SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - 1,000 Reasons to Celebrate Edition

It's a very special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs this week! We celebrate with our 1,000th VGM volume! Leading the celebration is a fantastic final boss theme from Radiant Historia. Then we delve into the feudal fairy tale of Okami, have our drinks shaken and not stirred with James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, and brave one of Bowser's strongholds with New Super Mario Bros. Finally, we celebrate the 1,000th VGM with the Monster Hunter series.

If you'd like to go back in the past to check out the past VGM volumes before this one (and I know you do), then check out the VGM Database.

v996. Radiant Historia (DS) - An Earnest Desire of Grey

This high intensity final boss theme from Radiant Historia starts this very special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs off. One of the queens of VGM, Yoko Shimomura, poured her heart and soul into making the magnificent music for this often overlooked Nintendo DS RPG. If you have the time and the money, definitely check out Radiant Historia, as it is one of the DS's best original RPGs available.

v997. Okami (PS2, Wii) - Dragon Palace

We move on from Radiant Historia's RPG gameplay to the action-adventure, Zelda-inspired gameplay of Okami. Dragon Palace is a calming and tranquil theme that delivers raw emotion. Okami may have run on too long for its own good play time-wise, but there are far worse games that have outstayed their welcome.

v998. James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (PS2, GCN, XBX) - Everything or Nothing

With the 24th James Bond film out now in the U.K. and it releasing in the U.S. this Friday, it seems like a good time to delve into a past game featuring 007. Everything or Nothing was Pierce Brosnan's final outing as the iconic MI6 special agent. The actual game is quite good, rivaling GoldenEye in excellence, though this game was third-person. The theme song is something that easily sounds like something from an actual movie!

v999. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - Castle

After a long hiatus from 2D platformers, Mario returned on the Nintendo DS with New Super Mario Bros. While all of the future New Super Mario Bros. games outperformed the DS game in quality (in this site's opinion), the original NSMB is still quite the game. Sure, it feels more vanilla and uninspired compared to future entries, but compared to other platformers on the system, it's still highly competent.

v1000. Monster Hunter (series) - Proof of a Hero

Performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, this theme, Proof of a Hero, was one of many that audience attendees got to hear at Monster Hunter's fifth anniversary concert. This bombastic string and brass flavored theme gives a heroic and majestic feeling to listeners, making it more than worthy of being SuperPhillip Central's 1,000 VGM volume.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Shorter Days, Wondrous Nights Edition

This past weekend in Central City was the time where all citizens turned their clocks back one hour. That means sunset arrives much earlier than it did previously. Regardless, SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs' sleeping pattern is unaffected, and the good tunes that I share with you go on unabated! This week you and I can listen to songs from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Okami, and Drakengard 3! If this week's selection of VGMs isn't enough for you, check out my VGM Database for over 700 more individual themes from an abundant array of video games!

v736. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - The Price of Freedom

Played at a pivotal moment in the Final Fantasy VII prequel Crisis Core on the PlayStation Portable, this emotional rock guitar-driven theme really makes the moment it occurs in all the more special. Of course, if you've played Final Fantasy VII, the moment really isn't a spoiler at all. No more than Aerith dies... *gasp*

v737. Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City (DS) - Their Own Brand of Justice

We move on to the PSP's rival of the previous handheld generation with the Nintendo DS and the final boss theme from one of its games, Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City. Yuzo Koshiro is one of the best in the video game music composition biz, and examples like Their Own Brand of Justice proves just why!

v738. Okami (PS2, Wii) - Ryoshima Plains

Okami is a great Zelda in wolf's clothing. The team at Clover Studios really knew their stuff with each and every game they put out, and for many fans of the now-dissolved studio, Okami is one of their most revered works. A Wii port was put out on the system years after the PlayStation 2 original, adding some Wii Remote brush mechanics into the mix for some novel uses.

v739. Drakengard 3 (PS3) - The Final Song (Boss Theme)

If you don't quite understand why this boss theme of Drakengard 3 is so good, perhaps this little nugget of information will help you. The composer of Drakengard 3 is also the one who composed the music for the fantastic Nier soundtrack. Has your mind been blown? ...What do you mean you already knew that!? You clever, clever reader!

v740. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3) - Aqua Temple

Our final VGM of this week's edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs comes from 3D Dot Game Heroes. While Okami was modeled after 3D Zeldas, 3D Dot Game Heroes was built on the 2D Zelda foundation, mostly the classic NES original. It goes into the soundtrack, too, with its retro feel and boops and beeps! Like the original Zelda, 3D Dot Game Heroes was also a game that could take you to the proverbial woodshed and give you a mighty good spanking!

