Philly chip duo Kill3r Whale just released their first EP, a heartfelt fusion of chiptune, indie rock and hiphop. Mixing well performed vocals with well-mixed gameboy chiptune and live drums, Kill3r Whale has a sound all their own, and it is awesome. Download their album from Bandcamp at Name-Your-Own-Price.
Powerglove Remix Contest
My netlabel GameChops is hosting it’s first remix contest for Powerglove, the tune Benjamin Briggs and I did together. Here’s your chance to take this brand new track and edit, change, mix and wreck it in whichever way you see fit! Are you an audio nerd who just likes listening to stems? [I am, had to ask :] Well they’re free, so head over to GameChops, download the stems and start remixing!
We took a sample from the Nintendo game Mig 29 Soviet Fighter and transformed it into a dirty, loud, electrohouse track! Featuring samples from the movie The Wizard, this tune is so good it can only be described as “so bad.” Have a listen:
Ready to make this track your own at a chance to win a release on GameChops? Head over to the Remix Stems page, download and get to mixing! Submission deadline is June 25th!
Friday Freakout: Gi meg mjød! I mean, er… KUBBI ;3
HOLY BALLS have there ever been a crapton of new Chip albums released in the last week or so!!!!! :O New 4mat, new Roboctopus, new Coda, new Kill3r Whale, new Freezedream, new Starscream/Infinity Shred single (yes, Starscream had to rename themselves because of some legal bulls**t >___< ), new SMILETRON. SO MUCH CHIPPY GOODNESS…!!! –head asplodes- -pants asplodes- -EVERYTHING ASPLODES-
HOWEVER, none of these are the focal point of my chiptastic little blurb this Friday (although each and every one of them are more than worth a write-up and a listen, so be sure to check ’em all out too!!). Today, I’m writing about this crazy awesome Norwegian Chiptuner/prog rocker/dragon slayer who goes by the alias of…
I’ve been aware of the viking duder for a little while now and both his previous album, Transmittance, and his EP, I dunno lol, have kept my Chippy ears happy ever since. But last Monday he dropped his latest album, Sleet, and HOLY NORWEGIAN VIKING ZOMBIE DRAGON BEAR BALLS is it EVER good!!!!!!!!!!!! All seventeen – yes, 17!! – tracks are fandamntastic! A big ole frost giant step up from his previous kickass albums even! This new album chock full of WIN is comprised of very melodic, beat driven chipjams with a nice mix of prog influences and spacey, ethereal themes interwoven into the mix. If this sounds like an interesting combination, IT’S BECAUSE IT IS. But in the BEST way possible! =D And WTF?!? I just noticed, the apparently astro cat (hey, there’s a good, new Chiptuner name!! ;D ) cranked out all of this music – 38 tracks total!!!! – since last damn summer!! :O Seems like dude’s trying damn hard to emulate one of his biggest influences, SMILETRON, what with the prolific stellar track releases and all! And the craziest thing is? HE’S SUCCEEDING. O.O Must be that magical Norwegian mead or something (GOD, I love mead… -drools- ). Anyways, I could keep talking the kid up all night, but all that would really accomplish is making me feel like I’ve been eaten by a Norwegian bear and s**t off a cliff in the morning when, seriously, nothing I can say will better convince you then you taking your clickity clicker and clicking on the embedded Bandcamp link of the album below and experiencing that goodness for yourself. So… what are you waiting on?? GO GET YO’ CHIP ON ALREADY, FOO’!!!! ;D
P.S. Gi meg mjød! = Give me mead! I learned that bit of useful Norwegian from Kubbi in his 8 Bit Power Hour hosted listening party last Monday night. GOOD TIMES! 8)
P.P.S. YES, OF COURSE HE HAS A TRACK ON MY UPCOMING CHIPTUNES = WIN \m|<3|m/ COMPILATION! All the more reason to stay tuned for that. ;) Also, did I mention it’s going to be around 50 tracks from some of the best Chiptuners to ever Chiptune?? ;) KTHXBAI~ ♥
P.P.P.S Sorry, Kubs, but I haven’t found the magical boob ice cream yet. Still searching though! IT’S GOTTA BE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE, DAMMIT!! ;3 ;D \m|♥|m/
Throwback Thursday: Captain America and the Avengers
[box type=”bio”] Matt “Pixxel” Papa is a retro-game enthusiast, collector and touring bead sprite artist. He will be joining VideoGameDJ every Thursday to highlight an under-appreciated retro game.[/box]
Avengers assemble!
With the hours counting down to the release of the new Avengers movie, I’m sure many of you are itching for sweet, sweet Avengers goodness to tide you over until your butt is planted in a cushy movie theater seat. It is with this in mind that for the very first edition of Throwback Thursday, this one is gonna be about none other than Captain America and the Avengers!
Released in 1991 by Data East in the arcade and later ported to the Sega Genesis in 1992 (it was also ported to the SNES by Mindscape, but that version sucks), Captain America and the Avengers is a classic side scrolling brawler par excellence.
The gameplay is very polished and solid, with classic beat-em-up stages that are mixed in with some side-scrolling shooter segments. This is a nice balance of varying types of action that not only keeps the game exciting, but it also prevents it from getting too repetitive.
CAatA features some of the most prominent Avengers throughout history such as Captain America, Iron Man, and Hawkeye. Filling out the roster with 4 characters, Data East threw us a little bit of a curveball by rounding out the cast with everyone’s favorite “synthezoid” baddie turned good guy, The Vision.
Seriously, Vision is just a weird choice. The dude walks around with his arms crossed for cryin’ out loud! That’s just silly.
But, I digress. As with many games from way back when, there is usually one thing that stands out about a game that makes us remember just how totally kick-ass rad a game was, and still is to this very day. With CAatA, it can be a tough call.
Is it the fact that it is a fantastic game that features beloved comic book characters that otherwise did not get a lot of love in the video game world? Hmm, yes, that’s possible.
Or, is it the fact that is it’s a finely crafted brawler, in which you can utilize the superb combative prowess of some of America’s finest super heroes? Cap’s tried and true shield toss, Hawkeye’s pin-point accurate arrows, Iron Man and Vision’s pew-pew laser beams are all to be found. Pretty awesome, right?
Yes, but, if you have ever played this game, chances are there is one key element to this game that stands above the rest. It’s something that when you revisit the game, you can’t help but remember and recite with the derpiest of grins on your face.
That’s right people, we’re talking about the one-liners.
Oh my stars and garters, the one-liners!!
Like pretty much every game back in the day, this game was developed in Japan, and having spent 2 years of my life there, I can tell you that English is still a language that is very misunderstood there. The end result is hilariously bad dialogue that you simply can’t help but love. Better yet, there is almost no variation in the voices, and it truly sounds like it is one dude who is changing the pitch of his voice a little bit. Observe:
This game is rife with linguistic gems like this one, and others such as:
The Mini Bosses: Don’t disturb us!
Avengers: Why should it go well?
Why should it indeed…
Avengers: What’s this?
Red Skull: It’s another trap! You stupid men! Ha ha ha!
Avengers: We’ll teach you the meaning of “Justice
Ahahaha, stupid men. That’s a thing of beauty.
Mandrin: See my power!
Fwooo man…there’s plenty more where this came from, but it really needs to be experienced to be enjoyed to the fullest.
I hope y’all enjoyed the first of many sessions of Throwback Thursday. Check back next week, where you can once again SEE MY POWAAAAH!
Oh, Mandrin, you loveable scamp.