HECTIC SL

Concept album: Palimpsest - Live Excerpts

2009-04-09T18:15:00.041+01:00

Kicking off an idea I had to pass away the hours on dull weeknights, this is the first of my 'concepts'. It is a fictional compilation of excerpts from Palimpsest's live recordings and was released in the year 2212. This artist has built up a reputation as one of the best live performers since the turn on the century with intense sets of industrial beatwork and brain-melting melodies. His shows are also famous for the incredible accompanying lighting and the revolutionary Airdrug system, which fills the air with legal highs. Available on nanochip for 20 Eurasians or digitally for 15 Eurasians from all good retailers.

Tracklist:

1 | Verwandelten Kernkraftwerk, Berlin, 2200
2 | Music & Arts Festival, Somerset, 2207
3 | Endurance, Montreal, 2210
4 | Snø, Oslo, 2211
5 | Oscuridad Ligera, Madrid, 2202
6 | 竞技场, Beijing, 2209
7 | Machine, New York, 2203
8 | занятый американец, Moscow, 2208
9 | D, Nottingham, 2201
10 | 兵舎〔バラック, Tokyo, 2212

2008 Top 10 albums with mini-reviews

2009-03-17T21:21:00.002Z

A little late I know, but here nonetheless.

Tragedy, trite and injustice

2009-03-12T17:05:00.052Z

In a remarkable day for video games in mainstream news on Wednesday, reports of the previous evening's Bafta video game ceremony sat alongside stories that inevitably blamed shooters for the latest school shooting. Carried out by a 17-year-old in Germany, fifteen people were killed. Some journalists were extremely quick to point out that the killer was obsessed with shooters. The infuriating trite awkwardly shared the headlines with pictures of triple Bafta-winning shooter Call of Duty 4.

The teenage gunman, Tim Kretschmer, was described as "a quiet and reserved boy who enjoyed playing Counter-Strike." That sounds like me, but I'm not planning on doing something similar anytime soon because I've managed to retain sanity, much like 99.9% of the legions of PC gamers and console kids who love nothing more than shooting digital faces purely to let off steam and have fun.

On a lighter (albeit still cynical) note, I was disappointed with the results of the Bafta video game awards. The fact that the very best games of last year didn't actually win anything (bar Left 4 Dead) compares to the corrupt, non-bourgeois nature of music and film award ceremonies.

Super Mario Galaxy shocked everyone by taking the game of the year award, proving that mainstream appeal counts for more than the incredible technical and creative achievements of games like Fallout 3. Even more sickeningly, Spore managed to fight off competition from Bethesda's chef-d'oeuvre and Grand Theft Auto IV for the Technical Achievement award despite the seemingly universal agreement it was the most disappointing game of 2008. Perhaps strangest of all, Call of Duty 4's contrived story and forgettable characters helped it win the, err, Story and Character Bafta despite it being in competition with absorbing epics such as Mass Effect and, again, Fallout 3. People are silly.

Quake Live is packed!

2009-02-26T14:26:00.045Z

Join the queue and "hold on" while id Software "let some people in". I'm currently in line for the third time to play the revolutionary browser-only version of Quake III Arena. The number of people in front of me stands at 12775 as I write this, so I'm about two thirds of the way in from where I started.

It's like queuing for Oblivion at Alton Towers on a hot Summer's day, but free to join and not as ultimately disappointing. In fact, Quake Live is a masterfully executed reincarnation of id's 1999 classic multiplayer shooter. It runs smoothly, plays as beautifully as the original and looks great, even on my knackered laptop. The website is extremely well-designed and intuitive, with a skill-matching system approving the most suitable servers with a big green tick. Also included are global statistics and player awards, a friends list (which will hopefully prove to be as convenient as Steam's) and a bot-driven practice mode.

id have taken browser-based gaming into an exciting new era and this is surely one of the best things to do on the web. Oh, I've reached the front of the queue, time for some more Firefox fraggin'...

