Tag: Music - Page 4
News Florence and the Machine Stand by Final Fantasy XV
Flo rider
No modern Final Fantasy game is complete without an unexpected pop crossover, but for Final Fantasy XV, poor Leona Lewis has been cast aside for the infinitely more hip Florence and the Machine. The English indie group have covered Ben E. King's iconic Stand by Me, mixing in some good old Final Fantasy motifs for good measure. This is...
Feature The Best PlayStation Soundtracks of 2015
Like music to our ears
With 2015 winding down, it's only natural that 'Best Of' lists are beginning to pop up everywhere you look. While games themselves get a lot of attention when it comes to these sorts of lists, the accompanying soundtracks get a little less love. We're here to change that and deliver our list of the ten best soundtracks to...
News Ever Wonder Why the Classic Metal Gear Solid Theme Isn't in the Phantom Pain?
Name that tune
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a phenomenal game – which is just as well, as it could end up being the final entry in the series to benefit from the input of creator Hideo Kojima, who seems to be parting ways with Konami at the end of the year. However, as amazing as the game undoubtedly is, it is missing a vital ingredient...
News You Owe It to Yourself to Spin This Free WipEout Record Today
Groove jet
As any of you that have had a cursory glance at the Push Square homepage will know: today is PlayStation's big 20th anniversary in Europe. Of course, this means that it's also WipEout's birthday, as the first entry in Psygnosis' high-octane series deployed alongside the PSone all the way back on 29th September, 1995. And what better way...
Guide Where to Find All of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain's Music Cassette Tapes
Locations that will make your Walkman sing
Let it be known that there is only one universal truth on this earth, and that is that cassette tapes suck. Unfortunately for Big Boss he hasn't got much of a choice, as CDs and iPods don't exist in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. While collectibles can be a pile of crud in other games, the tapes...
News Don't Expect any Goldfinger in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
Do anticipate bands you've never heard of
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 continues to be the strangest of games. Activision's clearly coveting nostalgia with this long-awaited sequel, and that's evident in everything from the name to the actual arcade gameplay. But with the game's soundtrack, it seems like it's trying to introduce people to a bunch of new...
News You'll Need The Last of Us' Vinyl for the Cover Alone
Can't be for nothing
Before y'all tell us to get in the sea, we were collecting vinyl before bearded hipsters encouraged us to stop. But we may have to put our plastic hiatus on hold just this once, as this The Last of Us soundtrack is begging to be bought. Manufactured by Mondo on 180-gram black vinyl, this four LP compilation has some of the most...
Guide How to View Photos, Play Music, and Watch Videos with PS4 Media Player
Use your home network or USB drive to access all of your entertainment
Sony put a big emphasis on games when it launched the PlayStation 4, and its laser focused marketing won the hearts and minds of gamers. But as its new PlayStation Vue commercial so astutely illustrates, just because games are the focus of the format, doesn't mean that owners...
News SEGA Classics to Receive Vinyl Soundtracks
What year is it?
SEGA smashes Shenmue and Streets of Rage are set to receive special edition vinyl soundtracks this September – and just so you don't panic, you're definitely still reading this in 2015. London-based record label Data Discs will be handling the uber-limited LPs. We imagine that the firm's based in Shoreditch and only hires...
Interview The Man Behind the Music - Jason Graves
We talk extensively to one of PlayStation's most prolific composers
It's not often that we flag down video game composers for interviews, but we were recently presented with the opportunity at North Carolina's East Coast Game Conference to speak with Jason Graves, who's behind the soundtracks for the Dead Space franchise, Tomb Raider, Evolve, The...
News Marilyn Manson's New Album Was Put on PlayStation Discs to Represent Change
This is the new s***
Here's something unusual: Marilyn Manson – yes, the controversial rocker who rose to popularity in the late '90s – released his new album on old PlayStation discs. It was more of an artistic decision than anything, as the self-proclaimed Antichrist Superstar's latest record, fittingly named The Pale Emperor, is supposed to...
News You Need This Journey Record in Your Life
No, not that Journey
You're not a true hipster until you have a sizeable vinyl collection – preferably spanning indie hits such as thatgamecompany's outstanding Journey. It's a good thing for your coffee shop street cred, then, that iam8bit has teamed up with Sony to create this stunning double LP set for Austin Wintory's soaring score. The...
