Rackets & Rivals – PA113

rackets & rivals NES PAL Nintendo pixelated audioAfter the Library of Congress we’re kicking off a new short episode format and making a return to the wellspring of great VGM with another sports title. This time we’re listening to the music of tennis game Rackets & Rivals released on the NES in 1993 only in… Europe?

Developed and published by Konami or more accurately their European subsidiary Palcom, Rackets & Rivals is an unremarkable late-era NES game with a brief but excellent soundtrack worthy of some attention. The range of Konami technical tricks is on full display here.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:48 — 23.3MB)

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LIVE: Library of Congress: A Brief History of Game Audio – PA112

We’re back from the Library of Congress and what a rare honor it was to be included in their inaugural weekend long event celebrating the music of games. Our talk, which you’ll hear today, covered the early history of video game audio with a few detours into film and pop culture for context.

In addition to our talk, we also got to speak on a panel discussion alongside composer Austin Wintory (Journey) and game designer Rami Ismail (Nuclear Throne) for the world premiere of Austin’s interactive piece Arrows. We also got to meet Winifred Phillips (Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation) after her talk on interactive game audio!

The Library of Congress was a wonderful experience; certainly one for the history books (quite literally) and we hope you enjoy our talk. Here’s a link to the video of the presentation.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:04 — 109.0MB)

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Expansion Pack XXIII: Hanging out in DC – PA111

We’re back from our break with a new episode, and this time we have an expansion pack with the many supportive friends and family members that joined us in Washington DC.

On the show we have Bryan, Gene and his wife representing Pixelated Audio, Ed and family members Logan and Myla of the VGMBassy, and Emily of Sound Test Roulette. Each person picked a song that holds a special place in their heart as we reminisce on our time over the weekend.

Though they couldn’t be with us for the recording, we were also joined over the weekend by Rob and Pernell of Rhythm and Pixels as well as perennial VGM stalwart Chris Murray.

Stay tuned for our recording from the Library of Congress in the next few weeks, or wait until it’s officially up in 3-4 months.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:51 — 102.8MB)

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Gabriel Knight with Robert Holmes – PA110

Gabriel Knight was developed and published by Sierra On-Line on December 17, 1993 for DOS/Windows/Macintosh. Join Gabriel, a bookstore owner, would-be author, and a man with a love for the ladies as he follows the “Voodoo Murders”. With the help of his trusty assistant Grace and longtime friend Detective Mosely, what starts off as searching for inspiration for a novel ends up uncovering ties to New Orleans’ voodoo past, the present day criminal underworld and his own tangled family history.

The evocative score was composed by industry veteran Robert Holmes, and the game was written and designed by powerhouse creative Jane Jensen. Together their work perfectly captures a place in time so memorably it resonates even all these years later. We’re honored to be joined by Robert Holmes for an interview that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:52:22 — 196.0MB)

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PA Talk at the Library of Congress

We’re very proud to announce that Pixelated Audio is giving a talk at the Library of Congress in DC, the first event of its kind.

We’ll be covering a brief history of game audio, then participating in a panel during a new interactive piece composed by Austin Wintory, and performed by Philippe Quint, violin; and Peter Dugan, piano.

Where: Library of Congress, Washington DC
When: April 5th
  • Talk – 6:30-7pm
  • Concert – 8:00-9pm

Tickets to the talk and concert are free but require an RSVP
more info and tickets


Other events over the 3 days (free ticket RSVP links included):


We hope to see some of you there!

Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 – PA109

Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 is a golf simulator developed and released by SETA and Media Factory in May of 2000 for the failed Japanese only N64 add on, the 64DD. Featuring Japanese pro golfers and official golf courses, it’s a fairly conventional golf sim with the the unique distinction of being the only 64DD game playable online through the Randnet service.

The music was composed by Ken’ichiro Shinzawa (website in Japanese) a multi-talented pianist whose game scores are few, but with credits spanning almost every music medium imaginable.

The soundtrack of Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 is short and sweet, featuring the kind of mellow, jazzy, and tropical tunes you can reliably expect from a golf game.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:08 — 140.6MB)

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