SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Total Eclipse of the VGM" Edition

In North America and parts of South America, a special eclipse will be able to be viewed today, with a line going directly through Central City. It's a miracle that we're around to see it, but actually, it won't be the only eclipse of this kind in our lifetime (unless the world falls apart and the apocalypse really comes--with the current world climate and certain leaders of countries, that may just happen). Regardless, another eclipse like the one today can be viewed in North America in about seven or so years. Scientists call it a "celestial jackpot."

But, there are rarer things, especially in the game industry. For instance, Nintendo finally figuring out how to do online play in any intelligent way, Microsoft finally having an in-depth lineup of games from its own first-party studios, and Sony finally allowing us to change our damned PSN IDs! The list goes on, but let's not loiter around low-hanging fruit.

What isn't rare, at least on SuperPhillip Central, is this weekly segment usually appearing on Mondays, SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. This week, we have a nice mix of games starting off with Street Fighter V. We then get legendary with The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes and The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II. Next, is a trip to the land of Ys with Ys III: Wanderers of Ys for PC Engine. Wrapping up things is Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.

Click on each VGM link to hear the song represented, and as always, check out the VGM Database for all past songs and games featured on this weekly segment of articles. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1451. Street Fighter V (PS4, PC) - Metro City Round 1 & 2

With another approaching Capcom fighter on its way with next month's Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, let's listen to Capcom's first attempt this generation with Street Fighter V! A rocky start would be generous to say about Street Fighter V's launch, but things have improved somewhat. Still, hopefully Capcom learned some lessons and Infinite won't have a challenged launch. That said, one component that didn't miss a beat was the sensational soundtrack. This theme from Abigail's stage is pure shreddin' guitar intensity with some solid drum playing.

v1452. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS) - Volcano

This is one of my favorite themes in the most recent cooperative take on the Zelda formula, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes for the Nintendo 3DS. The third area of the adventure is simply known as "Volcano", and it brings with it an incredibly catchy theme made especially brilliant by the awesome violin. This instrument brings the totality of the Volcano theme to elevated heights, don't you agree?

v1453. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II (PS3, Vita, PC) - Awakening

We go from one legend to another. This time we're looking at (but most importantly listening to) The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II. The Legend of Heroes series saw commendable success on the PlayStation Portable, and then it found further success when it released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita (the PSP's successor), and the PC. The game would be remade in the form of Ys: Oath in Felghana, and you can hear the astounding remix of The Boy's Got Wings here.

v1454. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (PCE) - The Boy's Got Wings

We already had a smooth segue on this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, but why not get greedy and do another? VGM volume 1453 was part of a game developed by Falcom. This stands true for Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. We're going exclusively with the PC Engine version of the game rather than Super Nintendo port or anything else. The Boy's Got Wings is a motivating action track that pushes the player to continue saving Ys as Adol Christin.

v1455. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN) - Sudden Death

Let's go from wild, epic adventures to... golf? You might scoff at that idea, but we're not talking any old golf, we're talking Mario Golf! In this specific case, how about the Nintendo GameCube's Toadstool Tour, a splendid outing for the series, though not my very favorite. Regardless, Motoi Sakuraba delivers a delightful and playful sound to the game, sometimes laid back, others more action-packed, such as the Sudden Death theme. It's a Match Play. You're tied 4 holes apiece. Who will make the first mistake and who will be the one to jump on it, defeating their pesky opponent? That's the onus behind this theme and Sudden Death in golf terms in general.

All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries - Part Eight

If you've been around SuperPhillip Central for a little while (it's still okay if you haven't, so no harm done), then you know that I like talking about underrated and overlooked games. I've done various series on the subject. However, most of the time, the games mentioned in these articles are from wholly new or overlooked franchises themselves.

There are also a multitude of series that I can think of that have one, two, or a handful of games in it that aren't viewed as highly as the others, whether just or not.

