Games Archives

Legend of Zelda doc offers nostalgic link to past

Filmmaker Joe Granato seeks to make a documentary about the far-reaching influence of the Legend of Zelda games.

Q&A: Massive Attack producer Neil Davidge scores the next chapter in Halo’s legacy

Massive Attack producer Neil Davidge was tapped to score the latest iteration of the Halo series, Halo 4. We talked to him about fandom, scale, and the challenges of working in interactive media.

Majestic unicorns, space whales, and power ballads: Robot Unicorn Attack 2 for iOS

In need of majestic unicorn accessories, space whales, and power ballads? Adult Swim Games has released Robot Unicorn Attack 2, and it’s an awesomely prog-tacular upgrade on its predecessor.

Fight the Amory Wars in Coheed and Cambria’s new iOS video game

Coheed and Cambria: The Afterman: Descension (Hundred Handed / Everything Evil, 2/5/13)

Coheed and Cambria’s Amory Wars might be one of the most ambitious conceptual undertakings in modern music. Spanning the majority of the group’s musical output and expanded in the form of both graphic and prose novels, it’s an epic space opera about a group of planets held together by lines of energy known as the Keywork. Conceived by front-man Claudio Sanchez, the story is also currently being adapted for a feature film by Mark Wahlberg.

Master of Bumpers: Metallica declares …And Pinball for All

Say what you will about Metallica’s propensity to put its name on things, but this actually looks pretty awesome.

The band has teamed up with Stern, a leading manufacturer of pinball machines, for a Metallica-themed cabinet. Featuring 12 different songs, including “One,” “Master of Puppets,” “Creeping Death,” “Battery,” “Enter Sandman,” and “Fade to Black,” the machine will come in three different editions: Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition. Some of the features? An electric chair with a “shaking, writhing ‘Sparkey’ figurine,” two different ball-eating snakes, and a ball-smashing hammer. It sounds appropriately metal.

Check out another image and a teaser below. More info and how to order one here.

Morrow vs. Hajduch: Ford & Lopatin’s Channel Pressure

Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.

Ford & Lopatin: Channel Pressure (Software / Mexican Summer, 6/7/11)

Ford & Lopatin: “World of Regret”

[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Ford__Lopatin_World_of_Regret.mp3|titles=Ford & Lopatin: “World of Regret”]

Hajduch: Ford & Lopatin (formerly Games) is comprised of Daniel Lopatin (a.k.a. Oneohtrix Point Never) and Joel Ford (from indie/’80s-pastiche band Tigercity). Their music together is a jittery, looped amalgam of trashy ’80s vibes. Riffs and vocals are recorded, deconstructed, down-sampled, and smashed back together. Their previous output as Games was a hypnotic series of tightly looped samples from synth-pop hits that never existed.

Channel Pressure takes the conceit a step further, adding occasional lyrics and the nebulous idea of a concept album. If you toned down the funk (and the length) of the poppier songs from Daft Punk‘s Discovery, and made them a bit more spastic, you’d approach the sound of Channel Pressure.

Morrow: To me, it sounds like Prefuse 73 twisting around the Miami Vice theme. The ’80s synth sounds and fake drum hits are out of control. Between those elements, the airy pop vocals, and the deep, bouncy bass, Channel Pressure has enough nostalgia to unleash a torrent of endorphins for anyone born before 1988. (Entertainingly, one song is titled “Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me).”)

But there’s enough of a modern and experimental twist (hence the slightly stretched Prefuse comparison), and that prevents it from being strict homage.