Tommy Tallarico
Encyclopedia
Tommy Tallarico is an American video game music composer
and musician
. He is best known as the co-creator of the concert series Video Games Live
. He is also well known for being the co-host of Reviews on the Run
(formerly known as Judgment Day in the US).
, Tallarico entered the video game industry in 1991 and has worked on more than 250 games, including the Earthworm Jim
series, Color a Dinosaur
, Treasures of the Deep
, Messiah
, MDK, Flip's Twisted World
, Wild 9
, Unreal
, Cool Spot
, Spot Goes to Hollywood
, RoboCop versus The Terminator
, Maximo
, Pac-Man World
, Another World
, Prince of Persia
, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
, and Advent Rising
. Tallarico has won over 25 industry awards for best video game audio.
He founded Tommy Tallarico Studios in 1994 and the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), of which he is also the president, in 2002. He wrote, co-hosted, and co-produced The Electric Playground
and Reviews on the Run (formerly Judgment Day on the G4
network), and co-hosted alongside Victor Lucas
in both television program
s until he left to focus on Video Games Live. He is also an advisory board member for the Game Developers Conference
, a governor for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS/Grammy) and a nominating peer panel leader for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. He released a CD with his music on it, entitled Virgin Games: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in 1994. A subsequent volume in the series was released in 1997. His work can also be found on additional releases in official game soundtrack albums with his music featured on them. Tallarico is the co-creator, executive producer, and host of Video Games Live
.
In January 2006, Tallarico announced on his website that he and Victor Lucas
had decided to move Judgment Day from G4 to a different network, under the name Reviews on the Run, as it is known in Canada
. He and Lucas also act as video game correspondents for HypaSpace Weekly. As of August 2007, Tallarico has not co-hosted any episodes of The Electric Playground or Reviews on the Run, as he is not available due to commitments to Video Games Live. As of now, he has only come back for one Reviews on the Run on episode number 647 and has not yet made another appearance. A two page interview with Tallarico was featured in Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition
2008, focusing only on his soundtrack and Video Games Live work. In March 2009, Tommy Tallarico received the Ambassador award at the Game Developers Conference for his contributions to the video game industry.
Tallarico is the co-founder and current host of Video Games Live
, a touring orchestral show that performs scores of video game music. At the 2011 E3
Expo, VGL celebrated its 200th show.
, the lead singer of Aerosmith
.
In December 2010, Tallarico announced that he had become a vegan.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is best known as the co-creator of the concert series Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
. He is also well known for being the co-host of Reviews on the Run
Reviews on the Run
Reviews on the Run and "Reviews on the Rock" in the earlier seasons of the Electric Playground is a video game review TV show hosted by Victor Lucas and Scott C. Jones . The show is produced by Lucas' company Greedy Productions...
(formerly known as Judgment Day in the US).
Biography
Born in Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Tallarico entered the video game industry in 1991 and has worked on more than 250 games, including the Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. Created by Doug TenNapel and designed by David Perry, the game was developed by Shiny Entertainment and Playmates Interactive Entertainment, released by Sega for the Mega...
series, Color a Dinosaur
Color a Dinosaur
Color a Dinosaur is an electronic coloring book video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System.-Summary:In the game itself, the player colors various non-threatening dinosaurs by using the provided dinosaur images and palettes. Players can either color using the free form mode or in the automatic...
, Treasures of the Deep
Treasures of the Deep
Treasures of the Deep was a game released for the PlayStation on July 1, 1998. It was developed by Black Ops Entertainment, notable at the time for flight simulators Agile Warrior and Black Dawn, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe....
, Messiah
Messiah (video game)
Messiah is a third person shooter video game developed by Shiny and published by Interplay.-Plot:The player controls Bob, a cherub sent by God to clean up the corruption and sin on Earth...
, MDK, Flip's Twisted World
Flip's Twisted World
Flip's Twisted World is a platformer video game published by Majesco Entertainment and developed by Frozen North Productions for the Wii. The game was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 2009 and was originally previewed under the name "up&dn" on the Xbox...
, Wild 9
Wild 9
Wild 9 is a video game developed by Shiny Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation, with a Sega Saturn version also planned but never released. Its gameplay is that of a 2D platformer...
, Unreal
Unreal
Unreal is a first-person shooter video game developed by Epic MegaGames and Digital Extremes and published by GT Interactive in May 1998...
, Cool Spot
Cool Spot
Cool Spot was a mascot for 7 Up beginning in the late 80s. During this time, the red spot in the 7 Up logo was anthropomorphized: given arms, legs, a mouth, and sunglasses....