These ideas are where the concept of All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries comes from, and since part seven, I've come up with six more underrated entries to big-time franchises, some bigger than others. If you'd like to see past parts of this now long-running series, check them out here:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Star Fox - Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

The most recent game on this edition of All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries, Star Fox Zero got mixed reviews and reception at best from both critics and players of the game. This was mostly to do with the atypical control and dual screen system the game used. However, with some practice, one could pull off maneuvers and high scores that would have otherwise been impossible with traditional controls. For instance, aiming with the GamePad screen while looking in a totally different direction of your Arwing meant you could take out foes that were to your side instead of always having to limit your aim to the front of your ship. Throw in some epic missions, and you have a Star Fox that feel doesn't get its rightful due as a great game. However, with that in mind, not everyone will be able to adjust to this non-traditional control scheme, and that is positively clear from the spread of reviews.

Mortal Kombat - Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (PS2, XBX)

Despite having sold over one million copies across two platforms since its original release in 2005, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks isn't the most talked about Mortal Kombat game in the series. This is because it is not a traditional fighting game like past and future entries. Instead, it's an action adventure game with a fighting system more comparable to a beat-em-up like Double Dragon or Streets of Rage. Nonetheless, even with a different gameplay shift, Shaolin Monks incorporates various mechanics from the Mortal Kombat series including finishers as well as combos. The story mode allows for up to two players to move through the game's various levels, dealing with numerous enemies in a variety of ways. There is also a versus mode that plays more similarly to the Mortal Kombat games fans are more used to. Regardless, a sequel to Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks doesn't seem to be in the cards despite the game's original success.

Paper Mario - Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)

With last week's Nintendo Treehouse stream at E3 2016, the Treehouse crew showed off several games, including the newest in the Paper Mario franchise, once again stepping away from its RPG roots. Whether or not that's a good thing is subjective, but the game that introduced many of the gameplay mechanics of the new game Color Splash is none other than the Nintendo 3DS's Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Despite its obvious problems, the most egregious being the requirement to use a specific item sticker at a specific moment during a boss battle, usually not too obvious, Paper Mario: Sticker Star possesses a strong gameplay loop, creative environments and visuals, a fun battle system (although usually unnecessary to get involved with), and one of the franchise's best soundtracks. Sticker Star has received lots of hate from fans more in tune with the original two Paper Mario games that released on the Nintendo 64 and GameCube, but the overall game is quite good... especially if you play with a guide!

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

It's the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series this year, and the next entry in the franchise will be making its release on both the Wii U and upcoming NX console sometime next year. The previous Zelda game that launched released on the Nintendo 3DS last fall with The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. This multiplayer-centric Zelda game uses three Links to solve cooperative environmental puzzles and defeat myriad enemies in battle. Cooperation is key with Tri Force Heroes, and part of the fun of the game is coming up with ways to progress in levels as a team. There are also countless costumes to unlock, each crafted by bringing a specific character materials. Each costume has its own benefit, making for some strategic decision-making in what costume will work best in a given level. While the single player mode doesn't have the AI companions of Four Swords Adventures, it is a certain amount of fun nonetheless, though paling in comparison to the multiplayer, played online or locally with three friends.

Dead or Alive - Dead or Alive: Dimensions (3DS)

Another fighting game franchise that sees an arrival on All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries, Dead or Alive saw its first entry on a Nintendo platform with Dead or Alive: Dimensions on the Nintendo 3DS. Rather than being a wholly new game in the series, Dimensions was more of compilation of past Dead or Alive games, possessing over 25 playable characters from the franchise's history and a story that summarized the plots of Dead or Alive 1-4. Speaking of Dead or Alive 4, this was the engine used for Dimensions, albeit in slightly modified form to work with the Nintendo 3DS. Other modes included in Dimensions are Arcade, Survival, Free Play, Training, and a special photo mode allowing for players to take pictures of the game's various 3D models in custom-made positions. Releasing early in the Nintendo 3DS's life, Dead or Alive: Dimensions didn't get too much attention compared to Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, which unlike Dead or Alive, arrived at the system's launch.

