SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Ten Games of 2019

With hours left in 2019--at least here in North America--SPC reveals its final list for the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards. We have here the Top Ten Games of 2019! There were so many fantastic titles to choose from over the course of the year; so many that some of them I couldn't even find the time to play. You can bet, however, that those games that I did find time to enjoy are securely placed on this list.

These games were the best designed, most fun to play, and gave me the most hours of gaming pleasure this year. There is a wide assortment of genres on display here from a great number of stellar franchises, so let's not waste any more time with me giving a grand spiel. Let's get to the countdown of SuperPhillip Central's Top Ten Games of 2019!

10) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

After some unsatisfactory Kickstarter stories from some prodigious developers failed to delight, it was nice to finally see a success story. Oh, what a success story it was. After some doubt and some worries, Koji Igarashi of Castlevania fame delivered with his team's terrific Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Designed as Metroidvania and inspired by his own directed classics like Symphony of the Night and Dawn of Sorrow, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night made for a fantastic action exploration platformer that brought a nice challenge, plenty of abilities to unlock and learn, monsters to mash, bosses to beat, and secrets to discover. While the game did not do too much new for the genre, fans and Kickstarter backers weren't really looking for that. They wanted a fresh Castlevania-like game from the man behind some of their favorite titles, and that's exactly what players like me got with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

9) Yoshi's Crafted World (NSW)

Comfort gaming: that's exactly what I consider the Yoshi series. Now, don't get me wrong--I enjoy the original Yoshi's Island greatly, but there are issues with that game that make it for a less than relaxing experience. With Yoshi's Crafted World, the latest featuring Nintendo's adorable green dinosaur, while there were moments in the game that did result in some vexing situations--but those were limited to going for 100% completion--the overall vibe was a calming one. The level design was the highlight for me, offering such clever ways that levels could be designed with everyday objects like sponges for lilypads, egg cartons for platforms, and green paper plates intended as hills for the background. I constantly found myself yearning to see what ideas and concepts the designers at Good Feel would come up with next with regards to levels. A lilypad ride in a bathtub? A jungle expedition to reunite a mother dino with her child? A desert jaunt while being chase by a gigantic skeleton T-Rex? All of these moments made for an excellent platformer that I'm currently playing through again just for the fun of it.

8) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (NSW)

The original Link's Awakening stands as one of my favorite 2D entries in The Legend of Zelda franchise, a video game series that seldom disappoints me. This remake, 26 years after the fact, was a sensational one, offering a warm, cozy, and comforting world to explore, despite nearly everything on Koholint Island wanting to maim Link seriously. That said, playing this remake was a dream. Not only were various quality of life improvements included--such as having more buttons to map items to, so trips to the menu and inventory screens were far less frequent--but new content was added in the form of more Secret Seashells and Heart Containers to collect. The dungeon designer was a bit bare bones and not the true "Zelda Maker" many of us have wanted, but the way the game made making dungeons into puzzles themselves was rather skillful of Nintendo. Then, there was the toy-like diorama presentation and wind instruments serving as the soundtrack of the game, all making for a tremendous looking and sounding game. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening might not completely eliminate the need to play the original Game Boy classic or its Game Boy Color version, but it certainly came close for this writer.

7) Fire Emblem: Three Houses (NSW)

I am not one to partake too much in the Fire Emblem franchise. All in all, I've just played parts of the Game Boy Advance entries that reached North America, as well as have only overall beaten two of the mainline games in the series total: Fire Emblem: Awakening and now Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Featuring three (technically four, but who's counting?) unique story lines based on which of the three houses you align yourself with, Fire Emblem: Three Houses had a surprisingly dark story for the series. Still, what remained unchanged was the tactical RPG goodness that fans keep coming back for time and time again. The abundance of means to customize your characters, ways to interact with them, grow closer with them in and out of battle, and how to overall become a stronger class of students was something that kept me engaged in between the stellar battles that are the strong suit of the series. Wandering about Garreg Mach Monastery between battles could cause some pacing issues at times, but overall, it brought well deserved breaks to unwind and replenish your stock of items, weapons, magic, and more. Fire Emblem: Three Houses also sports one heck of a soundtrack, which I would be eager to purchase if made available. All that cast aside, you have a tactical RPG that delivered in almost every category for every type of fan of the genre in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

6) Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (PS4, XB1, NSW)

The original Crash Team Racing was a competent kart racer, but I never really found myself devoted to it. I always found it to be a pale imitation of Diddy Kong Racing, a game I much preferred. However, with Beenox's remake of the game, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, I've discovered a newfound love and vested interest in the game and the Crash Bandicoot series as a whole. Beenox could have simply upgraded the visuals and called it a day, but the amount of noticeable, tangible effort they put into the game I can't help but applaud and be enamored with. Old tracks look completely new with the masterful makeovers and new face lifts they have. All of the tracks and characters from Crash Team Racing plus all of the tracks and characters from Crash Nitro Kart-- probably content from a game many players are experiencing for the first time--were included. That's not even to mention all of the new tracks, characters, karts, cosmetics, and more being added on a monthly basis via the addicting Grand Prix events. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled not only nailed the tight feel of CTR's original controls, but it brought with it a high enough skill ceiling that players can constantly find themselves improving. And you'll want to improve, too, because the game is so rewarding to do so.

5) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Creativity abounded in the levels of this next game, a 2D platformer mixed with a 3D overworld. This added up to an excellent all-around adventure with Playtonic Games' Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Venturing into the overworld of the game, solving environmental puzzles, and using those to access new levels and alternate versions of each level (ones that drastically changed the structure and designs of each) was one of the most ingenious things I've seen implemented into a platformer of this type in a long time. Further, the Impossible Lair was the game's ultimate challenge, and while the implementation proved too challenging for many players unfortunately, the concept was so clever and smart. You took the Bees you collected at the end of each of the game's 40 levels, and then those were your "hits", shielding you from damage. That said, the lair isn't called "impossible" as part of Playtonic's trademark cheeky level of humor. No, it's actually REALLY hard. Most players might not manage it to make it through the 20+ minute ordeal, but for me, it was the journey and not the destination. I enjoyed every minute of going through the game's levels, running, jumping and rolling as the heroic duo of Yooka and Laylee, collecting the well-hidden doodads, and the nabbing the Bees at each level's conclusion. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a highlight of the year for me, and very much scratches that Donkey Kong Country itch many of us have had.

4) Luigi's Mansion 3 (NSW)

After falling out in many Nintendo fans' favor with the unfortunately timed and received Metroid Prime: Federation Force on the Nintendo 3DS, Next Level Games more than proved itself yet again as an excellent developer for Nintendo with its first Nintendo Switch effort, Luigi's Mansion 3. The sheer amount of creativity in the environments and puzzle design were sensational, and each time I completed a floor, I was excited and eager to see what kind of ingenious designs would await me on the next floor of the Last Resort hotel. From veritable jungles to an Egyptian themed pyramid, the level of imagination in the floor designs and concepts were just astonishing to me. Luigi's added helper of Gooigi made puzzles even more clever, and I felt like a genius when I finally stumbled upon a solution after figuratively beating my head against a wall with no luck. Nearly every moment of Luigi's Mansion 3's 10-15 hour ghost-busting campaign filled me with delight, and even its online counterpart, the ScareScraper, gave me plenty of hours of entertainment as well. Busting certainly made me feel good this year with Luigi in his third solo adventure that was Luigi's Mansion 3.

