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Assassin's Creed II Soundtrack Review - The Kyd's Got Talent

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0800

Composer Jesper Kyd has outdone himself with his soundtrack for Assassin's Creed II. The man behind the music of video games including Unreal Tournament III, multiple iterations of the Hitman series and of course, the award winning original Assassin's Creed, has crafted an exquisite score for the highly rated sequel. Fortunately for gamers and game music aficionados especially, Ubisoft has been kind enough to release a 35 song soundtrack album for Assassin's Creed II.

Jesper Kyd's music for ACII ranges from atmospheric to action-oriented themes. Jesper does phenomenally in his blending of old-world music themes with 21st compositional styles, creating pieces where orchestral music meets choir voices from antiquity with just the right application of an electric guitar line to keep it grounded in a modern mode. Check out the full-length sample of "Ezio's Family" we have for you here (courtesy of Ubisoft and Top Dollar PR) and hear for yourself why this is among the top downloaded individual songs from the album on iTunes.

The atmospheric pieces are gorgeous sounding and if you are a fan of listening to this style of game music, it makes for a pleasant background to your work or studies. For me, it's the up tempo and Mediterranean folk-inspired material that really shine here. Songs including "Venice Escape," "Flight Over Venice" and "Florence Escape" (both of the later songs are included here for your streaming pleasure) are extraordinary examples of Jesper's skills. He nails the mood and tone of the game's visuals so well, you can picture Ezio soaring over Italian cities in Da Vinci's flying machine or sneaking up behind his victim to execute a precision, um, well, execution.

Another testament to the quality of the compositions is selections from the Assassin's Creed II soundtrack debuted last week in Paris, as part of the Video Games Live concert tour. Here is hoping Tommy Tallarico keeps these in the set list when the tour comes back here.

So, who is this album for? Overall, the Assassin's Creed II soundtrack is a solid listen from start to finish, and fans of the game series that haven't already downloaded it from iTunes or Amazon need to set down their controller and go do so now. If, like me, you haven't logged any playtime with ACII yet (yes, I know, but cut a gamer some slack, there's a metric-ton of great games out right now!) you will still enjoy this for the sheer listening pleasure of it. From some of the talk I've seen on Twitter, there are plenty of you saying how vital Jesper's music is to the game play. Frankly, hearing gamers talk like this and listening to the music away from the game has only made me want to play it more.

Fresh Ink Online: Nate “Rock” Quarry

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

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Ultimate Fighter and ultimate comic book fan Nate “Rock” Quarry guest hosts this special Fresh Ink Online Thanksgiving edition. Nate runs through his favorite comics, some of which influenced his life and mixed martial arts career: Lone Wolf and Cub, Kick Ass, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Walking Dead and Marvel’s Greatest Super Battles. This is one Fresh Ink you don’t wanna miss…’cause if you do, Nate might crush you.

Come on back next week when Blair Butler takes the helm once again. Until then, enjoy your turkey day.

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The MMO Report: Thursday, November 26th

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Right now you're either waiting to eat or attempting to digest while in the fetal position. Both are perfect oppertunities to take a moment and watch this week's MMO Report. Today Casey will give you the dates for Star Trek Online's open beta, tell you about a Zombie MMO, and brings back WTF Second Life just for the holiday weekend. That's something to be thankful for.

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Sessler's Soapbox: 4 out of 5 vs. 5 out of 5

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

This week, we have much to be thankful for. One thing we should all be thankful for is the fact that Adam Sessler takes the time out of his busy schedule each week to let us know what's on his mind. This week, Adam is going to respond to some of your ciricisms about the recent scoring of Assassin's Creed II and Left 4 Dead 2. Many of you pointed out that these sequels have improvements over their predicessors, but got a lower score. Press play to find out why.

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Fresh Ink Online: Batman, Punisher, Spider-Man

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:50:00 -0800

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Fresh Ink Online host Blair Butler gears up for Thanksgiving with reviews of Invincible, Punisher, Irredeemable, Nola, and Phonogram The Singles Club. But is it Amazing Spider-Man or Batman and Brother Power the Geek that nabs the coveted Pick of the Week title? Watch and find out!

And tune in next week for a Turkey Day guest host spot by ultimate fighter and ultimate comic lover Nate “Rock” Quarry! Woo-hoo!!!

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The MMO Report: Thursday, November 19th

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800

Casey is back yet again to bring a fresh, steaming helping of MMO news. This week we'll tell you about a possible hint towards the release schedule for Guild Wars 2, a bunch of news about the game we all know too well, World of Warcraft, and how you can get a beta code for The Secret World by playing Age of Conan. I know, life can be so hard sometimes. So grab a cold one and open up your eye holes, because this is The MMO Report.

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G4 Is Proud To Present Campus PD

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:25:00 -0800

When you're flipping around the channels, looking for something (anything) to watch, you know you stop on action-oriented reality programming every time. Relax, everyone does. That's why we at G4 are proud to present Campus PD, a brand new program detailing real, college police work premiering on the network on Wednesday, December 9 at 11 PM ET.

