Wednesday, June 19, 2013

SuperPhillip Central's Top 100 Games of All Time (80-71)

On June 5, SuperPhillip Central turned five years old. We're celebrating big the only way we know how, with a list of our favorite 100 games of all time. SuperPhillip Central's staff has come together to come up with this list. These don't necessarily have to be the best, but they are indeed our favorites. Coming up with an order for these games has been an immense challenge. We're sure you won't agree with our order-- heck, we don't even agree with our order. That said, we hope you'll at least agree with our picks, and if you don't, at least you can read our rationale for our choices. Regardless, for ten weeks, we will be counting down our favorite games of all time. Please join us for this great undertaking. Let's get to the countdown!

80) Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)


Kicking off the Year of Luigi (and part three of our ten-part countdown) in style, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon delivered on the thrills and chills when it released earlier this year. The game did away with playing through and exploring just one mansion, and opted for multiple mansions and a mission-based structure. We couldn't have been happier with this change, as it offered much more depth, much more fun, and much more replay value. The addition of online and local multiplayer only further added to the latter. Dark Moon was a graphical showcase of the 3DS' power, and also a showcase of just how well Next Level Games can create an overly fantastic piece of software with the right guidance. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is an essential purchase for any Nintendo 3DS owner.

79) Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)


The third entry in the Advance Wars series and the first to debut on the Nintendo DS, Advance Wars: Dual Strike was a turn-based tactical RPG that put players in the role of one of many colorful and whimsical commanding officers across multiple armies. The goal of Advance Wars was always to eliminate enemy forces with your own swath of units. The strategy came from using the right unit type, as each unit type had its own unit types it was weak and strong against. The Dual Strike in Advance Wars: Dual Strike referred to the capability of using two commanding officers instead of the traditional single commanding officer in battle. The dynamic of battles shifted dramatically because of this. We view Dual Strike as the greatest installment of the Advance Wars series, possessing more maps, more challenge, and more fun than ever before.

78) Star Wars: Battlefront (PS2, XBX, PC)


Taking a part of what makes Star Wars so fascinating-- the epic scale battles-- and making an entire game out of them was a hefty task, but it was pulled off with Star Wars: Battlefront. Playing as a Rebel or Empire soldier, pilot, or Storm Trooper, weaving in and out of laser fire and explosions, and doing your best to capture as many enemy bases and command posts as possible were tasks that Battlefront gave players. There was nothing better than getting a massive kill streak going and feeling like you could take on all comers and blast them down. From fighting on the moon of Endor to gunning down Storm Troopers on the icy surface of planet Hoth, Star Wars: Battlefront was a stellar addition to the Star Wars game universe.

77) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (ARC, SNES)


The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles recently reentered pop culture with an all-new Nickolodeon computer-animated cartoon, and soon they will have their own Michael Bay feature film. That last one you can happily ignore, though. Regardless, back in the day, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were, as the kids say, tight. You could not go anywhere without seeing TMNT merchandise, movies, TV shows, action figures, and so forth. That continued into video games, and the best one ever featuring those heroes in a half shell released on the Super Nintendo after debuting in arcades. Turtles in Time was an old-fashioned beat-em-up. While these games tend to be linear and short, Turtles in Time was so much fun that one could not help but play through it again and again, especially if you had your favorite buds around to enjoy the game with.

76) Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GCN)


A project that would not have been possible without Shigeru Miyamoto and Silicon Knights, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was a GameCube exclusive remake of the original Metal Gear Solid. The remake featured all-new cutscenes, beautifully done upgraded visuals, and gameplay improvements to make the title less clunky as a whole. The latter made for a much grander and less frustrating experience. For instance, players could not fire in first-person mode. In addition to that, enemy AI was updated to balance the inclusion of the first-person viewpoint. Some claim the new perspective made for a game that was easier, perhaps too easy. While we can understand that, we still stand by the opinion that The Twin Snakes is the definitive version of the first Metal Gear Solid game.

75) F-Zero X (N64)


F-Zero set the standard for speed on the Super Nintendo. F-Zero X on the Nintendo 64 made futuristic racing on tracks that twisted, turned, and looped very popular. One of the only games on the N64 to run at a fluid 60 frames per second, F-Zero X blew past the competition and is still one of the greatest futuristic racers to date. Having thirty racers dueling it out for first place supremacy, spinning and slamming your vehicle into others, boosting past the competition at manic speeds, and trying not only to win but to simply survive, F-Zero X was a game that made our adrenaline pump and our bodies tingle with excitement. Speaking of F-Zero, stay tuned for a retro review this week regarding the original F-Zero.

74) Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)


The latest in the Kirby franchise, Kirby's Return to Dream Land offered four player simultaneous play, something that became something popular on the Wii (and we loved every minute of it). Being able to play as Kirby, Waddle Dee, Metaknight, or King Dedede made for some frantic and fun multiplayer action. The game contained seven worlds, each with multiple creatively-designed levels and a concluding boss battle to top each world off. Energy Spheres were the optional collectibles that players could nab in order to unlock hidden content, and after beating the game, an all-new EX Mode was unlocked, giving players harder enemies to deal with and less health to work with. Kirby's Return to Dream Land was a project that was scrapped and rebuilt time and time again, and we're very happy and satisfied with how the final product finally turned out.

73) Kingdom Hearts (PS2)


Combining the serious world of Final Fantasy with the often happy-go-lucky world of Disney seemed like an odd feat to do. However, Square Enix and Disney proved that they were more than capable of performing such a task. The end result was Kingdom Hearts, the first in a series of action-RPG games featuring a wide array of Final Fantasy characters and Disney all-stars all together in one game. We feel that the original Kingdom Hearts stands head and shoulders above every sequel and spin-off that followed it. It had a much less convoluted story, a less obnoxious and tedious beginning, and the right mix of platforming and action RPG fun. What better time to revisit Kingdom Hearts now that the third installment in the series is due for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One!

72) Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, 360, PC)


Prior to Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman games ranged from awful to good. Seldom, if ever, did a Batman game get deemed as masterful. That all changed with Batman: Arkham Asylum. A team that hadn't done much to distinguish itself (or make a great game), Rocksteady, managed to create one of the best superhero games of all time. The Metroid-like structure, where Batman earned new gadgets to allow him to explore new areas of the Arkham Asylum grounds, was a much welcomed inclusion to the formula of the game. Perhaps the only major gripe to be had with Arkham Asylum was the tacked on final boss battle that did not really serve as something that fit with the style of the game.

71) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, GCN)


We round out part three of our list of 100 favorite games with a Wii launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The game debuted at E3 2004 with thunderous applause and cheering. Tears were literally shed by some people. Go figure, huh. Anyway, the final product featured some of the greatest dungeons in series history, a large expansive world to explore, and some incredible boss battles. The Wii version is a mirrored take on the GameCube iteration. What we mean is that the world of Twilight Princess on Wii is flipped compared to the GameCube version (e.g. a destination that was west is now east, and vice versa). The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess also introduced Wolf Link into the picture, a darker tone and setting, and one of the most enjoyable companions to Link, Midna. Twilight Princess might have its share of problems (like the long-winded opening tutorial sequence), but overall it was a fantastic addition to the historic series.

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That concludes part three of SuperPhillip Central's list of our favorite 100 games. Make sure you are back here next Wednesday for games 70-61 of our countdown!

Xbox 180: Why the Xbox One is Still a Definite "No"

Today, Microsoft announced one of the biggest corporate 180s in gaming history. No longer will the upcoming Xbox One suffer from DRM issues, no longer will it need a forced internet connection, and no longer will it block used games in any form. That's all great and all (we're happy for and proud of the collective of consumers and gamers whose voices were heard), and it's good for Microsoft. However, these issues shouldn't even have been on the table in the first place, and that's what annoys us about this whole situation. Microsoft has done little to earn our trust back and here's why.

Kinect is still mandatory at this stage, and with all that is happening with the NSA in the United States, we still aren't comfortable with the idea of an always-on Kinect.

Then there's the lineup and the cost of the system. Our most anticipated game for the system, Dead Rising 3, has been revealed to have lost the series' comedic edge, which was a good portion of the fun of the franchise. We were eager to see a revival of Killer Instinct, but then we learned it is free-to-play and you have to buy characters to actually have a complete experience. Let's face it-- Microsoft's first-party output is vastly inferior to what Sony and Nintendo offer. If Microsoft has nothing to excite us on their side with exclusives, then what is the point of getting an Xbox One in the first place-- to play multiplatform games that will be available on the PlayStation 4?

