Wow, I get a lot more game-music-related press releases than I thought...I guess I better check them more carefully, heh.

This is actually kind of old already, from Feb. 28.

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Capcom(R) and INgrooves Strike Music Licensing & Soundtrack Deal

Music, Pictures, Graphics and Online Soundtrack Album All Part of the Deal for Final Fight: Streetwise(TM)

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital record company INgrooves today announced it has licensed 28 hip-hop and electronic songs from its catalogue to video game publisher Capcom(R) for Final Fight: Streetwise(TM) and will produce and digitally publish the game soundtrack.  Set within Capcom's Final Fight universe, Final Fight: Streetwise calls for players to use their street smarts and powerful fighting skills to survive the back alleys of Metro City.  Available for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft(R), Final Fight: Streetwise will contain classic Capcom fighting action, expansive 3D environments, and diverse gameplay. The soundtrack is set to be released on February 28th and will only be available through online music stores like iTunes and Rhapsody.

This project showcases the full range of services and expertise that INgrooves can bring to a project on behalf of game publishers.  With access to a large catalogue of current hits in urban, electronic, rock and world music genres, INgrooves can provide publishers with great content and access to the online and mobile markets that increases the promotion for a game release.

INgrooves roster of popular and up-and-coming urban artists perfectly complements Final Fight: Streetwise's urban setting and intense action. Furthermore, the inclusion of artist pictures, album graphics and song descriptions will make the music experience all the more interactive for players.  "Our collaboration with INgrooves has been invaluable as their extensive music library truly captured the raw intensity and tone of Final Fight: Streetwise," said Tom Sekine, chief operating officer, Capcom Studio 8. "The quality and diversity of music combined with their marketing support of the game has made them an ideal licensed soundtrack partner."

Robb McDaniels, INgrooves' CEO, said, "We absolutely loved working with Capcom on Final Fight: Streetwise.  Their whole team was extremely creative and sought to incorporate innovative online and mobile marketing ideas wherever possible.  This project exhibited the potential synergies between video game publishers and digital record companies."

INgrooves has a great deal of experience within the interactive entertainment and video game markets and is represented in the game industry by Flashman Studios.  The company has worked with some of the world's largest publishers on a number of high profile projects, including Namco (Namco Museum), Electronic Arts (Cricket 2005, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006) and Arush Entertainment (Playboy: The Mansion).  INgrooves makes it simple for video game publishers and others to work with a major digital record company and create innovative, unique soundtracks for their titles.
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This has nothing to do with game music but Final Fight:Streetwise got a REALLY bad score in GameInformer, I think it got a 4.

But this is licensing existing hip-hop music from a publisher for use in the game.  It's not original music.  So they turned Final Fight into a GTA-wanna be.  This is how you destroy franchises when you chase the latest trends in culture and gaming.

It probably attracts more people if it has familiar music in it. Wouldn't you want to try to get the biggest profit out of a game?

No, it's how you show the gaming community to be a bunch of elitist, uptight idiots.

Just what we need...Another hardcore advocate for putting licensed crap into games.

Music aside, I'm disappointed in how Capcom decided to approach their new Final Fight game and it doesn't look like much fun at all. I wonder why they even bothered...It's not like the franchise is instantly recognizable to mainstream consumers.

The music has nothing to do with it. I'm talking about the inherent stupidity of the average game critic.

Which means what? That you feel GTA is fun? Unbunch your jockeys.
Stephen's point wasn't that GTA sucks, but that it sucks when companies blithely crap out me-too copies of bestselling formulas and it's even worse when they whore out known franchises to boost sales of said me-toos.

I would have been excited about this if the press release said something about how the developers went back in time and had a '92-era Alph Lyra compose the soundtrack and then came back to 2005/6 and put it in the game.

Yes. That would have been exciting.

I happen to find this phrase interesting

It seems gaming can't be just experienced in 1 place (the TV) anymore, it needs to be cross-experienced through every device in your house too!! 

Your phone, computer, radio, car, newspaper, coffeemaker, refridgerator, fingernail clippers...
All those must unite together and join forces to market the latest games!!

No.

Streetwise.

Inherent stupidity or not, Final Fight Streetwise is a really awful game (and yes, I've played it).

No and no.

Yup amen to that. Especially when those companies are Japanese!
Then again, I think i read somewhere that Streetwise was developed in the US so this may expain that..
Later,

Alcahest