Toughest Tasks in Gaming History - Volume Four

How good of a gamer do you consider yourself to be? For several years now, SuperPhillip Central has documented some of the toughest tasks to accomplish in gaming. Perhaps you'd be interested in taking up some of these gaming challenges to show your skills, test your meddle, or reveal more of your masochistic side! These particular gaming tasks can be hard due to time-commitment, needing luck, or just purely because of difficulty. Either way, the timid need not apply.

To take a look at a past installment of Toughest Tasks in Gaming History, look no further than these links:

Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three

Now, let's move on to the newest taxing tasks added to this ever-expanding list!

Beating Oxide's Ghosts in Time Trial - Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (PS4, XB1, NSW)

We begin this look at tough gaming tasks with a recent release--Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. This is a remarkably challenging game all on its own. Heck, I could easily pick completing Hard Adventure Mode as one of the toughest gaming tasks alone, but I feel that excelling in the Time Trial mode by beating each and every one of Nitrous Oxide's times is the most difficult feat within CTR's wonderful remake.

It's a bit of a grind to unlock N. Tropy's time trial ghost, and then beating that just to unlock a chance to beat Oxide's own ghost. You have to go through this process in each and every track--all 31 of them. Regardless, Oxide's ghosts themselves use every trick in the book--power sliding and drift boosting at every opportunity, keeping a boost throughout entire laps, nailing shortcuts in each and every track with almost effortless ability, and generally making you feel like you have no business being on the same track as these ghosts. "Ghost" is a perfect term for these fast time trial pests, as they will haunt you as you try to overcome and outrace them, constantly coming within split seconds of doing so but failing. It will take a true CTR expert to accomplish this task, and a lot of practice as well. Good luck, racers.

Obtaining All of the Mii Maker Outfits - Super Mario Maker 2 (NSW)

We continue with another recent release with Super Mario Maker 2, which contains a pretty stiff challenge for completionists: Obtaining each and every one of the outfits that your maker Mii can wear. These range from full-body gear like the Propeller Suit to clothing like shirts, shorts, dresses, and more.

The more time-consuming costume pieces will require you to grind through levels, playing as many as you possibly can to reach the 10,000 level threshold for but one of the outfit unlocks. Then, there's playing through the currently lackluster online multiplayer, where you must get to a certain rank to earn outfits--one of which requires you to win 10 consecutive matches, while another requires you reach the highest rank in general. Finally, there's the luck of the draw of hoping one of your created levels gets popular and viral enough to get enough plays and get enough likes to put you on the leaderboard. Only the most popular creators will ever reach the very top where an exclusive outfit is available.

It seems obvious Super Mario Maker 2 isn't exactly meant to be 100% completed when it comes to outfits, as these tasks have shown, but that isn't stopping intrepid players and makers alike to try. Nevertheless, I would sincerely applaud anybody who is able to successfully unlock every possible Mii Maker outfit within the game.

Clearing Spelunker Mode - 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)

We go from a Mario game to a Zelda game. Well, not an official Zelda game, but one clearly inspired by the classics in the franchise. 3D Dot Game Heroes lives up to FROM Software's penchant for truly tricky and challenging games. While the main adventure is no real cakewalk, the unlockable Spelunker difficulty cranks up the difficulty dial past "11".

In Spelunker Mode, you have 1 HP. Any damage you take will result in a "Game Over". With traps and enemies that can you take you out easily--especially in dungeons--and said dungeons having it so dying returns you to its very beginning, playing carefully and cautiously is paramount to success in this mode. While there is a means to cheese Spelunker Mode's difficulty by running into walls to allow yourself five seconds of invincibility frames, it's still quite the challenge that requires patience, perseverance, and plenty of luck to complete.

Earning the Big Boss Emblem - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS4)

Obtaining the Big Boss Emblem is the single-most challenging objective to accomplish in any Metal Gear game. Heck, it's just a challenging objective in gaming in general! To acquire this emblem, you must do a checklist of arduous, hair-pulling tasks.

For one, you must beat the game on the hardest difficulty. Okay, that might be enough to separate the Solid Snakes from the Johnnys of the series any day, but there's more! You have to do so without dying even once, without sounding an alert from the guards, without killing a guard or any other character, and without recovering health via items. So, not only is this pacifist run with the proverbial deck stacked against you daunting enough, but this must all be accomplished in five hours or less. Is Solid Snake Tom Cruise all of a solid because this mission sounds impossible!

