks from the Banner Saga build tension excellently.
    • , Burning Orphanage (Chrono Cross) - Isle of the Dead is a bit mechanically tense, while Burning Orphanage might fit within your danger specs quite nicely.
    • (Crimsonshroud) - Classic Hitoshi Sakimoto; a lot of his slower tracks have latent tension strung throughout, and this is a prime example.
    • ,
      ,
      ,
      ,
      ,
      (Dark Void) - Okay, this whole soundtrack is 100% fantastic, but these tracks are likely the most relevant. All lean on the danger side; 'The Collector' miiiight fit with the angry motif, though I can't really say it's not malicious; while 'The Watcher Airship' definitely leans towards tense. But seriously, check out the whole soundtrack; there's several other that probably fit here, too.
    • (Final Fantasy Tactics) - I think this may fit the danger without combat theme.
    • ,
      (Final Fantasy XIII) - 'The Hanging Edge' is masterful tension-wise. 'No Way to Live' might actually be the first one here that really fits 'lashing out without malice'.
    • ,
      ,
      (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn) - 'One Blood' and 'Thunderer' can probably channel danger quite well. 'From Fear to Fortitude' might fit for anger.
    • (Gods Will be Watching) - An interesting tension piece. Like much of the soundtrack, it's got HEAVY bitcrushing and compression, so may not suit everyone's tastes.
    • ,
      ,
      (HydoraH) - 'Warcore' has some degree of tension; 'Red Eden' is mildly dangerous; and 'No Mercy' likely fits the anger category.
    • Lycanthropy (Killer Instinct 2014) - This fits beautifully into the 'gotta run away' category.
    • ,
      ,
      ,
      (The Last Remnant) - 'Flamedrop' and 'Turn the Tide' could be in your 'lashing out' category; 'Unrelenting Advance' is quite dangerous (except for that last bit), and 'Everflow' is high-tension. Tsuyoshi Sekito is really, REALLY good at writing combat tracks (most of which are pretty aggressive), but he also does quite well with technical-sounding dungeon themes. The Last Remnant is chock-full of 'em, so may be worth looking at for more examples.
    • ,
      ,
      (Magnetic by Nature) - This soundtrack ooozes tension and anxiety.
    • ,
      (The Spirit Engine 2) - Two more high-anxiety tracks.
    • Anxiety, Panic, Escape (Xenosaga Episode I) - These track names speak for themselves, haha.

    Your "feels" VGM

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hmm I don't follow this one like you do. I think I lost you around the anger -> despair/terror transition.

    The despair enters in at around the last minute of the song; a repeat of the motif with a suspenseful and abrupt finality. The closest thing it brings to mind is someone so desperate that they walk into a trap; that section would be the despair closing in as they realize what they've done.

    I'm not sure what I feel from "Burning Man". It's got that creepy vibe from it but I'm not sure what it leads to. "Are You Coming Home, Love MOM" gives me a sense of dread and tension. The title is particularly interesting to me. I feel like if I played the game I would understand the track more.

    Trust me, that game probably won't help you understand it much, either, hahah.

    Your "feels" VGM

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Kenogu Labz

    Huh.

    I hadn't really thought of this before, but of all artists, Yoko Shimomura may be one of the best at conveying emotion effectively to me, even if only in select songs.

    • (Kingdom Hearts) - I haven't played these games, but this track just resounds with... I think the best way to describe it is 'loss'. Never fails to move me.
    • (Legend of Mana) - I HAVE played Legend of Mana, and for very similar reasons to the previous one, this track emanates loss. Having the story's context for this one really brings it home, though.
    • Going Through the Flame (Legend of Mana) - Another one from Legend of Mana, tied to another storyline from the game. This one's less directly about loss, but more along the lines of a tragedy (in the traditional sense).

    Yasunori Mitsuda definitely gets added to this list. Doug nailed one with 'People Seized with Life'; one of the most moving songs he's ever written. Also excellent from him:

    • (Xenosaga I) - Another tragedy-centric song. Actually feels very similar to a lot of Shimomura's work.
    • (Xenogears) - This one feels more specifically like grieving, not just a general sadness.

