Episode 110 – Musical Therapy: An Interview w/ Norihiko Hibino

Music touches all aspects of the soul. It’s a large part of what makes us human. In tough times or happy moments and everything in between, music can be therapy in many ways and video game music is no different. On today’s episode, we sit down for a chat with Norihiko Hibino and listen to …

Episode 109 – Emotional Damage VGM w/ Niko Tengoku

It’s that time of year again! It’s January in a new year and as always with XVGM Radio, we bring in the big guns: NikoTengoku! Our old pal and honorary third co-host Niko joins us once again to ring in 2024 with a somber note: Emotional VGM. Whether the moments in the games touched our …

Episode 108 – The NEC PC-FX

In 1994, video game system manufacturers were just starting to shift into the realm of 3D-based video game consoles thanks to the fifth generation. But one company decided to continue building upon the legacy of 2D in the mid-90s with their final console release: NEC. The PC-FX was host to 62 games which utilized 2D …

Episode 107 – Infernax w/ composer Jason Letourneau

Though Halloween season is over, we’re still playing with gore! XVGM Radio sits down with VGM composer Jason Létourneau to discuss his music in the 8-bit modern retro classic, Infernax. Hear us grill Jason to learn about his process and how some of our favorite modern VGM composers helped him early in his game composing …

Episode 106 – Spookyfest 2023

They’reeeee bacccckkkkkk! The XVGM Radio boys are back for another haunting year of SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOKY songs to celebrate the holiday season! Join Mike and Justin on their 5th annual Spookyfest, complete with crowds cheering them on, buying Poltergust 4000 vacuums and gettin’ their sour pukes on! Two special Patrons make requests, the guys try their best …

Episode 105 – The Musical History of Natsume Part 3

Continued from Episodes 99 and 102, Mike and Justin close out the musical history of the developer, Natsume Co. Ltd. After the split between Natsume Co. Ltd. and Natsume Inc, Natsume Co. Ltd. would continue to work on developing games, mostly on the Super NES and eventually handhelds like the Game Boy Color. Here is …

Episode 104 – Shantae Tunes

Wayforward’s Shantae on the Game Boy Color was the swansong release on the handheld and the beginning of a franchise in the making. Now, Shantae has not only blossomed into a 5 (soon to be 6) game series, but can be widely considered Queen of the indie game scene. One particular stand out in this …

Episode 103 – Video Pinball VGM

PING! BLAM! DING-DING-DING-DING! CH-CHUNK! Pinball certainly has some exciting sounds. Video pinball brings the experience of pinball home to consoles, PCs or on the go. But what rarely gets discussed by video pinball aficionados is how great the music is in these games. Today, we’re getting our flippers ready to beam 11 exciting tracks up …

Episode 102 – The Musical History of Natsume Part 2: Natsume Inc.

Continued from Episode 99, Mike and Justin hit the dusty trail of Natsume’s musical history for a second time to uncover the North American-based publishing (and sometimes development) side of the company. Splitting from Natsume Co. Ltd. in 1995, Natsume Inc. began publishing a wide variety of games mostly in North America. From tales of …

Episode 101 – Elevator Action Returns

Step into the world of Elevator Action Returns: A place full of guns, explosions and most importantly…elevators! Justin and Mike climb back into the world of Taito’s in house band, Zuntata; more specifically Yasuhisa Watanabe’s stellar soundtrack for this exciting sequel to the original arcade classic, Elevator Action. From funk elements to jazz and light …