Music Review: Whatever You Want by StatueOfDiveo

Is the Sophomore Savant's newest album a supernova
or a black hole?

I've always been in the camp that music is an arms race; once you create your magnum opus, it's so tough to top it. Each new album has to offer enough of the new with that classic trademark in order to keep on top.

As a long-time musician, I can attest to this. Even though my musical style is constantly evolving, I have to look at ways to keep my works fresh and interesting. The balance between the old and the new is never as crucial as it is in music.

Earlier this May, independent artist StatueOfDiveo released his sixth studio album, Whatever You Want. It's a 12-track array of house, techno, electronica, drum and bass, and dubstep. But does it build on the artist's already impressive repertoire, or does it represent a step sideways?

Take Your Ink Rods Somewhere Else

Cynic Al here!

Marketing is hard. You have to struggle day in and day out to convince people to buy whatever it is you're trying to sell. You have to put your product in a near-flawless light, even when it may not be anywhere near flawless. Marketing is equal parts writing and bullshitting people.

Now, by no means am I an expert in marketing. Hell, I work in customer support. I'm the one who has to explain to people that the guy we hired to pitch our stuff as flawless is a flat-out liar. However, as a customer, I do know what to look for in a marketing pitch.

Basically, when you're trying to sell something to people, don't be the following company...

My Little Revelation

The fuck is this shit?

Oh damn. I must say it's fun to stir up beehives. As if the world needed more revelations, too. I guess the image above gives it away. I haven't really been forthcoming about it, but fuck it.

I am a brony.

FDD6: The Handkerchief Principle

Bioshock mastermind Ken Levine contemplating the bigger
things in life, like polo shirts and hair gel.

Emotion is a powerful force in art. It can move people to love a piece, to hate it, to feel cold towards it, to open up to it, and so much more. It takes pure skill to imbue emotion into a work of art. Regardless of the medium, it takes just the right combination, the right little pieces fitting in the right little spots, to invoke emotion. When art makes us laugh or cry, it's a sign that the creator has triumphed.

Video games have had somewhat of a hard time with this aspect. Very rarely do we encounter games that set us off on these emotional journeys; too often we just want a quick fix and a time killer.

With Faust, how can we create settings that invoke emotion in the player? How can we make them hate or feel pity? How can we snatch the tears from their ducts or the guffaws from their bellies? How can we keep a player emotionally attached to a game even after they've grokked it?

FDD5: Finally, a playable demo?

I find it kind of interesting that after, in some sense, a year of planning and development, after a whole year of working my ass off and putting together a ragtag team of artists, I'm finally able to show something o the public hands-on. A playable demo. I've had lots of experience making demos. Make of that what you will.

I pushed myself into overdrive these past few weeks so that I could bring something playable to the public. I spent time polishing up the battle system and finishing up some other odds and ends. It ventures more into beta territory than I'd like, but I was really anxious to get something out for you guys to see.

What follows is the very first public demo/beta for Faust. You'll get to see how the combat system works, how a story can be told simply through combat actions, and get the chance to use some nice moves. Thanks to Kitsunekun for supplying some placeholder sprites!

Downloads after the jump: