Monday, February 6, 2012

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Mario & Sonic at SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs EdItion

Before we begin with the weekly VGMs, I'd like to thank all of the readers of SPC, either one-timers or all-the-timers as last month netted this blog with its highest amount of traffic ever. There were over 37,000 views total. It's your continued patronage that makes SuperPhillip Central as successful as it is.

Regardless, it's another Monday, so let's dig out the VGMs for a special edition. Instead of the traditional five videos, I have ten in store for you this week. There's five for Mario, and five for Sonic the Hedgehog-- Hence the title of this edition. Get your ears locked and loaded, and let's begin!

v26. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - Melty Monster Galaxy


One of the later levels in Super Mario Galaxy 2, named number two on my Games of All Time ~ 2012 Edition list, Melty Monster Galaxy has one sensational theme to accompany the hot and heated action that takes place in the world. It begins with a bombardment of brass which is then followed by several strings. The theme gets louder and louder before playing the main theme of Super Mario Galaxy 2. By itself the game is already an impressive beast, but the soundtrack only solidifies Super Mario Galaxy 2 as one of my favorite titles of all time.

v27. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN) - Ending Theme of Super Mario Sunshine


Some people believe Super Mario Sunshine to be the weakest 3D Mario or even not a good game at all. While I can't agree with the latter statement, the former pretty much succinctly summarizes my thoughts on the game. Don't get me wrong-- I loved this GameCube classic and everything it brought to the Mario universe-- F.L.U.D.D., Isle Delfino, Piantas, Nokis, Toadsworth, etc., but it also had some scathing issues like a poor camera in some places. Nonetheless, this live version of the game's ending theme is performed like a party by the Big Band of Rogues at the Mario & Zelda Big Band Live concert that took place September 14th, 2003.

v28. Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN) - Let's Play Baseball (Staff Roll)


Catchy but admittedly corny, Mario Superstar Baseball's Let's Play Baseball, the credits song of the game, is what players who have successfully vanquished Bowser's baseball team get to enjoy for their victory. Packed with guitars, drums, and an electric piano, we truly do love baseball. While Mario Superstar Baseball wasn't perfect, it was yet another interesting entry into Mario's catalog of sports games. Boy, does that plumber ever get around.

v29. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (DS) - Sherbet Land


Way back on volume 20 on the VGMs, I mentioned that Tatsunoko VS. Capcom's Orbital Ring Systems Cargo Bay was a great workout song. Here's another one that puts me back to the nineties with its beat, female vocals, and instrument selection. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 was one of the more worse sports efforts of Mario. Developed by Square Enix, your teammate AI was brain-dead and did little if anything to assist you. You were pretty much on your own for every game you played. I did, however, very much enjoy the immense variety of courts from Luigi's Mansion to Marlboro Garden to this stage, Sherbet Land.

v30. Mario Party (N64) - Rainbow Castle


A gentle, mellow melody is what one hears as they play Mario's Rainbow Castle board in the original Mario Party. The board is pretty straightforward. You follow a path to reach the tower where you can purchase a star. However, every time a star is bought, the tower rotates 180 degrees where Bowser then sells fake stars for twenty coins. Then the tower rotates back to Toad and the process continues. I liked Mario Party save for the impossible to win rotate the stick mini-games. As for the song, Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Xenogears fame composed the music for this game, making Mario Party 1's soundtrack the best score of the series.

v31. Sonic Generations (PS3, 360) - Crisis City
Act 1


We move on from Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog. One of my favorite themes from the recently enough released Sonic Generations just happens to be Crisis City Act 1. While many Sonic fans know of Jun Senoue since he is pretty much the man behind most of the music from Sonic Adventure on, Tomoya Ohtani is also a very talented composer, maybe more so. His work on Sonic Unleashed, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and now Sonic Generations is unmatched in my book as evident by this rocking theme.

v32. Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) - High and Broken


A grungy Sonic theme with a Middle Eastern flair, High and Broken is the music heard during Sonic's race through the Levitated Ruins in Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic Team's first attempt to create a decent 3D game on the Wii. The fact that one had to buy skills to even get Sonic to control anywhere near decently says a lot about how this game was. Regardless, the music of the game is as good as ever. The band Runblebee lent their talents to the soundtrack as well. It's just a shame that soundtracks alone do not a great game make or Sonic Team would be golden.

v33. Sonic Rush (DS) - Ethno Circus


Hideki Naganuma is a name Sega fans should know as he penned the soundtracks of such games from the series of Jet Grind Radio, Super Monkey Ball, and yes, Sonic the Hedgehog. His specialty is generally in the genres of hip-hop, big beat, breakbeat, funk, and electronic music. His work on Sonic Rush is stellar. Ethno Circus is but one of the many themes that are not just catchy but they are infectious, getting into one's head and not wanting to get out. This theme plays on Mirage Road. Sonic Rush is an okay game, but its many bottomless pits make for an annoying time.

v34. Sonic 3D Blast (SAT) - Green Grove
Acts 1 and 2


Richard Jacques composed the music for the superior Sonic 3D Blast soundtrack. The Saturn version, having CDs instead of cartridges, obviously allowed composers to have a much richer and realer-sounding compositional voice. This is a mash-up of both Green Grove acts, the first zone of the game. The first act is pleasant enough, but the real joy and pleasure comes from listening to the kick-butt second act. Full of prominent trumpets, piano, and perfect percussion, Green Grove Act 2 is truly a terrific treat to listen to.

v35. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (PS3, 360) - [Boss] Solaris Phase 2


Listed number two on my favorite final boss themes list of all time, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) had an incredible and adrenaline-pumping song for its final boss, Solaris. Sure, listening to this song within the game meant you had to suffer through the endless glitches, bugs, uncontrollable mach speed sections, boring missions, and other problems which plagued this rushed out game, but would it be worth it just to hear this fabulous theme? ...Well, no. Not really. Instead, why not forget the headaches of playing the game and just listen to the extended version of the song?

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This week's fun-filled festival of VGMs is now complete. Next week another (yes, ANOTHER) ten VGMs will be posted. This time we'll be looking at efforts from Nintendo and Sega. Their best all-stars will be represented, so please look forward to that. Until next time, have a great start to your work week.
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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) Demo Impressions

Resident Evil: Revelations has already released in PAL territories and Japan, so these demo impressions are not meant for those who are already enjoying the game. With the Resident Evil: Revelaitons (I guess that's how Capcom wants to spell it) game coming out for the 3DS on Tuesday for North American gamers, now is as good a time as any to unveil my personal opinion on the demo to the game. Better late than never, right? If you're type who thinks demo impressions can be considered spoilers, you may not want to read my thoughts. For everyone else, let's begin.

The demo starts off with Jill Valentine waking up on a bed within one of the cruise ship's cabins. She has no idea how she got there, but she knows she must return to and meet up with her partner Parker. Going to the exit, I found the door to be locked, so that meant trekking into the adjacent bathroom and doing some sleuthing. There I discovered a bathtub full of dirty water (did you really expect it to be pure and clean in a Resident Evil game?) with the option to drain it. I did, and the water subsided, revealing a key. Exiting into the cabin room, I walked forward only to be greeted by an albino monster crashing out of a nearby cabinet. Just imagine if this crooked creature came out of hiding while Jill was sleeping. I shudder to think of the outcome. Regardless, several shots of Jill's handgun put this monstrosity out to pasture.

Which virus has infected these poor souls?

Before I continued, I opted to change the controls. I went with Type C (there were three choices) which mapped the aiming to the face buttons a la the PSP's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. I then inverted the Y-axis to make things even easier for me to control. You can also choose between first or third-person aiming. Getting used to this setup took a little getting used to as I'm accustomed to dual analogs or Wii remote pointing to aim, but I quickly adhered to the controls and moved deeper into the demo.

I exited the cabin room and went into a hallway. Ammo is ubiquitously scarce in old-school Resident Evil games, and at least in the demo, this traditional held true. I traveled through hallways and into a room full of bookshelves placed in a maze-like fashion. I was once again met with another albino abomination which I promptly took out. When these monsters get close, they sink their teeth into Jill's neck, and you must mash the Y button to escape. Thankfully, herbs were generously placed around the many rooms of the demo.

Eventually I entered a dining room filled with tables covered with white linen sheets, already eaten food, and dirty silverware, plates, and centerpieces. Another monster appeared, crawling out from under a table. I must admit here that I was scared once during the demo. There was a hallway that looked unassuming at first. Then two albino creatures dropped down from the ceiling. ..Eek! Anyway, I took out the monster with my newly acquired shotgun received from one of the rooms I visited. I then went up the stairs in the dining room and entered a door. Inside was something I feel I will be using obsessively, the scanner. By using it you can find invisible items and monsters. I didn't come across any invisible oddities in the demo, thankfully. I wasn't wearing any protection, so that was a relief. I did, however, come across several hidden items like ammo for my handgun and shotgun as well as herbs and grenades.

These creatures can pop out from anywhere.

