Music Arcade

This week, the crew presses the pause button a bit too strongly after the big quiz and get stuck in the menus.

Our navigation goes from the iconic Age of Empires II menu to the classic save game menu from Final Fantasy Tactics and the watch you probably already have in your mind from GoldenEye 007.

You can listen along to the music discussed here via the playlist in our YouTube channel: Music Arcade #101

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.social

And on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Song credits (in order of discussion):

Dragalia Lost - "Bokurano Network" by DAOKO and Yasutaka Nakata

Age of Empires II - "Age of Empires II Main Theme" by Stephen Rippy, Kevin McMullan, and Vitalis Ehrich (live performance at the Royal Albert Hall by an unconfirmed ensemble and arranger)

Final Fantasy Tactics - "Save/Load Screen" by Hitoshi Sakimoto

Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate - "OPTIC LINE –Camp–" by Masato Koike

Assassin's Creed: Mirage - "Mirage Theme (Menu Version)" by Brendan Angelides, Akram Haddad, and Layth Sidiq

Overcooked! - "Restaurant" (unconfirmed title) by an unconfirmed composer

Castlevania Judgment - "Accessories" by Yasushi Asada

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links - "Tag Duel Tournament Main Theme 1 (Ver.2)" (unconfirmed title) by an unconfirmed composer

Sonic Mega Collection - "Main Menu" (unconfirmed title) by an unconfirmed composer

GoldenEye 007 - "007 Watch" (unconfirmed title) by an unconfirmed composer (soundtrack credited to Grant Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate, and Monty Norman)

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, tomfoolery is afoot as a wild quizmaster appears to celebrate our 100th episode by testing our knowledge.

Do we really know what's video game music and what isn't? Can we tell if a song is in Super Smash Bros.? And who can pander the best to our gracious quizmaster Ranakel? The only way to find out is by listening through...

You can play along with our quizzes by checking the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwyCfmXgbLJuvwCKNLgYKKsNKq9TqVTs1&jct=yTl9HOan3euIgXV8WbTg8g

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.social

And on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

On this episode:

Pregame: Do we know OC Remix well enough?

Part 1: Can we tell video game music from non-video game music?

Part 2: Can we remember details about our own podcast?

Part 3: Who can pander to Ranakel the best?

Part 4: Can we tell which songs found their way into Super Smash Bros. games?

Part 5: Trial by fire - aka: can we tell what the hell Ranakel is singing?

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Sam "Zeral"

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, the crew gets distracted from the main quest to delve into some mini-games on the side.

Of course, Final Fantasy mini-games can't be ignored, but we also dive into Pokémon, Tekken, ULTRAKILL, and more!

You can listen along to the music discussed here via the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade #99

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.social

And on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Song credits (in order of discussion):

Final Fantasy VIII - "Shuffle or Boogie" by Nobuo Uematsu

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time - "Sewer Surfin'" by unconfirmed composers (credited as Konami Kukeiha Club)

Pokémon Red/Blue - "Rocket Game Corner" by Junichi Masuda

Rogue Galaxy - "Factory (In Editing)" by Tomohito Nishiura

Tekken 8 - "Our Tekken Ball (Climax)" by Shogo Nomura

Final Fantasy X - "Blitz Off" by Masahi Hamauzu

Tiny Toon Adventures: Wacky Sports Challenge - "Birdman Contest" (unconfirmed title) by an unconfirmed composer

ULTRAKILL - "Lakeside Songbook" by Heaven Pierce Her

Soul Calbur III - "Nameless Calamity" by Ryuichi Takada

Yakuza Kiwami 2 - "Cabaret Grand Prix" (unconfirmed title) by an unconfirmed composer (credited soundtrack composers include: Yuri Fukuda, Keitaro Hanada, Hidenori Shoji, Saori Yoshida, Sachio Ogawa, Chihiro Aoki)

Destiny - "Circuit Runner" by Skye Lewin (unconfirmed title and composer)

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, friend of the podcast Sam finds an isolated Galen and the duo decides to make lemonade out of the lonely lemon by tackling themes of isolation.

From isolation in the magical world of Final Fantasy VI to an isolated vampire in Vampyr, we try not to let things get too lonely.

