Battle Bards

Boy howdy, is it time for another highfalutin Battle Bards episode? Shucks, looks like! In this week's show, the trio saddle up for a ride through the tumbleweeds and mesas of western MMO tunes. It may be slim pickins, but the pickins are actually pretty good! Episode 138 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Renewal" from Fallen Earth, "Ashe" from Overwatch, and "Crimson Hills" from Aion) "Calm Guitar" from Crossout "Thermock Hold" from WildStar "Way Out West" from LEGO Worlds "Main Theme" from Wild West Online "Eyes of Ice" from Aion "Cool Ranch Tumbleweed Explorer" from Pirate101 "Main Theme" from Dino Storm Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Katriana and PanagiotisLial Jukebox picks: "Legend of the Eagle Bearer" from Assassin's Creed Odyssey, "Into the Wilderness" from Wild Arms, and "Escape" from Return of Obra Dinn Outro (feat. "Antique Cowboy" from Ragnarok Online) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHear

The Amiga series of computers is renowned for its amazing sound -- and the terrific scores that video game composers were able to wrangle. In this episode of Retro Reprise, Syl joins Syp for a look and listen back at this machine and the tunes that carry on its legacy! Show notes  Intro (feat. "Space Ninja" from Lotus 3) "Theme" from Deflektor "Ending" from Fuzzball "Hymn to Aurora" from Horace Wimp "Theme" from The Humans "Theme" from The Carl Lewis Challenge Outro (feat. "Theme" from Hero Quest)

What's your hero's theme? If you play League of Legends, you know the answer to that already, because every hero in that game has his, her, or its own musical motif, from the dour to the delightful. In this episode of Battle Bards, the crew turns to this popular MOBA to see what heroic themes are pure ear candy. Episode 137 show notes Intro (feat. "Elementalist Lux," "Odyssey Login," and "Snowdown 2018") "Irelia" "Arcade Ahri" "Dragon Trainer Tristana" "Kindred" "Lulu" "Tahm Kench" "Braum" Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Mika, Thomas, and Katriana Jukebox picks: "Warsongs: Silver Scrapes (ProtoShredanoid Remix)" from League of Legends, "Can't Wait Until Night" from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and "Stars at Our Backs" from Monster Hunter World Outro ("Jinx, the Loose Cannon") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Pocket Casts! Special nod to Video Game Music for his excellent repository of MMO soundtracks!

Ever feel like the Battle Bards have covered every MMO soundtrack in existence? It's actually far from true, and today's episode is Exhibit A to prove it. The team looks at seven online RPGs that have never had a single track featured on a Battle Bards show -- and it's a fun discovery process! So settle back as we roll out 100% debuts! Episode 136 show notes Intro (feat. "Terminus" from Pantheon and "Main Theme" from Otherland) "A Harsh Winter Fell" from Camelot Unchained "Intro Theme" from Rising Force Online "Aman's Theme" from Lost Ark "Outdoors" from The 4th Coming "Sea of Hakanas" from Riders of Icarus "East Sea Plain (night)" from Dream of Mirror Online "The Magic Shop" from PlaneShift Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Mika, Theldos, Myre_Test, Mike, and Raphael Jukebox picks: "Sea Theme" from Heroes of Might and Magic IV, "Dog" from MineCraft, and "Cave" from Blue Dragon Outro ("Lorencia" from Mu Online) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Play

It's Battle Bards vs. Battle for Azeroth -- and only one victor will come out of this alive! Actually, the podcast trio is delighted to have another World of Warcraft expansion to explore and investigate. Will it be destined to obscurity as this x-pack apparently will be, or does the score rise above and beyond Blizzard's design flaws? Find out in today's show! Episode 135 show notes Intro (feat. "The Grand Bazaar," "Drustvar," and "Freehold") "Pride of the Seas" "Crimson Forest" "Might of the Zandalar" "Zuldazar Zandalari Lament" "The Motherlode Dungeon" "Time and Tide" "Tiragarde Sound Tavern (Night)" Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Pedro Macedo Camacho (Composer, Star Citizen), Katriana, and Jinxed Thoughts Jukebox picks: "Pallet Town" from Pokémon Let's Go, "Hunting Path" from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and "Another Voyage" from Chrono Cross Outro ("Dive Bar C") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Pock

