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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Dangerous Seed – PA108

Dangerous Seed is a vertical shooter released by Namco in arcades in 1989 and adapted by TOSE in 1990 for the Mega Drive, both released only in Japan. While not a groundbreaking shooter, it does feature an inventive tri-ship mechanic, allowing players to switch up their shot mid-game and introduces a bit of strategy in managing the three ships’ health bars.

The music was originally composed by Yoshinori Nagumo and arranged by Yoshiki Nishimura, Akihito Hayashi, Yoko Shimokawa, and the mysterious Totsukurzwell of the TOSE sound team.

The episode focuses on the Mega Drive version which injects a more intense energy, with occasional forays into the more mellow arcade original. None of the musicians involved have many credits, but they all came together to create and elevate an already great soundtrack and we hope you enjoy listening as well.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:08 — 76.7MB)

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GRIS with Berlinist – PA107

GRIS was developed by Nomada Studio and published by the hitmaker Devolver Digital in December of 2018 for Nintendo Switch/Mac/Windows. Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. As the story unfolds, Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way, revealing new paths to explore using her new abilities.

Pairing with the gorgeous art by Conrad Roset is the equally beautiful and emotional soundtrack composed by Berlinist. We are joined by Gemma and Marco of Berlinist as they discuss their unique approach to music, and their close relationship with Conrad and Nomada Studio in creating the atmosphere for this game.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:43:59 — 154.5MB)

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ExP XXII: Sounds of the Season – PA106

Seasons greetings! We’ve got a new Expansion Pack with music, both new and old, fitting of the holiday season. With bright synths, bells and occasionally familiar melodies join us as we get ready to ring in the new year. Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:53 — 102.1MB)

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Illusion City – PA105

Illusion City is a cyberpunk JRPG from Microcabin, originally released for the MSX Turbo R in 1991, only in Japan. It was later ported to a number of other systems including the PC98, X68000 and Mega CD over the next few years. The game mechanics are fairly traditional RPG fare of the era, but the graphics, animations and music are top notch and really stand out for the hardware.

The soundtrack was composed by three Microcabin veterans: Tadahiro Nitta, Yukiharu Urita, and Yasufumi Fukuda all of whom went on to compose for a number of other titles. The Mega CD port was handled by AISYSTEM TOKYO with some additional redbook audio tracks composed and arranged by Hirokazu Oota.

Listen to the sounds of Neo Hong Kong in this episode brimming with fantastic tunes.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:00:28 — 172.5MB)

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Micro Maniacs – PA104

Micro Maniacs is an isometric racing game (based on the Micro Machines franchise) for the Game Boy Color, released only in the UK and Australia in 2001. This offshoot originally began on the PlayStation, by Codemasters, but given the popularity of Nintendo’s handhelds, it ended up making a transition to the portable market shortly after.

For the Game Boy Color adaptation, Codemasters had less of their hand in its development. This time it was published by THQ and development was subcontracted out to a small group called Hyperion Studios. THQ also found a composer to do the music, a mysterious contractor known as MESSY STUDIOS.

EDIT: User GBC Fan says that the composer is Laxity (Thomas Egeskov Petersen). We’ll have to follow up but it does seem likely.

Even though it’s a somewhat simple racing title, the C64 demoscene style soundtrack keeps the energy level peaked for the game. Take a listen as we explore the Micro Maniacs soundtrack on the Game Boy Color.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:59 — 90.9MB)

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