Thanks to a couple of my friends, and my love of all things Lore'ish, I thought it would be cool to write a story about my favourite raid in WoW - Black Temple. This story will go on for a while, since it will be in seperate parts. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! ^_^
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The sky is tinged with green, the odd lightning strikes crackle in the air, and you can feel your breath come in gasps as some form of toxic fel substance chokes your lungs.
Welcome to Shadowmoon Valley, home to the Black Temple, and current residence of the Lord of Outland, Illidan Stormrage.
I can feel it watching me somehow. The temple looms above me, looking down at the world, daring me to come closer. Closer to my doom.
As I pull my eyes from the rocky walls, I catch two braziers, filled with Fel flame. A massive door blocks entrance to the temple itself near the braziers, forcing me to look elsewhere for an entrance to the citadel.
'It's not the temple watching me', I think to myself, 'it's the guards'. This would be more trickier than I thought getting in, as the Felguards were everywhere, on high alert, waiting no doubt for some kind of promotion from Illidan himself for their never-ending patrol duties.
Illidan Stormrage. 'Betrayer' to his kin.
The reason I was here. I wanted to learn from him, to study his fighting skills, to truly know why he chose to hate everything that he had left behind in his previous life, before becoming the feared demon-hunter he had become.
That is, if he didn't kill me on sight first!
I started to walk down the long path towards the huge Temple doors, as I hugged the right wall, using my stealth abilities to avoid the guards as I made my way forward.
Something stopped me though. A huge fissure had teared open the wall partway down the long path, revealing the depths of the Black Temple.
My heart started to pound. What would I find within? Would I get out ok? Part of me wanted to run away, to never look back at this dark, menacing place. But the other side of me, the side that wanted to explore, won out.
Steeling myself, I stood up straight, took a deep breath, and crossed the threshold of the fissure.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Pandarian Journey (Part 2)
So it's been 2 months past since my last blog post, and in that time, I've seen and done a lot in the World of Warcraft, specifically Pandaria (aka Panda Land).
My main character has reached the level cap of 90, he's gotten awesome gear, done so many new quests, achievements, dungeons & raids, and more!
I have to say, now I've played the Pandarian expansion through a lot, the story in each zone, and to an extent the characters who share each story, has improved so much from past WoW expansions. You feel more connected to the world and people, it feels like an incredible journey as you discover this new world (least, that's what it felt like to me anyway! ^_^
My main character has reached the level cap of 90, he's gotten awesome gear, done so many new quests, achievements, dungeons & raids, and more!
I have to say, now I've played the Pandarian expansion through a lot, the story in each zone, and to an extent the characters who share each story, has improved so much from past WoW expansions. You feel more connected to the world and people, it feels like an incredible journey as you discover this new world (least, that's what it felt like to me anyway! ^_^
Monday, October 22, 2012
My Pandarian Journey So Far
Well since my last post, I've been playing the new World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria, a LOT! And boy, has it been fun :D
There's way too much to describe here of how awesome the expansion is - all the new content, locations, lore, enemies, dungeons, just... EVERYTHING!
So to save an otherwise long blog post from boring your eyes out while you read this (will definitely go into more detail later :P), I'll just summarize it for you :)
- I'm now Level 90 (the max level you can reach in Mists.)
- The locations feel way more open, are more detailed, and are just generally nice to visit! I think it is because of all the cliffs the previous WoW expansions had, the places you would do quests, explore etc, would feel more 'boxed in'.
- As an extreme fan of all things WoW Lore, the story in Mists has outdone itself. The quests matter no where you go, the NPC characters now go with you on your journey, they have more voice lines, and you now feel more connected with them unlike the static NPC's you would encounter in previous expansions.
- I'm not a huge fan of them, but there are a LOT of daily quests (repeatable, but sometimes different quests, that you can only do once a day) - and I'm sure one of my friends would agree with this hehe, but they are so varied, and there are a lot of them, that it doesn't seem to matter that they are dailies :)
Will go into more detail about the story, factions, and land of Pandaria in a future post, hopefully without spoilers! Stay tuned :)
There's way too much to describe here of how awesome the expansion is - all the new content, locations, lore, enemies, dungeons, just... EVERYTHING!
So to save an otherwise long blog post from boring your eyes out while you read this (will definitely go into more detail later :P), I'll just summarize it for you :)
- I'm now Level 90 (the max level you can reach in Mists.)