Guide How to Stream Spotify Music While You're Playing PS4 Games
Background music
After a particularly painful wait, the Spotify application has put in a surprise appearance on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 today. One of its niftiest features on Sony's next-gen hardware, however, is its ability to enable audio playback – while you're playing games. Most games manually adjust to this feature – with the...
News Final Fantasy XIII-2 Songstress Origa Passes Away
Lost to the Historia Crux
Renowned for unique and mystifying vocals, Russian born singer Origa passed away from cancer during the weekend at the age of 44. She spent most of her life working in Japan and contributed to the games industry by providing vocals to Final Fantasy XIII-2. Anyone who has played it will have undoubtedly heard her, as she not...
News Rock Band Reboots with Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys DLC This Week
R U Sure?
Dust off those putrid plastic instruments: Rock Band is back. We're not referring to a sequel, of course – not yet, anyway – but brand new DLC for the series, which brings an end to an incredible 21 month hiatus. Harmonix famously stopped supporting Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz almost two years ago, but, like a rockstar that's run...
Feature 2014's Most Memorable PlayStation Music
Sounds good
The music that we hear in games plays an integral part in our enjoyment of the experience. While this is by no means exclusive to the medium, the interactive nature of games means that the memories linked with certain musical cues can carry more potency than in other types of media. Last year was a hell of a year for game soundtracks,...
Weirdness Listen to This Gorgeous Acapella Cover of The Last of Us' Main Theme
Clicker along
While much praise is lavished over the gameplay and story of Naughty Dog's survival horror opus The Last of Us, comparatively little is said about its soundtrack. Indeed, the harrowing melodies composer Gustavo Santaolalla created for the game go a long way to making it the memorable and emotional experience that it is. Thankfully,...
News You'll Be Cruising Around Los Santos to These New Grand Theft Auto V PS4 Songs
Leave the radio playin'
Yesterday, we brought you a partial list of all of the new songs included in Grand Theft Auto V on the PlayStation 4 – but you didn’t think that we’d pass on the opportunity to publish the full soundtrack, did you? As part of our ongoing re-release milking session – hey, you keep clicking on these stories – we’ve...
News What New Songs Are in Grand Theft Auto V on PlayStation 4?
Not a word from your lips
You can’t have a Grand Theft Auto game without a licensed soundtrack. While it’s the part of the package that often gets overlooked, it’s usually the icing on the cake as far as we’re concerned – after all, we daresay that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City got a few of the younger among you into eighties music in the...
News This Grand Theft Auto V Record Set Will Make You the Envy of Your Friends
Round like a record
Rockstar Games will celebrate the release of Grand Theft Auto V on the PlayStation 4 this month with a set of limited edition CD and vinyl soundtracks. With a limited run of just 5,000 apiece, this 55-track soundtrack will be a must for fans of the Los Santos escapade. The collection – due out on 9th December – will include...
Guide How to Use the PS4's USB Music Player
Background sound
When the PlayStation 4 launched a little less than a year ago, it was missing some key multimedia functions. One such absentee was the ability to play custom audio during games. While background music was available via the platform holder's streaming service Music Unlimited, it's taken until the addition of
News Paul McCartney's Destiny Theme Song Flies without Wings
I am the Warlock
Destiny’s theme song has been written and composed by Paul McCartney, because, well, who else would have the star power required to represent Bungie’s next big thing in audio form? The track – which was recorded at the famous Abbey Road studio with a 120-piece ensemble, of course – has that soaring kind of sound that you’d...
Book Review A Composer's Guide to Game Music - Winifred Phillips
Calm and composed
Winifred Phillips is one of the best regarded composers in video games today, having contributed to an eclectic roster of titles, including PlayStation favourites such as Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, God of War, and the LittleBigPlanet series. With such vast experience in the medium, the musician has put together a book...
Interview Conducting a Symphony with Video Game Composer Winifred Phillips
Sounding off
Sometimes great opportunities just fall into your lap, and that’s exactly what happened to us on this occasion. We recently had the chance to chat to game composer and author Winifred Phillips – whose notable works include Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, God of War, and the LittleBigPlanet series – about her new book, A...
News Journey Composer Austin Wintory is Being Fined $50,000 By His Own Union
Shots fired
Earlier this week, on the day of the big E3 press conferences, critically acclaimed (and personal favourite of ours) game composer Austin Wintory released a video detailing some of the troubles that he may be facing from his own union. You may have heard his name thanks to his work on the superb Journey, or flOw, or any number of his...