Beating the Game on the "Mein leben" Difficulty - Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Now, it's time for another task featuring a hard gaming difficulty! Take the already immensely challenging "I am death incarnate!" difficulty where death comes quickly--a couple shots and it's game over, and one mistake means a certain and swift death--and make it so if you die, you have to start from the beginning of the game all over again. Oh, and you can't save at all either. That's what Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus' "Mein leben" difficulty delivers to the most masochistic of its players.

In a mode where one good shot can take you out, this seems like a--forgive the play-on words--"colossal" challenge to overcome. Preparing for such a herculean task means playing through the already arduous "I am death incarnate!" difficulty, practicing runs at a near-obsessive pace, and then hoping for the best when you finally tackle your "Mein leben" run. Permanent death is bad enough, but the aforementioned lack of saving makes things even more taxing and seemingly impossible. It's a gaming challenge that will make you hate Nazis even more than you already do/should.

Bad Boss Battles in Gaming History - Part Two

WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE FOLLOWING GAMES:

• Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots
• Mass Effect 2
• Final Fantasy IX
• Mega Man X7
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Last November we began a new segment on SuperPhillip Central, Bad Boss Battles in Gaming History. Now, it's several months later and we have a new installment to share. The rationale for our choices of awful boss encounters can be because of one or many of the following issues: they're forgettable, they're boring, they're tedious, they're in the game for no reason, they're counter-intuitive, or they're just plain not fun. After you've read our latest picks, feel free to throw in some agreement/disagreement and ideas for bosses to consider for part three.

Liquid Ocelot - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots may not strike a proper balance between showing cutscene after cutscene to the player while giving them enough gameplay time to justify all the exposition, but it's an entertaining game that is worthy of the franchise name. However, what isn't very worthy is the final boss fight versus Liquid Ocelot.

The purpose of the battle narrative-wise is to show a decade's worth of history of Metal Gear Solid battles during the fist-to-fist, foot-to-foot fight between Solid Snake and the persona of his brother in Ocelot's body. While it was indeed cool to progress through the four installments of the series through phases of the fight, each implementing a tune from each given installment, the mechanics used are so far gone from what was already established throughout the entire game. It's essentially grunt-fest between two drugged-up old rivals that goes on for far too long. Compare this to the ending fight in Metal Gear Solid 3, where the battle against the Boss implemented everything that the player learned throughout the course of the game. In Metal Gear Solid 4, all of this is basically thrown out of the window.

Human Reaper - Mass Effect 2 (PS3, 360, PC)

The entire journey of this squad-based shooter leads up to this final encounter, constantly escalating the stakes on your way there. However, rather than ending the conflict on a bang, Mass Effect 2 ends on a whimper. What it results in is a weak conclusion to what was prior to that a massively enjoyable sci-fi space adventure.

The final boss is the Human Reaper, an unfinished organism that just hangs by several supports. The aim of this fight is to take out each support, which glow a bright orange as if to say you are too dumb to figure it out on your own. As each support is destroyed, a new wave of throwaway grunts descend into the area, needing you to pick them off before they pick you off. Once they've been eliminated, another support can then be destroyed. After all of the supports are no more, the Reaper falls and a cutscene presents itself.

Not so fast, however, as there's more to this battle. The Reaper pulls itself up and initiates phase two. However, this is as simple as shooting-- once again-- at the boss' glowing spots to defeat it. While the boss battle isn't horrible due to its mechanics, it is pretty bad because it's so underwhelming after everything that was building up to the fight.

Necron - Final Fantasy IX (PS1)

Essentially stealing the thunder of what was the main antagonist for the majority duration of the game, Final Fantasy IX's ultimate boss Necron gets shoehorned into the game as the final foe for what can easily be perceived as no real discernible reason. This wouldn't be so bad if the boss served a purpose rather than to just seem like it was thrown in as a godlike being for the last challenge of the game.

Necron itself is an incredibly annoying final boss. Its most obnoxious and dangerous move is called Grand Cross, delivering a random status effect to all characters. This is in addition to moves like the most powerful forms of Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder, as well as moves like Blue Shockwave, which sends one character's HP down to 1, and Holy and Flare.

Our main issues with Necron is its out of left field appearance at the last very moment, it stealing Kuja's thunder, it serving no real place in the story, and just being a bastard to beat in general.

