Video Games Live: The Album

Video Games Live, the touring concert that gives gamers the chance to see their favorite video game music played by a symphony orchestra in front of a gazillion-inch projection screen, has released a companion CD, titled Video Games Live: Volume I. But can a recording capture the grandeur of the live show?

The collection showcases almost a dozen of the most popular tunes from the concert, including music from Kingdom Hearts, God of War and Castlevania. The album is available through iTunes with 12 tracks.

The tracklist includes the following:

1. Kingdom Hearts
2. Warcraft Suite
3. Myst Medley
4. Medal of Honor (Live in Brazil)
5. Civilization IV Medley
6. Tetris Piano Opus No. 1
7. God of War Montage (Live in Brazil)
8. Advent Rising Suite
9. Tron Montage
10. Halo Suite
11. Castlevania Rock (Live in Mexico)

It certainly is a nice, diverse list. But is it worth dropping $10? Perhaps. As is the case with [insert your favorite band here], listening to the music in your living room or iPod is one thing; seeing it live is a totally different experience.

Having attended VGL twice (in Chicago and Milwaukee), I can tell you that listening to these tracks at home certainly won’t give you any goosebumps. Absent are the energy of the crowd, the frenetic motions of string players, the aura of the chorus, the mesmerizing lights and the giddiness of knowing that a medley of songs from “The Legend of Zelda” is going to be played by an orchestra in a music hall — loudly.

So that’s the bad part. The good part: You don’t have to sit through the somewhat unexciting parts of the VGL experience: mainly the contests, giveaways and Tommy Tallarico’s rather annoying bravado as the night’s ringleader. Be glad that you don’t need to see him prancing around the stage with an electric guitar, acting like an 8-year-old.

VGL is an experience, especially outside the concert itself. Between the various tournaments, demo stations and the cocktail bar, you wind up making friends with some cool people before the show — did I mention there’s a cocktail bar? Seeing the facial expressions of girls who clearly were dragged to VGL by their boyfriends makes for great people-watching, too. If VGL ever rolls near your town, it is something you need to check out at least once.

But if you’re interested in hunting down video game music, there are plenty of resources available. A good handful of Final Fantasy soundtracks — original and orchestrated — are available through iTunes. You also can check out GameMusic.com and Play-Asia for more hard-to-find titles. Other bands do their own renditions of video game scores, like the Minibosses, the Advantage, or Uematsu’s own rock band the Black Mages. And don’t forget to visit your local comic book shop, too.