Favorite Video Game Music - Midna's Desperation (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

This song comes at a really desperate point in the game.  It's especially haunting because the only sounds come from a solo piano at the beginning, a stark contrast to the rest of the soundtrack.  Even when it builds, the only other sound is from midi violins.  It doesn't even just happen during a scene - you have to run with a poor dying Midna on your back to get to the one person who can help you, with this music accompanying your desperate flight the entire time.  For me, it's probably one of the most memorable parts of the game. 

A Brief Review - xxxHOLIC

xxxHOLIC is a series about Kimihiro Watanuki, a boy who can see spirits.  One day, he wanders into a witch's shop and is told that she can grant his wish to never see spirits again by working in the witch's shop part time.  The series centers around Kimihiro, the witch Yuuko, and Kimihiro's friends Doumeki and Himawari. 

While this anime is based on CLAMP's manga of the same name, it doesn't have much in terms of continuity.  Most episodes have a self-contained story, and there is no crossover with Tsubasa like in the manga.  There is hardly any character growth, but the supernatural stories are interesting.  The characters are also intriguing, although I do wish there was more growth. 

Music - the opening theme is the best of the bunch, although there is also some very good creepy background music that fits the series quite well. 

Overall, this series did not give me anything immensely satisfying, but I am hoping that will change in the second season - xxxHOLIC:Kei.  The first season gets a 3/5 from me.

A Brief Review - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Gamecube)

The Legend of Zelda series is definitely one of the most iconic in the video game world.  Twilight Princess, the 13th game to be released in the series, originally came out in 2006, and there were two versions of the game - one for Gamecube and one for Wii.  I have not played the Wii version, so I am reviewing my experience playing the Gamecube one, the last 3D Zelda game that features a left-handed Link.

This game is beautiful in every way.  Even my brother's gripes about Midna didn't bother me.  The story is gripping, the characters and scenery exquisitely detailed, and the music varied and interesting.  There were complaints that this game's soundtrack was not orchestrated, but I still think they did a fine job with it.  The only complaint I had was that I thought the ending felt a bit rushed - otherwise, this is an excellent game that owes its success to Ocarina of Time (there are so many references to it in here!).

5/5 from me.  This is only the third Zelda game I have played and beaten, and I look forward to more in the future.  (The other two are Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.) 

Favorite Anime Music - The Sixth Station (Spirited Away)

Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away was the first Japanese anime to win an Oscar, and it certainly deserved it.  Great movie, great story, great animation, and great music.  Here is one of my favorite tracks from the soundtrack.

A Brief Review - Pokemon X (3DS)

The Pokemon series of games is one that you can keep playing long after you reach endgame - there is always a ton of stuff to do.  So while I am not quite finished playing the game (watch out full pokedex, here I come!), I'm going to give a brief review since technically I have beaten the main part of the game.

Long story short - this game is EXCELLENT.  It is just about everything a Pokemon fan would want in a game, and is a great introduction to newcomers just getting into the series.  The new customization feature has been a long time in coming, and while there are fewer options than I would like, it's a great start to making your Pokemon trainer your own.  The wifi capabilities of the 3DS are really taken advantage of with the new Player Search System, and they make trading and battling so much more accessible.  The sheer variety of the Pokemon available from the start of the game make the pacing completely different than previous games, and the graphics are such a step up it makes playing Black/White give you a bit of culture shock.  While I cannot include any screenshots in this review, I can give you my final Elite Four team:

That being said, I do have some complaints.  I was not affected by the game breaking glitch that was included in the original release, but I do think it's quite amazing that Nintendo was able to release a patch to fix it and it just.... applies itself to your copy of the game.  I do not like the fact that you cannot control the camera angle as you travel.  It can make some areas extra confusing, especially the big metropolis Lumiose City.  And my other complaint is that you cannot transfer Pokemon from any previous games into X/Y... yet.  Next month, Pokemon Bank will be released along with the Transporter, so that gripe may get erased.

The music is pretty great, and I am looking forward to getting the soundtrack in the near future.  It's on iTunes for $10!  What a steal! 

Overall, this game gets a 5/5 from me.  I'm still playing it. 

Favorite Anime Music - Sora (Escaflowne: the Movie)

The Escaflowne movie had mixed reviews.  I certainly didn't love it, but the music was still excellent.  Yoko Kanno is a master at all sorts of types of music.  This song is a favorite, and Kanno's music made the film redeemable. 

Video Game Music - Smooth McGroove

I recently came across this guy when looking for Zelda tunes on youtube.  His music is excellent, and the cat is a great touch.  This is one of my favorites. 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds comes out soon!