BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast

Episode #141 of BGMania. We're back with another company-focused edition of the podcast, and this time, Bryan and Frank listen to some excellent music from games published and/or developed by Sunsoft! The duo also share quite a bit of memories that they have from Sunsoft related games. Frank's audio gets "demonic", for lack of a better word, for a few brief seconds at the beginning of the show and...

Episode #140 of BGMania. We've reached the end. So long, folks! WAIT! Don't go anywhere... we just meant we reached the end of the game! And now, we get to listen to some rocking credits music! This week on the show, Bryan and Frank explore what makes credits music so fun and jolly in another exciting episode. Enjoy the show! Please send all track requests for future episodes, feedback, comments,...

Episode #139 of BGMania. It's time for another deep dive into one specific composer, and this month, Bryan and Frank are so excited to finally be listening to and discussing the work of Grant Kirkhope. A composer that is no stranger to anyone who listens to BGMania, Grant has provided us with that "Kirkhopian" sound we've adored since our teenage years. Enjoy the show! Please send all track reques...

Episode #138 of BGMania. We get pretty eclectic this month for Radio Hour as Bryan and Frank kick their feet back and enjoy another awesome assortment of video game music. Enjoy the show! Please send all track requests for future episodes, feedback, comments, questions, and concerns to bgmania@leveldowngames.com The tracklist for today’s episode is as follows: Paris (Hotline Miami) [2012] Coneball...

Episode #137 of BGMania. Apologies for the show being a day late. Bryan is still getting over not feeling well from earlier this week, which set everything back by a full day. This week on the podcast, Bryan and Frank sit down in a spiritual state of mind to listen to music that comes from very specific sections in certain video games. We're exploring music from Cathedrals, Churches, Temples, and...

Episode #136 of BGMania. We're back with another focus on a particular year. Last time, way back on Episode 48, we discussed the year 1992. While that had some excellent games and music in it, we were still babies when it came to podcasting, and our focus on the year 1994 turned out to be much more enjoyable. Sorry for the delay and the episode not being up this morning, as I had a bit of work to...

Episode #135 of BGMania. This episode has been a long time coming, as Bryan has been a massive fan of this hidden gem of a soundtrack for years. Released here in North America as Crusader of Centy and over in Europe as Soleil, this SEGA Genesis Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past clone features a masterclass of compositions from a one and done composer, Motokazu Shinoda. Do not skip this episode!...

Episode #134 of BGMania. This episode of Radio Hour is a special one. Recently, Bryan and Jessica had the pleasure of attending the NieR Orchestra Concert in Chicago, and while they talked heavily about it on this past week's episode of Max Level, Bryan recounts several stories from the concert itself on today's episode while playing music that we heard during the actual concert. Radio Hour is gen...

Bonus Episode #21 of BGMania. A criminally underlooked game from 2019, Sayonara Wild Hearts has captivated Bryan from Level Down Games with its emotional story beats, excellent rhythm gameplay, and outstanding soundtrack. This game needs all the love we can show it, as it truly deserves it. We're uploading this episode on Australia Day because we're also using this episode to spread awareness on h...

Episode #133 of BGMania. Bryan had this grand idea to bring the chill and the cool back to the weather and to BGMania this week... but Mother Nature had other plans! She brought winter back to much of the United States at the same time! So while we anticipated having this episode to get you back into the spirit of winter... you probably don't need that anymore. Regardless, Snowy and Icy Levels, Pa...

Episode #132 of BGMania. I truly think this will go down as one of the greatest episodes of BGMania in our 2.5-year history. This week, Bryan and Frank FINALLY show some love to Yasunori Nishiki and the wonderful soundtrack of Octopath Traveler. Enjoy the show! Please send all track requests for future episodes, feedback, comments, questions, and concerns to bgmania@leveldowngames.com The tracklis...

Episode #131 of BGMania. An episode that is long overdue, Bryan and Frank finally take a musical journey through the retro side of Metroid games. From the NES to the SNES, to the Game Boy and Gameboy Advance. There's something for everyone in the show today, including many iconic pieces of music from the franchise. Enjoy the show! Please send all track requests for future episodes, feedback, comme...

