Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (Multi) Review

Next up on the review docket here at SuperPhillip Central is a game that celebrates 20 years of Super Monkey Ball madness. It's Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, and as you will be able to tell by the review tagline, I really enjoyed this celebration of all things Monkey Ball!

A truly a-peel-ing package

Right away when the super-catchy opening theme song of the game "Hello Banana" greets your ears with its infectious rhythm and melody, you know Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is going to be one of those special entries in the Super Monkey Ball series. The series itself celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania serves as the anniversary's celebratory game, offering over 300 stages plucked and rearranged from the original Super Monkey Ball, its sequel, and the Deluxe release. The quantity is definitely there, but how is the quality?

For those new to the world of Super Monkey Ball, the games all have the same objective: tilt and tumble the level to guide your monkey mysteriously stuck in a ball through progressively more difficult stages. Reach the goal to successfully complete the stage. Fall off, and it's back to the beginning of the stage. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania makes for a more welcoming adventure for beginning players as well as veterans too due to forgoing the use of lives. There's more need to worry about effortlessly rolling through the beginning stages only to lose all of your lives to one particularly tricky stage.

There's no stopping AiAi--he's on a roll!

Stages in Super Monkey Ball run the gamut from simply designed with gentle twists and turns to navigate that hold helpful railings to prevent falling off too easily, to death traps that make you wonder just who the heck hates monkeys in balls so freaking much! At the start of the Story Mode (more on modes later in this review), I was finding myself casually strolling through stages without much issue. By the end, I was cursing the Super Monkey Ball gods after each and every (and there were so MANY) failed stage attempts and fall outs. 

What monkey-hating monster built these deathtraps!?

The controls of Banana Mania are as simple as any other game in the series. You move with the left stick, and this time around you can slightly pivot the camera around your monkey with the right stick. Unfortunately, there is no option to look downward when you're in the air, making it so trying to finetune your approach to platforms below you much more than trouble than it needs to be. This is incredibly frustrating when your ball is catapulted into the air, and you need to land on a platform below you. Yes, the mini map in the bottom-right corner of the screen does alleviate some of the burden here so you can tell where you're going to fall, but not entirely. And it's not like this is a new problem to the Super Monkey Ball series--it's been a niggling issue since the series began. It's simply a shame it hasn't been properly addressed.

Borrowing from Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz and its HD remaster, a jump ability is included. This time around, however, it's not only unlockable but also totally optional. When turned on, it prevents you from recording your best times, but you're still able to freely clear stages without issue. The jump ability presents some incredibly interesting and amazingly fun speed-running opportunities for stages. Additionally, there are some helper functions available to players who might not be fully able to complete each stage on their own. These come in the form of doubling the timer, allowing access to a slow motion feature, and guiding the player to the goal via a helpful series of arrows so players won't easily lose their way. 

Furthermore, Super Monkey Ball veterans who have logged hundreds of hours into the series across these past 20 years might have some struggles with the new physics on display. They are not 1:1 by any stretch of the imagination to the classic Monkey Ball games, which will be disappointing to many. That said, don't get me wrong--they're hardly bad, they're simply different to what Super Monkey Ball diehards will most likely be used to. Both acceleration and momentum are altered somewhat significantly compared to the older games. New players and those who aren't self-proclaimed purists probably won't find themselves with any issues or even will notice anything wrong with the physics of Banana Mania.

Careful, MeeMee! Keep your balance!

There are two major modes to Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania: Main Game and Party Mode. The former allows you to roll through over 300 stages of varying degrees of diabolical difficulty in a variety of modes. There is the main Story Mode, which is comprised of 100 stages split up between 10 worlds with short animated scenes sandwiched between each. There are also  Super Monkey Ball 1 and Super Monkey Ball 2 Challenge modes, which has you taking on a set number of stages from those games. The number and stages you take on, all at once without the ability to save, is determined by the difficulty level chosen. There are four difficulties for each game's Challenge mode: Beginner, Standard, Expert, and the unlockable Master, and for those who want an added--well, challenge to Challenge mode, there are rewards for clearing each difficulty without failing a certain number of times. Thankfully, you can prepare for this challenge to your heart's content via a Practice mode for all stages.

