Dan Forden

Last updated

Dan Forden
Dan Forden.jpg
Forden in 2023
Born
Daniel Warner Forden

(1963-09-28) September 28, 1963 (age 61)
Occupation(s)Musician, sound programmer
Years active1985−present
Spouse
Ann Mazza
(m. 1994)
Children2

Daniel Warner Forden (born September 28, 1963) is an American sound programmer and music composer. He has worked on video games developed by Midway and its successor NetherRealm Studios since 1989. Forden achieved recognition for his audio work on the Mortal Kombat fighting game series where he was part of the original design team. He is also recognized for his Easter egg appearances in the series. Outside of video games, Forden played bass guitar in the progressive rock band Cheer-Accident from 1992 to 1993. [1]

Contents

Biography and working style

Forden is the youngest of their four children to Sara Forden (née Mazza) and Michael Forden.

Forden is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the TIMARA program (or Technology in Music and Related Arts). He graduated in 1985 from the Conservatory and has since produced sounds for many Williams Electronics games. Forden's musical style, particularly for the Mortal Kombat series, is often a mixture of synthetic and organic sounds. A typical composition usually incorporates ethnic drumming with synthetic basses, synthetic leads and/or pads, and sometimes exotic instruments. [1]

In the Mortal Kombat series, he is credited as Dan "Toasty" Forden. The nickname derives from an Easter egg that first appeared in Mortal Kombat II , where Forden's head would appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen and shout "Toasty!" in a falsetto when an uppercut was performed. After being retained for Mortal Kombat 3 , the Easter egg would not be used again until the 2011 reboot. It also appears in the "Tournament" stage of Mortal Kombat 11 , using the Mortal Kombat 3 graphic of Forden. The "Toasty!" sound effect would be featured frequently in the series after its introduction, often in reference to fatalities performed by Scorpion. [2]

Two additional Easter eggs were created featuring Forden in Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 ; freezing an opponent in "danger mode" with Sub-Zero would make him shout "Frosty!" and both players holding down the "High Punch" button after a Stage Fatality in Scorpion's Lair would make him shout "Crispy!" [2]

Forden also included the "toasty" quote in the pinball machine Medieval Madness. When the player hits the right ramp, one of the quotes that is played is "toasty!".

The "Toasty!" Easter egg is attributed in the dance simulator StepMania : whenever a player gets 250 consecutive Perfects or better (Excellents or better in the 4.0 CVS version), a "toasty" appears. The PopCap game Peggle also features a tribute, as does the Aerosmith-themed rail shooter Revolution X , where singer Steven Tyler shouts "Toasty!" in reaction to explosions.

Several songs that he composed for the Mortal Kombat 3 soundtrack were used in the precursor to South Park , Jesus vs. Santa .

Works

Pinball

Williams

Midway (Bally)

Stern

Video games

YearGameRole(s)System(s)Notes
Audio directorSound and/or MusicOther
1989 Arch Rivals NoYesNo Arcade Uncredited
1991Super High ImpactNoYesNoArcade
1992 Mortal Kombat NoYesNoArcade
1993 Mortal Kombat II NoYesNoArcade
1995 Mortal Kombat 3 NoYesNoArcade
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 NoYesYesArcadeGrunts, Screams, Groans and Gibberish
1996 Mortal Kombat Trilogy NoYesYes PlayStation Graphics
1997 Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero NoYesNo PlayStation
Mortal Kombat 4 NoYesNoArcadeOnly credited in MK4 Design Team
2000 Mortal Kombat: Special Forces NoYesNoPlayStation
CART Fury NoYesNoArcade
2002 WWF Raw NoYesNo Xbox Sound effects recording
NFL Blitz 20-02NoYesNo GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Sound effects only
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance NoYesNo GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
MLB SlugFest 20-03NoYesNo GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Sound effects only
2003MLB SlugFest 20-04NoYesNo GameCube
PlayStation 2
Sound effects only
2004 Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy NoYesNoPlayStation 2
Xbox
Additional audio
NBA Ballers NoNoYesPlayStation 2Commentary design
Mortal Kombat: Deception YesNoNoPlayStation 2
Xbox
MLG Slugfest LoadedYesNoNoPlayStation 2
Xbox
2005 Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict NoNoYesXboxVoice Production
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks YesNoNoPlayStation 2
Xbox
Blitz: The League NoNoYesPlayStation 2
Xbox
Additional audio support
NBA Ballers: Phenom YesNoNoPlayStation 2
Xbox
2006 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon YesNoNoPlayStation 2
Xbox
MLB Slugfest 2006NoNoYesPlayStation 2
Xbox
2011 Mortal Kombat NoYesYes PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Lead sound designer
Batman: Arkham City Lockdown NoNoYes iOS
Android
Senior sound designer
2013 Injustice: Gods Among Us YesYesNoPlayStation 3
Wii U
Xbox 360
3 tracks in album [3]
2015 WWE Immortals NoYesNoiOS
Android
Mortal Kombat X YesNoNoiOS
Android
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
2017 Injustice 2 YesYesNoiOS
Android
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
3 tracks in album [4]
2019 Mortal Kombat 11 YesYesNo PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
Microsoft Windows
Music for the stage "Sea of Blood"

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References

  1. 1 2 Naumenko, Michael (April 2011). "Dan Forden Interview: The Creation of the Mortal Kombat 9 Soundtrack (April 2011)". Game-OST. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Williamson, James (August 19, 2020). "Where Mortal Kombat's Toasty Line Came From". Screen Rant . Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  3. "Injustice: Gods Among Us - Original Video Game Score". iTunes. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  4. "Injustice 2 (Original Video Game Soundtrack)". iTunes. Retrieved February 25, 2018.