Weirdness PlayStation Eye Employed to Turn Trees into Orchestral Epics
Barking mad
You can count the number of truly great PlayStation Eye games on one hand, but German composer Bartholomäus Traubeck has achieved something that London Studio couldn’t, by actually making something memorable with the PlayStation 3’s ill-fated peripheral. Embedded below, you’ll find an excerpt from his record Years, which features...
News At Least Final Fantasy XV's Music Is Making Progress
Audio extravagance
We like to debate a lot of topics here at Push Square towers, but whether Final Fantasy XV will actually ever release is a particularly popular one. Still, while director Tetsuya Nomura has likened the PlayStation 4 title’s production to “climbing a mountain”, we can happily report that the soundtrack is at the very least...
Feature 2013's Most Powerful PlayStation Soundtracks
Don't look back in anger
More often than not, too much effort is spent pondering the visuals of a game. Or its gameplay. Or its set pieces. However, there’s one pivotal area that tends to get overlooked time and time again: the soundtrack. If you’re on the fence about a particular piece of software, an emotional piece of music can set you on the...
Review Just Dance 2014 (PlayStation 4)
It takes Move to tango
Ubisoft’s colossal Just Dance series has become a common name among party gamers and rhythm fans. The gameplay essentially boils down to you mirroring a brightly coloured avatar in order to pull shapes to popular songs across a variety of genres. Compatible with up to four players, the franchise scores you by tracking your...
News Now You Can Attend Music Concerts Directly from Your PS3
Never get caught in a mosh pit again
Live music is fantastic, but it comes with a few major caveats. For starters, you’re often forced to rub shoulders with smelly scene kids who don’t know the meaning of the word ‘deodorant’. And then there’s the whole physical endurance aspect, which sees you standing around for hours on end while...
Review Rocksmith 2014 Edition (PlayStation 3)
It's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock 'n' roll)
Let's cut to the chase: Rocksmith 2014 Edition will not miraculously teach you how to play guitar like Slash in 24 hours. Learning the guitar or bass takes years of dedicated practice, repetition, self-motivation, and real technique. That doesn't necessarily mean that Rocksmith is useless –...
Review KickBeat (PlayStation Vita)
Fists of melody
The concept of fusing fighting and rhythm games seems so obvious, as the act of combat already has a rhythmic feel to it. Timing is, of course, crucial to both pastimes, with complex moves requiring metronome-like precision, just like the beat of a song. KickBeat, then, is pretty much the perfect marriage of genres, and the Zen...
News You'll Be Listening to Some Stellar Tracks in Grand Theft Auto V
Sony apologises for leak
This is more or less why we can’t have nice things. Sony made Grand Theft Auto V available for download on the European PlayStation Store this week. With the file spanning an enormous 18GB, the company wanted to make it easy for players to download ahead of the game’s release on 17th September. Sadly, the file’s been...
News VidZone Starts a Music Video Streaming Party in North America
Just dance
VidZone has been a mainstay of the European PlayStation 3 experience for eons, cranking out killer tunes since before Lady GaGa was hip. But now, much like Spotify before it, the service is set to play catch up in North America, allowing residents of the new world to stream the hits of Hanson until their heart’s content. Mmmbop. The...
E3 2013 Rocksmith 2014 Edition Plays a Power Chord on PS3
Turn it up to eleven
The music game genre may have flopped like a manufactured boy band, but Ubisoft’s guitar guide game Rocksmith has shredded out a niche all of its own. As such, it’s no surprise to see the series make a comeback with Rocksmith 2014 Edition, which is set to release on the PlayStation 3 later this year. Much like its...
News The Last of Us Sounds Just As Good As It Looks
Ear candy
The Last of Us is not only shaping up to be a feast for the eyes, but also for the ears. Naughty Dog has continued its behind-the-scenes mini-series, this time pointing its camera at legendary composer Gustavo Santaolalla. In the video, the musician talks a little about his guitar teacher quitting when he was just a child – not because...
News No, Your PlayStation 4 Won't Play Audio CDs
Use them as a coaster instead
If you were planning on cranking up your classic copy of Blink 182’s unforgettable Take Off Your Pants and Jacket through your brand spanking new PlayStation 4, you may be in for a shock – Sony has confirmed that its next generation console will not actually support audio CDs. The company revealed the snippet as...
News Would You Kindly Listen to This BioShock Remix Album
Sounds of the underground
How do you transform BioShock’s harrowing art-deco universe into something infectious? Well, if you’re voice actor turned remix extraordinaire Eddie Bowley, you take its most famous sound bites and arrange them into beats so catchy that not even Ayn Rand could resist tapping her disco feet. ‘Only Man’ is a full...
