Game music of the day: Cel Damage
GR's ongoing tribute to the beloved world of videogame music
Game: Cel Damage
Song: Lunarcy
Composer:Egg Plant Productions
Above: Lunarcy from Cel Damage
Anyone remember Cel Damage? The cel-shaded Twisted Metal clone that helped launch the Xbox and GameCube? Surely some of you do, if only for its admittedly captivating cartoon visuals (and not so much its yawn-y gameplay). I never played much of it to be honest, but I sure as hell ripped the soundtrack and found three outstanding pieces of music that have stayed on my iPod for nearly five years.
Above is Lunarcy, which I assume takes place on some kind of moon level. I love the mix of guitars and semi-generic backbeats, plus that recurring riff that ties all the pieces together. I'd say it makes for great car combat music, but then again, never played it enough to know.
Next up is Wild Wooly West. Same kind of style as Lunarcy, but the hillbilly square dancing samples help it stand out.
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Finally is Babbling 5, from the space section of the game (an overt reference to Babylon 5, derp). Similar stuff, and it's true that it all kinda sounds like Garage Band or FruityLoops, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. I tried to find an actual composer-person to attribute this to, but the manual only says "Egg Plant Productions," which is hardly a google-friendly search term. Instead, I foundEggplant Collective, a team that doesn't list Cel Damage on its site but does name drop several other EA games.
What, are they ashamed of Cel Damage? Be proud that the music is the one thing about Cel Damage that's being talked about today!
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Theme of Laura by Akira Yamaoka
A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.