SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "The Glorious Return" Edition

It's been several weeks now without a new installment of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, but the worldwide nightmare is over--SPC's Favorite VGMs is back, baby! Sporting five new songs from five different video games, we're marching to the beat of our own drummer here.

This week's return to normalcy kicks off with a battle theme from Persona 4. We then venture to uncharted territory in the land of Ys: Memories of Celceta. Following this is a double dose of summer retreats: one in the tropics with Fortune Street and one to the Canadian north (aka the Northern Kremisphere) with Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Last but not least, we wrap this week's edition off with some rockin' Mega Man X5 music.

In case you've forgotten since it's been a few weeks, just click on the VGM volume name to hear the song spotlighted, and check out the VGM Database for every video game and theme ever touched upon on this reoccurring SPC segment! Now, let's get on to the music!

v1431. Persona 4 (PS2, PSP) - Reach Out to the Truth

We're starting off this return to SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs to SuperPhillip Central with an atypical battle theme from an atypical JRPG, Persona 4. No doubt many players weren't expecting to hear a J-Pop tune kick in when an ordinary battle began, and it might be off-putting at first listen. However, as you play through the game, the song becomes more natural to the game, and you eventually start really enjoying it--unless you're like me and liked it from the beginning. As regular readers and listeners of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs know, though, I do have quite the expansive taste!

v1432. Ys: Memories of Celceta (Vita) - Gust of Wind

Explore the vast, uncharted wilderness of Celceta in Ys: Memories of Celceta. As always with Falcom Sound Team, they deliver an exquisite soundtrack that never fails to showcase their talents. With a new Ys heading to both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in North America in a couple months, it seemed fitting to cherry pick one of my favorite themes from Memories of Celceta to represent the game and series in general.

v1433. Fortune Street (Wii) - Delfino Plaza

Since we're deep in hot temperatures here in Central City, it's a perfect time to head to the tropical paradise known as Delfino Plaza set on pleasant Isle Delfino. The original locale came, of course, from Super Mario Sunshine, and then it was featured as a location in Fortune Street--Nintendo and Square Enix's combination of the worlds of Super Mario and Dragon Quest. This remixed version of Koji Kondo's timeless piece of music for Delfino Plaza is peppier with heavier instrumentation than its Super Mario Sunshine original version.

v1434. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES) - Sub-Map Shuffle

If a trip to the tropics isn't what you're looking for, then why don't we take a trip to the Canada-like Northern Kremisphere from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Packing a wide variety of locales in the form of lakes, forests, frozen peaks, and more, the Northern Kremisphere is a getaway like no other. Previous Donkey Kong Country games had David Wise primarily composing the music, but this time around he only contributed a small amount of specific tunes while Eveline Novakovic did all other compositions. As a note of trivia, Ms. Novakovic also portrayed the main character of my favorite FPS, Joana Dark in the Nintendo 64's Perfect Dark.

v1435. Mega Man X5 (PS1) - Repliforce Base (The Skiver)

Let's take to the skies for this final VGM volume of this July 24th edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. For me, Mega Man X5 started a decline in the series. The localization changed the Maverick names to silly pop culture references, and as someone who likes consistency, going from Mega Man X1 to X4's Maverick names to Mega Man X5 was a bit of a shock to my system. Still, one thing that the Mega Man X series routinely has is a stellar soundtrack, and that was indeed the case again with Mega Man X5.

All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries - Part Six

If you've been around SuperPhillip Central for a little while (it's still okay if you haven't, so no harm done), then you know that I like talking about underrated and overlooked games. I've done various series on the subject. However, most of the time, the games mentioned in these articles are from wholly new or overlooked franchises themselves.

There are also a multitude of series that I can think of that have one, two, or a handful of games in it that aren't viewed as highly as the others, whether just or not.

These ideas are where the concept of All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries comes from, and since part five, I've come up with six more underrated entries to big-time franchises, some bigger than others. If you'd like to see past parts of this now long-running series, check them out here:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Killzone - Killzone: Mercenary (Vita)

Our first game we look at comes from a franchise that just HAD to be named a Halo killer due to it being an FPS and on a competing platform. After all, you have to have interesting narratives to get those clicks as any site will tell you. Despite failing to kill Halo, the Killzone series is enjoyable enough. However, the PlayStation Vita entry, Killzone: Mercenary is not just one that is what I consider the best handheld shooter available, it's also one of my favorite shooters of all time. Offering dual analog controls, some nice, optional gyroscope-based aiming, and nine pulse-pounding missions that have multiple ways of going about them for extra replay value, Killzone: Mercenary delivers in spades. It just stinks that it has a destiny of being overlooked, being on the Vita of all platforms. I can only hope the game gets a second chance to shine like Gravity Rush is and Tearaway has already with a PS4 remaster!

