SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Ten Games of 2015

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen! Every list so far of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards has lead up to this moment. It's time to announce my top ten favorite games of 2015. To be on this list, I had to have played these games somewhat in-depth, so keep that in mind if some egregious omissions stick out at you. With that out of the way, let's get to my list of 2015's most awesome.

10) Trine: Enchanted Edition (Wii U eShop)

Starting off my list of favorite games from 2015 is a holdover from last year, but it first arrived on the Wii U eShop early this year. It's Trine: Enchanted Edition, a gorgeous 2D puzzle-platformer with an exquisite visual style to it, plenty of secrets to be found in its well crafted levels, and with the ease of use of the Wii U GamePad touch screen, magic casting and precision was all the easier. Trine: Enchanted Edition played great with both friends online and off, and it was a treasure of a title.

9) FAST Racing Neo (Wii U eShop)

The future is indeed fast with this next title. Shin'en's FAST Racing Neo came out in the middle of December, so it's the most recent game on this list. The game is a nice supplement to the lack of an F-Zero or even a Wipeout on gaming systems, though FAST is its own beast altogether. Through a clever shifting between phases, players can utilize boost pads with their vehicle, pending they're shifted to the right phase, either orange or blue. With sixteen fantastic courses, blistering fast speeds, and a hefty challenge, FAST Racing Neo delivered plenty of thrills and chills this past December.

8) Adventures of Pip (Multi)

I'm a sucker for a good platformer, as you'll see with this list if you don't already know me by now. Indie delight Adventures of Pip was one of these releases that had me enthralled with it from beginning to end. Through its charming cast of characters and humorous dialogue, terrific level design that had plenty of secrets to be found, and a unique gameplay hook, the ability to shift between bit forms, Adventures of Pip brought me hours upon hours of fun. It was a blast to play on the Wii U, but it's also available on other console marketplaces like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

7) Freedom Planet (Wii U eShop)

It's quite great that indie developers brought their A game in 2015. This list has four indie titles on it, which is a wonderful turnout. It shows that these smaller developers can easily rival those of bigger developers in fun games, and that a good game is a good game, regardless of who developed it. GalaxyTrail's Freedom Planet is a great example of this, a title that won SuperPhillip Central's Best Downloadable Game for 2015. The game was a derivative work, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan game, before the developer wanted to create something unique. The gameplay remains similar in some regards, but quite different in others. It all amounts to a game with fast platforming sections, slower action-focused areas, a lovely soundtrack and art style, and beautifully chaotic boss battles.

6) LBX: Little Battlers eXperience (3DS)

After waiting several years for the LBX game series to find its way to the West, LBX: Little Battlers eXperience for the Nintendo 3DS gave us Westerners a taste of what we had been missing out on that our Japanese friends have been enjoying for quite a while now. LBX on the 3DS had an engaging story and entertaining cast of characters, but the biggest luxury of the game were the robot battles taking place in a myriad of arena types. The customization options and different parts you could use for your LBX were overwhelming yet enjoyable. It'd take eons to use all part combinations. The fact, though, is that LBX was so much fun for me that I probably wouldn't mind taking the time to use all part combinations... Okay, I'm lying, but LBX was really good regardless!

5) Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)

Hunters unite! Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was a long awaited game to get localized for the West, but to use a cliche, the wait was worth it. At the beginning of the game you're picking up mushrooms, while as you progress, the challenge increases ever steadily, presenting gigantic beasts to bring down. This isn't a game for the timid, as timing and patience are required to overcome the odds. Still, if hunting alone isn't your thing, you can always bring along some friends or total strangers for some local or online hunting action. Whether it's thinking up new strategies to take down a seemingly impossible behemoth or being addicted to crafting new weapons and armor, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has got the goods.

4) Splatoon (Wii U)

Many had clamored for Nintendo to release a competitive third-person shooter of some type, and what these folks received was a competitive third-person shooter with Nintendo's trademark spin to it, one that was accessible for beginners yet deep enough to keep players playing. The main goal of traditional matches in Splatoon was to coat the grounds with paint. While shooting goop out on walls didn't count for points, it did allow players to travel in squid form up walls, and anywhere else where paint was. Traveling around as both a squid and a kid were enjoyable, and the online play keeps getting better with more maps, gear, and weapons-- all free DLC. Add in a superb single player campaign, and you have the number four game on my countdown, Splatoon.

3) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)

When it originally released in 2000, I only played The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask a couple of times. I kept putting off revisiting the game due to the stress the game caused me to get certain events done in time before the three day cycle was complete. With the Nintendo 3DS remake of Majora's Mask, what I got was a more accessible game that ran great, had a much better and more consistent frame-rate, was decorated with bright, vivid colors, and a game that didn't stress me out anywhere near as much as the Nintendo 64 original. While it's still not a top five Legend of Zelda game for me, Majora's Mask 3D shines as one of my favorite games of 2015, and my favorite Nintendo 3DS game of the past year.

2) Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

A game that has rivaled a Super Nintendo classic for me, after having several predecessors that fell quite short in comparison, Yoshi's Woolly World brought forth the child in me, and made me enjoy its brilliantly designed worlds, full of hidden trinkets, secrets, and collectibles. Everything from the yarn and fabric presentation (such as the lava flow of background volcanoes being made up of rolling scarfs), infectious music, pinpoint precision platforming, jolly and adorable vibe of the game, and the great unlockables all add up to a 2D platformer that is as awesome to play as it is to look at. After less than perfect offerings like Yoshi's Story, Yoshi's Island DS, and Yoshi's New Island, it was a fantastic feeling to be playing a game that pretty much surpassed the Super Nintendo Yoshi's Island, something I never thought I'd utter.

1) Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

Probably the game I spent the most time with in 2015 was also the one that I enjoyed playing the most. It's Super Mario Maker, and I can't help but keep coming back to this delightful game. It's more than a game, though. It's a level creator to make Mario levels in. While that concept is by no means new, Nintendo somehow managed to make the arduous process of creating games and make it fun, accessible, and easy for anyone to do. Whether you're wanting to create articulated masterpieces of levels or just want to mess about with the level creator, fun is a few seconds away as soon as you pop in that Super Mario Maker disc into your Wii U. Even after several months of playing the game, I still see myself coming back to Super Mario Maker, playing others' levels, getting ideas for my own works, and creating some courses of my own. These reasons and more are why Super Mario Maker is SuperPhillip Central's Game of the Year 2015.

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So, there you have it! Super Mario Maker is SuperPhillip Central's Game of the Year! What games were your favorites in 2015? Let me know in the comments below!

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Five Best Box Arts

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, with the very first list of SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2015 Awards! This is the eighth year I've done an end-of-year celebration of all things gaming of the past year. However, it's only the second where I've been doing different lists for each category instead of listing the nominees and then the winner like the first six years.

Regardless, the first list for this awards ceremony is all about box arts. Back in the day, a box art was really all you had to base your purchase off of (or in my case since I was young, all I had to base my mom's purchase of a game for me off of). Nowadays, things are turning more and more digital with downloadable games being more popular than ever before. It's just fortunate that physical releases haven't yet gone the way of the dodo, as I love ogling beautiful box arts on store shelves.

This list of five box arts show off what I perceive to be my favorites out of all that have been released. If you're ready to delve into the world of excellent box arts, then so am I. Away we go!

5) Until Dawn (PS4)

A bone-chilling box art that is perfect to set the tone for the game ahead, Until Dawn's cover is quite striking in its simplicity. It's essentially an hourglass with the snow pouring down from the grizzly skull serving as the hourglass' sand. The snow falls onto the cabin, something that could be perceived as its own character, with the eight college students standing in front of it, out in the winter wasteland.

4) Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

Moving from the macabre to something with a decidedly different flavor and feel to it, Yoshi's Woolly World's box art is a beautiful bounty of color. I absolutely adore how everything has a knit and fabric appearance, much like the game itself. The composition is pleasing to the eye, and the amount of adorableness per inch is just too much to bear. And I mean that in the greatest of ways.

3) Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)

We're not done with the Wii U yet. We go from yarn to clay with Kirby and the Rainbow Curse's colorful box art. The design here, from the perfect composition, drawing your eye to the center, to the bright and bouncy colors all around, is fantastic. The box art also does a good job of showing that you'll be controlling Kirby with a touch of the stylus, also made up of clay. It all adds up to a mighty appealing box art that oozes with personality and charm.

