Battle Bards

After an incredibly long absence, Retro Reprise is back for a kind of weird episode -- but aren't those the best? On this week's show, Syp listens to many video game studio logos and fanfares from the 1990s. These jingles may be short, but we heard them so many times they became burned into our brains! Which one was your favorite? Show notes Intro (Sega Scream commercial) Origin Systems Rare Capcom Apogee Hot-B Blizzard Entertainment Konami Microprose Interplay Crystal Dynamics LG Software Micronet Ocean Software Seta Corporation Sierra Telegames Warp Outro Special thanks to the Retro Video Game Logo Project!

Look down -- and it'll be the last thing you'll ever see! That's because fury and death arrive in the form of short character races in MMORPGs. Even if they hit below the belt, their music is sweet to the ears! In this episode of Battle Bards, the crew take on themes from Gnomes, Halflings, Dwarves, and other short races in MMOs. Episode 120 show notes  Intro (feat. "Dwarf Tavern" from World of Warcraft, "The Gnomes" from Project Copernicus, and "Exploring the Shire" from Lord of the Rings Online) "The Call of Stone" from Warhammer Online "Gnomes" from EverQuest Online Adventures "Asura Theme" from Guild Wars 2 "New Tinkertown" from World of Warcraft "Gnome Village II" from RuneScape "Thorin's Hall" from Lord of the Rings Online "Dwarven Village Theme" from Lineage II Which one did we like best? Listener Notes: Chestnut Bowl, Fair Mores Jukebox Picks: "Nomads of the White Desert" from Assassin's Creed Origins, "Deployment" from Hive Jump, and "First Steps" from Celeste Outro (feat. "Dwarf Cave" from Forsake

Believe it or not, it's the Battle Bards' fifth anniversary! From its weirdly humble beginnings back in 2013 to our arrogant ramblings here in 2018, coverage of MMO music must continue! In today's episode, we'll be listening to a surprisingly good soundtrack: Skyforge. Yes, that Russian sci-fi MMO from the Allods team that lets you grow into your ego as a god. Groove on these tunes and see if there's a new sleeper soundtrack waiting for you! Episode 119 show notes Intro (feat. "Pioneers," "Story Without End," and "Wilderness") "Dreams of Aelion" "Login Theme" "Stronghold" "Campaign Music" "Aelinar" "Forest Retreat" "Battle" Which one did we like best? Listener Notes: Rafael and Mark Jukebox Picks: "Breathe the Black" from Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, "Skalitz 1403" from Kingdom Come Deliverance, and "A.C.I.D." from Into the Breach Outro (feat. "Illusion") 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

What are your favorite memories of those first few days in a brand-new MMORPG? Chances are that those memories are inextricably connected to the music of these beginning areas. On today's episode of Battle Bards, the crew revisits starting zone themes to talk about the experience of those first critical steps in an online game -- and the songs that connect us forever to that. Episode 118 show notes Intro (feat. "Dun Morogh" from World of Warcraft, "Autumn in Ascalon" from Guild Wars, and "Silverwood" from RIFT) "Emerald Falls" from Revelation Online "Bleakrock Isle" from Elder Scrolls Online "Ronfaure" from Final Fantasy XI "Azuremyst Isle" from World of Warcraft "Olvia" from Black Desert "The Black Shroud" from Final Fantasy XIV "Newbie Melody" from RuneScape Which one did we like best? Listener Notes: Hirvox and GeorgeWilson3 Jukebox Picks: "Main Menu" from Life is Strange: Before the Storm, "With Sympathy" from Gears of War 2, "The Descent into Spring Valley" from Nine Parchments Outro (feat. "Isle of Re

Two Destinies for the price of one! For this episode, the Battle Bards are gearing up in their favorite space armor to take on highlights from both of the Destiny soundtracks. From buyer's regret to confusing the gender of a key character, there is all sorts of on-air therapy happening with this kooky trio! Episode 116 show notes Intro (feat. "Sepiks Prime," "The Wilds," and "Ikora") "Inner Light" from Destiny 2 "The Traveler" from Destiny 1 "The Ecstasy (Jupiter)" from Destiny 1 "Lost Light" from Destiny 2 "The Last City" from Destiny 2 "Holliday" from Destiny 2 "The Farm" from Destiny 2 Which one did we like best? Listener Notes: rafael12104, Katriana, Veon91 Jukebox Picks: "Becalmed" from Sea of Thieves, "Track One" from Loong Online, and "Riverside Bogie" from Railway Empire) Outro (feat. "The Union (Mercury)") 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 Entertainment Network!