Campus PD "takes viewers along for the ride with officers on duty to capture firsthand all the mayhem and excitement they take on night after night when student fun spirals out of control." That means binge-drinking co-eds and law-and-order cops meeting head-on.

From policing parties and security issues, to keeping the peace at sports events and arresting possible suspects, ride with the Campus PD as they tackle the ongoing challenge of keeping students safe. Depicting university life from the perspective of the law enforcement professionals who police them, this ground-breaking new series presents a real-life account of these modern-day campus heroes. As they gear up for a shift, these courageous cops know they’re in for a few surprises!

The series heads to five college towns across the country including Tallahassee, FL, San Marcos, TX, Cincinnati, OH, Chico, CA, and Greenville, NC. It takes viewers deep inside the internal lives of the law enforcement professionals policing a town of fun-loving college kids. It isn’t easy, but these dedicated officers love their jobs, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s no secret that high energy police shows are very popular among male viewers. With Campus PD, we join real police teams and head to college towns, where the students – and their everyday lives – will prove highly relatable to G4’s core young male audience” said Neal Tiles, President, G4.

Campus PD premieres this December, with an initial run of ten episodes. It's available in HD, too. Check out the official site for more details.

Sessler's Soapbox: Goodbye Pandemic Studios

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:15:00 -0800

It was just yesterday that we all found out about the closing of Pandemic Studios, creators of the Mercenaries series and the upcoming The Saboteur. While there have been a lot of game developers shutting their doors recently, this one seems to represent something larger than a simple financial decision. Pandemic's publisher EA tried an experiment last year by releasing new, experimental IPs like Mirror's Edge and Dead Space instead of their usual stable of licensed games and sequels. But are they really to blame when we, the gaming public, didn't buy into their great experiment? Listen to what Adam has to say on the subject and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Seth Killian Walks You Through Juri, T. Hawk, And Dee Jay In Super Street Fighter IV

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0800

Capcom's Seth Killian stopped by this morning with a playable build of Super Street Fighter IV and was kind enough to walk us through the three new playable characters that have been announced for the upcoming revision: Juri, T. Hawk, and Dee Jay.

The following video will give you some nice insight into the characters, their moves, how they play, and if Capcom PR guys can pull off 720 degree inputs on command. Oh, and it's also full of tons of new gameplay footage in HD (or SD if you don't like awesome).

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Which of the three characters shown would you play with? I'm definitely going to give Dee Jay a try when this game releases next Spring.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Night Vision Goggles Review

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:22:00 -0800

Odds are, if you're a gamer, you spent this past weekend destroying your friends in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. The $60 you spent were well worth it, but do you sometimes think to yourself, "Should I have spent a little more money and gotten the Prestige Edition, which features, among other things, the cool looking night vision goggles?"

For those of you pondering this important question, AOTS Correspondent Blair Herter has your answer. Check out his review of the unique gaming peripheral right here on Attack of the Blog and find out if you should rush to your local game retailer and trade in your copy for the whole kit and caboodle.

Fresh Ink Online: Batman, Daredevil, Booster Gold

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:10:00 -0800

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Host Blair Butler hips you to the latest comics on the stands in this week’s Fresh Ink Online, including Daredevil, Punisher Max: Kingpin, Booster Gold, Luke McBain, Supergod, Crown of Shadows: Locke and Key, and the Batman Doc Savage Special. And please don’t freak out that she didn’t get to pick up this week’s Green Lantern Corps. Blair is already upset enough and you don’t want to make her cry. Seriously. She will cry.

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The MMO Report: Thursday, November 12th

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:42:00 -0800

Excuse me for a moment. I know you're busy getting dominated by foul-mouthed children in Modern Warfare 2 right now, but I thought you would like to know the new episode of The MMO Report is now available. In this week's show, Casey lets you know that Star Trek Online finally has a release date, that Aion has sold almost one million copies, and that Warhammer Online now has an unlimited free trial. Now that's a payment plan I like. So take a seat and enjoy the vast knowledge of Casey Schreiner by pressing play and watching this week's episode of The MMO Report.

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Sessler's Soapbox: The Modern Warfare 2 Airport Scene

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:11:00 -0800

Since everyone is talking about or playing or buying extra copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 right now, Adam couldn't let this week's Soapbox go by without talking about the controversial "Airport Scene" we've all been hearing so much about.

While this video is fairly light on spoilers, if you haven't finished the single-player campaign in the game, you might want to wait before you hear what the Sess has to say on the subject. That being said, how did playing through that scene make you feel? Or did you skip the level, expecting it to be gratuitous and offensive? Let us know what you think, but again, please keep the discussion intelligent and civil.

Update: Adam did not go on Fox and Friends. It was his decision, and it was due to scheduling.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Footage!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:02:00 -0800

Not waiting at a midnight release for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Stuck at work or school with your copy patiently waiting at home? Why not watch three multiplayer videos to keep yourself occupied until you can finally play Infinity Ward's newest game?