, Spot Goes to Hollywood
Spot Goes To Hollywood
Spot Goes to Hollywood is a platform video game released by Virgin Interactive for the Mega Drive/Genesis as the sequel to Cool Spot. A Sega Saturn and PlayStation version was later released, featuring different levels but similar gameplay to the original version...
, RoboCop versus The Terminator
Robocop versus The Terminator
RoboCop Versus The Terminator is a video game released for a number of platforms and is based on the RoboCop and Terminator franchises....
, Maximo
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory is a 3D hack and slash platform game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. The game is based in the Ghosts'n Goblins universe and features original character designs by Japanese illustrator Susumu Matsushita. It's a part of PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits...
, Pac-Man World
Pac-Man World
was released on the 20th anniversary of the creation of Pac-Man. It is a 3D based free roaming platform game for the PlayStation released on September 30, 1999...
, Another World
Another World (video game)
Another World, also known as Out of This World in North America and Outer World in Japan, is a 1991 cinematic platformer designed and developed by Eric Chahi...
, Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released in 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in video games....
, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
-Reception:The game was very well-received by most critics, scoring an outstanding 92 on Metacritic based on 18 reviews for the PS1 version. IGN gave the N64 version of the game a 9.1 out of 10 praising the gameplay for "genius control, combo system and design" despite little criticism with sound...
, and Advent Rising
Advent Rising
Advent Rising is a third-person, science fiction action-adventure video game. It was developed by GlyphX Games and published by Majesco. The game was released on May 31, 2005 for Xbox and on August 9, 2005 for Microsoft Windows. The story of this game was created by Donald Mustard, and featured a...
. Tallarico has won over 25 industry awards for best video game audio.
He founded Tommy Tallarico Studios in 1994 and the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), of which he is also the president, in 2002. He wrote, co-hosted, and co-produced The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground is a daily news television show on the cable TV network G4 that covers movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets...
and Reviews on the Run (formerly Judgment Day on the G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
network), and co-hosted alongside Victor Lucas
Victor Lucas
Victor "Vic" Lucas is a Canadian television producer and personality, mainly known as the creator, executive producer, writer, co-host and director of the television program The Electric Playground. He is also the creator, executive producer, and co-host of Reviews on the Run; the show was known...
in both television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s until he left to focus on Video Games Live. He is also an advisory board member for the Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, a governor for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS/Grammy) and a nominating peer panel leader for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. He released a CD with his music on it, entitled Virgin Games: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in 1994. A subsequent volume in the series was released in 1997. His work can also be found on additional releases in official game soundtrack albums with his music featured on them. Tallarico is the co-creator, executive producer, and host of Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
.
In January 2006, Tallarico announced on his website that he and Victor Lucas
Victor Lucas
Victor "Vic" Lucas is a Canadian television producer and personality, mainly known as the creator, executive producer, writer, co-host and director of the television program The Electric Playground. He is also the creator, executive producer, and co-host of Reviews on the Run; the show was known...
had decided to move Judgment Day from G4 to a different network, under the name Reviews on the Run, as it is known in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He and Lucas also act as video game correspondents for HypaSpace Weekly. As of August 2007, Tallarico has not co-hosted any episodes of The Electric Playground or Reviews on the Run, as he is not available due to commitments to Video Games Live. As of now, he has only come back for one Reviews on the Run on episode number 647 and has not yet made another appearance. A two page interview with Tallarico was featured in Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition
Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition
Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition is a Guinness World Records book dedicated to video games. The first edition was released in February 2008 in association with the video games world records' tracking organization Twin Galaxies. The second edition was released in 2009...
2008, focusing only on his soundtrack and Video Games Live work. In March 2009, Tommy Tallarico received the Ambassador award at the Game Developers Conference for his contributions to the video game industry.
Tallarico is the co-founder and current host of Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
, a touring orchestral show that performs scores of video game music. At the 2011 E3
E3
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, is an annual trade fair for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association...
Expo, VGL celebrated its 200th show.
Personal
Tallarico is the cousin of Steven TylerSteven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, the lead singer of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
.
In December 2010, Tallarico announced that he had become a vegan.
External links
- Tommy Tallarico Studios
- Gamasutra Game Audio Gallery: Tommy Tallarico
- The Electric Playground
- Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.)
- Video Games Live
- Interview at DPerry.com
- Interview at Midlife Gamer
- Podcast Interview Tommy Tallarico on "We Talk Games." [Timecode, 00:58:22]