XVGM Radio

The Nintendo 64 was released in 1996 in Japan and North America. September 29th, 1996 to be exact; 30 years old as of this recording! Though it wasn’t as big of a financial success for Nintendo as their two previous consoles, it was still an extremely important console. Often considered home to the birth of 3D games (it wasn’t, for the record,) Nintendo garnered much interest from developers who were willing to experiment with their console which felt like it was bucking the technology trend by sticking with cartridges and avoiding redbook audio. Regarding the music, there is no dedicated sound chip. Instead, sound is processed by the CPU, which meant songs had to be compressed immensely to fit. The console used ADPCM samples heavily, with reverb being used frequently to hide the compression in tracks. With all that said, there are some absolute bangers in the N64 library, for both games AND music. Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Niko wax nostalgic about this mid-to-late 90s console that captured the hearts of so many gamers. Though its library was much smaller than its main competition, it still managed to pull off an incredible run that is worth exploring by gamers in celebration of its 30th anniversary! We’d love to hear what you thought about these games and the tracks we’ve picked! Do you have any memories of the Nintendo 64? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio Also, we have a Discord Channel! Join us and chat about the show, share a random or obscure VGM song you love, or just chit chat with Mike and Justin about tacos! Join for free here: https://discord.gg/zWxDYfn As always, thanks to all of our wonderful Patrons: Scott McElhone, Ryan McPherson, Cam Werme, Rayjkayj, Reptile, Chris Murray, Claire Myers, Brad Austin, Nick Davis, Red Hua, & Kitty Sparks. Become a Patron, get cool rewards, and more at http://www.Patreon.com/XVGMRadio Check out all episodes of XVGM Radio on www.youtube.com/dongled for another more visual format! Our Instagram, and BlueSky are great ways to interact with us! Find us on there under our handle @XVGMRadio If you’re an Apple Podcasts listener, please consider leaving a rating and a review to let us know how we’re doing! It also helps with getting the show to show up when others are searching for VGM! TRACK LISTING: Intro – Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996) “Main Theme” Koji Kondo 1 – Hybrid Heaven (N64 – 1999) “The Experiment (Dr. Bross’ Blue Rex Chase)” Nobuyuki Akena, Yusuke Kato, Satoru Okubo, Hideto Inoue 2 – Robotron 64 (1998) “Humanoid” Aubrey Hodges, Orpheus Hanley & Danny Lewis 3 – Rocket: Robot on Wheels (N64 – 1999) “In a Fixed Machine” Julian Soule 4 – Multi-Racing Championship (1997) “Mountain” Jun Enoki & Tomoo Yamaguchi 5 – Jet Force Gemini (N64 – 1999) “Something With A Beat” Graeme Norgate, Robin Beanland, Alister Lindsey 6 – Tetrisphere (1997) “Flim Flam” Neil Voss 7 – Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 – 1998) “Windmill Hut (Song of Storms)” Koji Kondo 8 – Mario Artist: Talent Studio (2000) “So Kawaii! (Talent BGM 1)” Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata & Toru Minegishi 9 – Sin & Punishment (N64 – 2000) “Risk One’s Neck” Toshiya Yamanaka 10 – Pilotwings 64 (1996) “Birdman” Dan Hess

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….those are the words that began one of the greatest franchises in movie history. However, the video games based on those franchises were very much worthy of the same praise! That’s why on today’s episode of XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin are chatting about the Star Wars games and their amazing music! Mostly orchestral pieces, they chat about some of John Williams classics and the arrangers that brought them to all of us on 8-Bit, 16-bit and beyond. Plus, discussions about heavy metal Star Wars tribute bands, Star Wars sleepovers and nerdy Anthony Daniels style letter writing, and a special visit from the Mandalorian and Grogu! Don’t miss this summer blockbuster episode of XVGM Radio! We’d love to hear what you thought about these games and the tracks we’ve picked! What was your favorite track? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio Also, we have a Discord Channel! Join us and chat about the show, share a random or obscure VGM song you love, or just chit chat with Mike and Justin about tacos! Join for free here: https://discord.gg/zWxDYfn Special thanks to Cam Werme for their Patreon pick, and as always, thanks to all of our wonderful Patrons: Scott McElhone, Ryan McPherson, Cam Werme, Rayjkayj, Reptile, Chris Murray, Claire Myers, Brad Austin, Nick Davis, Red Hua, & Kitty Sparks. Become a Patron, get cool rewards, and more at http://www.Patreon.com/XVGMRadio Check out all episodes of XVGM Radio on www.youtube.com/dongled for another more visual format! Our Instagram, and BlueSky are great ways to interact with us! Find us on there under our handle @XVGMRadio If you’re an Apple Podcasts listener, please consider leaving a rating and a review to let us know how we’re doing! It also helps with getting the show to show up when others are searching for VGM! All songs based on actual music from the Star Wars movie franchise by John Williams by default. TRACK LISTING: Intro – Star Wars (FC – 1987) “Track 5” Hiroyuki Kawada 1 – Super Star Wars (SNES – 1992) “Aerial Combat” Paul Webb 2 – Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64, WIN – 1996) “Gall Space Port” Joel Mcneely 3 – Patreon Pick: Cam Werme – Super Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back (SNES – 1993) “Cloud City” Paul Webb 4 – Star Wars (SMS – 1993) “Jedi or Cadet” Unknown Arranger 5 – Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance (NDS – 2008) “Action 02” Kevin Kiner 6 – Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force (GBA – 2004) “Stage Cantina” Jocelyn Daoust 7 – Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Jedi Academy (XBox/PC – 2003) “Coruscant-Capture Crime Lord Action” 8 – Star Wars: Lethal Alliance (PSP/DS – 2006) “Asteroid Field (Maps 2144)” 9 – Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP/DS – 2009) “??Track58??” David Wayne Collins (Audio Lead) 10 – Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi (PS1 – 1997) “Dagobah/The Lightsaber/The Ewok Battle)”