Microsoft fosters a software ecosystem where the most popular genres are shooters, racers, and sports games. We've honestly had our fill of all three. We've had enough Call of Duty. We've had enough Halo. We've had enough Gears of War. We've had enough Madden. We've had enough-- you get the idea. You probably yourself have had enough of what we've had enough of!

Let's also talk about Microsoft's treatment of indies. Sony and Nintendo are opening their arms wide open for indies, yet Microsoft contains the same ass-backwards and anti-indie policies that made so many developers scamper away in the first place.

However, what really pisses us off is that gamers are so quick to jump back into their abusive relationship with Microsoft over the lack of DRM. It's basically thanking a company for spitting in your face, yet forgetting that that company was the one that spat in your face in the first place. It's disconcerting to see how swiftly some gamers are to leap back into Microsoft's lap after the company already revealed their true colors and how much they honestly care about consumers (see: not at all).

Microsoft didn't kill DRM because they are nice and respectful to consumers. They didn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts. They did it because they had no choice in the matter unless they wanted the Xbox One to sell like crap.They killed DRM because they saw they were in deep, saw the PlayStation 4 pre-orders outpacing their system by a dramatic margin, and they absolutely positively hit the panic button. How else can this be interpreted with Microsoft and Xbox lackeys constantly defending their previous stances on DRM? They basically told consumers that their way was right and that consumers and gamers just "didn't understand." And we're supposed to automatically forgive them and their past arrogance?!

Some people are actually celebrating and championing Microsoft for "seeing the light." We think that's horrible. Remember, this was a company that was willing to bestow ungodly DRM on people and throw onto consumers a heavily anti-consumer console, where their used games policies are reprehensible and a forced internet connection was needed. Microsoft was willing to make consumers bend over and take it (excuse the analogy, we don't usually go there, but we're mad).

So no, Microsoft. You are not forgiven. You still have a mandatory Kinect, you still contain the worst lineup of first-party exclusives available, your support for your systems trails off early, and your Xbox One is still too expensive for our liking. The fact of the matter is that you've lost our trust after all the crap you've pulled. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Top Ten Mario Kart Tracks (2013 Edition)

Last Tuesday, Nintendo released the first footage of Mario Kart 8, and it looks darn nice. The graphics look phenomenal, the anti-gravity track design looks sensational, and the return of Waluigi, Toadette, and bikes makes us excited. In 2010 we originally posted our thoughts on the best Mario Kart tracks of all time. Now we are doing the same for 2013. Which Mario Kart tracks cross the finish line first?

10) Rainbow Road (Super Mario Kart)


It's almost not fair to have a list of Mario Kart tracks and expect many of the flat tracks from both Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit to not be overshadowed by their 3D contemporaries. Regardless, one track that is definitely memorable from the old school Mario Kart games is the original Rainbow Road. With no rails to speak of, electrified Thwomps, and a rainbow brick road, Super Mario Kart's Rainbow Road is an unforgettable, albeit extremely hazardous, ride. This old haunt returned into the spotlight in Mario Kart 7.

9) Airship Fortress (Mario Kart DS)


The airships were the final levels in each land of Super Mario Bros. 3. Our nostalgia senses got extremely tingly when we first stepped foot in Mario Kart DS' Airship Fortress. This track takes place in the air, on dilapidated castle wall pathways and onto-- you guessed it-- airships. Worrying about weaving in and out of the path of Bullet Bills being blasted in your face on the first stretch of track, dodging the Rocky Wrenches that pop up on the airship's deck, and then entering the cargo hold of the airship, trying not to get burnt to a crisp by the moving burners inside all made for a race that was certainly epic.

8) Baby Park (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)


Baby Park's simplicity lures players into a false sense of security. Yes, it's an oval track with laps that can be completed in under fifteen seconds, but such an enclosed and small space leads to some pure item carnage. This seven lap affair starts out innocently enough, but once you get eight racers shooting and laying out items on the track, the manic craziness that is Baby Park is finally revealed. That music that plays only further makes for one heck of a humorous race, even when you're on the receiving end of the punishment.

