Accordingly, the presence of Minobe in the context of this particular series not only confirms him as one of the most gifted artists presently cooperating in the making of videogames, as it also confirms the highest musical standards to which this series has always aspired.One of the most startling multimedia exercises in surrealism and abstract expressionism, Peter Gabriel’s EVE appositely conjoins the work of several contemporary art references as is the singular case of Yayoi Kusama. Lastly, Sakamoto’s return to the role of chief composer in the recent third rendition of the series, Mugen Kairou Hitari to Kage no Hako (or Echochrome 2) has recovered the original string appeal in his bold one track-composition where the presence of the piano is once again recurrent even in the form of sporadic solos. As mentioned, the original Mugen Kairou soundtrack astounded listeners around the world with its use of string instruments Minobe, on the other hand, recaptured that quintessence with the more contemporary sonority of saxophones, conserving the original voice solo from the first game yet adding blissful piano chord arpeggios. Interestingly enough, the sense of continuity in the series is as much indicated by deliberate similitudes in system and visual solutions as it is discernible, to the heeding ear, in the unique bond between the different scores.
In truth, the tie between these apparently unrelated series intensifies when taking into consideration not only the origins of Jun Fujiki’s award-wining OLE coordinate system and its subsequent transposition into a ludic context but also the manner in which Masahiko Sato’s pioneer work in uniting conceptual art and interaction has greatly influenced Yoshio Ishii’s minimalist masterwork Cursor*10 – in effect, the blueprint for Jigen Kairou (Echoshift). Sato, an experimental artist, author and professor at the Tokyo University of Arts, has associated himself with SCEJ at the very birth of the PlayStation console for the creation of a series of works based on similar precepts, as is the case of the groundbreaking game Intelligent Qube and its sequels as well as a recent gem named Influence, developed by members of his studio. On the back of such peculiarities, a spiritual link between this recent series and the uncelebrated creations by Masahiko Sato can hardly be overlooked. Given the absence of a concise thematic, these games are also defined by the use of anonymous avatars, of human or anthropomorphic nature, and are intimately related to distinct conundrums of our reality: space, time, visual perception, ratiocination and mutuality. Though often paired with adventure game experiences, given the few remote similarities, it can never be said that Gadget is truly a video game, more than it is a prodigious journey into digital film, contemporary music and photography. Consisting of a renovated version of the original 1993 release, entitled Invention, Travel & Adventure, this rare masterpiece by Haruhiko Shono bears witness to a pioneering cycle of history when advancements in technology have succeeded in inviting established artists from various fields into dabbling with the stirring new prospect of interactivity but also a phase of particular meaning to video game studies and criticism, then treading their very first steps into a wider understanding of that once trendy term. Originally published in 1997, Gadget ~Past as Future~ has stamped an inimitable hallmark in the history of interactive CD-Rom as one of the most profoundly influential works of digital art whose inscrutability has mystified video game critics, still unable to attain a fitting label with which to categorize it. Searching for sonorities that could easily be related with the natural setting depicted in the game, Hokoyama has successfully clasped the grandeur that is customarily associated with both film and television documentaries related with the animal kingdom (namely a decade-old tradition of orchestral scores that have accompanied many a BBC or National Geographic elite documentaries). As shown in this rare documentary feature that accompanies the original game soundtrack, the quality of these musicians is above any remark, as some of their enviable resumes included collaborations with composers as celebrated as John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith. Unlike a conventional orchestra, the HSO does not employ a fixed group of musicians, but rather hires musicians on demand according to specific needs. In order to expand the complete potential of his score, the producers of the game appointed the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, a powerful reference in the interpretation of many top film productions, to hire an ensemble that could suit the epic character of Hokoyama’s music.
0 kommentar(er)