Flame Hyenard - Mega Man X7 (PS2)

If ever there was a reason to mute one's TV, the battle against the ear-destroying Flame Hyenard is that reason. Apparently, Flame Hyenard is in pain and would like Mega Man X, Zero, and newcomer Axl to "burn to the ground" and just "burn" in general, as he makes this point multiple times during battle... and that's a gross understatement. It wouldn't be so awful if the boss went down quickly. However, that's not the case, even with his weakness equipped to X, Zero, or Axl.

The battle arena when facing Flame Hyenard is a large square surrounded by lava. Slowly walking around the lava is a large mechanized vehicle that needs to be climbed upon to initiate the fight with the real Hyenard, otherwise you'll just be dealing with his clones on the square platform. Missiles rain down from the center of the vehicle, and if you allow Hyenard to use his tri-formation attack, an incredibly difficult amount of offense to avoid, much less counter, then you're in for an even more arduous encounter.

The combination of the poor controls and camera that Mega Man X7 is plagued with, and the incessant ear-piercing pain that the prolonged battle with Flame Hyenard will give you, make the battle an easy choice for this edition of Bad Boss Battles in Gaming History.

Silver the Hedgehog - Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3, 360)

Sonic the Hedgehog's 2006 adventure is one of the worst games we have ever had the displeasure of playing. Whether it's gltiches, absolutely horrid mach speed sections, poor controls, poorly designed levels, embarrassing story, etc., at least Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) has its soundtrack going for it.

This awfulness extends to the game's boss battles, with one of the more notorious encounters being the one with Silver the Hedgehog when playing as Sonic. Silver uses psychic powers to freeze his enemies in place. He does this frequently in the fight against Sonic, so much so that he can unfairly grab you twice in a row due to you not being able to control Sonic for a moment after Silver drops you. Seeing as when you're lifted by Silver's telekinesis, your rings go bye-bye, making it so Silver can pick you up over and over again. This means he can effectively kill you in a very cheap and fast fashion.

In fact, you can actually get caught in an endless loop where he continually picks you up, holds you, drops you, and then picks you up again. Repeat this ad infinitum. If you're interested in seeing just how bad things can get, video proof is right here.

Top Ten PlayStation 3 Exclusives

This past Sunday SuperPhillip Central listed our favorite ten Xbox 360 exclusives. (Yes, yes. Get your "The Xbox 360 HAS ten worthwhile exclusives?!" comments out of the way here and now.) To cap off the work week we are now going to list what we consider the ten best PlayStation 3 exclusives, whether first or third party. The PS3 is without a doubt our favorite HD system of this past generation. It was actually quite difficult to come up with an order and list of games that we could agree on. Nonetheless, we have arrived at a finalized list of terrific PlayStation 3 exclusives so far. Obviously the PS3 isn't leaving the marketplace any time soon and it will get future classics like new titles such as Gran Turismo 6, The Last of Us, and Puppeteer, to name a few. Regardless, here's what we like most of the PS3's wide range of exclusive games that are currently out.

10) God of War III

God of War III launched in 2010 with lots of fanfare. It was the final game in the original story of the God of War trilogy with Kratos and the Titans climbing up Mount Olympus to finally take down Zeus once and for all. The game contained the same combo-based combat that fans of the series have grown accustomed to, and while some might yearn for something different, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The added power of the PlayStation 3 made for some incredibly awesome action scenes, such as the battle with Poseidon early in the game (expect a detailed description of this fight in a later edition of Best Boss Battles in Gaming History) or pursuing the swift Hermes in an elaborate platforming chase segment. God of War III might not be the best in the trilogy (we rank God of War I and II higher), but it certainly is an epic conclusion to Kratos' saga.

9) inFAMOUS 2

inFAMOUS 2 took Cole MacGrath to a higher level with even more electrifying open world sandbox gameplay, parkour-like platforming, and high-powered superhero (or villain) antics. Everything was bigger and arguably better than the game's predecessor. The addition of user-generated content made for some strong replay-ability within Sucker Punch's open world setting. Perhaps our only gripes with the game comes from the weaker pacing inFAMOUS 2 struggles with as well as a less-than-optimal camera for melee combat. Nonetheless, these problems don't ruin the game. It's with inFAMOUS 2 that our expectations for the PlayStation 4's inFAMOUS: Second Son are so high. Whether or not Sucker Punch can live up to them is an answer we won't get for another six months or so.

8) PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

When this next game was first announced, many dismissed it as simply another Super Smash Bros. clone. SuperPhillip Central leaned towards that line of thinking, but actually trying out PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for ourselves, the two series are different enough to both have a place in the marketplace. Rather than knocking opponents out of the arena or making them lose their health to score K.O.s, Battle Royale had  Supers that were earned through connecting attacks on opponents. Unleashing a Super and making contact with it meant you scored a point. The roster was full of both familiar first and third party characters such as Uncharted's Nathan Drake, God of War's Kratos, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and even Ape Escape's Spike. Earning points to gain levels for each character meant you were always unlocking something new, whether it be victory themes, backgrounds, poses, and alternate costumes. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale may be a Smash Bros. clone, but it's a really good one. Note: We know that this game is also on Vita, but console-wise it's exclusive to the PS3.

7) Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

Much like God of War III was the end of a trilogy, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time marked the end of the Future trilogy, containing Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty, and this game. A Crack in Time began with Ratchet and Clank being separated from one another. However, Clank wasn't totally defenseless as he had a special time scepter that could not only attack foes, but it could be used on time pads to create holograms of Clank's past maneuvers. This cool trick was used to solve many of the game's brain busters. A Crack in Time also featured space exploration, albeit on a level plane, where Ratchet could explore optional moons and compete in combat. We look fondly back at Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time as it really was the last honestly excellent Ratchet & Clank game.

6) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Once again enter the shoes of Solid Snake-- well, an older version at least-- as he once again goes on a mission to save the world as we know it. Well, as we WILL know it, as this game takes place in a not-so-distant future. Anyway, the traditional stealth-action gameplay consisting of moving around enemy-infested areas without being spotted and utilizing close quarters combat to take out those who wish to intercept you was all present and accounted for with this much anticipated sequel. New features included the Psyche Meter, which could make it quite difficult to aim if Snake was seriously stressed out, as well as the CamoSuit that allowed Snake to blend in with his surroundings a la the camouflage in Snake Eater. Metal Gear Solid veterans would even get to revisit an old haunt in fantastic fashion with Guns of the Patriots. While we'll always have a soft spot for the original MGS and MGS3 as our favorites, Metal Gear Solid 4 is still a worthy installment in the popular stealth-action series.

5) Killzone 2 

We are all familiar with the rather infamous tech demo that was shown to onlookers at E3 2005. While the final game did not look as lovely or as graphically intense, what PlayStation 3 owners got to enjoy was still an incredibly fast and fluid first-person shooter with tons of fierce weaponry and vehicles to mow down the Helghast forces with sensational efficiency. Many members of the press and gamers too seem to always be fascinated with first-person shooters. Not just this, but they're always looking for that so-called "Halo-killer." Killzone 2 was not that, but the game did make it known that it was the premier first-person shooter on the PlayStation 3. We eagerly anticipate more news on the PlayStation 4's Killzone: Shadow Fall, even though we definitely show symptoms of FPS fatigue. That just shows how remarkable a franchise Killzone is.

4) Journey

We hate to speak in overly emotional terms, as we're freaking talking about video games here and not the Mona Lisa. However, Journey evoked such interesting feelings from us, such as wonder and awe. Exploring a giant sandy wonderland made us feel so minuscule in comparison. The game allowed for multiplayer, but the catch was that you could not voice chat or communicate greatly with your online partner. Despite not knowing the anonymous helpers that were assisting us in our adventure across the desert, we found ourselves getting a bit of an attachment to each and every one and a sense of companionship. Journey would later come in retail form alongside thatgamecompany's other PlayStation Store projects, Fl0w and Flower in a $29.99 collection. There's a reason we picked Journey as the PS3 Game of 2012 at our end of year awards show, and these are but some of the reasons why.

3) Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Level-5 and famed animation studio Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke) teamed up to create one of the most beautiful games we've ever witnessed. We don't say this with a lot of hyperbole either. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a glorious-looking game. It not only looks nice but it absolutely plays like a dream. Players took the role of Oliver, a peppy 13 year-old boy who recently lost his mother. No sooner than it seemed that this incident occurred that a stuffed animal came to life and transported the two to another world. There the true fun began with traditional RPG activities such as exploring monster-filled dungeons, initiating battles with Oliver or one of his many Familiars, and visiting towns to converse with the locals. When one says that the JRPG is in a state of decline, we confidently scoff and point them to such games like Ni no Kuni and Xenoblade Chronicles.

