The Sega Genesis GEMS Driver is often considered one of the worst drivers created for video game music. However, we are optimists when it comes to most chips, so today, we’re taking a deep look into the GEMS driver. Who created it, why it was important to Western composers, the benefits of it and the downfalls. Justin and Mike aim to examine the good AND bad parts of it, to unearth some game music that you might not have known about. Aaron Hickman of the Genesis Gems podcast is also known as chiptune and VGM composer DYA. He joins us on this episode to help explain some of the nitty gritty details regarding GEMS and the Sega sound in general. From bad Sylvester Stallone impressions, to Mike absolutely losing it whenever Captain Salty is discussed….to a surprise phone call from someone claiming to be Tommy Tallarico, this episode of XVGM Radio has it all!
Read MoreApril Patreon Live Recording – 2022
Mike and Justin sit down and talk about a loaded subject: Unreleased songs. But they approached it two different ways: Songs that never were actually part of the in-game portions, that may have been hidden in the code and games that never came out. The guys chuckle at a term they came up with: Incredipeed, as well as the history behind some of these tracks not making it into the games. Join us on this funny look at songs that never made it out into the VGM-spectrum officially, on the April 2022 Patreon exclusive show!
Read MoreEpisode 88 – April Fools!
It should be pretty obvious if you’ve heard the show before that Mike and Justin LOVE comedy. So on this episode, which just so happens to release on April Fools for no specific reason, the guys get deeply personal and share never before heard stories before. Listen to some wacky tunes about sunflowers, finding secrets, slippery little things that taste so good all the time, all while learning about Mike’s porn music career, Justin’s pet rock collection and his unofficial name change, Mike’s shocking political affiliation, Justin’s composer obsession and many more secrets revealed! This is an episode you won’t want to miss!
Read MoreMarch Patreon Live Recording – 2022
March’s live show is the end result of…well…Your choices! You got to pick our theme and based on your votes we are doing FOREST VGM! What follows is a bunch of tracks full of variety in both game and style of music. From bumpin’ tree top grooves to soft, ethereal voices and even some screechy Genesis synths, we brought you on a voyage through the forest and back with these songs! Listen to Mike and Justin dive into the origins of VGM, Mike gets candid about his weird taste in games, Justin shares his multiplayer experiences and….awkward conversations about why Pokemon Misty fans weird the guys out…it’s all on the latest live episode of XVGM Radio, exclusive to Patreon members!
Read MoreFebruary Patreon Live Recording – 2022
XVGM Radio loves Mega Man…but which versions? Well…that’s a good point…time for a FREE FOR ALL! Mike and Justin sit down with one of their long time friends, Brian Siecienski (also former guest host on the Sierra Games episode) and chat about nostalgic memories with a variety of underrated Mega Man tunes. From conversations about Bass being a…well, bass fish, to light-hearted trash talking Mega Man 5 and 7, and a variety of chill, funky and rockin’ songs, this episode is one you don’t want to Mega-Miss!
Read MoreEpisode 87: Super Nintendo: ORCHESTRATED with Orchestral Fantasy
The Super Nintendo is known for having some of the most lush compositions in 16 bit history. But have you ever wondered what these tracks would sound like with real instruments? Our guest today is Andrew Thompson who runs a musical project where he answers that very question and the results are EPIC! Mike and Justin sit down with Andrew to discuss and compare his orchestrated versions with real instrumentation, while mostly staying faithful to the original compositions. If you’re a fan of JRPGs on the SNES, this is NOT an episode to miss!
Read MoreEpisode 86: Dances with Nikos!
It’s that time of year again! NikoTengoku joins us for his third return as the unofficial “third host” of the show…and he’s ready TO DANCE! We let Niko pick the theme this time around and he wanted to get down! We’ve all picked a variety of dance tracks to listen to from all walks of dance music. From almost gabber-like songs, to borderline industrial, progressive trance and more! You’ll be ready to get outta your seat and join us on the dance floor in no time! Prepare for an insane amount of Alzadick jokes, stories about Mike’s dad hating VGM and much more!
Read MoreDecember/January Patreon Live Recording – 2021/2022
The long awaited winter live show is upon us! Justin and Mike get together virtually to showcase some really unique and different wintery tracks for your snowy pleasures! From discussions about snuggling up next to a fire during a snowstorm while listening to the Xenoblade track, to the K-pop bounce of Cookie Run’s Christmas bop, the guys exchange gifts during their annual gift swap event and more! Don’t miss this exciting closeout to 2021 and bring in the new year with this winter wonderland voyage of VGM!
Read MoreEpisode 85: Dimo’s Quest CD-i Spotlight
While single games have been covered before on XVGM Radio, never before have we went into a soundtrack without hearing it period. Taking a page from our pal Ed Wilson over at The VGMbassy, we’re doing a “Blind Listen” episode where we pick tracks we haven’t heard, and learn about the game as we go along. The end result is a hilarious episode where Mike and Justin try to figure out PCM samples’ origins, listen to a totally radical soundtrack we’ve never heard before, deal with an explosion in the studio…and take a caller request from…Janine?! It’s all on this very exciting episode of XVGM Radio!
Read MoreNovember Patreon Live Recording – 2021
As a thank you to our Patreon members, we do episodes a few times a year where YOU pick the tracks for the live show, and we’re happy to say, every song picked this time around was fantastic (as usual! Ya’ll have great taste.) Conversations about FM synth, visual novels versus adventure style games, the guys chatting about potentially doing an RTS episode for the main episodes and more! Join us on this Patreon Picks live episode!
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