Mighty and majestic, scaly in hide and shrewd of mind, smoking with fury unabated... these are the Battle Bards! Also, dragons. Yes, in today's episode, the Bards tackle the soundtracks to one of the most iconic fantasy creatures of all time. So call over your good luck dragon and get your best Sean Connery voice on as we loot the musical hoard of these beasts. Episode 116 show notes Intro (feat. "Bash the Dragons" from Guild Wars 2, "Shinryu's Theme" from Final Fantasy XIV, and "Drakonspire Depths" from Aion) "Sindragosa" from World of Warcraft "The Valley of Dragons" from SUN "A White Dragon Fallen into the Earth" from Dragon's Dogma Online "Mordremoth" from Guild Wars 2 "Dragon Considers" from The Secret World "Spirit Island" from Istaria "Tiamat's Requiem" from Aion Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Frazleytastic, Pandalulz, Jdub, Mylin1 Jukebox picks: "The Valley of the Blinding Mist" from The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, "Milton's Tower" from What Remains of Edith Finch, and "Ave Maria" from H

Forgettable ambient noise or entrancing space sounds? This is the debate that's at the core of today's episode, as the Battle Bards take on EVE Online's beloved and perhaps misunderstood soundtrack. It's a journey that goes far beyond our galaxy to one full of intrigue, industry, and space discotheques! Episode 115 show notes Intro (feat. "Below the Asteroids," "Odyssey," and  "I Saw Your Ship (symphony version") "Akat Mountains" "Minmatar Rock" "Hail to the Explorer" "Theme from Jita" "Red Glowing Dust" "Merchants, Looters, and Ghosts" "The Dealer" Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Veon91, Zen Dadaist, KatsPurr Jukebox picks: "Musik 2" from Hotline Miami, "Battlefield One" from Battlefield 1, and "Theories of an Eager Heart" from Planet Coaster Outro (feat. "EVE Fanfest 2013 Theme") 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 Entertainment Network!

Yes officer, these Battle Bards were well above the speed limit and violated many noise complaints in the local neighborhoods. But it was for a good cause, sir! This music from vehicular MMOs is just way too good to keep quiet! What's that? You'll let them go with just a warning? You only know they're going to peel out and look for another score to settle! Episode 114 show notes Intro (feat. "Snowmobile Chase" from The Secret World, "Harmonic Vengeance" from Auto Assault, and "Racing 4 Pinks" from Motor City Online) "Garage" from Crossout "Smuggler Track S Two" from Grand Theft Auto Online "Assault of Fort Harrison" from Auto Assault "Kharkov" from World of Tanks "A2B" from The Crew "My Garage" from Drift City "Redlining" from Motor City Online Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Scott Rankin and Chillos Smith Jr. Jukebox picks: "Main Theme" from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, "The Ballad of Doctor Death" from Outlaws, "Free Roaming" from Owlboy Outro (feat. "Beyond the Precipice" from War Thunder) T

Alien, quiet, and weird -- that's the Anarchy Online soundtrack for you in a nutshell. For the first episode of 2018, the ever-contentious Battle Bards are back to quibble about, gush over, and nitpick the score to one of the older sci-fi MMOs on the market today. Episode 113 show notes Intro (feat. "Seascape," "Spiritual Elysium," and "The Cup") "Main Theme" "Majestic Omni" "Omni-Tek Theme" "Ancient Civilizations" "Dungeon Dub" "Shadowlands Battle Music" "Amongst the Trees" Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Friendly Necromancer, Katriana, and Rafael Jukebox picks: "Simmering Steeps" from Portal Knights, "I Am Justice" from Diablo III, and "First Light" from Aion Outro (feat. "Open Plains") 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 Entertainment Network!

It's time to take a diversion to play -- and listen -- to the minigames tucked inside of our MMOs! The Battle Bards haul out their last show of 2012 with an eclectic and fun assortment of minigame soundtracks. While minigame-specific music might be hard to hunt down, this trio did their best and are reasonably satisfied with the result. Which is good, because no refunds on this podcast! Episode 112 show notes  Intro (feat. "Darkmoon Faire" from World of Warcraft, "Artifact Hunt" from Free Realms, and "Sneaky Block" from Trove) "Bonus Stage" from Guild Wars 2 "Pet Battles" from World of Warcraft "Triple Triad" from Final Fantasy XIV "Choo Choo Zoo" from Wizard101 "Space Missions (Republic)" from Star Wars: The Old Republic "Pest Control" from RuneScape "Checkers" from Free Realms Which one did we like best? Listener notes: Skaldrom, Minimalistway, and Rafael12104 Jukebox picks: "Temple of the Fist" from FFXIV: Stormblood, "Main Theme" from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and VGMpire Outro (feat. "Jump R