Various news

2009-02-23T22:34:00.014Z

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

This one's not really news, I just felt like making it known that I ran through the single-player of Monolith's sequel at the weekend and, predictably, enjoyed myself. While not original or innovative, F.E.A.R. 2 is a beautifully polished and smooth game, with awesomely stylish combat and weapons. It's linear, patronising, shallow, short and without an ending, but it's still marvellously fun to play. Definitely one to keep you occupied for a little while until the release schedule picks up.

Mass Effect 2

BioWare has released some information on the sequel to the astounding sci-fi RPG. More on that eye-opener here.

Quake LIVE

This free-to-play browser version of Quake III Arena goes live tomorrow. It's a big step for shooters and from what I've read id seem to have got it right. Play it here.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Stalker and Richie Hawtin

2009-02-10T19:24:00.033Z

Having thoroughly enjoyed both of the engrossing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shooters, Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, I was especially excited last night when sitting down to watch the 1979 classic sci-fi film Stalker for the first time, which the games are loosely based on.

Andrei Tarkovsky's brilliant, tense masterpiece lends it's concept of 'The Zone' to the endearingly dog-eared series, however as it was made seven years prior to the Chernobyl disaster, the focus is not on an irradiated power plant, but a place called The Room deep within challenging terrain.

During the closing scene I was left not only understandably freaked out, but also wondering where I'd seen it before. Then I remembered. Minimal techno superstar Richie Hawtin, clearly a fan of the film, used it as a music video for his track We (All) Search and featured in his own homage to it for his track The Tunnel. I've embedded videos of both below. Enjoy.

Thoughts on Valve and their lessers

2009-02-06T23:23:00.062Z

A number of recent occurrences have compelled me to share my views on the lovable Washington-based software giant and a company whose quality of service is almost a polar opposite.

Firstly and most urgently, the exciting announcement of Left 4 Dead downloadable content, due out in Spring, which will include a new game mode called Survival and add the two missing campaigns to Versus mode. All for free. And in relation to this, the increasingly warm feeling I have towards the honest and generous developer at a time when corporate corruption is rearing it's ugly head and revealing the faces of Bill Gates and co. Microsoft's Games For Windows LIVE software has been a compulsory feature in some of the finest recent games, including Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, and so far it has done nothing but dampen the experience (see the 'Fallout 3 DLC' post). It has been improved recently with an interface change, but still falls woefully short and remains an annoyance rather than a useful tool. A million miles away from the efficiency and convenience of Valve's Steam software - Microsoft need to understand that what is OK for Xbox 360 plebeians is not OK for demanding PC gamers.

I also want to comment on my current enthusiasm for one of Valve's less glamorous products. The fantastic Day of Defeat: Source has been easily outdoing my other online staples in terms of playtime for the past few months. The intense, deeply satisfying combat is bolstered by the meaty-sounding weaponry, which is fiendishly difficult to handle thanks to the high recoil. New players find themselves spraying and praying, but those who put in the practice can acclimatise to the necessity of clinical burst fire. The maps are brilliantly designed, most of them delicately balanced and consisting of exciting battle zones. They look good too, the settings not as bleak and colourless as they could be in a World War 2 game. DOD: Source provides superb variation to Valve's other online offerings and can be picked up for measly £6 - possibly the best of that amount you'll ever spend.

Finally, a word on Team Fortress 2. News on the phenomenal shooter has been scarce for a while now, but there has been official word that the Scout will be the next class to get Valve's special treatment in the shape of new weapons and achievements. And you can feel safe in the knowledge that it won't cost 800 Microsoft points.

Fallout 3 DLC

2009-02-02T23:58:00.001Z

Three packs of downloadable content are planned for Bethesda's masterpiece in the early months of 2009. The first, Operation: Anchorage, was released on January 27. It triggers a map marker and a new quest line in the Pip-boy that lead the player to a Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts base. Upon arrival, the player enters a virtual reality simulation pod to embark on a battle with the Red Chinese army for the liberation of Anchorage in Alaska.