LittleBigPlanet - LittleBigPlanet Karting (PS3)

The last game on this installment of All-Star Franchises, Underrated Entries is LittleBigPlanet Karting, Sony's attempt to bring its LittleBigPlanet franchise into a new genre, the kart racer. The biggest claim to fame of LittleBigPlanet Karting aside from its very capable traditional kart racing is its creation mode, similar in some ways to Sony's own ModNation Racers, allowing happy gadders to customize their racer, their vehicle, and build their own race tracks, whether in circuit form or battle arena form. The amount of possibilities with the creation tools in LittleBigPlanet Karting was staggering, though it's recommended heavily that users watch the massive amount of in-depth tutorials to get the most out of the tools. The racing itself was quite competent, though the AI could very much annoy with its rubber-band AI. Still, despite having all of the creation tools and competent kart racing gameplay available, LittleBigPlanet Karting is grossly overlooked and underrated by PlayStation 3 gamers.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Leap Day with Nintendo Edition

Welcome to a rare, every-four-years occasion. No, I'm not referring to the presidential election season. It's best we leave politics off the table here at SuperPhillip Central. I'm talking about Leap Day! Not only that, but what's even rarer is an edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs on Leap Day!

This special edition is all Nintendo-themed this week. We start off with the Wii U launch title Nintendo Land. Then we have some cooperative action with The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. Following up with that is a retro title, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Finally, we trek through a winter wonderland with Yoshi in Yoshi's Woolly World and do battle in Splatoon.

As it's a tradition to mention the VGM Database, be sure to check it out for over 1,000 past VGM songs!

v1086. Nintendo Land (Wii U) - Metroid Blast - Infestation

Starting off with this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, we have Metroid Blast, an attraction from the Wii U launch title Nintendo Land. It's such a delight to hear themes from the Metroid series given rousing orchestral versions, such as this particular theme. It makes shooting down enemies as Samus's dropship or as your Mii a much more thrilling experience.

v1087. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS) - Main Theme

Overall, this next game was satisfactory. The online was quite uneven, especially if you were paired with jerks as teammates. However, the actual sum of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes' parts was pretty good. The soundtrack remains excellent like many Zelda games before it. Even if Tri Force Heroes was more of a spin-off title, it is well worth playing.

v1088. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) - Fight Against Monsters

We go a bit retro with the 1,088th VGM volume here with the normal battle theme, Fight Against Monsters, from Mario's first ever RPG. It was none other than Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, a then-historic partnership between Nintendo and Squaresoft. Yoko Shimomura contributed the majority of songs to the soundtrack while famed Nintendo composer Koji Kondo and even Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu contributed some tracks.

v1089. Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U) - Fluffy Snow, Here We Go!

With winter wrapping up, I feel this song for one of the snow levels in the superb (dare I say better than the original Yoshi's Island!) Yoshi's Woolly World for the Wii U is posted at an optimal time. Fluffy Snow, Here We Go! is an uptempo track that is both cheery and playful, perfect for a romp in the snow with Yoshi.

v1090. Splatoon (Wii U) - Now or Never!

We wrap up this Nintendo-centric edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs with some music from Splatoon, Nintendo's wildly popular third-person squadron shooter. Now or Never! plays during the climax of battle, when time is just about to run out. Splatoon has such an eccentric soundtrack to it that only adds to the wacky and zany aesthetic of the game.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Five Biggest Disappointments

So much of the world of video games, especially online, is so negative and full of complaints. I've changed my tune on how I want SuperPhillip Central to paint the industry, so I've been doing more positive articles than ones where I complain. However, I'll set that aside for just one night for my annual tradition of picking out a handful of disappointments of the year. These can be games, events, lineups, and other things of that nature. Everything here is just my opinion, so if you disagree with any pick, just realize that nothing I say is anything but subjective and my own personal thoughts. With that, let's see what disappointed me most in 2015.

