Download Episode 77: “Tough Tunes with Cameron Chiles” here!

What makes video game music sound tough? How tough is TOO tough? Why do the toughest sounding VGM tunes always feature both guitar and keyboard?  These are all very tough questions. So tough in fact, that Ed and Mike needed some help finding the answers! Enter Cameron Chiles, aficionado of all things tough, and drummer in the toughest VGM cover band around, The Mad Gear. Listen in as the trio spins some of the toughest (and coolest) vgm they can find as they try to figure out the reasons that make a tough song… sound tough!

Check out Cameron’s VGM band, The Mad Gear! Listen to some live performances and buy their first album, “The Mad Gear Must Pay,” at the following links:

Thanks to John Wedgeworth, John Steiner, and Utopianemo for submitting PixelChat questions. Send YOUR questions for us to answer at pixeltunesradio@gmail.com!

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The Tracklist:

Format: Game Title (System, Year) – Track Title – Composer(s)

1 – X-Men Mutant Apocalypse (SNES, 1994) – “Gambit’s Level” – Setsuo Yamamoto

2 – Power Move Pro Wrestling (PSX, 1996) – “Unused 2” – Jason Slater

3 – Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (SNES, 1995 ) – “Lost World Anthem” – David Wise

4 – Final Fight (SNES, 1991) – “Something Putrid by the Bay” – Manami Matsumae

5 – Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked (PS2, 2006) – “Kick in da Game” – Masafumi Takada, Jun Fukuda

6 – Retro City Rampage DX (Multi-platform, 2012) – “Do or Die!” – Norrin Radd

7 – Skitchin’ (Genesis, 1993) – “Cheese Grater” – Jeff van Dyck

8 – Rude Breaker (PC-98, 1996) – “Stage 1” – Masanobu Tsukamoto

9 – Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (PS2, GCN, Xbox, 2004) -”Attack At Sea” – Stuart Chatwood

10 – Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES, 1993) – “Ragnarok Canyon” – David Wise

11 – Bushido Blade 2 (PSX, 200X) – “The Spirit of Samurai” – Ryuji Sasai

12 – The Combatribes (SNES, 1992) – “The Demon Clowns” – Kazunaka Yamane