The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Season 2 Tour Announced. Atlanta, San Francisco, Montreal, LA, Austin, Philadelphia, Toronto, Seattle, Baltimore, Grand Rapids Through October 2013

Awesome Zelda: Skyward Sword artwork!

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Tour 2 has been announced! This orchestral show of symphonic Zelda music will be coming to symphonies across the nation and Canada throughout 2013, from April through October! There will be a total of 10 shows! If any more are added I’ll update this page!

Here is the entire Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Concert from West Palm Beach Florida At the Kravis Center of the Performing Arts on December 11 2012!

If you have the means, then DEFINITELY check out one of the upcoming concerts! You will NOT be disappointed! :D And if you have seen the show before, then you STILL should attend, because new music will be added to shows in returning cities! HUZZAH! Also don’t forget to look forward to the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds Symphony Orchestra Concerts in 2013 as well! I will hopefully be able to attend BOTH in California!

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Symphony Orchestra 2013 Tour Dates Season 2

JUNE 2013
* Atlanta, Georgia on June 6th – @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
* San Francisco, California on June 10th – @ Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
* Los Angeles, California on June 12th – @ Greek Theatre
* Montreal, Quebec Canada on June 14th – @ Place des Arts
* Austin, Texas on June 29th – @ Long Center

JULY 2013
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 25th – @ The Mann Center For the Performing Arts
* Baltimore, Maryland on July 27th – @ Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

SEPTEMBER 2013
* Toronto, Ontario Canada on September 7th – @ Sony Centre For the Performing Arts
* Seattle, Washington State on September 12th – @ Benaroya Hall

OCTOBER 2013
* Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 19th – @ Devos Performance Hall

Here’s the entire Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Nintendo World New York Store Concert Event Video!

Press Release
By popular demand, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert series is returning with “Season 2” to eight cities from last year’s tour and is coming soon to even more locations in North America. Based on one of the most popular and beloved video game series of all time, the tour features live orchestral performances of theme music from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda franchise.

This is what it looks like in person!

The newly announced The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Season 2 Tour Dates include: Atlanta Georgia on June 6th @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre; San Francisco California on June 10th @ Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall; L.A. on June 12th @ The Greek Theatre; Montreal Quebec Canada on June 14th @ Place des Arts; Austin Texas on June 29th @ Long Center; Philadelphia Pennsylvania on July 25th @ The Mann Center For the Performing Arts; Baltimore Maryland on July 27th @ Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall; Toronto Ontario Canada on September 7th @ Sony Centre For the Performing Arts; Seattle Washington State on September 12th @ Benaroya Hall; And Grand Rapids Michigan on October 19th @ Devos Performance Hall!

In cities where the tour will be returning, audiences can expect to experience breathtaking new material exploring additional chapters from The Legend of Zelda franchise, along with traditional performances of the show’s now-classic repertoire from last season.

The name “Symphony of the Goddesses” refers not only to the concert program but also to the four-movement symphony recounting the classic storylines from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The performance also will highlight orchestral renditions of music from other games in the series, including The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

Eímear Noone will conduct the full orchestra with arrangements by music director Chad Seiter, and the evening will be hosted by concert producer and lead creative Jeron Moore.

Guests will relish their favorite moments from the now-27-year-old series, carefully and beautifully timed with a gorgeous orchestral score approved by Nintendo sound director and Zelda franchise composer Koji Kondo. The concert is a festive experience for all walks of fans, many of whom attend “cosplaying” as their favorite characters.

“The demand for Zelda is amazing, and this special concert will deliver an unforgettable experience for fans,” notes Jason Michael Paul, CEO of Jason Michael Paul Productions, which is producing the concert tour. “These performances transcend culture and geography and unite people through a common love for this venerable and legendary series.”

Fans can view a complete tour schedule with ticketing information, and also sign up for a regularly updated digital newsletter, at Zelda Symphony.com. Club Nintendo members can enjoy an exclusive 15 percent discount to the show by logging into their accounts and looking for the discount code on the Symphony of the Goddesses banner. Consumers that are not Club Nintendo members can join for free at Club Nintendo. Exclusive concert packs also are available at select GameStop locations.

I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to attend this concert series. I previously attended the VideoGamesLive Concert Symphony Orchestra and it was INCREDIBLE. One of the best music experiences I’ve ever had. This year I hope to attend not only Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses but also the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds concerts, both of which will be in California this summer. I live in Phoenix, Arizona, so it’s not unreasonable to drive to my neighboring state to check out the concert! I hope you can make it! Time for me to get a job NOW and start saving! :D

 

2013 Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds Symphony Orchestra Concert Schedule April-July (Summer). Vancouver (Canada), Atlanta (USA), Vienna (Austria), Buenos Aires (Argentina), San Diego (California), Hong Kong (China)

The 2013 Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds Symphony Orchestra concert tour is headed to many countries this summer, including the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Asia. These include stops in the USA, Canada, Austria, Argentina, and Hong Kong! Cities include: Vancouver, Atlanta, Vienna, Buenos Aires, San Diego and Hong Kong!

Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds 2013 Symphony Orchestra Concert Tour Dates

* Vancouver, British Columbia Canada on April 24th @ Orpheum Theatre
* Atlanta, Georgia on June 7th & 8th @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
* Vienna, Austria on June 14th & 15th @ Wiener Konzerthaus
* Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 20th @ Teatro Gran Rex
* San Diego, California on July 18th @ Embarcadero Marina Park South
* Hong Kong, China on July 27th & 28th @ Asia-World Expo, Chek Lap Kok Airport

Here is the entire Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds London November 5 2011 show video!

If you’ve never heard of Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds, the orchestra concert was launched in conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of Final Fantasy, this concert production features the music of one of the greatest RPG videogame franchises of all time from legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu. The concerts are performed by symphony orchestra, choir, and renowned vocal and instrumental soloists, under the direction of Grammy Award-winner and acclaimed conductor Arnie Roth. With HD video direct from the Final Fantasy game developers Square Enix projected onto giant screens throughout the concerts, a rapidly growing repertoire of classic Final Fantasy music, and an extraordinary fan base, Distant Worlds is a unique multimedia concert experience every time!

 

Videogame Photo of the Day – Epic Cosplay Pretty Samus Cool Link Metroid Zelda Zero Suit Photo

Absolutely perfect! Sexy and cool!

Epic cosplay of sexy Zero Suit Samus and cool Link (Zelda, Metroid), Zero Suit Samus in particular is absolutely gorgeous and totally hot, while Link looks awesome and their costumes are PERFECT.

This is easily one of the best and one of the coolest cosplays I’ve ever seen. Totally epic!

Here’s a cute Zero Suit Samus Girl (Lara) video playing Metroid Ending Theme Remix on Violin! :D

 

Retro Review: SNES F-Zero (Also On Wii Virtual Console)

The futuristic artwork for the first F-Zero game.

Read my entire SNES F-Zero review here.

 

Retro Review: SNES Donkey Kong Country (Also On GBA, Wii Virtual Console, GBC)

The greatest hits million seller box art for this SNES classic.

Read my entire SNES Donkey Kong Country review here.

 

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers 3DS Soundtrack CD Special Edition Release Date Is April 16 2013

Awesome. 3DS fans should be very happy with this RPG package!

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers will be released on April 16th 2013 exclusively for 3DS, and will get a special edition version that includes a Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers soundtrack CD! Available while supplies last.

The Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers soundtrack CD will include arranged versions of the most beautiful musical themes from throughout the game. This is a great continuation from Atlus, the publisher, who typically offered soundtrack CDs along with the special editions of their previous RPG releases for the original DS, so it’s great to see them continuing that tradition on Nintendo current 3DS portable.

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers was originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1997 (on the tenth anniversary of the first Shin Megami Tensei title, “Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei” released in 1987 for the Japanese NES/Famicon) and has never been released in America! It is the sequel to the original Saturn title “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner” (the first series created exclusively for Saturn), which has never been released in America in any form.

Now though we are getting the sequel in a new version for 3DS subtitled “Soul Hackers”. Hopefully this game will sell well, if it does we’ll likely get a new 3DS version of the first game as well. I should mention that two PS2 sequels to Devil Summoner 1 and Soul Hackers were released for PS2 (and localized into English), called “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army” (2006) and “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon” (2009).

Fans of Persona, Nocturne, Atlus previous Shin Megami 3DS title, “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked” and other Shin Megami Tensei and Atlus RPGs will definitely want to keep their eyes out for this title.

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is a spin-off in the Shin Megami Tensei series. It features the same themes fans expect like occult themes, the ability to befriend enemies, a deep story and complex gameplay, although this title is meant to be easier to grasp than former games in the series and has an easier difficulty.

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers 3DS synopsis:
Never before released in America, Soul Hackers delivers a first-person, dungeon-crawling RPG experience set in a future where technology and otherworldly forces meet in a macabre fusion of cyberpunk futurism and gothic horror. A first-person sci-fi RPG epic, Soul Hackers tells of a city held up as a beacon of humanity’s triumph of technology, but with an infernal secret. In this would-be utopia, a group of hackers takes on a centuries-old mystic society, and a battle for control over humanity’s fate is about to begin.

