PC gameScore

Check this out

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Indie Game Music Bundle via RPS (be quick).

Taking another break

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0200

My PC is just shy of 5 years now and since monday it's acting up. The problem probably lies with the mainboard...

I will likely do the next update here after I got a new PC. You can imagine how I'm itching for a new rig. Even with an upgraded graphics card, more RAM and bigger hard discs, the current one just isn't cutting it anymore. It's time for Windows 7 and 64 bits, too.

The Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0200

You can choose how much to pay for the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle which includes the Frozen Synapse soundtrack as well as Trauma and SpaceChem. If you go above the average price paid for this bundle, you can get the previous Humble Frozenbyte Bundle (that also includes game music) in addition.

About 7 days are remaining.

Short and sweet

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Today, I've added two soundtracks:
- A New Beginning
- Age Of Conan: Rise Of The Godslayer

Always on

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0200

(Okay, so maybe not later, but next (meaning this) time...)

Why, oh why would one require a constant internet connection for a single-player game? I kind of get it for Diablo 3. That doesn't mean I like it or accept it, but for that other hot topic - trading items for cash - to work, there better be less chance of someone tinkering with locally saved data.

But then Tim Willits chimes in and says always being connected is "better for everybody" because games could automatically be updated... Then make a launcher application! It can be used by people who want that and ignored by those who just want to play the game and not wait for updates to download and install.

There are still plenty of places and situations where there just is no connection to the internet. And even if there always was, it is very valid to just not want that.

Saving configs and/or savegames in "the cloud" so that you can use them on other machines is to me a solution in search of a problem. But if developers want to incorporate that functionality, make it optional. Why not also put that in a launcher?! And add a button that will compress the data in question into a ZIP file and ask where to save it. So that people can put it on a USB drive to bring along.

When I take a look into a future where it will be accepted that the players have no control over such things I get a feeling that my backlog of unplayed games is not so bad after all. In that dystopia players will not have bought the game to be theirs, they will have rented a service that decides whether they may push a button to influence a QTE or not.

Brave new world. Sooner than 2525. Though later than 1984. :)

Added the Medal Of Honor Soundtrack Collection.

Rant later...

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0200

CDs:
- The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings
- Dead Space 2

No rant today (not for want of topics)...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0200

...just two soundtracks:
- Gray Matter
- Black Mirror Collection

Ratings

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0200

As though there's not enough of those grumpy, annoyed gamers already. Now I'm doing yet another rant. It's as quick and to the point as I can make it, though.

This gripe is with users at GameTrailers.com who rate videos not for their content but for the hype of the game they display. It does not matter if it's just an interview with a PR person spouting off the usual better-than-the-rest talk or a pre-rendered trailer or a text teaser. It makes me like YouTube's decision to switch from 5 stars to just Like or Dislike (even though I wish there was an in-between).

My personal mindset is firstly to use the full scale (not just 7-10) and also I ask myself the question "Would you download that video and watch it again later?". Only if I do download the video, I can give it a 9 or 10. A lot of trailers are just standard fare of the ever same action - text - action - text variety. Rate them accordingly and make great videos stand out!

Music Links:
- Overgrowth
- Grom: Terror In Tibet
- Wings Of Honour
- Great Journey

Freedom and payment

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

New Music Links:
- Devil's Tuning Fork
- Alter Ego
- Interstellar Marines
Added Music To File entry:
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

I've got another minor rant today, concerning Team Fortress 2's move to going free to play.
I was under the impression that you could always play the game for free. You just had to pay to get the game. And that was normal. It's just a shooter. Of course you play for free.

Free-to-play had a meaning in the context of MMOs. Even though I never played Guild Wars - and thus cannot confirm if it was more like Diablo (should be free) or World Of WarCraft (guess it's okay to charge a monthly subscription) - I think that would be a game to apply the term free-to-play to. But there's another thing that comes into play: while Guild Wars was truly free after the initial purchase, nowadays F2P means that you're essentially lured into playing the game and then buy items to affect various odds and ends.