You can listen along to the music discussed here via the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade #98

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.social

And on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Song credits (in order of discussion):

Final Fantasy VI - "Dark World" by Nobuo Uematsu (unconfirmed arranger - full list of "A New World" arrangers include: Arnie and Eric Roth, Shiro Hamaguchi, Adam Klemens, Casey Ormond, and Nobuo Uematsu)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - "The Lost Woods" by Manaka Kataoka

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - "Anxiousness" by Shinji Hosoe

Silent Hill 2 (Remake) - "White Noise (Actual Noise)" by Akira Yamaoka

Persona 4 - "Who's There?" by Shoji Meguro

Vampyr - "The Struggle" by Olivier Deriviere

Nier: Automata - "Dependent Weakling" by Kuniyuki Takahashi

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Sam "Zeral"

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, the leylines align, refresh our MP and have us discuss songs about that most fantastical of gaming elements: magic!

Join us as we get into magical bouts in Street Fighter V, deal with ancient magic in Divinity 2: Ego Draconis, and also just marvel at the kinds of musical magic Tim Follin pulls off in Solstice and... Pictionary?!

You can listen along to the music discussed here via the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade 97

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.social

And on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Song credits (in order of discussion):

Fate/Grand Order - "Corridor of Memories" by Keita Haga

Dark Savior - "Presentiment Clock Tower" (unconfirmed title) by Hiroshi Kondo

Age of Wonders 4 - "Sphere of Influence" by Michiel van den Bos

Solstice - "Title Screen" (unconfirmed title) by Tim Follin

Pictionary (NES) - "Title Theme" (unconfirmed title) by Tim Follin

Chrono Trigger - "Corridors of Time" by Yasunori Mitsuda (cover by Luke Pickman aka InstrumentManiac)

Street Fighter V: Champion Edition - "Theme of Rose" by Hiroshi Takaki

Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ - "Dark Domain" by Ken Nakagawa

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - "Seidh" by Davíd Garcia Diaz and Heilung (Kai Uwe Faust, Maria Franz, and Christopher Juul)

Dynasty Warriors 6 - "Ignition (Yellow Turban)" by MASA (Masayoshi Sasaki)

Elden Ring - "Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon" by Yuka Kitamura

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - "The Twin Moon Knight" by Tai Tomisawa

Divinity 2: Ego Draconis - "Ancient Presence" by Kirill Pokrovsky

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, the crew - minus one - brings an optimistic vibe to the conversation. And no, the "minus one" isn't our resident Goth.

We take a personal approach and show the many forms of optimism, including an optimistic look back through the Game Awards medleys, an optimistic look forward in Chrono Trigger, and just sheer, distilled optimism in The Wonderful 101.

You can listen along to the music discussed here via the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade 96

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.social

And on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Song credits (in order of discussion):

The 2025 Game Awards Game of the Year Medley, by Lorne Balfe (featuring compositions by Jan Valta, Ludvig Forssell, Lorien Testard, Christopher Larkin, et al.)

The Wonderful 101 - "The Won-Stoppable Wonderful 100 (English Version)" by Hiroshi Yamaguchi (lyrics by Brian Gray)

Anno 1800 - "Dance of the FIreflies" by Dynamedion

Rise of Nations - "Santiago" by Duane Decker

Soul Calibur II - "Unwavering Resolve" by Junichi Nakatsuru

Mega Man 7 - "Freeze Man Stage" by an unconfirmed composer (soundtrack by Yuko Takehara, Toshihiko Horiyama, Makoto Tomozawa, and Ayako Mori)

Devil May Cry V - "Devil Trigger" by Casey Edwards, ft. Ali Edwards and Cliff Lloret

Chrono Trigger - "Chrono Trigger" by Yasunori Mitsuda ("Main Theme" cover by Malcolm Robinson)

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania - "Treasure Room" by Konami Kikeiha Club (Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo) ("The Treasury Room" cover by Daniele Zandara)

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, the crew takes out some crystal balls (and the Wikipedia page for 2026 in video games) to take a peek into the future. So join us as we discuss the 2026 edition of our yearly list of games we're most excited about when it comes to music.You can check known songs, trailers, or related music for the games discussed on this episode by checking the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade #95Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/music-arcade.bsky.socialAnd on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGUProduction credits:Hosts:Galen "The SoundGuy" FirestoneRanakelEdie AlexsanderAudio producer:Galen "The SoundGuy" FirestoneExecutive producer:RanakelWriting and publishing:Edie AlexsanderArt and design:Alex Hadzaman

This week, the crew decides to fix what isn't broken by shouting out the best soundtracks that the Game Awards didn't already beat us to it.

