SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Retro-ing Out of July Edition

Another Monday means another edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs! This week the VGMs bring some retro goodness into your lives and your ears!

We start off fast and loose with a song from Sonic Advance 2. Continuing with the sequel idea, we then jump into Shenmue 2. Streets of Rage follows with its well known boss theme, and then we go into a puzzle mood with Tetris Attack. Finally, Mega Man 5 wraps things up with a song from the Complete Works version.

Just click on the VGM volume name to hear its song. And as always, check out the VGM Database for all past VGM volumes featured. Now, let's get onto the music!

v1191. Sonic Advance 2 (GBA) - Leaf Forest Zone, Act 1

The first level of Sonic Advance 2 takes Sonic and the gang to the Leaf Forest Zone, an engaging first zone in the game full of places to speed through with wild abandon. Despite the Game Boy Advance's sound chip being relatively weak, composers did their best to produce good music and sound regardless, as heard with this song.

v1192. Shenmue 2 (XBX) - Dou Niu Rooftop Battle

With the upcoming Shenmue 3, it seems like an opportune time to bring up one of the two other Shenmue games. However, rather than go for the obvious pick with the revolutionary and more well known Dreamcast Shenmue, I'm going with the Xbox sequel. While the track name isn't official by any stretch of the imagination, what is genuine here is just how good this battle theme sounds.

v1193. Streets of Rage (GEN) - Stage Boss

We continue our Sega theme for one more VGM with the boss theme of the excellent beat-em-up Streets of Rage for the Sega Genesis. Yuzo Koshiro shows his brilliance with a catchy theme that makes for great background music to beating up the bigger threats that Streets of Rage possesses enemy-wise.

v1194. Tetris Attack (SNES) - Ice World - Bumpty Stage

Developed by Intelligent Systems, Tetris Attack is the western version of the Super Famicom's Panel de Pon. Instead of original characters like the Japanese version had, Tetris Attack used a Yoshi's Island theme with it. Tetris Attack remains one of my favorite falling block puzzle games for any platform. It's addicting, easy to learn, but tough to master.

v1195. Mega Man 5 (NES, PS1) - Gravity Man (Complete Works Version)

Various Mega Man games got a second life on the PlayStation with a Complete Works version. This brought the NES classics to Sony's system with new remixed songs. The example here is for Mega Man 5's Gravity Man stage. Whether you prefer the beeps and boops of the original NES soundtrack or these new renditions on the PS1, you're getting some wonderfully infectious music regardless.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Get N or Get Out Edition

Time for a special Nintendo-themed edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, an edition full of bright and bouncy music. This week SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs have music from Pilotwings, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Tetris Attack, and Super Mario 64. As always, if you'd like to see and listen to the previous VGMs featured in this weekly segment, check them out at the VGM Database.

v871. Pilotwings (SNES) - Light Plane (Vocal Mix)

This version of the Light Plane theme from the original Pilotwings comes from the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U soundtrack. It plays during the Pilotwings stage, featuring battles aboard multiple airplanes as they soar around Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort and various other Nintendo titles. The vocal mix version is my preferred version of this happy-go-lucky theme.

v872. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) - Main Theme (Vocal Mix)

Another version which comes from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Donkey Kong Country Returns itself had a relatively nice soundtrack, though it paled in comparison to the Rareware sound team's efforts from the SNES trilogy. However, this vocal theme based off the menu music is absolutely wonderful, featuring what appears to be the Kong crew singing along.

v873. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) - Mt. Slide

Mt. Slide in Kirby's Epic Yarn is a level where fast-paced snowboarding is the order of the day. It's a very perky and triumphant theme, perfect for slip sliding down slippery slopes in search for beads. Good Feel, the team behind Epic Yarn, is now pretty much wrapping up work on their next project, the hype-inducing and incredibly adorable Yoshi's Woolly World. While Europe gets the game in a month's time or so, us North Americans will have to wait until the fall unfortunately.

v874. Tetris Attack (SNES) - Forest World

We go back in time to the Super Nintendo with Tetris Attack's Forest World, hosted by the Wiggler enemy of Super Mario fame. Known as Panel de Pon in Japan, the game was given a Yoshi coat of paint for its Western release and a new name, Tetris Attack. The soundtrack is a mix of cute, charming and catchy themes.

v875. Super Mario 64 (N64) - Encore (Slider) - Mario & Zelda Big Band Live

This version of Super Mario 64's Slider theme comes from the Mario & Zelda Big Band Live concert from 2003. It featured music from Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Yoshi, mostly focusing on then-recent games like Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This version of Slider was the final theme played during the concert, the encore.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Summer Doldrums Edition

We're in the midst of a bare month of games here in North America. There really isn't much (see: anything) to get excited about, at least for us anyway. This week on SuperPhillip Central's weekly Favorite VGMs segment, we come with music from games like Mario Kart Wii, Mega Man 8 and Resident Evil 5. We even go back to the 16-bit era with music from the SNES classic puzzler Tetris Attack. After you've listened to this week's five VGMs, why not pay a visit to our VGM Database?

v411. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - Credits Part 2

After besting your eleven other racing rivals in all eight cups of Mario Kart Wii, you get a well deserved ceremony and the credits sequence. This uptempo tune is heard during the second half of the credits sequence.

v412. Mega Man 8 (PS1, SAT) - Wily Tower Stage 1

Mega Man 8's first Wily Tower stage has the majority of the gameplay with Mega Man on skis, just like Frost Man's stage. However, this time the challenge is much greater-- as if the challenge wasn't already high in Frost Man's level. The robotic voice telling Mega Man to jump and slide goes perfectly with this music.

v413. Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (3DS) - Showtime

The first mission of Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure, a rhythm game with the story of a Professor Layton game, has Phantom R dancing in from of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the setting of the game. Showtime puts players in a hip hop mood as they tap their way to success.

v414. Tetris Attack (SNES) - Water World

Tetris Attack is one of our favorite puzzle games for the Super Nintendo. Sure, we absolutely suck at it, but that's neither here nor there. Panel de Pon has always been a favorite of ours, and it was never better than in Tetris Attack on the SNES.

v415. Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360, PC) - Rust in Summer 2008

Electronica and club music isn't what you'd normally expect in a Resident Evil game. Well, that is exactly what you get with Resident Evil 5's Rust in Summer 2008. Blast down foes in The Mercenaries as this track keeps a driving beat and peps you up to slay all that stand in your way.