Story Mode features ten worlds of ten stages each. As you might expect,
they get progressively harder and more fiendish in their designs as you go on.

Finally, there is Special Mode, which allows you to take on unique, unlockable stages with different rules. Some task you to collect every single Golden Banana in the level, while conversely another requires you to avoid all bananas altogether. There are original versions of stages from Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 to play, and these remove the assists added to make the levels more manageable from the Story and Challenge Modes. For instance, the already dreaded Launchers stage in Banana Mania's Story Mode features notches in the titular launchers that rocket your monkey ball upwards toward the goal. In the original version of the stages, these notches that help keep your the monkey ball positioned well are completely absent, making the stage much more arduous to complete--more so than it was already!

Whoa! Baby on board! (But not for much longer at this rate!)

If tilting and tumbling to guide monkeys through stages gets a bit too taxing, there's always the option to unwind with some Party Games, of which there are 12 total in Banana Mania. These range from old favorites like Monkey Target, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Billiards, to mini-games like Monkey Fight, Monkey Dogfight, and Monkey Baseball. Each Party Game supports up to four players locally, and each supports a bevy of customization options. For instance, Monkey Racing allows you to pick between a single race, a Grand Prix competition of four races, or a time trial on a select track, as well as allowing items into the mix, and more. 

Further serving as the ultimate Super Monkey Ball game, there is an immense number of rewards to unlock within the game. Rewards in Banana Mania come in the form of a special in-game currency obtained by simply playing the game as well as completing one of 700 or so missions within. These range from clearing a stage for the first time, reaching a specific banana goal in a stage, clearing a stage by going through an alternate exit, playing a Party Game for the first time, and so much more. The currency can then be spent in the Points Shop, unlocking new characters to play as (such as SEGA all-stars like Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower", Kazuma Kiryu of Yakuza, and Beat from Jet Set Radio), new modes such as the aforementioned Golden Banana mode, new camera filters for Photo Mode (which all screenshots in this review use), and various clothing and cosmetic items for each of the six monkeys of the main cast. There is no shortage of content within Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.

Sonic the Hedgehog is but one of a handful of SEGA's all-stars that are unlockable in Banana Mania.

Banana Mania's colorful and crisp visual style lends itself well to Nintendo's lesser powered hardware, which the Switch was the version of the game I played. It's not a perfect effort, as there were noticeable hitches (albeit slight and rare) while playing the game. It's nothing that ruined a run through a stage for me, but it was disappointing to see all the same. Meanwhile, the new soundtrack implemented to the game is neither an improvement or a step backwards. Much like the physics of the game, it's simply different. I, as well as my ears, found it to be a net positive overall, offering plenty of funky, infectious, and fun tunes to listen to as I made my way through the game's myriad stages. 

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania offers a complete Monkey Ball series package that is well deserving of the series' 20th anniversary. There is both quantity and quality oozing out of the game like a fiercely squeezed banana still wrapped up in its peel. The amount of stages is staggering, and each mode offers a unique series of them to enjoy. The Party Games, too, are mostly enjoyable at the end of the day with a few stinkers here and there. Finally, the sheer number of missions to complete and things to unlock, whether they be modes, costumes, cosmetics, characters, camera aesthetics, or what have you will enjoying some Banana Mania for months, if not years, to come. 

[SPC Says: B+]

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (Multi) Announcement Trailer

After a less than stellar remaster of a less than thrilling game in the Super Monkey Ball series, SEGA is back at it again, but this time with a game to celebrate the Super Monkey Ball series' 20th anniversary: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania! Rolling onto every current generation console on the market on October 5th, Banana Mania promises over 300 levels from the first three Super Monkey Ball games.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) Review

I hate to end the year review-wise on a negative note, but that's what SuperPhillip Central is doing regardless and regrettably. The review in question? Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD. Let's check out why this entry of the Super Monkey Ball series was the wrong one to revive and remaster with the SPC review.

