Memorable Melodies: Zinogre Theme from Monster Hunter Portable 3rd

Song: Zinogre Theme

Game: Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (Also every iteration after it)

Composer: Masato Kouda

I started playing Monster Hunter a few years ago when Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate came out. Somehow I ended up falling in love with the series and have been playing it ever since. It's an odd series, which is definitely not for everyone. It has a high barrier to entry, and has a lot of repetition. What's cool about it is that each one of the monsters you fight is wholly unique. They have their own patterns and movements that you need to learn in order to take them down effectively. That's why I tend to describe Monster Hunter as a series of boss fights. 

Like their abilities and looks each monster also has a unique theme. There are tons of themes to choose from, but the one I always think about it the theme of the Zinogre. It's a crazy electric wolf and I love fighting it. Not only is it one of my favorite monsters in the series, but its theme is great too. It's appropriately intense, and always makes me feel like I'm taking part in an epic struggle with the beast.

Here's a picture of a Zinogre for reference:

Memorable Melodies: Tender Glow from I am Setsuna

Song: Tender Glow

Game: I am Setsuna

Composer: Tomoki Miyoshi

I have an undying love for Super Nintendo RPGs. Chrono Trigger is my absolute favorite game of all time. The characters and the adventure that they went on will stay with me forever. For some reason modern JRPGs just don't do it for me like they used to. I can't explain it, but something is missing.

Square-Enix put together a new studio called Tokyo RPG factory to try and make Super Nintendo era RPGs on modern consoles. Their first project 'I am Setsuna' released in the United States this past Tuesday as a digital only title. I am around ten hours into the game and am enjoying it a whole bunch. It has the same ATB battle system as Chrono Trigger, so it was an automatic buy for me.

However, more than the direct nods to Chrono Trigger it actually does feel like a SNES RPG. The story is simple, but the characters have a lot of heart. They may not all be as fleshed out as I'd like, but I can see what the writers were going for. On top of that it's not a sprawling game and is supposed to clock in at around 20 hours of play time. 

I read an interview with the director of the game and remember him saying that the overall theme of the game is sadness. This definitely comes across, because everything in the game is fairly sullen. To add to that effect the entire game takes place over a series of snowy islands. So while the snow is falling slowly on the land the thing that puts the somber feel over the top is the piano only soundtrack. At first I thought it would be grating, but now I actually kind of like it.

There's something about walking slowly through a town in a light snowfall while slow piano music plays i n the background. It's weird, because it doesn't make me sad, but instead makes me very reflective. As I play through the game I can't help but think back on games like Chrono Trigger and it makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy. Tokyo RPG Factory hit the SNES feels for me, and Tender Glow is one of the songs from the game that actively makes me feel right at home. 

Podcast Episode 17 - Crowdfunding and Video Games

In the 17th episode of Game Time With Manny I talk a lot about crowdfunding and various video games that have come out of it. There are  a ton, but I focus on a select few.

I discuss what it takes to have a successful Kickstarter (Shovel Knight), and how to totally botch it (Mighty No. 9). People often don't know how much money and time it takes to create a video game, so I try to shed some light on that as well.

Memorable Melodies: Map Music from Yoshi's Island

Song: Map Music (Not the actual name)

Game: Yoshi's Island

Composer: Koji Kondo

I have always, and will always have a place in my heart for Yoshi's Island. It's one of the few video games from my childhood that I have vivid memories of. Long before The Ocarina of Time doomed me to play video games for all of eternity I rented SNES games from the local Video King. On multiple occasions I picked up Yoshi's Island and tried to get Baby Mario home!

It controls like a dream, and has a distinct sense of style. We're here today to praise its music though. I love almost every song in Yoshi's Island, but its map theme sticks out to me the most. After every stage you're thrust back to the map screen so that you can pick a new stage. This wonderful music plays every time, so you hear it quite frequently. It never quite gets stale though, because it changes as you advance. Each new world adds a new layer to the song. 

If you listen from the beginning you can hear the central theme. Then the weird bongo beat makes its way into the song. Each following addition is subtle, but in the end you get what sounds like a full band playing the tune. It's a really cool effect that I think adds a lot to this otherwise simplistic song.