lo, the video arenas of my youth

There was a time, lasting roughly from 1997 to 2003, where I was obsessively into videogames. I subscribed to EGM. I read all the gaming news websites. I rang up my credit card buying modded consoles to play import titles. My game library was the envy of all my friends, who’d line up three-deep for a chance to play the import versions of Bushido Blade or Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight.

Then I grew up. Adult responsibilities ate away at my previously copious free time and discretionary income. Wasting seventy hours beating an massive RPG became a selfish extravagance, and I found I could get the same satisfaction replaying Jet Set Radio Future, the Knights of the Old Republic games, or one of the Grand Theft Auto titles. I do not mourn those times, because a lot of what I bought in those days was overhyped and forgettable nonsense.

But hey, I was able to sell my copy of Radiant Silvergun for two hundred bucks on eBay a few months ago, so at least I was able to get something back.

Here are some musical selections from that era -- choice cuts able to stand on their own without interactive accompaniment.

Akira Yamaoka – Theme of Laura (from Silent Hill 2, 2001) – This is the track that plays over the opening cinema. It’s a spooky strings-heavy arrangement that is only slightly inferior to the theme of the first Silent Hill game. (Why didn’t I use that track? It’s part of a secret plan I’m hatching which shall be revealed seven days from now.)

Kenichiro Fukui – Capital and Streets (from Einhänder, 1997) – My token Squaresoft selection, and it doesn’t even come from an RPG, but from the firm’s stab at the scrolling shooter genre. The game was more irritatingly difficult than it had to be, but the soundtrack was an exceptional amalgam of various techno/electronic beats. ALL SYSTEMS GO!

Namco Sound Team – Eat ‘Em Up!!! (from Ridge Racer 4, 1999) – Because let’s face it, you’ve been dying to hear a techno track based on the sound effects of the original Pac-Man arcade machine. Now you can die with that wish fulfilled.

Saori Kobayashi and Mariko Nanba – A Premonition of War (from Panzer Dragoon Azel, 1998) – Panzer Dragoon Azel (“Panzer Dragoon Saga” in the US) is one of my favorite games, and certainly my favorite console RPG of all time. It may be on the short side, and it bumps up against the limited graphics processing power of the Sega Saturn console, but it’s power to draw the player into its gorgeous and immersive game world (complete with its own subtitled language) is unmatched. It’s a shame the title came at the bitter end of the Saturn’s lifespan, and only as a limited release.

Sorry about the lack of purchase links in this post. Most of the soundtracks these selections appeared on are long out of print. If you’re interested in hunting them down, I’d suggest checking out eBay.