- The locations feel way more open, are more detailed, and are just generally nice to visit! I think it is because of all the cliffs the previous WoW expansions had, the places you would do quests, explore etc, would feel more 'boxed in'.
- As an extreme fan of all things WoW Lore, the story in Mists has outdone itself. The quests matter no where you go, the NPC characters now go with you on your journey, they have more voice lines, and you now feel more connected with them unlike the static NPC's you would encounter in previous expansions.
- I'm not a huge fan of them, but there are a LOT of daily quests (repeatable, but sometimes different quests, that you can only do once a day) - and I'm sure one of my friends would agree with this hehe, but they are so varied, and there are a lot of them, that it doesn't seem to matter that they are dailies :)
Will go into more detail about the story, factions, and land of Pandaria in a future post, hopefully without spoilers! Stay tuned :)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
ROL - Ranting Out Loud
This week has to be one of the most best weeks I've had in a while. True, nothing has actually happened yet for me this week, but it's the anticipation of what WILL happen this week that is getting me all excited!
Not only will I be getting a double-dose of Collector's Edition games, all the TV shows I watch come back from hiatus this week too ^_^
How I Met Your Mother, Merlin, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and possibly Supernatural, which I'm still not sure I'll watch due to the rather disappointing previous season plot line... true, it had some good bits in it, but it kinda sucked overall. But I digress.
I've also nearly finished Borderlands 1 (Playthrough 2), in preparation for when I get Borderlands 2 tomorrow - pretty sure I can finish it by tonight! :)
Not only will I be getting a double-dose of Collector's Edition games, all the TV shows I watch come back from hiatus this week too ^_^
How I Met Your Mother, Merlin, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and possibly Supernatural, which I'm still not sure I'll watch due to the rather disappointing previous season plot line... true, it had some good bits in it, but it kinda sucked overall. But I digress.
I've also nearly finished Borderlands 1 (Playthrough 2), in preparation for when I get Borderlands 2 tomorrow - pretty sure I can finish it by tonight! :)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
A Special Thanks!
It's not often (I would even go as far as to say rare), that you find a community on the Internet that appreciates you for who you are. To not judge and that likes the talents that you bring along with you :)
I joined the Supershigi Forum in February 2011 after I learned that the awesome composer Laura Shigihara, had made an official forum so that everyone around the world could come together to talk about music, games, and of course, Plants vs. Zombies - the game I first heard about Laura :D (You can also view Part 1 of her PVZ Soundtrack here as well :)
All I have to say about this forum is that the moment I signed up, I was welcomed into the group, everyone else on the forum were also super nice - not to mention extremely talented too!
Since a lot of people on the forum were into World of Warcraft (the forum is where my addiction to arcane mag.... I mean, addiction, to WoW began), we've also been having Guild Nights once per week too, which are so awesome! I have to say too, I've never laughed so hard in the space of a few hours - that, and having tears in my eyes from laughing too ^_^
So, long story short, I, Astragoth (some random person on the 'Net :P), just want to say thanks! :) Thanks to all the people on the Forum who have been so nice and kind to me, sharing their great stories, and making me laugh so hard my back hurts! XD
And this whole blog post wouldn't mean anything without shoutouts ^_^
Small - Your humor is great, makes me laugh every time hehe! Thanks so much for helping me out with WoW when I first got started, and remember, you're one awesome person! Good luck with the rest of the Furdiburb game! :D
Spellbunny - Never change your wacky personality, it definitely suits you :P And if I see anyone try and lay claim to Garrus, I'll talk some sense into them! (Yeh, aggression is not my style, that's Illidan's job XD) Also, look forward to all your tasty food blog posts too! Even though it'll make me hungry again ^_^
Strawberry - Thanks for letting me do some voice-over stuff for your game, and good luck with it too! And also for being a great and caring person :D Please don't change ok? :)
George - Thanks for making such an awesome game! Plants vs. Zombies in my no. 1 favourite game of all time! (not an exaggeration, it is). I don't know what else to say other than you are a very talented developer, and am looking forward to any game you have a part in!