A remaster that needed more time to ripen

Super Monkey Ball was one of my favorite launch titles for the Nintendo GameCube back in 2001, and its sequel improved on the formula in nearly every way. Ever since, however, Super Monkey Ball games have gone from middling at best to abysmal at worst. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz was one of those "middling" games, and launched with the Nintendo Wii in 2006. It added motion control movement for guiding one's Monkey Ball around each stage and a jump button. That wasn't all of the unnecessary additions either.

Now, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD remasters the original Wii game--why of all Super Monkey Ball games SEGA chose this one I'll never understand--but with terribly bad boss battles, little redeeming content, and poor mini-games, the bananas in this blitz are of the rotten variety.

Every world grants you an opportunity to rack up some lives
via a bounty of bananas in these bonus stages.

There are 100 main stages in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, and they are divided up between ten worlds. Persistent (see: masochistic) players can opt to try to complete each world without using a continue, but that's pretty much just setting yourself up for punishment by the time the sixth world rolls around. The game loses its motion control steering of the stage to guide your monkey in a ball that was found in the original Banana Blitz, and instead utilizes traditional analog stick movement. This makes it so stages are easier overall to complete in some regards, but many latter levels in the game are rage-inducing in both their lengths and the how precise you have to be with your movements--something made more manageable with the better fine tuning one can do with gyro-based controls.

These levels make yo' monkey wanna... JUMP! JUMP!

The added ability to jump lends itself well to the level design, requiring some quick hops here and there, jumps over gaps, and precision timing. The physics on display here in Banana Blitz HD are just as good as ever, so seldom do you feel you were cheated out of clearing a level because your Monkey Ball didn't bounce the right way. It's generally always user error that results in falling off the course.

What Banana Blitz HD takes away in motion control movement, the game keeps one of the more unsightly and unsavory parts of the game--the end world boss battles. These encounters are maddening to try to stay on the stage, avoiding boss attacks, all the while contending with the camera as you attempt to attack your target's weak spot. Several times I'd find myself losing lives like quarters in a slot machine just because the bosses were so frustrating and infuriating. While the mechanics of the bosses are bad and drove me ballistic, I can say that I did love seeing each design.

The bosses are a low point to a game that I already don't think about too highly.

If you can challenge yourself to push through the 100 stages of the game with persistence and patience, you'll find yourself unlocking content in the form of alternate costumes for the Monkey Ball cast, as well as a not-so-secret unlockable that SEGA made no attempt to hide in its promotional trailers for the game. That would be Sonic the Hedgehog, who is the fastest character in the game and instead of accumulating bananas to acquire 1-Ups, he collects rings.

Aside from the 100 stages in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD's main mode of play, there are a selection of ten mini-games from the original Banana Blitz's 50 to choose from. However, between guiding a monkey down an assortment of see-saws to gather bananas, snowboarding downhill on an obstacle-ridden track, and whacking moles like you're at Chuck E. Cheese--but without the fun of getting tangible rewards like pencil erasers for doing so--there is not much to be excited about in this collection of mini-games. Even the fan favorite Monkey Target, while returning, is a pale imitation of past installments and fails to provide any long lasting entertainment. If you're looking for any kind of depth to these mini-games, you're going to be sorely disappointed like I was.

Banana Blitz HD's Monkey Target is unfortunately not quite on target when it concerns fun.

Another disappointment I found with Banana Blitz HD was the removal of most of the original soundtrack from the Wii version. This is apparently due to licensing issues, something SEGA seemingly struggles with more than other companies. It's a darn shame, as the music of the original Banana Blitz was one of my favorite parts of the game. Such insanely catchy music that game had. What replaces it is mostly songs taken from other Super Monkey Ball games, and more times than I'd like to hear, the music is ill-fitting for the stages or scenarios it's played in. Though, speaking of catchy music, I must decree that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD's new vocal theme is an insane earworm and a good one at that.

Someone in charge of infrastructure better get to all of these broken bridges.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD gives me a lot of questions. The top question being: Of all the Super Monkey Ball games that could have been remade, why this particular one? Other questions include: Why does this game exist? Who asked for it? Will SEGA be surprised when this poorly received remaster bombs at retail, and when it does, will SEGA think that means no one wants new games in the series instead of thinking, "Hey, maybe Banana Blitz was a bad game to revive?" Ugh. All of these questions are driving me bananas, so just take your review grade, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, and then make like bananas and split.

