Hear me, mortals! With all its undeadliness and classic vampire-whipping madness, Castlevania is easily one of gaming's greatest achievements. But you don't become immortalized for simply having great gameplay. Oh no. It's about time that you lend an ear to the symphony of sound that has become synonymous to the Castlevania name.

Now, there's a plethora of amazing sounds which emanate from the castle which houses Dracula, but today we're going to focus on something different. Specifically, we're going to center our attention on classic 'vania tunes that have been remixed. That is, the music you may know and love, but recreated by fans of the games and even by Konami themselves.

One thing before we get started: there are quite a lot of songs I enjoyed but, although it pains my Castlevania-loving heart, only ten could make the cut. Goat and Konami have a huge presence on this countdown, but I assure you, very few could come close to their material.

But enough already - HAVE AT YOU!

10: Froggy Mosh

Artist: Goat
Game: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse



Like all Castlevania games, Dracula's Curse wasn't a walk in the park - or, in this case, the swamp. Froggy Mosh is Goat's high-powered take on the swamp stage that probably still haunts you. I can't recommend the level, but I can certainly provide my full endorsement to this beast of a track.

9: The Colossus

Artist: Konami
Game: Harmony of Despair

Hailing from the last DS game, Order of Ecclesia, The Colossus is a sweet sound indeed. Unlike the terrifying bosses which you likely faced multiple times with Shanoa, this tune weaves an ominous balance between insanely awesome and apocalyptic. Honestly, I'm not sure what I just said.

8: Shadow Buster

Artist: Goat
Game: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Did you make it to the end of Castlevania III? Yeah, if you used an emulator! Shadow Buster represents the ending theme to the game and actually sounds quite bright. It almost makes you want to get up and stake Drac' yourself. Or something like that.

7: Pools of Rust

Artist: Goat
Game: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse



Yes, it's Castlevania III once again, but who cares about the game when the music sounds this great? Pools of Rust, which you'll be falling into quite often, has tremendous power behind its aqueduct of sounds and riffs. Strangely, that's exactly the stage this song pays homage to.

6: Aria of Sorrow

Artist: Konami
Game: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

A remix of the main song behind the Game Boy Advance classic, Aria of Sorrow is beyond well done. Somehow it keeps everything you loved about the song and transforms the rest into an electric vampire eagle of truth. There's no way you won't end up cherishing this gem.

5: Ebony Wings

Artist: Konami
Game: Harmony of Despair

All I can think of when this song comes on is how damn scary the death fights are in every game. Seriously, it's not cool. If you fought Death in Order of Ecclesia, where this song hails from, then you know what true pain feels like. There isn't a single moment where you aren't being ravaged by dark melodies. By the way, that's a wondrous thing.

4: After Confession

Artist: Konami
Game: Harmony of Despair



Dawn of Sorrow is the origin of this masterpiece, and it's good. Damn good. Dracula is totally rockin' out to this in his coffin.

3: Trevor's Reflection

Artist: Goat
Game: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Honestly: I don't remember this tune being in Castlevania III. To my understanding, it's actually a remix of the song "Riddle" in Order of Ecclesia. Regardless, get to 1:30 and nothing else needs to be said. Ever.

2: Stained Glass Filth

Artist: Goat
Game: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

This song is certainly in Castlevania III, but it also makes an appearance in practically all of the Castlevania titles including Dawn of Sorrow. Don't worry, once this thing begins you'll be thrashing your head in such rigorous manner you'll have nothing to complain about. Until it ends that is.

1: Vampire Spanker

Artist: Danneman & Silverknekt
Game: Castlevania

Aha! You thought it was going to be Goat or Konami, right? After accidentally coming upon this incessant harmonic bliss known as "Vampire Spanker," I was finally at peace. Perhaps you'd call it esoteric, but I find that any true Castlevania nut would go crazy over this song. It's a homage to "Vampire Killer," a track in every single Castlevania game. And who doesn't like that song? Seriously?

Well, that ends our countdown of the top 10 greatest Castlevania remixes out there, but know that there are many other notable songs buried out there. Songs that can kill you while you sleep. Just kidding. But, seriously: get listening to them over at OCRemix.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Castlevania, danneman, Goat, Konami, Music game, remix, silverknekt

If you've ever seen someone playing guitar like a semi-pro and really wanted to yourself, yet know that you haven't the time, neccessary effort or patience to learn how to, you'll know how disappointing it can be. However, that's all about to change - for the fifth time - with the release of Activision's Guitar Hero 5.

Shipping on 1st September, just in time for a few days of non-stop riffs before school starts for the autumn term, GT5's full setlist has just been released via a very shiny press release. Boasting an impressive 85 tracks straight out of the box, and doubtless there'll be many more available via download after release, it's easy to imagine the guitar simulator doing well in this year's Christmas charts.