Metroid - I don't know you very well, but just gotta say, you are one cool cat! :P
Reives - You've done an incredible job maintaining the forum, and you are one cool guy! Thanks for genuinely being a great person, and good luck with all your future projects! (I know I'll buy 'em all ^_^)
Laura - Well, what can I say, other than you are one awesomely talented person! Seriously, I don't think I've met anyone in my whole life than can juggle SO many things at once, and stay on top of everything, it's incredible! Not only that, you are just so caring and giving, have a great personality, and are just genuinely nice to not only me, but everyone :D
Thank you so much for sharing your music with the world, I know it has touched me so much personally, and I love every note you put into every one of your tracks hehe :) I also just want to say good luck with all your future projects as well (REALLY looking forward to Melolune XD), and I know you'll go far in this world as the person you are! :) So good luck with all that you do as well ^_^
Illidan - Keep being the awesome bad-ass Night Elf Demon that you are, it suits you, I know I'm into that :P <3
I joined the Supershigi Forum in February 2011 after I learned that the awesome composer Laura Shigihara, had made an official forum so that everyone around the world could come together to talk about music, games, and of course, Plants vs. Zombies - the game I first heard about Laura :D (You can also view Part 1 of her PVZ Soundtrack here as well :)
All I have to say about this forum is that the moment I signed up, I was welcomed into the group, everyone else on the forum were also super nice - not to mention extremely talented too!
Since a lot of people on the forum were into World of Warcraft (the forum is where my addiction to arcane mag.... I mean, addiction, to WoW began), we've also been having Guild Nights once per week too, which are so awesome! I have to say too, I've never laughed so hard in the space of a few hours - that, and having tears in my eyes from laughing too ^_^
So, long story short, I, Astragoth (some random person on the 'Net :P), just want to say thanks! :) Thanks to all the people on the Forum who have been so nice and kind to me, sharing their great stories, and making me laugh so hard my back hurts! XD
And this whole blog post wouldn't mean anything without shoutouts ^_^
Small - Your humor is great, makes me laugh every time hehe! Thanks so much for helping me out with WoW when I first got started, and remember, you're one awesome person! Good luck with the rest of the Furdiburb game! :D
Spellbunny - Never change your wacky personality, it definitely suits you :P And if I see anyone try and lay claim to Garrus, I'll talk some sense into them! (Yeh, aggression is not my style, that's Illidan's job XD) Also, look forward to all your tasty food blog posts too! Even though it'll make me hungry again ^_^
Strawberry - Thanks for letting me do some voice-over stuff for your game, and good luck with it too! And also for being a great and caring person :D Please don't change ok? :)
George - Thanks for making such an awesome game! Plants vs. Zombies in my no. 1 favourite game of all time! (not an exaggeration, it is). I don't know what else to say other than you are a very talented developer, and am looking forward to any game you have a part in!
Metroid - I don't know you very well, but just gotta say, you are one cool cat! :P
Reives - You've done an incredible job maintaining the forum, and you are one cool guy! Thanks for genuinely being a great person, and good luck with all your future projects! (I know I'll buy 'em all ^_^)
Laura - Well, what can I say, other than you are one awesomely talented person! Seriously, I don't think I've met anyone in my whole life than can juggle SO many things at once, and stay on top of everything, it's incredible! Not only that, you are just so caring and giving, have a great personality, and are just genuinely nice to not only me, but everyone :D
Thank you so much for sharing your music with the world, I know it has touched me so much personally, and I love every note you put into every one of your tracks hehe :) I also just want to say good luck with all your future projects as well (REALLY looking forward to Melolune XD), and I know you'll go far in this world as the person you are! :) So good luck with all that you do as well ^_^
Illidan - Keep being the awesome bad-ass Night Elf Demon that you are, it suits you, I know I'm into that :P <3
Two Pans'
So with my copy of Mists of Pandaria and Borderlands 2 hopefully being shipped to me next week, I thought I'd give my opinions on both games and list the things I'm really excited about :)
Even though I don't have the Mists expansion yet, I've been playing with the all-new Pet Battle System, and levelling up my pets! Before Mists was released, my pets were just that, content to stay by my side as I fought, leveled and experienced Azeroth as a whole.
But now that the Pet Battle System is out, my non-combat pets are now combat ones. No longer will they stand there while I get all the glory, now they can join in the fray WOO! Or at least, kill other creatures their size ^_^
I have my 3 favourite pets - Rocky (Pebble), Moonbeam (Feline Familiar), and George (Singing Sunflower), all at Level 6, as I still try to level them up, while at the same time trying to get a few more pets leveled up alongside my favourite pets.