The Battle Bards are always up for a musical bargain, and on today's episode, they'll deliver two MMORPGs for the price of one (sitting)! It's a look at two rather obscure eastern MMOs, Cabal Online and Cabal 2, both of which have some surprisingly good music tucked away. So expand your video game musical horizons with this show! Episode 111 show notes Intro (feat. "Frozen Tower of the Undead" from Cabal 1, "Freii Hills" from Cabal 2, and "Altar of Siena" from Cabal 1) "Green Despair" from Cabal 1 "Desert Scream" from Cabal 1 "Mission Battle" from Cabal 1 "Illusion Castle" from Cabal 1 "Forest of Troglo" from Cabal 2 "Another Truth" from Cabal 1 "Login Screen" from Cabal 2 Which one did we like best? Listener notes: @JinxedThought, @Katriana_games, Minimalistway, and George Wilson III Jukebox picks: "Fertile Highlands" from Conan Exiles, Super Marcato Bros., and "Welcome to Amnoon" from Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire Outro ("Luper's Excavation Site" from Cabal 2) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Ba

The Battle Bards are quite familiar with the power of the strummed guitar and lute, knowing that such simple instruments can bring down walls, devastate armies, and dethrone monarchs. But on their off days, acoustic guitars are simply pleasurable to hear and are sprinkled throughout many a-MMO's soundtrack. It's six-stringed serenity in the 110th episode of this podcast! Episode 110 show notes Intro (feat. "Sunlight of Morning" from Aion, "The Fringes (Daytime)" from FFXIV, and "Hills of the Shire" from LOTRO) "Auf zu neuen Welten" from Drakensang "Firelight" from TERA "Lisbon" from Uncharted Waters Online "Aughaire and Angmar" from LOTRO "Dion Theme" from Lineage II "Pre-Alpha 4" from Shroud of the Avatar "Breeze Island" from Ragnarok 2 Which one did we like best? Listener comments: Rafael12104 Jukebox picks: Retro Game Audio, "Emerald Falls" from Revelation Online, and "Main Theme" from Spyro's Adventure Outro Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM , Googl

When you've got a club full of penguins overseen by the Mouse House itself, you know things are going to get both wacky and weird! Club Penguin may not be everyone's go-to MMO for music, but its wide array of simplified genres certainly give the Battle Bards a lot to discuss on this week's show. Episode 109 show notes Intro (feat. "Hello Yellow," "Extra Planetary Force," and "Cabin Trails") "Starting Fresh" "Medieval Theme" "Cart Surfer" "Bull's Eye" "Pizza Parlor" "Ocean Voyage" "Rock the Boat" Which one did we like best? Listener notes from Katriana_games and Zoward Jukebox picks: "Divine's Lament" from Divinity Original Sin 2, "Inner Light" from Destiny 2, and Level with Emily Reese Outro (feat. "Strange Galaxy") 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 Entertainment Network!

Here's a musical episode that you can really sink your teeth into! Your... ear teeth? In any case, the Battle Bards are evaluating our Dark Masters this Halloween season to see which has the best music: vampires or werewolves. It's a sinister, gothic show with several first-time MMO appearances for the podcast, so check it out! Episode 108 show notes (show page, direct download) Intro (feat. "Gilneas" from World of Warcraft, "Werewolf Camp" from Forsaken World, and "Transylvanian Rain" from The Secret World) "Clan (Pride Theme)" from Wolfteam "Werewolf" from Neverwinter "Main Theme" from Requiem "Kindred Village" from Forsaken World "Palace of the Dead Floors" from Final Fantasy XIV "Concordia" from Dark Eden "Hunter's Creed" from Darkfall Which one did we like best? Jukebox picks: "No Heaven" from Borderlands, Music Respawn show, "Sanctuary" from Destiny 2 Outro ("Cathedral of Eternal Night" from World of Warcraft) Talk to the Battle Bards on Twitter! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM , 

After 50 episodes, the Battle Bards have made the brave decision to revisit the hallowed lands of Blade and Soul to look at two of the soundtrack expansions. The team combs through The World and Silverfrost Mountain albums to see what bounty can be harvested. It's another lively episode with plenty of upbeat music, so what are you waiting for? Episode 107 show notes Intro (feat. "Hammer of the Dog Sorcerer," "The Dreamdrift," and "Hogshead Hamlet") "The Road/Lycandi Foothills" "The Pot Fighter" "Pine Stone Island" "The Stranger" "Forest of Illusions" "Blood Battle" "Pig's Ranch" Which one did we like best? Jukebox picks: The Annotator podcast, "The Old Republic Theme" from Knights of the Old Republic, and "Gremori Dungeon Ver. 1" from Closers Online Outro ("Snowy North") 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 Entertainment Network!

