Uematsu Creates More Magic in ?blue Dragon?

When I heard Nobou Uematsu was no longer going to be doing most of the Final Fantasy music, I was curious as to what was in store for the legendary composer. Well, the wait is finally over. “Blue Dragon”, an exclusive X-Box 360 game, will be releasing in the United States tomorrow (8/28/07) with Uematsu providing the entire soundtrack.

As you would expect, while listening to the “Blue Dragon” soundtrack, you can’t help but hear some similarities tied to his previous work with “Final Fantasy”, which by all accounts, is a very good thing. Uematsu’s biggest asset is getting you to feel the emotion that the song is looking to create. The first 2 tracks of the album, “Waterside” & “Bell of Grief”, show his artistic prowess right off the bat.

While he is good at delivering an atmosphere of uncertainty with songs such as “Mysterious Village”, “Mystery of the Ancient Machine”, “Omen” & “Ruins”, his biggest jump as a musician was his ability to start incorporating electric guitars. Uematsu finally got to show off his rock & roll roots in his band “The Black Mages”, which did rock covers of his “Final Fantasy” songs. It appears as if that band only tickled his fancy, as he has added some great electric guitar riffs on this soundtrack with songs such as “Dragon Fight!”, “In Search of the Ruins” & “Knock It Down.”

Since “Final Fantasy VIII”, Uematsu has been incorporating vocals in some of his work, and that doesn’t stop with “Blue Dragon”. The mellow & somber track “My Tears and the Sky” features the vocals of prolific Japanese Pop singer Ayako Kawasumi while the fast pace & riveting rock track “Eternity” features rock star & legend Ian Gillian, from the band “Deep Purple”. While “My Tears and the Sky” fits well with the rest of the songs, “Eternity” feels a bit out of place. It could very well be one of those songs that go well while playing the game, but as far as the flow of the soundtrack is concerned, it felt displaced.

The only other flaw is that it’s missing a masterpiece song, or in other words, a song that becomes a staple of the game. “Final Fantasy VII” had it with “One Winged Angel”, “Final Fantasy VIII” had it with “Liberi Fatali” & “Final Fantasy X” had it with “At Zanarkand”, but “Blue Dragon” seems to be missing it. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great tracks such as “Giant Mechat”, “Peaceful Waterside” & “Release the Seal”, but nothing that jumps out like the songs I listed above. Of course, this could very well be because I haven’t had a chance to play through the game yet.

Nevertheless, Uematsu delivers another wonderful soundtrack. The added element of the rock genre shows his creativity to expand his palette as well. While the soundtrack may not be as good as his previous work, he still brings you into his world, makes you feel the passion from the notes he transcribes & leaves you looking for more. And that my friends, is what music is all about.

http://www.gamersoundtracks.com/

Dragon Boat Race, a sport that is more than 2000 years old

Dragon Boat Racing is a popular boating sport found in the Chinese communities around the world. The dragon boat is a narrow, long boat, much like a canoe and has no engine or mechanical propulsions system, the dragon boat is simply powered by human rowing. The sport can trace its origins back to 2000 years ago in ancient China and is considered to be a team paddling sporting event.  The dragon boating sport has come to be considered an international sport in Hong Kong in the year 1976. For over twenty centuries the sport of dragon boat racing had been a part of folk rituals in the Chinese communities.

During the completion the boats are fitted and decorated with the heads of Chinese dragons and the rowers or paddlers paddle the boat to rhythmic beat of a drum. The drummer sits on the boat and plays the drum in a pattern of rhythmic beats. At certain competitions the decorations are done away with yet the integral drummer and drum of the dragon boat remains. The dragon boat races can usually be seen as part of the Duanwu Festival, and is known to the westerners as the dragon boat festival. The Duanwu Festival and dragon boating can be observed in countries which have a significant Chinese population, such as in Greater China, Singapore and Malaysia. The festival is held annually.

While travelling to Singapore make sure to find some rather good luxury accommodation Singapore, while spending ones stay in the country.

Find More Dragon Articles

How to Make a Bearded Dragon Eat More Veggies?

Lizards from Pogona genus are commonly named as Bearded Dragon. They have broad triangular heads and flattened bodies. They reach a manageable average size of about 18-22 inches (46-56 cms). The average weight is about 10-18 ounces (283-510 gm)

The species of Bearded Dragons get their name from a distinctive series of lateral spines (specialized scales) radiating horizontally from the head and base of the tail. As juveniles, they are semi-arboreal. As adults, they are mostly terrestrial, but climb to bask and search for prey.

A common problem many bearded dragons have is when the dragon refuse to eat veggies. This can get very serious and caused many times the death of bearded dragons. Here are a few tips you can use to convince the pet to eat:

- put the crickets in his/her greens. I would also try some supersworms over their greens. If there is a petsupplyplus by you. They sell worms in small qty, it usually work with most dragons. You can also shred something your dragon likes and gradually mix with a lot of greens and vegetables

- Make sure the dragon sees the greens by placing them in a shallow dish-which it can easily see. Pay attention also that the greens are bite-sized.

- Try to attach a big leaf, using a clip. Let the dragon have the fun of tearing it into pieces.

- Start feeding greens from the very first week. Then, it will begin to relish them.

- Set your light timers to turn on the lights an hour before you get out of bed in the morning. When you get up, give your beardie salad. After having basked for an hour, the dragons will be hungry enough to eat the greens.

This should completely solve this problem. Please let me know how it worked. Wishing you lots of fun with your dragon!

The 3 most quotable scenes from Bruce Lee’s “Enter The Dragon”

Video Rating: 4 / 5

Question by Nero T. Pickle: Why do vampires seem to be so much more popular than dragons?

Vampires are all the rage with the releases of all those vampire-based stories, but dragons don’t seem to get as much attention. Like, there doesn’t seem to be as many people going gaga over Eragon at the rate that they do with Twilight. Why does everyone just love vampires so much over the dragons? Dragons are so much more epic and could make roast beef out of a vampire any night.

Best answer:

Answer by Duckey
Depends on the quality of the movie. Twilight was and still is a very popular series of books.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by Jop: Why is my pet Chinese water dragon not social? How do i get it to be more social?

I’ve had a pet water dragon for a long time and I feed it, keep it in a good cage, give it water, I take good care of it. But it never really likes me. Every time I hold it,it just jumps out of my hand or back into the cage. How can I get it to be more social towards me?

Best answer:

Answer by Lelouch via Britania
Well like any animal you have to wait. To get any reptile to be social is hard work. Pet him daily until he trust you with that, then start trying to pick him up. You just have to try a lot and that usually works for most reptiles.

Give your answer to this question below!

My boyfriend prefers seeing the UFC fight with his buddies tonight rather than driving an hour to see me. I will be alone for the night and he told me he had already planned this event with his buddies, but then again I’m never alone for the night. Does this mean he does not really care about me? I wouldnt mind watching this fight with him, I think it would be fun, but he just doesn’t bring that option up. Help Please I don’t know what to think about this situation.