I recently bought an external DVD burner. The plan is to rip all my CDs to FLAC so I have good quality rips. That way I can listen to MY CDs, without having to find the CD. Especially since I don’t have any means to play CDs where I have speakers. It is legal in Sweden to rip CDs for personal use.
After primarily been listening to streamed music and MP3s for such a long time, it’s very nice to listen to some good quality rips. I do however not have any really good headphones. I will get a DAC and some nice headphones in the future.
The Fall of Hearts is the first CD to get ripped
To rip the CDs to FLAC I use Exact Audio Copy (EAC) which seems to be the best way to make FLAC-files. I am currently ripping Katatonia’s excellent album The Fall of Hearts, which is also the first one to get ripped to FLAC.
These files will be transferred to a external hard drive and in the future to a NAS so they are accessible from all devices in the apartment. When the first rip was finished I noticed that it took 31 minutes to finish a one hour long CD. Even though I don’t have too many CDs, this will take a while.
If anyone said that my most listened album the first half of 2020 would be japanese keyboard-based progressive rock with a lot of jazz influences I would’ve scoffed and continued with my day. The reality is however that, Motoi Sakuraba’s album Gikyokuonsou has been my steady companion to and from work a lot this year.
Motoi Sakurba being my favourite video game composer after enthralling me with the music for game franchises like Golden Sun, Star Ocean and Tales of. His unique style that always flirts with progressive rock has always caught my ear since it always challenges the listener. Having playing some of the games that he has composed for gives me an interesting insight in his “newer” stuff, making this record even more appealing since it’s older than any of the OST’s of his that I have listened to. Being released in 1990 it’s evident that he writes music that he likes even in the games he composes for. There are a lot of similar ideas and phrases on Gikyokuonsou and the games.
Starting with the positive sounding and bouncy Humpty Dumpty which opens like it would be an epic sci-fi theme. That illusion is quickly over and the main theme is presented. Quirkier theme is hard to find, but it’s son catchy and the track cements Gikyokuonsou as a progressive rock album. There are also some very dramatic parts, and a solo that reminds me of solos of the swedish prog movement during the seventies. The following part does however throw that likness out the windows and continues on with more traditional prog rock.
Following the quirky Humpty Dumpty, we have the rockier Tone Access, which almost sounds a bit like Deep Purple meet oriental notes. This can probably be argued to be the heaviest of the eight tracks. Most of the tracks all have a very serious sounding atmosphere that get resolved into something more playful. A solid track. The main theme is by far my favorite part of the song.
The next track Byzantium, reminds me more of solos by prog keyboard virtuosos like Jordan Rudess and Rick Wakeman, followed by a lots of chromaticism. The solos are accompanied by playful drums and the very heavy bass that can also be found in many themes in the Golden Sun games. Every song is an adventures of there own, being extremely varied, but still coherent. The way Motoi plays with chords being suspended then resolved into a new chord is very pleasant to listen to.
Motion is the albums marathon track, clocking in at over 8 minutes. It is some of the more jazzy-sounding songs, with a large portions of the song in a more traditional trio setting, grand piano, bass and drums, instead of synths. With parts that reminds me of bossa nova and other parts that rely heavy of chromaticism this makes for a very entertaining track. Unfortunately for me, it is also the track that contains the most keyboard masturbation solos, where it’s mostly show-off passages, that to be is less interesting than the more jammy nature of the rest of the songs. The catchy parts of the song are very catchy and it’s worth multiple listens. It it however, not one of my favourite track.
That title is earned, but not one, not two, but three tracks in a row, making the later half of the record my favourite. The trio of song are Paradigm, Narratage and Scrap and Build. The opening song of these three is the track that I would say sound the most like a possible video game song, possibly a fighting theme, with great energy in the more active parts. There is also a pretty weird, but cool slower solo part. It’s a bit out of place. It does however very contrast the main theme perfectly giving it extra impact when reintroducing the main bit, making the slower part a great addition to the song.