The great thing about the PBS is definitely the collecting part. There are so many different types of creatures around the world you can collect, and I definitely want to catch them all!
Yes, this all does sound a LOT like Pokemon, the pet collecting and battling game that started all the way back in the 90's. There are a lot of similarities like reviving and restoring health to pets (Pokemon Centre's :P), and even Master Trainers around the WoW world (I just call them Pokemon Trainers hehe), who you can battle and try to defeat them!
I must admit, the whole pet battling and collecting system sounded really dumb to me, but now? I'm HOOKED! ^_^
As for Borderlands 2, since I don't even have the game yet, I've been replaying Borderlands 1 and its 3 DLC (I've left out the Mad Moxxi DLC since its not a part of the story), in preparation for when I get no.2 :)
So far, I've played through Playthrough 1 of the original Borderlands game, Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (the 1st DLC). and have to level up on Playthrough 2 of B1 before I can start playing The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (the 3rd DLC - Mad Moxxi is DLC 2).
Only 3 more levels to go before I can start DLC #3!
True, I really only have to play through Borderlands 1 once to start playing Borderlands 2, but I thought I'd give myself a whole refresher course on all things Pandora! (Pandora being the world of Borderlands by the way ^_^)
So the real question is, which world should I explore first? Pandaria or Pandora?
Even though I don't have the Mists expansion yet, I've been playing with the all-new Pet Battle System, and levelling up my pets! Before Mists was released, my pets were just that, content to stay by my side as I fought, leveled and experienced Azeroth as a whole.
But now that the Pet Battle System is out, my non-combat pets are now combat ones. No longer will they stand there while I get all the glory, now they can join in the fray WOO! Or at least, kill other creatures their size ^_^
I have my 3 favourite pets - Rocky (Pebble), Moonbeam (Feline Familiar), and George (Singing Sunflower), all at Level 6, as I still try to level them up, while at the same time trying to get a few more pets leveled up alongside my favourite pets.
The great thing about the PBS is definitely the collecting part. There are so many different types of creatures around the world you can collect, and I definitely want to catch them all!
Yes, this all does sound a LOT like Pokemon, the pet collecting and battling game that started all the way back in the 90's. There are a lot of similarities like reviving and restoring health to pets (Pokemon Centre's :P), and even Master Trainers around the WoW world (I just call them Pokemon Trainers hehe), who you can battle and try to defeat them!
I must admit, the whole pet battling and collecting system sounded really dumb to me, but now? I'm HOOKED! ^_^
As for Borderlands 2, since I don't even have the game yet, I've been replaying Borderlands 1 and its 3 DLC (I've left out the Mad Moxxi DLC since its not a part of the story), in preparation for when I get no.2 :)
So far, I've played through Playthrough 1 of the original Borderlands game, Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (the 1st DLC). and have to level up on Playthrough 2 of B1 before I can start playing The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (the 3rd DLC - Mad Moxxi is DLC 2).
Only 3 more levels to go before I can start DLC #3!
True, I really only have to play through Borderlands 1 once to start playing Borderlands 2, but I thought I'd give myself a whole refresher course on all things Pandora! (Pandora being the world of Borderlands by the way ^_^)
So the real question is, which world should I explore first? Pandaria or Pandora?
You Are Not Prepared!!!!
"Another World of Warcraft blog post? Really? Come on dude, move on to another topic already!"
Is that what you're asking? Well, I can tell you, this WoW blog post is something special! ^_^
Ok, probably not to those non-WoW'ers out there, but since this is my personal blog, I'm allowed to rant on about it. I'm also allowed to rant too :P
So WoW has these things called Raids. And if you're like me, and you've played a wide variety of different games and genres of games, then WoW Raids would typically be like a huge level, with heaps of lesser monsters (let's call them mobs), with mini-bosses between each layer of mobs, culminating in an all-powerful boss at the end.
And so we get to the end boss of the Black Temple Raid. Ah, Black Temple. My favourite Raid in WoW. Why is it my favourite raid? Two words.
Illidan. Stormrage.
The World of Warcraft universe has an extremely intricate, detailed story around the game world itself, and it's many character's, locations, etc.
