Please read this entire post before submitting an entry.
The prompt here is "
Continue...?" Anyone familiar with arcade-style continue systems should have a reference point, though it does not need to be retro-styled.
There is a stipulation...it must be under 30 seconds long. It may loop, but the time from start to loop point cannot exceed half a minute.
All that is needed to participate is a post below with a link to your entry. Good luck.
EDIT:The Results:
You character has died. Your plane has crashed. You have run out of HP. You couldn't make the checkpoint in time. And now you have a decision: keep going? Continue? Press on, and risk it all over again? It's here that arcade games (and older console games) revealed their voice--their tone. Sure, Symphony of the Night was punishing, but you didn't know exactly how the game felt about you until you heard the oppressive laugh at your expense. You knew Kirby was cute, that you were rooting for him, but the continue screen gave you the opportunity to take a gloved hand and actually nudge him back into action. In that way, the game felt light. It was encouraging you too. In other words, the continue screen is often the only place where developers felt free to break the fourth wall and tell you how they want you to feel.
In that way, this challenge could have been met with literally any well-executed track and deemed appropriate because games can cause us to feel nearly any emotion. I chose what I did because the narratives implied by the winning tracks were too attractive. I wanted to play the games connected to these purgatorial continue themes.
WINNER
"Not Yet" by seagaia
http://soundcloud.com/seagaia/not-yetThis track suggests that the space between lives is empty. The minimalist approach is bold, and absolutely necessary to be this evocative of limbo. It is low-res without being ironic at all. The chord structure and orchestration are as simple as the core motif: "I'm journeying for something, but I'm not there yet." The echo goes on until we hear non-music, insinuating that the current, infinitely large space borders chaos. Awesome, really.
RUNNER-UP
"Miss" by Noah!
http://soundcloud.com/lmtf/missAnd here is the other side of the coin. Here, your cursor never strays from the "yes" option present on the screen. Here, the game let's you know that it is on your side. "You'll make it this time!" The building march suggested by the persistent snare and layered synth parts acknowledges your failure while pushing you out the door! Also to note: this is a perfect example of when
not to loop. The silence at the end begs the question, "Why are you still here?"
HONORABLE MENTION
"Daisun Shutdown" by Jack Menhorn
http://soundcloud.com/jackmenhorn/daisun-shutdown-fragment-21-0A more maniacal and mechanical version of the theme present in the first track. The stabs at the beginning and the resolution are sad and maddening at once. Your cursor might stay closer to "no" on this one.
THE OTHERZ
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28713347/moonlicker.mp3http://soundcloud.com/shaoo/continuehttp://soundcloud.com/dogacyavuz/kill-your-inner-adulthttp://soundcloud.com/robotts/continuehttp://soundcloud.com/redapricorn/burning-seconds
Developer