It's split up into four missions, each with a new achievement. In all they only take a meagre two to three hours to complete. It's pretty linear fare, with straightforward level design and little scope to explore. There are some new weapons and equipment, including a powerful Gauss Rifle. The missions are enjoyable enough, without ever being exhilarating. The final battle, however, borders on embarrassingly poor. It's a fight with an ageing Chinese general armed only with a sword whose only real defence is having a huge amount of health points and therefore being able to take around two dozen shotgun blows to the face.

Unfortunately, the purchasing process is painful, with PC players being forced to use Microsoft's clunky Games for Windows LIVE service. Not only does the trickle of content cost 800 Microsoft points (with a set amount of 1000 costing £8.50, making it around £7), but I found that I had to shift hidden files and folders around to get it working. This travesty of an installation is, of course, simply not acceptable, and it made me realise why Microsoft were so quick to point out there is no chance of a refund for the add-on. It is this kind of service that is driving more and more people to piracy.

The other two content packs, The Pitt and Broken Steel, will be released in March and April respectively. More on those when they're out.

Soundtrack of our lives

2009-01-23T12:33:00.000Z

A feature by Pavel Barter of PC Zone magazine about game composition.

Preview of 2009's PC shooters

2009-01-19T22:26:00.001Z

2008 will take some beating, but if enough developers can sneak their games out before Christmas, it's possible. Not that I want them to of course, I'd prefer the release dates of big titles spread evenly rather than them all being pumped out in the space of three hours, please. Here are the games I'm looking forward to playing this year, although several of them will probably be delayed until 2010.

Alan Wake
This heavily delayed 'psychological action thriller' from Remedy (the team behind Max Payne) promises a massive free-roam world and a true cinematic experience. It could raise the bar if the Finnish developer pulls off both.

Aliens: Colonial Marines
Details are scarce on this squad-based shooter but innovative gameplay ideas have stirred up interest.

Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams
2K recently said that Bioshock could get several sequels, so there is a worry this could be rushed out. Surely a franchise with this much potential will retain it's brilliance and not become a shallow cash cow.

Borderlands
Intriguing alien-blaster with RPG elements being developed by Gearbox. The main thrust of the game's promotion is the random weapon generator, with 600,000 possible variations!

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
The criminally under-rated original probably suffered from a lack of hype and it's apparently poor film cousin. It came out of nowhere and turned out to be excellent. This time we're ready.

Deus Ex 3
The game I'm looking forward to most of all. After the second in the series took a battering from critics, hopes are high that this can come closer to doing the original justice.

Fear 2: Project Origin
Reviews are already rolling in for this one, and while it doesn't seem to setting the world on fire I have no doubts it will be a solid, exciting shooter.

Mafia II
Probably the second most exciting sequel due out this year. I loved almost everything about the gangster film-inspired original so this could be easily be my game of the year.

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising
A shiny update to the brutally difficult and realistic original is a dream come true for gun nuts.

Prototype
This sandbox action game will give the player superhuman abilities with which to run riot in New York and regain his wiped memory by consuming the bodies of those he kills.

Splinter Cell: Conviction
Another installment of this consistently great Tom Clancy series is always more than welcome. The first four managed to deliver the goods, this will too.

Wolfenstein
Reaction to details on this WWII shooter has been lukewarm at best. The inclusion of aliens came as a nasty surprise to many, but I am quietly confident iD will get it right.

AFX - Konklaver

2009-01-19T22:07:00.000Z

Read today on two heavyweight electronic music forums that a new AFX album is due out in March on Rephlex (possibly as the label's 200th release). Cue two months of fanboyism debating on the quality of the music before anyone has heard it, whether Richard is past his best and whether the rumour is true anyway.

The track lengths look appealing, and the timing is perfect for electronic music's most important artist to rejuvenate the ailing IDM scene with a long-awaited new album, so an official announcement would of course be the most exciting news in the world ever. I'm going to leave the speculation at that for now, and live in hope.