Illidan Stormrage's story is way too complex to list here (not to mention I don't want to scare off or bore people actually reading this post), but essentially in the WoW lore Illidan was a Night Elf that turned bad (or at least he was in the eyes of his people when Illidan himself was actually saving them from certain doom).
Forced into exile, he sought greater power to defeat the beings that threatened to destroy his race, but the power he did find turned him into the very thing he sought to destroy!
So, in the WoW Black Temple Raid, Illidan Stormage is the last boss for the 'level', in which he wields, and drops (WoW items that can drop from enemies in the world, or obtained from various quests, depend on a certain percentage to actually 'show up'), two of his famous, all-powerful Warglaives - double-bladed, eerie-like green blades that you yourself can wield... if you're lucky enough for them to show up, not to mention win!
Yesterday, I FINALLY won one of the 'Legendary' blades he carries (you can only finish a WoW Raid once per week), something I've been trying to get for SOOOO long! He also dropped the blade RIGHT at the moment the newest expansion, 'Mists of Pandaria', officially launched! Great timing huh! ^_^
Being my first Legendary weapon, I gotta give a great big thanks to Illidan for letting me know I'm worthy of such an honor for carrying one of his awesome weapons! (The Main-Hand weapon Warglaive anyway!)
Thanks Illidan! ^_^ <3
Now... to get the Off-Hand Warglaive, and I'll of completed the set!
Is that what you're asking? Well, I can tell you, this WoW blog post is something special! ^_^
Ok, probably not to those non-WoW'ers out there, but since this is my personal blog, I'm allowed to rant on about it. I'm also allowed to rant too :P
So WoW has these things called Raids. And if you're like me, and you've played a wide variety of different games and genres of games, then WoW Raids would typically be like a huge level, with heaps of lesser monsters (let's call them mobs), with mini-bosses between each layer of mobs, culminating in an all-powerful boss at the end.
And so we get to the end boss of the Black Temple Raid. Ah, Black Temple. My favourite Raid in WoW. Why is it my favourite raid? Two words.
Illidan. Stormrage.
The World of Warcraft universe has an extremely intricate, detailed story around the game world itself, and it's many character's, locations, etc.
Illidan Stormrage's story is way too complex to list here (not to mention I don't want to scare off or bore people actually reading this post), but essentially in the WoW lore Illidan was a Night Elf that turned bad (or at least he was in the eyes of his people when Illidan himself was actually saving them from certain doom).
Forced into exile, he sought greater power to defeat the beings that threatened to destroy his race, but the power he did find turned him into the very thing he sought to destroy!
So, in the WoW Black Temple Raid, Illidan Stormage is the last boss for the 'level', in which he wields, and drops (WoW items that can drop from enemies in the world, or obtained from various quests, depend on a certain percentage to actually 'show up'), two of his famous, all-powerful Warglaives - double-bladed, eerie-like green blades that you yourself can wield... if you're lucky enough for them to show up, not to mention win!
Yesterday, I FINALLY won one of the 'Legendary' blades he carries (you can only finish a WoW Raid once per week), something I've been trying to get for SOOOO long! He also dropped the blade RIGHT at the moment the newest expansion, 'Mists of Pandaria', officially launched! Great timing huh! ^_^
Being my first Legendary weapon, I gotta give a great big thanks to Illidan for letting me know I'm worthy of such an honor for carrying one of his awesome weapons! (The Main-Hand weapon Warglaive anyway!)
Thanks Illidan! ^_^ <3
Now... to get the Off-Hand Warglaive, and I'll of completed the set!
Stacy's 'Pile of Sticks' Extremely Tasty Food Blog!
I hate food blogs. Why? They make me SUPER hungry! :P So much so I have to go get something to eat to distract myself from said food blog hehe ^_^
This is one of those food blogs that my friend Stacy has made to torture us all on the Internet and make us want food :)
Stacy's Yummy Food Blog, aka Pile of Sticks!
I seriously don't know what's yummier: the 'Homemade Key Lime Pie', 'Cornmeal Chicken & Roasted Peach Salsa' (pictured below), or 'Lazy Weeknight Stir Fry'.
Check out Stacy's Food blog today, get your tummy satisfied, and stay up-to-date with new tasty recipe posts as they come to you... delivered right from the 'Net! *lame food pun :P*
This is one of those food blogs that my friend Stacy has made to torture us all on the Internet and make us want food :)
Stacy's Yummy Food Blog, aka Pile of Sticks!