[SPC Says: D+]

Let the Good Names Roll: Great Credits Sequences in Gaming - Part Three

The staff roll, otherwise known as the credits of video games. This is where not only do we see all the names of the folks who worked on the game you just beat, but perhaps something special to go along with it, whether it's an overview of your adventure, the cast of enemies in the game, or something else. This article delves into some of the very best and most memorable staff rolls/credits sequences in video game history. From old school classics to modern marvels, part three of this expanding list continues to bring the excellent staff rolls. Click on the game title to see the credits sequence described, and to click these links to see part one and part two.

Super Mario World (SNES)

This classic credits sequence from Super Mario World kicks things off. It has Mario leading the rescued Princess Toadstool, riding on Yoshi, across a series of backgrounds from the game. Trailing behind them is a series of seven Yoshi eggs that Mario and the gang leads to Yoshi's Island, where they hatch. A "thank you" message appears on the screen, followed by a rousing rendition of the credits theme as the game's cast of enemies and bosses appears in sliding boxes with names identifying them. This all concludes with Mario and Luigi standing tall and proud with Princess Toadstool situated between them. The words "The End" rest over their heads, signaling the end of Super Mario World's sensational conclusion.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

After Ganondorf and his beastly form of Ganon have been vanquished, players are greeted with a heartfelt credits sequence that starts out innocuously enough with panning shots of various Hyrule locales like Death Mountain and Kakariko Village. Following these tranquil scenes is a celebration unlike any other at Lon Lon Ranch with a veritable who's who of Hyrule citizens, from Gorons to Zoras, Malon, Talon and Ingo, and many more. Soon, up in the sky, the six sages soar, then taking a brief moment to reflect at Death Mountain. Back at the Temple of Time, the heroic Link, in his younger form, stands tall with Navi saying its goodbyes to him. Link turns away from the Master Sword, leaving it to rest in its pedestal as triumphant bells rings, congratulating both the player and Link on a job well done.

Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country allows its cast to shine with every enemy, boss, and Kong taking their curtain call, walking, hovering, hopping, marching, or flying across the screen. Of course, you can't expect the credits to go on without a hitch. The Kongs have to get into their usual shenanigans, and with Rare's trademark sense of humor, you can bet some goofiness is thrown in. That's exactly what players get. Donkey Kong and Diddy proceed to pull some practical jokes on one another after the rest of the cast has been reintroduced, with Diddy Kong stepping on Donkey Kong's foot, Donkey Kong pounding Diddy to the floor, and Diddy biting DK's finger, for starters. Following this is some boasting by Cranky Kong, bragging that he beat the game with only one life and in less than an hour. Sure, Cranky. We TOTALLY believe you.

Super Monkey Ball (GCN)

We've seen interactive game credits in past installments of Great Credits Sequences in Gaming. We now look at another one with Super Monkey Ball's credits sequence, keeping true to its arcade roots. For those that are uninitiated, the Super Monkey Ball series has players guiding a monkey in a ball around obstacle laden courses with the objective to reach the goal without falling off. Super Monkey Ball's credits keeps the fun of guiding a monkey in a ball, but this time it's down a ramp full of bananas, as well as names of the development team that has each of its letters falling onto the course. Each letter you hit takes off about ten bananas. The fun is in seeing how many bananas you can acquire before the credits are over. It all sounds easier than it actually is, as those letters are quite the vexation! It ends up being a memorable staff roll due to its enjoyable interactivity.

Rayman Origins (Multi)

Time for some more interactivity! Ubisoft game credits are known for being extremely long affairs, usually crediting everyone from every worldwide Ubisoft studio and even the janitors seemingly. Not to say everyone doesn't deserve credit, but it can be maddening sitting down, waiting for the credits to finish, particularly when you can't skip them. Rayman Origins takes this otherwise mundane experience and throws in the ability to move around as Rayman, bashing and smashing each letter in every word and name of the credits sequence. It's especially entertaining to try to make a game of it, seeing how many Lums, essentially the coins of Rayman Origins, you can collect before the final name is listed. Alongside your name-destroying, you have Christopher Heral's tremendous Rayman Origins score, making this experience far from tedious.

