The VGMbassy

It’s June, and that means it’s Masters of VGM month! This year, the focus across all of the participating VGM podcasts is to shine a spotlight on composers that we feel don’t get enough attention in the media. We’ve invited longtime contributor and friend The Diad to highlight four of his favorite underrated game music maestros, and Ed has shared in kind. Tune in to catch u...

Nintendo has been on a roll lately! Last month we celebrated all things Mario in the wake of the release of the Super Mario Bros Movie, and this month sees the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Switch. Patreon Patron Mike Stark, longtime Zelda fan and member of the Norwalk Gamer Symphony Orchestra, joins us in-studio this month to chat about the Zelda series and its music....

Break out those rolls of quarters! On this episode, Shujin Academy VGM Club’s very own Professor Tom swings by The VGMbassy to play some music from Sega arcade games. We’ve got a treasure trove of certified FM Jams to groove along to here, from favorites like Fantasy Zone to obscurities like Holosseum! A huge thank you to Indira J ( The Misadventures of Buddy and Friend , Sacrimony ) f...

Embassy Exclusive has a lot to celebrate this month! Ed, Joe, and Todd all grew up on Nintendo, and the Mario Bros universe is extremely near and dear to their hearts. With the release of the Super Mario Bros Movie, the guys have decided to do an all-Mario show! Even better, video game composer/ remixer/ arranger extraordinaire Mustin has teamed up with our trio to share some music from his new al...

This month, we’re going to dive into the world of obscure Amiga games and their music. The Amiga computer was a popular platform in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, known for its impressive sound and graphics capabilities. Despite being overshadowed by other gaming systems of the time in North America, the Amiga had a loyal fanbase and a rich library of games with unique soundtracks.  In this...

Here at The VGMbassy, we only recognize one video game console as a sovereign entity: The Atari 2600. Incomparable in it’s raw quality and power, the 2600 has been king of the console industry since 1977. On today’s very special episode, Ed dusts off some of the games of his youth, listens to their amazing soundtracks, gets his family to join in the fun, and maaaaybe destroys his house...

XVGM Radio’s Justin joins us this month in Joe’s absence for an evening of music and poignant gaming opinions. We’ve got a few patron-submitted questions at the top, followed by our lively topics! Todd is fresh back from PAX, and alongside his memories of the event, he saw Bit Brigade perform and wonders what other games might be fun to watch them play. Justin’s debut discu...

It’s a double-crossover event! Inspired by their shared podcast The Arcane Machine, XVGM Radio co-host Justin Schneider joins Ed for a look at dark subculture music in video games. Get ready for some grindy industrial, spooky goth, and ethereal synthwave tunes! There are some great examples here, including music from Master Boot Record, Jesper Kyd, Akira Yamaoka, and more. A huge thank you t...

Welcome to the first regularly-available public episode of Embassy Exclusive! Previously only offered to Patreon members, EE is a fun, laid back show where VGMbassy host Ed and his friends Joe and Todd talk about the burning topics in video games and geek culture. VGMbassy Discord members have the opportunity to participate by weighing in on the month’s topics! As usual, some great VGM serve...

To celebrate the release of their new EP, “Let’s Take This Outside,” gritty VGM cover band The Mad Gear have been offering discounts at their gym. Ed decides to get swole, checks it out, and nothing short of VGM-induced chaos ensues. Featuring a guest appearance from Rhythm & Pixels cohosts Rob and Pernell! Check out The Mad Gear’s new release on Bandcamp:  The Mad Gear...

It’s cold outside, VGM fans! As is yearly tradition at the ol’ VGMbassy, Ed gathers around the fire with his pals Joe and Todd to share and chat about some blustery winter-themed video game music. Get cozy with a nice blanket and a warm beverage and listen to some lovely tracks from Jumping Flash, Overcooked 2, CrossCode, and more! A huge thank you to Indira J ( The Misadventures of Bu...

See that spinning dice block over your head? Give it a good SMAAASH! Woohoo! You’ve won a new podcast episode all about Mario Party, with Alex Messenger, host of A VGM Journey. Alex and Ed cover all of the console Mario Party games on this episode, playing some of their favorite tunes, chatting about their favorite minigames, and dishing on fun memories playing with their friends and family....

It’s Ed’s birthday and the full release of Vampire Survivors on the same day! Coupled with Halloween just around the corner, there’s a lot to celebrate on this episode. Join the fun as he takes a look at music from top-down perspective survival shooters, a genre quickly gaining popularity due to the runway success of Vampire Survivors and its Castlevania-inspired soundtrack. From...

