XVGM Radio

March Madness is alive and well and what better way to celebrate than with a spotlight on some of the best game music that has adorned the courts of basketball game’s most celebrated titles! From Mike’s nostalgic stories about Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls fashion of the 90s, playing on the basketball courts and…going to … Read more "Episode 132 – Basketball VGM Hall of Fame"

Many video game music composers try their best to fit into different musical genres but few do it as well as composers like Shinji Hosoe. On today’s episode of XVGM Radio, Mike and Ed discuss several of Hosoe’s game soundtracks, highlighting a wide variety of musical tracks. From techno and jungle to power metal and … Read more "Episode 131 – The Music of Shinji Hosoe"

This year, Nintendo is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Wii…and if you’re old enough to remember the release, you might want to go get your cholesterol checked out. Despite this, XVGM Radio is ushering in a new era for its 8th year of existence. As always, NikoTengoku joins us for the January episode, and … Read more "Episode 130 – Wii Would Like to Listen"

It’s time for the holidays…and what did people receive as a gift during this time of year back in 1992? The Super Scope 6 of course! Nintendo’s successor to the NES Zapper was a bazooka-shaped monolith of potential. Though the final game library was small, the Super Scope 6 was full of untold gaming possibilities. … Read more "Episode 129 – Super Scope Games"

Mike’s been raving about Phantom Breaker Battle Grounds for almost a decade. The heart-pumping soundtrack, exciting chibi anime beat-em up styled gameplay and intuitive leveling up system is a prime example of a game that should’ve gained more appreciation over the years. When the most recent version of the game, Phantom Breaker Battle Grounds Ultimate … Read more "Episode 128 – Same Song, Different Arrangement: Phantom Breaker BattleGrounds Ultimate"

It’s BAAAAACCCCCKKK! Yes, it’s that time of the year again. SPOOKYFEST has returned for its 7th year and we’re pulling out all the tricks AND treats to celebrate the Halloween season! Fresh off the backs of the Spookyfest VIP Pass (If you didn’t get it, check it out on our Patreon!) We’re playing 11 killer … Read more "Episode 127 – Spookyfest 2025!"

Today on XVGM Radio, we’re taking a look (and listen) to the audio history of Human Entertainment. Formed via a merger between Try Co. Ltd. and Communicate Inc in 1987, Human Entertainment was initially called Sonata, mostly handling ports from larger developers such as Konami and Bandai. After two years of this, 1989 saw the … Read more "Episode 126 – Human Entertainment: The Musical History"

Pool, Billiards, Snooker, Carom…whatever you call them, video games have a long history involving the most laid back of all sports, Cue Ball Based Sports. But what about their music? Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin highlight some wild ranges of VGM in cue ball videogames. From discussions on eating crackers in hell,a shout … Read more "Episode 125 – Cue Ball Sports VGM"

What’s faster than the speed of light? Mega Man Battle & Chase’s North American release date, that’s what! Released in 1997 in Japan and 1998 in Europe, this game completely missed it’s planned North American release despite ads and previews running for it in magazines. Initially forgotten as “just another kart racer copycat,” true fans … Read more "Episode 124 – Mega Man Battle & Chase Soundtrack Spotlight"

Matt Creamer, aka Radd Daddy, aka Norrin Radd, RETURNS to XVGM Radio to talk about his amazing soundtrack for Retroware’s Prison City game. We’ve chat with Matt previously about many of his soundtracks, even had him on one of our live shows before! A true friend to the podcast, Matt isn’t afraid to get into … Read more "Episode 123 – Prison City w/ composer Matt Creamer"

Marred in 90s era video game controversy, Konami’s Lethal Enforcers series, along with Mortal Kombat, Night Trap, and several other games, had ironic targets on their backs for their innovative, realistic (at the time) graphics involving firing a fake plastic gun at the screen, killing human targets. Years later, the series is best known for … Read more "Episode 122 – Lethal Enforcers I & II (Same Song, Different System)"

Product placement and advertising in video games is a wild, wacky thing. Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin are joined by fellow VGM podcast CRT Soundsystem, where Reese and Tom bring some unique tracks to the mix! The hosts chat about Redline, Fast food chicken preferences, and gamer munchies. The Americans on the podcasts … Read more "Episode 121 – Product Placement VGM w/ CRT Soundsystem"

Free Picks…the very definition of randomness. Every 20 episodes, Mike and Justin think back to stuff they’re playing, or perhaps pick a track suggested by our Discord members (Thanks ElectricBoogaloo for this month’s pick!) What follows is an episode full of tongue twisters, caller requests from questionable callers and Justin goes all in on Destiny … Read more "Episode 120 – Free Picks 6: The Search for 5"

Released in 1987, the Sharp X68000 would lead the way for Japanese computer systems, ending its reign around 1996. Utilizing the Yamaha YM2151 sound chip would make the computer sing some of the best FM synthesis based VGM ever released. Today on XVGM Radio, we’re joined by our third host NikoTengoku to spotlight just a … Read more "Episode 119 – The Sounds of the Sharp X68000"

Multiplayer games can create some of the most memorable times for gamers but what few people talk about is their music. Today on XVGM Radio, Mike and Justin focus on the Party Game genre (with a few examples that fit further into the multiplayer aspects.) The guys chat about the mountain that is One Piece’s … Read more "Episode 118 – Party Games Music"

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 … Read more "Episode 117 – The Music Of Tengo Project"

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 … Read more "Episode 116 – Spookyfest 2024!"

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, … Read more "Episode 115 – Same Song, Different System: Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door"

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 … Read more "Episode 114 – Wrestling Game Music"

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 … Read more "Episode 113 – Robots GBA/DS Spotlight with Composer Ian Stocker"