Saints Row IV (Multi)

From interactive credits to just plain off the wall awesomeness, Saints Row IV definitely didn't take itself seriously whatsoever, and it was immensely refreshing. This line of thinking bleeds into its credits sequence, starting off with the Saints (and an unexpected guest) having a dance line to "This is How We Do It". After that is where the actual credits begin to flow, with cartoon-styled art on the right side of the screen showing the Saints in all their insane hijinks through history. The icing on this deliciously delightful cake is the end of the credits, where the entire Saints crew sing along to Biz Markie's "You Got What I Need". The chorus left me in tears when I originally heard it, and it remains just a fantastic ending to the game, even if the actual Saints Row IV left some to be desired. You can bet that the credits certainly didn't!

Top Five Ball-Rolling Games

Let's get the ball rolling (har-har) on a new top five list for SuperPhillip Central. The ball-rolling game generally consists of guiding some form a ball to a goal. There have been many iterations of this type of game, so it's been a bit of a trial to formulate a list of the five best. However, a list has been made!

5) Mercury series

Archer Maclean is a British programmer with an illustrious history of games under his belt, such as the Atari's International Karate, as well as various pool and snooker games. His Mercury series takes the ball-rolling game into a form, literally, as the gelatinous mercury ball that players in the game controlled could split in half, transform into new shapes, alter its color, and morph. The Mercury series has appeared on the PlayStation Portable, where it debuted, the PlayStation 2, and Nintendo's Wii, where the Wii Remote's motion control functionality was put to great use, having players tilt it to move the blob of mercury around.

4) Marble Madness 

One of the originators of the ball-rolling genre, Marble Madness is as classic of a title as you can get. Although there weren't a wide array of levels (approximately six, if I recall correctly), the challenge was guiding your marble around an isometric world, avoiding hazards, trying not to fall from a great height, which would shatter the marble into pieces, and rolling through the finish line before time runs out. Perhaps it's a bit blasphemous that Marble Madness is only number four on this list, but I argue that the genre only got better as time marched (or should I say, rolled?) on.

3) Marble Blast series

Marble Blast is a series by GarageGames, although the rights to the series have since been lost by the studio. Both Marble Blast Gold and Marble Blast Ultra are no longer available for purchase in an official capacity, and that's a shame, as the games are some of the best in the ball-rolling genre. Ultra consists of 60 levels, spread across three difficulties of 20 levels apiece. Each introduces new gameplay mechanics into the mix, such as gravity, the need to plan careful jumps across dangerous gaps, and special items. I can only hope that the duo of Marble Blast games somehow gets another chance to shine.

2) Kororinpa series

Kororinpa: Marble Mania, and to a lesser extent, its sequel, Marble Saga: Kororinpa, are Nintendo Wii games that put all of the courses of the game into your hands. You see, the Wii Remote is used to tilt the levels to move around your marble through, requiring not only speed to beat the times, but also precision and accuracy, especially for the harder levels with more places to fall off. The sequel offers the ability to create your own levels, which adds great replay value and longevity to the game. Unlockable levels and marbles also increases this. What you are left with is a pair of ball-rollers that are absolutely charming and fun to play.

1) Super Monkey Ball series

Now, is it really fair to call the Super Monkey Ball series number one when most of its games aren't very good? I believe that the original Super Monkey Ball and its sequel (perhaps even the Game Boy Advance game, too) are so fun and well done that they more than enough make the Super Monkey Ball series worthy of being number one on this list. Controlling Aiai and his monkey cohorts through colorful and increasingly more challenging and creative levels is a blast, and the arcade nature of the game makes it so you're always trying to make a little more progress in the game with each attempt. I say "attempt" because these games are mighty difficult, even for a seasoned player of the genre. Throw in some excellent mini-games, and the choice of Super Monkey Ball as my number one pick is just the way the ball bounces.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGM - Working Off the Turkey Edition