2) The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

There is just so much going on in this next box art that looking at all of the clever and interesting details of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is an entertaining task. We have the three colored Links atop the central platform with a menagerie and who's who of Legend of Zelda enemies like Moblins, Chu Chus, Deku Scrubs, and more. It's a pleasant box art to look at, and it helps that I'm an absolute sucker for The Legend of Zelda series.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)

Speaking of The Legend of Zelda, we now arrive at my number one pick for favorite box art of 2015. What we have here is a gorgeous and foreboding box art, all thanks to the brilliant use of light and shadows, depth, space, and composition. It's box arts like these that make me happy that we still see physical releases in a growing digital world. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D's box art is like a magnificent painting, worthy of being viewed time and time again, and each viewing presents something new to discover.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Chaka Khan Edition

It's Chanukah for our Jewish readers, so Happy Chanukah, everybody! As part of the festivities, SuperPhillip Central's gift to you is the gift of song with five special VGMs! Just click the song titles to be whisked away to the song listed!

This week we have music to share from God of War III, a sequel to Golden Sun with Golden Sun: The Lost Age, fantastic music from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, a catchy tune from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and finally, we wrap up with some Banjo-Kazooie.

If you'd like to take a look and listen to past VGM volumes, take a gander at the VGM Database. With that out of the way, let's get to the music!

v1021. God of War III (PS4, PS3) - Boss - Poseidon

The beginning of God of War III pulls no punches. It's an absolutely chaotic and epic battle with Poseidon set against the backdrop of all hell breaking loose near Mount Olympus and the titans. This intense orchestral theme plays during the madness, setting up a brilliant battle with Poseidon who winds up on the losing end of Kratos's wrath.

v1022. Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA) - Battle - Felix

Whereas Golden Sun was seen in the point of view of Isaac's party, its sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, is seen in the point of view of Felix's party. His battle theme is just as peppy and energized as Isaac's, and it's once again all thanks to the magnificent talent of Motoi Sakuraba, a name that is quite well known to frequenters of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs!

v1023. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES) - Lockjaw's Saga

The underwater levels of the original Donkey Kong Country took place in lakeside, riverside, and ocean side waters. Meanwhile, the underwater levels of Donkey Kong Country 2 take place in the depths of a sunken pirate ship. Some levels feature the piranha Lockjaw while others require the cooling down of the water before it gets to dangerously hot levels. No matter the level, this excellent theme from David Wise plays to keep you enthralled in these particularly waterlogged levels.

v1024. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64) - Astral Observatory

A place that Link goes to to view the telescope and look into the moon to get its tear, the Astral Observatory is equipped with a lovely theme, as you can obviously here with this link (no pun intended). The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask saw a Nintendo 3DS remake early this year, and it made a great game even greater. Perhaps it'll wind up on SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2015 list?

v1025. Banjo-Kazooie (N64, XBLA) - Mr. Vile's Game

Mr. Vile is a crocodile that lives in a crocodile shaped dome in the middle of Banjo-Kazooie's Bubble Gloop Swamp. To get his Jiggy you need to participate and win against him in a three part mini-game where the goal is to eat the right colored fruit. This catchy mini-game theme plays during all three variants of the mini-game, requiring speed and precision as you gobble up fruit as Banjo and Kazooie's alligator form.

Review Round-Up - February 2015

I suffered no terrible fate by playing SPC's
Game of the Month for February 2015!

It was a shorter month than usual, being February and all, but SuperPhillip Central logged in nine new reviews this past month regardless! I implemented the all-new scoring system based on letter grades, and I think this has proven to be a nice change to the site.

I started things off with the short but excellent Gunman Clive 2, which shot its way into a B. Then, it was a blast from the past with my review of Jet Set Radio HD, which skated its way to a respectable C. Undead Storm Nightmare continued the downloadable game trend, and it earned a slightly below average C-. Kick & Fennick was one of last month's PlayStation Plus freebies, and it ricocheted and launched its way to a B. Puzzle Monkeys wasn't the puzzler I was looking for, only getting a C-, and Ninja Battle Heroes delivered some fun despite some glaring issues. It received a C+. The month's sole retro review was Punch-Out!! which scored a KO and an A- simultaneously. Lastly, SuperPhillip Central's Game of the Month for February 2015 was The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (A), and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ended this past month's array of reviews with a B-. It was a wonderful month of reviews for SuperPhillip Central, and March is going to be busy, too!

Gunman Clive 2 (3DS eShop) - B
Jet Set Radio HD (PS3, 360, Vita) - C
Undead Storm Nightmare (3DS eShop) - C-
Kick & Fennick (Vita) - B
Puzzle Monkeys (Wii U eShop) - C-
Ninja Battle Heroes (3DS eShop) - C+
Punch-Out!! (Wii) - A-
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) - A
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U) - B-

While adorable and fun, Kirby and the Rainbow
Curse wasn't all sunshine and happiness.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) Review

This final week of February will hopefully see at least three new reviews. The first of these reviews is a remake that many Zelda fans have been clamoring for since Ocarina of Time 3D released. It's finally here, and here's my review. It's The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D for the Nintendo 3DS.