Tracklist:

1. Flan Ard (4:10)
2. Saint Water 2 (5:59)
3. Gatelewn (5:43)
4. Mist In Storage (2:57)
5. Konklaver (8:41)
6. Fashionable Headpiece
7. Kashing For (5:03)
8. In (Fank2) (9:37)

CliffyB: Console sellout

2009-01-11T20:52:00.000Z

It would seem everyone has got their opinion on what the outspoken lead designer of Epic Games has said about the state of PC gaming. Xbox kids finally have the chance to mock their superiors for a valid reason after it was revealed that Gears of War 2 would not be released on PC, and PC gamers have been left reeling after CliffyB's explanation why. He claimed that "PC gaming is in disarray". His connotation of 'disarray' being that piracy is affecting sales, nothing to do with the quality of the games, which of course continue to lead the way.

I've reluctantly given in to corporate selfishness and given half of the money to my brother towards buying the game. I feel like a dirty little child when playing it of course, so the sooner it's completed the better. Throw in the fact that it's too similar to the original and therefore somewhat uninteresting and I start to wonder whether PC gamers are missing out anyway (not just sour grapes).

If Cliffy wasn't so blinded by greed he would have noticed that the PC still enjoys a stronger release schedule than all of it's kid brothers combined. If he's abandoning the PC for good, I hope he refrains from attempting to damage it's reputation with his desperate PR.

Memorable experience 5: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way

2009-01-08T01:56:00.001Z

This game holds a very special place in my heart. It was a close call that it even made it into my pile of Christmas presents in 2002, as my Mum told me she'd been asking shop assistants if they stocked No One Ever Lives. I'll be forever grateful that she was alerted to her ignorance. The undoubted quality of the sequel came as a surprise after the flawed original had split opinion down the middle.

I mainly remember NOLF 2 for it's slick, fluid gameplay, glorious graphical style and it's wonderfully imaginative weaponry. Also, the female protagonist, Cate Archer, stands as the coolest female to ever appear in a computer game. A factor which set NOLF 2 apart from other shooters was its locations. Hugely varied, and always a joy to be part of, they ranged from a trailer park in Ohio during a tornado to a Japanese ninja village. Beautifully lavish with colour, they were a relief from the usual bleak, grey corridors. The game tells the best secret agent story I've heard. It's delightfully tongue-in-cheek and unpredictable.

James Bond meets Austin Powers, but without the lameness, NOLF 2 is an outlandish masterpiece that stands out as somewhat of an anomaly among shooters. Technically, it's aged magnificently, to the extent that returning to it wouldn't dampen the nostalgia too much. If you missed it when it came out, pick it up for a pittance and be thankful you're a negligent enough gamer to have not enjoyed it yet.

The tricycle chase

Recommended game and music combinations (Part 4)

2009-01-07T01:07:00.000Z

Thanks to the well-publicised feast of top quality shooters that were released at the end of 2008, my earlier recommended game and music combinations now seem very last-generation. It is a homage to the strength of those few months that I deemed this update necessary. Judging by the vibrancy in the industry at present, expect to see part 5 in a year's time.

Single-player

Fallout 3
The best game in years, this RPG masterpiece has you roaming the wastes of a bombed-out Washington DC after emerging from an underground vault. Satisfying, absorbing and at times breathtaking.

Grand Theft Auto IV
Rockstar have edged slightly closer to free-form perfection with the latest in their brilliant crime series. Still flawed in some ways, but wildly fun nonetheless and packed with things to do.

Far Cry and Far Cry 2
I've used the recent arrival of the beautifully realised sequel as a chance to add the glorious original to my recommendations. The first is set in paradise, the second in harsh African wastelands. Both will make you feel very lonely and can be brutally difficult.

Memorable experience 4: SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle

2009-01-05T19:26:00.000Z

From a time when games were delightfully fresh and magical for me as a 12-year-old (1999, to be exact), I remember SWAT 3 as far and away the best tactical shooter of them all. In fact, the evening in which I spent hours replaying the demo's single mission (video below) is one of my most sacred gaming memories. Games seemed to last longer in those days, so I think I was still playing it in 2001, but have not returned since. SWAT 4 was brilliant, but didn't quite have the same charm. I certainly wouldn't be giggling nostalgically at YouTube videos of the 2005 sequel in the way that I do its predecessor's.