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Mother May I Edition

Mother's Day is this Sunday, so what does SuperPhillip Central have to share to our readers? Well, music that has nothing to do with the holiday! On this week's installment of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs we have music from Pokemon X and Y, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and Okami to name a few! After you've given your mother a kiss on the cheek, strap yourselves in and start listening to these five video game music faves of ours!

v616. Pokemon X and Y (3DS) - Gym Leader Battle

The excitement of taking on a new gym leader in order to acquire one of the eight gym badges required to face off against the Elite Four ranks high up there with activities in Pokemon X and Y. Of course, there's no better rush of adrenaline than taking down a rare Pokemon you've been struggling with for ages and finally capturing it. And then there's the aforementioned Elite Four, obviously!

v617. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - A Flower Blooming in the Slums

The PSP's hardware allowed for realistic instruments to be heard from its small speakers, bringing numerous synth-only Final Fantasy VII themes into the 21st century. A Flower Blooming in the Slums is still a theme related to Aeris/Aerith (whichever you prefer) that has a beautiful yet melancholy feel to it.

v618. Okami (PS2, Wii) - Rising Sun

Okami's soundtrack is suitably Far Eastern in its influence, and that only makes sense since the game is set in fictional version of Feudal Japan. Out of all of the excellent titles to come out of the now-defunct Clover Studios, Okami is seen as one of the best and brightest games the studio delivered onto gamers.

v619. The Bouncer (PS2) - Sion Barzhad's Theme

We can't get enough of the PlayStation 2 apparently. We move onto a game that Squaresoft released close to the PlayStation 2's launch. Who knew a system that would explode in popularity and be remembered for having a brilliant library would start off so modestly? The Bouncer was a brief 3D brawler that doesn't hold up all that well today, but it still shows off some of the early power of the PlayStation 2.

v620. Sonic Riders (PS2, GCN, XBX) - Sand Ruins

Before Sonic the Hedgehog hopped into a kart and raced with the best of SEGA's all-stars, he hopped on a board and flew through the air with the Sonic Riders series. While many find a dislike for this series, we did enjoy the first two games in the series, Riders and Zero Gravity. We won't talk about the Kinect-only third installment, okay?

SuperPhillip Central's Top 100 Games of All Time (90-81)

We know it's E3 week, but that isn't stopping us from continuing our list of favorite games!

On June 5, SuperPhillip Central turned five years old. We're celebrating big the only way we know how, with a list of our favorite 100 games of all time. SuperPhillip Central's staff have come together to come up with this list. These don't necessarily have to be the best, but they are indeed our favorites. Coming up with an order for these games has been an immense challenge. We're sure you won't agree with our order-- heck, we don't even agree with our order. That said, we hope you'll at least agree with our picks, and if you don't, at least you can read our rationale for our choices. Regardless, for ten weeks, we will be counting down our favorite games of all time. Please join us for this great undertaking. Let's get to the countdown!

90) Ultimate Spider-Man (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Based in the universe of the comic book of the same name, Ultimate Spider-Man distinguished itself from its contemporaries by possessing an authentic cel-shaded art style that looked like something lifted from a comic book. The game was a free-roaming open world action game where players switched off between assuming the roles of Spider-Man and later Venom. Through accomplishing city goals, players progressed through the game's storyline, loosely tying into the comic book series. Ultimate Spider-Man is not just an excellent Spider-Man game or a great looker, but it is an excellent game in general.

89) LEGO City Undercover (Wii U)

From one open world game to another, take on the role of Chase McCain, ace cop who has returned to LEGO City to help track down criminal mastermind Rex Fury. LEGO City was an open world game where there was literally something to do on every block and street corner, whether it was participating in a race, performing platforming feats of incredible prowess, or collecting a hidden trinket. LEGO City Undercover was a massive game with loads of charm, a terrific sense of humor about it, and quite honestly one of our favorite open worlds in any game. This was a killer app for us with regards to the Wii U, and if more people get the chance to play it, the better off the gaming world will be!

88) Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II (GCN)

Phil remembers lining up outside his local Toys 'R Us on a cold November morning, conversing with other prospective GameCube owners. He got three games once the doors opened: Luigi's Mansion, Madden NFL 02 (blech), and this game, Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II. As he puts it, the game made you feel like you were right inside the cockpit of an X-Wing, Y-Wing, or Snowspeeder. Being able to play and interact with scenarios from the original trilogy made for some awesome gaming moments. Heck, the first mission put you right into the action as you ran along the Death Star trench, aiming to blow that baby up. Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II still looks phenomenal to this day, and we can't help but pour one out for Factor 5.

87) Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP, PC)

The next game on this list was a remake of a Super Nintendo title, Ys III: Wanderers of Ys. With a greater focus on action rather than item and equipment management, Ys: The Oath in Felghana brought with it lots of monsters and enemies for Adol to slice and dice with his sword, as well as an updated presentation, including graphics, sound, and story. This was our first foray into the Ys series, and it sparked our interest in the rest of the games in this storied franchise. From dungeons full of platforming peril to booby trapped corridors, Ys: The Oath in Felghana focused on combat, exploration, and discovery to create one killer gameplay combination.

86) Wild ARMS (PS1)

An RPG series exclusive to PlayStation platforms, the Wild ARMS series takes new tech into an Old West environment for an intriguing mix. The original Wild ARMS was one of the first PlayStation RPGs to have a full 3D battle system, albeit a bit ugly now. The hero Rudy and his friends could utilize tools in the game world to solve puzzles to progress in the game and to reach optional areas. The amount of optional content in the game, whether it be hidden bosses or secret dungeons, was immense. Wild ARMS may seem like a relic compared to more contemporary RPGs, but it is still a classic in every sense of the word.

85) Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)

It was about time Luigi got his name on a game title! That was exactly what happened with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the first in the Mario & Luigi series (the fourth installment is releasing on the Nintendo 3DS this August). Like all other Mario RPGs, Superstar Saga featured a comedic story, whimsical characters (one particular character had fury), and a timing-based battle system to make for a game that kept players on their proverbial toes. Controlling both plumbers on the various maps of the game set up some fun puzzles and platforming to enrich the experience even further. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga set itself apart from past Mario RPG games fantastically, and we eagerly await Dream Team this August because of it.

84) Sonic the Hedgehog (GEN)

Back in the day, when there were no message boards to wage fanboy wars on, the original console wars took place on playgrounds across the world, where kids would argue who was best: Nintendo or SEGA. Up until 1991, SEGA did not really have a hot selling mascot character to call its own. That was until the Blue Blur, Sonic the Hedgehog, blazed a trail on the SEGA Genesis with his "blast processing" power (i.e. marketing mumbo jumbo). The original Sonic the Hedgehog was made up of six differently themed zones, each with three acts. The game was a mixture of super fast speeds and slower, more meticulous platforming gameplay (e.g. the Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone). Not only is Sonic the Hedgehog on this list because of its classic status, but it's also here because it is still a tremendous game.

83) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)

Our favorite Mario RPG is Mario's very first run-in with the genre, courtesy of a partnership between Nintendo and Squaresoft (now Square Enix). Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars introduced a wide cast of characters into the Mushroom Kingdom, a relatively deep story (in comparison to most Mario games), a timing-based battle system, and prerendered graphics to make a memorable RPG experience. There were worries that turning the Mario series into an RPG would take away the portly plumber's identity, but those were put to bed by all of the jumping, coin collecting, nods to the series, and platforming that Super Mario RPG contained.

82) Resident Evil (GCN)

Don't pee your pants! Wait. We're saying that for the wrong Resident Evil. (If you don't get the reference, don't worry about it.) During the PlayStation 2 generation, for some unexpected reason, the Resident Evil franchise shifted from the PlayStation to the GameCube. The GameCube saw an abundance of past titles from the series, as well as Resident Evil 4 and this one, a remake of the original PS1 classic. Yes, tank controls were still in fashion, but perhaps that was what made the game even more horrifying and gave us a large sense of helplessness. The updated graphics, additional locales, richer story, and scarier scares all add up to one unforgettable survival-horror experience. Permission to pee pants, Shinji Mikami!