In the classic tradition of Shin Megami Tensei, players will have the compelling choice throughout their dungeon exploration to fight the enemy demons they encounter, or negotiate with them in an attempt to turn them into allies and teammates. Soul Hackers on 3DS includes access to 30 additional demons, a new opening animation movie and theme song, improved controls, and quicker loading times. Additionally players can use the 3DS’ bottom screen as an auto-mapping function, and engage a COMP hack to change difficulty levels on the fly and fill out maps without walking through. After clearing the game initially, the 3DS version of Soul Hackers also delivers an extra dungeon, where players will witness the appearance of Raidou Kuzunoha from the previous Devil Summoner games.

Key features of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers 3DS
* In a society originated from a bizarre marriage of technology and demon-ology, an unleashed evil-borne of an inconvenient truth-threatens to bring an end not just to the deceptive harmony, but to mankind itself.
* Improved graphics marry with extensive voice acting, a host of technical enhancements, and 3D dungeon exploration to make Soul Hackers a natural fit to the Nintendo 3DS.
* Portable COMP units allow players to tap into the tech-heavy world and can be upgraded to offer new features and abilities.
* In tandem with tech, demons can be recruited (through negotiation), leveled, and even fused, giving the player new summoning potential in battle.

 

Epic Videogame Metal With Charlie Parradelriego – Skyrim: The Dragonborn Comes

Shout that Dragonborn rage!

Today’s epic videogame metal song video of the day by charlieparradelriego is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Dragonborn Comes!

This is the ultimate song of epicness. The familiar theme you will likely recognize if you’ve heard any media from Skyrim is a given a very awesome metal twist with Charlie’s version. This video just fills you with feelings of pure awesome and this song is just so so SO beautiful. You gotta love it!

Be sure to check out Charlie Parradelriego’s Music BandCamp Page and support his incredible music!

 

Kraids Lair Symphonic Metal Remix By ULTRANOMICON. Most Badass Metroid NES Remix Ever

An absolutely awesome, fitting Metroid art piece to go along with the phenomenal music.

This Metroid Kraid’s Lair Symphonic Metal Remix by Ultranomicon is one of the most badass remixes I have EVER heard.

It quite simply needs to be listened to to be believed. Check out the song below. You will NOT be disappointed. *mind blown*

Thanks to Phobos-Romulus On DeviantArt for the awesome Metroid Kraid’s Lair wallpaper, be sure to check out his new Final Round Graphic Novel Kickstarter Project and support it!

Also be sure to check out the Ultranomicon Myspace and support this awesome band!

 

On the Cutting Room Floor – Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion For N64 (Episode 11)

Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is the oft-forgotten N64-exclusive sequel to Turok 2.

Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion for Nintendo 64 is Episode 11 of On the Cutting Room Floor (Games I’m Longing to Play). Turok 3 marks a little-known, oft-forgotten, somewhat rare N64 sequel that few gamers played and even fewer remember. It was released on August 30th 2000 exclusively for the N64 as the sequel to the beastly Turok 2, which was itself sequel to the original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

After a very long, sad, hiatus, I am back with my original series of “On the Cutting Room Floor” articles. I never meant to take a break for as long as I did (the last entry I did was in early July!) but it feels good to be back. :)

If you know me, you know that there are TONS AND TONS of videogames I’ve never played. Sadly, although I consider myself to be a “hardcore” gamer, I really am not compared to most “gamers”. The reason for that is because, unlike other more productive people, I can never seem to find the time to play games. Period.

So I thought it would be fun to go through some of the games I’d LOVE to play and still plan on playing someday, but never have up to this point and why I want to play them. Hopefully I’ll play through them in the near future. :)

EPISODE #11 – Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
Released: 2000
System: N64
Re-Released: No
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developed By: Acclaim Studios Austin (Formerly Iguana Entertainment… I think)
Publisher: Acclaim
Is There A Digital Version?: No. I highly doubt there ever will be… though there should be already!

The Turok series of the late-90s greatly helped to propel the Nintendo 64 into a first-person shooter fans dream-console, alongside other high-profile console FPS games like GoldenEye 007, Doom 64, Duke Nukem 64, Quake 64, and Perfect Dark (among others).

A sealed Nintendo 64 copy of the awesome Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

These games also helped to rewrite what to expect from the FPS genre in the days where first-person shooters were known as “Doom Clones”, and greatly changed the game. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (February 28 1997), Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (October 21 1998), Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion (August 30 2000), Turok: Rage Wars (October 31 1999), GoldenEye 007 (August 25 1997), and Perfect Dark (May 22 2000) are the title that literally redefined the definition of what a first-person shooter could be, away from dungeon corridor crawling games and into more of a sprawling adventure-style.

In the process they also rewrote what to expect from both a single-player and multiplayer console FPS, in the days before the Internet on consoles.