2) LittleBigPlanet 2

Listed as our favorite new I.P. of the past generation, LittleBigPlanet didn't really come into its own until the superior sequel, LittleBigPlanet 2. Not only did the sequel have much more in the way of creator options (you didn't even need to make platforming levels if you didn't want to), but it allowed players to take their progress and levels from the original LittleBigPlanet and import them into the sequel. The levels already pre-made by Media Molecule were insanely clever and inspired us to try to do even better. We've lost so many hundreds of hours concocting our own creations-- more than we care to admit, really, but when you have a game that is as compelling as LittleBigPlanet 2, you learn to live wit hit.

1) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Metacritic's most critically acclaimed game of 2009, the year of its release, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the pinnacle of the PlayStation 3 platform. While the original Uncharted was an intense thrill ride, Uncharted 2 came along and made everything more astounding and amazing. From taking cover while a tank bombards you with shelling to running atop a speeding train while a helicopter targets you, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is certainly not lacking in the thrills department. The game didn't stop with the single-player campaign. Naughty Dog implemented two multiplayer functions: one for up to three players to play cooperatively and one for competitive play, so long after you completed the campaign you could log even more hours into Uncharted 2. "Masterpiece" is a word that is thrown around so casually these days, but we think we're safe in giving that title to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

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Did we leave out one of your favorite exclusives for the PlayStation 3? Set us straight in the comments section below.

How the PlayStation 3 Beat Out the Xbox 360 and Won Over Our Hearts

Now, we know what you're thinking. 1) Sales between the PS3 and 360 are very close, so we cannot say with a straight face that the PS3 beat out the 360. That's not what we mean when we say Sony's system beat out Microsoft's, and 2) Saying a gaming system won over our hearts is incredibly lame and something a fan-thing would say. We are most certainly not fan-things at SuperPhillip Central, but saying "won over our hearts" was the briefest way to put that the PlayStation 3 was a console we used to not care about to one that we now cannot get enough of. To go back to point #1, what do we mean then when we say that the PlayStation 3 "beat out the Xbox 360"? That's an excellent condition, so let us elaborate.

The PlayStation 3 started off with plenty of ground needed to catch up with its competitors, the Wii and the Xbox 360. The infamous "Five hundred and ninety-nine dollars" is a phrase that will live on in the echoes of time. Sales were sluggish, games were few and far in-between, and PlayStation fans kept playing the "Wait for *insert game here* for sales to improve." Pretty much what the Wii U and Vita are experiencing now. However, things finally improved. More games came out from Sony and third-parties, the price was lowered, and new features came to the PlayStation 3 seemingly every month.

A day that will live in infamy for Sony fans.

Let's compare the first-party output of both Sony and Microsoft. This generation alone Sony has published a staggering amount of new IPs, far more than their competition. That's absolutely delightful to see in an industry where sequels and stagnation are commonplace. We've seen epic and/or entertaining new franchises like Uncharted, inFamous, Resistance, Heavenly Sword, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, ModNation Racers, and our personal favorite, LittleBigPlanet. However, Sony also brought back a lot of their legacy franchises such as God of War, Gran Turismo, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Killzone, and Wipeout, to name a handful. These games blow away what Microsoft offers, and we're not talking sales. We're talking about how Sony has a wider and broader range of titles in varying genres than Microsoft, who, for a while now, has primarily stuck to shooters, Kinect games, and racers. The point here is that Sony has really stepped up their first-party development with the PlayStation 3, offering familiar faces and franchises and a lot of innovative and intriguing new ones.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Then there's the excellent third-party support, something that Sony platforms have always had. Publishers like EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Capcom, Konami, Square Enix, Sega, Namco Bandai, THQ (R.I.P.), and Take Two have delivered fantastic titles for the PS3, some being exclusives, such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Valkyria Chronicles. Even games that weren't exclusives were enjoyable to play like Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third, Sonic Generations, Mirror's Edge, BioShock Infinite, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Street Fighter IV, Marvel VS. Capcom 3, Dark Souls, Borderlands 2, and many more.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

We also enjoy PlayStation 3 more than the Xbox 360 for the reason regarding online. The 360 obviously has a better online service than the PS3, but at the same time you have to pay to play online and use various services such as YouTube (seriously) if you want to take your 360 online. With the PS3 you have free online, and you have enough features that make online play entertaining and engaging. We hope that the PlayStation 4 will remain free for online gaming, but after seeing Microsoft's success, Sony might decide against that.