7) Wario Stadium (Mario Kart 64)


One of the longest races in Mario Kart history is Mario Kart 64's ode to motocross, Wario Stadium. The track takes place in a dirt-filled stadium full of twists, turns, and hills. Of course, crafty players can finish the race in less than thirty seconds, pending they know how and when to leap over the wall at the beginning of the track. If you wish to play the track how it was intended (which we encourage since this track is really awesome), then be sure to keep your levels of endurance high. That moment when you use a lightning bolt at the jump near the end of the track, sending those who were trying to cross over falling down to the track below is always hilarious. Take that, racers! Now you must redo a whole section of track all over again! As Wario would say, "Mwahahaha!"

6) Yoshi Valley (Mario Kart 64)


Yoshi Valley is a track that differentiates itself from every other track in the Mario Kart series. That's because it features multiple pathways that loop and weave through the mountainous environmental structures of the track. There are so many paths that the game can't even tell you who is currently in which place. The fun in Yoshi Valley is discovering which path is the fastest and then taking it. We remember the optimal path to this day: right, left, right, left. No course after Yoshi Valley ever presented the player with so many possibilities on which way to go, and we hope that this track get a second chance in the sun as a selected retro cup track in Mario Kart 8.

5) Coconut Mall (Mario Kart Wii)


Coconut Mall is a popular Deflino Island vacation destination, and it's probably the only place on the island where you can buy clothing from American Eagle and Hollister. The teens absolutely love that. Regardless, Coconut Mall is a track full of escalators to run up and down, shops to cut through for those much desired shortcuts, and a parking lot full of cars driven by Miis backing up (and over racers) that need to be avoided. This bright and vibrant track is one that has multiple pathways to follow (e.g. upper or lower levels) and plenty to see and do.

4) Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)


Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was the first in the series to feature Bowser's Castle as a Special Cup track, and goodness was it a doozy! Immediately you drive through a stone structure modeled after Bowser's mean mug, Thwomps crash down in the opening hallways, and then you are greeted with a piece of grated track suspended above a fiery pit. Bowser's Castle in Double Dash!! contains many dangerous perils not for the faint of heart. There's even a Bowser statue on the last stretch of track that shoots out large fireballs for drivers to avoid. A great Bowser's Castle track, but it's not the greatest.

3) Delfino Square (Mario Kart DS)


Delfino Square is a town track, and we absolutely love tracks where we can drive past city buildings and other structures, head down alleyways, and speed past the onlooking crowd. Delfino Square is double the fun because it takes place in a tropical setting. Careening through the city corners, speeding past the buildings in the alleyways, and taking either of two shortcuts, one across the ocean onto a dock and one through the mud-covered alley all make for a track that we absolutely adore. Both shortcuts can shave a fair amount of precious seconds off your final time. Delfino Square is a bright and colorful track, full of sites to see. Too bad you'll be blazing through the city streets too fast to stop and appreciate them fully!

2) Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 7)


Our favorite version of Rainbow Road comes from Mario Kart 7. Unlike previous installments of the track, this Rainbow Road does not follow the typical three lap pattern. Instead, you race through three separate and completely different sections of track. Mario Kart 7's Rainbow Road has you racing along the rings of planets, across the crater-filled and Chomp-infested surface of the moon, and gliding through the stars. Epic is an understatement to how spectacular this track is. The final section of track has you flying through rings or making jump after jump to avoid a date with a pit. Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 7 is the greatest version of the famous last Mario Kart track period, and we can't wait to see what Nintendo does with the track in anti-gravity form with Mario Kart 8.

1) Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 64)


Like Rainbow Road, Bowser's Castle is one of those tracks that appears in some form in each and every Mario Kart game. Our favorite of these kinds of tracks is the Mario Kart 64 classic, full of sharp corners to turn past, Thwomps that do nothing but terrorize unsuspecting racers, and pits of lava that are most certainly not a good idea to take a bath in. Bowser's Castle's Nintendo 64 debut comes with a variety of hurtful hazards that can slow down even the most expert driver. From the courtyard to the halls filled with moving and sliding Thwomps, to the spiral tower preceded by a broken bridge, Bowser's Castle is our ultimate Mario Kart track.

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There are so many wonderful tracks in the Mario Kart series that it makes selecting only ten a very difficult endeavor. We'd love to see your thoughts on which Mario Kart tracks you enjoy most. Drop us a line in the comments section.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Better Late Than Never Reviews: Darksiders II (Wii U) Review

There really is no good reason to review a Wii U launch game this late in the game, especially one that was released earlier for other consoles. That said, we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about this game at all on SuperPhillip Central. It's Darksiders II.