LEGO - LEGO City Undercover (Wii U)

All other big LEGO games in the series of games have an established IP attached to them, whether it's Star Wars, DC, Marvel, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, or what have you. LEGO City Undercover, a Wii U exclusive, has all original characters and a Grand Theft Auto-lite experience. The game follows Chase McCain, a LEGO City Police Department officer in pursuit of the sinister criminal Rex Fury. Along the way he goes undercover into the criminal underbelly of LEGO City to oust his target. LEGO City itself is a sprawling metropolis absolutely filled with content to do, such as finding new character and vehicle tokens, putting out fires, breaking ATMs, putting an end to vehicle robberies, and much more. The city is as dense with things to do as any open world I've ever experienced. It's really the star of the show outside of the hilarious characters and story, as well as the typical LEGO-style level missions. LEGO City Undercover is easily the best the LEGO games have to offer. Don't believe me? Then you have to try the game out if you can tolerate the initial long loading time as the city loads.

Donkey Kong - Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)

Having the misfortune of releasing after the Nintendo 64 launched, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble was overlooked and underrated due to being one of the Super Nintendo's post-N64 releases. The game itself ranks for me higher than the original Donkey Kong Country, but not nearly as good as Diddy and Dixie's romp together with Diddy's Kong Quest, the second game of the SNES trilogy. Donkey Kong Country 3 may not have the terrific soundtrack of the previous two games, offering more of an ambient and atmospheric soundtrack, but what it does have are levels that constantly throw new and engaging challenges to the player, whether they're new gimmicks or not; enjoyable puzzles in figuring out how to retrieve the game's DK Coins, and has a fun overworld to explore, finding hidden Banana Bird caves and new locales. Yes, some aspects of the game are weak, like some of the animal buddies such as Ellie the Elephant, and some of the boss battles aren't too exciting, but overall, Dixie Kong's Double Trouble is little trouble to enjoy.

Metroid - Metroid Prime Hunters (DS)

The next game here is a Metroid game that doesn't really 100% feel like a Metroid game. This Nintendo DS Metroid, Metroid Prime Hunters, has a single player component to it, having players explore multiple planets while dealing with fellow bounty hunters who want to eliminate our hero Samus Aran and anyone else who wants to get in their way. While the campaign is Metroid-lite, granting Samus new weapons to reach new parts of the world, it's more streamlined than usual. The main attraction to Metroid Prime Hunters is the competitive multiplayer mode, taking several locations from the single player campaign and creating maps out of them. What once had online play, now only allows local play and battles with the game's competent bots. Still, I think Metroid Prime Hunters gets too little credit for not only implementing compelling multiplayer to the series, far better than what Metroid Prime 2: Echoes brought to the fold, but also for being a very engaging Metroid with a twist.

Klonoa - Klonoa (Wii)

Klonoa has seen hard times. The character and series in general don't get a lot of love. This became most pronounced with the release of a remake of the original Klonoa adventure, Door to Phantomile, with the Wii's Klonoa. You would figure on a system that is home to fans of platformers, more so than any other at the time, would have jumped (pun intended) to play one of the best Klonoa games around. With gorgeous new visuals, new challenge areas, and the same enjoyable 2.5D gameplay of the original PlayStation release, Klonoa is a fantastic and well paced platforming paradise that doesn't go for much cost-wise in the used market, making it a worthy purchase if you missed out on it when it initially released (which many did.) While the game bombing on store shelves has effectively killed any chance of a new Klonoa game, at least we have past titles of the series that we can look back on and enjoy.

