
60 episodes

Video Game Grooves Video Game Grooves
-
- Leisure
-
-
3.4 • 18 Ratings
-
Jeremy LaMont, Paul Watson, and Anthony Agnello keep you entertained and informed about the latest on video game soundtrack releases on vinyl record. Featured soundtracks every episode, with discussions of the music and the games we love. Join us, and visit us at www.videogamegrooves.com
-
Episode 95 :: Mega Man Legends, Across the Worlds: Chrono Cross Wayô Piano Collection
Blog Link: http://videogamegrooves.com/2022/05/21/episode-95-mega-man-legends-across-the-worlds-chrono-cross-wayo-piano-collection
Spring has sprung, and like may flowers so have we! This episode is a tiny salute to game series that took a hard left turn but wound up right where they were always meant to be. Our exemplars this week begin with the cult favorite Mega Man Legends from Ship to Shore Media. We look back at this trailblazer of 3D storytelling from before the likes of Metal Gear Solid, and we appreciate its "Saturday morning anime" vibe. The music, too, is a fun little grab-bag of music from disco to classical to synthy cartoon rock or swing, and it's all pretty ahead of its time. We also dive into our first piano arrangement album with Across the Worlds: Chrono Cross Wayô Piano Collection, which is a multi-artist adaptation of a game that still divides fans of the "Chrono series" today. We appreciate the emotional range of the piano, and the daring of a piano arrangement album in general to augment or approach a favorite score with nothing but the instrument and someone to play it. We also examine the time and place of Chrono Cross, and whether or not it is actually a sequel to the universally-acclaimed Chrono Trigger.
We continue our discussion with some reflections on game series that changed creative direction, and how the story, aesthetic, and music either benefited or suffered. And finally, we look at all the new releases that have come out in the past few weeks, along with some non-release news that might save you a few bucks on your next vinyl order! Join us to laugh, love, and learn.
Outro: "La tresor interdit" - Across the Worlds: Chrono Cross Wayo Piano Collection, by Benyamin Nuss
Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello
Mushbuh artist Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/mushbuh/
Video Game Grooves Episode 8 (Super Castlevania IV, Hero of Time)
http://videogamegrooves.com/2017/07/25/episode-8-super-castlevania-iv-hero-of-time/
Ace Attorney 20th Anniversary (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/ace-attorney/products/ace-attorney-20th-anniversary-limited-edition-x6lp-boxset
Trek To Yomi (Devolver Store)
https://merch.devolverdigital.co/products/trek-to-yomi-deluxe-double-vinyl
Ghostwire Tokyo (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/ghostwire-tokyo/products/ghostwire-tokyo-deluxe-double-vinyl
https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/ghostwire-tokyo/products/ghostwire-tokyo-limited-edition-x4lp-boxset
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/6-siege/products/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-extraction-deluxe-double-vinyl
A Monster's Expedition (iam8bit)
https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/a-monsters-expedition-earlier-adventures/products/a-monsters-expedition-earlier-adventures-2xlp-vinyl-soundtrack
Phantasy Star (Ship To Shore PhonoCo.)
https://shiptoshoremedia.com/collections/featured/products/phantasy-star
Art Of Rally (Mana Wave Media)
https://manawave.co/products/art-of-rally-2xlp
Heart Of The Woods (Very Ok Vinyl)
https://www.veryokvinyl.com/products/heart-of-the-woods-official-soundtrack
Banana Jamz 2 (Cartridge Thunder)
https://cartridgethunder.com/collections/new-releases/products/banana-jamz-2
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (Serenity Forge)
https://store.serenityforge.com/products/space-warlord-organ-trading-simulator-2xlp-vinyl-soundtrack
Kingdom: Two Crowns - Norse Lands (ByNorse)
https://bynorsestore.com/products/kalandra-kingdom-two-crowns-norse-lands-extended-soundtrack-12-black
Attack Of The Petscii Robots (The8BitGuy)
https://www.the8bitguy. -
Episode 94 :: Street Fighter Alpha 2, Skullgirls
Blog link: http://videogamegrooves.com/2022/04/24/episode-94-street-fighter-alpha-2-skullgirls
No fighting game soundtrack left unfeatured! At least, that seems to be our motto, but can you blame us? We just can't pass up these pristine pressings of pugilistic polyphony! This week, Anthony takes us back to class and demonstrates the musical evolution of the Street Fighter series with Street Fighter Alpha 2. We listen to some of the riffs on the classic SF2 themes, and we're introduced to some new ones that fit seamlessly into the pantheon of music... but what are we left humming? Then we take a jog on the jazzy and jiggly side with Skullgirls, jamming to Michiru Yamane and Vincent Diamante's homage to the 1940s, while the gameplay recalls Marvel vs Capcom 2. The game's interesting history and ambitious art and music are front and center for appreciation. We may throw down a few gauntlets in this episode. Ready? Fight!
