XVGM Radio

While single games have been covered before on XVGM Radio, never before have we went into a soundtrack without hearing it period. Taking a page from our pal Ed Wilson over at The VGMbassy, we’re doing a “Blind Listen” episode where we pick tracks we haven’t heard, and learn about the game as we go along. The end result is a hilarious episode where Mike and Justin try to figure out PCM samples’ ori...

On XVGM Radio, we generally are pretty knowledgable about the subject matter of both game music and the game series we discuss. But what about when we’re not familiar with a franchise or its tunes? We bring in someone who’s played them all and in this circumstance that would be patron saint of video game music podcasts and leader of his own show, Alex Messenger of A VGM Journey. Together, we discu...

It’s that time of year again! Spooooooooooooookyfest has returned for it’s 2021 festival! Join Mike and Justin (and lots of zombies) for the most ghoulish “live” music event of the year! We’ve picked some really devilish tracks for you to sink your teeth into this Halloween season! From brand new Sega Genesis games to creepy crawly C64 classics, the XVGM Radio guys are making sure your late Octobe...

Barry Leitch is mostly known for his compositions on the Top Gear racing game series, and more recently, Horizon Chase Turbo. But if you dive deep enough, you’ll uncover a wealth of video game music magic from a man who was inspired by the greats of the C64 era. Starting out as a teenager, his earlier creations aren’t as fondly remembered by the composer himself but the journey to how they became...

The difference between consoles and handhelds can be immense…..or….there’s not much of a difference (if we’re talking about redbook audio, at least.) But what happens when we DO compare these two regarding the same composition, but different arrangements? What sacrifices need to be made to make the underpowered consoles stand out? Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin compare several handheld track...

The XVGM Radio guys go WILD…..with their fourth rendition of their Free Picks series of shows! Every 20 episodes, Mike and Justin pick whatever tracks they want to showcase, plus they flip a coin to determine the order of who introduces the episodes and picks the first tracks. How exciting! With a wide assortment of music at their fingertips, Mike blows Justin’s mind with an epic modern Genesis tr...

The original Blaster Master on the Nintendo Entertainment System was host to plenty of nostalgic memories for those of us who grew up during that era. But there’s a surprising amount of games that have been released for the game-turned-franchise and on this episode, Justin and Mike dive deep into the legacy of the series and how Naoki Kodaka helped shape the roots of what would become an explosive...

It’s a teamup of EPIC PROPORTIONS! Mike and Ed of XVGM Radio join forces with VGM Podcast minister and community mastermind, Ed Wilson (current host of The VGMbassy and previously co-host with Mike on PixelTunes Radio) to listen to some truly smash-tastic tunes. The guys pick their favorites from the Super Smash Bros. franchise, songs that recapture their memories of some of their favorite games a...

Plenty of video games have only had certain releases in exclusive territories but PAL territories are home to some pretty oddball selections of games; some of which we’ve chosen here to highlight their amazing music. Who let a bunch of Yanks in to chat about PAL exclusives, anyways?! No idea, but you’ll soon forget about all that when you tune in to this episode of XVGM Radio. From chats about wha...

We’re no strangers to covering obscure stuff on XVGM Radio…but this might be the most obscure thing we’ve chat about: Bandai’s Wonderswan family of handhelds. Going after the Game Boy was a lofty goal, one which made the Wonderswan succumb. But today, we dig up the grave of Bandai’s Wonderswan, the Wonderswan Color and the SwanCrystal, to delve into some video game music that we just can’t put our...

In an epic battle for Justin’s soul, Mike and Justin teamed up with Rhythm & Pixels to discuss the wild, wacky world of Adventure Island and Wonder Boy games and their funky fresh music! From heavy metal chiptune boss bangers to Dorabian Night arabic themes (yes, you read that right), the guys showcased some absolutely killer tunes this time around! From hilarious chats about Rob being an 80 y...

What do didgeridoos, surf rock and discussions on bellbottoms have in common? Well, they’re all featured bits of conversation taking place in Episode 74 of XVGM Radio, where the XVGM guys are chatting about spy and espionage games and their video game music! Listen to Mike and Justin get super nostalgic for the Get Smart TV series, the debate about two different types of listeners in regards to th...