Dead Rising - Dead Rising 3 (XONE, PC)

Now when I talk underrated in All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries, I'm not usually talking about sales success. This is the case with Dead Rising 3, an entry that gets more complaints than it deserves. With an open world area bigger than Williamette Mall and the casino of Fortune City combined, a lack of loading screens, and more zombies on screen than you can shake a Servbot mask at, Dead Rising 3 is a packed game that is both big in size as well as scope. Obliterating horde of zombie after horde of zombie is as fun as ever with the ability to combine weapons without trekking to a workbench, saving from anywhere without the need for a restroom stall, and for old school fans, a Nightmare Mode that brings back the time limit from past Dead Rising games and harsher penalties for players. Selling well, Dead Rising 3 has shipped and sold over a million copies. Still, I find this entry is a bit underrated compared to other entries in the franchise. Well, save the Wii's Chop 'Til You Drop, which I'd argue is underrated as well, and much more so.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Merry Christmas 2015 Edition

Let SuperPhillip Central be the 131st site to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas! While the site may be late wishing you a happy holidays, at least we have a gift for you unlike those other sites! It's the gift of song with this special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. Yep, it's a double dose of this recurring weekly segment, specially packaged for Christmas!

All of the songs featured have some winter and Christmas charm to them. We start with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its Ice Cap Zone Act 1 theme. We then go trekking through a winter wonderland with Mario in Super Mario 64. The Blue Bomber feels Blizzard Man's icy wrath with a song from Mega Man 6. What concludes this special holiday edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs are songs from Sonic 3D Blast and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble.

Once your stomach is full from Christmas dinner, why not rest up by your computer and listen to past VGM volumes and games featured with the SPC VGM Database?

v1036. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN) - Ice Cap Zone Act 1

We seem to have an influx of Sonic the Hedgehog, with Sonic and the Black Knight being the last VGM volume of our last edition of the old VGMs. That's okay, as if I had to listen to music from any gaming series, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise's music would be near the top of my list. With this 1036th VGM volume we delve into the treacherous terrain of the Ice Cap Zone, a popular zone within Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Merry Christmas, Sonic!

v1037. Super Mario 64 (N64) - Cool Cool Mountain

Borrowing the Slider theme melody from the same game, Super Mario 64's Cool Cool Mountain plays in two levels within the game. The first is this titular one, while the second is in the final third of the game, played during Snowman's Land. There are few games that do winter well while leaving players with great memories. Super Mario 64 is one of them.

v1038. Mega Man 6 (NES) - Blizzard Man Stage (Complete Works)

Blizzard Man was one of the eight Robot Masters that Mega Man had to take down in the final NES Mega Man release, Mega Man 6. Mega Man 6 offered some nice innovations to the old Blue Bomber formula, such as multiple path levels, something that some later Mega Man games would possess. The entire package was given the Blue Bomber charm with a super catchy and likable soundtrack, something that the series is definitely well known for. Well, WAS well known for.

v1039. Sonic 3D Blast (SAT, PC) - Diamond Dust Zone Act 1

Sonic 3D Blast had two soundtracks written for the game. The first was the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive version, while the other, and the one I vastly prefer, was the Sega Saturn and PC version. From the sleigh bells, tubular bells, brass, and pizzicato strings, Sonic 3D Blast's Diamond Dust Zone Act 1 is indeed like hearing a Christmas jingle as you explore the level's winter wonderland.

v1040. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES) - Jangle Bells

Wrapping up this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs like a Christmas present is a bonus game melody from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, the final of the original DKC trilogy for the Super Nintendo. Using a cheat code, in bonus games, all of the collectible doodads would be replaced with golden Christmas ornaments while this song would replace the original bonus game theme. Pretty cool cheat!

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Fall Break Edition

Welcome to a new week here at SuperPhillip Central! As usual, we kick off the week with a listen to five video game musical pieces. This week we have music from Final Fantasy XIII-2, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, and Mario Kart 7. If after this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs you still haven't had enough music, check out the VGM Database for over 700 great VGM picks of the past!

v721. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, 360) - Paradigm Shift

One of many battle themes heard in Final Fantasy XIII-2, Paradigm Shift gets the blood pumping as you do battle with a variety of enemies. While the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy leaves a lot to be desired story and gameplay-wise, one constant of the trilogy is the excellent music, as evidenced by this theme and many others like it.

v722. Devil May Cry 3 (PS2) - Devils Never Cry

What was your opinion on Ninja Theory's take on the Devil May Cry series with DmC? It single-handily put the series on hiatus. That's a shame, too, because there's so many fond memories gamers have that are attached to the franchise. One of the most cherished titles from the series is Devil May Cry 3, which this staff roll theme plays during.

