Sun’s out, Guns out, and buns out! The XVGM Radio boys get wet and wild on this month’s Patreon exclusive show, as they chat about even MORE Summer Trax than last year! Join in on the discussion regarding who would play the best live action Tifa Lockhart, The guys talk awkward fan service; Mike’s continued lack of Nostalgia for the Mana series, and Justin breaks down horrendous controls bit by bit! All while they sip on cold beverages and bask in the current weather! And Next Month: Patreon Picks for August! Send your submissions to XVGMRadio@gmail.com!
Read MoreEpisode 56 – VGM Homework
School’s out and summer is all the rage…but that doesn’t stop Mike and Justin from challenging their minds when it comes to video game music! Back on Episode 54, Mike and Justin did an episode entirely on Continue themes in games, which was challenging to say the least. But now, they’re headed on a different part of their VGM studies by assigning each other some homework! Mike picks a game and Justin picks a track from that game, and vice versa. Each person also gives a brief explanation on why they picked the game they picked! The results are some engaging and exciting songs from games that the XVGM Radio guys would never typically pick for each other! Listen in as Mike shares his hatred of Axl from the Mega Man X series, Justin shares his love for Westerns, and Janine eats Triscuits from home since she has the night off! All on this educational yet entertaining episode of XVGM Radio!
Read MoreEpisode 55 – Mega Man Fan Game Music w/ MegaPhilX
Since the dawn of the internet, video game fans have gathered to celebrate their favorite franchises. One of the most dedicated fanbases is for Mega Man, specifically the classic series that started on the NES, and saw a resurgence on later generations like Mega Man 9 and 10 on the Wii, and more recently, Mega Man 11 on the Switch. But those classic 8-bit style games feature some of the best video game music ever; songs that we’ve all heard over and over again. So today, we wanted to spotlight some fan efforts, and boy did we find some fantastic tunes! We’re joined by Mega Man fan community member, co-composer, artist and creator of the Mega Man fan game juggernaut, Mega Man Unlimited, to showcase his game, and several others. Learn about his relationship with fellow composer and all star of the MM fan game universe, Kevin Phetsomphou and listen to Justin, Mike and Phil list their order of favorite classic MM games. Also hear some fascinating stories from Phil getting a paid trip to Hawaii on Capcom’s dime! All on this MEGA-powered up episode of XVGM Radio!
Read MoreJune Patreon Live Recording – 2020
It’s Summertime, and our lawns are officially burnt. Time to grab a cool beverage and get into the air conditioning as Mike and Justin showcase some stellar fire/heat based games, levels and characters and the VGM that accompanies them. Conversations got heated quick, as the boys chat about Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck’s moustaches, Steve from Full House, cheesecake art, and green and purple Mike and Ike candies?! This was a super silly episode, and it’s exclusive for Patreon members!
Read MoreEpisode 54 – Continue?
Continue themes in video games: Essentially a step stool to repeat a failure. But are these tunes worth revisiting outside of the gaming experience? Mike and Justin think so, and so they challenged each other to come up with a large assortment of some unique continue tracks. From discussions about songs that either sound like adult films or Japanese Benny Hill skits, to discussions about memorable continue screen visuals, this episode offers some unique songs and discussions that makes diving deep worth the plunge. Get ready to hit start before the timer runs out, because this is the Continue Theme episode!
Read MoreEpisode 53 – Sounds of the Sega master System
With Sega’s arcade ventures dwindling at the time, the Japanese arcade game maker decided to try their hand at making consoles, and eventually this led to today’s featured console, the Sega Master System. Called the Mark III in Japan, this PSG-based audio system (which also featured FM Synth in certain games) has always had a mix of somber or cheery sounding music. On today’s episode of XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin peel back the figurative shell of the console to bring you a dive into all regions worth of music. From in-depth discussion on the success of the system (in PAL regions and Brazil) and failures (North America) to chats about Mentos, notoriously bad Master System game cover art, SHHHOPELIFTERRR, Justin hearing Pac-Man sounds, and…Green and Pink Master System Consoles, wait…what?! This episode is jam packed full of tubular tunes and fun discussion.