Jeff Van Dyck’s musical career in video games has been a storied one. For over 30 years, Jeff’s music has continued blessing our ear drums, helping us create warm memories and exciting memories. Now, he joins us on XVGM Radio as Mike and Niko learn about his long history. We hear the story about how he met his wife at EA Games, what it’s like working on game music for systems like FM Towns as compared with modern redbook audio style, how he ended up in Australia and became partners with Witch Beam Studios and of course….SKITCHIN’!!!! We’re excited to bring this fantastic guest to your eardrums courtesy of XVGM Radio! Huge thanks to Jeff for being on our show, he was truly a wonderful person to chat with! Please check out his website and socials here: https://jeffvandyck.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jeff_van_dyck_music/ https://x.com/jeff_van_dyck https://bsky.app/profile/jeffvandyck.com We’d love to hear what you thought about these games and the tracks we’ve picked! What was your favorite track? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio Also, we have a Discord Channel! Join us and chat about the show, share a random or obscure VGM song you love, or just chit chat with Mike and Justin about tacos! Join for free here: https://discord.gg/zWxDYfn Special thanks to X X for their Patreon pick, and as always, thanks to all of our wonderful Patrons: Scott McElhone, Ryan McPherson, Cam Werme, Rayjkayj, Reptile, Chris Murray, Claire Myers, Brad Austin, Nick Davis, Red Hua, & Kitty Sparks. Become a Patron, get cool rewards, and more at http://www.Patreon.com/XVGMRadio Check out all episodes of XVGM Radio on www.youtube.com/dongled for another more visual format! Our Instagram, and BlueSky are great ways to interact with us! Find us on there under our handle @XVGMRadio If you’re an Apple Podcasts listener, please consider leaving a rating and a review to let us know how we’re doing! It also helps with getting the show to show up when others are searching for VGM! TRACK LISTING: All songs composed/arranged by Jeff Van Dyck unless otherwise noted Intro – Skitchin’ (GEN – 1994) “Title Screen (With Voice)” 1 – 4D Boxing (FMTowns – 1992) “Track 2” w/ Michael J Sokyrka 2 – The Need For Speed (PS1/Saturn/PC – 1996) “Aaeeyaaeeyaa” w/ Angela van Dyck 3 – Assault Android Cactus (2013 – WIN, XBONE/PS4/SWI – 2016) “Fingerstyle” 4 – NBA Live ‘96 (SNES – 1995) “End of Quarter” 5 – Missile Command (PS1 – 1999) “Track 5” 6 – Cricket World Cup ’99 (PC – 1999) “Menu Track 3” 7 – Skitchin’ (GEN – 1994) “Cheese Grater” w/ Kevin Pickell (Sound Driver) 8 – Shogun: Total War (PC – 2000) “Mongol Mobilize 1” 9 – STUNTS (4D Driving) (FM Towns – 1993) “Car Selection/Select your Car” Original on PC-98 composed by Michael Sokyrka 10 – FIFA Soccer 95 (GEN – 1994) “Song 4”