The Legend of Zelda is perhaps most famous for being one of the flagship franchises on Nintendo consoles, expanding into the third dimension and consistently innovating as time has marched on. However, the franchise has also had its fair share of exploration on handhelds beginning with Link’s Awakening and continues to this day on the console/handheld hybrid Nintendo Switch with the remake all the...

The story of Vanillaware, an Osaka-based Japanese game developer, is one that could’ve been showcased in failure. The company’s first game almost shut down the company, but they later would regroup and continue working on video games, putting out some of the most original and interesting titles on more recent generations of consoles. Today, we sit down with Pragmatik, a Youtube game reviewer and s...

Going all the way back to Episode 3 where they covered Board and Card Game based titles, Mike and Justin are back at it, revisiting the theme but adding in some new twists and turns. This time around, they’re focusing on featuring video games that are board/card games utilizing gaming’s top franchises. From conversations about how Eddie from Mega Man dials a phone, to Speed: The Movie: The Card Ga...

Every now and then a game comes out that features a soundtrack that puts the fire back in our VGM lovin’ hearts. Paradise Killer is exactly that kind of OST. The XVGM Radio guys are joined by Barry “Epoch” Topping, the composer of (what Mike considers) the best VGM soundtrack of 2020. From the vocal-infused, saxophone wailing on the intro theme “Paradise (Stay Forever)”to the mix of genre-hopping...

It’s time to dim the lights, snuggle up with your favorite person and…put on some VGM?! In a post-Valentine’s Day delight, Mike and Justin have set up a playlist of games involving sexy characters and their equally sexy songs. The music choices here range from smooth jazz, sultry salsa, hard rockin’ and hip-hoppin’! Listen to discussions about hot dogs running from hungry girls, Mike getting...

What happens when video games and anime collide? You get video games based on anime, of course! Mike and Justin are joined by fellow-anime lover and Sega mega fan, George aka G To The Next Level, where the guys really hit it off celebrating video games based on anime and their stellar music. Diving deep into their own nostalgic memories of how they got interested in anime, the guys bring full atte...

HADOKEN! GET OVER HERE! C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER! All of these are sounds of the arcade and fighting game scene in general. But what about the fighting games that we didn’t play to death? On this episode of XVGM Radio, we dive into the music from fighting games to which we have zero nostalgia. From heavy discussions about balls..er…ballz, Alice Deejay comparisons, to the surprising lack of memo...

New Year, New Niko Episode! 2020 was a rough year on all of us, but before it got out of hand, Niko had stopped by for an episode in January and there was discussion at the end of that episode to cover Amiga the next time he stopped by. We didn’t forget his suggestion, and so this episode of XVGM Radio sees the NikoTengoku himself is back with a slew of amazing Amiga tracks that will melt faces! M...

Happy Holidays to all! For the final episode of 2020, in what’s been an absolutely bonkers world, Mike and Justin take a moment to sit down and enjoy the holidays together (socially distanced, of course.) What follows is a celebration of winter and holiday music of the video game variety, discussions about getting dat nut, Prehistoric Turtlesaurus’, and of course…gift giving. The guys unwrap...

Classics versus Covers has been done by XVGM Radio before, but never with a solo artist! Today’s episode is a treat, as Justin and Mike sit down with Lucia La Rezza, an Italian violinist and all around fan of video games. From her beginnings with the Game Boy to her self-admitted Playstation obsession, Lucia is as much of a fan of working on music as she is for video games; and the two aren’t mutu...

Comparing and analyzing differences is often done on XVGM Radio, but when it comes to the Same Song, Different System episodes, it’s on a whole other level! Today, Mike and Justin are doing a deep dive into the world of retro gaming video game music in a special free picks episode, but unlike most free picks that happen every 20th episode, we’re doing a comparison to other ports and versions of th...

Crash Bandicoot games are often praised for their tight gameplay, innovative level designs, fun characters, and brilliant graphics…but the music, as usual, is the real all-star attraction on this week’s episode as the XVGM Radio gents journey to the Wumpa Islands, and beyond! Mike hits on some crates wedged in between TNT, as he risks playing some truly oddball tunes whereas Justin plays it...

It’s Halloween time! Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the guys had to, of course, cancel the “live” festival of previous years for something more….virtual. Mike and Justin picked 11 scary, haunting, creepy, and most of all SPOOKY video game music tunes that will put the stalk in your scarecrows….the flaps in your bats….the lasagna in your….fat cats? Well, you’ll understand when you listen. A...