Almost 10 years later, I discovered that this medley was taken from a group of long discontinued CDs called Orchestral Game Concert. Between 1991 and 1996 there were five CDs released, each hosting over a dozen video game tunes redesigned as orchestral numbers. The medley's ranged from obscure titles like Kabuki Story of Heaven's Magical Barrier to popular games like The Legend of Zelda, Super Metroid, and, of course, Super Mario Brothers.
Now, it seems, concert organizers and composers, Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, are once again resurrecting these great tunes for a live concert series titled Video Games Live. The first concert ran in 2005, and since then, there have been several more. The series has become so popular, there was a CD release back in 2008 titled Video Games Live: Volume One.
Now, it seems, the wonderful concert series has come to DVD and Blu-ray as well. Picking up where Volume One left off, Video Games Live: Level 2 offers a fresh new assortment of video game music (including new orchestral themes for current titles like Halo and Starcraft II), and some classics, arranged into a concert. Not only are the tunes an exciting sonic jolt to the senses, but the film is equally as visually immersive and exciting.
The disc includes orchestral versions of the following game themes: Classic Arcade Medley, Dragon's Lair, Tetris, Halo, Civilization IV, StarCraft II, Sonic the Hedgehog, Advent Rising, Guitar Hero (Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion), World of Warcraft, Chrono Cross, Mass Effect, Megaman, Myst, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Brothers, God of War and Castlevania.
But that's not all. The disc also includes a wide variety of extras, ranging from additional interviews, to featurettes, trailers and more, but more on that in a moment. The concert is presented in 1080i (not 1080p as the box suggests), and while 1080i presentations aren't always the greatest, this presentation is far better than expected, even though some interlacing does still rear its ugly head from time to time. The image is sharp and crisp, with solid blacks and nice depth. Obviously, it has a shot-on-HD TV special look to it, but as far as concert releases go, this disc looks pretty great.
If the transfer doesn't bring the concert to life for you, the high-res DTS-HD mix most certainly will. Crowd cheers and applause envelop the listener, while the lively, aggressive orchestral beats fill in the remaining space, giving the sub and surround channels a nice workout. Often concert releases are poorly mixed, removing the live concert feel, but Shout! Factory does a wonderful job keeping the spirit of the live event intact.
And finally, the disc comes jam-packed with an impressive assortment of extras, more than most concert BD releases. Fans are treated to a wonderful commentary featuring creator/composer Tommy Tallarico, who discusses the origins of the concert, how the concert has grown over the years, his favorite games and much more. There are also eight additional interviews not seen in the concert itself, as well as four in-depth featurettes running roughly 30 minutes total. And finally, a slew of video game-centric extras, from promotional featurettes to trailers for games like God of War III and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. There's honestly something here for everyone. Shout! even tosses in a DVD copy of the film, too.
Video Games Live: Level 2 is an awesome release. Sure, it would have been nice to see a 1080p encode, but the transfer looks gorgeous anyway, the DTS-HD mix is absorbing, and the extras are just terrific, appealing to video game fans and orchestral geeks alike. What more could you ask for from a Blu-ray concert release? This disc is the next best thing to the actual live experience.
