2009-02-24
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4: The Next Generation - Movies So Bad They HAD To Reboot the Series
Renée Zellweger? Matthew McConaughey? If Hostel is considered torture porn, then Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is torture romantic comedy.
Oddly enough, the limp-wristed Leatherface was not carried over in the reboot.Labels: movies
2009-02-17
Die Another Day: Movies So Bad They HAD to Reboot the Series
Here's the first of a new line of articles I'm writing over at Bucket Bros called Movies So Bad They HAD to Reboot the Series: Die Another Day.
I'd quote a line from the article, but a picture says a thousand words. Let's just say I'm really, really mean to Halle Berry and leave it at that.
Labels: movies
2009-02-06
Download Free Video Game Soundtracks Legally
Video game soundtracks used to exist only in the anime-postered realms those obsessed or wealthy enough to import them from Japan. Now they're being given away for free. Below is a list of video game soundtracks you can download legally, without Johnny Law busting down your door.Note: This is very much a work in process, so come back for more and leave comments if you see I've missed anything.
Wolfquest original soundtrack | Added 2010-01-30
"Now you can listen to that theme and the complete game soundtrack, created by multi-talented musician and composer Tim Buzza!" Who is Tim Buzza you ask? Check the download, and get to know a little piece of his soul.
The Lord of the Rings Online Soundtrack | Added 2010-01-30
"These 61 songs from The Lord of the Rings Online... It features compositions from acclaimed video game composer Chance Thomas as well as original songs from Turbine." If you bought the Special Edition of LotRO, you probably remember getting a free CD soundtrack. But did you know they decided to release an even bigger soundtrack for free? So much for being special.
Greed: Black Border original soundtrack | Added 2010-01-30
An action RPG set in a futuristic universe. The tale of tough as nails space marines and the weary audience that endures them.
Warcraft 3 | Added 2009-05-19
Blizzard released sixteen MP3s from the Warcraft 3 Soundtrack.
Stargunner Soundtrack | Added 2009-05-19
"Originally when released, the Stargunner CD had CD audio on it which could be played in a regular CD player, or the game could read said audio tracks in the game. We are releasing the music in mp3 format for you to enjoy."
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay Soundtrack | Added 2009-05-19
To promote the Vin Diesel vehicle, Vivendi Universal Games released the Escape From Butcher Bay soundtrack on their website.
Warhammer: Dawn of War 2 Soundtrack | Added 2009-05-19
The sounds... of war!
Children of the Nile Soundtrack | Added 2009-05-19
Here's something different: An Egyptian-themed soundtrack from Tilted Mill Entertainment, makers of Hinterland.
Men of Valor
"Inon Zur conducted and recorded his score for Men Of Valor with Hollywood A-List musicians on the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios, the world famous scoring stage named after Clint Eastwood."
Quest Studio's Sierra Adventure Games! | Added 2009-02-24
King's Quest. Space Quest. Quest for Glory. This site is a gold mine, a veritable national treasure of great game music. Fifty odd soundtracks are available as both midi and enhanced arrangements saved as .OGG or .MP3 files. And if you're the lazy type like me, they have downloadable soundtrack CD's with album art. Long live Quest Studios!
Dungeons & Dragons Online | Added 2009-02-17
Know what inspired this article? A search for background music suitable for a role-play game. (Not that I actually have a pen & paper RPG I need music for, I just have... issues.) So it's only fitting that today I'm adding 21 free 'n legal tracks for Dungeons & Dragons Online. Those expecting the usual fantasy tripe need look no further than track 21, "Behold the Beholder," a boldly named song which sounds as if 
it was performed by Maynard G. Krebs (look it up).
it was performed by Maynard G. Krebs (look it up).Rare Soundtracks (ha-ha-ha!) | Added 2009-02-16
In addition to single-handedly keeping Nintendo alive through the mid-to-late 90s, Rare has released some awesome game soundtracks on their site. Everything from Kameo: Elements Of Power, Viva Piñata to classics like Jet Force Gemini and Conker's Bad Fur Day. You can even listen to everyone's favorite game, Grabbed By The Ghoulies.