You won't meet a terrible fate by playing this game.

The Legend of Zelda has seen a wonderful stretch of quality games. 2013's A Link Between Worlds made for a Zelda adventure that was highly reminiscent of A Link to the Past in both worlds and quality, and the following year saw a risky endeavor, a Dynasty Warriors-inspired Zelda game that turned out to be magnificent and an embarrassment of riches and content. Despite a new home console Zelda game due out at the end of the year for the Wii U, Zelda fans have a different focus at this time. It's a highly requested remake in the same vein of Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. The Nintendo 64 original was a mighty significant alteration to the formula, and one that was really loved by a good portion of fans. Does this Nintendo 3DS remake and its new additions make for a reason to return to the land of Termina?

Where most Zelda titles have a strong emphasis on dungeons, Majora's Mask is more about exploring the world and interacting with the NPCs that inhabit it. Each NPC has their own schedule which, with the upgrade of the Bomber's Notebook in this Nintendo 3DS remake, allows you to track their lives and locations through the game's three-day cycle much more easily. The notebook makes note of rumored events that are told by the children in Clock Town and keeps track of events in progress and ones that are completed. Seeing the entire world of Termina's denizens go about their days with different different schedules still makes Majora's Mask the most realized world in Zelda series history. It's still impressive and remarkable to this day.

Depending on the time and day, each NPC will be doing
something differently and being somewhere different.

The people of Termina aren't the only ones on a schedule. While you're free to roam about as Link, there is an ever-present danger looming about Termina, a moon with a truly chilling looking face. You have a three-day cycle, which amounts in-game time to about 45 minutes, not counting time spent in menus or talking with NPCs, and each day that goes by sees the moon coming closer and closer to smacking right into Termina. If the three-day cycle passes without Link playing the Song of Time on his ocarina, something he learns early in the game, then the moon will crash into the land, casting the entire land into a massive eruption of flames and destruction-- and providing one seriously disturbing series of visuals.

"A benefit of being on the Carpenter's Union is being
able to work overtime even when impending doom is near."

It is a lot of fun and way to challenge one's self in seeing just how much a person can get done within the stretch of three in-game days. There are still the two ocarina songs that can be played to mess around with time: one of which slows down time so minutes pass by noticeably more slowly while the other has been given a much welcomed upgrade. In the Nintendo 64 original, the Song of Double Time only allowed Link to skip ahead in time to the next day or the same evening. With the 3DS version, you can choose what hour to pass the time to exactly. This makes aimlessly wandering around and killing time just for an event to finally happen at a certain time a thing of the past. You can just skip to the exact time, since events begin on every in-game hour.

Play that funky Song of Time music, white boy.

When Link transports back to the start of the three days, almost everything in the game's world reverts back to what it was. Bosses in dungeons have to completed again to cleanse the surrounding areas from evil (though you can transport directly to the boss from the start of a dungeon if that boss had already been defeated), NPCs won't remember you helping them out as technically those events never took place, and the majority of Link's repertoire disappears, such as Rupees, items like bombs, arrows, and things inside bottles.

You might wonder then how one even makes progress in Majora's Mask 3D if when the three-day cycle starts over everything reverts back to normal. Smart thinking there! Special things like Link's equipment, awarded items like Link's bow and hookshot, collection of masks, bottles, learned songs, Heart Containers, and remains from defeated bosses stay with Link no matter if time returns to day one of the three-day cycle. Owl statues that have been awakened by Link can also still be transported to. Meaning that if you did all of the events leading up to a dungeon and have awakened the owl statue outside of it during a prior three-day cycle, you can simply transport to that location via one of Link's learned ocarina songs and start the dungeon on a new cycle.

Allow Epona to lend a hoof (or four) when Link's
feet become a little bit too tired.

There are but four main dungeons in Majora's Mask 3D, a drastically low number compared to most of the other games in the Zelda series. Most of your time as Link will be spent participating in events leading up to reaching one of the dungeons, each located in one of the four polar directions outside of Clock Town. For instance, to enter the third dungeon of the game, the Great Bay Temple, you need to rescue a Zora from the ocean waves, collect Zora eggs from both the Pirates' Fortress and Pinnacle Rock, and learn the song that awakens a turtle to safely lead Link through the typhoon that surrounds the temple. Once the song is learned to open the way to the temple, you need not perform these events again just to make it to the temple.