3) Resident Evil 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

As you can probably tell from the accompanying screenshots, we're moving on from whimsical spooks and scares to downright and outright intense and terrifying scares with Resident Evil 2's incredible remake from early this past year. Striking a perfect balance between keeping things familiar for old fans and making new additions to make for a more modern game, Resident Evil 2 offered one hell of thrill ride. The game nailed its unsettling atmosphere where every encounter was a danger, especially ones pitting Leon and Claire against the immensely intimidating Mr. X, a brilliant new inclusion to the game. From the immaculate visual design, amazing lighting, and excessive detail in the gory goodness of incapacitated enemies, Resident Evil 2 shined brightly in its graphical overhaul as well. Survival horror was remade and re-imagined in a really remarkable way with Resident Evil 2, and it makes me entirely on board with Resident Evil 3's retelling this upcoming April.

2) Super Mario Maker 2 (NSW)

If I gave the Game of the Year awards to the game that took up the most of my time this year, then Super Mario Maker 2 would definitely be it. As that's not how it works, this accessible creation software to make your dream Mario levels will have to settle for runner-up this year. That said, it truly earned its spot, allowing players to easily create Mario levels in one of five game types, including the new Super Mario 3D World type, and in a dozen level themes. The game keeps on giving, too, with new tools to create more crafty and clever creations with the additions of Link, new enemies, and new objects to interact with in levels. The addition of playing levels with friends online, a much requested feature, has only heightened my love for the game. Apart from the new added content, Super Mario Maker 2 also came equipped with Nintendo's own set of levels set up in a story mode, allowing players to enjoy professionally made content as well as get inspiration for their own creations. Super Mario Maker 2 delivered as both a powerful kit of creation tools as well as a solid Mario experience for playing entertaining platforming levels. It's more than deserving of the number two spot of this list.

And SuperPhillip Central's Game of 2019 award goes to...


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...

1) Kingdom Hearts III (PS4, XB1)

Perhaps a big surprise as SuperPhillip Central's pick for Game of the Year 2019, considering that I don't particularly care for the nonsensical story of the series, but Kingdom Hearts III did surprise me with its excellent quality. I loved exploring the more complicated and involved level designs of the Disney worlds--unrivaled in the series by their size, scope, and density, battling tremendous creatures with the multifaceted combat which allowed different approaches to how I wanted to tackle enemies, and I was astounded by just how gorgeous of a game Kingdom Hearts III truly is, even running on just the base PS4 hardware. Moments like sailing an open world sea in the Pirates of the Caribbean world or teaming up with Buzz and Woody to take on the Heartless in the Toy Story Toy Box world hold high in my gaming memories this past year.

I understand that many longtime fans of the series might have felt that the lengthy wait wasn't worth it for Kingdom Hearts III, but for me, as someone who has played bits and pieces of the franchise here and there, I found myself loving nearly every minute of my time with the game. Enough at least to earn the Platinum trophy for Kingdom Hearts III, and eagerly awaiting the DLC coming early in 2020. Like the Attraction Flow attacks, Kingdom Hearts III was a wild ride, and it possessed enough charm, magic, and spectacle to easily keep me engaged from beginning to end.

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That's officially a wrap on the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards! What did you think? Check out all of the previous lists of this awards show of SPC's with the following links:

Top Five Best Original Soundtracks

Top Five Biggest Surprises

Top Five Games That Kept On Giving

Top Five Most Disappointing Games

Top Five Most Overlooked Games

Top Five Platformers

Top Five Remakes/Remasters

~ See you all in 2020! ~

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Remakes/Remasters

The second awards category on this Monday for the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards is for the Best Remake and/or Remaster. There's sometimes annoyance from gamers towards remakes of older games. Some would prefer wholly new experiences as opposed to treading old territory. However, I'm of the opinion that if an older game that would otherwise be stuck on dated hardware gets an even better version, then what's the problem with that? These following remakes are ones that I believe do just that, or at the very least complement the originals well. With that said, here we go with the list of winners for this countdown.