v723. Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA) - Northern Kremisphere

Unlike the previous Donkey Kong Country Game Boy Advance ports, Donkey Kong Country 3 had a totally original soundtrack to it for some odd reason. I don't find it better or worse than what the SNES original offered-- it was just different. Regardless, Dave Wise did a terrific job using the meager GBA sound capabilities to produce a lovely soundtrack.

v724. Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - Rock Rock Mountain

One of the major shames is that Mario Kart 7 never received a CD release, whether it be in retail or a reward on Club Nintendo. The reason why this is a major shame is that the music is so expertly made. Rock Rock Mountain is a guitar synth heavy theme perfect for revving engines through caverns, through forests, and up a steep mountain climb.

v725. Mega Man ZX (DS) - Green Grass Gradation (Arranged)

This track is of one of the area themes in Mega Man ZX, a Mega Man game that had a Metroid structure to it. This version of Green Grass Gradation is an arranged one from the ZX Tunes arranged album.

Best Boss Battles in Gaming History - Part Eleven

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE FOLLOWING GAMES:

• Super Mario 3D World
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
• Mega Man 
• Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
• LittleBigPlanet 2

Are you guys who don't want to be spoiled gone now? We hope so! Not that we don't wish you'd take a look at our latest picks of great boss battles or that we don't like you. It's just that we wouldn't want to ruin the fun of witnessing these fights firsthand, so you don't expect what's coming. Anyway, we have the eleventh installment of Best Boss Battles in Gaming History to share with all of our readers, both faithful and coming-and-going. Think of this as an early Christmas present from us. Regardless, platformers are our favorite genre. It seemed like a great idea to focus this edition of BBBiGH (that's not too elegant of an acronym, is it?) on bosses in platforming games, such as ones from series like Mario, Mega Man, and LittleBigPlanet. If you're ready to get knee deep in some terrific boss showdowns, head past the break. If you're not ready for whatever reason, check out these past installments of BBBiGH. That really is a nasty acronym...

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six 

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Best Levels in Gaming History - Volume Seven

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

SuperPhillip Central is back with more incredibly designed and/or simply fun levels from gaming's glorious past. Some of these games and levels are from further in the past than others, but they're all terrific feats of level design. For Volume Seven, we have a five more levels to present to you from games such as The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Rayman Origins, and Mega Man X. We'll get to the masterful levels, but first, here's the other six installments of Best Levels in Gaming History to get you caught up.

Volume One

Volume Two

Volume Three

Volume Four

Volume Five

Volume Six

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES) Retro Review

My brother and I played through the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and boy are our arms tired! Did that joke even make sense? Well, what does make sense is that it's time for a retro review. Our game this time is Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Long name, good game.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Trouble.

The year was 1996. The Super Nintendo held a long reign of dominance, but it was dying out to the brand-new visual prowess of the Nintendo 64. Released right after the world was blown away by Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble was the final installment in the incredible Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Did Dixie and Kiddy Kong give the trilogy its proper send-off?

With King/Kaptain K. Rool defeated and nowhere in sight, a new leader has risen to take charge of the Kremling army. Its name is Kaos, a robotic menace bent on defeating the Kongs once and for all. Dixie Kong arrives at her usual vacation spot to learn that the Kremlings have taken over. The hairspinning Kong isn't along in her adventure as this time newcomer Kiddy is along for the ride. It's up to the two of them to take down Kaos, drive out the Kremlings, and save the area for Kong-kind. Again, the story is just a small piece to the overall game. It's merely an excuse to run through the various level and stages the game throws at the player.

A wet start to a wild vacation!

Donkey Kong Country 3 has more to do than anything other Donkey Kong Country game before it. Yes, there are more than forty levels to explore and conquer, but there are now secret caverns hidden on the world map. These contain Simon Says-esque puzzles in order to obtain banana birds-- crucial to getting 103% completion in Donkey Kong Country 3. There's also a family of friendly bears who Dixie and Kiddy will initiate trades with either for new items or banana birds. As new items are obtained, Funky Kong can fix Dixie and Kiddy up with new vehicles to reach new, otherwise unreachable areas of the world map.