    And for a few miscellaneous other songs:

    • and
      (Etrian Odyssey IV) - The vast unknown; a wild, unexplored land. Kicks in a thirst for exploration. Many of this game's overworld and dungeon themes have similar impact.
    • ,
      and
      (Fez) - This game and this soundtrack. Never have I been more surprised in my life. These tracks in particular channel intense nostalgia, but the soundtrack as a whole encompasses an incredible breadth of emotion. It's always a journey to listen to.
    • Ending Theme (Final Fantasy VIII) - This was the first Final Fantasy game I ever finished, and the ending sticks with me to this day, leading from tension and despair to relief, triumph, and tenderness. (See also:
      )
    • ,
      , and
      (Frozen Synapse) - These songs actually tend to lead to detachment, cold and critical action. Immediately puts me in mind of highly technical or mechanical operations.
    • (Jamestown) - This track moves from intensity to sadness, pushing on to anger, and finally to full-on despair or terror. The effectiveness of the transitions between these emotions really makes this one shine.
    • and
      (World of Goo) - The same motif, first used with near-horror connotations, then moving to the resolution of that horror into grief.

    Final Fantasy XV

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [...] a franchise that has had 2 failed MMO's and only one solid game since its 9th endeavor.

    Wait wait, what? XI and XIV: A Realm Reborn have both been wild successes, if I'm not mistaken. Only XIV flopped, and for good reason, and even that was fully redeemed by an absolutely superb team and localization.

    Final Fantasy XV

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I don't think he necessarily means as a lead character, but a major character. There's been TONS of major female characters in Final Fantasy (Rosa, Rydia, Terra, Celes, Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie, Rinoa, Garnet, Yuna, Lightning, etc etc) that you can have in your party. There are TONS of RPGs with female characters that if not in lead position have some importance to the story and in your party as playable. Its so much the norm, I can't think of a single game off the top of my head that has an all male cast.

    This one seems to be focusing around 4 male characters in battle and that's pretty much it... now, this could be just the beginning of the game and things change later on, but it is an oddity to not have any female in battle at all right from the beginning. FF has been doing it since at least FF2, if not the first game depending on your opinion of the gender of the White mage.

    Its not a game breaker obviously, but it is REALLY strange.

    So far, this game seems to be going for a FF8 / 13 style with its design and characters, which I'm not a super fan of either one of those games.

    I still have hopes that it'll be good based on the KH team working on it, but I really really wish they would stop trying to impress us with graphic tech demos.

    NOBODY CARES SQUARE, show us more of the gameplay / battle mechanics / story, etc. I don't care that you've figured out how to do rain and lighting (woop de doo, welcome to modern graphics?) I don't care about 4 guys driving around in a realistic car, looking at "realistic" environments. The only interesting parts in those clips are the enemies, and they don't even fight them in the 15 mins that pass.

    The focus on graphics is what's been holding BACK your games as of late. STOoooooop

    They've already convinced me they could do weather in A Realm Reborn. <3

    So yeah, more gameplay would be nice. If I recall correctly, XIII's development had similar progression where they were still working out the combat very late in the development cycle. Here's hoping this is a bit more settled, and the footage selection is simply misguided.

    Glad I kept the old files...

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    The removed remixes were not removed as a matter of panel taste. They were removed because they did not meet the standards all arrangements on the site are held to. The one you mentioned in particular was removed because:

    OCR00870 - GoldenEye 007 'Symphonic Caverns'

    Reason: Too similar to the original. Author requested removal.

    See the FAQ and the ReMix Changelog for more details.

    This isn't a personal vendetta against your tastes: it's just the standard application of the submission standards.

    Final Fantasy XV

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    If they made a game based on the movie Hitch and called it Final Fantasy XVI it would be as legit of a FF as any of the other games. That's actually not half bad, a romantic comedy FF? I'd buy it.

    I thought that was VIII. :P

    And surprisingly enough, Spirits Within is actually kinda close thematically to a lot of the big FFs, mostly pertaining to dual and/or merging worlds. Probably closest in similarity to FF IX, though the dual world theme carries over to many of the other games as well (V comes to mind).

    Anyway, definitely looking forward to this entry, especially since I tend to be fairly immune to many of the... standard stranger Japanese tropes and plot holes. The setting feels like a breath of fresh air, if it turns out as it appears. A great blend of modern casual/streamlined tech and fantasy austerity.

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