Death Becomes U


Darksiders II released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC back in August of last year. Since then, the publisher of the game, THQ, went under and sold off all of their assets. Before that event, however, Darksiders II found its way onto Nintendo's Wii U just in time for the system's launch. Was becoming Death, destroyer of worlds, close to three months after the original PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC release worth the wait?

In a time where humanity has been wiped out from the earth and War is being tried for his crimes, Death believes in his brother's innocence. He will do anything to prove it too, such as tackling colossal beasts tainted with Corruption. In order to right his brother's name, Death must restore humanity. If that sounds like a great undertaking, that's because it is. Death is a Horseman with a bit of an arrogant side, and playing as him isn't the most interesting task in the world. That said, he does beat the generic War, at the very least.

Crowfather is the first being Death
visits on his quest to save War.
If I had to say what Darksiders II is, it would be a cross between the adventuring, exploring and puzzle-solving of The Legend of Zelda series; the wall-running and climbing of the Prince of Persia series; the combo-happy combat of the God of War series;  the massive amount of loot-nabbing of Diablo. It sounds like a match made in Heaven (or I guess, Hell would be a more apropos analogy, considering we ARE talking about Death), and for the most part you would be right in thinking that.

The world of Darksiders II is wide open for Death to traverse his horse on, coming across treasures, dungeons, and optional areas. Areas are interconnected, and there are several different maps Death wades through, from areas representing Earth to a kingdom of lost souls. These areas are quite vast, making riding Despair, his trusty steed, a suggested activity.

Like The Legend of Zelda, Death comes across various items in several (but not all) of the dungeons in Darksiders II. For instance, the Death Grip serves as a grappling hook of sorts to cross over large distances, as well as pull faraway objects to Death. Then there's the Voidwalker, which makes its return from the original Darksiders. This item acts like the gun from Portal, only the Voidwalker can only be used on specific targets to create portals instead of being able to be used anywhere. Finally, there's the Soul Splitter ability, that grants Death the ability to split into two playable characters, only one being able to be moved at the same time. Some pretty clever puzzles revolve around using the two in conjunction to progress. For example, one steps on a pressure plate that opens a gate for the other to pass through.

There are plenty of dungeons to 
be found in Darksiders II.
As for the puzzles, they can range from insultingly easy to maddeningly hard, though it is usually the former rather than the latter. Dungeons are generally the locations where puzzles exist, and although there are a lot of them in Darksiders II, a fair portion of them are merely retreads of previous puzzle ideas, leading to some great familiarity within the game.

The Prince of Persia influences are apparent, with Death needing to find a way up and around stone structures. These ways around are usually easy to spot. For instance, a faded stretch of wall generally means Death needs to run along it, while a wooden ledge is something for Death to grab onto, using multiple ledges, posts and poles to maneuver around walls and to cross chasms.

Combat consists of locking onto enemies, switching foe focus by using the right stick, dodging and evading while waiting for windows of opportunity to attack. A lot of battles can simply be won with an appropriate amount of tedious button-mashing, but some enemies will absolutely annihilate Death if all he does his thrash about with his scythes. Many of the larger enemies merely come off as meat shields, having obnoxiously large amounts of health to whittle down, slowly but surely. However, most of the time you're facing grunts, and the odds are definitely not in Death's favor.

Become Death, destroyer of enemy fodder.
Dropped from enemies and found in the myriad chests sprinkled throughout Darksiders II's worlds, MMO-style loot is common. As you stand over a new set of scythes, a subweapon, pieces of armor, or a talisman, the stats for it appear on the screen. Stats that increase are shown in green while stats that decrease are in red. There are a seemingly infinite amount of equipment combinations to possess, and each are shown on Death's body in real time.

Go in guns blazing with Death.
Concerning subweapons, it's really a matter of deciding whether you want power or speed. Yes, a giant axe that does massive amounts of damage is great, but it leaves Death open to attacks much more than, say, a set of fast hitting claws. Then again, ten hits from the claws would probably equal one hit from the axe, so there's that to factor in too.

As Death completes quests and defeats enemies, he gains experience points, which go into leveling him up. His strength increases, as does his health, defense, and so forth. As Death gains new levels, he gets skill points that can be spent to learn new combat abilities on a skill tree.