Another of my treasured memories from the game is when me and a friend spent every night of several weeks replaying one of the best missions on the hardest difficulty setting. The randomly placed AI, who when given the smallest of chances will down you, meant the player had to be meticulous tactically. Progress was always slow, tension was incredibly high and completion was hugely rewarding. There was a feeling that Sierra had simply nailed the tactical shooter experience, and I couldn't imagine it would ever be bettered. In my opinion, it hasn't.

Unfortunately, as a preteen I never possessed the tactical nous or patience to complete all of the missions, as they became frighteningly difficult. I'll always remember SWAT 3 as the first game that had me thinking tactically and sparked a worrying interest in weaponry. If there is a developer out there planning the fifth in the series, I beg you to get a move on. I promise your game won't be compared to SWAT 3, that would just be unfair.

The game's third mission

Music wise, try dark ambient for the slower missions or dark drum 'n' bass for the faster ones to ramp up the tension even further

Fallout 3

2009-01-05T18:59:00.000Z

I now realise my unforgivable mistake in dismissing what I now consider the second best single-player game of all time (after Deus Ex, of course) from my Christmas recommendations. Fallout 3 was the glaring omission and my excuse is that I had not gotten round to playing it among the bounty of great games all coming out at the same time. 43 absorbing hours later (including eight on Christmas Day, stopping only for turkey and presents) and I'd reached the almost tearful climax. If you haven't already, play it to completion.

Music review: Mr Oizo - Lambs Anger

2008-12-15T18:19:00.001Z

Quentin Dupieux's latest full-length album is a self-confessed mixed bag - the first track Hun admitting that of the collection of this recorded stuff, "some are good, some are bad and some are just OK." That track happens to be very good, impressively climaxing into the less-than-brilliant bare-bones raver Pourriture 2, which then leads into the phenomenal floor-shaker Z, and so on. Instead of continuing my review in this disjointed format, I might as well announce that I have come to a decision based on Quentin's honest statement - of the 17 tracks there are five good, eight OK and four bad. A disappointing realisation considering the consistent brilliance of his previous albums Analog Worms Attack and Moustache (Half A Scissor).

Nonetheless, any serious electronic music fan will have already scrutinised this release in its entirety and decided on which tracks belong in which of the three categories, the reason for this being that he remains one of the most popular, exciting and opinion-splitting musicians around.

As I mentioned, Hun and Z are highlights, as are Jo and Positif. Elsewhere, the shorter tracks such as Lambs Anger and Lars Von Sen are little more than filler, while tracks from the second half of the album like Erreur Jean and Gay Dentists lack the expected luminosity to match those from the first.

Sadly, the bad tracks really do reach some extremely low depths. I was disappointed to hear music so normal and mainstream in the form of Two Takes It. Bruce Willis Is Dead sounds like something from the bargain bin of a Cock Rock Disco sale and for me both of the Pourriture tracks provide little pleasure.

Integrating Lambs Anger into an Extreme Electronic Experience is an interesting experiment. You could do worse than add the tracks to your custom radio station on GTA IV or listen while playing a hectic game of Team Fortress 2, these combinations sparking feverishly high levels of quirkiness.

It's a real shame that Lambs Anger doesn't come close to Mr Oizo's first two albums, and the respect I have for the artist makes me feel dirty for having to give it such a mediocre score, when he is clearly anything but mediocre. So I'll shower now.

6/10

Game review: Left 4 Dead

2008-12-15T18:15:00.001Z

Since it's release, I've read nothing but praise for Left 4 Dead. A rare feat for a computer game (or in fact any art form), and I must admit I'm mildly surprised by the unanimous approval. Many gamers are harsh critics these days, even games like Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV seem to have caused almost as much disgust as they have joy. All credit must go to Valve for somehow developing a game that is proving to be as popular as the Team Fortress and Half-Life series.

They consistently pull off winners because they know what gamers want. Silky-smooth gameplay, satisfying and intense combat, interesting characters, enemies and locations, all running beautifully on a perfectly optimised engine. It is a thoroughly professional product, nothing less is expected of Valve.