I seriously don't know what's yummier: the 'Homemade Key Lime Pie', 'Cornmeal Chicken & Roasted Peach Salsa' (pictured below), or 'Lazy Weeknight Stir Fry'.
Check out Stacy's Food blog today, get your tummy satisfied, and stay up-to-date with new tasty recipe posts as they come to you... delivered right from the 'Net! *lame food pun :P*
Happy about Collector's Editions!
I'm one of those people who can easily get happy about something small. This week definitely is a great example of one such moment.
For anyone reading this post, I'm a MASSIVE World of Warcraft nerd. If this post was typed out early last year, I wouldn't even touch the subject of WoW, thinking it was a 'waste-of-time' MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game.
Though come Mid-October 2011, I saw this video one of my favourite composers recorded, and well, I've been hooked to WoW ever since! (You may not get the many references in the video if you haven't played World of Warcraft, but if you did, you'll get 'em all!)
Anyway, World of Warcraft as a game has released many expansions in the years, and just a couple of days ago, Blizzard (the company that made the game), released their newest expansion, called 'Mists of Pandaria'.
There's something else you should know about me. I LOVE Collector's Edition's when a game comes out - though there has to be something actually good with it to make me want to buy it :D
Yes, I bought the Mists of Pandaria Collector's Edition, AND another FPS (First Person Shooter) game called Borderlands 2, which I also got the super-duper mega collector's edition as well... aptly named the Ultimate Loot Chest Edition!
So to sum up why I'm happy? I'm getting both of these Collector's Editions roughly the same time next week! ^_^
Here's a link to both game's collector's edition's in case you wanted to know what makes them CE's!
Mists of Pandaria CE
Borderlands 2 ULCE
For anyone reading this post, I'm a MASSIVE World of Warcraft nerd. If this post was typed out early last year, I wouldn't even touch the subject of WoW, thinking it was a 'waste-of-time' MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game.
Though come Mid-October 2011, I saw this video one of my favourite composers recorded, and well, I've been hooked to WoW ever since! (You may not get the many references in the video if you haven't played World of Warcraft, but if you did, you'll get 'em all!)
Anyway, World of Warcraft as a game has released many expansions in the years, and just a couple of days ago, Blizzard (the company that made the game), released their newest expansion, called 'Mists of Pandaria'.
There's something else you should know about me. I LOVE Collector's Edition's when a game comes out - though there has to be something actually good with it to make me want to buy it :D
Yes, I bought the Mists of Pandaria Collector's Edition, AND another FPS (First Person Shooter) game called Borderlands 2, which I also got the super-duper mega collector's edition as well... aptly named the Ultimate Loot Chest Edition!
So to sum up why I'm happy? I'm getting both of these Collector's Editions roughly the same time next week! ^_^
Here's a link to both game's collector's edition's in case you wanted to know what makes them CE's!
Mists of Pandaria CE
Borderlands 2 ULCE
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Plants vs. Zombies Game Soundtrack Review (Part 1)
So the first soundtrack I'm going to talk about, is from one of my all time favourite games - Plants vs. Zombies!
If you've ever played a Tower Defense game (you build defensive structures and try to stop the approaching enemies from reaching the 'other side' or 'end of the map', etc), in PVZ, the gist of the game is you're pretty much defending your house against a horde of Zombies who want to eat your brains :P And what better way to defend your house than with some unique and awesome Plants!
You can find more info out about the game by watching this video ^_^
Anyways, on to the awesome music of Plants vs. Zombies! (Will be writing this review in stages, so stay tuned for the next bits!)
Laura Shigihara is the composer to this addictive game, and she's made the soundtrack both in AND out of this game enjoyable to listen to - which most game soundtracks find hard to pull off.
The Official Plants vs. Zombies Game Soundtrack, which was released in November 2010, is probably one of the best, and most complete soundtracks I've ever listened to (not an exaggeration).
You know how when you buy a great TV / movie / game soundtrack, and its missing the track you actually loved when you watched or played that movie or game, and you feel extremely disappointed? Well, this soundtrack has everything AND more!
