Sep 052012
This week we take a quick look at three seminal SNES shoot em ups – Axelay, Gradius III and Super R-Type
00:00 – Unkai (Axelay)
10:47 – Colony (Axelay)
14:17 – Silence (Axelay)
17:18 – Mother (Axelay)
19:20 – Cosmos (Axelay)
28:58 – Invitation (Gradius III)
30:13 – Departure for Space (Gradius III)
31:14 – Aqua Illusion (Gradius III)
32:46 – Fire Scramble (Gradius III)
42:54 – Counterattack ’91 (Super R-Type)
44:08 – Wet as a Fish (Super R-Type)
47:04 – R-Dance (Super R-Type)
50:27 – Solo Sortie (Super R-Type)
57:30 – Kick My Axe (OverClocked ReMix)
Great choice Brett love me some Super R-Type solo sortie has to be one of my fav VG songs ever!!!!
Yay, it’s PewPewPew: The Podcast! It’s been much too long since the last episode – maybe it’s time to do a user request episode, if you don’t have time to plan out your own? Just sayin’.
I feel like a goddamn nerd whenever I call out specific moments from Talkradars years ago, but as a fan of the closing songs of Talkradar, I very much enjoyed Talkradar 22’s use of Axelay’s Colony as an ending.
BTW, downloading continues to be slow as fuck. Any chance the LaserTimeNetwork can invest some money into fatter pipes for VGMpire?
Also, it’s funny to me to hear Brett say, “It [Axelay] feels very 1991 to me”, because my response is, “Yeah, my mother’s womb was a hip place that year”.
This show deserves as much praise as Laser Time and Cape Crisis.
Must have been a lonely podcast this time around! I’m amused just imagining Brett talking about 2D SNES space shooters to himself in front of a computer.
Axelay is a game I think I may have played only briefly, so I never really knew its music. Thanks for bringing it to the forefront. “Colony” is a freaking awesome track. THAT DRUMMING! Taro Kudou rocks.
Gradius III’s music on the other hand, I’m very familiar with. I was so infatuated by its music that I did a VGdrum video of “Invitation,” “Departure for Space,” and my favorite: “Sandstorm.”
Youtube video is here. Would love to redo this cover and tighten up my drumming. It’s such a joy to drum to Gradius III music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0y1c0oMWRs
Oh, and the “Continue” music is oddly emotional, almost like some cheesy 80s love song.
I tried out the first level of both Super R-Type and R-Type III: The Third Lightning, and I think I prefer the latter much more. It had a much more balls-out intro and music. That’s not to say that Super R-Type’s stuff isn’t good though – I like your selections. I’m a sucker for orchestral hits and SNES bass guitar. It’s a shame they had to remove Super R-Type from the Virtual Console.
I recall U.N. Squadron having some good tunes, you mentioned it at least though.
Sooooo looking forward to the Castlevania episode.
I have some major love for Gradius III. One summer it was all I had at our beach house and it was all I played for a month. Some of those songs are still in my head.
Thanks again for another episode guys. I think my favorite so far is still split b/t Advance Wars and Indie Game Music Showcase. You guys inspired me to make a top 100 of my own personal VGM favorites. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFFB8E37082CD5669&feature=mh_lolz
[…] well worth your time. Above you’ll see his Gradius III entry (he linked it in the comments of Episode 29) and inside I’ve got a couple more to […]
I loved Super R-Type as a kid, mainly because I loved the design of the ship. Most space shooters then and now just look like jets, when that makes no sense. Why would a spaceship need fins, what air are you trying to reduce drag the drag of. The Super R-Type looked like something that, as a kid, if I wanted to imagine flying around in space, my ship would look like that.
Great episode theme and great music!!! My favorite stuff from that era were the shooters. If you ever do another similar show, I’d love to hear you share the amazing stuff Zuntata did (the Taito sound design team). Rastan, Bubble Bobble, Ninjawarriors, Raystorm, and especially the Darius series, my favorite space music ever. Obscure as the bejeezus but great stuff.
mhm… colony got me into that OST and talkradar got me into colony. you guys played it at the end of one of the eps. i instantly fell in lurf with that song.
:3
brett… why are you alone today?
y u no have chris and henry to keep you company at the Mpire?
it makes me sad to think of you sitting alone in a closet podcasting about VG music.
even though I know that’s not how it’s happening.
but that’s how my mind works. sorry.
HULLY SHIT!
this episodes been up a while!
why is just now hitting the lasertime front page?!
>:C
i guess i’ll have to rss the hell out of this eh?
i shall.
Only found this now, great episode
dat bass @ 51:06
Awesome the beginning stuff reminded me of Metroid, really got that space vibe.
Yay! More LaserTime!!
Really loved this episode even though I am not really familiar with these games. I specially enjoyed the R-type soundtrack and the overclocked remix at the end!
More importantly though… Okay, so Brett mentions here that he wants to cover Castlevania music… THEN on the lasertime, he mentions he might make something special in which he will post an episode weekly trough an entire month… Right around the time near Halloween…
ZOMG BRETT ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE CASTLEVANIA MONTH??? Please say yes please say yes please say yes!!!
…Please?
(Castlevania is my favorite video game series and I am such a fan-boy for it, can anyone tell? 😛 )
Also… in the extraordinary case that I am actually somewhat right and not just wishful thinking… might you be open to listening to suggestions?
i recomend my thread i made months ago all about shooters. post your favorites there
http://www.lasertimepodcast.com/forums/?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=689.0
Despite being in the midst of tradeshow apocalypse, we still get a VGMpire. So happy.
Good episode, but I have to ask… do you plan on doing a Streets of Rage episode any time soon? I hear all the time on the different podcasts you’re part of that the music is amazing, but I’ve never played it and never heard the music. I’d sure like you to expose me to yet even more amazing VGM.
Great show! Dunno if this is the right place, but if you ever decide to showcase more Super Nintendo shooters, I highly recommend Space Megaforce (a.k.a. Super Aleste), my favorite schump of all time which has some pretty excellent music.
Brett, You’re going to do a Turbografx shooter episode or a Genesis episode, right? RIGHT? After all, the SNES had much better graphics than either of these, but both were way better at handling sprites than the SNES. Anyway, great episode. I found this Genesis chiptune cover of that iconic Axelay track and I have to share it with you because, well, it’s pretty damn good!