5) MediEvil (PS4)

Kicking off this countdown of the top five remakes and remasters from the past year is MediEvil. Now, MediEvil was a remake through and through, being insanely faithful to its source material. Perhaps too much so in some critics' cases, as there were occasional warts that showed up in the form of a high difficulty and some obtuse puzzle design. This wasn't a game back on the PS1 that held your hand, and in 2019, this remake was not one that did the same either. If you dug the original MediEvil like I did growing up, then you'll definitely find yourself in love with this remake. Again, warts and all.

4) Spyro Reignited Trilogy (NSW, PC)

We move on from one classic from the PS1 era to another with Spyro the Dragon, a little precocious purple fire-breather whose platforming trilogy I greatly prefer to a certain bandicoot's. Be that as it may, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy released on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One last year, and it wasn't until this past September that all three remade games saw their journey to the Nintendo Switch and PC. The latter of which is more than enough of a reason to put the games on this list, as the PC version was fantastic and looked absolutely jaw-dropping and gorgeous if on the right settings. Don't worry, Switch fans, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy also looked great for that hardware as well, especially being able to play all three games on the go. Both new versions amount to this remade trilogy reaching the fourth spot on this list.

3) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (NSW)

My return trip to Koholint Island was one that brought me faint memories of playing the original Link's Awakening as a child, being bewildered by bosses and puzzles inside the eight dungeons of the game. However, back then I had my trusty Nintendo Power to guide me through. This time around, despite The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening being completely remade on the Switch and having Koholint Island look like a totally different--albeit just as cozy--place, my memories from my youth came flooding back like waves of nostalgia. Even then, the new content made it so my adventure wasn't a predictable one. Koholint Island had never looked better with its warm, fuzzy, toy-like appearance, and the new arrangements of old classic tunes made for a game that I will happily return to for the rest of my gaming years. The original Link's Awakening gave me plenty of happy memories as a child. The Switch remake has already given me even more to enjoy as an adult.

2) Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

What can I say about Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled that I haven't already? Well, I'm going to have to think up some things, not just for its placement on this list, but also for a later category as well. Crash Team Racing's remake saw Beenox put so much effort into the game. Familiar locales and tracks were completely made over with a fabulous brand-new look that if one didn't recognize the layouts, they might not even recognize the tracks at all! Not only were the CTR original tracks and characters included, but so were those from Crash Nitro Kart. Couple this with a meaty amount of modes, as well as the continued monthly sequences of Grand Prix events, and you have a game that delivered for fans thirsty for incredible kart racing action featuring characters other than those from the Mushroom Kingdom.

1) Resident Evil 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

Utterly terrifying as a game in both scare factor and quality, Resident Evil 2 marked Capcom's continued rise in prominence this generation after having faltered quite a bit last gen. There is a fine line when remaking a game. Change too little and you've done the bare minimum. Change too much and you might ruin what made the original special. Capcom nailed the balance perfectly, offering a remake in Resident Evil 2 that satisfied both new players and fans familiar with the PS1 original game. This substantially "gore-geous" game brought a more serious story and tone, offering truly intense and emotional moments. Then, there was the tried and true gameplay that changed the perspective to a third-person over-the-shoulder one which worked flawlessly, as did needing to watch your limited ammo and manage your meager amount of inventory space. Dealing with zombies--a once benign threat--now turned into scenarios where every encounter with the undead was a dangerous one. And that's nothing to say about the newly added threat introduced halfway through the first section of the game. Resident Evil 2 delivered in every way one could imagine, making it the best remake of 2019.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Platformers

It's time for a genre of gaming that I love so much that so many years ago on the site I devoted an entire category of awards to it--it's the platformer! SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2019 Awards chugs along, ready to run and jump its way forward with the Top Five Platformers of 2019. These games are mechanically sound with excellent controls, overall entertaining platformers in regards to both gameplay and design, and they feature some of my favorite level designs of the year. If you're ready to roll on with the countdown, then let's make a starting dash and jump on in to things!

5) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Our first top platformer of 2019 is an overall better game than at least one of the picks on this list, but mechanically it may not be as masterful in the gameplay department as say, the fourth game on this list. That notwithstanding, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night brought the goods and the receipts with it when it released over the summer. It took the tried and true Metroidvania formula--lovingly given the moniker of an "Igavania", named after the director of this game and several Castlevanias of gaming past--and brought some new conventions to them. Whether our heroine took on massive monsters or deadly humanoid opponents, she would gather their souls to unlock new abilities to use in and out of combat to explore the massive world. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night managed to make me love it so much that I happily went for the Platinum trophy on my PlayStation 4 copy of the game. That's saying something for how much I enjoyed it.

4) Katana ZERO (NSW, PC)

An indie hit on the Nintendo Switch and on PC, Katana ZERO by developer Askiisoft was a colorful, vivid, vibrant, and violent action-platformer that possessed incredibly tight and responsive controls. The latter was a good thing, as the manic action require quick wits and steady hands to survive each of the game's levels, which could be completed in a number of different ways. That made it so no two play-throughs of a level might be the same. Slash, strike, and deflect bullets at foes in surprisingly satisfyingly creative ways in this excellent action-platformer, earning its spot on this list of best platformers of 2019.

3) Yoshi's Crafted World (NSW)

We move from the fast paced action of Katana ZERO to a more subdued and much more mellow game (as well as decidedly much more family friendly as well) with Yoshi's Crafted World. I must admit that while Yoshi's latest adventure won't get your palms sweaty too terribly much if you're simply moving through levels, they will when tackling some of the game's more difficult challenges, such as going for 100% collectibles and taking on the title's end-game boss. Yoshi's Crafted World featured some of the most clever level designs and concepts in a platformer this year, with each level having me excited to see what level ideas the designers would come up with next. A mostly leisurely platformer, Yoshi's Crafted World gets comfortable and cozy in the middle of this countdown.

2) Super Mario Maker 2 (NSW)

Not only is the next game on this countdown a platformer with five of the best Mario platforming styles in one game, but Super Mario Maker 2--as the name implies--also allowed players to create and craft their own Mario levels in one of four Mario themes and one of several level types. Along with Nintendo's tightly designed Story Mode levels, which not only provided excellent platforming challenges but also gave players inspiration and ideas for their own levels, players could hop online and try out myriad creations from a plethora of players and designers. Super Mario Maker 2 barely loses out in this category to our number one game by virtue of not being a wholly original game, but don't let that fool you into thinking that this platformer and platforming level tool wasn't a fantastic platformer, no matter which Mario game theme you used--Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros., or Super Mario 3D World.

1) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

We run and jump to our platforming game of the year with a pair of familiar enough characters. Unlike the original Yooka-Laylee, which many consider a pale imitation of the games it was inspired by, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair not only lent itself to a favorable comparison to its Donkey Kong Country inspiration, but it also rivaled the games. Yooka and Laylee made one killer combo, and the running, rolling, jumping, and spinning made for a tight feeling game. The eponymous Impossible Lair was a fantastic capstone challenge for the game, but it also could cut plenty of players' adventures just short of the goal. The other levels leading up to the Impossible Lair were really well designed with smartly placed secrets, fun level gimmicks (including two versions of each level, which drastically altered their designs), and a 3D overworld that brought forth a combination of platforming and puzzle elements. All in all, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair delighted me the most as a completely original platformer this year, giving it top honors as the best platformer of 2019.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

Let's rebound from last night's negative awards category of Most Disappointing Games of 2019 and return to what the SuperPhillip Central Best of Awards are all about--celebrating gaming! Today, there's just one category, but it returns us to a more positive place as we celebrate and count down the Top Five Biggest Surprises of 2019. These are the games that had unexpectedly great quality or just came out of nowhere and knocked people's figurative socks off. It's a colorful array of nominees and winners on the list, so it's time to begin counting them down!

