Sharpen your blades, lace up those skates, and start up that Zamboni! Today The VGMbassy hits the ice with the admin of the VGM Podcast Fans Facebook group, Alex Messenger, exploring music from hockey games and the history of one of the very first sports to be featured in the video game format. We’ll check out music from composers like Matt Furniss, NBA Jam Maestro Jon Hey, and C64 legend Rob Hubbard. Come join us for a free skate!

A huge thank you to Indira J (The Misadventures of Buddy and Friend, Sacrimony) for the amazing VGMbassy artwork and design, and to Trevin Hughes (aka chiptune composer Jredd) for the podcast theme song!

Check out the brand new VGMbassy Patreon for some fantastic bonuses, including exclusive podcast content!

Join our Facebook group for discussion and bonus content: facebook.com/groups/thevgmbassy

Follow The VGMbassy on Twitter: @TheVGMbassy

Check out the Instagram account for artsy-fartsy game-related images: @TheVGMbassy

Listen here or find us on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

The Tracklist:

1 – “Intro” from Power Play Hockey: USA vs USSR (C64, 1988) Composed by Rob Hubbard

2 – “Character Select” from Hit the Ice (Arcade, 1990) Composed by Hiroshige Tonomura

3 – “Title Theme” from Face Off! (Amiga, 1991) Composed by Matt Furniss

4 – “In-Game Music” from Blades of Steel (Game Boy, 1991) Composed by Hidehiro Funauchi and Akiko Itoh

5 – “Title Theme” from Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey-bu – Subette Koronde Dairantou (Famicom, 1992) Composed by Kazuo Sawa, Michiya Hirasawa, and Yoshihiro Kameoka

6 – “Game Setup” from NHL ’94 (SNES, 1993) Composed by Michael J Sokyrka

7 – “Let’s Play Hockey! – 1st Period” from Pro Sport Hockey (SNES, 1993) Composed by Takeshi Ichida

8 – “Game BGM” from NHL 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge (PS1, Arcade, 1995) Composed by Jon Hey

9 – “Ice Hockey” from Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii, 2009) Composed by Fumie Kumatani, Naofumi Hataya, Hideaki Kobayashi, Jun Senoue, Tadashi Kinukawa, Teruhiko Nakagawa, and Tomonori Sawada

10 – “Menu Theme 1” from NHL ’18 (XB1, PS4, 2017) Composed by an Uncredited Composer

HyperZone, developed by HAL Laboratory, was released in 1991 – very early in the SNES’s life. As shoot ’em ups go, it wasn’t considered the best of the bunch, but it came packaged with a textured and unique Jun Ishikawa soundtrack that Ed fell in love with as a child.

Join him in his very first VGMbassy solo show as he rolls through the amazing music and dishes out a few facts and opinions on the title!

A huge thank you to Indira J (The Misadventures of Buddy and Friend, Sacrimony) for the amazing VGMbassy artwork and design, and to Trevin Hughes (aka chiptune composer Jredd) for the podcast theme song!

Check out the VGMbassy Patreon for some fantastic bonuses, including exclusive podcast content!

Join our Facebook group for discussion and bonus content: facebook.com/groups/thevgmbassy

Follow The VGMbassy on Twitter: @TheVGMbassy

Check out the Instagram account for artsy-fartsy game-related images: @TheVGMbassy

Listen here or find us on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

The Tracklist:

HyperZone

1 – Title Theme

2 – Material Factory

3 – Blast Furnace

4 – Old Capital

5 – Grassland

6 – Ripple Field

7 – Neo Megalopolis

8 – Bioplant

9 – HyperZone

10 – Last Boss

11 – Stage Clear

12 – Ending

On today’s episode of The VGMbassy, Ed is joined by Trevin Hughes (better known as chiptune artist Jredd,) who wrote the amazing theme song you hear at the beginning of every show. As a VGMbassador, Trevin shares with us his passion for vgm from shmups, splitting the show into two parts: music he grew up with, and music that’s influenced his musical career. Fans of rockin’ BGM and incredible synth solos won’t be disappointed with the tunes on parade today!

Find Jredd’s awesome music on the web:

https://soundcloud.com/jredd (soundcloud)

A huge thank you to Indira J (The Misadventures of Buddy and Friend, Sacrimony) for the amazing VGMbassy artwork and design, and to Trevin Hughes (aka chiptune composer Jredd) for the podcast theme song!

Check out the brand new VGMbassy Patreon for some fantastic bonuses, including exclusive podcast content!

