Heading back to the YM2608 for a look (and listen) at a game called Starfire for the  PC-9801. A system exclusive, 1st person action RPG, released on October 14th of 1994; developed and published by a small company called StarCraft Inc. It's an interesting game that, even though a Japanese only title, borrows heavily from Western games like "Might and Magic." More importantly, the music composed by Takeshi Abo, is a mixture of ambient, dance, and focuses on rhythm and pace to carry the mood. 

Join in as we discuss the music of Starfire and also chat with Takeshi Abo about his music from over 20 years ago!

 

Starfire (1994, Starcraft Inc.)

NEC PC-9801, YM2608 (MUSDRV Sound driver)

Composed by Takeshi Abo (homepage)

- Interview transcript available at Patreon -

Track List:

0:00:00 Title Screen

0:07:33 Opening

0:10:28 Enemy Ship I

0:17:08 Galaxy II

0:20:11 Planet II

0:28:42 My Ship

0:41:07 Battle I

0:43:02 Boss Theme

0:45:49 Planet III

0:53:08 Event I

0:55:31 Enemy Ship II

1:12:15 Galaxy I

1:25:22 Unused Track

1:31:47 Ending

 

Thanks to tails_ at our partner site vgmrips.net for the logged data!

The third Natsume NES/Famicom spotlight on the show features music from another strong composer. Dragon Fighter is a side scrolling action platformer, released for the Famicom in Japan in 1990, developed by Natsume and published by Towa Chiki. In 1992 the game was brought to the North American audience by a company called SOFEL Corp. Using the driver by Iku Mizutani, composer Kouichi Yamanishi delivers a similar style that retains everything we love about the Natsume sound. Join us as we listen to the music of Dragon Fighter on Nintendo's 8 bit powerhouse.

Track List:

0:00:09 The Frozen Battle

0:07:30 Don't Disturb

0:14:17 In to the Depth

0:30:33 Can You Chain Up

0:32:38 Initiative of a Ghost

0:37:09 Boss 1

0:38:52 Boss 2

0:46:50 The Dragon Fighter

0:54:02 Ending

...other Natsume featured episodes:

Episode 78 - Mitsume ga Touru (Interview with Hiroyuki Iwatsuki)

Episode 37 - Shadow of the Ninja

We're taking a break... Don't worry, just this week. :) In this episode, we got together for a bit to listen to how we started (episode 1) that was released just over 3 years ago now. We talk a little about the show, how we've changed, the way it's produced, and the other additions as well. If you were expecting a normal episode, we do apologize but hope that you join in this mini retrospective on Pixelated Audio. - BRYAN & JAMES

In this installment of Pixelated Audio, we're heading back to the Game Boy featuring a soundtrack from a Japanese-only title called Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade, developed by Sun L and published by Yutaka in 1992. This game is based off the short lived anime by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency. The game is a blast and has a great soundtrack composed by Norihiko Togashi, who has contributed to over 100 titles in his career (Battle Dodgeball, Ultraman, and Super Wagyan Land for SFC). Join us as we tear apart the audio from this cool action platformer.

Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade (宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレード)

Sun L / Yutaka (Game Boy, 1992)

Composed by Norihiko Togashi

Track List:

0:00:09 Title Screen

0:06:32 Stage 1

0:16:26 Stage 2

0:19:14 Stage Clear

0:28:23 Stage 3

0:40:17 Stage 4

0:42:42 Stage 5

0:47:22 Stage 6

0:49:45 Boss

0:57:30 Ending Cinematic

0:59:39 Staff Roll

BlaZeon is a horizontal shooter, developed by A.I Co and published by Atlus in 1992 for the arcade. Originally a Japanese only release, Atlus ported the game to the SNES for Japan AND the US shortly after (in the same year, 1992) The music (composed by Tsukasa Masuko) is totally pumpin' and deserves a listen. Join in as we dive into the soundtrack.