Why does Valve embrace the term instead of plainly calling TF2 "free"? Why does the gaming community at large seem to accept the term (which was probably invented by marketing) instead of choosing a more appropriate one (even the word-play free-to-pay seems more appropriate)?

Beats me.

Good night.

E3 blog: Absolutely not hyped about new Hitman

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

New Music To File entries:
- Mirror's Edge
- Emerald City Confidential
- Battlefield Heroes

I'll blog about some things that were on my mind while watching the E3 2011 news on various sites.

1. What will the additions to the current console generation mean for PCs?

Not only the newly introduced Wii U, but also Kinect and Move might mean that developers have to put more work into each variant of a game. Doubly so for the Wii U, since it does not only introduce new control methods, but also a second screen. This might be good for PC gaming in more ways. First, if they already have to put extra work in for each platform, this may lead to the creation of specialized teams, which could mean better quality ports. Second, the PC could profit from its jack-of-all-trades status:
- The Razer Hydra could be a Wii / Move equivalent.
- Microsoft will support Kinect on PC.
- Many PCs already have 2+ monitors.

We might see some new stickers on game boxes, like "Requires 2 screens and Kinect for optimum gameplay." Then again, I have a feeling that PC gamers have not gotten some games ported, because there is an unwritten law that there has to be mouse+keyboard support throughout instead of outright requiring a controller.

2. Why are people mad about XCOM?

I get that people don't want those classics sullied, but the series already had games in other genres! X-COM: Interceptor was a space shooter, X-COM: Enforcer a third-person shooter. Both got pretty mediocre scores. If you managed to ignore these, why not the next one?

The new game's style appeals to me and Irrational has produced nothing but good quality.

3. Need For Speed: The Run

Maybe I should not even bitch about this. Driving down narrow paths and having Quick Time Events is not attractive to me. Not very immersive, those flashing arrows everywhere. It will probably be very tense through these design decisions, though.

Why do I still mention the game? Because the first few infos they released got me excited. A race across the USA? One might expect some pretty generic highways that get their draw from chases. Interspersed with more detailed cities...

4. Hitman: Absolution

The debut trailer worries me a little. Is the showering woman supposed to be Diana? If so, that is not how I view her. Vivenne McKee's voice suggested a Miss Moneypenny like character to me.

No David Bateson as Agent 47's voice? NO Jesper Kyd?? That is just bad. Very bad.

There. Now I'm sad.

2 by 2, hands of blue

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

2 Music Links entries:
- Empire: Total War
- Immortal Defense

2 Music To File entries:
- Return To Mysterious Island 2: Mina's Fate (demo)
- Frontlines: Fuel Of War

I'll take this opportunity and have another blog-like news post. It regards the E3 2011 showing of the new Nintendo console. While I have never been a console gamer at all, I do own a dust-collecting Wii. Maybe it is for this reason that I'm skeptical about the Wii U controller's features:

1. keep playing on the controller while someone else watches TV
2. have meaningful information on the small screen, the rest on TV
3. the touch screen is used as a controller

How can it be all 3?

If you want to keep playing on the controller, then the inventory or whatever else shall be displayed there can not be displayed at the same time.

If you have your eyes on the controller all the time, because it is your aiming device, why have a TV at all?

If you use it merely as a controller, then the touch screen functionality will not be very useful, because you'll constantly have to switch between watching the TV and controller screen. Without tactile feedback to boot.

2 older Music Links, 2 new ones

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

From 2009:
- Venetica
- Trine

From 2011:
- Bulletstorm
- Portal 2

I hope the Bulletstorm link is still valid, the site is down for maintenance right nor.