81) Okami (Multi)

For such a popular and well regarded series, there have not been too many games that are inspired and take many elements from The Legend of Zelda series. Clover Studios (R.I.P.) decided to take inspiration from Nintendo's historic action-adventure series and create their own personal touch to it. The final result was Okami, where players controlled a great spirit in the form of a wolf. Like Ultimate Spider-Man, Okami featured a cel-shaded art style, though this game looked like a watercolor painting come to life as opposed to a comic book. Following the lead of The Legend of Zelda, Okami contained a wide range of combat, puzzles, and exploration to make for a magical quest. Perhaps our only beef with the great Okami is that the game sort of drags on a bit too long for our liking.

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Be here next Wednesday we SuperPhillip Central counts down games 80-71 of our Top 100 Games of All Time list! See you later!

A Truly Timeless Art Style: Our Favorite Cel-Shaded Games

Many games from the past generation (think PS2 era) have already become dated mostly due to their graphics and art style. However, we at SuperPhillip Central believe that one art style helps in making a game stand the test of time. That's, of course, cel-shading. While there are dozens upon dozens of games that use the artistic tactic, we have come up with a list of fourteen of our favorites. From Zelda to Dragon Quest, this list comprises the very best of the art form.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN)

We start off with one of our favorite cel-shaded games of all time. When it was originally announced, many Nintendo fans felt slighted. They felt they were victims of a bait-and-switch. The previous Spaceworld showed a demo of a more "mature" (for lack of a better word) Link facing off against Ganondorf in sword combat. However, the following year, a toon Link appeared, revealing the art style of Nintendo's next Zelda game. Deemed "Celda" by gamers and members of the press, when the final product, The Wind Waker, finally came out, gamers loved it. Another example of fans seeing their skepticism turn out as nothing to worry about after all. What we are left with now is a game that is looked back on fondly, and that is greatly due to The Wind Waker being Link and the gang being at their most expressive.

Okami (Wii, PS2)

A game no doubt inspired by The Legend of Zelda series (and you won't see us complain because we feel there aren't enough Zelda-like games as is!), Okami starred a goddess in the form of a white wolf named Amaterasu. Okami separated itself from Zelda by looking like a watercolor Japanese ink painting come to life. The original game came out on the PlayStation 2 on 2006 (Japan, North America) and in 2007 (Europe, Australia). It then was ported to the Wii in 2008, and popped up on the PlayStation 3 as a downloadable game recently. There's currently a recent rumor that Okami might be making a return of some sort. The Nintendo DS system's Okamiden was a nice start, so we're interested to see where Capcom would take the franchise next.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)

The most recent game on our list seems to honestly be an anime, more specifically a Studio Ghibli film, come to life. Seeing a full game based on the mastery artistry of Studio Ghibli (makers of such fine films as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke) was an astounding delight. Exploring the animated world with Oliver and his familiar partners was something totally special, and if we can get this from the PlayStation 3, we just wonder how beautifully done cel-shaded games on the PS4 and next Xbox will look.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2)

Dragon Quest VIII, the PlayStation 2's sole mainline Dragon Quest entry, arrived on the system in 2004 in Japan, 2005 in North America, and 2006 in PAL territories. The game used cel-shading for characters, textures, and the environment to create the series's first three-dimensional world. Using Akira Toriyama's (Dragon Ball series) art, Dragon Quest VIII is one of the prettiest PS2 games for us, and that's all thanks to our favorite art style, cel-shading.

MadWorld (Wii)

Platinum Games' sole Wii offering was MadWorld, a blood-soaked beat-em-up starring Jack Cayman in a competition to kill as much as possible through any means necessary. Right away when you look at the screenshots associated with this game, you will see something quite striking, a trichromatic color scheme with black, white, and myriads of red. That's essentially what you do in MadWorld, paint the town red with the blood of your many many victims. MadWorld unsurprisingly bombed on the Wii, as the market for those kinds of games either was never there or abandoned the system.

