For oldskool shmup VGM fans, check out the soundtrack to this Xbox Live Arcade game:
http://www.sweeprecord.com/?p=118

The composer is Natsume's Hiroyuki Iwatsuki (Pocky & Rocky, Ninja Warriors Again, Wild Guns, Gundam Wing Endless Duel, Power Rangers). The album also features "retro mode" versions of all the songs (squarewaves a plenty) as well as the obligatory arrangements from Shinji Hosoe and the Super Sweep crew.

Has anyone here played the actual game itself yet?

I've been excited about this one since I first heard about it, and it went straight on my purchase list after hearing the samples when they went up.

It's about time Iwatsuki got a full OST release for any of his soundtracks. (Well, there was Chaos World, but he only did two of the tracks for that.)

I haven't played the game, but I preordered the hell out of that OST.

Definitely agree with that. But those samples really sound lame and half-baked compared to his earlier work, I'm giving this a download first to see if my fears are confirmed or not.

I'm really digging this one. I still think that Glacial Fortress is my favorite (I have a thing for Stage 1 themes), but the rest of the album is quite enjoyable!

Ordered from Kahori (who I hope is enjoying her holiday).

Currently listening to it after grabbing it off a mirror site, and it's excellent electronica for my musical palatte. My favorites are definitely Violent Guardian , The Warrior Factory, The Escalated Invasion, and The Place of Rebirth. The retro mixes are cool, too. My favorite of the arrangements have to be Violent Guardian. That is simply a wicked piece.

The retro stuff would be much more enjoyable if it was done with a real chip. Can't recall any sound hardware that had 16+ channels of PSG and 4+ of PCM with a low sampling rate (I'd guess 16kHz) - Wonderswan is close but has much less channels on both parts (and has WSG as well).

THAT is some good stuff!

Not sure if I really care about FM/PCM chip versions (my take on that is, if that's the best it's been 'encoded' in, and I really like the tunes, I'll want them (case and point Dragon Saber/Slayer II Namco Arcade PCM, is a personal favorite)..

However the arrangements, and improved versions sound great.

Someone mentioned a mirror site these are available at?

...And I'm glad I did, this is definitely not that high standard Iwatsuki maintained during the 90s. It sounds pretty mediocre and bland IMO, and I just don't get why people think this sounds like an old-school shmup soundtrack. This sounds like 2008 all the way to me, even those phony "retro"-versions.

Where are you d/l this from?  Would love to know... hit me at  brandonpfn@yahoo.com

By torrent at gamemp3s.

Thx mate

I think this album is great. I've been enjoying it since it came out. I liked "The glacial fortress" back when I played the game too. The other tracks grew on me as I listened to the album more. Not Iwatsuki's best, but still really good, and I like that it has put Iwatsuki in the spotlight.

Kaleb and Godai contributed to a Q&A with Iwatsuki for Siliconera that was posted yesterday.  The article touches on Omega Five, the soundtrack, and the composer's work with Natsume.

http://www.siliconera.com/2008/05/05/ro … -interview

yay for more interviews

Someone send this poor man a CD of his own works...

Exactly my thoughts.

They posted the Japanese version of the article to Sweeprecord the other day in the news category section.

http://www.sweeprecord.com/?p=152