Majora's Mask 3D may have but four dungeons,
but they're still designed to series' standards.

Another change in Majora's Mask 3D has to do with the boss battles in the game. While the majority stay true to form, some have been altered drastically and for the most part for the better. Though the jury's out on whether the big change to the boss of the Great Bay Temple is a good one or not. Now all of the bosses have clear weak points, usually a multi-color eye, a change that was made because series producer Eiji Aonuma found that with the original Nintendo 64 release some players were randomly hacking at bosses, totally oblivious to a weak point.

Was your brother a boss in Crash Bandicoot?

As its name might imply, Majora's Mask obviously enough has a great focus on masks and the collection of them. Each of the approximately twenty masks has its own use, but outside of the three major transformation masks and some side masks like the Bunny Hood, most of these masks are used just once throughout the game. They're essentially keys to unlock metaphorical doors-- that is, using a mask at a given time results in an event progressing, leading to a prize of some sort, whether it be an empty bottle or Piece of Heart. Then the mask isn't used ever again, just taking up space in your inventory, and admittedly helping to unlock the coolest transformation in the game.

After a boss has been beaten, the land surrounding
its dungeon is expelled from evil.

In comparison, the transformation masks are used much more. Throughout the dark and twisted land of Majora's Mask 3D's Termina, Link will not have the skill set needed to progress all by himself, so he'll need to transform into one of three characters: a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora. Simply putting on a mask has Link undergo the frankly disturbing transformation. While Goron Link has the ability to curl into a ball and roll around, climbing up steep inclines, and smashing his way through obstacles, Zora Link can dive deep into bodies of water, setting foot on the floor. He can also swim with phenomenal speed. Though in the Nintendo 3DS version, there is a baffling caveat in regard to Zora Link's swift swimming ability. Swimming with great speed, performed by holding down the R button, results in use of Link's magic meter in the 3DS version, which as any good Zelda fan would know allows for a finite amount of uses of magical abilities. While Link can collect magic jars to refill his meter, it's just a bit confusing why the developers of this remake thought that needed to be changed.

Deku Link can use certain flowers to launch
him, allowing him to temporarily hover in midair.

Like with the previous Nintendo 3DS remake, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D sports a host of inviting additions thanks to the touch screen. For instance, a helpful map is located on the touch screen, though one has to buy maps for each region from the eccentric and entertaining Tingle to see it, or while in a dungeon, acquire the dungeon's map found within a treasure chest. The items and masks menus can be opened with the touch screen as well, allowing up to four items or masks to be equipped to slots for easy access. Finally, optional gyro sensor aiming can be used to add some extra precision and control to aiming things like Link's arrows, a desired target for Link's hookshot, or Deku Link's bubble attack.

I don't know. I don't think the bunny ears
are intimidating this enemy.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D looks brilliant on the Nintendo 3DS. The graphics compared to the Nintendo 64 original are like night and day. Whereas the N64 game was blurry as can be, the 3DS version is clear and crisp, offering bright and vivid color and great detail in characters and environments. It's an obvious step-up. The stereoscopic 3D is a treat for the eyes, offering a fantastic layer of depth. It's not perfect, as like Ocarina of Time 3D, there is an occasional bit of ghosting particularly in darker areas.

Majora's Mask and its 3DS remake feature a
lot of enemies that only appear in this game.

If you've been waiting for a reason to replay The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Majora's Mask 3D is it. It's the definitive version of a gaming classic that offers more good alterations than bad. Nearly everything that has been changed was done to make the experience a much better one. To this day there hasn't been a Zelda game that offers a more fully realized world, and while the lack of dungeons might be a negative to some, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is a game that somehow remains entertaining. Exploring the world, uncovering and participating in the lives of the NPCs supplement a need for a massive amount of dungeons. All in all, if you're looking for a living, breathing world that other Zelda cannot hold a Fire Keese to, Majora's Mask 3D has it and much more.

[SPC Says: A]

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) North American Box Art

I don't usually post box arts on SuperPhillip Central unless I really like what I see. This is one of those occasions. Amazon has revealed what is the current box art for the Spring 2015 release, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. What do you think?

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS) Announcement Trailer

After years of waiting and outcry from fans, Nintendo is finally delivering a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, one of the most requested games for a remake. Maybe one day, you, too, Final Fantasy VII fans will get what you desire.