SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - The Final First Edition of 2015 Edition

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs rides into the new year with a new edition! This first edition of 2015 contains music from games like Final Fantasy XIII-2, Persona 3, and Halo 2. There's also some retro goodness for your ears to enjoy, including music from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES and Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis (or Mega Drive, for my PAL pals!).

If you're unfamiliar with what this segment is all about, SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs is where I share my favorite video game music from a myriad of titles, systems, eras, and generations. Catch up on past editions with my VGM Database! Just be forewarned that there's a lot of VGMs on that database to sift through! With that out of the way, let's get to the new additions to my list of favorite VGMs!

v786. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, 360) - Heart of Chaos

Heart of Chaos is a tense theme punctuated by a glorious choir. Final Fantasy XIII-2 saw Lightning take the backseat in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy and saw Serah take the starring role. The game itself featured more varied environments and design (i.e. corridor dungeons were out and expansive areas were in). While I prefer the original Final Fantasy XIII's soundtrack, XIII-2's isn't weak by any stretch of the imagination.

v787. Persona 3 (PS2) - The Battle for Everyone's Soul

The Persona series is one I'm very unfamiliar with, as I've never played an entry in the series. Persona 4 Golden seems like a great entry point, but I've yet to pick up the game for my Vita. The Battle for Everyone's Soul is the final boss theme to Persona 3, and it is suitable for a final encounter, don't you think?

v788. Halo 2 (XBX) - Earth City

Where are you in the Halo vs. Halo 2 camp? I'm a big fan of Halo: Combat Evolved over Halo 2, but at the same time, I realize how instrumental both games were in putting Microsoft's Xbox on the map. Halo: Combat Evolved was a runaway success that gave the Xbox a fighting chance in the console market while Halo 2 cemented the system's status as a contender.

v789. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) - Boss Theme

Sure, you can cheese your way through the Rocksteady fight by being Donatello and using the wimpy bo trick, or you can be a real turtle and kick that rhinoceros' butt through legitimate means. Just kidding. I wasn't good enough to beat Rocksteady the real way either. The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES is a very hard game, and any means to help the player cheat their way through is fair game in my book!

v790. Sonic the Hedgehog (GEN) - Star Light Zone

After the claustrophobic and aquatic nightmare that was the Labyrinth Zone (I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed that zone), it was liberating for Sonic the Hedgehog and players to embark on the much faster paced and multiple pathway-possessing Star Light Zone. The open setting and lovely platforming challenges in addition to this catchy theme make for a zone that is one of my favorites from the Genesis trilogy.

Most Overlooked PSP Games - Part Four

Okay. Let's be fair here. PSP software sales in America are piss-poor. I could choose a number of PSP titles, and they could qualify as most overlooked. Regardless, we're pressing on with five more PSP games that many of you just didn't buy!

Phantasy Star Portable 2


I love the Phantasy Star Online series of games. Old-school gamers yearn for a classic turn-based Phantasy Star affair, but I'm complacent with these online, multi-player experiences. If duking it out online against hoards of monsters isn't your thing, you can always try out the single-player campaign. No dorky Ethan Weber here! All-in-all, for a great online infrastructure and plenty of weapons to grind for, Phantasy Star Portable 2 does its job and does it well.

Valkyrie Chronicles II


Valkyrie Chronicles, the original for the PlayStation 3, was already an overlooked game. It makes sense that on a platform with rapid amounts of piracy that Valkyrie Chronicles II would share an even worse fate. Take command on the battlefield with one of many units in this tactical RPG. Sure, it might not be as good as Final Fantasy Tactics, but what is? The cool cel-shaded art style meshes well even on the technologically-inferior PSP.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable


The original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 was released on the PlayStation 2 many moons ago. Now you can take the fantasy thriller on the go with you thanks to the portable edition. This RPG is full of mystery, intrigue, high school kids-- wait, come back! The writing is so clever that you won't mind this cast of adolescents! It's like Saved by the Bell meets Medium. Is that a fair comparison? I think so. This critically-acclaimed remake is worthy of your PSP collection.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep


It's Kingdom Hearts, so you know what to expect by now-- belts, zippers, f'd up storyline that only makes sense to Nomura. Regardless, you also get a rockin' combat system, superb visuals, excellent voice acting, and multiple wonderful worlds of Disney to explore! Sure, you've explored most of these worlds before to a point of ad infinitum, but who can resist the charm of Neverland all over again? Plus there's no Sora to be found! What have you done, Nomura?!

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 5


What a stupid name for a video game. I did not know there were four previous Tag Force games-- that's how overlooked this series is! We're not even talking 3D this time around. No, no! This time around we'll be overdoing it in 5D. I don't remember reading A Wrinkle in Time, so somebody help me out on what 5D is. Maybe I should talk about the game a little, no? You collect cards, make decks, use trap cards, monster cards, and spell cards to take down the opposition in the addicting card game series. Just watch it with the hairspray, okay, kids?

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Did you miss out on the three previous Most Overlooked PSP articles? Have no fear, if so. I've compiled the PSP trio into one beautiful list for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!

PSP - Part One
PSP - Part Two
PSP - Part Three