Not only does it have the in-game music for when you're either tending to your Zen Garden, in the Main Menu, or battling the Zombies on your Roof, it also has the ORIGINAL 'remastered' version of the songs, since the music that you hear in-game had to be compressed and most of the instruments left out, which is definitely a shame.
The soundtrack itself has 29 tracks, each giving their own melody and catch-i-ness (not sure if that's a word hehe :P)
So without further ado (always wanted to say that), here are all 29 tracks (10 tracks will be covered in Part 1), with my opinion on each :)
(And just a heads up, Tracks 2-14 are the ORIGINAL uncompressed versions of the music, with Tracks 18-29 the in-game versions. Also the music in both versions slightly differ from one another too, but are still basically the same)
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Track 1: Crazy Dave's Greeting - Basically the 'Intro' to the whole soundtrack, this track has Crazy Dave (your crazy neighbour in PVZ), saying Hi, and saying how awesome the tracks that follow will be - least that's what I reckon he's saying! :P
The music you hear in the background is from whenever the Dancing / Disco Zombie in-game shows up, complete with backup dancers!
Track 2: Crazy Dave (Intro Theme) - This is the music you hear whenever you get to the Main Menu. Don't be alarmed when you first start to listen to this track, that's not your headphones starting to expire hehe. Laura has stated that she intended to put the old-sounding record 'pops' into the track itself. A very boppy and relaxing track to listen to overall as well!
Track 3: Choose Your Seeds - Before you fight the Zombie horde, you are asked, or before you're automatically put into the game proper (depending on how many Plants you have collected throughout the game), to choose which Plants you'd like to have to defeat the Zombies. This music is short, but definitely conveys that this is the calm before the storm.
Track 4: Grasswalk - You can hear this track in the 'Day' stages of the game. The music starts off with an almost Plant-like melody, before giving way to the Undead horde starting to creep into the scene. The music then takes off as the Plants begin a valiant attempt to defeat the Zombies.
Track 5: Loonboon - This track relates very well to one of the PVZ mini-games, in which the Zombies have mysteriously shrunk down (the PVZ lore suggests Dr. Zomboss - the boss of all the Zombies, had a hand in this - more on him later), and are therefore quicker to reach your house, though take way more damage from Plants than if they were full-sized. The quickness to this track is meant to get you hyped up and prepared in the rapid defense of your house, as you struggle to place Plants down on your lawn before getting overrun!
Track 6: Moongrains - Yes, 'Day' can turn to 'Night' in this game, and 'Moongrains' is the track that accompanies it when the sun goes down, you no longer have access to free Sun, and must rely on your mushrooms (which incidentally fall asleep during the day :P) Like 'Grasswalk', the Plant-themed music can still be heard, but the Zombies have centre stage in this track, not to mention the track overall has a dreamy feeling to it, as nighttime is when most people sleep.
The track also picks up with some thudding drums as more Zombies join the fray around midway through this song too.
Track 7: Zen Garden - Need a break from all that Zombie-destroying? After you get far enough into the 'Adventure' mode of the game (aka the PVZ Campaign of sorts), you get access to your very own Zen Garden, where you can tend to your pot Plants you've picked up in-game. You can also water and fertilize them, play music to them, and more :D 'Zen Garden' gives you a relaxing melody to listen to, away from the other unique tracks such as 'Grasswalk' or 'Loonboon'.
Track 8: Watery Graves (slow) - Well, I guess they don't call it a backyard for nothing hey? ^_^ And what's more, your house has its very own 'Pool', in which not only can the Zombies wade through it (Zombies with seaweed on their head is hilarious! XD), they can also still walk on the lawn on both sides of the pool!
As stated, this is the Slow version of the 'Pool' levels you encounter in Plants vs. Zombies. You can almost feel the sun on your face as you relax in the Pool while listening to this track, before the Zombies cause a ruckus and ruin your sun tan, or sunburn in my case :P
Track 9: Water Graves (fast) - Pretty much exactly like the slow version, but has been ramped up in speed, with a lot of new instruments joining the fray to echo this :)
Track 10: Ultimate Battle - Must say, this has to be one of my favourite tracks in the game. At the end of each stage ('Day, 'Night', 'Pool', etc), the Zombies rally together and mount a final, desperate attack against your house to steal your brains. Unlike the earlier levels before the end of each stage, you are not allowed to pick any Plants in defense of your house, and are instead given random Plants on a conveyor belt to use against the Zombies - use each one wisely! It could mean the difference between defeating the Zombie horde or getting your Brains eaten!