5) New Super Lucky's Tale (NSW)

We start off with a game that is very much a surprise for being a quality platformer. Not only in a 3D sense, where we don't see a lot of games delve into this dimension as of late, but also in a 2D sense. It's New Super Lucky's Tale, a game that was originally an Oculus Rift exclusive turned Xbox exclusive turned Nintendo Switch exclusive, each time gaining new features a new word to the game's title. While far from perfect and adding a little too much variety to distract from the solid enough platforming hijinks, New Super Lucky's Tale wowed me with its charm, its personality, and its clever design.

4) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

We move from a mostly 3D platformer to a wholly 2D one with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Despite enjoying the original Yooka-Laylee, which was modeled after Banjo-Kazooie and its ilk, I didn't quite expect to love Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair as much as I did. From the creative level designs, to the extremely ingenious 3D overworld and the means to alter levels, to the titular Impossible Lair, which demands platforming perfection to pass, Yooka and Laylee's second go of it was a phenomenal game, making it one of my favorites of the year. Truly unexpected, but perhaps that's on me for doubting the tremendous talent behind some of my favorite games of all time from various ex-Rare staffers!

3) Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (PS4, XB1, NSW)

File this one like the other games thus far on this countdown of the Top Five Biggest Surprises of 2019 as a game that I didn't know I'd like as much as I did. While I knew of the original Crash Team Racing's quality, as I played the game back on the PS1, I did not expect how much of a masterful recreation and remake its Nitro-Fueled reincarnation would be. Packed with content in the form of characters, tracks, karts, and cosmetics, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled keeps me playing to this day, and we're talking about a title released this past June. This is thanks to the Grand Prix mode and by virtue being a game that keeps on giving, but it's also because it's a game that one constantly improves at. You WANT to get better at the game because the game rewards you for doing so. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled delivered so much unexpected joy from me this year, putting it a firm middle position on this countdown.

2) Ring Fit Adventure (NSW)

Now, we're going to talk about games that came from out of nowhere and surprised with their high quality. When one thinks of fitness games, they think of quote/unquote "non-games", but Nintendo pulled no punches with Ring Fit Adventure, a complete fitness RPG. The Pilates ring that comes with the game is the piece de resistance of Ring Fit Adventure (literally, too, in a way with its resistance training), allowing players to perform unique and legitimate exercise maneuvers to not only defeat enemies and venture the game world, but also to get a real workout in. Set the difficulty level of your workout and challenge of the game, and pick your set of exercise moves into battle, serving as your attacks. Ring Fit Adventure isn't just a surprise of how creative and innovative it is a game, but how excellent it is as a full-fledged workout!

1) Untitled Goose Game (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC)

HONK! Sneaking up on the gaming conversation and taking full control of it was Untitled Goose Game, whose name serves as a prime example of just how eccentric and off-the-wall the game truly is from developer House House. Meandering about levels causing mischief as a goose is a simple enough elevator pitch to convey--wacky, no doubt, but seeing the game in action and witnessing how the stealth gameplay and hilarious absurdity of it all work in tandem together really sells the game. Untitled Goose Game is a big surprise not only for being a sensational game, but also a big surprise for how it unexpectedly commandeered so much attention from the gaming world this past year in a viral way. ...HONK!

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Most Disappointing Games

As SPC has stated so many times when bringing up subjects like this, you gotta take the good with the bad, and while we've all enjoyed a lot of great games so far during the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards, now we take a slight detour from our highway of positiveness to a negative back road. It's time for the Top Five Most Disappointing Games of 2019. These were games that didn't meet expectations, were plagued with plenty of problems, or were just outright baaaad. Let's get to the list of "winners" with the countdown.

5) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

We kick off this list of disappointing games with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD. The original Banana Blitz was a Wii launch title that incorporated some wacky and imprecise motion controls, bad, sometimes infuriating boss battles, and a jump button. All but the first returned with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, instead having players use a traditional analog stick for movement as opposed to motion controls. This meant that many of the level layouts were altered and remixed somewhat to make for a more challenging game. Sadly, beyond the relatively short adventure mode, there is a dearth of content available here. It's a shame that more substantial and quality content weren't put into this game, as the failure of the game might put off SEGA from returning to the Super Monkey Ball series for a while.

4) Contra: Rogue Corps (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Speaking of games that might have spoiled the chance at a franchise's future, we have Contra: Rogue Corps. Apart from the grotesque art style that takes Contra and tries to give it an overly edgy makeover (what is this, 2005?), Contra: Rogue Corps played horribly with its massive performance problems and sub-par gameplay that worked about as well as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest, pardon the cliche analogy. Make no mistake, though--Contra: Rogue Corps kicked no butt whatsoever. The game was an utter bastardization of the Contra franchise, and one that might have put the franchise to rest for good.

3) Mario Kart Tour (iOS, AND)

Nintendo's mobile offerings have been less than stellar, and that trend continued with the scummy business practices offered in Mario Kart Tour. The actual racing was fair enough, but all of the trappings on top of that were not. For one, the rates for acquiring characters is ridiculously low, meaning that you can blow through plenty of the in-game currency and have little to show for it. Given that these Rubies are difficult to come by in the first place, and you have a game that's sensationally stingy. Throw in a subscription pass that's more expensive per year than a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and you have a great reason to stick with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe over this shameless cash-grab.

2) Crackdown 3 (XB1, PC)

Gears 5 was a fantastic success story for the Xbox One, as it was a high quality first-party effort, which as we all know and have been beaten over the head with multiple times is something that the Xbox brand is currently short on. While Crackdown 3 is hardly a bad game, the extended wait time from multiple delays really made it so the final product wasn't really worth the aforementioned wait. There was potential here, but at the same time, that just makes the final result of the final product that much worse. In the end, Crackdown 3 still feels like it's stuck in the past with regards to its gameplay. Really, in the almost decade span between Crackdown 2 and Crackdown 3, it seemed like the latter was a product of a lost time in gaming, one in which the industry had long since moved on from.

1) Anthem (PS4, XB1, PC)

The "winner" of this awards category is a game from a prestigious studio which has provided a plethora of quality games. Unfortunately, Anthem was not one of them. After the disappointment that was Mass Effect Andromeda, developer BioWare had a lot to prove with its next project. The unfortunate thing of this was that with Anthem, nothing positive was proven--at least from the outset. Instead, the Destiny-like Anthem failed in most regards, whether it was the immense amount of grinding one had to do to make progress, the story--one which was unusually lackluster for a BioWare game, and an exhaustive amount of technical glitches and issues. While the game has gotten considerably better, most of the gaming world seems to have moved on from Anthem. To further twist the knife, Anthem did not meet EA's sales expectations, despite the game's success right from the starting gate. BioWare has essentially had two stinkers in quality in a row now, and perhaps that is the most disappointing aspect of them all.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Best Original Soundtracks

The festivities officially begin here with SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2019 Awards! For over a decade now, SPC has awarded the best and boldest of gaming each year. What follows these next 7-9 days is a variety of categories in top five form and one final top ten for SPC's favorite games of 2019.

Let's get things underway with our first category: Best Original Soundtracks. With music being something that is of a highly subjective nature--more so than a lot of other categories lined up for this week of awards--it all comes down to whatever tickled SPC's fancy--or in this case, the ears--the most. These five games sport the best soundtracks that come solely from gaming and no outside source such as heavily licensed music. Without further ado, let's kick SPC's celebration of gaming off with some great music!

5) Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4, XB1, PC)

Starting off this soundtrack countdown, we soar in the skies with Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown's monumentally marvelous and memorable musical score. No doubt the highlight of the soundtrack is the piece of music that caps the entire journey, Daredevil. It's a piece of music that brings with it a tremendous emotional punch and gives just the right amount of energy to deliver some serious feelings. Elsewhere on the soundtrack are themes that bring a great sense of urgency, action, and impact, all perfect for a grandiose aerial adventure.

