Returning to the topic of Natsume’s musical history, Mike and Justin revisit one last time for a sort of epilogue on the history of Natsume via Tengo Project. Formed from an offshoot of Natsume Co. Ltd in the mid to late 2000s, Tengo Project is a small team of Natsume’s original staff who have been revisiting the company’s past to remake or create sequels to some of their most famous games. From Ninjas to shrine maidens and even a sort of wild, wild west, Tengo Project’s games have captured a snapshot of the past while recreating it for a modern era. Today, the XVGM Radio guys listen to some incredible music from Hiroyuki Iwatsuki as well as Iku Mizutani, in an era where both Natsume composers revisit their legendary past.

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn (SWI/PS5/PC/XBOX – 2024) “Stage 1” Iku Mizutani

Greetings boils, ghouls and everyBOOdy in between! Welcome to another SPOOOOOOOOKYFEST 2024! Each year, Mike and Justin get together for an “outdoor festival” that everyone can go to and enjoy some spooky halloween tunes! From horror movie based IPs with insanely creepy swamp tracks to bad William Shatner impressions, this episode is chock full of tricks AND treats that’ll keep you coming back to the festival for years to come! Enjoy a glass of rotten worm punch and rock out to some Baroque style jams from the Sharp 68000. Here’s SPOOKYFEST 2024!

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – Spirits and Spells/Castleween (GCN/GBA, 2003) “The Shrouded Cemetery & the Crypt” Michel Golgivit, Olivier Rabat

We’ve covered the Mario RPG games and their music WAY back on Episode 29 but today, we’re revisiting one of the best Paper Mario games out there: Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. Recently, it received a remaster on the Nintendo Switch and while the original soundtrack is an option in this new version, a brand new redone soundtrack has some major differences from the original. To discuss the game and the music comparisons, we’ve brought in a Thousand Year Door expert: Justin’s wife Ariel Schneider! Hear each song and get the breakdown, as well as some fun discussions on the wacky cast of characters in this game! All on the 115th episode of XVGM Radio!

TRACK LISTING:

GCN – 2004 Composed by Yoshito Hirano, Yuka Tsujiyoko

Intro – “An Awfully Long Time Ago…”

Justin comes in with a jump off the top rope! BOOM! Mike goes down, and it’s ONE-TWO-11? Yes, 11 tracks of excellent wrestling music from video games are coming your way on this super-charged episode of XVGM Radio! Hear the guys chat about their Wrestling game (and Wrestling TV) experiences. Plus an extra special appearance by a few pals of XVGM Radio in a super silly commercial, all on the 114th episode!

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – Tag Team Wrestling (NES – 1986) “Track 1” Unknown Composer

There’s two things that don’t get the recognition they deserve when it comes to video games: Game Boy Advance soundtracks and licensed games. Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin build up a musical tale to combat this inaccurate statement with a GBA soundtrack from a licensed game that rocks! Robots, based on the CGI family friendly flick, has a soundtrack sure to get your gears spinning. As an added bonus, the XVGM Radio guys interview the composer, Ian Stocker. Find out fun facts about the creation of the soundtrack, hear discussions about Garfield, hot dog nicknames and so much more on this stellar episode of XVGM Radio!

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – “Intro Movie”

High score rankings have been a thing since the 70s in video games. But the music layered behind them didn’t really pick up until the 80s. Justin and Mike examine these tunes to explore the eastern vs western comparisons. Eastern composers tend to create much shorter high score music than western composers and the guys find a few tracks here and there that do show the differences in tone and style. Filled with influences from prog and classic rock, funk, r&b, dance and new wave genres, today’s episode pulls no punches with tracks from Amiga, arcade, 16 bit systems and even some redbook audio! There’s even a newer track buried in here to prove that high score tunes have a life beyond the 80s and 90s! We hope you’ll rank this one high on your podcast list!

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – Ridge Racer Revolution (PS1 – 1996) “High Score Screen” Nobuhide Isayama, Hiroshi Okubo

Many of today’s indie and AA developers know their retro. That’s why there’s an abundance of amazing games available for modern platforms which channel the games of our pasts. Thankfully, game composers of the current era haven’t forgotten the roots of VGM either, as the amount of modern games which rely on catchy melodies, punchy drums and FM tones is alive and well. On today’s XVGM Radio, Justin and Mike uncover some of their favorite game music styled like the 8-bit and 16-bit tunes that raised them. Tons of interesting conversation about Justin wearing diapers, wax nostalgic Strong Bad references (20XD6!)

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – Venture Kid (SWI/WIN/IOS – 2016) “Title Theme” Matt Creamer

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 one of his favorite genre offerings: Jazz music. We listen to a few tracks from his latest album, Jazz Resort, Vol. 2. He talks about his influences (John Coltrane,) and shares stories about his time at Konami (What was lunch time like in Konami’s headquarters?) Mike asks some blatantly selfish questions about Castlevania and we learn about some close, personal composer friends of his. We also get to hear stories about Hideo Kojima and how Hibino’s hectic schedule worked when composing for multiple projects at the same time. For Konami, Metal Gear and Jazz fans, this is an episode you DO NOT want to miss!

What did you think of this episode and Jazz Resort Vol 2? Got a favorite track you heard today?  Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio

TRACK LISTING: (All songs by Norihiko Hibino)

Intro – “There’s Always A Path” from Norihiko Hibino’s Jazz Resort, Vol 2.

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 heartstrings or the songs made it look like we were cuttin’ onions, we’ve assembled a list of tracks here that hit our souls in a way that other VGM hasn’t. Grab the tissues and shed some tears to the softer side of video game music with 11 songs chosen by the three hosts (and one by Patron Cam Werme) that you’ll remember for days to come. Prepare for some emotional damage on this episode of XVGM Radio!

What did you think of these sad songs? Got a favorite track?  Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio

TRACK LISTING:

Intro (Niko) – Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch – 2020) “Chit-Chat Over Coffee” – Yoshito Sekigawa

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 animated content, with a focus on Japanese animation being highlighted in many of them. With a combination of redbook audio and the same sound chip that was in the PC-Engine (Turbo Grafx-16 for us North Americans,) the PC-FX was host to some incredible musical content. On this episode, Justin schools Mike on “swords and boards,” resident obscure game nerd Nick Carney stops by for a quick call and the boys chat about the wild and wacky world of eroge games! Join Mike and Justin as they analyze just some of the PC-FX’s tunes on the 108th episode of XVGM Radio!

TRACK LISTING:

Intro – Tokimeki Card Paradise – Koi No Royal Straight Flush (PC-FX, 1996) “Track 8” Target Labratory, Yusuke Takahama, Satoshi Nagano, Michihiko Shichi