Thanksgiving is over in the states, and we've gobbled up the last leftovers of our turkey bounty. Time to start sweatin' to the VGM that we enjoy most. Our continuing list returns for another segment this Monday evening with MadWorld, Final Fantasy II, and Kirby's Epic Yarn. As always, past VGM can be found in our VGM Database.

v516. MadWorld (Wii) - You Don't Know Me

MadWorld was Platinum Games' sole Wii project. It's a shame it didn't do that well in sales, but then again it wasn't the deepest game on the market at the time. Still, it was a poor console choice to put the game on, as the Wii's market was mostly into Nintendo titles and casual games.

v517. Graffiti Kingdom (PS2) - Try One's Skill

We go to a big shift in gaming tone from impaling enemies with road signs to creating colorful creatures in the platforming adventure known as Graffiti Kingdom. This game was a cult classic, and a game that slipped under so many gamers' radars. When you have a library as impressive as the PlayStation 2's it's no wonder that a lot of lesser known games fall through the cracks. (Art by Thunder Bunny)

v518. Final Fantasy II (NES) - Rebel Army Theme (Scene VII)

From the Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite album comes the final scene of the concert, the Rebel Army Theme of Final Fantasy II. It's certainly majestic and poignant. When the choir chimes in and the brass accompanies them, we get honest to goodness goosebumps.

v519. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii) - Smooth Sherbet

For such a shoddy game, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz certainly had a lot of delightful and catchy music. The composer for the Jet Set Radio series and Sonic Rush had a hand in the music for this game. Just how far into the rabbit hole his hand reached is unknown. Regardless, the frustration of falling off a given course due to sloppy controls is lessened if only fractionally by the infectious music.

v520. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) - Fountain Gardens

Kirby's Epic Yarn had a sublime score attached to it. You had soft jazz, bouncy piano tunes, and whimsical melodies with a hint of childlike wonder imbued to them. While the game was definitely on the easy side (Kirby couldn't perish whatsoever), the presentation, with the music being a huge part of that, made for a game that was just good to just great.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - E3 2013 Edition

Now that we have a break in the big festivities of E3 2013, let's delve into the world of video game music for five fantastic themes from a variety of series and genres. Today's VGMs represented come from franchises like Mario, Viewtiful Joe, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Super Monkey Ball. There's no rhyme or reason to our choices except variety, so please enjoy! After you're finished taking notice of today's VGMs, take a look at our past choices in our VGM Database.

v391. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) - Overworld Theme

Most of us probably know the story of how Nintendo of America thought the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was too hard for U.S. gamers, so they reworked the sprites of Doki Doki Panic and replaced that game's heroes with Mario and the gang. Thank goodness that happened, or else we wouldn't have characters like Birdo and Shy Guy in the Mario universe! This is a chipper theme played in every outdoor stage in Super Mario Bros. 2, or as it's known in Japan, Super Mario USA.

v392. Viewtiful Joe (PS2, GCN) - Some Like It Red Hot

Viewtiful Joe was originally slated to be an exclusive to the GameCube as part of "the Capcom Five." We all know how that turned out, don't we. Regardless, Viewtiful Joe continues to amaze to this day, and we can only hope that Capcom returns to this great franchise. Some Like It Red Hot is the second level of Viewtiful Joe, and this particular theme plays during the first act of the level. It's certainly eclectic, even using traffic sounds as part of the percussion.

v393. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS) - The Fun Fair

Yoko Shimomura delivers a magical piece to the Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance score. The woodwind that plays the main theme charms listeners like a snake, except you need not worry about getting a nasty bite and dying from the subsequent venom. Yoko Shimomura continues to prove her majestic and magnificent composition skills, taking the player away to new far off worlds with her music.

v394. Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1) - Apoplexy

Two songs in one that alternate between one another, Apoplexy is a mix of two battle themes heard in Ramza's adventure through politics, corruption, and Zodiac monsters in Final Fantasy Tactics. We absolutely love the soundtrack to this game, and we consider it one of the best soundtracks of all time. That's hefty praise coming from us!

v395. Super Monkey Ball (GCN) - Storm

We've arrived at the final VGM of this special E3 edition, and it only makes sense it is the song for the final floors of the Extra stages in Super Monkey Ball. The theme has a grunge sound to it with its guitar. It sort of sounds like something from F-Zero GX, doesn't it. Well, there might be a good reason for that. One of the composers from Super Monkey Ball, Hidenori Shoji, also composed music for F-Zero GX!