Narratage is a beautiful track, the introreminds me of ballads by power metalband like Sonata Arctica, it does however transition to a beautiful piano piece with a very nice active bass that complements the piano perfectly. Narratage does, like Paradigm, also have a clear video game music quality, which in my ears are a always welcome. The bass has some very nice descending parts, which makes this an outstanding tunes. The theme that’s introducing in the latter part of the song, is a very simple but extremely effective piano line, which surprised me a bit the first time. One of my favourite tracks for sure.
Now to the track that made me react so much that I had to send it to my father to listen to (he never listened to it though). As a bass player this is a very awesome track. The bass doesn’t just complement the rest of the song, it lives in a parallel world as the drums and the keyboard and creates a tension to the other instruments without feeling out of place. As with the two latest tracks, this also has the video game quality to it. Again boss music vibes. With tempo changes, polyrhythm and signature changes, this is the most progressive song of the bunch. There are also very jazz-inspired sections in Scrap and Build.
Closing the album is Drama Composition, a track with a lot of synth action going on. The heavy bass that I know Sakaruba for is also present, very rythmic and accent heavy. The atmosphere in Drama Composition is a very good way to end the album. The main theme of the song really benefits from its use of octave notes that really elevated the theme. The end is very abrupt, which is a bit sad, but it’s quite effective.
Back in 2012 I didn’t play that many single player games. I was studying and was watching a lot of speedrunning aswell as trying to speedrun myself. It was a couple days before October 12th. I logged onto Steam and found a game on the front page that was about to be released. The game was Dishonored, a title that I’d never heard or seen before. I thought it looked interesting with its very unique look with a more stylized choice of graphics.
I was gonna have a pretty slow weekend, so I wanted a game to play by. When I saw Dishonored, I bought it, preloaded it and at release I played it. I WAS HOOKED! The dark nature in the parallell victorian universe, really spoke to me. Revenge stories are also always interesting to me. I was actually watching the TV-show Revenge at the time.
The overarching story is that Corvo Attano, the Royal Protector, framed and accused to have killed the Queen he swore to protect. He is obviously framed. You follow the story of Corvo, getting revenge on those who framed him. With a little help by The Outsider, a mysterious man with otherworldly powers, Corvo becomes a very dangerous threat to his enemies. The most stand-out ability, that really defines the way you play is the Blink ability, making Corvo able to teleport a short distance to reach new places.
Being set in a alternative/parallel Victorian England where whale oil is the the main source of energy, really give the game a special flare. I love games that do quirky things, but explains them so they work in the universe of the game. Just small things like the guards sing “what shall we do with the drunken whaler” just adds to the atmosphere.
Dishonored has a lot of things going it. Free roaming levels that encourages exploration, but there is still a set goal to beat the level. How to beat the level does however often involve a choice. This is what makes the game stand out. Almost everything you do is followed by a choice, but the choice are often anchored in gameplay, not just a dialogue menu choice.
Do you want to go berserk and slaughter the enemies. Do you want to go stealthy, lethal, non-lethal? Do you want to hide the knocked out or killed enemies so you don’t alert other enemies, or do you not care about it? Sometimes there are different ways to get to an objective location. This makes it very exciting play the levels in different ways. Leaving a lot of dead bodies around may increases the amount of rats and Weepers (Zombie-esque monsters) in following levels.
There are alternative objectives to find during the levels that can help you and also alter the outcome of the level or a future level. In addition to the main and alternative objectives there are collectibles, runes and bone charms. These are helpful to customise Corvo to the player’s liking.
I am very happy that I chose to purchase a completely unknown games for me, even before it was released. It’s one of the best gaming experience for me. Dishonored has been a benchmark for me when it comes to level design and stylized graphics for 8 years.
One of the most anticipated games in 2018. A reboot that people were a bit nervous about since it’s so different from the original games. From being a pure hack ‘n’ slack with hordes of enemies to slash through in an almost wave-like fashion. I did prioritise Spider-Man over God of War in 2018, but in early 2019 I went on a journey that I would remember.
With God of War (4) being my first experience with the series other than quick glimpses from the speedruns of the first two games, I was completely oblivious what was in store for me. I just knew that I liked third-person action/adventure games, and boy did God of War not disappoint!