Left 4 Dead is a co-operative survival horror first-person shooter. Four survivors, humans or bots, shoot their way through zombie infested campaigns set in the city, the countryside, an airport and woodlands. If the nippy hordes of zombies aren't enough to stop the team in their tracks, special infected characters such as the immense Tank and the pouncing Hunter provide a huge challenge on higher difficulty settings. There is a chance to play as the special infected in the well-executed Versus mode. Dying regularly is a given, it is persistence, timing and luck that can eventually overwhelm the survivors.

Choosing music to accompany proceedings is somewhat of a no-brainer. Dark, atmospheric drum 'n' bass adds to the terror of having dozens of zombies rushing you at once. It can be a truly exhilarating Extreme Electronic Experience.

So why am I surprised that the game hasn't suffered the usually mandatory backlash? Well, because content is so thin on the ground at the moment. There is roughly an hour of gameplay within each of the four campaigns, and players who tend to dip in for short blasts will usually be forced to play the first couple of levels of a campaign over and over, causing disappointing repetition. Also, the weapon count is low - fingers crossed this is an area Valve will work on. Downloadable content is expected to trickle out to extend the lifespan of the game, but considering the speed the developer works at there could be frustratingly long waits between updates.

Nonetheless, Left 4 Dead is a worthy addition to my Steam games list, which I now turn to solely for my need to shoot real people in their virtual faces. For once, those people are fighting by my side as I shoot hundreds of virtual zombies in their virtual faces.

8/10

Various news

2008-12-15T17:11:00.000Z

GTA IV's Independence FM

Following on from my post in April when GTA IV was being enjoyed by console kids the world over and I was left wondering whether it would ever see the light of day on PC, Rockstar has indeed incorporated a user-built radio station into the ultimate version of its masterpiece. Players can choose to play their own track list either in order, shuffled or with DJ banter and adverts in between. Slick.

Spotify

This had to happen eventually. A miniature download opens up a world of freely and legally streamable music with no buffering times. The free version is invite-only and an advert plays after every few songs, however an advert-free day pass costs 99p for account holders and a monthly subscription £9.99 for anyone. A peek into the future and definitely one to watch.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 confirmed

Infinity Ward has confirmed the unimaginative and confusingly named sequel to its much-loved shooter will be released in 2009 and has been roughly dated for Autumn.

Christmas shooters and beats

2008-12-12T15:05:00.000Z

Any self-respecting PC gamer will know that this year's Christmas period has been even more special than last year's feast. The story is not the same for electronic music, with a weak release schedule suggesting the state of the music industry is becoming increasingly dire. I have chosen my favourites from the thriving shooter scene and a worryingly skimpy electronic music selection.

Games

GTA IV - Finally released on PC. Neither a perfect game or a perfect conversion, but it's the most fun you'll have this Winter.

Left 4 Dead - Low on content, but high on co-op fun and zombies.

Far Cry 2 - This sandbox shooter has split people down the middle with the best graphics ever and awesome combat, but poorly simulated freedom.

Call of Duty: World At War - More impressive single-player action and multiplayer fun from the wildly popular series.

Music

Mr Oizo - Lambs Anger - One of the most inventive and unique producers around is back with an album half-genius and half-rubbish.

Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco - The best techno producer in the world delivers another batch of sprawling, mind-blowing epics.

Last Step - 1961 - Aaron Funk's more laid-back alias outdoes his latest effort as Venetian Snares with an album of solid IDM.

Music review: Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir

2008-09-30T14:22:00.000+01:00

44 and a half minutes is not enough for an album to become a sprawling epic like a number of Tom Jenkinson's previous efforts, such as Ultravisitor and more recently Hello Everything, however Go Plastic remains my clear favourite despite clocking in at a similar length to Just A Souvenir.

Now that Squarepusher seems to be moving further and further towards instrumentation and away from electronic wizardry, very much in unison with his label Warp Records, the playtime caused me to expect an album akin to Music Is Rotted One Note (my least favourite) rather than a burst of intense, tight drill 'n' bass.

