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 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 …

Episode 98 – Arwing Odyssey w/ Ro Panuganti

Star Fox 64 is sometimes viewed as the evolution in the Star Fox franchise’s musical journey. But with this more cinematic orchestral vision, the sounds of a more popular style of music has disappeared. But with musician Ro Panuganti’s prowess, Arwing Odyssey is born. A Progressive Metal thematic voyage through most of Star Fox 64’s …

Episode 97 – Super Famicom Japan Exclusives w/ NIKOTENGOKU

New Year! New Episode! Starting off 2023, our 5th year as a podcast, we’re joined once again by our good pal, NikoTengoku! The Super Famicom (or as we know it outside of Japan, the Super NES) is host to a COLOSSAL list of excellent game soundtracks, but the Japan exclusive stuff usually gets overlooked. Niko …

Episode 95 – PS2/PSP VGM Memories

It’s well known that Sony’s Playstation 2 dominated sales during the 6th generation of gaming. However, this was also during the era where Sony attempted to take on the task of toppling Nintendo’s handheld juggernaut abilities. Enter the Sony Playstation Portable, Sony’s first major foray into the handheld market. Many games from the PS2 were …

Episode 89 – The Best & Worst of Gems Driver Songs (w/ specia guest Dya)

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 …

Episode 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 …

Episode 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 …

Episode 76 – The Wonderswan & Wonderswan Color

We’re no strangers to covering obscure stuff on XVGM Radio…but this might be the most obscure thing we’ve chat about: Bandai’s Wonderswan family of handhelds. Going after the Game Boy was a lofty goal, one which made the Wonderswan succumb. But today, we dig up the grave of Bandai’s Wonderswan, the Wonderswan Color and the …