Regardless, we're seeing an awesome premium program from Sony with PlayStation Plus. This not only grants subscribers with early access to game betas and demos, but every month it also delivers free games on a consistent basis. We're not just talking PSN games or Minis, either. No, we mean full games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita), LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3), and Mega Man X: Maverick Hunter (PSP). PS+ is an awesome contribution to gaming, and we're excited to see where it goes with the PlayStation 4 and future PlayStation products.

It is for these reasons why we at SuperPhillip Central figure that the PlayStation 3 was our favorite high-definition console this past generation, and the one which turned our opinion of the system around 180 degrees. From the excellence that is Sony's first-party output to PlayStation Plus, Sony has really pulled a miraculous comeback with the PlayStation 3. With the PS4 coming down the pipeline, the future for Sony looks bright in the home console market.

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Mr. 300 Edition

We started SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs just over a year ago, and now we have 300 different video game songs represented. We're celebrating 300 VGMs with today's edition (if the edition name didn't make that obvious enough). We'll have music from Valkyria Chronicles, We Love Katamari, and Metroid: Other M. If you're ready, then let's begin.

v296. Kameo: Elements of Power (360) - Hero's Theme

Here is a chorus-filled orchestral bombshell of a theme. While it's not my favorite launch title for the Xbox 360, or even my favorite Rare-developed launch title for the Xbox 360, Kameo: Elements of Power possessed plenty of fun in a genre that hasn't been represented much on the system.

v297. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) - A Love Passed On

A fresh tactical RPG on the PlayStation 3, Valkyria Chronicles was published by Sega and has a stellar soundtrack. Why wouldn't it be stellar when you have Hitoshi Sakimoto of Final Fantasy Tactics fame on board for the music? A Love Passed On plays during a pivotal and forlorn moment in Valkyria Chronicles. Read the comments of the YouTube video at your own risk.

v298. We Love Katamari (PS2) - Everlasting Love

The Katamari series is always full of an eclectic mix of music, and the PlayStation 2's We Love Katamari, the direct sequel to the sleeper hit Katamari Damacy, continues that trend. Everlasting Love is a peppy rock tune with female vocals. It's a nice song to roll up innocent cows and civilians to.

v299. Metroid: Other M (Wii) - Ridley Theme

My opinion of Metroid: Other M is that it is an enjoyable game. Whether the reactions of Samus Aran's character being ruined are overreactions is something for another day, though gamers and overreactions seem to be synonymous with one another. Ridley's theme has been in many Metroid games in the past, and it really shines in Other M. Its tense chords and strings make for an intense fight.

v300. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - Love's Theme

We celebrate 300 VGMs with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. What better time when we have the release date of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance approaching soon? With Love's Theme we have the vocalizations that tear at your heart and the sultry strings producing a Middle Eastern flair.

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Next week we begin our climb to 400 VGMs. Before that, however, we'll have at least one new review right here on SuperPhillip Central this week. Until then, check out the VGM Database for every VGM ever posted.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) Guest Review

One of my biggest problems with the Metal Gear Solid franchise is its attempt to mimic Hollywood. Games are games-- not movies. Having to sit for twenty minutes watching a scene after only playing the game for five minutes is not good pacing. Don't get me started on the plot either. Regardless, that's why I didn't bother reviewing the following game-- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. How well did it stack up to its predecessors?

"Did You Rike It?"

Back in 1998, Konami released Metal Gear Solid on the Sony Playstation. At that time, there hadn’t been any game quite like it. While the action-stealth gameplay was fun, it was the movie-like presentation that really brought that title to a different level. When the series landed on the PS2 a few years later, the visuals were given an overhaul helping both the gameplay and cinematic experiences further. Some would argue that this caused the decline of the series as you spent more time watching the game than actually playing, especially by the time the third installment rolled around. I was one of those people. Whereas MGS2 only became imbalanced near the very end, MGS3 had 10-15 minute cutscenes frequently throughout the course of the game. It wasn’t until a month or so ago that I saw that I missed out on a lot of fun stuff just because I didn’t give the game a chance. That’s the main reason why I tried to get back into the series by reviewing Portable Ops earlier this summer, and it’s also why it’s finally time for my review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