While Darksiders II borrows from and is apparently heavily influenced by The Legend of Zelda, God of War, Prince of Persia, and any loot RPG, the game is more of a Death of all trades, master of none. Each gameplay influence of Darksiders II is done better by the series it channels and imitates. That's not to say there's nothing original or spectacular to be found in Darksiders II. No, it is quite the opposite. It's just that The Legend of Zelda series did not consistently use the rule of threes in its progression, requiring the player to collect three trinkets or destroy three objects before moving on with the story. Furthermore, the Prince of Persia series' platforming is much tighter than what is found in Darksiders II, where waist-high obstructions are impossible for the almighty Death to leap over. Pits full of lava? No problem. Bottomless chasms? No problem.

Corruption is everywhere, and Death
aims to take it all out ASAP.
Vigil Games stated that they had no problems porting Darksiders II to the Wii U. In fact, they said it took two weeks to get a running build of the game on Nintendo's new system. Perhaps they stopped working on the Wii U port once they got it running on the system in those two weeks, as there are plenty of performance problems to mention. From the screen tearing to the occasional hard locks, to the unexpected loading while walking through a hallway (that seriously couldn't have been masked better?), to the stuttering, Darksiders II is not optimized to run on the Wii U, and seeing that THQ is now but a memory, there's no way that any patches can be put in place. In addition to all of that, there is no ability to post screenshots via Miiverse. This is unfortunate because I would have loved to share some of the truly amazing locales Darksiders II possesses. What I positively say about the Wii U version, however, is that the game can be played 100% on the Wii U GamePad, or if you choose not to do so, switching weapons has never been easier with the controller.

A lot of the bigger enemies are mere damage sponges.

Darksiders II on Wii U is a game marred with presentation problems that makes it tough to recommend over its earlier, and much cheaper, contemporaries. While the game is by no means broken, you can get a better experience on other platforms without the constant freezing, screen tearing, and loading issues. Darksiders II owes a lot to its design to many famous franchises like Zelda, God of War and Prince of Persia, and though it doesn't reach any of those series' levels of quality, it was a compelling enough experience to make me want to see through Death's quest to restore humanity. With Darksiders II, Death will become you, and I can say there are much worse things on the video game market that you can become.

[SPC Says: 7.5/10]

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - 400th VGM Edition

It seems like only yesterday we were starting off with our first VGM, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's Romance Theme. Now, a year and some change later we are celebrating the 400th VGM. On this special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, we have music from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Kirby Super Star, and NiGHTS Into Dreams. As always, if you missed a previous installment of the VGMs, feel free to check out our VGM Database to get caught up. Just be warned that it will be quite an endeavor!

v396. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1, SAT) - Prologue

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's soundtrack featured an eclectic mix of musical styles. Prologue is pure rock, playing as a member of the Belmont family ascends the stairs leading to Dracula's throne room. Hearing this theme really saddens me that we won't get another Castlevania game akin to Symphony of the Night any time soon.

v397. Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) - How It Started


A boss theme of Sonic and the Secret Rings, How It Started is performed by Runblebee. In fact, the majority of Secret Rings' music was performed by Runblebee, with Steve Conte providing vocals for the two tracks that bookend the game (the opening theme and the credits theme). If you aren't familiar with Steve Conte, he is a New York musician who has collaborated many times with anime composer Yoko Kanno.

v398. Kirby Super Star (SNES) - Taking Over the Halberd


The tense song that plays during the Revenge of Metaknight game in Kirby Super Star, Taking Over the Halberd has players timed as they try to regain control of Metaknight's ship, the Halberd. Kirby Super Star is one of fans' favorite Kirby games. It certainly packed a lot of content for the game's price!

v399. Kid Icarus (NES) - Underworld


Much like some people calling Samus Aran "Metroid", there were many people calling Pit "Kid Icarus", which to be fair isn't really a silly thing to say in comparison to Samus being "Metroid." After a 20 year hiatus, the Kid Icarus series returned with the spectacular Kid Icarus: Uprising. Also on Nintendo 3DS, a 3D classics version of the original NES game was released.

v400. NiGHTS Into Dreams (SAT) - Dreams Dreams


A vocal theme for the SEGA Saturn classic NiGHTS Into Dreams, NiGHTS fans love to sing along to this cheery pop tune full of hope and positive vibes. The song would get several versions on the Wii sequel, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, probably one of the few positives a person could name from that game.