First up, some Team Deathmatch on Scrapyard rolling with a P90 and some run and gun perks. Scrapyard is a small map, but flows incredibly well with good cover and buildings.

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Hit the break for a look at some 3rd Person Demolition on Afghan. This is a double-shot of new for MW2 with the all-new 3rd person camera and Demolition, which is an update on Search & Destroy that enables respawning and doesn't end when the first target blows up.

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Finally, we wrap up our midnight coverage with some more team deathmatch on Favela, a nice closed in map with two nice sight-lines on either side of the map.

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Are you jumping right into multiplayer or hitting campaign first?

What's New In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Multiplayer?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Haven't been following Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer mode and the changes that Infinity Ward has made to the game? Watch this video for a crash course in everything multiplayer in MW2. I'll go through the class system, new perks, killstreaks and deathstreaks, and everything else IW has added.

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Fresh Ink Online: Secret Six, Lobo, Stumptown

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 14:43:00 -0800

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Fresh Ink Online host Blair Butler gives the rundown on this week’s latest and greatest comics, including Secret Six, Age of Reptiles, Stumptown, Cinderella, Lobo: Highway to Hell, and others. Which one will take Pick of the Week? Tune in and find out.

Plus, make sure to check out Blair’s gore-tastic and hilarious animated short series Slasher School at www.g4tv.com/slasherschool. You shall not be disappointed. We promise.

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The MMO Report: Thursday, November 5th

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 13:37:00 -0800

Yes, I know, you all missed Casey terribly. Well not to worry, this week he's back to bring you the news and comedy you've come to expect from the MMO Report.

This week we're discussing the one million characters that have been created in Champions Online since the game launched, the new "Future Past" trailer for Star Trek Online, and the lawsuit between Interplay and Bethesda over the rights to make a Fallout MMO. So prepare your eyeballs for awesome, press play, and enjoy.

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Sessler's Soapbox: Adam Calls Infinity Ward Out

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:09:00 -0800

This week's Soapbox gets a little serious. First, if you want to know what Adam is talking about, search YouTube for "Call of Duty Grenade Spamming" to find the original viral video that Adam will be talking about this week.

Once you've seen it, you'll understand where The Sess is coming from in this episode of Sessler's Soapbox. Adam is not a fan of the large amount of hate speech that is thrown about on Xbox Live and the PSN during multiplayer matches, and from his perspective, that video has given those activities a somewhat passive approval from Infinity Ward. This video couldn't have come at a worse time, considering Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is coming out in less than two weeks. Do you agree with Adam on this subject? Or do you believe the developer has no responsibility towards what gamers do while playing their game? And please, keep the discussions civil.

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Exclusive Left 4 Dead 2 Walkthroughs, Scavenge/Survival Mode Explained

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 09:35:00 -0800

If you thought Abbie Heppe's Left 4 Dead 2 Realism Mode Walkthrough was stellar, you'll be stoked to know she had time to do some exclusive, direct-feed walkthroughs for both the Survival and brand new Scavenge modes as well.

First, check out the fast-paced 4 vs. 4, gas can-gathering extravaganza in the Scavenge Mode walkthrough, where you'll be tasked to run like the dickens gathering can after precious can of gasoline in the fastest time possible.

Then, Ms. Heppe gives you the lowdown on laying out your best chance at a time you can brag about in the returning Survival Mode. You'll have to hit the jump to see it, though!

Who Likes to Rock the Gulp?

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 16:05:00 -0800

The great (unconfirmed) Derek “The Blizzard” Snowden came into work today flossing a plastic guitar he bought at 7-11. The whole office was obviously impressed with the bleeding-edge tech, but when Derek took a sip out of a straw protruding from his axe, a legend was born. Please enjoy Mr. Snowden’s in-depth review of 7-11’s amazing cup/guitar hybrid. Or, gup.

THE 7-11 'ROCK THE GULP' BIG GULP GUITAR CUP REVIEW

I'll admit it. I enjoy a nice fountain drink now and then. I like guitars and things shaped like guitars.

Today, I learned that I can appreciate a soda in a guitar-shaped beverage container. That's it, really.

PROS

Holds 54 oz. of your favorite beverage
Available in red or blue
Has an adjustable strap with metal buckle
The raised plastic strings have surprisingly nice action
Good conversation starter
Comes with rad stickers and a handy ice cone

CONS

Does not hold 64 oz. of your favorite beverage
Not available in black or Fender
Guitar-stand-slash-hot-dog-warmer not included
Lefty flip is surprisingly unsatisfying
‘Rockin’ the Coffee’ can be fatal
I don’t like stickers or ice

CONCLUSION

Mmm, tasty and refreshing. However, do not attempt to plug into an electrical source. Results may vary. For those of you wondering why this is on a videogame blog, here's an HTML hyperlink to our Lego Rock Band review.