Instead of looking back at MMORPGs this week, the crew of Battle Bards launches forward into early access! What would a show about music from MMOs that aren't even officially out yet be like? We're going to find out in this wild and woolly episode! Episode 106 show notes Intro (feat. "Pre-Alpha Music" from Shroud of the Avatar, "Main Theme" from H1Z1, and "Rhyldan" from The Repopulation) "Main Theme" from Star Citizen "Main Theme" from Kritika Online "Main Theme" from Osiris: New Dawn "Another Story Begins" from Gloria Victis "Main Theme" from Sea of Thieves "Bay Theme" from Cloud Pirates "Winter is Here" from Crowfall Which one did we like best? Listener feedback Jukebox picks: "The Wild White Yonder" from West of Loathing, "Main Theme" from Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire, and "A Threatin' Zeppelin" from Cuphead Outro ("True Pirate" from Sea of Thieves) 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

Set sail for amazing adventure and an assortment of audio discoveries! This week, Cap'n Steff and her lackeys board Uncharted Waters Online to see what bounty this soundtrack holds. It may not be to everyone's liking, but the sea is a fickle mistress that doesn't appeal to everyone! Episode 105 show notes Intro (feat. "Login Screen," "Central South America," and "Seville") "First Voyage" "Bar" "Forest" "East Asian Sea" "Russian Empire" "American Sea" "Caribbean Pirate Song" Which one did we like best? Listener feedback Jukebox Picks: "On The Sands Of Serkonos" from Dishonored 2, "The Scent of the Sea" from I am Setsuna, and "Strike the Earth!" from Shovel Knight Outro (feat. "Caribbean Pirate Song") 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 Entertainment Network!

And lo, as the Battle Bards walk through the zone of the shadow of death, they will fear no evil, but they will listen to evil's soundtrack because that is what they do! In today's episode, the crew looks at the darker side of MMORPG soundtracks, dwelling in the wicked, the profane, and the deliciously macabre. Also, Syp does his Cookie Monster voice. Episode 104 show notes Intro (feat."In the Darkest Hour" from Vindictus, "Twilight Vale" from World of Warcraft, and "Theme" from Hellgate London) "Into the Shadows" from Dragon's Prophet "Zombie Apocalypse" from The Secret World "Eulogy for Hope" from Warhammer Online "Krall Theme" from Aion "Battle of the Black Gate" from Lord of the Rings Online "Warsong" from World of Warcraft "The Heartbeat of Evil / The Strain" from WildStar Which one did we like best? Jukebox Picks: "Monster Town" from Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, "1:00 A.M." from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and "The Synapse" from Deus Ex Outro (feat. "Palace of the Dead Final Floor" from Final Fantasy

You think you've heard strange MMORPG soundtracks before, but Wurm Online is about to take you to the odd frontier. With two distinctive soundtracks that skew away from typical composition, Wurm baffles, amuses, and bewitches the Battle Bards in today's show! Episode 103 show notes Intro (feat. "Sunrise," "Long Summer," and "Traveling") "Waking Up" "Why You Dive" "Abandon the Hill" "Flatland Stride" "They Wait Back Home" "Along the Broken Ridge" "Village Work Song" Which one did we like best? Jukebox Picks: "Stormblood Theme" from Final Fantasy XIV, "Shipwreck Creek" from Yooka Laylee, and "The Path" from The Last of Us Outro (feat. "Disband Deed") Email the Battle Bards! Follow Battle Bards on iTunes, Stitcher,Player.FM , Google Play and Pocket Casts! Find more podcasts at The Gaming and Entertainment Network!

When it comes to talking about the music from the original NES, everyone seems to always reference the same games. But what about those "other" titles with interesting and memorable soundtracks that get ignored? In today's show, Syp pulls out 10 offbeat NES music tracks that you might have never heard of -- but definitely should! Buckle up, Retro Reprise is about to go off the beaten path and into the wild unknown! Episode 12: Offbeat NES music tracks Intro "Theme" from Rambo "Theme" from Pictionary "Coralcola Village" from StarTropics 2 "Duel" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves "Towering Catastrophe" from Monsters in my Pocket "Running Through the Blue Fields" from Strider "House Theme 3" from A Nightmare on Elm Street "Good Weather" from Mr. Gimmick! "Salvage Chute" from Bucky O'Hare "Strange Woman" from Uninvited Outro ("Mini-Game" from Pictionary)