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| The Entertainment Review |
| Label: Angel Records |
A few years ago Tommy Tallarico started a concert series that was based on symphonies playing music from popular
video games. Critics believed that the concert series would only have a limited interest and that gamers would be the
only ones to attend the concerts. A couple of years later, the phenomenon known at Video Games Live has gained
national tour dates across the United States and other parts of the world. The concert is a tribute to the quality music
that has been created in the world of video games, and in part by Tommy Tallarico.
Since the concert series began, fans of the concert and those that aren’t able to make it to a live performance, a CD
entitled “Video Games Live: Volume One” has been released. The CD holds eleven tracks from the three hour long
concert. Some of the songs are from mainstream titles, while others come from some of the more obscure titles in
the gaming industry, or titles that never made it to becoming a classic. No matter what songs made it into the concert
series, all the titles on the CD are fantastic scores and all deserve their spot on this compilation.
“Video Games Live: Volume One” includes Kingdom Hearts, Warcraft Suite, Myst Medley, Medal of Honor (LIVE),
Civilization IV Medley, Tetris Piano Opus No. 1, God of War Montage (LIVE), Advent Rising Suite, Tron Montage, Halo
Suite and Castlevania Rock (LIVE).
While looking through the list of titles in this compilation, there are some that stand out, like Halo Suite or the God of
War Montage, but including scores like the classic Tetris Piano Opus No.1 or Advent Rising Suite which had excellent
scores, is a bonus to those that might have missed these games when they first came around. For many gamers, the
top titles are the last four tracks, mostly because of the fact that though having music from Tron is awesome, but
Castlevania Rock sounds amazing. Even though some of the songs will be from games that some haven’t played,
the tunes can be quite catchy and will make the compilation a welcome addition to a gamer’s music collection.
The only downside that may be found with the CD is that not enough of the tracks are live versions, which was the
whole point of the concert to begin with. iTunes lists all the tracks as live, but the back of the disc states differently.
If companies are going to release a CD that has the word “live” in the title, such as “Video Games Live: Volume
One,” the tracks should all be live. By listening to the last track in the compilation, listeners can hear how much fun
the live show can be and using the live tracks would have made the CD that much better.
While the CD may not be a traditional music CD, “Video Games Live: Volume One” is a great compilation to listen to
while playing games, driving in the car or just wanting something to relax to while sitting around the house. Each
track has a great sound and they are all a perfect fit for the product. Live versions of each song would have made
the experience a lot better, but overall the CD is a great compilation of classic video game music. This CD is a must
have for any gamer of any age.
video games. Critics believed that the concert series would only have a limited interest and that gamers would be the
only ones to attend the concerts. A couple of years later, the phenomenon known at Video Games Live has gained
national tour dates across the United States and other parts of the world. The concert is a tribute to the quality music
that has been created in the world of video games, and in part by Tommy Tallarico.
Since the concert series began, fans of the concert and those that aren’t able to make it to a live performance, a CD
entitled “Video Games Live: Volume One” has been released. The CD holds eleven tracks from the three hour long
concert. Some of the songs are from mainstream titles, while others come from some of the more obscure titles in
the gaming industry, or titles that never made it to becoming a classic. No matter what songs made it into the concert
series, all the titles on the CD are fantastic scores and all deserve their spot on this compilation.
“Video Games Live: Volume One” includes Kingdom Hearts, Warcraft Suite, Myst Medley, Medal of Honor (LIVE),
Civilization IV Medley, Tetris Piano Opus No. 1, God of War Montage (LIVE), Advent Rising Suite, Tron Montage, Halo
Suite and Castlevania Rock (LIVE).
While looking through the list of titles in this compilation, there are some that stand out, like Halo Suite or the God of
War Montage, but including scores like the classic Tetris Piano Opus No.1 or Advent Rising Suite which had excellent
scores, is a bonus to those that might have missed these games when they first came around. For many gamers, the
top titles are the last four tracks, mostly because of the fact that though having music from Tron is awesome, but
Castlevania Rock sounds amazing. Even though some of the songs will be from games that some haven’t played,
the tunes can be quite catchy and will make the compilation a welcome addition to a gamer’s music collection.
The only downside that may be found with the CD is that not enough of the tracks are live versions, which was the
whole point of the concert to begin with. iTunes lists all the tracks as live, but the back of the disc states differently.
If companies are going to release a CD that has the word “live” in the title, such as “Video Games Live: Volume
One,” the tracks should all be live. By listening to the last track in the compilation, listeners can hear how much fun
the live show can be and using the live tracks would have made the CD that much better.
While the CD may not be a traditional music CD, “Video Games Live: Volume One” is a great compilation to listen to
while playing games, driving in the car or just wanting something to relax to while sitting around the house. Each
track has a great sound and they are all a perfect fit for the product. Live versions of each song would have made
the experience a lot better, but overall the CD is a great compilation of classic video game music. This CD is a must
have for any gamer of any age.
