Brütal Legend
Double Fine Productions (Tim Schafer), EA, 2009, Xbox 360
This ultimate exploitation of Heavy Metal subculture comes with support
from Hollywood actor Jack Black as the headbanging protagonist
equipped with a powerful electric guitar.
Dance Dance Revolution
Konami, Konami, 1998, Arcade
As part of the pioneering Benami-series, Dance Dance Revolution
brought real life dancing into arcade halls with the help of sensor-equipped
dance mats.
DJ Hero
FreeStyle Games (Will Townsend), Activision-Blizzard, 2009, Xbox 360
This alteration of ‘Guitar Hero’ includes almost 100 mixes from artists
like Daft Punk and DJ Shadow – all to be performed live on turntable interfaces.
Electroplankton
Indies Zero (Toshio Iwai), Nintendo, 2005, Nintendo DS (NDS)
Originating in an interactive art installation, this game defies traditional
boundaries between game, art and business. The player manipulates
various underwater landscapes in order to create dynamic musical
compositions.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rockstar Games (Dan Houser, Rupert Humphries), Take 2, 2008, Xbox 360
Contemporary music and subculture as an aesthetic element. In-game
radio stations with more than 200 licensed songs composed by celebrities
such as Iggy Pop or Karl Lagerfeld provide the soundscape for this
critically acclaimed satire on the American way of life.
Loom
Lucasfilm Games (Brian Moriarty), Lucasfilm Games, 1990, PC
Using music patterns as the main ingredient for player actions, this
graphic adventure exemplifies a departure from classical control
schemes in the adventure genre.
Moondust
Creative Software (Jaron Lanier), Creative Software, 1983, C64
A precursor to its genre. A generative music game that combines gameplay
with evolving ambient soundscapes.
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
iNiS (Keiichi Yano), Nintendo, 2005, NDS
The J-Pop fueled story of a male cheerleader dance group, heavily inspired
by Japanese popular culture.
Otocky
Sedic (Toshio Iwai), Ascii Corporation, 1987, Famicom
Introducing music-dependent gameplay to the video game world, this
shooter game lets players melodize their game actions in an abstract
voyage through space.
PaRappa the Rapper
NaNaNon-Sha (Masaya Matsuura), SCEE, 1996, Playstation
A truly Japanese product. This Hip-Hop-game stars a two-dimensional
dog engaged in numerous rap battles.
Patapon
Pyramid/Japan Studios (Hiroyuki Kotani), SCEE, 2008, Playstation Portable
Rhythm meets real-time strategy. As in archaic times, attacks are
orchestrated by talking drums. In order to succeed, the player must
perform an ongoing ‘Patapon’ – a combination of two Japanese onomatopoeia
for clapping and knocking – repeated in various rhythmic
patterns.
Patapon
Pyramid/Japan Studios (Hiroyuki Kotani), SCEE, 2008, Playstation Portable
Rhythm meets real-time strategy. As in archaic times, attacks are
orchestrated by talking drums. In order to succeed, the player must
perform an ongoing ‘Patapon’ – a combination of two Japanese onomatopoeia
for clapping and knocking – repeated in various rhythmic
patterns.
Rez HD
United Game Artists (Tetsuya Mizuguchi), SEGA, 2008, Xbox 360
Featuring tracks by artists such as Ken Ishii and Coldcut, this abstract
shooter game weaves together mesmerizing electronica and game
flow, leading to complete musical immersion.
Rhythm Paradise
Nintendo (Tsunku, Yoshio Sakamoto), Nintendo, 2009, NDS
A collection of mini games that extracts rhythmic tasks from everyday
sounds and situations.
SingStar
SCEE (Paulina Bozek), SCEE, 2004, Playstation 2
Sony’s cross-marketing of in-house music licenses turned video game
consoles into karaoke machines long before the rise of TV casting shows.
The Beatles: Rock Band
Harmonix (Eran Egozy, Alex Rigopulos), EA, 2009, Xbox 360
The culmination of the economic convergence between game and music
industries: a life-sized plastic set of musical instruments combined
with the most profitable music franchise ever: The Beatles.
Vib-Ribbon
NanaOn-Sha (Masaya Matsuura), SCEE, 2000, Playstation
The literal meaning of the phrase ‘playing a song’. Any chosen personal
music track is translated into a game level of sound-related obstacles.