If I say “Exile” as the name of a game, what do you think of? If your mind immediately forms an image of Spiderweb Software‘s series of RPGs… well, they’re good games, but you’d be completely wrong.

No, in fact the game I talk of is one of those rare few titles that spans multiple generations of gaming hardware – from the humble BBC Micro to the ill-fated Amiga CD32 – and at each step, has retained its crown as one of the most epic arcade adventures that was ever created. Do you believe you can procedurally generate a world big enough to easily support tens of hours of action-puzzle exploration, and give that world a complete Newtonian physics engine, all in just 64KB of memory? That is what programmers Peter Irvin and Jeremy Smith managed to do. Oh… and did I say yet how bloody fantastic the Amiga version intro music is?

Zolyx’s Game Music Monday #13: Henry Jackman – Exile

Yes, you can tell it’s 4-channel MOD music and it has rough edges, but like a Vulcan mind-meld, it also imprints the feel of the game into you using nothing more than a few seconds of instantly memorable synth pad harmony. I’m really glad I chose this music for today’s episode because until now, the MOD version of this had been sitting in my library under “unknown artist”. Now I can finally give Henry Jackman proper credit for composing and arranging this bit of the gaming memory that is Exile.

What the deuce has happened in the past month? There’s been a sudden explosion of indie-related bundles from places on the internet that you never thought existed! Anyone would think it was nearly Christmas or something.

A little while ago it was the Indie Music Bundle to titillate your ears with fantastic vibes, but right now you have a choice of not one, or even two… but four different game bundles to check out – and they’re all asking you to pay as little or as much as you like! One is even completely free to download!

Since a couple of them are also supporting charity, now is a great time if you’re just starting to dip in to the world of indie games and are looking to snag some great deals at the same time as helping a good cause. While it’s possible to take the dimmer view that it’s an easy way for an organiser to make a quick buck, that would be pretty unfair – if you believe in the charitable roots behind a couple of these bundles then they’re doing a lot of good at a time of year when it matters the most. Even if a bundle doesn’t donate part of its proceeds to charity, it’s still a good way to get some games you might otherwise have overlooked for an excellent price. Stocking fillers ahoy!

Read on to see all of the currently running bundles that are clamouring for your attention…

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Since I was lazy enough to miss out mentioning last week’s GMM, I must atone for this grievous display of apathetic behaviour and at least give it some passing mention!

Episode #11: Richard Westall – Arkanoid (Title Screen)
http://youtu.be/5FmhC-2TcR0

You’d think that with there being so many different mixes of the unmistakable Arkanoid title screen theme that it would be easy to find one that was good whilst also being a bit out of the ordinary. Not so, to my ear! Well-known UK remixer Infamous came close with one of his versions but, at the end of the day, I plumped for one of the oldest listed versions by Richard Westall. The original music was, of course, by Martin Galway. If you think my choice of mix is a little boring, well… you’re wrong, of course, but perhaps this week’s offering might be more to your liking…

Episode #12: Mixer – Nemesis the Warlock
http://youtu.be/3YarfFg87G0

Mentioning one musical legend in this post isn’t enough for me. It’s time to double the awesome – so how about a saxaphonistic re-imagination one of Rob Hubbard‘s compositions? The tune was one he made for the computer adaptation of 2000AD’s comic book character, Nemesis the Warlock. In a strangely effective tangent to the comic’s style, artist Mixer decided to jazz it up – with real jazz. I think it works surprisingly well. Treat your ears for a few minutes and see if you don’t agree.

Happy listening – until next time!

Without too much further ado tonight I present the tenth Game Music Monday – wahey, we’re in double figures! Still, I should really try and get these posted a little earlier in the day…

Zolyx’s Game Music Monday #10: J Krafft – IK Hamburg Extravaganza RMX

Today’s arranger, J Krafft, takes one of Rob Hubbard‘s iconic songs from International Karate and changes it into a softer, more ambient mix that is perfect to just chill and unwind with. The vocal samples are a nice touch and don’t sound gimmicky as such additions often can.

Click play and tune out! Hope you enjoy and I’ll see you same time next week.

