The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I know that many gamers like to use music in their games, and sometimes it can be difficult to choose what music best fits the genre/game. I found one of the most difficult choices was for music fitting feudal Japan for games like "Legend of the Five Rings" which I recently started playing. None of my current CDs would fit the mood, so we ended up haveing a musicless adventure. We decided to go out and find a CD that would enhance the mood. We discovered "All the Best from Japan" after previewing two other CDs worked the best.

"All the Best of Japan" contains music fitting ancient Japan. It is slow, mysterious and melodic. It is instrumental with a mix of mainly stringed and air instruments. There is no Chinease Oprah like singing, nor is there the spontanious "hoh" that tends to be associated with Japanese music. The music blends in the background well without disturbing the adventure. Most of the songs sound the same so it is like you're listening to one long song. I found that you never get bored of the CD so there is no overwhelming need to change the music. Just put it on repeat and play.

For those of you who might be familier with Japanese music here is a quick playlist:

The Cherry Blossoms
Pass Oh Pass
Six Variations
Sailing Time
Four Season In Kyoto
Moon Over the Desolate Castle
Soran-Bushi
O-Edo Bridge
Song Of The Sandpiper
Kuroda-Bushi
A Bridal Doll
Lulluby From Itsuki Village
Kushimoto-Bushi
Coal Miners' Song

There is no definate price for CDs but we picked it up for $7, or the average price for classical CDs (in our area) and it was not on sale so I am going to assume it is around the same price everywhere. I find this a good deal if you're just looking for music to enhance the mood of a game and nothing else. It is also good music to fall asleep to.

Like I said, this is the best of three CDs we tried. One was just plain awful (containing a Japanese version of the James Bond theme song) and the other was a drum band called "Kodo" which was decent but still was not nearly as inspiring as "All the Best from Japan" and tended to distract from our game. So, if your best Japanese music consists of anime CDs or Shonen Knife I suggest you go out and purchase this CD to add a little flavor to your game.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

All the best from Japan
Author: ??? Category: music Company/Publisher: Madacy Inc. Line: All the Best From SKU: CLUC-CD55 Capsule Review by Chris Czerniak on 07/28/99. Genre tags: Historical Asian/Far_East	I know that many gamers like to use music in their games, and sometimes it can be difficult to choose what music best fits the genre/game. I found one of the most difficult choices was for music fitting feudal Japan for games like "Legend of the Five Rings" which I recently started playing. None of my current CDs would fit the mood, so we ended up haveing a musicless adventure. We decided to go out and find a CD that would enhance the mood. We discovered "All the Best from Japan" after previewing two other CDs worked the best. "All the Best of Japan" contains music fitting ancient Japan. It is slow, mysterious and melodic. It is instrumental with a mix of mainly stringed and air instruments. There is no Chinease Oprah like singing, nor is there the spontanious "hoh" that tends to be associated with Japanese music. The music blends in the background well without disturbing the adventure. Most of the songs sound the same so it is like you're listening to one long song. I found that you never get bored of the CD so there is no overwhelming need to change the music. Just put it on repeat and play. For those of you who might be familier with Japanese music here is a quick playlist: The Cherry Blossoms Pass Oh Pass Six Variations Sailing Time Four Season In Kyoto Moon Over the Desolate Castle Soran-Bushi O-Edo Bridge Song Of The Sandpiper Kuroda-Bushi A Bridal Doll Lulluby From Itsuki Village Kushimoto-Bushi Coal Miners' Song There is no definate price for CDs but we picked it up for $7, or the average price for classical CDs (in our area) and it was not on sale so I am going to assume it is around the same price everywhere. I find this a good deal if you're just looking for music to enhance the mood of a game and nothing else. It is also good music to fall asleep to. Like I said, this is the best of three CDs we tried. One was just plain awful (containing a Japanese version of the James Bond theme song) and the other was a drum band called "Kodo" which was decent but still was not nearly as inspiring as "All the Best from Japan" and tended to distract from our game. So, if your best Japanese music consists of anime CDs or Shonen Knife I suggest you go out and purchase this CD to add a little flavor to your game. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

All the best from Japan