We press on to discuss the "genre" considerations of listenability and vinyl pressing. Why have fighting games been regularly featured on VGG, and what types of games seem to be missing? We also catch you up on the latest releases and announcements! Could international currency exchange work in your favor this week? Mmmmmaybe.
Outro: "Guy Theme" - Street Fighter 2 Alpha, by Setsuo Yamamoto, Syun Nishigaki, Tatsuro Suzuki
Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello
Links:
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Vinyl (Square Enix US) (Square Enix JP)
https://store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/product/725855/chrono-cross-the-radical-dreamers-edition-vinyl
https://store.jp.square-enix.com/item/SQEX_10936.html
Final Fantasy Chocobo and Friends (Square Enix US)
https://store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/product/725858/chocobo-and-friends-select-tracks-from-the-fantasy-series-compi-vinyl-set
Final Fantasy 9 (Square Enix US)
https://store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/product/726993/final-fantasy-ix-vinyl
Needy Girl Overdose (Frontier Works, Amazon JP)
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B09WYJYL5K/
Deathloop (Limited Edition X4LP Boxset) (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/products/deathloop-original-soundtracklimited-edition-x4lp-boxset
Deathloop (Deluxe Double Vinyl) (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/vinyl/products/deathloop-original-soundtrack-deluxe-double-vinyl
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/products/tiny-tina-s-wonderlands-limited-edition-deluxe-double-vinyl
Far Cry 6 (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/products/far-cry-6-limited-edition-deluxe-triple-vinyl
Mercenary Kings (Yetee Records)
https://theyetee.com/products/mercenary-kings-soundtrack
Streets Of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare (Brave Wave)
https://limitedrungames.com/collections/all-soundtracks/products/streets-of-rage-4-mr-x-nightmare-vinyl-soundtrack
Umurangi Generation (Stumpy Frog Records)
https://www.stumpyfrog.com/
About That... Paradise Killer B-Sides (Black Screen Records)
https://blackscreenrecords.com/collections/paradise-killer/products/about-that-paradise-killer-b-sides
Eastward (iam8bit)
Standard: https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/eastward/products/eastward-2xlp-vinyl-soundtrack
Board game: https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/eastward/products/eastward-2xlp-limited-edition-board-game
Unpacking (Limited Run Games)
https://limitedrungames.com/collections/all-games/products/unpacking-2lp-vinyl-soundtrack
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök (Lakeshore Records)
https://www.lakeshorerecordsshop.com/product/assassin-s-creed-valhalla-dawn-of-ragnarok-original-game-soundtrack -
B-side: Erik Elsom, Magic Map Studio
Blog post: http://videogamegrooves.com/2022/03/25/b-side-erik-elsom-magic-map-studio/
Welcome to our next B-side conversation, this time with Erik Elsom from Magic Map Studio about King's Quest V: Songs of Serenia. This crowdfunding project currently on offer at Qrates ("crates") is a reimagining of Sierra Online's touchstone point-and-click adventure game. In this conversation, we talk to Erik about his history with point-and-click adventures, and with the personal relationship he has with the music of that genre and time. We discuss the tight-knit community (which has already produced a handful of similar albums based on the Space Quest franchise) and its involvement with the project, as well as how he adds his own touch to the process of reimagining such well-loved music from Mark Seibert and Ken Allen.
The Qrates project ends in 1 week. Hear samples and pledge here:
https://qrates.com/projects/25365-king-s-quest-v-songs-of-serenia
Magic Map Studio
https://magicmapstudio.com/ -
Episode 93 :: King of Fighters ’98, Sayonara Wild Hearts
Blog link: http://videogamegrooves.com/2022/03/16/episode-93-king-of-fighters-98-sayonara-wild-hearts
We are back, and this time our social relations link is tight and powerful. Jeremy and Anthony finally tackle the labyrinthine world of SNK fighting games, and we dig allllll the way in with King of Fighters '98 by Brave Wave. We learn what it means to fight in the Dream Match, how KOF invented the "city pop" vibe, and what would Jeremy do to the shrimp cocktail bar at the party on the album cover. We move it along to a more electro-pop vibe with Sayonara Wild Hearts from iam8bit. This tarot-themed relationship recovery magical girl simulator is full of some bops, and we may bend the rules just a bit to give you a full taste of it, as we talk about the best ways to consume such a thing.
We cover the newest releases and preorders that are available to wreak havoc on your bank account, although this time the slate is merciful. We then observe recent moves in the game publisher space by Square Enix to give the people what they (musically) want, and discuss what that might mean for game music broadly, vinyl releases, and what other publishers may be watching.
