Video Games Live - London October 22nd 2007

Last night (October 22nd 2007) we were invited to London's Royal Festival Hall which is situated alongside the Southbank at Waterloo, to enjoy the delights of Video Games Live. The venue was host to conductor Jack Wall, Presenter and co-ordinator Tommy Tallarico alongside the full London Philharmonia Orchestra, complete with choir. As the hall filled with gamers, press and music lovers we were in store for a full program of gaming tunes presented in the most impressive manner possible. A giant video screen showed images of the games from today and yesteryear as the orchestra performed in case you needed reminding and was simply a perfect compliment to the aural pleasure that filled the revamped Festival Hall. Video Games Live tours a lot and is well worth visiting if they appear in your neck of the woods. If you like video games then this is a must see event.

To begin proceedings there was a competition for best video game character costume and whilst some where obscure the cute tentacle creature was a clear favourite amongst the audience. Excuse my ignorance if I do not recall this character or the game it was from.

Here is a listing of the music that simply blew us all away:

ACT 1:

Classic Arcade Medley Metal Gear Solid (music from MGS 1, MGS 2, MGS 3) This is great powerful music and with some on stage antics with a terrorist made for an excellent opening. Sonic (music from various games through the ages) Namco/ Tetris and the moving Chrono Cross (piano solo) Space Invaders - a member of the audience was asked to play the game whilst the orchestra played the music. He had 2 minutes to clear all invaders; however there was a twist - his movements were being tracked and he had to physically move left and right to steer the craft. It seemed odd and almost impossible but it was good fun to watch. He failed but was awarded some goodies, including an Xbox 360 console. Bioshock - This was a World premier performance of the opening theme and simply awesome to hear live. Civilization IV Outrun 2 performed by Richard Jacques Jazz Ensemble. This was simply an amazing upbeat rendition of the classic "Passing Breeze" track Tron Final Fantasy VIII Liberi Fatali - The awesome talents of Nobu Ouematsu in full effect - remember the scene where Squall and Rinoa take a dance for the first time. Zelda theme - A classic tune in full effect to the delight of the audience.

We had a short intermission where we could play on Xbox consoles and grab some food although 20 minutes was not enough as you could have easily queued for that length of time.

ACT 2:

Frogger - The orchestra played the music whilst two combatants from the audience vied for supremacy. There was an amusing rock, scissors, paper to decide who would go first; with the two combatants matching each other as if they were mirror images of each other. The winner from Luton won an Xbox 360 Elite and some other goodies. Harry Potter - This was met with a less than favourable reception from the audience, EA take note - those movie tie in games might sell well to the masses but true gamers aren't so impressed. Final Fantasy Piano solo - This was a moving medley of tunes from the series - simply excellent. Kingdom Hearts Warcraft - An amazing classical score using the full power of the orchestra and choir. The conductor noted that this was one of his favourite pieces. Revenge of the Gnomes Super Mario Brothers theme - Billed as the most widely known video game character, and who am I to argue with that. Tetris piano solo - An extremely impressive and very fast showcase. Exclusive Starcraft 2 score Halo themes from 1 to 3 This received a standing ovation and was simply breathtaking. An appearance by the original theme creator, Martin O'Donnell who sung those famous notes solo to get us in the mood was great. He confirmed that the original Halo voices were not Tibetan monks but a few jingle artists in the studio. Final Fantasy VII - One Winged Angel An amazing finale to an excellent showcase of classic video game music.

Video Games Live in pictures

Posted By: Robert Cram

Date: 2007-10-23