Pixelated Audio reflects back on 2019 and welcomes in a new decade with a selection of tracks from a variety of systems. Here’s to a lots more great game music!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:02 — 85.7MB)
Panzer Dragoon Saga with Saori Kobayashi – PA122
Panzer Dragoon Saga or Azel has been on the Pixelated Audio radar for some time and we couldn’t be happier that it’s finally here. The stars aligned and with the help of Alex Aniel of Brave Wave Productions, Saori Kobayashi became the first confirmed Japanese guest to come to MAGWest 3 in California. We had the chance to interview her in-person, see her talk about her career and hear her splendid live concert featuring Stemage on guitar, Ronin Op F on violin and Michelle Dreyband on vocals.
The series began as a pair of rail shooters on the Saturn developed by Sega’s in house group, Team Andromeda. In order to compete with games like Final Fantasy VII, Panzer Dragoon Saga was made into a JRPG and released worldwide on the Saturn in 1998. It features a semi-realtime 3D combat system, an evocative soundtrack and gorgeous art design. Although the game had a small print run in the West due to its relatively late release, it received critical acclaim and became one of the most well-loved classics on the system, remaining a cult favorite to this day.
Composers Saori Kobayashi and Mariko Nanba bring together an incredible album of exotic soundscapes that has rarely been matched. They combine the best characteristics of classic melody driven Japanese game music with the expanding richness that was becoming possible during the Saturn era to make a soundtrack that stays with you long after you stop listening.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:10:01 — 180.4MB)
LIVE: MAGWest with chibi-tech – PA121
MAGWest 2019 came and went in San Jose, California and what a ride it was! We cap off another jam-packed weekend with a panel featuring a very special guest; chibi-tech!
Chibi-tech is a world-renowned chiptune artist that is originally from the Bay Area. She now lives in Japan and works as an in-house composer and sound engineer for M2, the company responsible for stellar ports like the Sega Ages and Sega 3D Classics games. Join us as we chat with the talented and versatile chibi-tech about her career as a composer, sound designer, remixer and much more.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:15 — 113.5MB)
River City Girls with Megan McDuffee – PA120
Pixelated Audio is excited to bring Megan McDuffee into the studio to chat with us about her work for the recently released River City Girls!
River City Girls is a classic action beat-em-up with light RPG elements, building on the long legacy of the River City (or Kunio-Kun) games started by Technos in the 1980s. It was released September 5th, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Steam and developed by WayForward Technologies with oversight and some publishing handled by Arc System Works.
Megan McDuffee has been making a name for herself in the music community as a synthwave vocalist and producer, electronic music composer and sound designer. She has worked on several games with River City Girls being her biggest game to date. Megan brings the heat to this soundtrack with high energy dance music, thrilling vocals, and crisp production work on over 50 tracks with her signature 80’s inspired synthpop sound.
Additional tracks in the game are provided by Chipzel, Dale North, NateWantsToBattle, and Cristina Vee, which can all be found on the full soundtrack. We hope you enjoy the music and this show as much as we do!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:38:19 — 159.4MB)
EVE burst error – PA119
EVE burst error is an adult-oriented visual novel originally released for the PC-98 in 1995 by C’s Ware with additional ports to Saturn and Windows.
In EVE you follow the interconnected stories of Marina and Kojiroh as they avoid death and danger at every turn in order to discover the truth behind their respective missions. Combine the powerhouse compositional forces of Ryu Umemoto and Ryu Takami with the storytelling finesse of Hiroyuki Kanno (lead designer of YU-NO) and you get a recipe for a gripping game whose impact reverberates all the way to contemporary visual novels like Steins;Gate.
EVE Burst Error launched a number of sequels and remakes, but few of the soundtracks hit as powerfully as the original PC-98 where we’ll spend most of our focus. Join us as we listen to music from two of the greatest FM synthesis masters of their day; funky bass lines, hard hitting techno, soulful melodies and all.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41:23 — 141.1MB)
ExP XXIV: Celebrity Sports Games – PA118
What could be better than more sports games? Celebrity tie-in sports games!
We dug deep in the archives (and the bargain bins) and found some wonderful and obscure games with celebrity athletes representing sports from snooker to soccer (or football for those outside the US).
Whether you like sports or not, we hope you enjoy this varied selection of tunes in our latest expansion pack!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:55 — 120.4MB)