Outro: "ESAKA?" - King of Fighters '98, by Hideki "sha-V" Asanaka*
Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xpdud47G0s
Links:
Viewtiful Joe 2 (Ship To Shore PhonoCo.)
https://shiptoshoremedia.com/products/viewtiful-joe-2
Risk Of Rain 2: Survivors Of The Void (Black Screen Records)
https://blackscreenrecords.com/collections/all-releases/products/risk-of-rain-2-survivors-of-the-void
Stardew Valley 1.4 & 1.5 (Fangamer)
https://www.fangamer.com/collections/stardew-valley/products/stardew-valley-1-4-1-5-vinyl-soundtrack
Zeldawave II (Midwest Collective)
https://marblepawns.bandcamp.com/album/mm
Genesis Noir (iam8bit)
https://www.iam8bit.com/products/genesis-noir-2xlp-vinyl-soundtrack
A Plague Tale: Requiem (Focus Home Entertainment)
https://store.focus-entmt.com/us/product/720474/a-plague-tale-requiem-collector-s-edition
Elden Ring (Bandai Namco US) (Bandai Namco UK) (Bandai Namco EU)
US: https://store.bandainamcoent.com/elden-ring-the-vinyl-collection/
UK: https://store.bandainamcoent.eu/uk/product/719395/elden-ring-the-vinyl-collection-limited-edition
EU: https://store.bandainamcoent.eu/eu/product/719394/elden-ring-the-vinyl-collection-limited-edition
Diablo II: Resurrected (iam8bit)
Collector's Edition: https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/diablo/products/diablo-3xlp-boxset
Standard Edition: https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/diablo/products/diablo-2xlp-vinyl-soundtrack
Doshin, The Giant (Silent River Runs Deep) (Ship to Sore PhonoCo) (Black Screen Records)
https://diskunion.net/portal/ct/detail/1008448990 (proxy required)
https://shiptoshoremedia.com/collections/featured/products/doshin-the-giant
https://blackscreenrecords.com/products/doshin-the-giant
Skeler Boy Kickstarter (ManiacBoyStudio)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/skelerboy/skeler-boy-part-ii-for-game-boy-cartridge-and-pc/description
King's Quest V - Songs Of Serenia (arrangement) (Two Guys Records)
https://qrates.com/projects/25365-king-s-quest-v-songs-of-serenia
Image Gallery -
Episode 92 :: Demon’s Souls, Astro Bot Rescue Mission
Blog link: http://videogamegrooves.com/2022/02/28/episode-92-demons-souls-astro-bot-rescue-mission
We have returned, just in the nick of February, with a wildly schizophrenic show that his the boundaries of human emotional response. Ryan Huff from One Run Records joins us again but we're not sure he knew what he was getting into this time... We decided February was a fine time to look back at Demon's Souls from Milan Records, and work our way through the trauma. This game may have launched not one but two genres of media: "souls-like" games and "souls-like" music! Composer Shunsuke Kida gets way out of his regular discography to bring us intense-Latin-choir-ala-Dante-Alighieri, and quiet understated themes of quiet and dark reflection. Some of what we discuss is hearsay (because we're bad at the game) and some of it is grammatical. (No, we do not finally solve the apostrophe thing.) Next, we swing to the far opposite side of the mood spectrum with Astro Bot Rescue Mission from Fangamer. Kenneth CM Young brings forward his experience with completely joyful games like LittleBigPlanet to make even the darkest moments of Astro Bot colorful and adorned with blinky digital eyes. We discuss Sony's relative success of using pack-in games to demonstrate new tech functions in a way that rivals or even surpasses Nintendo. We stop short of singing the praises of Astro's Playroom, which is not yet on vinyl... but we will bide our time.
New releases and news bring up the middle section, with a quick solo dash through the newest vinyl your money can buy (links below), and we all reflect on the relative benefits and drawbacks of the now-biannual Record Store Day. Questions have arisen whether it helps or harms independent record store owners. We also observe that it doesn't tend to touch video game releases, and whether that's a good or a bad thing. We also discuss whether it might be better for RSD to take a break for a year, so the world might be mended (So the world might be mended). What do you think?