News Journey Misses Out on Prestigious Grammy Award
The one that got away
Given the sheer amount of awards that Journey has scooped up over the past 12 months, we suppose it’s about time that the title stopped hogging the limelight. Despite being the first ever video game to be nominated for a Grammy award, Austin Wintory’s scorching score lost out to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ e
Feature Crafting the Contrasting Sounds of The Unfinished Swan
Secret gardens and synths
The Unfinished Swan is a blank canvas; an engrossing adventure open to interpretation and debate. It’s a title that’s defined by contrasts, be it the bold blobs of colour that paint your progression through the game’s otherwise vacant world, or the juxtaposed personalities of the protagonist and his counterpart, the...
News Journey Soundtrack Makes History with Grammy Nomination
Blimey
Clearly not content with the mass of awards that it’s already won, Journey has made history by becoming the first ever video game to be nominated for a Grammy award. The title’s scorching score – composed by Austin Wintory – is up for contention in the ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media’ category. It’ll face off against...
News That Groovy Grand Theft Auto V Trailer Tune Is By Stevie Wonder
Hum the bassline
Rockstar Games always selects the perfect tracks to accompany its trailers, and it made another bold choice with today’s hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V re-reveal. The funky jam at the heart of the footage is Stevie Wonder’s Skeletons, which was a 1987 hit off the Motown artist’s 21st studio album Characters. We’ve...
Feature Why PixelJunk Studio Q-Games Is Creating Trip-Hop During Its Lunch Break
Massive attack
For all the satisfaction that comes alongside creating video games, there are times when it can be a gruelling occupation. Thankfully, the Kyoto-based studio behind the PixelJunk series has happened upon an innovative means of maintaining morale throughout the day. For the past six months, Q-Games has been using its lunch breaks to...
News PixelJunk and Lumines Developers Release New Record
Real time
Kyoto-based developer Q-Games may be best known for its work on the PixelJunk franchise, but the studio has been quietly expanding its portfolio into rock and roll over the past couple of months. Designed as a distraction to keep morale high during hectic coding sessions, the studio has formed a trip-hop supergroup known as The Electric...
News Fan-Made WipEout Album Pays Tribute to Psygnosis
Download for free now
It surprised many when Sony shut down Studio Liverpool, formerly Psygnosis and developer of one of the most iconic game series on Sony's systems, WipEout. The most recent entry, WipEout 2048, is one of the best titles on Vita, but the fate of the franchise is unclear now that its driving force has been disbanded. For many,...
News RE: Operation Raccoon City Soundtrack Launches
Rotten racket
You probably don’t want to be reminded of Slant Six’s diabolical third-person shooter, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. But on the off-chance that you actually enjoyed the squad-based spin-off (what’s wrong with you?), Sumthing Music has announced that it has finally launched the game’s official soundtrack. To be fair,...
News Darksiders II Soundtrack Now Available for Pre-Order
Sounds like Death itself, supposedly
Sumthing Else Music Works and THQ have announced that the upcoming Darksiders II will be receiving its very own two-disc soundtrack for you to listen while you're not riding into battle and restoring mankind. The soundtrack will feature scores by Assassin's Creed and Hitman composer, Jesper Kyd, whose...
News Trent Reznor Bringing Some Fresh Beats to Black Ops 2
Like nails on a chalkboard
If you assumed Call of Duty couldn’t possibly get any more edgy, then you were wrong. Activision has announced that it has snapped up Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor to compose Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s theme song. He will not produce the game’s entire soundtrack, however – that honour will go to Mass...
News Boston Hosts Final Fantasy Orchestral Concert Next Week
Hamauzu in attendance
Next week sees a concert of music from Final Fantasy hit Boston's Symphony Hall, with series composer Masashi Hamauzu set to appear too. Boston's Video Game Orchestra and Choir Força, conducted by Grammy-winner Arnie Roth, will take to the stage on 10th March at 8pm for an evening of music from the venerable Japanese RPG...
News Deadmau5 Shapes Sound Shapes' Soundscapes
On the sea shore
DJ Deadmau5 has signed up to provide exclusive new tracks for upcoming music platformer Sound Shapes. According to the press release, Deadmau5 will create "a variety of exclusive new tracks" for the game, due out for Vita in 2012. We took the game for a spin back in September: our Sound Shapes preview tells you all you...