Upon seeing the track lengths, I was further disappointed to see a majority of the tracks playing out in under two minutes, assuming they would consist purely of impressive but ultimately shallow bass-noodling. Imagine my initial relief then when I listened to the opener Star Time 2. An instant Squarepusher classic. Nostalgic yet original, playful yet incredibly intelligent, it is, for me, the best track of the year. As for the short tracks, it speaks for itself that I am struggling to find anything much to say about them.

The Coathanger and Delta-V are both strong tracks that reward repeated listens, but nonetheless fail to keep up the momentum gathered by the glorious starter. There is unfortunately one track which stands out a turd - I listened in disbelief as I came to terms with the fact that the horrifyingly cringe-worthy A Real Woman was produced by the same man who made Go! Spastic.

It is the centerpiece trio of Planet Gear, Tensor In Green and Glass Road that save this album from seeming like an A-side with numerous B-side fillers. These tracks each serve up similarly awesome doses of music which are better than anything you'll have heard this year.

Squarepusher has always been unpredictable and he has not failed to shock and split opinions again this time around. For me, it is another boundary-pushing experimentation with 4 standout tracks to cherish forever (each of which mix well with fast-paced online shooter action, I should add). Just A Souvenir is out now on Warp Records and the follow-up EP Numbers Lucent is out in January.

UPDATE: Numbers Lucent is a glorious return to the Squarepusher style I am most in love with - melodic drill 'n' bass. Five of the six tracks are absolutely brilliant, however sadly the closer is a poor attempt at gabba.

8/10

Game review: Crysis Warhead

2008-09-29T16:56:00.001+01:00

When moments in a game have you shouting "that was amazing!" you know it's special. This is something that the half-priced standalone expansion to Crysis achieved, which is more than can be said for its predecessor. Crysis was good, but its open-ended nature meant that moments of mind-blowing action movie linearity were hard to come by. Warhead manages this by being a tighter and more free-flowing experience, but without losing the feeling of freedom that is so important to the game. Good job Crytek.

The moments I am referring to range from effectively using the über-cool performance-enhancing Nanosuit to waste a group of the frankly pathetic Korean enemy to driving past a heavily guarded fuel station and blowing the place to hell.

The secret to the significant improvement over Crysis seems to be largely in the level design, which for the most part is rather brilliant and free of the disorientating arrangements that plagued the original.

Set on a lush paradise island of greens and blues, the scope for graphical triumph reaches far above the greys of many shooters, and although Warhead's promise of less unforgiving system specs is barely apparent, it does look better than Crysis on medium settings, which is still all I was able to use despite running the game on a PC that runs other new games with ease.

You play as Psycho, the cockney stereotype who would have been everyone's last choice based on his appearances in Crysis. Miraculously, he's actually nowhere near as offensively irritating in Warhead. The over-zealous yelling is gone, replaced by measured dialogue and more suitably placed expletives.

Continuing with the modern trend in shooters, Warhead is a short game, even for an expansion, taking around four hours to complete. However, the multiplayer side has been beefed up considerably, highlighted by the fact that it has been distanced from the single-player by having a separate disc and its own name, Crysis Wars. It's good, with the Nanosuit, vehicles and weaponry adding up to a technically impressive affair, but the immersive and addictive qualities of the heavyweight online shooters are sadly absent here.

Musically, Warhead is as much of a sandbox of choice as the game itself. I'd say choose based on how you intend to play. Cloaking deviously before switching to maximum strength and pummelling Koreans in the jaw? You might opt for some atmospheric techno. Steaming in with all guns blazing? Your favourite brand of fast-paced music should combine well to deeply satisfy the anarchist in you.

I came away from Warhead feeling almost completely positive about the experience having raced through it one glorious sitting. You should do the same.

9/10

GTA IV PC rumours and soundtrack

2008-04-23T00:49:00.001+01:00

Despite rumours of an October release, there is still no official word on a PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV as the countdown for the console release enters its final week.

In the past, GTA games have arrived on PC graphically enhanced six to eight months after the console release and the same is expected this time around, despite conflicting rumours that Rockstar have no intentions of a PC release.

The soundtrack appears to consist of two electronic music based radio stations, The Journey (ambient and chill out) and Electrochoc (electro and dance).