Outro: "Follow Me (Into The Storm)" - Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Kenneth CM Young
Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello, @onerunrecords
Links:
Russian Subway Dogs (Very Ok Vinyl)
https://www.veryokvinyl.com/products/russian-subway-dogs
Guild Wars 2: End Of Dragons (iam8bit)
https://www.iam8bit.com/products/guild-wars-2-end-of-dragons-vinyl-soundtrack
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon (Ship To Shore PhonoCo.)
https://shiptoshoremedia.com/collections/featured/products/getsufuma-den-undying-moon
Wallachia: Reign Of Dracula (PixelHeart)
https://www.pixelheart.eu/produit/wallachia-reign-of-dracula-ost-vinyle-2lp/
Samorost 2 (Amanita Design)
https://merch.amanita-design.net/collections/frontpage/products/samorost-2-soundtrack-by-floex-double-vinyl
Martha Is Dead (Wired Productions)
https://shop.wiredproductions.com/products/martha-is-dead-official-soundtrack-vinyl
Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles (Wired Productions)
https://shop.wiredproductions.com/collections/lumote-the-mastermote-chronicles/products/lumote-the-mastermote-chronicles-vinyl-soundtrack
Evil Dead: The Game (Boss Team Games)
https://boss-team-games-store.myshopify.com/products/test-evil-dead-the-video-game-collectors
Call Of The Sea (Raw Fury)
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/MER-CALLJOURNEYPS5/dp/B09NCMXT3B/
Neo (Friday Night Funkin' mod) (Turtle Pals Tapes)
https://www.turtlepalstapes.com/product/neo-vinyl-pre-order
$ S.E.B. (Diggers Factory)
https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/244694/bastien-agussol-seb-original-game-soundtrack
Affinity Sorrow (Second Dimension)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seconddimension/affinity-sorrow-a-true-16-bit-turn-based-rpg-adventure/description -
Episode 91 :: Final Fantasy VIII, Battletoads Smash Hits
Show Notes: http://videogamegrooves.com/2022/01/31/episode-91-final-fantasy-viii-battletoads-smash-hits/
We're back for 2022, perhaps a little bit sleepy, but hibernation can do that to you. Jeremy, Anthony, and Caleb are kicking off the new year with a giant spiked boot and a cool Squall Leonhart necklace. (Yeah, we know.) We are ready to return to the days of slow MIDI beats to study to with Final Fantasy VIII from Square Enix, extracting a few thematic elements from the generally well-liked Uematsu score, and putting them on the turntable for all to see. Redbook audio? Who needs it?? And who in the Final Fantasy universe is the Vin Diesel analog from The Fast and the Furious? We move it along to a much earlier (and also much later) era with Battletoads: Smash Hits from iam8bit. We discuss a bit of the origins of the franchise with David Wise's not-actually-heavy-metal leanings in the 80s, and run through the weird and warty history up to Battletoads (2020). David Housden expertly weaves many metal threads together into a simultaneously self-aware but genuinely great metal album... along with some calliope music.
We look at the new releases that have come out or been announced in January, and the list is not too bad and generally pretty encouraging! We also put down some predictions for 2022, including production and industry matters, the kinds of releases we expect to see, and we toss a few out-loud wishes into the podcasting ether to see what comes back to us.
Outro: "Balamb Garden" - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII
Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ch3records
Caleb's other prediction is that game music vinyl labels will be releasing a lot of other kinds of "merch" this year. We shall see.
Links:
Guilty Gear (Channel 3 Records) (sold out)
https://ch3records.com/products/guilty-gear
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection (Limited Run Games)
https://limitedrungames.com/collections/neo-frontpage/products/valis-the-fantasm-soldier-collection-3-lp-soundtrack
Cris Tales (Black Screen Records)
https://blackscreenrecords.com/products/cris-tales
Bämeräng (Black Screen Records)
https://blackscreenrecords.com/collections/all-releases/products/bamerang
Ys Origin (Wayô Records)
https://www.wayorecords.com/en/vinyls/754-ys-origin-vinyl-collector.html
Dead Cells Volume 2 (Laced Records)
https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/dead-cells/products/dead-cells-volume-2-original-soundtrack
Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair (Fangamer)
https://www.fangamer.com/collections/yooka-laylee/products/yooka-laylee-vinyl-soundtrack-impossible-lair
Shadow Dancer: The Secret Of Shinobi (Data Discs)
https://data-discs.com/products/shadowdancer
Syberia: The World Before (Decca Records)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QCY1MCX
Arknights: Journey Of Hope (Yostar) (requires proxy; sold out)
https://yostarshop.com/view/item/000000000161
Martha Is Dead (Wired Productions)
https://shop.wiredproductions.com/products/martha-is-dead-official-soundtrack-vinyl
Chocobo & Chill (GameChops)
https://gamechops.bandcamp.com/campaign/chocobo-chill
Duke Duke Dance Party (Duke Nukem arrangement) (Qrates)
https://qrates.com/projects/25478-duke-duke-dance-party
Image Gallery
Customer Reviews
Paul Watson is a thief
And this podcast openly hosts him. That’s it. That’s the review.
Remember that time...
Paul stole thousands of dollars from this community? Well I do! You all are bad and you should feel bad. Shame.
:/
The podcast is good but Paul is a huge problem