Title: Video Games Live: Volume OnePrice: $16.98 ($0.99 per song download)Release Date: July 22, 2008Publisher: EMI Records Ltd. (Angel Records)Pros: An excellent collections of impressive performances. Often well-orchestrated collections and homages to game music with an honest air of respectability that even non-gamers can appreciate. The name implies there will be a Volume Two.Cons: A few segments are a bit slow and some of the instrumentation plainly mimics or masks the vocals.Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 91/100; A-; * * * * out of five.

No matter where you fall in the games as art spectrum there’s no denying that plenty of artistic efforts are put into many games’ production. Case in point is the Video Games Live tour which offers orchestral performances of video game music that would be difficult for any music snob to scoff at.

The CD (and digital download) release of Video Games Live: Volume One offers selected studio and live performances featuring the Slovak Symphony Orchestra, Crouch End Festival Chorus and various soloists as conducted by Jack Wall.

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Title: MystPrice: $29.99System(s): Nintendo DSRelease Date: May, 13, 2008Publisher (Developer): Empire Interactive (Hoplite Research)ESRB Rating: “Everyone”Pros: It is a portable version of a beloved, classic PC game.Cons: The graphics are horrible. The touch screen controls are atrocious. Sometimes the save function doesn’t work right. There are numerous, game ending, glitches.Overall Score: Two thumbs down, 20/100, F, No stars

Do not waste your money, or your time, on the DS port of the PC classic Myst. It is an abomination, practically unplayable and the very existance of this version of Myst tarnishes the memory of the original. Go pick up a copy of Real Myst or Myst 10th Anniversary DVD Edition.

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My introduction into computer gaming was with the game Myst. Its photo-realism blew my mind away and its complex puzzles enamored me. It was the first game that actually took my breath when I first laid eyes on it.

Now, thanks to Nintendo’s innovative DS I can relive it all over again. The game will have re-vamped sounds and video and will also have an extra world, known as Rime, to explore. It is being published by Midway and developed by Cyan Worlds with the original source code …