Posted on: October 21, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

For those that may have missed it, Video Games Live is a set of concerts that were created by long time video game music composers Tommy Tallerico and Jack Wall. A performance consists of the orchestra providing their own take on music from titles as famous as The Legend of Zelda, Silent Hill, and Sonic the Hedgehog along with slightly lesser-known titles like Headhunter and Advent Rising.

A CD / DVD release was put out in 2008, and a second volume was just released on October 19th. This time around, listeners are immediately hit with the unmistakable notes from The Legend of Zelda. Bouncing out to Civilization IV (“Baba Yetu”), the title comes back to more familiar grounds with their interpretation of “Revenge and Redemption” from God of War. With a cut from Chrono Trigger as the clean-up (a blend of Trigger and Cross), Video Games Live: Level 2 moves into high gear with a version of the World of Warcraft standard, “Lament of the Highborne”. With all guns blazing, versions of tracks from Warcraft, Megaman, Final Fantasy, Halo, and even Castlevania all reside on the second half of the CD.

Also available in video format, Video Games Live: Level 2 is the definitive expression of classic game music being done in a serious (and always compelling) way. With thousands of games to choose from, it would not be too terribly surprising to see this series become annual. With the amount of talent that is present here, it would be a shame if this did not become the case. So, if you find yourself to be a fan of classic (and current) video games, search out either the DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, or CD version of Video Games Live: Level 2.

Rating: 8.2/10

Video Games Live: Level 2 (CD) / 2010 Shout! Factory / 16 Tracks / http://www.shoutfactory.com / http://www.videogameslive.com

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