SPC's Favorite VGMs - The Missing Link Edition

Welcome to Monday here at SuperPhillip Central. What we have planned for this week's edition of SPC's Favorite VGMs is music from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Tomba, and Advance Wars. It's a grand selection of music of varying genres and styles. We hope you find a track this evening that you enjoy greatly!

v361. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) - Sanctuary Dungeon

We kick things off with music from one of my favorite games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It's a perfect time for this game, as a sequel was announced for the Nintendo 3DS a couple of weeks ago. This dungeon theme is without a doubt my favorite that the Zelda series has ever witnessed. It's melancholy and isn't grating like the original Zelda's dungeon theme is after repeated listening.

v362. Tomba (PS1) - Village of All Beginnings

Let's get all happy and tropical, shall we? That's exactly what we get with Tomba's Village of All Beginnings, the first main area of the game. Tomba was an interesting mix of RPG elements and platforming. Completing quests in a platformer was an interesting and fresh take on the genre. I liked it so much that I wish Sony would return to it sometime soon.

v363. Advance Wars (GBA) - Andy's Theme

One of the members of the Orange Star army, CO Andy in the real world would be WAY too young to command an army of troops, tanks, fleets, and armadas. Luckily for us, in the universe of Advance Wars, age is not a discriminating factor. Andy's Theme is upbeat, just like the character it is modeled after.

v364. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii) - Cobalt Caverns

While Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz was the start of the series's downfall for me, Banana Blitz still holds the title of Best Super Monkey Ball Soundtrack in my eyes... or should I say ears? The majority of the tracks are insanely infectious, offering catchy jaunty rhythms and melodies. Cobalt Caverns is but one of such tracks that I am alluding to.

v365. Beautiful Katamari (360) - Sayonara Rolling Star

Ara Hirayama sings this song from Beautiful Katamari. The opening piano is very soothing, and then the rhythm track comes in to lift up the song even further. Ms. Hirayama's voice is absolutely perfect for this song. Sayonara Rolling Star. Adieu! Auf Wedersehen! Smell ya' later!

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We have reached the end of another edition of SPC's Favorite VGMs. Next week five more themes will step forward and be displayed on this very site. Until then, feel free to check out past selections in our VGM Database.

Exactly How Does the PlayStation Vita Have "No Games?"

A common statement among some gamers is that Sony's struggling handheld, the PlayStation Vita, lacks software, even going as far as saying it has zero in the way of competent games. Of course, a lot of these people are simply trolling (These people could stand to read this article.), but the idea that the Vita is starving for content is simply a falsehood. I would like to back the falsehood statement with some games that prove that the Vita does, in fact, carry a rather robust library of software.

Persona 4 Golden

The highest-rated Vita game on game review aggregate sites, Persona 4 Gold is a port of the PlayStation 2 classic. Players mix, match, and use the titular persona characters (of which there are 150 varieties) in battle as they traverse dungeons and towns and progress through an engaging story. The addition of two new characters, hundreds of lines of fresh dialogue, and high-definition visuals make for a port that is definitely worthy of adding to one's Vita collection.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Nathan Drake returns in this prequel to the PlayStation 3 Uncharted trilogy. While the lack of any form of multiplayer hurts the title some, the single player of Golden Abyss has been expanded with new locales, set pieces, and characters to get to know and like. The use of Vita system features like the touch screen controls make for a novel approach to gameplay. Sony Bend has done a splendid job bringing yet another one of Sony's prized first-party properties onto the small screen with Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational 

The goal of the Hot Shots Golf series has always been to provide an accessible golfing experience to players while still keeping the depth of the sport. Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational is no different in this department. The sixth mainline game in the franchise, World Invitational offers tons of replay value with its single player, challenges that unlock new balls, clubs, and costumes, and online multiplayer tournaments that help you test your golfing prowess against the world. An incredibly capable addition to the Hot Shots Golf series, World Invitational's new MSRP makes it quite a steal.

