Nicknames are back, so there’s no need to engage.

Thanks for listening to the feedback!

This is so cool! I can’t wait to pick it up. Please be sure to let us know if any book tour events get planned!

Glad to be of service! I really look forward to the nicknames every episode.

8-4 Play Episode Roster — VGM Life A complete list of the participants of each 8-4 Play episode, their nicknames, and how they take out each episode.

Without nicknames, we wouldn't need to listen to find out the meanings of @markmacdo.bsky.social "Empty Promises", @johntv.bsky.social "Body Cream", @tinabuttz.bsky.social "Nier Automatone Deaf", and @gabrieldeleon.bsky.social "Screwjob". I track these fun wordplays at www.vgmlife.com/8-4/roster

Game Music Digest | Fortnite x Gorillaz, Lady Gaga Goes Gaming & Bryson Tiller's Video Game Plus: Roblox quietly launches 'The Block', an always-on music experience

My music and gaming newsletter, MusicEXP, is slowly nearing 1000 subscribers. It’s the definitive source for news and analysis covering the intersection of games and music. It’s free to subscribe, so please do so if you haven’t already!

Any shares appreciated

musicexp.substack.com/p/game-music...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Soundtracks Available for Pre-order on CD and Vinyl — VGM Life A complete 8-CD boxset, along with a 6-disc and 2-disc vinyl set, have been announced and are available for pre-order. The CD set has the complete soundtrack along with 25 bonus tracks. They are sched...

I’m so appreciative that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's soundtrack is available on physical from @lacedrecords.com and @ign.com. I don't often double dip, but I got both the CDs for completeness, and the 2LP vinyl for a curated selection (by composer Lorient Testard).
www.vgmlife.com/news/expedit...

8-4 Play Steak Bet Outcomes — VGM Life These are the steak bets that have taken place on air on the 8-4 Play podcast.

Here's the steak bet flow chart that was mentioned. I'm still struck by:
1. The lack of arrows between Mark and John.
2. How many arrows go to @markmacdo.bsky.social.
3. How many arrows go away from @johntv.bsky.social.

Looking forward to the Ep 400 Patreon announcement!
www.vgmlife.com/8-4/steaks

Don't miss UNICORN OVERLORD Orchestra Album ~Atlus x Vanillaware Works~ album feat. Basiscape and orchestration by Osamu Kubota! We have info about where to stream and buy the CD: www.scarletmoonproductions.com/blog/unicorn... #gamemusic #vgm #UnicornOverlord

I haven't seen anything about this online, but the Elden Ring Symphonic Adventure concerts seems to be coming to North America! I was browsing the NJ Performing Arts Center brochure I got in the mail and look what is scheduled for January 24th, 2026! #eldenring

What a great news jingle this episode! Gabe, have you considered making the “news” clip available to professional music studios?

Thanks for the heads up about this! I feel like this movie is what HDR was invented for.

8-4 Play Steak Bet Outcomes — VGM Life These are the steak bets that have taken place on air on the 8-4 Play podcast.

What was the steak bet that @johntv.bsky.social and @markmacdo.bsky.social mentioned? Now that the Switch 2 release date is after March 2025, @gabrieldeleon.bsky.social lost the last unresolved steak bet that took place on-air. But I don't think John was part of that bet.
www.vgmlife.com/8-4/steaks

Orchestral epicness ⚔️

“Unicorn Overlord Orchestral Album ~Atlus × Vanillaware Works~” on 2xCD featuring 25 orchestral tracks, recorded live at Sumida Triphony Hall, Tokyo. Composed and arranged by Mitsuhiro Kaneda and Basiscape 👑

Pre-order now:
buff.ly/8FIY7lU

Shovel Knight: Steel Thy Concert was so fun! It was paced well, and the entire franchise got its due. No surprise that @the8bitbigband.bsky.social Charlie Rosen knocked it out of the park arranging Jake Kaufman’s high-energy soundtrack. So glad I got to say thanks to some of the team afterwards.

It’s so frustrating, when the Xbox version has Chinese vocals as an option. So it’s clearly not a technical limitation. It’s a choice, by either Koei or Sony.

Soundtracks for Super Mario RPG Available for Pre-order in Vinyl (2023 Remaster) and CD (1996 and 2023) — VGM Life Square Enix is currently taking pre-orders for the soundtracks to both the original 1996 SNES Super Mario RPG and the 2023 Switch remaster. They are releasing the soundtrack for the remaster in both a...

In 1996, the idea of Nintendo and Square working together on a RPG was so exciting, and that was before I knew the composer for Street Fighter II was working on it! I'm glad they brought back Yoko Shimomura for the 2023 arrangements. I pre-ordered the CD set for both!
www.vgmlife.com/news/superma...

What a break in tradition!! You were supposed to release an episode of speculation right before the formal announcement.

I can’t be the only Childless Chili Crisp working these poles.

8-4 Play Podcast Steak Bets Summary — VGM Life The 8-4 Play Podcasts steak bets documented and mapped out.

For no good reason, I mapped out the steak bets that took place on the @84play.bsky.social podcast, and this is what I learned: 1. Mark is the biggest winner. 2. @johntv.bsky.social is the most generous steak host. 3. Mark and John never bet steaks against each other!
www.vgmlife.com/8-4/steaks

I really wish they had a restaurant. I crave wings after every episode…

I’m looking forward to the Patreon announcement this episode! But do you think the fact that the podcast is a free passion project has actually contributed to the show’s longevity? Thanks for a great year!

Thereza Bazar - Gotcha (1985) Original Music Video [Rare] YouTube video by STEFANO ERCOLINO

I’m shocked @tinabuttz.bsky.social did not recognize Mark’s rendition of the 1985 song “Gotcha!” by Canadian Thereza Bazar. The music video is a great glimpse into how bizarre and amazing the 80’s were. youtu.be/owHlyUript8?...

Thanks for the tip!!! XIII is my favorite Final Fantasy soundtrack. I completely skipped Dirge of Cerberus. If Hamauzu worked on it, I’ll have to check out the soundtrack at least!

I can’t imagine there’s much competition for any of the technical Oscar awards this year. It was such beautiful movie. I’m glad I sprung for the IMAX viewing.

I played through Final Fantasy IV on the Micro, and it was totally fine despite the amount of text. What an amazing machine.

Thanks for that tip about Tetris Battle Gaiden being a good party game! I’m looking forward to trying it out with all the extended family over Thanksgiving. Usually my wife is so good at Tetris that there’s no chance anyone else will win. I’m hoping for some Mario Party degree shenanigans.

I bought the Collector’s on PS5, but then double dipped because I was going on a trip. It’s definitely a perfect Switch game. Occasionally I felt the text is a little bit small when in handheld. Not enough to stop me from playing for 6 hours straight on the plane though.

I still don’t understand how it’s sustainable. These AI models were initially trained on all the content people put onto the internet. But as more internet “content” is AI generated, won’t the models just feed on that newer AI generated garbage? Won’t it become an AI Human Centipede?