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System | Added 2009-02-14
A rock-solid Ratchet and Clank type game with a likable main character wielding an arsenal of insano weapons and a multiplayer deathmatch that came close to rivaling Goldeneye 007. Too bad the name "Metal Arms" was so damn generic, people probably though it was a Metal Gear/Wild Arms spinoff, and so much of the game taking place in dark, dingy mines probably didn't help. Still, they were nice enough to release the soundtrack, which is filled with techno tunage.
The Longest Journey - The Complete Soundtrack
This was tied with Grim Fandango as the "last real adventure game." There are 32 tracks by composer Bjørn Arve Lagim and 4 by Tor Linløkken. (Two composers with names containing my favorite monophthongal close-mid front rounded vowel!) The music tends to be a wintery, isolated and slightly spooky movie score, but there's some variety thrown in there for good measure.
OC ReMix: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Official Soundtrack
A group of video game music remixers actually worked with Capcom on this official soundtrack. The download is provided in both high quality MP3 and lossless FLAC.
Bully (eMusic account required)
I don't know much about it, because I let my eMusic trial expire after shrewdly downloading numerically favorable four-track fifty-minute New Age albums, but if it's anything like the game, it's probably great.
Auto Assault
Failed post-apocalyptic vehicular combat MMORPG. The game is gone, the soundtrack lives on.
World of Goo Soundtrack
Some tracks sound like Tim Burton is sneaking through your living room while Danny Elfman sprinkles skull-shaped candies on the carpet, others like a seedy, possibly haunted greasy spoon cafe, and then there's the Worms-esque silly marches. Very cool background noise. I'm going to play this when writing whimsy.Time Crisis 4 tracks
And I quote: "This is the official collection fo songs from the soundtrack of Time Crisis 4 composed by Takeshi Miura for the arcade game. "
Bone Episode 1 & 2 Soundtracks
Telltale is sort of like Quintein Tarrintino, only instead of bringing back classic 70s exploitation flicks, they're single-handedly reviving the point-and-click adventure. Look, forget Tarrintino, just enjoy these thirteen tracks from Episode 1: Out From Boneville and ten from Episode 2: The Great Cow Race, along with notes from the composer. A Bone fan from their forums even made up a couple of printable CD sleeves!
Universe at War OST
Happy Holidays! Frank Klepacki was nice enough to release this three disc monster just in time for Christmas. I've never played Universe At War, but the title sounds pretty epic. And the soundtrack's pretty epic too, weighing in at approximately 42,000 tracks of pure techno warzone awesome.
The Spirit Engine Original Soundtrack
A freeware RPG with a freeware soundtrack! Who'da thunkit?
The Spirit Engine 2 - Selections
Full soundtrack's $16, but this album of "selections" is free. Consider it shareware soundtrack.
TimeSplitters 1-3 & Second Sight Original Soundtracks
Update: Good news! Free Radical's website is still online. That means you can grab the full soundtrack to TimeSplitters 2, Second Sight and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, complete with printable CD insert artwork (in both US and European versions)! Now that's classy as San Diego. Completionists might want to check out the slightly less than legal fan-made TimeSplitters MusicBox and TimeSplitters Game Music for a few missing tracks. (Or better yet, check out composer Graeme Norgate's page for bonus Blast Corps and Goldeneye 007 MP3s.)
Beyond Good & Evil - Official Soundtrack
Seriously? Beyond Good & Evil has a free soundtrack and no one ever told me about it? That's what I said, and that's probably what you're saying right now. So, we have that much in common. You doing anything later?
Linger in Darkness
If you want your kid to grow up to be a successful composer, bet name him Wojciech. Dracula's killer soundtrack was by Wojciech Kilar, and now a new Wojciech, Wojciech Golczewski, is taking the world by storm with his Linger in Darkness soundtrack. No, not literally. That'd be crazy. He'd require a storm-making machine or something, and a reall big one. Thank goodness he's happy with figurative storms, or we'd all be doomed. Linger in Darkness's soundtrack is sort of like an instrumental from NIN's The Fragile mixed with violiny action music. A bonus track from Plastic's "Into the Pink" soundtrack makes this 30MB download worth it.
Note: Before finishing this article, I did one last search and found out IGN had the exact same idea just one month ago. Luckily, there's very little overlap, so head over there and check them out for more guilt-free soundtracks.
Labels: videogames
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