Game music of the day: Devil May Cry 4

Game: Devil May Cry 4

Song: Out of Darkness

Composer: Tetsuya Shibata

Above: Out of Darkness from Devil May Cry 4

Better known to PS3 owners as "That Song That Plays on a 20-Minute Loop During the GoddamnInstallation," the aria that begins Devil May Cry 4 is nonetheless a surprisingly pretty piece of videogame music. Sung in the game byprotagonist Nero's love interest Kyrie (and in real life byAubrey Ashburn), it creates an evocative backdrop for the game's prologue, during which Nero gets waylaid by some demons on the way to Kyrie's performance. It's also a striking standout piece in a soundtrack that'slargelyfilled withguitar-heavy industrial-rock and ambient orchestral music.

It's not the only standout, however; after playing through DMC4 for a few hours, you're practically guaranteed to have Nero's wordy battle theme stuck in your head for a few days.

Above: The Time Has Come by Tetsuya Shibata and Jason "Shyboy" Arnold

There are even a few oddball tracks thrown in for good measure, like the flamenco theme that kicks in when Dante earns (and promptly shows off) the special Lucifer weapon.

Above: Berial is Defeated - Inexhaustible Sword Lucifer by Shusaku Uchiyama

Much of the rest of the soundtrack isn't nearly as memorable or as interesting as the stuff above, falling largely into the "generic industrialbadass" or "ominous pipe-organ" categories, and having to backtrack through the entire game as Dante after the story's halfway point doesn't make it any more striking. But the game did make a few notable dents in game-music history, and backtracking aside, it was a pretty awesome game. Awesome enough to justify snapping itupthe next time you see it sticking out of abargain bin, anyway.

Dec 8, 2010

Dracula's Tears by Yamane and Kimura

Guest entry from OverClocked Remix!

Balto by Yasunori Mitsuda