If the premature specification is to be believed, the Xbox 360 would seem to be an Earth Simulator for your living room. I have to wonder, though, about Microsoft's continued push for moving more and more games to the "custom playlist" soundtrack model. For me, a game's music was always fundamentally important in establishing its mood, and thus an important element for the developer to consider carefully.

Some of the most wonderful music of the digital era, until recently, could only be found on those old beige and black console devices of yesteryear. Today, we seem to be seeing the makings of a sort of gaming music renaissance. The minbosses have taken to reinterpreting those old tunes for the instruments of live performance, and they offer a few online samples that are worth checking out.

What caught my ears and eyes, however, was this acapella rendition of some of the best-known tunes of Konji Kondo and other Nintendo composers. Not only is the choral arrangement delightfully spot-on, it's complemented by some hilarious interpretive dance. Human Tetris pieces? Oh yes.