Chip Bits: Norrin Radd – Anomaly

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Nathan Meunier

Throw down some change, because I’m about to pick that shit up! Many, including myself, have attempted to marry chiptunes with the aesthetics of heavy metal, but I’ve yet to hear anyone fully master those untamably unholy sounds quite like Norrin Radd. No, not the Silver Surfer. The other guy. The product of four years of hard labor in the depths of some presumably warped trans-dimensional intergalactic hell, Anomaly is a dark and brooding concept album of chiptune metal that slams down the hammer of Thor like nobody’s business.

I’ve been to hundreds of metal shows over the years – witnessing everything from the blackest, darkest, most twistedly evil shit to some of the goofiest spoof grind bands ever – and Norrin Radd manages to nail every style in the broad spectrum of heavy metal in classic NES style almost effortlessly on this album. Blast beats, ultra heavy breakdowns, epic wailing solos, demonic growling vocals run through the DPCM channel, crazy technical tempo and rhythm shifts: it’s all there…and it’s brilliant. Excuse me while I form a circle pit and kick stuff around my office. Experience this amazing work of metal epicness by downloading it here.

Review: Star Ocean: The Last Hope International

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Nathan Meunier

“It seems rather fitting that the end of the long-running Star Ocean series would come around full circle to revisit where the series first began–with the degradation of our beloved homeworld and with humanity teetering on the brink of annihilation. As far as prequels go, Star Ocean: The Last Hope gets a lot of things right in terms of gameplay, even if it falters in other areas. PlayStation 3 owners had to wait an extra year to get a crack at saving the galaxy one last time, and while the few extras and tweaks found in the exclusive international edition may seem a meager reward for your patience, they do make it the more enticing version to own.”

Check out the full review here at GameSpot.

Review: Risen

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Nathan Meunier

“Luck is not by your side in Risen. As a penniless stowaway on a ship that’s about to get trounced by a giant, menacing spirit beast, things aren’t looking so hot. Miraculously, you wash up on the stormy shores of a nearby island with your life still intact. However, the volcanic isle of Faranga is home to scores of ravenous beasts desperate for any opportunity to pick the flesh clean from your bones. Making matters worse, ancient, artifact-filled temples have inexplicably risen out of the earth, spilling forth even nastier creatures across the countryside. To top it all off, you arrive in the midst of a brutal power struggle between several rival human factions. Yes, luck is not by your side, so you’ll have to make your own.”