On this episode of Retro Reprise, Syl drags Syp back to her childhood playing on the Atari ST -- and the tunes that made this machine so memorable. Do these tracks withstand the test of time? Find out -- if you dare! Show notes Intro "Theme" from Wizball "Theme" from Toki "In-Game Music" from Bubble Bobble "Theme" from Wonderboy in Monsterland "Theme" from Mousetrap "Theme" from Xenon 2: Megablast "Theme" from Bard's Tale Outro

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas! And, er, Halloween! Well, the Battle Bards were never much for subtlety, so you must excuse their efforts to sandwich two holidays -- and their related MMO soundtracks -- into one amazing yet confusing show. Whether you like to be spooked or Santa'd, this episode's got the score for you! Episode 134 show notes  Intro (feat. "Xmas Jazz Theme" from Lineage II, "White Christmas" from Ragnarok Online, and "Wistmead" from Lord of the Rings Online) "Halloween 2018" from Black Desert "Halloween" from Elsword "Ice Day for Penguins" from RuneScape "Jingle Bells" from Dragon Nest "Frostfell" from EverQuest II "Winter Wingding" from Glitch "Gotham Winter Holiday" from DC Universe Online Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Scott, Cynalus, and Zinn Jukebox picks: "Village of Rynoka" from Moonlighter, "Train Heist" from Red Dead Redemption 2, and "Bloody Tears" from Super Castlevania IV Outro ("Santa Claus is Coming to Town" from Lime Odyssey) Talk to the Battle B

The sparkling majesty of space beckons to the hearts of the Battle Bards -- and up there they discover the Star Citizen soundtrack! In today's episode, Syl establishes that she's not a "scifi nerd," Syp causes an international crisis, and the team comes together to hand out praise to this rich score.  Episode 133 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Main Theme," "A Symphony in Motion," and "First Light") "Scifi Homage" "Bishop Speech" "Majesty of Space" "Hero March" "My Home" "Leir III" "Main Theme Happy Variation 1" Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Cyclone Jack, Scott, Ken, and Katriana Jukebox picks: "Marble Gallery" from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, "Overture" from Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and "A Jaunty Tune" from Death's Gambit Outro ("The Ballad of Big Benny's") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Pocket Casts! Special nod to Video Game Music for his excellent repository of MMO s

Steam-powered tech, airships, clockwork machines, and automata are the source of inspiration for this week's episode of Battle Bards! The team scrounged the landscape of MMOs for music from and inspired by steampunk games. It's a wild grab bag of themes, so fire up your phonographs and give it a listen! Episode 132 show notes Intro (feat. "Operation Gnomeregan" from World of Warcraft, "The Refugee" from City of Steam, and "Main Theme" from Arcanum) "Main Theme" from Black Gold Online "Lands of Igsh" from Allods Online "Through the Epoch" from City of Steam "Login Theme" from Divine Soul "Ganedine" from Neo Steam "Town" from Guns of Icarus "Adventure Awaits" from Deepworld Which one did we like best? Listener mail from Video Game Music Soundtrack OST and Katriana Jukebox picks: "Dark Forest" from Rise of Nations, "Lakrum Beach" from Aion, and "CrossWorlds" from CrossCode Outro ("Menace of the Underdark Character Creation" from Dungeons and Dragons Online) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle B

It's been a year-and-a-half since Syl and Syp first dove into Final Fantasy music, but now the duo is back to discuss combat themes from four of the game's 1990s installments! From One-Winged Angel to The Man with a Machine Gun, it's all the classics you've been listening to -- and adoring -- for years, packaged with exclusive fan commentary! Show notes (episode download, episode page) Intro FFV: "Clash on the Big Bridge" FFVII: "Combat" FFVII: "Jenova" FFVII: "One-Winged Angel" FFVIII: "The Man with a Machine Gun" FFVIII: "The Extreme" FFIX: "Combat" Outro

It may be a fairly grim MMOARPG, but Path of Exile features a surprisingly, well, grim soundtrack. Guess that wasn't that much of a surprise! This episode, the Battle Bards wade into the fracas of this rather expansive soundtrack to see what audio treasure has been dropped by the zerg of mobs. Episode 131 show notes Intro (feat. "Main Theme," "The Overseer's Tower," and "The Ascent") "Fall of Oriath Theme" "Four Guardians" "Solaris Temple" "Hunter or Prey" "The Grand Arena" "Templar Courts" "Elder" Which one did we like best? Listener mail from CJ and Loopy Jukebox picks: "A Distant Journey, Soaring on the Battlefronts" from Granblue Fantasy, "Main Theme" from Spider-Man 2018, and "First Steps" from Celeste Outro ("The Aquaduct") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Pocket Casts! Special nod to Video Game Music for his excellent repository of MMO soundtracks!

