001 Game Creator - Retro Fantasy Music Pack Volume 1 Hacked
Lutero Chaloux
There's good reason the number of gaming hobbyists only grows year over year. Video games are constantly reaching new heights in terms of graphics, narrative design, and world-building. Many capture that same magic of a really great book, all with the added element of putting you in control of what the characters do and where they go next. They're a natural fit for anyone who loves storytelling, especially as the rise of cozy gaming and that all-important difficulty adjustor makes these narratives more accessible than ever.
Whether you're fascinated by the stories held within some of the most lauded franchises or you're a pro searching for what to listen to while gaming, you're in luck. This collection of listens based on video games celebrates the stories, characters, and settings of popular series, expanding on in-game universes and building upon established lore.
An action-packed anthology that got its start back in 2004, Far Cry is a long-running favorite of first-person shooter fans. This audio prequel to Far Cry 6 sees Giancarlo Esposito reprising his role as game antagonist Antn Castillo, trailing his rise from political prisoner to El Presidente.
Though it's technically the fifth main installment in the franchise, 2018's God of War (and this corresponding novelization) saw Kratos up against a new pantheon of gods. After defeating the gods of Olympus, Kratos and his son Atreus must survive the cold landscape of Norse mythology.
Curious about Master Chief's origin story? Look no further. This expanded universe glimpse into sci-fi juggernaut Halo follows Dr. Halsey's child experimentation program that transformed a six-year-old boy into Spartan John-117, humanity's last hope against the Covenant.
This standalone Audible Original set in the Assassin's Creed universe follows smart scammer Aliyah Kahn, who, out-hustled and out-of-luck, must train as an assassin to repay her debt. Revisit the war between Assassin and Templar in this full-cast gem featuring Riz Ahmed and Anthony Head.
One of the most beloved RPGs of all time, Knights of the Old Republic is set to get a remake in the next few years. While you wait, listen in to this Legends story centered on the game's inimitable Darth Revan. With fan-favorite narrator Marc Thompson at the helm, this is one you can't miss.
MMORPG World of Warcraft is adored by legions of fans worldwide. The Warcraft fantasy universe is as epic as it is enormous, with a host of expansions, adaptations, and even a collectible card game to its name. It goes without saying that there's also a swath of books based on the franchise, including this early installment.
The open worlds of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series (which includes hits like Skyrim and Oblivion) are well explored by fans. Still, with such a wealth of lore, we're fortunate the universe is further chronicled in listens including The Infernal City, set in Tamriel 40 years after the Oblivion Crisis, as Umbriel looms overhead.
Melding sci-fi and steampunk with a heavy retro-futuristic edge, the Bioshock series takes place in a vividly imagined world. This listen is set prior to the events of the eponymous first game, released in 2007. It details the creation of the subaquatic city of Rapture by founder and industry titan Andrew Ryan.
The first novel to be set in Thedas, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne is effectively a prequel to 2009's Dragon Age: Origins, taking place about three decades before the events of that game. If you want to learn more about the backstory of characters like Loghain Mac Tir or Ferelden's fight for independence, this listen offers a wealth of world-building and in-universe history.
Dark fantasy meets dungeon-crawler in Diablo, a hack-and-slash haunted by demonic and angelic beings. In this listen, the High Heavens and Burning Hells have begun to clash in the mortal realm. So, when a human mercenary finds the cursed armor of Bartuc, he becomes a target for demons who seek its power.
The sequel to Insomniac's 2018 stunner Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales focuses on Peter Parker's protg. In this prequel to the game, Miles must contend with grief, a major move, the pressures of teen life, and the call to heroism, all while navigating the expectations of others and the temptation of power.
Following a tragic spree of murders at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, the animatronic animals who once served as birthday party entertainment develop both a mind of their own and a taste for violence. If you, like me, are a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to playing through horror games, this listen, set in the nightmarish world of the smash-hit survival game, is the perfect entry point.
Man the cannons or the crow's nest and set sail with this listen based on Sea of Thieves, the shared-world, first-person pirate adventure for PC and Xbox. With a narrative split between the Golden Age of Piracy and modern day, this treasure quest charts the journeys of two seafarers separated by ages but alike in their pursuit of the illusive Athena's Fortune.