Awesome black-bordered European Turok 2: Seeds of Evil N64 box art.

Both Turok 1 and Turok 2 were huge smash successes for the N64, however Turok 3, while recieving favorable reviews (but not spectacular scores) is not a well-remembered game and many people forget that they even made a third Turok title (not to mention Turok: Rage Wars, a multiplayer-only title that I won’t even get into).

Sadly, I myself have never even played Turok 3, nor seen it been played, nor have I ever bought it. Literally all I know about the game is what I can recall from reading about it in EGM magazine. What I do remember is that the game has you playing as one of two different characters. A male or a female, the sons and daughter of the Native American hero from the original Turok game. You know the one, of “I AM TUROK!” fame.

Each of the characters has their own special abilities (I recall one of them can fit into small spaces) and I believe they each have their own different campiaign as well as their own unique weapons that they gain access too.

Obviously, I could look the game up and find all of this information out, but Turok 3 still represents a game I want to play for myself. Since I know nothing about it, I want to hold the surprises for whenever I pick the game up and pop it into the system myself. Which is why Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion has made my “On the Cutting Room Floor” list.

To this day I am a HUGE fan of Turok 1 AND Turok 2. I still think both games are so highly unique. What really sells the games, outside of the large worlds and steep difficulty, is the incredible music. If anything, play these games again just for the music. But they also offer very unique experiences. The weapons are so iconic and cool to use, and unlike anything else in the FPS genre really (especially these days, in which “realism” [yawn] has seemingly replaced epic coolness) and they enemies were also unique and fun to fight.

I still really want to track down and play the Xbox 360, PS3 Turok revival (title simply “Turok”) which was released by Disney in 2008. I was really hoping THAT game would sell extremely well and revive the series, since Dinosaurs definitely make some of the coolest FPS enemies of all time… Sadly the game bombed, essentially putting the arrow in the coffin (ahem, er, nail… or maybe I should say arrow in the knee) of the Turok franchise (FOR SHAME!)

Sadly, and mind-boggingly, known of the Turok games have ever been re-released. You’d think that someone would have had the sense to do an HD remastering of the games for modern systems, release a “Turok Trilogy” title for Wii, or, at the very least, re-release each of the Turok games in their original N64 forms for the Wii Virtual Console. But that amazingly has yet to happen.

Hopefully it still will. In the meantime, definitely try out Turok 1, 2 or 3 for N64 if you get the chance (some of them, like Turok 1 and 2, are also available for PC). The second game is well-known as one of the hardest games of all time. I tried diligently to beat it legitimately a few years back, and finally gave up on it wholeheartedly. I still want to try it out….

But despite that, each of the games is really a milestone videogame achievement and they are worth tracking down and playing. And now, for that iconic drumming Turok 1 theme!

Previous Episodes of “On the Cutting Room Floor”:
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 10 – Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for DS (Posted On July 7 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 9 – Car Battler Joe For Game Boy Advance (Posted On July 2 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 8 – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Posted On June 16 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 7 – Halo 2 For Xbox1 (Posted on June 11, 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 6 – The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons For Game Boy Color (Posted: June 3, 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 5 – Otogi: Myth of Demons For Xbox1 (Posted: May 27, 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 4 – Drill Dozer For Game Boy Advance (Posted: May 21, 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 3 – Psychonauts For Xbox1, PS2, PC (Posted: May 11, 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 2 – Silent Hill 3 For PS2 (Posted: May 3, 2012)
* On the Cutting Room Floor Episode 1 – EarthBound For SNES (Posted: April 26, 2012)

 

Christian Music Videogame References Rap and Metal. Songs From Bands and Artists of All Genres Celebrating Gaming

Christians are gamers too and vice-versa. Including metal bands and rappers of all stripes!

Its no secret. Videogames and Christian bands and artists from metal to rap are often gamers, just like I am. The result is that many Christian Metal and Hip-Hop artists grew up with videogames and thus are inspired by them or pay tribute to them in their awesome songs.

So what Christian songs of Metal and Rap feature videogame references? PLENTY.

This list comes from my own personal observances where I’ve noticed videogame references in the Christian metal and rap songs I love.

Please leave a comment to let me know of other Christian songs where you’ve noticed videogame references and I’ll add them to the list! Eventually I hope this will become a masterlist to find videogame references in modern Christian music!

CHRISTIAN RAP/HIP-HOP VIDEOGAME REFERENCES

CHURCH CLOTHES By LeCrae (From the Church Clothes Mixtape)
What is the Videogame Reference? “Al and Jesse don’t speak for me. I’m probably gonna catch some flack, mayne/ But I’m gonna swallow this pill like Pac-Man” at about 58 seconds into the music video.