5) Sony's 2015 PlayStation 4 Lineup

Bloodborne is seemingly a really tremendous game, and it released early in 2015. There is also the brilliant Until Dawn to enjoy. However, other than that, disappointments like The Order: 1886 and sales disappointments like Tearaway: Unfolded were what PlayStation 4 owners were left with this year. It doesn't really matter to those who own PS4s, as third parties definitely picked up the slack, but as someone who is still waiting to dive in to the platform and loves Sony's first party games, there was no real reason to pick up a PS4 this year, in my opinion. That said, Sony doesn't really need to release games, as the PS4 will sell no matter what it seems. However, next year is already exciting to me, with games like Uncharted 4 and Ratchet & Clank. While 2015 wasn't the PS4's year to me, personally, the future looks really bright for the platform.

4) Devil's Third (Wii U)

Tomonobu Itagaki moved on from Tecmo and Team Ninja and formed Valhalla Game Studios. The studio's first project was Devil's Third, a game that saw many development issues, originally being a THQ property for the publisher went under. Nintendo ended up with the game to add to the Wii U's lineup of action games, and the wait for the release of Devil's Third, decidedly, was totally not worth it. Devil's Third is a collection of poorly designed missions ruined further by a clunky control scheme. Previews raked the game over the coals, and the reviews obviously didn't turn out well. It's a total shame and a big disappointment that Devil's Third turned out to be a turd of a game.

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

As someone whose favorite video game franchise is The Legend of Zelda, it hurts to type up this entry for the Top Five Biggest Disappointments of 2015. While The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is by no means a bad game, it's a mighty frustrating one. There is trying to playing the game with randoms, and being stuck with idiotic teammates who quickly foil any plans for fun you might have wanted. The single player isn't as bad as I was led to believe, but it gets incredibly challenging, and not in an enjoyable way, to micromanage three separate Links. This is particularly difficult when anything involving balancing platforms that tip over with too much weight on them comes into play. The level design is quite good, so is the humor, music, and presentation. It's just the frustration from playing the game was sometimes just not worth it.

2) Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Wii U)

This next disappointment feels like abhorrent example of Nintendo pushing amiibo before gameplay first. What you have with Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is a recipe for boredom, with a slow moving board game that delivers as many thrills and excitement as a piece of cardboard. Sure, the amiibo themselves look cute and are detailed well, but the actual game they're attached to is merely a ploy to get money from Nintendo. Obviously even great games are ploys to get money from companies, but this game just took it to pathetic and pitiful extremes.

1) Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U)

The number one biggest disappointment hurt bad as someone who really enjoys Mario sports games. While the tennis gameplay is some of the Mario Tennis franchise's best ever, the egregious lack of content is utterly absurd. Online doesn't allow you to play against other people on your Wii U friends list, there is but one stadium total, there is only one real single player mode, and there is no real motivator to keep playing after everything has been unlocked (which just took me about five hours total to do). Again, the actual tennis is fantastic, but everything else shows that Nintendo rushed this game out just to have something for Wii U owners instead of Star Fox Zero, which was unfortunately delayed to 2016.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Five Best Original Soundtracks

Welcome to the second list of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards! Today we're checking out the top five best original soundtracks of 2015. It was a good year for music in video games, and as you can tell with my weekly SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs segment, I'm a lover and connoisseur of great video game music. This top five list shows off what I consider my favorite video game soundtracks from games released this past year. Let's open our ears and our minds, and get busy!

5) Splatoon (Wii U)

Splatoon's soundtrack is as off the wall and goofy as the game is! Full of hard rock and strange squid kid vocals, Splatoon combines traditional instruments with some truly eccentric sounds. It all adds up to a soundtrack that is perfect for coating the walls, floors, and opposing squid squad in colorful, goop-like paint.

Splattack!

Now or Never!

Split and Splat

Splatfest Plaza

Inkopolis Plaza

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

The Legend of Zelda series is known for its stunning worlds, great gameplay, clever puzzles, and yes, terrific soundtracks. This holds true even for spin-off-like titles like Tri Force Heroes. The music changes when three Links are aligned in a totem (hence full choir versions of regular level themes), and even when heard normally the music is catchy sometimes, soothing others, and always fantastic.