Kratos is a very likeable character even though you really feel the burden he bears from his past. Especially though his relationship with his son Atreus. One of the more wild card factors in this reboot. Atreus is a key point story-wise but also in combat. The whole story revolves around Kratos and Atreus journey to release the ashes of Kratos’ wife at the worlds highest peak.
In a beautiful world inspired by the Norse mythology and environments mostly associated with Norway, with vast mountains and beautiful streams. The mix of Greek and Norse mythology is something fresh, and even though it doesn’t follow the the lore of the Norse mythology, but Santa Monica Studio made it work.
From what I’ve gathered from the earlier entries in the series, it’s the combat that’s in focus and not the story. This time it’s flipped, but that doesn’t mean the combat is forgotten. You really feel every slash and chop. The Leviathan is a wonderful weapon, and the choice to being able to throw it really adds to the combat.
The Leviathan isn’t just a good weapon for cleaving draugr, it’s also an excellent way to solve puzzles, and there are plenty of them. Most of them are optional, but I would say they are vital since solving puzzles unlocks chests and chests contain weapon and health upgrades.
After playing the game I do have mostly good memories. That said I actually though it was pretty boring the first four-five hours. I pretty much knew that everything a group of enemies came towards me, I was gonna die. After getting the hang of the controls and also exploring the skill tree and customising it to my style of play, it went better and better. This feeling of progression really added to the experience, so I’m happy it was a slam dunk from the start. The game made me work for it and really awarded me for it!
I liked the game so much so I actually played it though 100% and got the Platinum throphy. Something I just do with games that I really like.
Last week I was informed that during the summer I’m gonna be working 60% instead of my usual full time. This means 4.5 hours per day.
This is due to corona. So instead of being laid off I get to work less and the government covers my salary up to 94%. The company also gets some increased financial aid from the government.
I’ll probably write some more product tests for FZ.se, since I won’t work as much as before.
The world is in a Witcher craze right now. After the Netflix series the interest for the games and the book was renewed. The game that was release in May 2015 during a time I didn’t play that many games on PC or home consoles. I had just discovered the wonderful world of the 3DS and was reliving the worlds of Mario and Pokemon among other, though in more modern take than before. I did, however pick it up in 2018 when testing a gaming laptop and needed a game that would be demanding for the hardware.
I can’t say that the Witcher craze didn’t effect me, I did play both Witcher 1 and 2 for the first time during the first months of 2020. I even played through Witcher 3 for the third time. This gave me a opportunity to make different decisions from the past playthroughs. I have to admit, I do like the choices I made in prior playthroughs so I did stick to some of them this time aswell. Just because there was another option I didn’t systematically choose the other. It had to feel right.
Geralt in beautiful White Orchard
Feeling right, is one of The Witcher 3’s great strength, the atmosphere, the almost magical feeling the world emits everywhere, from its environments to its creatures, as well as the people and the choices, that I the player makes for them. I have many times wondered what’s so unique about the Witcher world, perhaps it’s the source material, perhaps its Polish heritage, I don’t know. What I do know, is that it is something special. Something to cherish.
Choosing a different set of armour, changing playstyle and focusing on a new skill set, making this playthrough a different experience all together. This time focusing on alchemy instead of signs really affected the way to play the game. Instead of hiding the perhaps weakest part of the game, the combat, behind accessible magic I had to go head first into battle with just my dodging skills to rely on. To add to this change I also played on the difficulty “Blood and Broken Bones”. Luckily I was made aware of that the alchemy route is extremely powerful which made my journey very pleasant.
I also got to revisit an old “friend”, the card game of Gwent, which is the only card game that I’ve ever been into, that I’ve found fun and appealing. This meant that I had to get a full deck, even though it’s one of the more time-consuming ventures in the game.
Geralt in the free city of Novigrad
After a while, and approximately 100 hours I was in a position where the main story was the least interesting part. This just added to my play time since I avoided the main story as much as I could. To think of it, this is crazy, because the main story is a very well told story with interesting twists and turns, likeable characters and difficult choices.
One part I don’t particularly like about the main story is game’s wish to force Yennefer and Geralt together. Since I did not opt for Yennefer this time around, it was very frustrating that the game actively set up scenarios where they got close. Making Yennefer the most important woman in the game instead of Triss that was chosen this time. Might feel like a small thing, but it retracted from the feeling that I, the player was in control of what was happening.