On this episode, Rob and Pernell from the Rhythm & Pixels VGM podcast hang out with Ed and Logan in the VGMbassy studio for a fun casual chat! Recorded on the night before Retro World Expo, Ed gathered some fun questions from VGMbassy Discord members and put his guests in the Hot Seat. We’re light on VGM this time around, but super heavy in laughs, personality, and spirit! Check out the...

June is Masters of VGM month for Game Music Podcasts worldwide! Ed joins a cavalcade of likeminded podcasters and shares music from his top 4 composers of all time. Think you can guess who they are without looking? Head over to MastersOfVGM.com to discover more participating podcasts and take a look at which composers got the most votes! Check out the Masters of VGM Twitter: @MastersofVGM A huge t...

A game that pioneered both free movement and living room vertigo at the same time, Descent was a game that saw the player as the pilot of a ship in zero gravity combat. The twisty-turny gameplay caught the attention of PC and Mac gamers around the world, resulting in spinoffs and sequels. On today’s episode, Justin (XVGM Radio, The Arcane Machine) joins Ed once again for a music-history show...

Codemaster’s Quattro Games series hit the NES market in the early 1990’s as entries in their Aladdin Deck Enhancer series. Each of the three unlicensed carts had four titles, and each one centered around a theme: Sports, Adventure, and Arcade. The games were of varying quality, but the soundtracks from Gavin Raeburn, Ashley Hogg, and cohorts wowed any gamer fortunate enough to check th...

Embassy Exclusive’s Joe stops by the VGMbassy for its 8th Blind Listen! This time around, Patreon patron Scott McElhone tries to stump Ed and Joe with a soundtrack from a game known as Burn:Cycle. It’s a wild ride full of lengthy tunes, ranging from ethereal soundscapes to incredible electronica. Sprinkled throughout are snippets of dialogue (some extremely raunchy) which the boys use...

Two pads. Eight arrows. Hours and hours of musical fun. Dance Dance Revolution started as a modest rhythm game in Japanese arcades and quickly grew into a cultural phenomenon. On this episode Rob Nichols, cohost of VGM podcast Rhythm & Pixels, joins Ed for a very in-depth chronological look at 20 years’ worth of the amazing danceable music which took arcades around the world by storm. On...

Few game development houses can match the consistent quality that Nihon Falcom has put out over the course of 40 years. There are a wealth of wonderful games to play that appeal to the casual RPG player and hardcore enthusiast alike. With each new title, Falcom’s composers worked tirelessly to deliver incredible soundtracks as well, rounding out their fantastic gameplay and visuals with brea...

Dust off that thinking cap and polish up that magnifying glass, because it’s time for another Blind Listen! This time, listener UtopiaNemo tries to stump Ed and game composer Ryan Steel with the soundtrack to a game called Going Under. Our hosts, using only the music and track titles, need to figure out what kind of game they’re listening to. Bonus points for guessing the year, compose...

Most video games are just more fun when shared with someone you care about. Memorable gaming moments are even more special when you can recount them with a loved one years later. On this episode, Ed is joined by VGMbassador-tier Patron FranklyZappa to chat about the crazy gaming stories they’ve had with our brothers and family members. Prepare to be entertained with tales of playing 1080 Sno...

This month’s Patreon-only podcast is special in more ways than one: It’s a Halloween companion piece to the awesome Patron-submission show that the community helped create, but it’s also the first “traditional” episode to be uploaded publicly! Embassy Exclusive is a bonus podcast that’s normally only offered to our VGMissary-tier ($3/mo) patrons and above, but a...

Happy Halloween! To celebrate the scariest holiday of the year, Ed joins the rest of the Embassy Exclusive crew (aka Joe and Todd) to share some Patreon patron submitted tunes in the key of “spooky.” Hide under the covers as over a dozen creepy VGM selections make you afraid to turn off the lights! A huge thank you to Indira J ( The Misadventures of Buddy and Friend , Sacrimony ) for t...

The Bionic Commando series started as a modest arcade game released by Capcom in 1987. Its unique mechanic, involving the protagonist being able to swing from an extendable arm instead of jumping, won the hearts of gamers all over the world. Thus, a long-running line of games was born! Ed has been a longtime fan of the NES version of the game, and today he explores the music and history of the ser...