Main Theme

Village

Grass Field (Full Choir)

The Ocean

Snow Field

3) Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Hiroyuki Sawano of Attack on Titan anime fame, among many other works, delivers an atypical soundtrack compared to the original Xenoblade Chronicles' soundtrack. That said, even though it's quite different in mood and approach, the soundtrack is incredibly riveting, great for moving around the isolated alien world of the game, and terrific for the battles ahead.

CODENAMEZ

Black Tar

z37b20a13t01t08le

Uncontrollable

The key we've lost

2) Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

Cute, adorable, catchy, incredible-- those are just some of the adjectives that can attributed to the sensational Yoshi's Woolly World soundtrack. From bouncy themes like Shy But Deadly and Yoshi and Cookies to more tense themes like Castle, Yoshi's Woolly World fits a variety of moods with its insanely addicting-to-the-ear music.

Knitty Knotty Windmill

Shy But Deadly

Lava Scarves and Red Hot Blarggs

Yoshi and Cookies

Castle

1) Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U) 

I was worried that since Kirby and the Rainbow Curse released so early in the year that I would run the risk of forgetting about it. However, when you have a soundtrack this memorable, infectious, and catchy, it's hard to forget! Kirby and the Rainbow Curse delivers a masterful set of music with bright and vivid themes, hum-worthy songs you can bop your head along with, and even a bunch of classic songs given the mighty remix treatment.

Title Theme

Up the Big Ol' Tree

Great Cave Escape

Rainbow Across the Skies

Fly to the Exit

The lists of SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2015 Awards continue, wrapping up this New Year's Day! Please join me for even more list fun!

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.

The Unpopular Opinion 4: Games We Liked That Many Did Not

The staff at SuperPhillip Central loves games. We live them, we breathe them, we bathe with them, etc. However, we sometimes go outside the norm with our reviews, bashing titles that many others enjoyed, and heralding other games that have received poor scores or negative feedback within the gaming community. This article focuses on the latter type of games. As the title suggests, this is our second go at representing the games that a sizable chunk of gamers and critics lambasted yet we still enjoy. To check out the first, second, and third articles, click this link, this link and this link. After you're done reading our choices, why not list some of your own?

Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (PS4, XONE, PS3, 360)

Docked points by many critics for having shallow gameplay, repetitive battles, and a clunky camera, we still ended up enjoying Dragon Ball: Xenoverse for what it was. It was a Dragon Ball Z fan's dream come true, allowing deep character customization, a story that didn't mind moving away from the typical scenarios of past Dragon Ball Z games, and had a rich variety of characters, character archetypes, and mind-blowing anime graphics. If you're a lover of games with a multitude of customization options, RPG style gameplay, and intense aerial and ground battles, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse is the game for you.

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

While we're not head over heels in love with the latest Legend of Zelda release from Nintendo, the game is a far cry from a disappointment. With The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Nintendo took a different approach to the series, offering multiplayer for up to three friends or total strangers to go through the game's 32 levels, solving puzzles as a team, defeating foes as a team, and collecting loot to create new, advantageous costumes. While the lack of voice chat hurts the online experience when more complicated puzzles poke their head into the player's way, and the online setup in general isn't the most optimal, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, an enjoyable and well designed level-wise multiplayer experience unlike any other was crafted by the fine folks at Nintendo.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)

The majority of reviews slammed this next game from Intelligent Systems and Nintendo for the slow pace of enemy movement. Thankfully, Nintendo quickly patched in the ability to speed up enemy turns dramatically (either 2X on regular 3DS and 3DS XL models, or 3X on New 3DS models). This made for an experience that was much more tolerable and enjoyable than what was previously available to players. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. remains a challenging turn-based strategy game that requires patience and great strategy to complete. Since you're limited in your view to what your characters can see in their third-person views, smart tactical decisions must be made to stay alive and in one piece. It may not have sold anywhere near expectations (it actually bombed quite magnificently), but Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is far from a bad game.

Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash (3DS)

Many critics of this next 3DS game and fans of the Chibi-Robo! series in general came off disappointed by Zip Lash's 2D platformer direction, which went against everything the series had been up to this point, save for the 3DS photo game. That is a shame, as Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash is a well put together game, only marred by a bewildering addition of a level wheel that selects which level you'll play next in a given world. Fortunately, it's quite easy to get around the seemingly random picks of levels and get the levels you want, so this is not as big of an issue as many players and critics led us to believe. While the vehicles levels are the weakest part level-wise, Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash is all around an entertaining platformer with a lot of heart.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)

The main complaint of many behind Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was that it was unfortunate that players had to focus on the Wii U GamePad's screen when the game was so beautiful that it was a shame that they couldn't keep their attention on their television screen for the HD visuals. The lack of copying powers and repetitive boss encounters also saw points deducted by various sources. Still, the claymation art style delights, the stylus-driven gameplay is as innovative as it was when the Nintendo DS original Kirby Canvas Curse released, and the level design, though somewhat linear, houses  a profusion of captivating secrets and hidden treasures. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is by no means the best the Wii U had to offer this year for system owners, but it was also by no means the worst.

Legend of Kay Anniversary (PS4, Wii U, PS3, 360)

An imperfect 3D action/adventure game in every sense of the word, Legend of Kay Anniversary is a remastered version of the PlayStation 2 release Legend of Kay. Of all the games from the PS2 generation that could have been remastered or even remade, Legend of Kay was certainly an odd choice. Regardless, while the game suffers from plenty of problems such as the inability to return to past areas, grating voice work, and some repetitive combat and scenarios, Legend of Kay Anniversary is a very capable game whose budget price made it much easier to overlook the game's issues and become fun enough by SuperPhillip Central's standards.

Star Fox Adventures (GCN)

Shigeru Miyamoto suggested to Rare that instead of using an all-new protagonist and using the Dinosaur Planet new IP, Rare should bring in Fox McCloud and the Star Fox moniker to the game instead. Whether this was because Miyamoto figured the Star Fox license would work better for the game or because he knew that Microsoft would be soon buying Rare, and thus, taking the Dinosaur Planet IP with them is unknown. Regardless, this Zelda-like game was a far cry from what fans of the Star Fox franchise were expecting. However, the actual game, though not without its own problems, wound up as a captivating action/adventure title released in the first two years of the Nintendo GameCube's life. While not the desired finale to Rare's partnership with Nintendo's home consoles, Star Fox Adventures remains a compelling and enjoyable game.

Jet Force Gemini (N64)

Speaking of Rare-developed games, Jet Force Gemini's biggest annoyance to many fans is how in order to reach the final level, the final boss, and see the credits of the game, players need to rescue every Tribal in the game. This requires plenty of returning to past planets and areas to reach new locales within said planets and areas. While many saw this as pure filler, we at SuperPhillip Central found a new appreciation for the levels and planets we previously had explored. The collection and usage of new items opened up grand new areas that were a blast to journey through, mowing down Mizar's insect horde while rescuing innocent Tribals. Of course, it was a pain when we got a little trigger happy and blew the head off a Tribal and had to restart an area...

Banjo Pilot (GBA)

We just can't quit you, Rare! At least when it comes to The Unpopular Opinion 4. Rare has had many divisive games through its impressive lifespan, and one of the final games released on the Game Boy Advance by Rare was Banjo Pilot, a kart racer that originally starred the cast of the Donkey Kong Country series. There are still remnants of that game in the final product, such as the music, for instance. Banjo Pilot isn't a perfect arcade racing game, as the rubber-band AI is indeed an annoyance, but for all of its quirks, the game is in general fun to play. The colorful cast and areas of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise were well-represented in Banjo Pilot, and the actual flight mechanic felt great too. Sure, the game wasn't worth the five year wait for it, but the end product of Banjo Pilot isn't awful by any stretch of the imagination.