The 40+ levels in DKC 3 are quite varied. The duo of Kongs will visit mills, traverse the treetops either in or around a gigantic tree, race along the riverside, enter stone cold factories, go bobsledding inside a large tube, scamper up waterfalls, and even swim underwater inside lakes. Each area of the game of which there are eight houses various levels to explore as well Kongs to help you along your way. Wrinkly Kong returns as the means of saving your game while Swanky Kong pits you in heated competition against Cranky Kong to see who can hit the most targets within the time limit. Each area concludes with a boss battle. These are all very diverse compared to previous Donkey Kong Country games. You'll be tossing insects into the mouth of a belching barrel to send him careening over the edge before he has the chance to knock you off your side, chucking snowballs at a very unfriendly snowman, and poking fun at a giant barbed crustacean.

Some Prevacid would help this boss out.

More specifically, the levels are consistently sending new gimmicks your way. One level you'll be racing up a tree while a giant ripsaw is on your trail, another you're dodging the fireballs and bazooka fire of various enemies as you climb ropes, while another you're inside a rocket-propelled barrel that's set to self-destruct unless it gets the fuel it requires. Much like the second game in the series, the difficulty level here is a gradual one. Might I say though that this installment is most definitely the toughest yet!

If you've played a previous Donkey Kong Country game before, you know how it works. You have two Kongs, Dixie, who can hover over large chasms with her ponytail, and Kiddy who acts like a much heavier Donkey Kong. One Kong is quick while the other moves slowly. The two can work in conjunction with one another to throw each other at enemies, reach higher platforms, or break through cracked floors. If a Kong takes damage, the other Kong steps in. If that Kong takes damage, you lose a life. DK barrels, placed throughout the given levels, bring back a missing Kong. Thankfully, there's midway point continue barrels, so there's no need to redo the entire level if you mess up near the end.

DK Coins are obtained in a different way in DKC 3.

The Kongs get by with a little help from their friends, and in this case we're talking about animal buddies. Three animals return from previous games including Squawks, a parrot that carries the Kongs and can shoot out nuts at foes, Enguarde, a swordfish used for underwater levels, and Squitter, a spider that can shoot webs at enemies as well as create platforms out of the webs it spins. New animals include Ellie the Elephant who can carry barrels with her trunk, suck up water with her snout, and shoot them at baddies big and small. Then there's Parry the Parallel Bird who hovers directly above a given Kong. If a Kong jumps, so does Parry. If a Kong falls, so does Parry. The bird stays perfectly parallel with the Kongs. Sometimes, the Kongs will find barrels that turn them into one of these creatures for some accelerated animal antics.

In DKC 3, players can just run through the game if they want, but they'll be missing out on the loads of optional content. Hidden treasures like DK Coins and bonus barrels await persistent explorers. This time around, DK Coins are uncovered by snatching them from a creature named Koin. You can only defeat him by attacking him from behind, usually by tossing a barrel over his head, having it bounce off the wall, and back into his backside. Bonus coins are grabbed by winning bonus barrel games. These games are all timed and require great skill to win. Some include collecting all of the stars in a room, grabbing 15 green bananas, defeating all of the enemies, or just making it to the goal. In addition to the seven normal areas, there's an optional Lost World full of exceedingly difficult levels, but it's the only way to unlock the true ending of the game.

This Lost World finale is one challenging level!

Donkey Kong Country 3 is a much more colorful game than the oftentimes drab DKC 2. The pre-rendered character models still look competent if not a bit dated. The backgrounds have a lot going on in them from water effects to bugs buzzing in the background. The game usually runs at a steady clip with little in the way of slowdown except for particularly busy areas of the game. The soundtrack is without question the weakest the trilogy has to offer. There's plenty of catchy tracks, but overall it's worse than what the original DKC and Diddy's Kong Quest provide.

All-in-all, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble is a very worthwhile addition and conclusion to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. It's full of challenge, great graphics, and plenty of content to play through. Being able to play cooperatively where one player plays as Dixie while the other plays as Kiddy only sweetens the deal. Most players will spend five or more hours trying to complete everything. The lack of the original two Donkey Kong Country stars, DK and Diddy and a less-than-perfect soundtrack are tough pills to swallow, but other than those caveats, if you're looking for a great way to cap off the DKC trilogy, look no further than the Super Nintendo original version of Donkey Kong Country 3.

[SuperPhillip Says: 9.25/10]