The grenades were used to take out bunches of foes with ease. There's even baddies that explode when they come near you, so taking them out from afar is generally the best and recommended tactic to use. After being overwhelmed by one of the enemies (I had no ammo left) and being chewed up like a dog's bone, I proceeded to exit out of the demo. This seemed like the perfect time to quit and not spoil the rest of that part of the game for me. The rest will be completely fresh to me when I pick up the retail version this Tuesday. Resident Evil: Revelations is already out in Euroland and Japan where in both the U.K. and the land of the rising sun it reached number one on the weekly sales charts. Here's hoping Capcom's console-like Nintendo 3DS Resident Evil gets the same amount of love from North American gamers.
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Friday, February 3, 2012

Announcing Our Newest Affiliate: Gamesplosions!

This is almost like a running gag now. No, I don't mean gaining new affiliates, but seeing how many new affiliates get added to my list of friendly sites and how often "Announcing Our Newest Affiliate" posts pop up. Regardless, I'm proud to announce that SuperPhillip Central has a new friend and it is none other than Gamesplosion, a British video game blog. The site is run by a man named Ian who has a snazzy interface, reviews without scores (I think the industry could use this and shy away from Metacritic and Gamerankings), insightful impressions on upcoming games, and much more. I believe the site is just starting out, so I not only loved what I saw from Ian's opening attempt at making something special, I wanted to spread the word on his blog to my readers. Maybe you'll find Gamesplosions to be something special, too.

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Top Ten Anime Soundtracks

Two top tens within the same week? Have I gone mad?! Well, as longtime readers of SuperPhillip Central very well know I have always been mad. Despite this, we are trekking forward and capping off the week with a non-video game related entry into SPC history. As you may or may not know, I love imposing my taste in music on my readers and forcing them to adhere to my tastes. Part of that previous statement is not true. Can you guess which? Anyway, today's list is all about anime soundtracks and the best of the best that I have heard. Of course, I have not listened to every anime soundtrack there is, and even I will admit my bouts of anime fandom are limited at best. That won't stop me from making this list, though! Each anime soundtrack listed is accompanied by six songs. I felt that was the right number to show off the better themes and songs of each soundtrack. I hope through listening to these pieces that you expand your musical tastes outside of your comfort zone. Enjoy!

10) Macross Frontier


Starring a popular pop star, a rising pop star, and a military pilot, Macross Frontier is the latest in the long-running franchise. This go around Yoko Kanno lends her compositional talents and leads the musical crusade to craft an epic-sounding score to accompany all of the onscreen action. Since there's a duo of pop stars to work with, Kanno needed to create some pop-ish sounding tunes, and she delivered with songs like "What 'bout my star" and "Welcome to My Fan Club's Night!" Her other efforts add to the buffet of musical tastiness Kanno dished up for fans of her work and of the Macross Frontier anime. Especially listen to Zero Hour, her best work on the soundtrack.


9) Brain Powerd


Just to get this out of the way, you will most likely notice that half of the soundtracks on this list are composed by Yoko Kanno. With that mentioned, her work on Brain Powerd (no, I did not leave out a letter) is full of mellow melodies and gentle tunes. The majority of the soundtrack is orchestrated with a sensational use of strings and Kanno pounding away on the keys of her piano as shown in Power of the Light. One of her vocalist staples, Steve Conte, appears in True Love and once again delivers a stunning performance.


8) Darker Than Black


After delving deep into jazz with her Cowboy Bebop soundtrack (posted later on this list), Yoko Kanno returned to the genre with Darker Than Black. Full of tunes reminiscent of her work on Bebop, Kanno shines like a shooting star with tracks like GO Dark, Highheel Runaway, and Guy. Then there's non-jazz tracks to complete the soundtrack, rounding it out, and give it even more amazing music. There's no doubt that Yoko Kanno knows her stuff, and Darker Than Black is yet another piece of evidence to prove just that.


7) Fullmetal Alchemist


Is Michiru Oshima a name that rings any bells for you? Perhaps some of her works would shed some light on her. She has written music for several anime, video games, movies, and television shows. Her works spread from Godzilla movies to even having a hand in crafting one of The Legend of Zelda themes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Her compositional creations in Fullmetal Alchemist are not to be taken lightly either. Gentle melodies at one time, powerful at others, Mrs. Oshima really knows how to tug at the heartstrings with her music.