While every Battle Bards episode is a cavalcade of strangeness, this week the team is ratcheting it up with the return of "Oddball" MMORPG music tracks. If there's a piece of music that made one of the hosts tilt their heads to the side and go "whaaat the what is this?" then rest assured, it's on this show! Episode 130 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Robo Factory" from The Sims Online, "Little Kitty's Adventure" from Ragnarok Online, and "The Rube Song" from Glitch) "Chompy Hunt" from RuneScape "Flow Control" from Entropia Universe "Welcome to Doram Town" from Ragnarok Online "Valentine's Theme" from FFXIV "Venetian Eclipse" from NeoSteam "Papaya" from FFXIV "BEER!" from WildStar Which one did we like best? Jukebox Picks: "Alleycat Blues" from TMNT IV: Turtles in Time, "Crush" from Command and Conquer Red Alert, and "White All Around Us" from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Outro (feat. "Kobold Still Hates You" from Dungeons and Dragons Online) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battl

In today's episode, the Battle Bards crew row their dinghy to the island of Vvardenfell, where there is a rumor of the legend of the return of Morrowind. Yes, it's a tour through Elder Scrolls Online's first expansion soundtrack. Will it be enough to reverse a few negative opinions of the base MMO's score? (spoiler: yes indeedy!) Episode 129 show notes Intro (feat. “Ascadian Idyll," "Omens Prophecy," and "Telvanni Towers") "Shadow of Baar Dau" "A Land of War and Poetry" "Grazelands Dawn" "Currents of the Odai" "Reverie of the Netchimen" "Magnus Smiles on Suran" "Azura's Coast" Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Deekay_zero Jukebox Picks: "Main Theme" from Crash Bandicoot, "Darkness Rises" from The Banner Saga 3, "Traps" from Turrican II Outro (feat. "Vvardenfell Vista") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Pocket Casts! Special nod to Video Game Music for his excellent repository of MMO soundtracks!

Why not sail up to our dock and tie your ship to ours for an hour? The Battle Bards return for another great episode examining MMORPG music, with the focus this time around being on harbor and port music. Does the sight of boats sailing out into the open ocean inspire you? Then this music may be the soundtrack to your next great adventure! Episode 128 show notes  Intro (feat. "Selbina" from Final Fantasy XI, "New Bellin Port" from Risk Your Life, and "Hermalte Port" from Dragon Nest) "Port BGM" from Lime Odyssey "Lith Harbor" from MapleStory 2 "Aria de Coimbra" from Granado Espada "Saltswept" from Final Fantasy XIV "Port Noble" from City of Villains "Epheria Port" from Black Desert "Port Town Ilfalo" from Wizardry Online Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Katriana Jukebox Picks: "Deliverance" from God of War, "Jump Up, Super Star!" from Super Mario Odyssey," and "New Junk City" from Earthworm Jim Outro (feat. "Port Malaya" from Ragnarok Online) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle B

When you sit down to make a list of the greatest heroes that humanity has ever known, obviously the Battle Bards will top that list. So who better to comment on the music to the sadly neglected superhero MMO Champions Online than they? The trio wiggle into their ill-fitting tights and see if they can make sense of this off-kilter soundtrack before they have to dash out and save the day, yet again. Episode 127 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Midtown," "Apostolic Church," and "Renaissance Center") "Main Theme" "Location! Location! Location!" "The Undying Reef" "New Harmon Reeducation Facility" "Sovereign Sunset" "Renegade Run" "Snake Gulch" Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Scott Jukebox Picks: "The Traveler" from Crusader: No Remorse, "Main Theme" from Octopath Traveler, and "Main Theme" from Batman: Arkham Asylum Outro (feat. "7th Anniversary Celebration") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and 