They feature tracks from well-known electronic music artists such as Jean Michel Jarre, Boys Noize and Simian Mobile Disco.

Players hear the soundtrack through genre-based radio stations by entering any vehicle in the game.

Previous versions of GTA have featured tracks from prominent electronic music artists such as 808 State, Omni Trio and Calyx within their radio stations.

If a PC version is released, players should expect to be able to add their own music files to a user-built radio station, as with previous editions, to create a stylish Extreme Electronic Experience.

GTA IV will be available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 from April 29.

UPDATE: GTA IV will be released on PC on November 21.

Memorable experience 3: Half-Life

2008-04-23T00:04:00.000+01:00

Recalling Half-Life’s iconic scenes as merely memorable experiences seems an offensive understatement. Although the sequel is ultimately the better game, my memories of the ground-breaking original from 1998 remain closer to heart.

The legendary Black Mesa tram ride and Anomalous Materials Lab, pummelling my first headcrab with the crowbar, being outwitted by the incredibly intelligent and lifelike soldiers, marvelling at the brutal yet strangely adorable aliens, gazing in awe at the stunning outdoor environments - all elements that contributed to Half-Life being so devastatingly revolutionary and eminently memorable.

Having originally played it as a wide-eyed pre-teen upon release a decade ago, I embarked on replaying it this time with ten years of shooter experience behind me and the purpose of unearthing the optimal musical enrichment. The mixed bag of resulting feelings were made up of nostalgia, of course, tinged with a disappointing realisation that I was tainting precious memories by playing a game that was long ago significantly superseded, but also an enthusiastic appreciation that Half-Life can still contribute to providing a satisfying Extreme Electronic Experience.

The dynamic nature of the game means the scope for exciting combinations is extensive. For the earlier alien-infested levels I preferred the aptly extraterrestrial sound of acid techno, while listening to twisted IDM during the fast-paced later levels left me feeling as if I had just pigged out on my favourite junk food.

The sparse and austere Xen world plays host to the games closing levels and it is this relocation that triggers a lapse in an otherwise tight and gripping experience. Nonetheless, music similarly eerie and barren, such as ambient and minimal techno, conjured up a cruel uneasiness.

With the Source update adding a much-needed gloss to proceedings; it won’t hurt to enjoy a rerun of this earth-shattering shooter, this time armed with your iPod.

An early level

Interview: James Hannigan

2008-03-01T00:40:00.000Z

James Hannigan is a BAFTA-celebrated composer of music for games. His credits include Republic, Evil Genius, Grand Prix 4, FIFA and many others. I quizzed him on the relationship between games and music.

On the activity of combining games with music...

“I think it's inevitable and fun because in playing some games you are partially shaping your own experience, which is unlike passively watching a film or TV.

But there are games which are manipulative and tell a story as you progress through them, and it's for those I think you need still need composers and more of a universal/pre-determined score.”

On which styles of music suits which games...

“If a game is attempting to be cinematic the language of film music tends to come into play as it is so widely recognised and understood.

There are parts of the games industry more self-contained and self-referential and I do think there is music still identifiable as 'games music' at first listen.

This used to be the case more often than now, as the sound of the underlying technology was part-and-parcel of the sound. Since digital audio levelled the playing field and brought about all this convergence, there's been a blurring of the lines between many forms of music and markets in general.

Games music means different things to different people now and I think the industry in general will continue to fragment.”

On whether the importance of music in games is underappreciated...

“Not entirely. Many games succeed with or without good music in business terms, so I think games may be less reliant on music than, say, films – at least in terms of how much music is thought of as part of games design.

In other words, people may still buy games and be satisfied by them when the music is bad or even absent in some cases. But this isn't to say music isn't becoming increasingly significant and integral to the experience.I think the function of music in games differs in that it may be less emotionally manipulative than film music a lot of the time, in order to immerse the player in a convincing reality. And it may also exist less for narrative support and more for atmosphere, as players are often in control of the 'story' themselves.

But it's hard to discuss music in blanket terms when games are so diverse in genre and purpose these days, spanning action/adventure, sports, simulations and so on.”