6) Wolf's Rain


Yoko Kanno takes a more subdued approach with her Wolf's Rain soundtrack. Unlike Darker Than Black and Macross Frontier, there's little if any in the way of loud rock or peppy jazz pieces. Instead we get more rustic flavors of music and orchestra cacophonies. Wolf's Rain follows the story of a pack of wolves who can shape-shift into human forms to fit in with society while struggling to survive. I caught the show on Adult Swim back when anime was still relatively popular in North America. Scope out some of the sounds with the links below.


5) The Big O


Toshihiko Sahashi penned one doozy of a score with his The Big O soundtrack, made up of a rich range of styles like electronica and jazz. The entire score sounds like something from a combination spy film/film noir/sci-fi epic. What else could it be when you're concerning a show about a negotiator who dabbles in being a detective, has an android, a butler, and a big giant mecha known as Big O? Then you have several of the battle themes with bombastic brass and strings which come off as compositions for some kind of monster movie or something. See... er... hear what I mean by listening to these six fine examples.


4) Outlaw Star


Koh Otani is the man behind the music for this anime and the next one on my list. Outlaw Star is heavily made up between rock and orchestral pieces. A great soundtrack is one that can be heard outside of the anime and you still enjoy it. Outlaw Star is just that. I loved the score so much that I "borrowed" some of the themes for my RPG Maker 2003 game, SuperPhillip RPG: The Crystal Quest (Away for the battle theme and Power for the boss theme; see below examples). What I consider to be the main theme of the series, Flight, is an exceptional piece that you can imagine Gene Starwind and the gang taking off into the great unknown. A tremendous soundtrack for a tremendous anime.


3) Gundam Wing


The other soundtrack on this list from Koh Otani (he also did the music for the PlayStation 2 classic Shadow of the Colossus), Gundam Wing takes both real instruments and synthesized instruments to create a soundtrack that is both rocking and harmonious. Taking cues from Outlaw Star (or was it the other way around?), Gundam Wing is mostly built upon rock and orchestral themes, sometimes even a combination of the two. One of the better themes is To Beauty, To Elegance, and To Noble-Mindedness which is a waltz version (played in 3/4 time as is customary of waltzes) of Relena Peacecraft's theme. This 50+ episode series is my personal favorite form of Gundam even though it is a spinoff. Regardless, enjoy these following samples.


2) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex


If you are in desperate search for a soundtrack that encompasses the genres of techno, rock, rap, jazz, symphonic pieces, and a plethora of others, then look no further than Yoko Kanno's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex soundtrack. Full of memorable themes, catchy riffs, and toe-tapping tunes, Kanno's masterpiece knows no bounds. Whether you're rocking out to Yakitori, listening to the female vocals of Gabriel Robin in Cyberbird, or bopping your had to the jazzy wonders of 3tops, you cannot deny the impressive amount of content Yoko Kanno dished out for this 52 episode series.


1) Cowboy Bebop


Yoko Kanno was listed as my number one favorite composer, beating out Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) and Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears). She even got a top five (one of the most popular posts in SPC history) devoted to her. The reason for this is that her range is impossibly incredible with her work on Cowboy Bebop being a testament to this. Yoko Kanno and her band The Seatbelts comprised the majority of tracks with several vocal themes from singers like Mai Yamane, Steve Conte, and Gabriel Robin. Whether you like jazz, funk, heavy metal, country, or anything else, there is most definitely a song or theme on the soundtrack that has your name on it. Cowboy Bebop doesn't just stand as the anime with my favorite score, but it's also the anime that I admire the most.

Tank!
Blue
Car 24
Space Lion
Bad Dog No Biscuits
The EGG and YOU

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This concludes our dip into the deep, expansive ocean that is anime music. Did you find a song or soundtrack that you especially enjoyed? Great! Let me know about it in the comments section. Have a great weekend, everybody.
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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Rank Up! - Nintendo Consoles

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, announced a worldwide launch for the company's upcoming Wii U. Rumors say the console could be anywhere between 2X-5X the power of the Xbox 360, and that Nintendo is possibly considering a name change. Regardless, you should always take any rumor with a grain of salt.

It seems like an opportune time to play Rank Up! This segment is where I take a series of games (or in this case consoles) and rank them from least favorite to most favorite. Our subject this go around is a different specimen entirely. Instead of ranking games, I'll be ranking consoles-- Nintendo's five to be exact. Let's see what five they are for those unaware:

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Nintendo 64 (N64)
Nintendo GameCube (GCN)
Nintendo Wii (Wii)


Nintendo is pretty much synonymous with gaming, and the public knows that. Many competitors have attempted to oust the company out of the industry with rivaling products, but Nintendo rolls on. Even when they were in a far and away third place in the GameCube era, they still made money (they only took a loss late in the gen). This is a company that knows how to do well for itself, and they have a crazy fanbase that backs them up through thick and thin. I truly believe that without Nintendo, their competitors would have no one to imitate.

5) Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)


The system that brought an industry back from the grave, the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES (aka the Famicom in Japan) was originally bundled with R.O.B the robot in the states because retailers would not carry full-fledged game systems after the infamous video game crash. Nintendo got around this by saying the NES was a toy, thus including R.O.B. I have a few fond memories of the system, but I never cared for 8-bit sprites or music. Games in this era gave me constant headaches, and apart from the birth of many popular franchises that go on to this day such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest, and Castlevania, the NES pales in comparison to Nintendo's future efforts. Some NES games held the moniker of being "Nintendo hard;" they were quite difficult with some being obtuse in how you had to come at them. That notwithstanding, the NES is still a wonderful console that many share loving memories for.

4) Nintendo 64 (N64)


It may have been the most powerful platform of its generation, but it was also the beginning of Nintendo well-known struggles with third-parties. The decision to persist on using cartridges instead of the new compact disc format that the up and coming PlayStation used made many companies jump ship like Squaresoft and Capcom who took their Final Fantasy and Mega Man franchises to Sony's gray box. Despite this, the Nintendo 64 had Rare in their prime, releasing such incredible titles like Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, GoldenEye 007, Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong 64, Blast Corps, and Killer Instinct Gold, to name the majority of them. Then you had Nintendo's output which was quite good, too. Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Wave Race 64, Star Fox 64, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Party 1-3, Paper Mario, and many more. Unfortunately, this gen also introduced Nintendo fans to the infamous software droughts that Nintendo systems are now known all too well for. All in all, the Nintendo 64 may have started the downward spiral of the company's system successes, but the quality content, the introduction of an analog stick, rumble, four control ports, and the then excellent graphics might have made up for it.

3) Nintendo GameCube (GCN)


Last place (not counting the Dreamcast) in sales but number one in Nintendo fans' hearts, the GameCube was Nintendo's first attempt at optical media. Using mini DVDs instead of traditional DVDs (which peeved some developers), the GameCube received the fair share of third-party content, even getting some nice exclusives like the still gorgeous Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil 0, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Tales of Symphonia (in the West at least) and Gotcha Force. Nintendo produced and developed some of their best games in this gen and some decent software, too, like Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, F-Zero GX (developed by Amusement Vision), Animal Crossing, Wave Race: Blue Storm, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Custom Robo, Chibi Robo, Star Fox Assault, Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin 1 and 2, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and a lot more. However, the mantra that "third-party games don't sell on Nintendo systems" began with the GameCube. By the end of its life cycle, the Cube got little in the way of third-party support. This would continue to haunt Nintendo all the way through to their next console and onto the current day.

2) Nintendo Wii (Wii)


Nintendo struck gaming gold with their Wii, and the competition struggled to keep up for years. It sold record-breaking amounts of both hardware and software, and it elevated Nintendo to heaven. When the Wii remote was initially revealed at the Tokyo Game Show (where they seldom attend) to be the controller for the system and its various uses were shown, message boards all over exploded with comments berating it or wondering if Ashton Kutcher punk'd them (that's still a popular show, right? Ah, I don't care). At the following E3, crowds stormed through Sony's booth just to try out the controller for themselves. With titles for both the core and the casual, an intuitive control method, and a low price, the Wii had a blitzkrieg in sales. Games like Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Party, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl., Mario Kart Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Excite Truck, Excitebots: Trick Racing, Wario Land: Shake It!, Just Dance 1-3, Zumba Fitness, the Rabbids games, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Kirby's Epic Yarn either sold well and/or were critically acclaimed. The Wii showcases Nintendo's best first-party output since the next console on my Rank Up! list.

1) Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)


The king is here. Nintendo's best console (known as the Super Famicom in Japan) comes from the 16-bit era where they were pitted against a worthy adversary in Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive system. The phrase "Sega does what Nintendon't" was popular in ads, but Nintendo prevailed regardless. Nintendo added shoulder buttons and two more face buttons to create the SNES controller. Having a robust line of first-party software like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, Kirby Super Star, Super Metroid, Star Fox, Pilotwings, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario RPG, among others and a plentiful amount of third-party content from past and present storied series such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest, Mega Man, Castlevania, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and more, the Super Nintendo is only rivaled by the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's own DS as having the greatest library of titles in the albeit brief history of video games.

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What are your favorite consoles that Nintendo has released? Are you excited for the Wii U? Feel free to answer these questions or add your own thoughts on this piece in the comments section.
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