"Like many kids, when I was young, I'd often ride my bike to the game center, and when I stopped my bike in front, and the automatic doors opened, and I heard all the music flow out... I was like, 'Alright, let's play!' and it would really get me excited. I'd like it if I could recreate that excitement in my music. In game centers, there aren't only video games... there's also medal games, crane games, photo sticker booths, tv displays... its a place where all these sounds and more are jumbled together. I've been involved in making music for games in game centers for almost 18 years now, and I still find it hard to hear a game's music in the flood of all that sound. Its something you just can't get away from.



But when I write music, I think if I can at least match the mood of the music to the game's progression, even if you can't hear it properly with headphones, the basic parts of the rhythm and melody won't get lost as you play, even in that noise-saturated environment. When I play my favorite games, too, if I get overwhelmed by the other sounds in the game I get disinterested and will soon end up dying. (laughs) And its further disappointing then, not even being able to hear my own explosion! So that sense of excitement and tension from the music is important. When you've cleared a stage and hear music that feels good, you get pumped up and think, 'Alright, what's next!' When you can't hear it, though, its like there's no response from the game and its lonely. I feel like even now I'm still fighting against the flood of sound in the game center to avoid that."

- Odlomek iz prevedenega intervjuja z Manabujem Namikijem

V današnji izredni oddaji poslušamo vrhunske kompozicije skladatelja Manabuja Namikija, ki je za japonski proizvajalec video iger Cave Co. Ltd. ustvaril nekatere najlepše primere glasbe iz videoiger.

Bomo tudi na kratko predstavili "STGs" oz. "shmups" s poudarkom na "bullet hell" streljačinah. Predvajali smo glasbo iz iger Deathsmiles, Espgaluda II, Battle Garegga in Dodonpachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label.

Čitivo:

Shmups 101: Oboževalec shmupov in hudičevo dober pisatelj Bullet Magnet je pripravil odličen  uvod v svet 2D streljačin za pravtako odličen retro gaming portal Racketboy.

Cave Shooting History Interview Extravaganza!: Prevedeni intervjuji z glavnimi akterji pri podjetju Cave Co. Ltd. Fascinantno branje. c/o Shmups Forum.

Za ogled:

Japan: History of Shooting Game: Odličen francoski dokumentarec o zgodovini 2D streljačin (Francija ima močno shmup skupnost). V treh delih (povezava na playlist). Angleški podnapisi.

PC Engine Teikoku Super Karavan Senshitachinorokunen: Fascinanten dokumentarec o t.i. "caravan shooting" turnirjih na japonskem v osemdesetih in devetdesetih. "Caravan" (izvor izraza je neznan, japonci pač) je poseben način igranja streljačin, pri katerem igralec ima na voljo eno sobo in/ali omejen čas, da zasluži čimveč točk. Po caravan načinu igranja so bile znane zlasti streljačine, ki jih je delalo podjetje Hudson. Hudson je po celi japonski in daljnem vzhodu organiziralo turnirje, kjer so v starostnih kategorijah razdeljeni igralci tekmovali v rezultatih v caravan streljačinah. Ti turnirji so pustili močan vtis na določene generacije japoncev, in spomine in reference na njih lahko najdemo tudi v novejših animejih. Še pomembneje, veljajo za enega najstarejših primerov formalno organiziranega tekmovanja v video igrah. Film žal ni preveden.

STG Weekly: Tedenska YouTube oddaja, kjer gledajo in analizirajo "super plays". Razlagajo mehaniko, točkovanje, trike, itd. Povezava na del, kjer govorijo o prfuknjeni bullet hell streljačini Dragon Blaze.

Zakaj pa ne?

Shmupmame: Zakaj bi samo brali o (bullet hell) shmupih, če jih sami lahko poskusite? Shmupmame je izpeljanka emulatorja MAME, ki je posebno prilagojena potrebam emulacije 2D streljačin. Za uvod v bullet hell streljačine Pilot priporoča Cave-ovo igro Espgaluda (rom oz. igro boste morali sami poiskati).