Eventhough there are small annonying elements, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an excellent game that will be on my top games list for many many years.
I like it so much that I got a Platinum trophy on PS4, and only missing one Steam achievement to get all at both platforms.
After rejecting the franchise for many many years, I late 2017 reluctantly bought the Ezio Collection for PS4. This opened up a new world of games for me.
After playing through the whole Ezio story in less than a month, I knew that I liked the narrative and the feel of the Assassin’s Creed games. I did however not, dive into more traditional AC games except a short dive into Assassin’s Creed III. After playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn and The Witcher 3, I had found an appetite for open-world games. After a friend saying [about HZD] “Amazing game, probably ties for GOTY last year with Assassins Creed: Origins”, that really piqued my interest to take a deeper dive into the franchise. Its newer open-world concept that seemed to fit me perfectly.
After playing Origins, which I liked very much, enough to put over 100 hours into as well as getting the Platinum Trophy, I started Odyssey. 15 hours in I lost interest. The shift to more decision-making in conversations and the – boat/ship/whatever – didn’t do it for me. I ended up upsetting the guards and spent most of my time trying to kick soldiers off roofs until I died to a mercenary stronger than me. It wasn’t much fun.
This takes us back to the present, when over 115 hours has been invested in this huge adventure. Odyssey was easier to appreciate after a hiatus from Origins.
I like Odyssey very much, but it’s far from a perfect game. The sea combat is still one of the weaker points in the franchise as a whole, and it’s the same for this game. The story is good, but with the vast world and many targets it does get tedious at times. I didn’t feel it became grindy, I always had something to do, side quests or other objective to gain experience in a way that felt worth my time.
I do understand the critique with the game being to big for its own good, but for me that want a relaxing experience that doesn’t end too quickly it was a very pleasant journey.
Kassandra does feel a bit rigid and bland, but the story around her is full of life. With multiple choices the experience is a bit more taxing on the player, since some of the choices aren’t easy. The problem is that it doesn’t feel like the choices really matter. The dialogue options leading to the different outcomes are also not always conveyed in a way to the player knows what outcome each option leads to.
Ubisoft has always been good at the visuals, be it 2D or 3D. Odyssey is no exception. The scenery is amazing and one point that really trumps Origins, where the environment can be described as:
Sand, sand, sand, sand, gravel and dust, what a f***ing country. It’s the desert!
Crude Translation of Robert Broberg’s song “Öken”
The islands are beautiful, so is the ocean. Finding synchronisation points are always a joy since they often overlook a very stunning view. This is probably the main advantage Odyssey has over Origins, its more pleasing locale and scenery.
I am currently playing the first DLC, Legacy of the Blade. Which seems to tie the rather non-Assassin’s Creed-like game that Odyssey to earlier games. In what extent I do not yet know. It’s possible that I will write about my experiences in the DLCs aswell. But at a later date.
I do recommend people to play this game if open-world games are your cup of tea and you aren’t too tired of the UbiTower concept.
Katatonia, the band that transformed from death metal to a more progressive rock with darker themes. Viva Emptiness is the album that really established the newer style after Last Fair Deal Gone Down introduced it. Of course, Katatonia hasn’t stagnated after Viva Emptiness, but the more atmospheric and ambient sound has been a staple since.
There are a few tracks that really stand out, but the whole album is well-composed journey. The stand out tracks for me i Ghost of the Sun, Walking by a Wire and Omerta. All have very different styles, but that is one of Katatonia’s strengths. Jonas vocals isn’t a standout part of this album, but together with the synths they enhances the atmosphere which really makes the sound.
Speaking of vocals, the harmonies during choruses and other parts like in Criminals really gives them a sound few others matched at the time.
The move to go more minimalist with guitars and bass during verses really gives the choruses extra punch, something that really adds to the song. The whole album is very dynamic and that makes it interesting.
My favourite song of the album is the aforementioned Omerta, which is real showpiece for Jonas vocals. It’s his expressions that really sells the song. A simple song, but yet so powerful. Frail vocals accompanied by solid instruments, a real hit in my ears.
