VGM of the Day #18: Gluttony Fang

There comes along every so often, a character in a video game that's just that perfect kind of evil. Be it demented psychopaths like Kefka from FFVI (Suck it Sephiroth), or more direct evildoers like Bowser or Ganondorf, they find a way to weasel into our hearts, for better or worse. BlazBlue's got one of those guys. His name is Hazama.

Hazama, although having a generic plan to destroy all existence as we know it, has won fans over for a different reason - he's a complete dick.

Yep, he's a real silver-tongued bastard; always has the perfect thing to say to press the BlazBlue casts' buttons, and then laughing in their face about it. Quick with one-liners and even direct quotes from other popular media (WHY SO SERIOUS), it's easy to hate the guy, but easier to love. He's the closest thing to a video game troll we've seen in years, and he's captured the hearts of fans and other trolls alike with his outspoken antics.

With the introduction out of the way, we can talk about his theme song. Daisuke Ishiwatari's got his name written all over this track, going crazy with the guitar, complemented with fast-paced bass and the occasional death metal scream. My personal favorite bits are the piano bars, adding flashes of color to the piece no matter how brief they may be. I don't expect much else from Ishiwatari, but he's an expert in the craft, even if predictable. It fits Hazama quite well nonetheless; hardcore and a little crazy, but well planned out and one of the more memorable tracks in the game.

Playing every time Hazama enters the room, this track can grow on a guy pretty quickly. Hazama's much the same way himself, and if you disagree, umad.

The Verdict: Some of Ishiwatari's finer work, and one of the best songs in the game.

Don't forget to drop your VGM requests at vgmoftheday@yahoo.com , and your song might be chosen for my next blog post!

VGM of the Day #14: Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead)

Guilty Gear's a lot like that quiet kid in the back of class. All by himself, nobody really paying him any attention. Kinda creepy and mysterious at first, you don't know what to expect, but offer him a few words and he warms right up to you. The series has no doubt achieved cult hit status with its eccentric cast of characters, eye-popping visuals and off-the-wall combat, but that's not what we're here to discuss.

Daisuke Ishiwatari's always been a heavy rock/metal composer, and his work on this game is no exception, nor is it in this particular track serving as Ky Kiske's theme. A brief interlude precedes the guitar intro, and then finally cuts to the chase with the kind of production Ishiwatari is famous for; leave your bravado at the door, this track is put up or shut up. It's a great fit for the in-game chaos and moreover for the game itself, containing a myriad of rock and metal references throughout (there's a character named Slayer, just sayin').

While the Guilty Gear series might not be every gamer's cup of tea, there can certainly be no debate on the quality of its soundtrack. This is fightin' music at its finest, and production like this grows on a guy awfully fast.

The Verdict: It's a fighting game, right? Does a great job of making that perfectly clear.