Electric Flowers

I just finished this electronic album I've been working on for the last couple months. If you like video game music you are sure to enjoy some of the tracks on Electric Flowers. Check it out, if only because it's FREE.

Electric Flowers.zip 131MB (MegaUpload)

And here's a review of the album written by some weirdo:

The third effort from musician amateur Andy Lamont, Electric Flowers begs to be heard through headphones at full volume. Heavy on bass and light on apologies, the listener is instantly transported to another state of existence…not another state of mind, but another state of is. Who am I? Who are you? What is this thing on my leg? Is it edible? You will be asking yourself these questions and more, lest you face a total cranial meltdown.

“Although there is an inherent danger of your brain disintegrating, I think listening to my music can really change the way you live your life,” ponders Lamont. “On one hand you have these blocks that fit together, kind of like LEGOs, and in the other hand you have freedom.”

An ambitious project from the beginning, Electric Flowers has a serious mission. "I just hope this album can finally end world hunger," says Lamont.

And if this reviewer has anything to say about it - I am full as hell. Mission accomplished, Andy Lamont. Mission accomplished.

Halo 3 Beta

Halo 3. Multiplayer. Beta. Everything is better, only one thing is worse.

Anything can change from now until September 25 - the day I will be taking off work for a few days (assuming I'll have a job by then), but here's hoping Bungie only tweaks vehicle splattering. It's way too hard in Halo 3. Why even get in a ghost?

Other than that, it's all fun as hell. Halo 3 is exactly where it should be, and it goes without saying (or typing) that this game will be a real killer by the time it is released.

EDIT:

May 30

Now that I've been playing the beta for a good while now, I'm really starting to see the subtle upgrades from Halo 2. It reminds me of this quote from bungie.net's history of bungie:

"The way the press reported on the game was hypnotic. At first they were taken by the graphics. Halo looked amazing. Later articles shifted towards the gameplay – it was the first time since GoldenEye that a first-person shooter had really worked on a console ... And then people really discovered the multiplayer game – and made console LAN parties a real phenomenon."

I'm starting to notice these small details about Halo 3's gameplay that are totally sweet. Just little things, like how perfectly balanced the weapons are (compared to H1 and H2), or the death animations/physics, sound effects, the manually controlled 'death camera,' or the multiple uses of each equipment, or how when you die the camera focuses on your killer and follows them until you manually change the camera. So when you get sniped, the camera spins around so you can see your killer standing there reloading his rifle. Bad. Ass.

Oh and the splattering isn't messed up. It just takes skill now.

Awake From My Coma

Well, looks like it's been over a month without any of my overly-excited hyping of upcoming games. You have also missed out of my super expertly-worded game reviews. To be honest, there isn't much I had to say in April. It was kind of a slow month in the world of video games, and I spent most of my gaming time playing some beloved Halo 2 matchmaking. I'll sum up my most recent thoughts into easily-digestible bullet points:

• Virtua Tennis 3 is fun, but it doesn't explain in enough detail what you need to do in those damn Academy training missions. The AI is pretty relentless, and I got my ass handed to me every time I played online.
• Armored Core 4 is bad. I thought it would be good.
• ZOMG'RZ I loved Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I totally appreciate Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin a hell of a lot more now.
  
• I still haven't bought Earth Defense Force 2017. No real reason why. I know it's shallow, yet fun. And when I get it, I'll let you know just how wrong (or right) I was.
• I also haven't checked out the Shivering Isles. I admit it - I'm afraid to get back into Oblivion. One of these days...when I'm feeling lonely, I'll jump back in.
• I did, however, download the Rainbow Six: Vegas expansion- the Red Pack or whatever it's called. I like the new maps. I like the new modes. But this was to be expected, so not much news on the R6 front.
• I still haven't beaten Call of Duty 3. It's good, but I'm just not ready yet. In fact, this is the first time I've mentioned Call of Duty on this blog. Hopefully in 4 we can pop some caps into insurgent asses.
• I finally started playing Fight Night: Round 3. Excellent face and stomach-mashing fun.
• When the Halo 3 beta rolls in, I will be there to greet it with open arms. And I will miss a lot of sleep. I love you.