'Ultimate Battle' is just that, taking out all the stops in both Plant and Zombie melodies, releasing each teams' full destructive potential. The high point to this track speaks of both sides giving it all they've got in order to defeat one another.
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Well, this concludes Part 1 of the Plants vs. Zombies Game Soundtrack review! Hope you enjoyed reading this, and stay tuned for Part 2! ^_^
If you are interested in all the other music that Laura has composed - and I would definitely check it out! - here are some links to her various Internet sites:-
Laura's YouTube
Laura's Twitter
Laura's Blog
Laura's Bandcamp Store
Supershigi Forums, the Official Forum of Laura Shigihara.
You can also buy the Plants vs. Zombies Soundtrack from Laura's Bandcamp Store as well, and I'd highly recommend it for its creative vibe and personality! :)
Also, its SUPER cheap - all 29 tracks for 4 bucks! :D
If you've ever played a Tower Defense game (you build defensive structures and try to stop the approaching enemies from reaching the 'other side' or 'end of the map', etc), in PVZ, the gist of the game is you're pretty much defending your house against a horde of Zombies who want to eat your brains :P And what better way to defend your house than with some unique and awesome Plants!
You can find more info out about the game by watching this video ^_^
Anyways, on to the awesome music of Plants vs. Zombies! (Will be writing this review in stages, so stay tuned for the next bits!)
The Official Plants vs. Zombies Game Soundtrack, which was released in November 2010, is probably one of the best, and most complete soundtracks I've ever listened to (not an exaggeration).
You know how when you buy a great TV / movie / game soundtrack, and its missing the track you actually loved when you watched or played that movie or game, and you feel extremely disappointed? Well, this soundtrack has everything AND more!
Not only does it have the in-game music for when you're either tending to your Zen Garden, in the Main Menu, or battling the Zombies on your Roof, it also has the ORIGINAL 'remastered' version of the songs, since the music that you hear in-game had to be compressed and most of the instruments left out, which is definitely a shame.
The soundtrack itself has 29 tracks, each giving their own melody and catch-i-ness (not sure if that's a word hehe :P)
So without further ado (always wanted to say that), here are all 29 tracks (10 tracks will be covered in Part 1), with my opinion on each :)
(And just a heads up, Tracks 2-14 are the ORIGINAL uncompressed versions of the music, with Tracks 18-29 the in-game versions. Also the music in both versions slightly differ from one another too, but are still basically the same)
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The music you hear in the background is from whenever the Dancing / Disco Zombie in-game shows up, complete with backup dancers!
The track also picks up with some thudding drums as more Zombies join the fray around midway through this song too.
As stated, this is the Slow version of the 'Pool' levels you encounter in Plants vs. Zombies. You can almost feel the sun on your face as you relax in the Pool while listening to this track, before the Zombies cause a ruckus and ruin your sun tan, or sunburn in my case :P
'Ultimate Battle' is just that, taking out all the stops in both Plant and Zombie melodies, releasing each teams' full destructive potential. The high point to this track speaks of both sides giving it all they've got in order to defeat one another.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this concludes Part 1 of the Plants vs. Zombies Game Soundtrack review! Hope you enjoyed reading this, and stay tuned for Part 2! ^_^
If you are interested in all the other music that Laura has composed - and I would definitely check it out! - here are some links to her various Internet sites:-
Laura's YouTube
Laura's Twitter
Laura's Blog
Laura's Bandcamp Store
Supershigi Forums, the Official Forum of Laura Shigihara.
You can also buy the Plants vs. Zombies Soundtrack from Laura's Bandcamp Store as well, and I'd highly recommend it for its creative vibe and personality! :)
Also, its SUPER cheap - all 29 tracks for 4 bucks! :D
Intro Bit
So I decided to make a blog where all things Astra happens... yeh, pretty exciting! (I think :P)
For now, I'm going to focus on my favourite game and movie soundtracks, and have the occasional rant along the way :)
Hope I can provide a somewhat entertaining read in the posts to come! ^_^
For now, I'm going to focus on my favourite game and movie soundtracks, and have the occasional rant along the way :)
Hope I can provide a somewhat entertaining read in the posts to come! ^_^
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