We’re kicking off a whole month of episodes devoted to the joy of FM Synthesis done right. This first foray into semi-obscure tunes includes Elemental Master and Panorama Cotton, two shmups that feature humanoid heroes and unbelievably good soundtracks!
00:00 – Dance of Flame (Elemental Master)
13:24 – Like the Wind (Elemental Master)
17:48 – Bloodstained Lake (Elemental Master)
20:37 – Calling on the Dark Dragon King (Elemental Master)
27:49 – Cursed Destiny (Elemental Master)
29:50 – Visual Scene 2 (Elemental Master)
30:35 – Ending (Elemental Master)
38:26 – Title Screen (Panorama Cotton)
39:07 – The Land of Cotton (Panorama Cotton)
40:23 – Way of the Clouds (Panorama Cotton)
46:48 – The Great Gallery (Panorama Cotton)
47:56 – Last Battle (Panorama Cotton)
49:08 – Ending (Panorama Cotton)
59:48 – Staff Roll (Elemental Master)
When I saw the new episode reminder in my inbox, I peed a little.
When I saw it was a Rockober dedicated to Genesis FM, I peed A LOT.
(Or at least the first episode to Genesis FM. I’m down for good FM from anywhere!)
Oh YES! A NEW vgmpire! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I was beginning to worry that you were done and I found myself thinking (earlier today in fact) “oh please God, Brett don’t let Mystic Quest be your last episode…’
So happy. Keep making more episodes!
Oh no! And entire month of fart sounds!!
I don’t think I ever got to play any Cotton games, but I definitely was interested in them, probably seeing spreads in Diehard Gamefan. I was thinking the music could fool me into believing it was from a Bust-a-Move game, too. I can’t remember if I ever got to play Elemental Master, it is familiar, and seems like the sort of thing I would have rented.
Rise from your grave! This is just what I needed today!
Yussssssssss!! It lives! Even tho that last song sounded like an 80s workout video – Sega style.. I still enjoyed the episode. Keep em coming!
Delighted to have a new rocktober to enjoy! I don’t know any of these games but the Elemental Master staff roll could be a Chvrches track!
OMG! So glad to have VGMpire back in my podcast feed! Please keep doing these, Brett. Love this show and looking forward to a great Rocktober!
I’ve been “that guy” plenty of times dunking on farty Sega tunes, but these tunes sound great. Long live Rocktober
The triumphant return of fun to my podcast feed! Without you, all the old shows have gotten a little bitter and a lot less fun, so I hope you can find the time for some more guest appearances Brett. I was re-listening to old episodes for the hundredth time and was so surprised when I saw new episodes in the feed. I got into the Genesis late, but always loved its better soundtracks; Vectorman, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and Sonic obviously, but if you get the chance, and if you haven’t yet, give Alien 3 a listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5RiwtCX14k
Crummy movie, but the game scared the heck out of me as a kid. Anyway, can’t wait to find some new favorites in the coming weeks!
Welcome back and thank you for the hours upon hours of my favorite show!
Funny you should mention Alien 3 – I almost included it in this month’s lineup! Really wanted to pair it with Predator 2 but LAWDY the P2 soundtrack is hilarious.
I was a Nintendo kid growing up (NES, SNES) so I never really listened and appreciated Mega Drive/Genesis music until very recently. I was somewhat of a SNES “snob” because previously, the few tracks that I had from MD/Genesis weren’t very good, so in my mind, the SNES sound was “superior.” One day, thoughts of console wars between SNES and Genesis cropped in my mind and started to read discussions from other forums regarding the two.
Based on what I read, I decided to “give Genesis music a chance” and I was impressed some of the music I heard. Only then did I realize the SNES sound chip does some things better but other things not quite as good and the same can be said for the Genesis as well. For this particular episode, these are very solid tracks and will add them to my growing library of chiptunes the mainly comprises of SNES and Genesis tracks (and NES).