Game songs

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Continuing from December 2008, here are some more songs from games:

- Time Only Knows (Prince Of Persia 4: The Sands Of Time)
- Sacred Worlds (Sacred 2: Fallen Angel)
- Shadow Of The Emperor (Battle Isle 3: Schatten des Imperators / Battle Isle 2220: Shadow Of The Emperor)
- Must Be Strong (Earth 2160)
- Child Of 2140 (Earth 2140)
- I Close My Eyes And Think Of You (Jack Orlando)
- Was I Even There? (Shivers 2: Harvest Of Souls)
- Wormsong (Worms 2)

There's now a video for the Incubation song:
- Incubation Of An Insect Nation (Incubation)

Gothic (but not really) and an assassin (but not the bald one)

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Added these soundtracks:
- Arcania: Gothic 4
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Two new game soundtracks

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

- Silent Hunter 5: Battle Of The Atlantic
- Two Worlds II

The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

You can buy The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle now. Like the previous bundles, you can set the price yourself. Be generous if you can, since part of the proceeds go to charity (if you choose so). The current bundle is especially relevant to this site. In addition to the five games, you can download the soundtracks for three of them: Trine, Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds: Survivor.

I already own the two best (as far as I know) games of the bundle, Shadowgrounds and Trine, so I didn't pay as much this time.

There goes my plan to add stuff in addition to soundtracks....

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Like last week, it's just CDs:
- World Of WarCraft: Cataclysm (German)
- X-Blades

Soundtrack CDs from Two Worlds and four Medal Of Honor games added

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

- Two Worlds - The Album
- Medal Of Honor: 10th Anniversary

No, I won't get into another rant about reboots. But it is fucked up how they named the 2010 game (I call it Medal Of Honor: Modern Assault) the same as that from 1999...

Well, back to playing Minecraft.

Once more unto the breach

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

These updates seem much like a chore lately. Maybe Wednesday is not such a good choice...

Here are today's updates:
- Drakensang: Am Fluss der Zeit
- Civilization V

Have you noticed the change?

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

I've added the RSS and Atom feed some time ago, but forgot to mention it. They should help you stay up-to-date with the site's news.

Like the CDs I've added:
- Elemental: War Of Magic
- Machinarium

Since I'm slowly running out of new soundtracks to add, I'm getting back into the groove with the other stuff.

Music Links for example:
- Timanfaya: Verschollen in den Feuerbergen

One day late, two soundtracks

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

CDs:
- Dark Void by Bear McCreary who did an awesome job on BSG
- Prince Of Persia: Die vergessene Zeit

Two soundtracks, two Music Links

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Today's soundtracks break the series of those available from Amazon:
- Splinter Cell: Conviction
- StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty
... both only available with the Collector's Edition.

I also added Music Links:
- BattleForge
- Art Of Murder 2: Hunt For The Puppeteer

Viva Piñata and Resident Evil 5 game soundtracks

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Both available on Amazon:
- Viva Piñata
- Resident Evil 5

Here we go again

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

So tired. No words.

- Bionic Commando
- Street Fighter IV

Risen and Borderlands soundtracks

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

...added today:
- Risen
- Borderlands

I should probably tell you something about JMStV - Jugendmedienschutz Staatsvertrag. It might become a new law in Germany that could possibly heavily interfere with web sites and/or blogs. That's all I will write about it for now. Just know that this new law might kill PC gameScore.

Added two compilations

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

- Video Games Live
- Best Of The Best

Note to self: be sure to go over associated artists and games again. :)

These two soundtracks are available for buying separately from their games

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

No need to buy a Collector's Edition... :)

- Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
- Empire: Total War

(A little aside: from today's new entries each artist has his own web site.)

And for a good laugh, watch the Excalibur Brothers' hilarious Sandral & Matale Song. Taken from their "Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Abridged" video series.

Phantasy discs, sci-fi download

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0200

CDs:
- The Lord Of The Rings Online: Mines Of Moria
- The Music Of Demigod
Music Links:
- Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution

Another two soundtracks added, more to come

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0200

Here are the soundtracks of two sequels:
- Die Gilde 2
- Divinity II: Ego Draconis (Original Soundtrack EP)

Soundtracks of two German phantasy strategy games, Music Link for a German adventure

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0200

CDs:
- ParaWorld
- Sounds Of SpellForce
Music Links:
- A New Beginning

A New Beginning has an intriguing art style and story. The former being a mature comic style and the latter involving time travel and environmental issues. Check it out at earth-game.com.