The Super Nintendo and Super Famicom have some of the greatest games ever made. But what sort of output did the system have in its twilight years? Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Ed look at the late life cycle of the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom from 1996 and beyond, official releases only (No homebrew/indie stuff here!) to showcase some quality music from the system’s end of the road era. From 1996 to 2000, we’re spotlighting the hits, misses and risks the console took to continue improving upon its sound. In this episode you can hear all about Tamogotchi poop patterns, Zelda clones, CDs as weapons and of course…going to the west blowhole forest. Don’t miss this future classic episode of XVGM Radio! We’d love to hear what you thought about these games and the tracks we’ve picked! What was your favorite track? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio Also, we have a Discord Channel! Join us and chat about the show, share a random or obscure VGM song you love, or just chit chat with Mike and Justin about tacos! Join for free here: https://discord.gg/zWxDYfn Special thanks to Scott McElhone for their Patreon pick, and as always, thanks to all of our wonderful Patrons: Scott McElhone, Ryan McPherson, Cam Werme, Rayjkayj, Chris Murray, Claire Myers, Brad Austin, Nick Davis, Red Hua, & Kitty Sparks. Become a Patron, get cool rewards, and more at http://www.Patreon.com/XVGMRadio Check out all episodes of XVGM Radio on www.youtube.com/dongled for another more visual format! Our Instagram, and BlueSky are great ways to interact with us! Find us on there under our handle @XVGMRadio If you’re an Apple Podcasts listener, please consider leaving a rating and a review to let us know how we’re doing! It also helps with getting the show to show up when others are searching for VGM! TRACK LISTING: Intro – Columns (SFC – 1999) “Versus Mode Credits” Hikoshi Hashimoto 1 – Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajima (SFC – 1996) “The Blue Ones’ Nest” Yuichi Ozaki 2 – Star Ocean (SFC – 1996) “Tense Atmosphere” Motoi Sakuraba 3 – Tamagotchi Town (SFC – 1999) “Track 7” Unknown Composer 4 – Mohawk & Headphone Jack (SNES – 1996) “Psychic Brain” Byte Size Sound, Michael Cihak, Matt Scott 5 – Solid Runner (SFC – 1997) “Residential Streets” Mitsuhito Tanaka (John Pee), Toshiaki Sakoda, Pure Sound 6 – Metal Slader Glory: Director’s Cut (SFC – 2000) “Combat” Takane Ohkubo 7 – Realm (SNES – 1996) “Flying Battleship” Unknown Composer 8 – Maui Mallard (SNES – 1996) “Sacrifice of Maui” Patrick J. Collins, Michael Giacchino 9 – Patreon Pick – Scott McElhone : Lost Vikings 2: Norse by Norsewest (SNES – 1997) “Apocalyptic Future” Glenn Stafford 10 – Power Piggs of the Dark Age (SNES – 1996) “West Blowhole Forest” Marc Baril

Dragon Quest has had 11 mainline games, tons of spinoffs and ports galore. It’s a franchise known for ushering in the foundation of the Japanese Role Playing Game, or the JRPG. Originating on the Famicom in the mid 1980s, the game saw not one but FOUR games release on Nintendo’s first console. In this episode, we’ve decided to focus on the first three, known as the Erdrick Trilogy. With good friends and patrons of the show on board, Ryan and Cam, we were in good hands as Mike and Justin know very little. Now we’re blessed by two pros joining us to share their knowledge and music choices in this classic trilogy of games. Covering not just the NES originals but other ports as well, the XVGM Radio guys get down with the charming classical wonder of Koichi Sugiyama’s Dragon Quest (or Warrior if your nasty!) soundtracks. JRPG fans do NOT wanna miss this episode of XVGM Radio! We swear, it’ll be a GOOd time! We’d love to hear what you thought about this game series and the tracks we’ve picked! What was your favorite track? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or join in on the discussion at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XVGMradio Check out Ryan’s podcast, The RPG Years! You can find Cam & Cam’s Camicom album on Bandcamp Also, we have a Discord Channel! Join us and chat about the show, share a random or obscure VGM song you love, or just chit chat with Mike and Justin about tacos! Join for free here: https://discord.gg/zWxDYfn Special thanks to Cam and Ryan for joining us on this episode. And as always, thanks to all of our wonderful Patrons: Scott McElhone, Ryan McPherson, Cam Werme, Rayjkayj, Reptile, Chris Murray, Claire Myers, Brad Austin, Nick Davis, Red Hua, & Kitty Sparks. Become a Patron, get cool rewards, and more at http://www.Patreon.com/XVGMRadio Check out all episodes of XVGM Radio on www.youtube.com/dongled for another more visual format! Our Instagram, and BlueSky are great ways to interact with us! Find us on there under our handle @XVGMRadio If you’re an Apple Podcasts listener, please consider leaving a rating and a review to let us know how we’re doing! It also helps with getting the show to show up when others are searching for VGM! All music composed by Koichi Sugiyama TRACK LISTING: Intro – Dragon Quest III HD 2D Remake (SWI – 2024) “Overture” 1- Dragon Warrior II (NES – 1987) “Joyous Song” 2 – Dragon Quest III: …And Into The Legend (SFC – 1996) “Heavenly Flight” 3 – Dragon Warrior I & II (GBC – 2000) “Ladutorm Castle” 4 – Dragon Warrior (NES – 1989) “Overworld” 5 – Dragon Quest III: …And Into The Legend (SFC – 1996) “Battle Theme” 6 – Dragon Quest II HD/2D Remake: Luminaries of the Legendary Line – “Endless World aka (A Lonely Youth/Travelling with Friends)” 7 – Dragon Quest III HD 2D Remake (SWI – 2024) “Castle (Night)” 8 – Dragon Quest II (MSX – 1988) “My Road My Journey”