WipEout 2048

Another game meant to serve as a prequel, WipEout 2048 (2048 being the year the game takes place in) brings the fast-paced and intense racing game to the PlayStation Vita, and uses many of its features such as tilt, touch, and voice controls. WipEout 2048's multiplayer allows eight players to jet through the gorgeous futuristic tracks online, and in some cases, play with PlayStation 3 players via Wipeout HD. In addition to that, there is also cooperative play for missions. There's a ton of challenge and speed with WipEout 2048, and for the racing fan, it is at the top of the mountain on Vita.

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation 

Taking the Assassin's Creed III name and creating a side story for PlayStation Vita owners, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation stars, for the first time in franchise history, a female protagonist. If you have been worrying about the Assassin's Creed experience not being transported well to a portable, rest easy-- you'll be doing all the same running on rooftops, stealthily stabbing enemies, and earning chain kills, just like Liberation's bigger, more popular brother. What Vita owners get is yet another title to add to the list of worthy games to the Vita library.

Gravity Rush

Formerly a PS3 project before its development was shifted over to the Vita, Gravity Rush is quite unlike any other game out there, much less for the Vita. One of the obvious primary mechanics of the game is the ability to control gravity-- walk on walls, send the heroine Kat careening into enemies, and other fascinating feats. The RPG elements add another dimension to the game, with such concepts as leveling up and optional bosses. Gravity Rush isn't a perfect game, but its positives far outweigh any faults it possesses.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

Speaking of Kat, how about we go to a game that will feature character in DLC form? PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is one of the first of many "YOPO" games. This acronym stands for "You Only Pay Once." However, it only works if you buy the PlayStation 3 version. (Thanks to Ken S. for that clarification!) Both versions have cross-play, so PS3 owners can duke it out with Vita owners, and vice versa. No matter which popular PlayStation character you choose-- whether it be Kratos, Sackboy, Nathan Drake, Ratchet, or whoever else-- you're bound to have one heck of a party.

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

My favorite new IP of the past generation hits the Vita, containing all new story levels and content. With the front and rear touch screens on the PlayStation Vita, level creation, a profusely popular feature of the franchise, has become less troublesome and much more streamlined. While you can't import levels from the console versions of LittleBigPlanet to the Vita version, already there is an immense catalog of impressive levels by some creative level creators. If you need a game that will boost your own level of creativity, look no further than LittleBigPlanet PS Vita.

New Little King's Story

While this game is only available via download in North America, New Little King's Story is still a great game. It is essentially a remake of the Wii cult classic, Little King's Story, only given enhanced features. One such feature are the improved visuals, showcasing a less childlike look. As your little king, you try to conquer neighboring kingdoms, gathering resources, hiring citizens to battle alongside you as you vanquish bosses and baddies, and expand your own kingdom. If you can stand the quirky gameplay, New Little King's Story brings enough that is new to the table that makes it a worthwhile Vita title.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz

It seemed perplexing how Sega could continue to mess up a winning formula with several poor Super Monkey Ball games, such as Banana Blitz (not to be confused with the game I'll be talking about, Banana Splitz), Step & Roll, and Super Monkey Ball 3D. Well, now it seems like Sega and the Super Monkey Ball series has got its groove back with Banana Splitz, a Vita exclusive. The traditional rolling Aiai and friends through progressively more difficult and twisted courses, trying not to fall off as you go for the goal, is present and accounted for. It's a welcomed return to form, for sure!

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While the PlayStation Vita is not overflowing with quality games, it does have several serviceable and outstanding games in its library. These are just ten of such titles, and there are many more I neglected to mention. Hopefully this list will make some of you out there who are eager to claim a specific system lacks quality games quiet down. Oh, heck. Who am I kidding? Gamers will be gamers...