The full setlist includes a varied selection of tracks, old and new, from Coldplay to David Bowie, Iggie Pop to Kiss and Kings of Leon to Rammstein. You can view the full setlist below.

-- 3 Doors Down - "Kryptonite
-- A Perfect Circle - "Judith"
-- AFI - "Medicate"
-- Arctic Monkeys - "Brianstorm"
-- Attack! Attack! UK - "You And Me"
-- Band Of Horses - "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands"
-- Beastie Boys - "Gratitude"
-- Beck - "Gamma Ray"
-- Billy Idol - "Dancing With Myself"
-- Billy Squier - "Lonely Is The Night"
-- Blink-182 - "The Rock Show"
-- Blur - "Song 2"
-- Bob Dylan - "All Along The Watchtower"
-- Bon Jovi - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
-- Brand New - "Sowing Season (Yeah)"
-- The Bronx - "Six Days A Week"
-- Bush - "Comedown"
-- Children Of Bodom - "Done With Everything, Die For Nothing"
-- Coldplay - "In My Place"
-- Darker My Love - "Blue Day"
-- Darkest Hour - "Demon(s)"
-- David Bowie - "Fame"
-- Deep Purple - "Woman From Tokyo ('99 Remix)"
-- Dire Straits - "Sultans Of Swing"
-- Duran Duran - "Hungry Like The Wolf"
-- Eagles Of Death Metal - "Wannabe In L.A."
-- Elliott Smith - "L.A."
-- Elton John - "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)"
-- Face To Face - "Disconnected"
-- Garbage - "Only Happy When It Rains"
-- Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."
-- Gov't Mule - "Streamline Woman"
-- Grand Funk Railroad - "We're An American Band"
-- Iggy Pop - "Lust For Life (Live)"
-- Iron Maiden - "2 Minutes To Midnight"
-- Jeff Beck - "Scatterbrain (Live)"
-- Jimmy Eat World - "Bleed American"
-- John Mellencamp - "Hurts So Good"
-- Johnny Cash - "Ring Of Fire"
-- Kaiser Chiefs - "Never Miss A Beat"
-- King Crimson - "21st Century Schizoid Man"
-- Kings Of Leon - "Sex On Fire"
-- Kiss - "Shout It Out Loud"
-- Love and Rockets - "Mirror People"
-- Megadeth - "Sweating Bullets"
-- Motley Crue - "Looks That Kill"
-- Muse - "Plug In Baby"
-- My Morning Jacket - "One Big Holiday"
-- Nirvana - "Lithium (Live)"
-- Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
-- No Doubt - "Ex-Girlfriend"
-- Peter Frampton - "Do You Feel Like We Do? (Live)"
-- The Police - "So Lonely"
-- Public Enemy Featuring Zakk Wylde - "Bring the Noise 20XX"
-- Queen & David Bowie - "Under Pressure"
-- Queens Of The Stone Age - "Make It Wit Chu"
-- Rammstein - "Du Hast"
-- The Rolling Stones - "Sympathy For The Devil"
-- Rose Hill Drive - "Sneak Out"
-- Rush - "The Spirit Of Radio (Live)"
-- Santana - "No One To Depend On (Live)"
-- Scars On Broadway - "They Say"
-- Screaming Trees - "Nearly Lost You"
-- Smashing Pumpkins - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
-- Sonic Youth - "Incinerate"
-- Spacehog - "In The Meantime"
-- Stevie Wonder - "Superstition"
-- Sublime - "What I Got"
-- Sunny Day Real Estate - "Seven"
-- T. Rex - "20th Century Boy"
-- The Derek Trucks Band - "Younk Funk"
-- The Duke Spirit - "Send A Little Love Token"
-- The Killers - "All The Pretty Faces"
-- The Raconteurs - "Steady As She Goes"
-- The Sword - "Maiden, Mother & Crone"
-- Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"
-- Thrice - "Deadbolt"
-- Tom Petty - "Runnin' Down A Dream"
-- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "American Girl"
-- TV On The Radio - "Wolf Like Me"
-- Vampire Weekend - "A-Punk"
-- Weezer - "Why Bother?"
-- The White Stripes - "Blue Orchid"
-- Wild Cherry - "Play That Funky Music"
-- Wolfmother - "Back Round

Guitar Hero 5 will allow users to take complete control, with any setup in any game mode, including multiple singers, bassists or guitarists, and a new 'jump-in, jump-out' party play mode. Look out for GT5 when it hits shelves this September.

Linford

Labels: Activision, Guitar Hero, Linford Butler, Music game