Join our Facebook group for discussion and bonus content: facebook.com/groups/thevgmbassy

Follow The VGMbassy on Twitter: @TheVGMbassy

Check out the Instagram account for artsy-fartsy game-related images: @TheVGMbassy

Listen here or find us on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

The Tracklist:

1 – “BGM 40” from Kaite Tsukutte Asoberu Dezaemon (Saturn, 1994) Composed by Koichi Ishibashi, Akiyoshi Saito, Kazuo Oikawa, and Hitoshi Nishimura

2 – “Stage 2 Brains Town” from Air Zonk (TG-16, 1992) Composed by Daisuke Morishima and Hisashi Matsushita

3 – “Area 9” from Blazing Lazers (TG-16 1989) Composed by Masatomo Miyamoto

4 – “Cielom” from Lords of Thunder (TCD, 1992) Composed by Satoshi Miyashita for T’s Music

5 – “Mission 1 – Rumbling” from Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth (N64, 1998) Composed by Ichiro Shimakura

6 – “Unkai” from Axelay (SNES, 1992) Composed by Taro Kudou and Masanori Adachi

7 – “BGM 1” from Silver Surfer (NES, 1990) Composed by Tim Follin and Geoff Follin

8 – “Stage 4 – Degeneracy” from Battle Garegga (Arcade, 1996) Composed by Manabu Namiki

9 – “Beyond The Galaxy” from Galaxy Force II (Arcade, 1988) Composed by Koichi Namiki and Katsuhiro Hayashi

10 – “Stage 1 & 6 – Advanced City” from Crisis Force (NES, 1991) Composed by Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, and Jun Chuma

11 – “Aniki” from Iridion II (GBA, 2003) Composed by Manfred Linzner

12 – “Ekans Desert” from Project S-11 (GBC, 2001) Composed by Jonne Valtonen and Aleksi Eeben

Welcome to The VGMbassy! You’re listening to a brand new podcast celebrating video games, video game music, and the online community of fans who love them. Each show will feature Ed Wilson (PixelTunes Radio, Impulse Project, Audio PanicRoom) and a rotating cast of guest host “VGMbassadors” who will share with us their gaming passions.

Our first episode features Emily (The VGM Jukebox) and one of her favorite game series of all time: Ecco the Dolphin. Please join us as we explore the fantastic music of the ocean and unravel the game’s mysteries! Stay tuned for a very special guest at the end of the show!

Bonus Content: The blog post that makes some neat comparisons between Metroid and Ecco the Dolphin: sparkylurkdragon  

A huge thank you to Indira J (The Misadventures of Buddy and Friend, Sacrimony) for the amazing VGMbassy artwork and design, and to Trevin Hughes (aka chiptune composer Jredd) for the podcast theme song!

Join our Facebook group for discussion and bonus content: facebook.com/groups/thevgmbassy

Follow The VGMbassy on Twitter: @TheVGMbassy

Check out the Instagram account for artsy-fartsy game-related images: @TheVGMbassy

The Tracklist:

Ecco the Dolphin (Sega Genesis)

1 – “The Lagoon” composed by Spencer N. Nilsen, Brian Coburn, and András Magyari

2 – “The Vents” composed by Spencer N. Nilsen, Brian Coburn, and András Magyari

Ecco the Dolphin (Game Gear)

3 – “Deep Water” composed by Csaba Gigor and Gábor Foltán

4 – “Title Theme” composed by Csaba Gigor and Gábor Foltán

Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD)

5 – “The Lagoon” composed by Spencer Nilsen

Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega Genesis)

6 – “Crystal Springs” composed by Attila Dobos, András Magyari, Andy Armer, and David Javelosa

7 – “Inside” composed by Attila Dobos, András Magyari, Andy Armer, and David Javelosa

Ecco: The Tides of Time (Game Gear)

8 – “Atlantis” composed by Csaba Gigor, Gábor Foltán, and László Fazekas

Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega CD)

9 – “Heart of the Giant (Epilogue)” composed by Spencer Nilsen

Ecco Jr. (Sega Genesis)

10 – “Seal Rocks, the Enchanted Sea” composed by Andy Armer, Gábor Foltán, and László Fazekas

Ecco Jr. and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt! (Sega Pico)

11 – “Gameplay Theme” composed by Attila Heger

Ecco: Defender of the Future (Sega Dreamcast)

12 – “Perils of the Coral Reef” composed by Tim Follin