SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Anime-zing" Edition

We're front-loaded with anime this week on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. How else can you put it when we have three decidedly Japanese games with prominent anime aesthetics to them, some more than others?

We begin with Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea, seeing the Atelier series return to the Favorite VGMs for the first time in over 1,000 VGM volumes! Then, we move to Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, a game that I adore the music from, but no so much the game type. From there, Super Nintendo classic Secret of Mana gets its turn to shine, followed by the stupendous sound from the Planet Coaster soundtrack. Finally, Rare's Viva Pinata soothes us with one of its delightful daytime songs.

If you can't handle being without video game music goodness until next week, the VGM Database has every VGM volume represented on this weekly segment ever. Period. Exclamation point. And remember that you just need to click on the VGM volume name to hear the song presented. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1441. Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (PS3, Vita) - Sand Dragon Battle

For a franchise that has been around since 1997, Atelier is one that I have to play a single entry from. Now that there are so many entries to choose from, it's gotten quite difficult to know which game to start out with first. The recent games sport a gorgeous cel shaded art style, and I'm a sucker for that visual style. It also helps that the soundtracks are masterful works that I really dig, even without even having played the games. Soon, Atelier, I will try your series of games out. Soon.

v1442. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Vita) - Beautiful Days

There are some games that just aren't for you, and that's perfectly okay. For instance, games like Danganronpa with their play style and overtly anime appearance do nothing for me, and as someone who covers games, I'm surely not going to cover Danganronpa because my biases towards the genre and aesthetic would make me harsher on the game than I otherwise would. One aspect of Danganronpa I do enjoy is Masafumi Takada's soundtrack for the game. His name was first introduced to me by playing Killer7 when it originally came out. He co-composed that game's soundtrack with Jun Fukuda. I've been a fan of his works ever since.

v1443. Secret of Mana (SNES) - Flight into the Unknown

We turn to our lone old school song for this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. It's a flight theme from Secret of Mana, one of the many games featured, packed, and installed on the upcoming SNES Classic that releases near the end of September. By the way, be on the look out for the opportunity to pre-order later this month, as Nintendo has confirmed. Whether supply will meet demand is anyone's guess. As for Secret of Mana, it's one of games I'm interested in returning to, regardless of whether I can get a SNES Classic or not. Who can deny the awesomeness that is an early work from the gaming music goddess that is Yoko Shimomura?

v1444. Planet Coaster (PC) - The Light in Us All

Growing up, I went to my dad's house each weekend and spent a lot of time on his PC playing a game here and then. My favorites to play on PC were always simulator-type games, like Sim City, The Sims, and Roller Coaster Tycoon. The latter got me heavily interested in Planet Coaster. While I have yet to dip my toes into the fun and fortune of designing and maintaining my own amusement park with Planet Coaster, I have been hugely impressed by the folk-sounding, upbeat tunes of the game. The Light in Us All is a song that I think one day I'll have nostalgia for. It's so happy and makes feel good.

v1445. Viva Pinata (360) - Day 2

Our last song the week comes from a game that is no stranger to this weekly series of articles. It's Viva Pinata. Grant Kirkhope did wonders on the Nintendo 64 with his music on games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64. He then composed this exquisite score with the Xbox 360's Viva Pinata. Each day and night that would pass in the game would have one of several themes playing during it. You never knew which one you were going to get, but they always fit the idyllic mood of raising and pampering your pinata friends.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Overworld Edition

Welcome to the start of SuperPhillip Central's work week! As is customary around these parts, we have SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs to share with our readers. If you like video game music as much as us, you're sure to enjoy the songs we have this week. Such titles included this edition are Secret of Mana, 3D Dot Game Heroes, and Persona!

v551. Secret of Mana (SNES) - Into the Thick of It

We kick off this edition of the Favorite VGM with a Super Nintendo classic, Secret of Mana. This game was released at the start of Squaresoft's golden age, where they kept releasing quality product after quality product. The music of the game fills us with such warmth, and perhaps that's nostalgia talking. Regardless, there's no questioning the greatness of this composition.

v552. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3) - Wilderness

3D Dot Game Heroes is a very retro-inspired Zelda-like for the PlayStation 3 that had all the old school charm one would expect. The music combined classic 8-bit sounds with more modern instruments to create a soundtrack that is still quite unlike anything else out there.