Will it be as varied as last year's? Probably. Will we showcase more indies than the actual awards shows? Sure thing. Will Rana make sure we never forget he got his TGA prediction right? You bet.

You can sample the soundtracks we recommended today via the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade 94

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Time stamps:

#3 block:

Hell Clock by Thommaz Kauffmann

Battle Suit Aces by Carlos Eiene

DOOM: The Dark Ages by Finishing Move

#2 block:

Tempest Rising by Michael Markie, Cory Richards, Sigurd Jøhnk-Jensen, Frank Klepacki, and Music Imaginary

Dynasty Warriors: Origins by Masato Koike, Yosuke Kinoshita, Gota Masuoka, Hiromu Akaba, et al.

Absolum by Gareth Coker, feat. Mick Gordon, Rachel Hardy, Yuka Kitamura, and Motoi Sakuraba

Honorable mentions and #1 block:

Honorable mention: Blue Prince by Trigg & Gusset

Honorable mention: Assassin's Creed: Shadows by The Flight, TEKE::TEKE, and Thunderdrum, feat. Tiggs Da Author

#1: Skate Story by Blood Cultures

Honorable mention: Tetris: The Grand Master 4 -Absolute Eye- by Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso

Honorable mention: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves by unconformed composers

Honorable mention: Monster Train 2 by Jordan Chin

Honorable mention: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds by Takahiro Kai, Kanon Oguni, Jun Senoue, Kenichi Tokoi, et al.

#1: Mario Kart World by Maasa Miyoshi, Takuhiro Honda, Yutaro Takakuwa, et al.

Honorable mention: Final Fantasy XVI by Masayoshi Soken, Takafumi Imamura, Daiki Ishikawa, Saya Yasaki, and Justin Frieden

Honorable mention: Dispatch by Andrew Arcadi, Skyler Barto, et al.

#1: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail - The Arcadion by Masayoshi Soken, Chrissy Costanza, Jason Charles Miller, Tom Morello, et al.

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander

Art and design:

Alex Hadzaman

This week, it's awards season and the crew is ready to look at the Game Awards (and bash the Grammys).

So, what did the crew think of the nominated soundtracks? Did we guess the winners? Could anyone other than Rana pronounce French names correctly? There's only one way to find out!

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Full list of nominees and composers:

The Game Awards

Hollow Knight: Silksong (by Christopher Larkin)

Hades II (by Darren Korb)

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier)

Ghost of Yōtei (by Toma Otowa)

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (by Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell)

The Grammy Awards

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spire (by Pinar Toprak)

Helldivers 2 (by Wilbert Roget, II and Ross Tregenza)

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle (by Gordy Haab)

Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune (by Cody Matthew Johnson and Wilbert Roget, II)

Sword of the Sea (by Austin Wintory)

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander

This week, things get tense (but not really) as the crew tackles tension in gaming.

Yes, our line-up does include the obvious horror with Signalis and the dread of the final day of Majora's Mask, but did you know Project Wingman had a really good, tense song for a boss fight? We didn't!

You can listen along to the music discussed here via the playlist on our YouTube channel: Music Arcade 92

Looking to get in touch with us? You can find us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

We're also on Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/aM5WWGU

Song credits (in order of discussion):

Fire Emblem: Awakening - "Let's Prepare for Battle Here" (aka: "We'd best prepare for combat, just to be safe") by Hiroki Morishita

Hitman: Blood Money - "Hunter" by Jesper Kyd

Tales of the Abyss - "Crimson Pride" by Motoi Sakuraba

Descent: FreeSpace - The Great War - "Ambience 5" (unconfirmed title) by Dan Wentz

Signalis - "Matryoshka" by 1000 Eyes

Project Wingman - "Kings" by Jose Pavli

Final Fantasy VIII - "The Landing" by Nobuo Uematsu

Mega Man Zero - "X, The Legend" by Ippo Yamada (cover by Krzysztof Met Słowikowski)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - "Lorule Castle" by Ryo Nagamatsu, Koji Kondo, Akito Nakatsuka, and Hajime Wakai

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - "Final Hours" (aka: "Last Day") by Koji Kondo

Production credits:

Hosts:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Ranakel

Edie Alexsander

Audio producer:

Galen "The SoundGuy" Firestone

Executive producer:

Ranakel

Writing and publishing:

Edie Alexsander