There are few game-to-book adaptations as widely recognizable as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series. The franchise began with 2002's stealth game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and has since expanded to include seven games and a growing number of tie-in novels. This installment trails usual hero Sam Fisher as he attempts to escape from hostile territory.
Warhammer 40,000 is a study in how fandom evolves from medium to medium, as what began as a tabletop miniature wargame grew into a canon of video game spin-offs and a forthcoming streaming adaptation. This short story collection follows the Chaos Space Marines as they seek power and wreak havoc.
A tie-in to the 2014 open-ended space simulator Elite: Dangerous, the anthology Tales from the Frontier features 15 short stories on the many missions of those traveling the Milky Way. Fleshed out with music, sound design, and a team of narrators, this listen pairs perfectly with an evening spent logged on.
Polish sci-fi writer Rafal Kosik takes on the wild world of Cyberpunk 2077 in this bold saga set to release in August 2023. The vibrant, electrifying Night City is dangerous, a metropolis marred by organized crime. And after a motley crew of thieves rob a Militech convoy, they can't imagine the ensuing fallout.
Most RPGs center around adventurers in a fantasy world. Freedom Force, on the other hand, is about superheroes in a modern setting. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this game is the combat. Each of your four heroes has unique moves, but they can also interact with the urban environment. Parked cars can be hoisted and hurled at enemies. Light posts can be pulled out of the ground and swung like baseball bats. And while the combat takes place in real time by default, you can pause at any time to issue instructions to your party. Freedom Force is a stylish game that oozes charm and originality at every turn.
In an era of Super Nintendo games replete with some of the most celebrated RPGs of all time, Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals managed to stand tall. A large part of that was its lack of random battles in dungeons, a huge advancement that made Lufia II way ahead of its time. It even had a randomly generated dungeon, the 99-floor Ancient Cave, another feature of modern games that had yet to reach prominence at that time. Those elements combined with devious puzzles and an engrossing plot, earn Lufia II a spot on the list.
At heart, Persona 5 is a game about shaking off the chains of contemporary society. Oh, sure, it's got some exciting turn-based combat, too, but nothing else about it leaves a mark on your soul quite like its leaps from hobnobbing around a Tokyo high school to venturing inside the dungeons of wayward adults and physically battling their personal demons. There's so much here, whether it's dungeons with hidden rooms or branching paths, or weighty modern themes centering on suicide and drug use. Its intimate explorations of multiple characters also make it an intensely personal story, and one that shouldn't be missed.
JRPGs were in a bit of a funk at the beginning of this decade, but few games sent them surging back to relevance quite like Xenoblade Chronicles. There's just so much to love about it, whether it's the sprawling open world with its many surprises to discover, the likeable cast of characters, the thrilling action combat, or a day and night cycle that caused enemies to grow stronger after the sun went down. Toss in the stellar soundtrack, and that's a recipe for a game that should be popular for years to come.
BioWare first made its name with fantasy RPGs, and Dragon Age: Origins marked a generally triumphant update to its tradition of pause-based combat mechanics and party micromanagement. But its chief strength was its grim setting in a dark fantasy world that married the high fantasy of The Lord of the Rings with the low fantasy of A Song of Ice and Fire, where elves are treated like trash and magic brought with it terrible prices. It's also a character-driven game in true BioWare fashion, with the standout performance coming from Claudia Black as the role of the witch Morrigan.
One of the most appealing aspects of Persona 3 is the way it jumps between what passes through the real world and fantasy, and it pulls it off while being effortlessly cool. The narrative follows a high school student whose extracurricular activities partly involve fighting creatures that gnaw on human minds during the "Dark Hour," and he's surrounding by memorable characters who aid him in this task. Its greatest legacy, though, is the first appearance of the Social Links system, which lets the player level personas (the manifestation of one's inner self) while doing normal-world activities as well as by fighting monsters.
Grandia II was one of the Sega Dreamcast's standout RPGs, delivering fantastic graphics for the system and the time and a good, twisty tale about a world still suffering from the effects of a battle between two gods from thousands of years ago. The battle system was the chief standout, though, as it took the familiar JRPG turn-based formula and rejuvenated it by allowing characters to run behind their opponents or fall back after attacking them. And the rockin' battle anthem with its screaming electric guitars playing over this? That was the grandest part.
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