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Tekken 6 for PSP Soundtrack :: Review by Dave
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Album Title: | Tekken 6 for PSP Soundtrack |
| Record Label: | Namco Sounds | |
| Catalog No.: | iTunes | |
| Release Date: | January 26, 2010 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at iTunes |
Overview
Tekken 6 was released in multiple versions — the original Arcade version, the Bloodline Rebellion extension, the home console version, and finally the portable version. Each instalment featured additional music and there was even some music exclusively composed for the PSP version. After contributing a significant number of tracks to Tekken 6's other versions, NBGI's in-house offer six more new tracks for the PSP port. The six tracks were released by Namco Sounds through the iTunes store. With the Tekken 6 Soundtrack predominantly featuring heavy rock tracks and electronic fusions from the group of composers, I doubt you'll be too surprised by the music which is featured on this EP...
Body
Starting off the album with some electronica, Akitaka Toyama reveals in trance glory on "Blue Wall". He offers a catchy, pulsating beat and flavoursome high-pitched synth interjections. The track seems very laidback and there's nothing too complex about it. Yet in a sense, this adds to both its longevity and enjoyableness. Tetsuya Uchida and Yoshihito Yano's "Synthetic Pulse Installation" is much in the same vein as this, despite some harsh warped sounds and heavy beat. At around 0:30, a simplistic light melody is integrated, and really this is what makes the rest of the piece enjoyable. This small motif is revisited throughout the track, and it proves to be the main focal point around which the background development draws around. These two electronic additions are a great inclusion to the music of Tekken 6, and a nice taster of what to expect in the PSP version of the game.
The rest of the tracks on the album are more rock focused, with Uchida's "Broken Ties" and "Spider" perhaps holding a more familiar sound representative what can be heard elsewhere in the series. In saying this, don't expect the same guitar overdrive presented to us by Hamamoto in Tekken 6, but rather a sort of generic selection of rock tracks. Featuring a repeated distorted guitar riff and slap bass development, "Broken Ties" is probably the more generic and uninventive of the two. "Spider" also features a simplistic riff, but Uchida does well to implement some creative synth sections to bring some ambience into the theme.
The other two tracks on the album are much more entertaining, though. "Rebirth" and "Side Winder" each come from the mind of Yoshihito Yano, with help from Junichi Nakatsuru on the latter. "Rebirth" isn't so different to what can be heard in Uchida's tracks, but excels with its creative use of guitar and synth sounds, rhythmic development, and layering of instruments. "Side Winder," however, really stands out, and is the best theme on the album by a long shot. Just like "Synthetic Pulse Installation," a lot of its success can be put down to a simple motif introduced early on in the track. The piano motif introduced at 0:28 provides a nice backdrop for the piece to develop around, especially evident around 1:11 where a funky guitar accompaniment is brought in to spice things up a little. If there's any track you'll replay from this album, it'll be "Side Winder."
Summary
The Tekken 6 for PSP Soundtrack is certainly a supplementary release. It mainly covers similar stylistic ground to the rest of Tekken 6's stage themes and only a few tracks stand out as particularly special. Nonetheless, those who can't get enough of Tekken 6 will find this inexpensive digital release worth their time. Note that, unlike the other digital releases for Tekken 6, all the music here is exclusive and not featured in the physical Tekken 6 Soundtrack.