Cave Story+, the PC port of a Mac port of a WiiWare port of a PC freeware game, has apparently come full circle and is now available on Steam. I am a huge fan of Cave Story and, I like to hope, a reasonable person. Like many others I admire “Pixel“ - Daisuke Amaya - for creating the original version and releasing it back in 2004. Aeon Genesis deserve some credit as well for the English translation patch. It is a charming game that has done a great service in boosting the indie gaming scene. That said, I will most certainly not be buying into this thinly disguised cash-in – and I’m actually shocked and quite disappointed that Nicalis had the cheek to go so far down this road.

So here’s the story: After a chain of poorly-communicated delays spanning through 2009, the $12 / £10 WiiWare release of the game in North America last year was deservedly well-received but expensive and somewhat glitchy. It included one particularly annoying bug with music playback when the original music tracks were selected instead of the default remixed tracks (which some people – including myself – didn’t like). Not only did it take eight months to get these problems patched out but it took ten months after the NA release for the game to get to Europe. Meh. So far, so mediocre.

Then there was the DSiWare release for portable gamers to enjoy Quote’s adventures. Cool. But a year on from the Japanese and North American releases last November, it still isn’t available in Europe, despite a suggestion from Joystiq it would be out around Q2 of this year. It seems likely that Euro gamers will now never see that version due to the incoming Cave Story 3D for the 3DS (which – who’d have guessed? – has also been delayed). Based on their track record, who knows when the 3DS incarnation will arrive in Euroland…

Surely things can’t get any more ridiculous. But wait! Yes they do!

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Greetings, audiophiles!

Back on to the normal schedule of proper GMMs, then. Although my pick for this week has already been featured by others, it’s for good reason – ’tis is a cracking set o’ notes if ever I did lay ears on such a thing…

Zolyx’s Game Music Monday #9: Lagerfeldt – R-Type (Doppelganger Summer Remix)

R-Type, the arcade scrolling shooter to which quite a lot of other scrolling shooters are compared, is quite challenging, and has a version on virtually every gaming platform there ever was. It also has some darn good music – for the Amiga version this came from Chris Huelsbeck. While the game was innovative for the time, it isn’t to everyone’s taste and some may even have not played it at all – but that’s no reason to stop yourself from enjoying this great remix from Lagerfeldt!

Okay, I know this is a somewhat lazy and isn’t one of my own Game Music Monday videos – it isn’t even a remix! – but it still kind of fits the bill for recent events.

A certain game cause quite a stir on Friday and broke all sorts of records, at one point seeing about 280,000 people playing it all at once. I was one of them! Do I get a cookie? No? Pah. Well, fine – I’ll just nom into my bowl of mammoth snout steak, then. Meanwhile, there are still those who feel that Skyrim isn’t the be all and end all of modern gaming, and cling to the glory days they when Morrowind started to grace our hard drives for the first time over nine years ago. Feeling old yet? I am!…

Credit goes to SockandRock who did a good deed by uploading this legendary composition from the one and only Jeremy Soule. I played Morrowind only a little and mostly just as an experiment – I joined the Elder Scrolls at the bit where, just as all those dratted Oblivion Gates were popping up everywhere, someone kindly thought to deliver 15,000 watermelons to Chancellor Ocato. My soul was never quite my own ever since.

Normal service – whatever the deuce that is – will resume next week. Until then, enjoy the memories this tune effortlessly conjures up, and if you just so happen to be fighting dragons in snowy climes, may your Shouts be strong!

Ah, this tune, folks. This tune!…

I love it to pieces. It brings back so many memories of a time in my life when worries were strange things that only other people had. Even now it’s got a great feel-good beat to it. Clyde Radcliffe will always have a special place in my heart.

Zolyx’s Game Music Monday #8: CZ Tunes – Creatures

This is just one of several remixes that have been created by CZ Tunes so you should definitely look them up if you want more good-quality ear food. The original song was composed by Steve Rowlands, while his brother (John Rowlands) was responsible for all the code wizardry that made Creatures such an awesome game. Together, as Apex Computer Productions, they were arguably the last developer to push the limits of the C64 in its twilight years.

See you again next week – if, that is, a certain sequel to a well-known game franchise hasn’t burnt me to a pile of ash by dragonfire!