Read MoreEpisode 52 – Run ‘N Guns
Get ready for some spreadshot, some rocket lawnchairs and discussions about Kevin Bacon-lookalikes dealing drugs, because XVGM Radio is blasting their way onto the scene with an episode focused on the Run ‘n Gun genre and it’s music! Often looped in with shoot ‘em ups and First Person Shooters (FPS,) Run ‘n Guns are more like action platformers that focus on blowing away everything in sight; and the good news is, they typically have amazing soundtracks! Mike and Justin grab their most tattered bandanas as they wax nostalgia for wreckless convertible driving, western motifs in games, Mr. BIG singalongs and of course: cheat codes! Get your thumbs ready to hit A-B-B-A, and Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-A-B on this cyberpunk lovin’, laser-shootin’ episode of XVGM Radio!
Read MoreMay Patreon Live Recording – 2020
Tonight’s episode was a ton of fun and we were so fortunate to have on one of Mike’s longtime chiptuner and game composer friends, Michael “NEStrogen” Raisner! Michael was a ton of fun to talk to and we learned all about his soundtrack and composition style for Super Hyperactive Ninja, a game he did the music for. We ask him about his history with chiptune, Little Sound DJ, Famitracker, and what instruments he can play. Plus, sidebars about Kelly Kapowski, jokes about NESticles, corpse paint and Black Metal influences (Blast Beats in the soundtrack?!) and more! Plus, we even get a live performance out of him via guitar!
Thanks again to Michael Raisner (NEStrogen) for being on the show! You can buy Super Hyperactive Ninja on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft XBOX One, Sony Playstation 4 and STEAM right NOW!
NEStrogen’s Bandcamp is a great way to check him out, support his hard work and download or stream his music. Find it here: https://nestrogen.bandcamp.com/
Special thanks to Jordan Davis, Alex Messenger and Scott Mcelhone for joining us in the chat for the live show! Make sure to stay in touch on Patreon and Discord for our live show announcements!
Check the episode out on our Patreon!
TRACK LISTING:
Intro – Maniac mansion (NES, 1988) “Jeff’s Theme” – David Warhol
1 – Super Hyperactive Ninja (PS4, Switch, XBONE, Steam, 2018) “Main Boss Theme”
2 – Super Hyperactive Ninja (PS4, Switch, XBONE, Steam, 2018) “Tower 2 (Hyperactive)”
3 – Super Hyperactive Ninja (PS4, Switch, XBONE, Steam, 2018) “Tower 4 (Main)”
4 – Super Hyperactive Ninja (PS4, Switch, XBONE, Steam, 2018) “Tower 5 (Hyperactive)”
5 – Super Hyperactive Ninja (PS4, Switch, XBONE, Steam, 2018) “Tower 4 (Hyperactive)”
6 – Super Hyperactive Ninja (PS4, Switch, XBONE, Steam, 2018) “Final Boss Theme”
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Episode 51 – Yooka-Laylee Back to the Fluture
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When Playtonic Games set out to develop a new 3D Action Platformer in the vein of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo Kazooie, they went back to the original composers who made those games sound so fantastic: David Wise (DKC) and Grant Kirkhope (BK.) But how did those games influence the sound with this new franchise that’s been born out of a love and labor of the 64 bit era? Today on XVGM Radio, we’re lucky to have both David Wise AND Returning guest/Composer Grant Kirkhope on the show to talk about the musical evolution from Donkey Kong, to Banjo-Kazooie, and finally, how those two influenced Yooka Laylee and Yooka Laylee & The Impossible Lair. From Mike trying to make sense of musical genres (and trying not to fanboy too much), to David and Grant uncovering some information about Grant’s hiring process that they’d never known, to Justin sharing his fascination with Wild West VGM, get ready to collect DK Coins, Bananas, Jiggies, and Pagies on this star-studded interview from XVGM Radio!