It's time to boldly go where no podcast has gone before -- by exploring MMO space themes! It's perhaps the flat-out goofiest and silliest Battle Bards episode to date, so you're going to have to excuse a whole lot of diversions, arguments, and giggles. Because that's what space does to people? We do not know. This episode is also notable for Syl's all-time greatest quote, "Planets are usually in space." Usually. Episode 126 show notes Intro (feat. "A New Frontier" from Destiny 2, "Morning Star" from Anarchy Online, and "Centaurus" from Elite: Dangerous) "First Light" from Star Citizen "The Cold Science of Supremacy" from WildStar "Terran Wander 3" from Earth and Beyond "Delta Rising Theme" from Star Trek Online "Through a Lush Ravine" from Wurm Online "Main Theme" from Black Prophecy "Theme Version 2" from Star Sonata Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Rafael, Bryan, and Katriana Jukebox Picks: "Main Theme" from Revenant, "This Way" from The Terminator Sega CD, and "She Came from Outer Space" from

The Battle Bards are always on the prowl for overlooked soundtracks from overlooked MMORPGs, and this week, they might have found a new one to share. Meet Archlord, a Korean title from 2005 that made very little waves in the west. Yet the music is pretty good and worthy of a listen. If you like epic high fantasy, then you're going to love today's episode! Episode 125 show notes  Intro (feat. "Main Theme," "Shinewood," and "Thrilgard") "Tullan" "Limelight" "Cie Selva" "Elan Jines" "Battle 2" "Delfaras" "Hariel" Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Zalfig, Gamhuin, Minimalist Way, Rowan Jukebox Picks: "Top of the World" from Steep, "Primitive Rage" from Descent, and "The Synapse" from Deus Ex,  Outro (feat. "Battle 1") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM , Google Play, and Pocket Casts! Find more gaming podcasts at The Gaming and Entertainment Network!

It's a catch-all, catch-up episode for the Battle Bards as they dig through new soundtrack releases from MMORPGs that they've covered in the past! You may be prepared for an eclectic and enjoyable mix of music -- but there is no way that you can steel yourself for the raw and heartfelt confessions that take place on this show. Episode 124 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Tiragarde Tavern" from World of Warcraft, "Never Look Back" from EVE Online, and "Mellow" from RuneScape) "The River Running" from Lord of the Rings Online "The Last Train to Cairo" from The Secret World "Old Wisdom Tree" from Black Desert "The Inquest" from Guild Wars 2 "Temple of Erlik (Night Version)" from Age of Conan "The Ruby Sea" from Final Fantasy XIV "Summerset Theme" from Elder Scrolls Online Which one did we like best? Jukebox Picks: "A Town Unlike Any Other" from Darkside Detective, "Main Menu" from StarCraft, "Main Theme" from Viridi Outro ("Empyrea Leisure Dome" from Wizard101) Talk to the Battle Bards on

With eagerness in their hearts, the Battle Bards rush toward another Guild Wars 2 soundtrack, ready to bask in the aural glory of this MMO that's known for its incredible music. But hark! What is this Path of Fire? Join us for a listen through a soundtrack that one unnamed soundtrack reviewer has termed "bland and generic." If that isn't a back-of-the-box quote, we don't know what is! Episode 123 show notes Intro (feat. "On the Banks of the Elon," "Highland Hares," and "Undead of Elona") "Main Theme" "Sands of the Djinn" "The Bounty Hunter" "Legendary Ascent" "Pricklepath Hollow" "Welcome to Amnoon" "Sands of Chaos (Percussion Version)" Which one did we like best? Listener Notes: Minimalistway Jukebox Picks: "Main Theme" from Pharaoh, "Great Bustle" from Lost Sphear, and "Green Hill Zone Act 1" from Sonic Mania Outro ("Veins of the Dragon") Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM , Google Play, and Pocket Casts! Find more podcasts at The Gaming and Entertain

In peaceful villages and bubbly burgs, you just know that there's bound to be an abundance of happy music! Whenever the Battle Bards regroup to lick their wounds and drink the terrors away, they often find that happy town music is perfect to soothe jangled nerves and re-center one's heroism. There's plenty of those tunes in today's episode, so recoup with them as they listen to the songs of the common folk. Episode 122 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Kamasylvia Town" from Black Desert, "Medieval Village" from Runes of Magic, and "Colhen Theme" from Vindictus) "Elysean Village" from Aion "Townston" from Dungeon Runners "Village Theme 3" from ArcheAge "Magmeld Town" from Lineage II "The Bells of Dale" from Lord of the Rings Online "Mnene Village" from Echo of Soul "Nunudito Town" from Lime Odyssey Which one did we like best? Listener Notes: Katriana, Rafael (Blade and Soul track), Alyn Jukebox Picks: "Braxton Burks" from Johto Legends, "Main Theme" from There Came an Echo, and "Lost Soul