It’s been a long while since gamers have been able to play as Solid Snake, and a lot has changed for our hero since then. Thanks to his imperfect cloning technology, his body is rapidly deteriorating before everyone’s eyes. There doesn’t appear to be much time left for Snake, but there’s still one last piece of business to finally take care of. . .his own brother, Liquid Ocelot. When gamers first take control of the aging hero and his quest, they’ll notice that it’s not just the hero that’s changed. You’re placed out in the middle of a desert city. This isn’t exactly the best place for a stealth mission, but you’re going to have to make the best of it. Luckily, you have a new suit referred to as OctoCamo. This device allows you to instantly blend into your surroundings just by leaning up against a wall or pressing your body along the floor.

War has changed. So has the battlefield.

Of course, that new camouflage technology isn’t going to do you much good if an enemy spots you, now is it? Well, that’s not as bad as it would seem as you have multiple options for taking them out in this game. As usual, you’ll eventually earn both a regular and tranquilizer pistol. Well, those are only two of the near 70 weapons you can unlock over the course of your game. Some of these can actually be purchased off of a man named Drebin, but only if you earn enough points. Taking care of non-human targets, not using healing items, that sort of thing. It works out well when you tie it into how you can use these weapons. Because of the huge arsenal that you can acquire, you can literally tear through the enemy army should you so choose to. Even if you create the dreaded Alert phase, you actually have a chance to fight out of it. That said, I chose to take the more stealthy approach just to keep up with the tradition. It works both ways, although the rewards are more generous if you don’t harm anyone as usual.

Guns are unlocked for use once Snake earns enough points.

The choices don’t stop there either. In the first couple of the game’s five acts, there are actually two armies fighting it out against each other. It’s your call as to whether or not you want to get Snake involved. If you do decide to play the hero and help out the local militia, then they’ll react more positively to his presence, letting him move around freely in their bases and even giving him items on occasion. Even better, if the enemy can be driven out altogether, then you are free to move about the area without any chance of causing an Alert. This is one of the things that make this opening part of the game so much fun. There’s just so many ways to go about completing the task at hand, and it makes for a great experience.

It’s just a shame that the whole game couldn’t be like that. For whatever reason, the game becomes much more linear once you start Act 3. While I don’t have any issue with playing the game, I do have a major issue with how little playing you actually get to do here. This act took me over two hours to complete, yet only around a half hour of it was spent playing. You don’t have to be a major in mathematics to realize that it’s just way too imbalanced. Worse, the scenes that you do see feel the need to explain the same thing that they had already told you just a few minutes earlier. I guess Konami knew that this part was going to be so boring that they tried to hammer the plot into your brain. Another thing that takes you out of the experience are the installation screens that the game throws at you six times through the course of the game. They only last for a few minutes, but every time you want to play through the game, you’re going to have to go over those screens again and again.

That would be funny if I didn’t have to look
at the same installation screen for 20 minutes.

Another detriment to the game are the actual bosses. While these encounters are somewhat fun, they sure aren’t Liquid’s men from MGS, Dead Cell from MGS2, or even the Cobras from the third game. To be quite frank, the bosses in this game come off as filler villains. You’ll see them, they’ll spew some random sentences, beat them, and then hear their backstories through a quick post-battle codec call. It’s only when you meet up with past familiar faces do these foes get interesting. The final fight of Act 4 is one of the most fun, if out of place battles in the entire game. Even if you aren’t able to get much out of the story, I think you’ll also feel by the time you’ve finished the final battle that this was a fitting end to Solid Snake’s journey.

This game is absolutely gorgeous.

Metal Gear Solid 4 arguably could have been the best in the series. There are so many options, and many of them are easily accessible even to newcomers. The problem with this game comes from when the action is taken out of your hands and you’re forced to sift through a boring 20+ minute dialogue sequence that could have been taken care of in less than half that time. I still wound up enjoying the plot for the most part, but I still can’t shake the feeling that this game really tried to wrap things up as quickly as it could with those large chunks of text instead of just letting the player do so themselves. As a result, Guns of the Patriots doesn’t quite reach the level of its predecessors, but I still found this game to be an overall solid experience.

[Overall: 8.75/10]