BlaZeon (Atlus, 1992)

Arcade, YM2151

Composed by Tsukasa Masuko

Track List:

0:00:07 Next Step (Stage Clear)

0:04:54 Optimistic Departure (Title Demo / Stage 1)

0:09:26 Cosmic Ocean Blue (Stage 2 [First Section])

0:16:08 Cosmic Ocean Blue (SNES)

0:20:48 Alpha (Stage 2 [Second Section])

0:28:41 Infinite World (Stage 3)

0:40:06 Unlimited Attack (Middle Boss)

0:43:29 Intimidating Spaces (Boss)

0:57:12 Fighting Machine (Stage 4 [First Section])

1:01:01 Emergency Avoidance (Stage 4 [Second Section])

1:05:03 Battle of Silence (Stage 5)

1:11:25 Hop, Step, Jump! (Ending)

Thanks to 2ch-H from our sister site vgmrips.net. Grab the pack here!

Originally, Lunar: The Silver Star was published by Game Arts for the Sega CD (Mega CD) in Japan in 1992, and the US in 1993 by Working Designs  -developed Game Arts, Studio Alex.

In 1996, Game Arts completely reworked, and retold the story of Lunar by releasing Lunar: The Silver Star Story for the Sega Saturn exclusively in Japan. Later on, the remake made it’s worldwide release debuting on the Sony PlayStation in 1998, then in the US in 1999, titled Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete.

Lunar touched many gamer's hearts as it told the story of a young boy whose dreams of becoming a Dragonmaster begin to unfold. The game has remarkable storytelling (wether you love or hate the translation) mixed with adventure, love, and friendship that's a must-play for any RPG fan. But the key to any good RPG is the music. Noriyuki Iwadare's (岩垂徳行) composition brings out the emotional quality that can emphasize the excitement or tear your heart out with despair. And without him, this would have been a very different game. Join us as we discuss the music of Lunar: The Silver Star and the remakes as well as an interview with composer, Noriyuki Iwadare.

Lunar: The Silver Star

Game Arts, Studio Alex, Working Designs - Sega CD/Mega CD - 1992

Composed by:  Noriyuki Iwadare, Hiroshi Fujioka, Isao Mizoguchi, Yoshiaki Kubotera

Lunar: The Silver Star Story (Complete)

Game Arts - Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation 1996~1999

Composed by:  Noriyuki Iwadare

Lunar: The Silver Star Harmony

XSEED - Sony PlayStation Portable - 2009

Composed by:  Noriyuki Iwadare

Noriyuki Iwadare (VGMPF | Wikipedia)

The Making of Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete (YouTube)

Track List:

0:00:08 Now the Story Begins (PlayStation)

0:17:06 Toward the Horizon (PlayStation)

0:22:29 Burg (PlayStation)

0:25:58 Burg (Sega CD)

0:38:31 Fun Traveling (PlayStation)

0:45:33 Town by the Sea (Sega CD)

0:52:04 Have a Big Dream (Sega Saturn)

0:58:45 Traffic (PSP)

1:04:15 Mysterious Cave (PSP)

1:07:32 Go Go Go! (PlayStation)

1:10:43 Fighting Spirits (PlayStation)

1:18:45 Battle (Sega CD)

1:24:18 Fighters (PSP)

1:27:23 Four Heroes (PSP)

1:34:57 Recollection (PlayStation)

1:37:29 Sad Events (Sega CD)

1:41:58 Thieve’s Bazaar (PlayStation)

1:52:47 Solitary Wolf (PSP)

2:12:23 Hero In Town (Sega CD)

2:18:41 Meribia (PSP)

2:31:32 Determination (PSP)

2:37:02 The Tower (Sega CD)

2:39:33 Final Conflict (Sega CD)

2:44:00 Lunar Theme Arranged (Ending Credits) (PlayStation)

The 90s were a particularly strong era for game audio on all fronts. The console market was thriving by creating a simpler way to play a game on the cheap, but the PC gaming scene continued to deliver unique experiences with many different hardware configurations. Guest, Gene Dreyband, joins us for a look at some 90s PC/AT music that rocked our world in this expansion pack.