Daredevil

Hush

Archange

Eastern Wind

Tail Man

4) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Be forewarned: we may see a lot of this next game in numerous categories of SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2019 Awards. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair made no attempt to hide its clear inspiration from the Donkey Kong Country series, and it helps that several folks who worked on those games worked on this one. That includes one of the composers of the game: David Wise, who was joined by a bounty of talent in the form of Grant Kirkhope and two relatively newcomers, Matt Griffin and Dan Murdoch, who contributed several tracks to the game. Some of these are my favorites on the entire soundtrack, such as the Aquatic Ambiance-esque Factory Fright - Flooded. The Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair soundtrack does not hit the same highs as the best in the Donkey Kong Country series, but it's no slouch in the musical score department either!

Capital Causeway

Frantic Fountains

Turbine Trouble

Factory Fright - Flooded

Production Path - Panic

3) Team Sonic Racing (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Our next video game soundtrack of 2019 incorporates several remixes from past Sonic the Hedgehog games in it, including music from Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Unleashed, and past Sonic racing games. It's Team Sonic Racing, and aside from the expertly crafted new remixes by a wide array of musical talent, such as Crush40, Jun Senoue, Tee Lopes, the Hyper Potions, and more, there are several brand-new tracks. Of course, there's the prerequisite of a modern Sonic game to have a vocal main theme, and Green Light Ride rocks and hits all the right notes. That notwithstanding, the all-new music themes heard in the Planet Wisp series of races, for instance, all deliver fantastic high-energy themes.

Green Light Ride

Wisp Circuit

Lost Palace

Ice Mountain

Boo's House

2) Fire Emblem: Three Houses (NSW)

Fire Emblem never fails to feature a stirring, riveting and sensational soundtrack--especially these past few entries--and Fire Emblem: Three Houses certainly does not buck this trend. Whether it's gallivanting around Garreg Mach Monastery to the peaceful and restful theme that plays, or hearing Fodlan Winds, Tempest of Seasons, or one of many of the stellar battle themes that accompany the action and terrific tactical combat of the game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses devotes itself to a high level of polish. This no doubt seeps deeply into the soundtrack, so hopefully these examples remain available to listen to in order to give you an idea on just how remarkable the music really is.

Main Theme

The Edge of Dawn (Seasons of Warfare)

Fodlan Winds

Tempest of Seasons

Life at Garreg Mach Monastery

1) Kingdom Hearts III (PS4, XB1)

The splendid Yoko Shimomura, whose mastery of music making is well known, brought her "A" game once more to the Kingdom Hearts series with the third numbered installment of the series, Kingdom Hearts III. Taking numerous past themes from the series and reworking them with the full majesty of a full orchestra, as well as composing wholly original pieces of music in addition to this, made the Kingdom Hearts III soundtrack resonate greatly with me. That said, I shouldn't give total credit to Ms. Shimomura, regardless of her excellent ability. The soundtrack's breadth and depth was helped by Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito who contributed to the music, too. Kingdom Hearts III was a team effort, and emphasis on the effort, as it truly shows with the magnificent music and sounds one can hear from the game.

Mount Olympus Field

Toy Box Battle

Arendelle Field

Gummy Ship Exploration III

VS Demon Tide (Phase 2)

Announcing the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards!

After a year's hiatus, the SuperPhillip Central Best of Awards are back in full swing with nearly ten categories from every subject in gaming from Most Overlooked to Most Disappointing. Hey, you gotta take the bad with the good every now and then! That said, aside from that latter category, the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards will be more of a celebration of the past year in gaming with daily top five lists and a final top ten list of the best games of 2019.

The fun starts on the day after Christmas--December 26th--so get ready for some fun times and enjoyable reminiscing of the year that was 2019 in gaming!