As I sit here this afternoon. I’m watching (for the fourth time since yesterday) the Video Games Live: Volume 2 concert DVD. I’m hearing songs from Sonic The Hedgehog, Zelda, Mario, Halo, God of War and so, so much more. It’s hypnotizing. It’s exhilarating. it’s riveting. It’s a DVD I recommend to everyone, whether you’re a video game fanatic or not. I mean, this is one Concert performance you won’t want to miss. 

CJ is 17 years old and though not big into this type of entertainment; he really enjoyed the film. He is a total gamer (hints the reason for his excitement) and he happens to love Guitar Hero, Halo, Mario, Civilization IV and a few others.

CJ was upstairs with his friend (playing video games) when I started the DVD. I usually try not to bug him when he has friends over so I just decided to play it for the girls and I. Then about 20 minutes after the show started, I heard him coming down the stairs. He was coming down to get a drink of water. That’s when he heard the Halo song. He asked me if this was something on the TV or if it was a video I was watching. When I showed him the case, he freaked. He stood there, in front of the tube for a second and then hollered for his friend. He then took the remote from me and played the song again. Needless to say- I never got that remote back nor did they ever go back upstairs. They sat on the couch and watched the entire concert. They even watched bonus material (which is a show in itself). Once they were done with that, they went back to the disc menu and played the concert again; only this time they played their favorite songs. I’m telling you- from 5pm on, this was the only thing on the tube.

Video Games Live: Level 2 

Release Date: October 19, 2010 (and on tour now)

ARP: $19.93

Runtime: 3.5 hours

Where to buy: Available at mass retailers (both online and in store) as well as Amazon

Synopsis:

Video Games Live is an immersive concert event featuring music from the greatest vide games of all time. Created and produced by industry veteran and world-famous video game composer Tommy Tallarico. It includes top orchestras and choirs from around the world performing along with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, special fx, solo performers, percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

Featuring never-before-released music and video from popular franchises such as:

• Mario
• Zelda
• Halo
• Warcraft
• StarCraft II
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Guitar Hero
• Chrono Cross
• Myst
• Castlevania
• God Of War
• Megaman
• Civilization IV
• Advent Rising
• Mass Effect

DVD also includes a special Classic Arcade Medley featuring games from Pong to dragon’s Lair and Tetris!

Contains over 3 hours of Bonus Material including:

• Composer, Game Designer and Celebrity Interviews
• Behind-the-Scenes Making of Video Games Live
• Never-Before-Released Game Trailers
• Creator Commentary
• Tetris 25th Anniversary Documentary
• The making of Dragon’s Lair
• Exclusive interview and history with the “father of Video Games” Ralph Baer
• A Private party in Japan with some of the greatest game composers of all time! 

Final Thoughts: I was truly captivated by the musical performance. I don’t even know if It’s possible to explain the sheer awesomeness behind the music, the lighting, the performers, the stories and the action that was spilling out of the TV. I’ve watched amazing movies before and have seen some beautiful videos in the past. But nothing quite compares to this Concert. I am really happy that we were given an opportunity to watch it. Oh, and I think it’d make one cool gift for the gamer in your life. They will definitely get a kick out of the whole show.

If you’re interested in learning more about Video Games Live; I encourage you to visit the official website (www.videogameslive.com). I did and couldn’t help but join the street team. I even signed up for their newsletter.

In closing: I give this DVD a huge thumbs up! There was not one thing I didn’t like about the show. It was both educational and entertaining. It definitely captivated our family!

Disclosure: I was provided with product for the purpose of my candid review. This was not a paid post nor did receiving product influence any ‘positive’ feedback. All thoughts and/or opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. Thank you for reading.

Tagged as: Reviews