v553. Persona (PSP) - Let Butterflies Spread Until the Dawn

An overworld theme from the PSP port of Persona, Let Butterflies Spread Until the Dawn is a vocal pop song fitting for the urban world players explore in Persona. The series itself has had a lot of installments on PlayStation platforms, but Nintendo 3DS owners will have a chance, at least in Japan, to try out a spin-off in the form of Persona Q.

v554. Ar Tonelico (PS2) - Green Lands

Green Lands is a very Asian-centric sounding piece. The pan flute plays the melody as the accompaniment backs it up with lovely harmony. Ar Tonelico is as niche as you can get, at least here in the West. Still, if you haven't checked out the Ar Tonelico series, definitely do so!

v555. Crystalis (NES) - Wild Fields

Let's go REALLY retro with this last VGM of this edition. Crystalis was an NES action RPG made by SNK, better known for their work on series like Metal Slug, Fatal Fury, and King of Fighters. There's some similarities in control to The Legend of Zelda, but while Zelda had combat and puzzles as its focus, Crystalis was more combat-driven. The music of Crystalis is some of the NES' finest, really pushing the sound card of the system.

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Summertime 2012 Edition

North America is smack dab in the middle of the months of summer. That means trips to the pool, barbeques, vacations, and hot temperatures. No worries as SuperPhillip Central is here to cool you down with an assortment of summer-related or summer-sounding songs from video games. On this installment, we have music from Super Mario Sunshine, Final Fantasy VII, and Tales of the Abyss, to name a few.

v146. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN) - Ricco Harbor

Using a variation of the main theme of Super Mario Sunshine, Ricco Harbor rests on the coast of Isle Delfino in view of both Pinna Park and the main hub of Sunshine, Delfino Plaza. Ricco Harbor is a multi-tiered area with boats, pipes, wire mesh fences, Bloopers to race on, and more. Out of all of the various variations of the main theme, Ricco Harbor is my favorite of them. The second time the song plays through, added percussion accompanies the music.

v147. Final Fantasy VII (PS1) - Electric de Chocobo

With each entry in the Final Fantasy series since the Chocobo species's debut in Final Fantasy II, each Chocobo theme has had a completely different feel to it, despite having the same enduring melody. From the bombardment of brass of Final Fantasy X's Chocobo theme to the marimba-filled mambo of Final Fantasy V's Chocobo theme, there's a lot of varieties of the deceptively simple song. Final Fantasy VII's version feels like summer with its heavy surf guitar use and Wipeout motif in the middle.

v148. Secret of Mana (SNES) - The Color of Summer

A theme that plays more often than not in the many towns and villages you and your party pass through in Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo, The Color of Summer is a quaint and "colorful" song. I had tried to do a first run-through of Secret of Mana, only to get sidetracked by newer releases. Now I am on my second attempt, and I'm hoping nothing gets in my way so I can write a review as part of July being Retro Review Month here at SuperPhillip Central.

v149. Knuckles Chaotix (32X) - Door into Summer

Knuckles Chaotix was the only game I played for Sega's ill-advised 32X Genesis/Mega Drive attachment. I remember the game being extraordinarily crisp and full of vivid, vibrant colors. The two characters tethered to a ring was an interesting gameplay element, though it may have messed up the pacing of running through levels a tad. Door into Summer is an incredibly catchy theme, and it was apparently popular with Sonic Team staff, too, as it was rearranged by Jun Senoue with real instruments for Sonic Generations. See: here. It ended up being one of my favorite remixes from Generations.

v150. Tales of the Abyss (PS2, 3DS) - The Imperial City - Grand Chokmah

A gentle flowing theme for the Imperial City, Grand Chokmah, Tales of the Abyss's soundtrack was once again composed by the terrific Motoi Sakuraba. However, despite his credentials, I can't help but feel that his Abyss work was a bit phoned in, this piece aside. The reason I say this is because most of the music of the game is highly forgettable. A scant piece like this theme saves the score for me, and I guess I really can't complain. This track really is marvelous.

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This summertime edition of the VGMs may be over, but the season strolls along. Next week I will post music tracks from games like Punch-Out!! (Wii), Mega Man 4, and Final Fantasy IX. Speaking of music, this week will have my review of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and a special Best of... Final Fantasy Music edition! And if you missed a previous entry of the VGMs, don't fret. Just check out the VGM Database right here.