HUGE thank you to Materia Collective and Jayson from Scarlet Moon Productions for helping with setup for the interviews. You can get the high quality soundtracks to both Yooka Laylee games on Materia Collective’s pages here:
https://www.materiacollective.com/music/yooka-laylee-original-game-soundtrack
https://www.materiacollective.com/music/yooka-laylee-and-the-impossible-lair-original-game-soundtrack
Check out David and Grant at their respective social media and websites:
David: https://www.davidwise.co.uk/
Grant: https://www.grantkirkhope.com/
We’d love to hear what you thought about these composer interviews! Was it awesome to hear from Grant and David and did you learn anything new? Shoot us an email at XVGMRadio@gmail.com or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio
We have a Discord Channel! Join us and chat about the show, share a random or obscure VGM song you love, or just chit chat with Mike and Justin about tacos! Join for free here: https://discord.gg/zWxDYfn
Thanks to all of our wonderful Patrons: Alex Messenger, Cam Werme, Chris Murray, Chris Myers, Chris Hart, Scott McElhone, Jordan & Anson Davis, Llama Adam, Peter Panda, Kung Fu Carlito, Bedroth, Nick Davis, MixxMaster, Jason SuperJES Dos, Brad Austin, Dan Laughton, Matthew Hannola, Jeremy Rutz and The Autistic Gamer 89. Become a Patron, get cool rewards, and more at http://www.Patreon.com/XVGMRadio
Our Twitter and Instagram are great ways to interact with us! Find us on there under our handle @XVGMRadio
If you’re an Apple Podcasts listener, please consider leaving a rating and a review to let us know how we’re doing! It also helps with getting the show to show up when others are searching for VGM!
TRACK LISTING:
Intro -Yooka-Laylee “Main Theme” Grant Kirkhope
1- Donkey Kong Country (SNES, 1994) “Gang-Plank Galleon” David Wise, Eveline Novakovic (Fischer), Robin Beanland
2 – Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES, 1995) “Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)” David Wise
3 – Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB, 1996) “Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)” David Wise, Grant Kirkhope (arranged)
4 – Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U/Switch, 2014/2018) “Zip Line Shrine” David Wise, Kenji Yamamoto
5 – Diddy Kong Racing (N64, 1997) “The Secret Tune” – David Wise
6 – Banjo-Kazooie (N64, 1998) “Secret Fanfare 4 (Mad Monster Mansion)” – Grant Kirkhope
7 – Banjo-Tooie (N64, 2000) “Wild West Zone” – Grant Kirkhope
8 – Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (360, 2008) “Out Around Nutty Acres” – Grant Kirkhope, Robin Beanland, David Clynick
9 – Yooka Laylee -(2017, PS4, Switch, XBONE, PC) “Hivory Towers” Grant Kirkhope, David Wise, Steven Burke
10 – Yooka Laylee (2017, PS4, Switch, XBONE, PC) “Uphill Battle” – Steven Burke, Grant Kirkhope, David Wise
11 – Yooka Laylee & The Impossible Lair (2019, Switch, PS4, XBONE, PC) “Factory Fright” – Matt Griffin, Grant Kirkhope, Daniel Murdoch, David Wise
12 – Yooka Laylee & The Impossible Lair (2019, Switch, PS4, XBONE, PC) “The Overworld – Beach” – Matt Griffin, Grant Kirkhope, Daniel Murdoch, David Wise
13 – Yooka Laylee & The Impossible Lair (2019, Switch, PS4, XBONE, PC) “The Impossible Lair 2” – Matt Griffin, Grant Kirkhope, Daniel Murdoch, David Wise
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Episode 50 – Listener Requests
A Podcast is nothing without it’s listeners. That’s why Episode 50 is both a celebration for us AND a chance to celebrate YOU! We’ve been advertising this one for a few months now, and thankfully, you guys brought the goods. But instead of picking and choosing which tracks to play, we decided to just play them all! Janine, or favorite sweater and glasses wearin’ producer (Who also happens to be a Metroid) rolls the dice to see which of the 13 tracks go where on this epic episode of video game music. Ya’ll have great taste! Join us as we also bask in the nostalgia of 4 different commercials we’ve done for the show for the past (almost) two years!
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