Episode #130 of BGMania. As mentioned at the end of last week's episode, we're kicking of 2020 and the New Year by making things right and taking a dive into a series we keep meaning to highlight but never end up doing, Dragon Quest! One of Bryan's all-time favorite JRPG franchises, he and Frank explore the wonderful Koichi Sugiyama compositions from the original NES Trilogy on today's podcast, ba...

Episode #129 of BGMania. MERRY CHRISTMAS! For the first time ever, BGMania and Christmas fall on the same Wednesday, which just so happens to be the last Wednesday of this month. We put up a special edition of Radio Hour Volume 30 yesterday as a bonus episode, because today, we wanted to do something special. Bryan and Frank sit down in front of the yule log to listen to some festive tracks from g...

Bonus Episode #20 of BGMania. In an unusual twist, Radio Hour Volume 30 ends up being the Bonus Episode this month for BGMania as we have a special episode planned for tomorrow's edition of the podcast. We received a lot of positive feedback on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow short story audio episode we did back in October, so we're following that up with a reading from the inside of the album for Tr...

Episode #128 of BGMania. 2019 has been an amazing year, not just in terms of new game releases, but also in terms of the soundtracks that we got to experience because of them. At the end of each year, Bryan and Frank like to take a look back at some of the best music we were able to discover for the first time when these games released earlier in the year. Enjoy the show! Please send all track req...

Episode #127 of BGMania. The next generation of consoles arrives in less than a year. As gamers everywhere prepare for the arrival of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett, Bryan and Frank decided it would be fun this week to look at the last year that 18 of the most popular home consoles and handhelds were in their prime. The dates listed below may not reflect the dates we mention during the actual...

Episode #126 of BGMania. The last composer deep dive of 2019 promises to be one of our strongest yet, as we'll be exploring the career and compositional works of the timeless Yasunori Mitsuda. Responsible for composing some of our favorite JRPG games and memories, this episode is filled to the brim with excellent music and wonderful memories. Enjoy the show! Please send all track requests for futu...

Episode #125 of BGMania. Happy Thanksgiving! (Or if you subscribe to Frank's crazy train of thought.. Franksgiving.) Bryan and Frank have prepared a bountiful harvest of excellent music to listen to while you feast upon all the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie that your heart can handle. We also have a pick from Jessica and one from a listener of the podcast. If you are outside o...

Episode #123 of BGMania. Things return to normal this week on the podcast as Frank rejoins the show for a wonderful retrospective episode of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Thanks to a suggestion from one of our loyal listeners, Ryan over in Ireland, Bryan and Frank reminisce on Metal Gear and go off on many enjoyable tangents. Enjoy the show! Please send all track requests for future episodes, fe...

Episode #122 of BGMania. In what will hopefully be the final Bryan solo episode before Frank is able to return to the show, we have the pleasure of exploring one of Bryan's favorite soundtracks from 2019 thus far. Megan McDuffee slayed the music for River City Girls from top to bottom. If you're a fan of the synth and retrowave heavy tracks.. join us for a drive into the neon nights. Enjoy the sho...

Bonus Episode #19 of BGMania. As I sit here in the studio, listening to the rain patter against the window on this dreary Halloween morning, I'm reminded a lot of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, originally penned by Washington Irving. In this bonus episode for the month of October, Bryan celebrates Halloween with a reading from one of his favorite short stories of all time. Enjoy the show! Please sen...

Episode #121 of BGMania. We're about to unfortunately finish up our October episodes for the year, but not before another eclectic mix of spooky and Halloween inspired music from an assortment of games. Bryan is solo on this episode as he and Frank could not get their schedules to align properly this week, so feel free to send in all the comments on how this episode was one of the best ones yet! ;...

Episode #120 of BGMania. Use thy voice, Sarah, fill the sky! Bring the little brats to die! Witches have always been fascinating, and many forms of entertainment have been centering ideas on them for years on end. Bryan and Frank sit down to discuss witches while listening to some excellent music from games based on witches, or games that feature a very prominent witch as a central character. Enjo...