Pixelated Audio

Staff Roll: Manabu Saito – PA101

We begin a new chapter of Pixelated Audio with our first solo show, and our first full-length tribute episode, this time honoring Manabu Saito. Saito was a prolific composer for System Sacom from 1987 to 1991, composing and arranging the music for over 15 games.

You may have heard his music in Yuurei-kun on Episode 91, but this time we take a deeper dive over his entire career. Listen to Saito’s growth as a composer over four years and 25 songs in a wide range of styles.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:26:41 — 151.1MB)

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Crash Bandicoot with Josh Mancell – PA100

The original Crash Bandicoot games were developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Crash answers the question of “What would Donkey Kong Country be like in 3D?”

The first Crash title debuted in September of 1996 on the Sony PlayStation and became an almost instant success, spawning numerous sequels and additions over the years. Although it was never official, Crash was the PlayStation’s first mascot, and helped build Sony’s console brand to become a household name the world over.

Join us as we chat about the original trilogy; Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped with none other than series composer Josh Mancell in our milestone 100th episode!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:45:52 — 306.8MB)

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Q&A with Naoki Tsuchiya (Adventures of Little Ralph)

Naoki Tsuchiya (Former composer at New Corporation)
Works: The Adventures of Little Ralph, Victorious Boxers: Ippo’s Road to Glory, Houkagono Lovebeat, etc.

This is a brief Q&A interview with Naoki Tsuchiya about his career
and the composition done for The Adventures of Little Ralph
Interviewed/translated by Pixelated Audio on 2018.06.06 for Episode 99

PA: How did you get your start with game audio?

When I was a student I was in love with game music and I poured my heart into creating it as a hobby. I worked really hard in school and kept tuning my skills and eventually after vocational school I joined up with a company as a sound creator. Continue reading →

The Adventures of Little Ralph – PA99

The Adventures of Little Ralph, developed by NEW Corporation is a 2D platformer released only in Japan for the Sony Playstation on June of 1999. Like Ralph, there’s a big game in this unassuming package. With its tight controls, engaging scoring mechanics, and a polished 1v1 fighting mini-game engine, this is one you’re bound to keep coming back to. Composed by Hiroshi Kuronuma, Naoki Tsuchiya and Hideki Satou, The Adventures of Little Ralph features two complete versions of the soundtrack accessible right from the menu: the standard instrumental version and a “PSG” arrange version, both using the Playstation sound source.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:08:26 — 241.7MB)

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Neural Gear with Keishi Yonao – PA98

Neural Gear, developed by Fill in Cafe and published by Cross Media Soft, is a 3rd person rail shooter (riding in the light of Space Harrier) released strictly for the Sharp X68000 on November of 1990. While the game doesn’t win any awards in the visual department it makes up for it in audio. Composed by Keishi Yonao, Neural Gear features both a soundtrack designed for the OPM/OKI (FM/PCM) sound source and the MT-32 (MIDI) sound source.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:42:49 — 184.3MB)

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Big Bang Pro Wrestling – PA97

SNK produced some of the best titles to grace the arcades but also covered the spectrum in genre and variety. Only twice in the company’s history did they attempt to produce a wrestling game and Big Bang Pro Wrestling released in 2000 for the Neo Geo Pocket Color was out of this world. Taking lots of inspiration from the Fire Pro Wrestling series, the handheld quasi-adaptation delivers everything you’d expect and more. Big roster of characters, multiple modes, customizations, and of course, a rocking soundtrack composed by Takafumi Wada. Take a listen with us and we explore the soundtrack! Continue reading →

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:22 — 143.0MB)

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