Killer7 (PS2, GCN)

Looking like something lifted from a graphic novel, Killer7's cel-shaded art style feels gritty and perfectly suited for the noir-style game it is. Critics were split in their opinions of the game. Some found the on-rails paths your members of the Killer7 assassin group could traverse on to be limited, they disliked the controls, and the story confused them. Then you have people like us who enjoyed the unique approach to movement, got used to the controls, and loved the complex story and quirky nature of the game. Goichi Suda (Suda51) would use the cult status success of Killer7 to make another delightful cel-shaded and well-received game, No More Heroes.

Viewtiful Joe (PS2, GCN)

It seems like it was just yesterday we were talking about Viewtiful Joe. Oh, wait. It was yesterday we were talking about Viewtiful Joe! We jump anytime we have the chance to talk about one of the best games from "the Capcom 5", so let's dish again. Viewtiful Joe was a superhero action movie put in video game form, complete with a comic book cel-shaded art style and all the puzzle-solving, superpower action you could shake a red hot one-hundred at.

XIII (PS2, GCN, XBX)

The first-person shooter genre is one that we feel has run its course for the most part. We know it's popular, and there's nothing wrong with those who still enjoy it. We've just been burnt out on it because so many games feel the same, just set in different universes with one or two small changes. XIII is like a breath of fresh air in comparison, and that is mostly thanks to its comic book presentation (makes sense since the game is based of a Belgian comic book of the same name). It still is a looker despite being almost ten years old, and if more first-person shooters went with style instead of realism, perhaps we'd still be enamored with the genre like so many consumers are today.

Ultimate Spider-Man (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Speaking of comic books converted to video games, that is exactly what Ultimate Spider-Man was. Based off Spider-Man in Marvel's Ultimate universe, the game had players web-slinging around Manhattan as the webhead as well as switching characters to play as the strong-armed symbiote Venom. We listed Ultimate Spider-Man as our top Spider-Man title two times in a row. It really isn't just a great Spider-Man experience, but one of the best superhero games ever conceived.

Jet Set Radio Future (XBX)

One of the most sadly under-appreciated titles in the Xbox library, Jet Set Radio Future featured an immensely detailed cel-shaded art style, an eclectic soundtrack of songs outside the mainstream, and challenging roller-blading gameplay. Tagging the streets of the city was a blast, and the visual orgasm of colors made for an utterly beautiful game. A certain site yesterday (not naming any names) might have asked for this particular series to make a glorious comeback.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (360)

Like many games before it such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja on the Xbox 360 showed that anime and the cel-shaded art style is a combination that generally works, and when it does, it works really really well. While we haven't hit the level where games look exactly like animated movies come to life, the games of this generation certainly came close. We cannot wait for what the next round of more powerful gaming hardware brings, and you can most definitely believe it.

Prince of Persia (PS3, 360)

The last video game version of Prince of Persia to release did so in 2008. Since then, the game has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, and the following year won the "Outstanding Achievement in Animation" award at the twelfth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. It's no question why-- the game is highly detailed, looks like a painting at parts, and just animates like a dream. We wish Ubisoft would return to this form of the Prince of Persia franchise with a follow-up for this upcoming generation. Do it, Ubisoft, as you seem to be doing the right things lately.

Punch-Out!! (Wii)

Punch-Out!! on Wii by Next Level Games (Mario Strikers: Charged, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon) proved to the gaming populace that not only was the studio capable of making excellent titles under Nintendo, but also that good-looking and greatly animated games could be on the less powerful Wii as well. The animations are just top-notch for this reflex-based fighting game. If the fighters you face as Little Mac don't knock you out, the marvelous art style most likely will!

Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

Valkyria Chronicles was a PlayStation 3 exclusive that looked radiant, sensational, and somewhat understated in its beauty at the same time. Using Sega's CANVAS engine, the game looked like a watercolor painting in motion, something that fans of the game cannot get enough of. It's just a shame that the other entries in the series went on less powerful hardware, the PSP. Still, we cannot be too mad at Sega because they did make two more sequels for gamers, though one of them never left Japan.

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We no doubt did not list every terrific cel-shaded game in existence, so that is where you come in. What games using this fabulous art style do you enjoy the best? List your faves in the comments section below!