Track List:

0:00:00 The Secret of Monkey Island Theme (IBM-PC Speaker) - Michael Land

0:06:32 Lagoon (Classic) - Fury of the Furries (YM3812/OPL2) - Frédéric Motte

0:14:20 Dream - Wacky Wheels (YM3812/OPL2) - Mark Klem

0:20:34 Transport Tycoon Deluxe Theme (YM3812/OPL2) - John Broomhall

0:27:49 Road 5 - Sky Roads (YM3812/OPL2) - Ott M. Aaloe

0:33:07 Intergalactic Travel 2 - Solar Winds: The Escape (YM3812/OPL2) - Dan Froelich

0:37:30 Dune Variation - Dune (YMF262/OPL3 - Adlib Gold) - Stéphane Picq

0:43:57 Industrious - Jazz Jackrabbit (ScreamTracker3 Module) - Robert Allen

0:52:39 Wolfgang Ritter - Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (MT-32) - Robert Holmes

1:00:06 The Uninvited Visitors - Dubious Island - Sorcerian Forever (YMF262/OPL3) - Falcom Sound Team jdk

We are back with another Music Disk volume to satisfy the craving for more FM synth!

Today we're featuring some select tunes from a disk title "Firecracker Music Collection vol.A: Comiket 42 Special" composed, arranged, and programmed entirely by CHEMOOL (Takahiro Yonemura). This disk was release for the PC-8801 on August 16th, 1992 and uses PMD v3.3 (by KAJA). Join us for some good ol' fashion doujin originals and arrangements.

Track list:

0:00:06 Tetrafreaks (Tetraforce)

0:04:05 Vapor Trail (Vapor Trail) - GAMADELIC

0:08:01 Minor-1 (Legend of Noten)

0:15:29 BGM-E (Atomic Robokid) - Mecano Associates

0:18:13 Wagiagare! Power (Midnight Resistance) - GAMADELIC

0:21:09 Running Up! (Bass enhanced version) (Dirt Fox) - Shinji Hosoe

0:27:19 Flash Flash Flash (Bosconian X68k) - Yuzo Koshiro

0:31:48 Activation (Martial Age X68k) - KIYO

0:35:59 Lost of Consciousness (Nouten Chokugeki III)

0:40:08 Exert all your Powers!!~ (Super Sonic Shooter)

Arumana no Kiseki  (The Miracle of Arumana) is a sidescrolling action game released by Konami in 1987 for the Famicom Disk System. The game bleeds Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Seriously. Gameplay has similar bits and pieces from Castlevania and Bionic Commando but still sets itself apart as a nice little title. More importantly, the music is stellar and it's what we would expect from the 8bit publishing giant. Composed by Kinuyo Yamashita and Kouji Murata.

The FDS isn't a stranger to the show. We've also covered both Ai Senshi Nicol and Falsion before but there's something so special about the extra channel accompanying the NES sound hardware we can't resist talking about it again. During the show we listened to the different waveforms of the Ricoh 2C33 in the second tune. Here's a quick look on each one in order of appearance.

The waveform of each FDS instrument in Stage 1, 4, 6

Arumana no Kiseki (アルマナの奇跡) Konami, 1987

Composed by Kinuyo Yamashita and Kouji Murata

Track list:

0:00:07 Opening

0:03:42 Stage 1, 4, 6

0:10:22 Boss Theme 1

0:16:57 Stage 2, 3

0:27:13 Stage 5

0:36:00 Boss Theme II

0:38:17 Ending

0:43:58 Stage 1, 4, 6 (Remix using VRC6 by Shimoine)

Check out the game in action during Bryan's stream session: Arumana no Kiseki (アルマナの奇跡) FDS

 

Beware the Neck Dragon!!

Mitsume ga Tooru might not have made a western appearance, but what's not to love? The gameplay is simple, accessible, and challenging - but not in a frustrating 'rage-quit' way, we loved it. Honestly, the soundtrack is awesome and going to be a lot of fun to listen to together with you. Composer, Hiroyuki Iwatsuki, makes an appearance as well to provide some extra insight on the game and his career.

Track list:

0:00:00 Intro (Fami)

0:07:34 Stage 1-1/Stage 2-1

0:13:58 Stage 1-2/Stage 5-1

0:23:43 Stage 2-2/Stage 4-2

0:36:46 Stage 3-1/Stage 4-1

0:39:41 Stage 3-2

0:45:36 Stage 1 (MSX)

0:48:13 Stage 5-2

0:55:46 Stage 5-3

1:03:02 Boss Fight

1:16:00 Ending (Credits/Staff Roll)

Mitsume ga Tooru (Fami) composed by Hiroyuki Itwasuki

See interview transcript here > Interview with Hiroyuki Iwatsuki