Viva Emptiness is a really good indicator for what is to come. For me it’s a very nostalgic album, since it was the first one I was introduced to.
After 10,000 Days people really yearned for a new album by the American masters of polyrhythm. Thirteen years later, a new album was released. It had a lot to live up to, could it sate Tool fans hunger for new songs?
As a fairly new Tool fan it’s difficult for me to answer that question. Tool has been with me for over 10 years, so it’s not a new acquaintance, but a dear friend I greet in Fear Inoculum.
In typical Tool manner, the main songs are accompanied by shorts songs that meld them together by introducing themes for the upcoming songs. Fear Inoculum works both as a whole album listen and as seperate tracks. I do though recommend to listen to it in its entirety the first couple of times.
The track that first stood out to be my first couple of listens was Pneuma, the second track of the album. Its tension, tranquility and repetitive nature really speaks to me, almost hypnotising. Chancellor’s bassparts accompanied by Danny Carey’s drumplay is one of the outstanding parts of this song. Carey play is also one of the outstanding features of the whole album. All around solid drums.
All songs are special and I do recommend everyone that enjoy complex music to listen to this album. The music get more space compared to earlier albums whereas the vocals is a bit more shy. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t deliver, it sure does, but in a more modest manner.
One other standout song, that took a bit longer for me to get was the epic ending of the album. 7empest is a 15 minute marvel that features some really amazing guitar pieces from Adam Jones. The intro with its polyrhythmic alternating arpeggio patterns that are followed by heavier distorted guitar and bass, really gives the endingpart of the album an very worthy start. The following 14 minutes are as gripping.
The tracks that hasn’t been mentioned are by no means slouches, they are very potent tracks. The titular Fear Inoculum is aslow but intense experience, that gets better and better the more you listen to it.
I can’t give this anything else than a huge recommendation or anyone that want to challenges themselves.
There are remakes and then there are remakes. Sega of Australia’s first (and sadly, only) game is a re-imagining of a Sega classic from the early 90’s. Castle of Illusion was released for the Mega Drive back in 1990 and is still considered as one of the better platformers on the system. If that’s true or not can be discussed for hours. Me, I do not love the original, I very much prefer the port for Sega’s 8-bit machine the Sega Master System, a different game in its entirety, but not relevant right now.
One game I however like quite a lot is the remake of the Mega Drive game, which confusing enought has the exact same name, Castle of Illusion. In my circuit we usually refer to it as HD to differentiate it from the Mega Drive (and Game Gear) and SMS versions with the same name.
There are a lot of 3D sections where Mickey can move freely in every direction
Castle of Illusion (2013) is a complete re-imagining of the same, mixing 2.5D and 3D. The overarching story and world themes are the same, but everything else i completely new. As for the story, Mickey and Minne are on a romantic picnic. This is unacceptable for the witch Mizrabel, so she kidnaps Minnie. Mickey is of course not happy, so he goes after them.
When it comes for differences from the original there are so much to talk about. For starters the game now has a hub where there are doors to be unlocked. To unlock these doors you have to collect diamonds and beat the different world bosses. You may reenter the worlds if you don’t manage to collect enough diamond. In addition to diamonds, there are other items to collect, that doesn’t do anything for progression but to unlock costumes and achievements.
The Hub World
As the games has been transformed a bit into a collect-a-thon it very appropriate to have Grant Kirkhope of Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie and Donkey Kong 64 fame rearranging the score. The music feels natural and it is mainly just the original tunes that are reworked to fit in with the new aesthetic. There are however a few parts that are new and very Kirkhope-esque.
Mickey controls very well and mechanic-wise it’s very solid except a couple of minor bugs that sadly won’t be fixed since the studio was closed down short after the game was released. Luckily they did have time to release v1.1 which added 60 FPS-support which is a must-have.
This is for me an example of a remake done right, and I’m glad I’m opted for this one and not the Duck Tales Remaster that was released around the same time.
The 2D sections are 2.5D, so the paths are noy completely straight, but you can only move in two directions.
The game is pretty short just like its original so it’s faithful in that regard. There are however plenty of stuff to collect even after finishing the game.
Grukk.com 