Unreal Anthology released

This is pretty huge. Yes, the post will be huge. So get your favorite drink, start a nice comfy playlist on your PC, sit back and enjoy the ride.

The biggest announcement is thanks to Steve Allison, Randy Severin, Tom McClure, Mark Rein, Jay Wilbur, Drew Rydberg and last but not least Mike Larson, the Unreal Anthology "Greatest Hits" music CD is a reality.

It ships with "Unreal Anthology", a collection of the most major Unreal titles ever released, and included is music from yours truly, Andrew Sega, Peter Hajba, Michiel Van Den Bos, and Kevin Reipl, who recently completed "Gears of War".

Fans have been asking for this for years and at last they have it. This phase of Unreal is closed and closed well. After eight years, I have to say my involvement with the "Unreal" universe has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences I've ever had.

Next up? Did I mention I'm writing articles for Mix magazine under the column name "AudioNext"? Primarily about games, it will also feature other new tech such as cell phones, satellite radio, and more silly things like the upcoming Zune vs. iPod debate.

After that there's a pending interview with Jun Funahashi and Club Kukeiha, who did music for most of the original Castlevania games (actually 1-3, so that's all of them). Jun says he'll try to contact Miki Higashino (Gradius) also, so if I can score that one as well it'll mark the next best Japanese interview I've ever had (next to Tanaka-san).

Right now I'm sitting on the floor next to our television watching some of Jeanette's home movies from when she was sixteen or so. I'm sitting here doing the update because our router is on the fritz and I'm hooked up via ethernet rather than wireless. Fun, but at least I get to catch up with my wife's earlier years and her family life. Honestly her roots are about as all American Norman Rockwell as you can get. Even their family problems might come from a Readers Digest. Those aren't insults, I'm flabbergasted at how much her family has defined a typical American household and lifestyle. Neilsen should be banging down their door! Every time I visit it's not just a vacation, it's an escape from my frantic way of life to the point where, while I'm there, I wish I could be like that. Then I leave and say "eh, nah...maybe a bit, but not too much." There's a piece within all of us exemplified by the Eby way. 

I'm also listening to a stirring baby boy: Conner. Why am I the one with the baby monitor tonight? On to the bad news: Jeanette has had a fever since Tuesday night. We're going in to Urgent Care tomorrow for a second visit. First, after over an hour of waiting (yeah, "Urgent", sure) the doc told Jeanette it was a virus that she should just let run its course and to come in Monday if it hadn't abated. They gave her vicodin to ease the pain, which has helped greatly but when she sleeps the fever zooms back up and doesn't subside until she takes another vicodin. Three days of this, fine, but six? Not good. I've been taking care of the boys in the meantime and have learned a new meaning to the word "respect" (I can't claim credit for that, I first heard it from my boss, Michael Gottlieb, whose grandfather invented the pinball machine). We got mommy roses today and prayed for her getting well soon, as the boys really miss her and I know she's tortured being away from them, especially innocent and ignorant six month old Conner. When he's tired he hates looking at her and not being able to eat and cuddle, so I keep our mommy visits short so they don't get too confused. Nicholas understands I think. Through it all I've bonded with my sons more than I thought possible with my limited "guy" imagination. It's been great, despite the extreme stress of dealing with two boys when one might drown if you take your eyes off him for a second in the bathtub and the other is removing his pants and running around the house with bits of urine dripping all over the floor.

For a guy who thought his whole life would all be about being obsessed with women and video games, I'm glad my life changed (though certainly not 100%, to be sure). I love my wife and I love my kids. I sure hope the fever ends tomorrow.

To conclude my parents will be visiting for Christmas! We're very much looking forward to it. Sadly while we wanted my aunt to visit also she can't travel on holidays with the travel discount packages she has, so we've invited her down around New Years if she can make it. Amama and Papa (as my parents are known to the boys) will get to see Nicholas tearing around the house in the tractor they had Conner get him for Christmas last year, and see Conner most likely crawling a little, since he started rocking a few days ago.

How is THAT for an update? As a postscript, for you 80s music fans, someone send me a copy of Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom" from the movie "Running Scared". It is a quintissential vacation / sunshine / full of cheese song. Gotta have it.

Next post will be about Legend and where we're at.

Comments

[Alexey Torgashin]

Looks very nice.

Can you please give a link to where can we buy this CD?
Is possible in Russia?

Maybe, a list of tracks?

[Alex]

Hi Alexey, so sorry for the super late response, but you can get Unreal Anthology I'm pretty sure through the web.

http://www.amazon.com/Midway-50099-Unreal-Anthology/dp/B000GPVUUS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-1819966-9204046?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1176922593&sr=8-1

Not sure if they ship to Russia but I imagine they would!

-Alex

[suneel]

i wasnt aware the anthology pack had a audio cd. thanks for informing, gives me motive to get it. i also have the rare audio cd with 20 tracks from straylight productions which is out of production. got it a year back from ebay for $100. max i have ever paid for cd, but hey unreal music is special.