For those of you that don’t already know (and shame on you),  8 Bit Weapon consists of Seth and Michelle (ComputeHer), talented chiptune artists that create original songs and awesome remixes using classic gaming rigs, such as Game Boys, Ataris, and the like. I’ve had the opportunity to see them live a few times, and they never disappoint. Go ahead and get yourself familiar. I’ll wait.

Welcome back.

I know, awesome, right?

As a clearly rabid (non-contagious) fan of classic games, Seth has created a Commodore 64 game, ‘Silo 64’, a multiplayer shooter set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It is playable on working Commodore systems, or on emulator software. It is now available for download and/or on floppy at the 8 Bit Weapon store, as well as the Silo 64 website.

To accompany the game, 8 Bit Weapon has crafted an original soundtrack. The songs are a nice blend of classic old school gaming sounds, and more contemporary drum loops and riffs. More on that in a few.

To say playing the game evokes nostalgia is an understatement. I’ve played other ‘old’ games on emulators, sure, but this one just feels different. Perhaps because it’s a ‘new’ old game. Maybe it’s the setting. But playing that game brought back a flood of memories…playing on the Commodore, playing my friend’s Intellivision, playing Atari in my grandmother’s basement, and the many, many consumed hours therein.

This isn’t a long game, though it’s actually on par for some of those early games. And admittedly, my nigh-8 year old son failed to understand my fascination (though, I imagine some day he will desperately attempt to explain the awesomeness of Halo 2 to his own disinterested progeny with similar results). But for those of us that grew up in the mean streets of Burger Time and Berserk, Silo 64 is all kinds of fun. Give it a spin, and I can guarantee it will at the very least put a smile on your face.

 The soundtrack, however, isn’t dependant on a nostalgic sheen for entertainment...it's awesome in its own right. It fits the game well, to be sure, and I highly recommend listening to it while you and a friend traverse the inhospitable 16 color wasteland. But the music stands on its own perfectly fine. The songs are similar to 8 Bit Weapon’s other work, but you can feel other inspirations seeping in as well. At times the music is reminiscent of 80’s synth-pop like Information Society or early Ministry, other times, especially in the remixes and the crunchy beats in Rocktronic Plague, it has more of a Crystal Method and Daft Punk feel. While a fitting soundtrack for Silo 64’s retro game homage, this game would be just as at home playing alongside Fallout 3 or Borderlands. The soundtrack is peppered throughout with great little nuggets of ambience, such as air raid sirens and snippets of old ‘duck and cover’ fallout safety broadcasts. These are the songs that can pique the interest of even your most cynical and jaded of friends.

So there you go. Crack open a Crystal Pepsi*, and get yourself some Silo 64 action. 

*In the unlikely chance you actually still have a Crystal Pepsi, don’t really drink it, since at this point it is probably chemically closer to sulfuric acid than clear cola.