Top Five Vita Games That Deserve A Second Chance on the PS4

Obviously original titles are much more welcomed to a system than remastered ones, but the PlayStation Vita's software is in a precarious position, as many in the West have overlooked the system's sensational offerings. It only makes sense, then, that if former Vita-exclusive games like Tearaway and Gravity Rush can get a second chance to shine on the PlayStation 4, then why can't others? Not only would these titles be great additions to the PS4 lineup, but they would have a better shot of selling. They might also be quite easy to port over, even if just released digitally like Gravity Rush is here in North America. It is with this list that SuperPhillip Central details five PlayStation Vita offerings we'd like to see come to the PS4 for a second chance in the spotlight.

5) Freedom Wars

Selling remarkably well in Japan, Freedom Wars has already seen success in one country. However, the game hasn't seen the same level of success in the West. This is why for this first game on SuperPhillip Central's list I think Freedom Wars should gain another chance to shine, this time on the PlayStation 4. What would bolster the community online already would be cross-play with PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 players, offering a whole new sector of players to jump in and enjoy the game with the already active player base. It's no question that the PlayStation Vita is as niche as niche can be here in the West, so getting Freedom Wars on the PlayStation 4 would get this late release on the system in more hands, and that can only be good. Then again, we're hardly sales analysts here.

4) Wipeout 2048

The final Wipeout game before SCE Liverpool was shuttered, Wipeout 2048 was a technical showcase of the PlayStation Vita's horsepower when it released as a launch title for the system several years ago. The game excels in fast speeds, amazing, high-intensity courses full of boost pads and shortcuts, strong-powered weaponry, and online that is a blast to play. The solo campaign delivers an obscene of content with different modes across the game's awesomely design tracks, too. While SCE Liverpool is indeed no more, the studio's legacy and final title could be celebrated on the PlayStation 4 with a release. After all, there is hole not just in the PS4 library, but the current gen library as well, for a futuristic, fast-paced racer that gets the adrenaline pumping like nothing else.

3) LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

LittleBigPlanet 3 was a massive disappointment to SuperPhillip Central. We kept thinking it would improve from the glitchy, bug-ridden mess it was, but months later, it's still not up to snuff. Meanwhile, you have one of the best entries of the LittleBigPlanet series sitting on the PlayStation Vita, and since many don't own the system, it didn't get anywhere near the acclaim it deserves. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita offers many PlayStation Vita hardware-exclusive controls, but as we saw with Tearaway: Unfolded, also from a series that Media Molecule created, the controls can be executed with the PlayStation 4 controller in mind, creating an experience that would definitely be an improvement over what we saw with LittleBigPlanet 3!

2) Killzone: Mercenary

The number two game on SuperPhillip Central's list is one that I enjoyed immensely, and it is certainly one of my favorite games on the PlayStation Vita, despite not really being a fan of the Killzone franchise itself. Killzone: Mercenary may have but nine missions, but these are so replay-able because you can opt to do different objectives. For instance, the demolition objectives may have you blowing up a tank that in the vanilla mission all you had to do was avoid it. These objectives open the levels up immensely, giving you a different experience each time. Most of us have come to the conclusion that the PS4 launch title Killzone: Shadow Fall was a bit of a disappointment. What better way to bring the series back to a high note (other than a higher quality new installment, of course) than a remastering of what many fans consider an excellent entry in the Killzone franchise, an overlooked gem because of the system it was released on, for sure.

1) Uncharted: Golden Abyss

It was disappointing when this number one game on this list didn't get to appear in The Nathan Drake Collection that was released early last month on the PlayStation 4. Even if it were just released as a digital release, much like when Ratchet: Deadlocked as was released digitally when the Ratchet & Clank Collection came out for retail in PAL territories. Regardless, Sony Bend's effort with Uncharted: Golden Abyss is highly impressive, but unfortunately, being on the Vita, not as many people as Sony would have liked played it. A second chance on the PlayStation 4, if but a digital release, would be a great way to play the entire Uncharted series of games on one system. Sounds like a good idea to me.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - 1,000 Reasons to Celebrate Edition

It's a very special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs this week! We celebrate with our 1,000th VGM volume! Leading the celebration is a fantastic final boss theme from Radiant Historia. Then we delve into the feudal fairy tale of Okami, have our drinks shaken and not stirred with James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, and brave one of Bowser's strongholds with New Super Mario Bros. Finally, we celebrate the 1,000th VGM with the Monster Hunter series.

If you'd like to go back in the past to check out the past VGM volumes before this one (and I know you do), then check out the VGM Database.

v996. Radiant Historia (DS) - An Earnest Desire of Grey

This high intensity final boss theme from Radiant Historia starts this very special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs off. One of the queens of VGM, Yoko Shimomura, poured her heart and soul into making the magnificent music for this often overlooked Nintendo DS RPG. If you have the time and the money, definitely check out Radiant Historia, as it is one of the DS's best original RPGs available.

v997. Okami (PS2, Wii) - Dragon Palace

We move on from Radiant Historia's RPG gameplay to the action-adventure, Zelda-inspired gameplay of Okami. Dragon Palace is a calming and tranquil theme that delivers raw emotion. Okami may have run on too long for its own good play time-wise, but there are far worse games that have outstayed their welcome.

v998. James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (PS2, GCN, XBX) - Everything or Nothing

With the 24th James Bond film out now in the U.K. and it releasing in the U.S. this Friday, it seems like a good time to delve into a past game featuring 007. Everything or Nothing was Pierce Brosnan's final outing as the iconic MI6 special agent. The actual game is quite good, rivaling GoldenEye in excellence, though this game was third-person. The theme song is something that easily sounds like something from an actual movie!

v999. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - Castle

After a long hiatus from 2D platformers, Mario returned on the Nintendo DS with New Super Mario Bros. While all of the future New Super Mario Bros. games outperformed the DS game in quality (in this site's opinion), the original NSMB is still quite the game. Sure, it feels more vanilla and uninspired compared to future entries, but compared to other platformers on the system, it's still highly competent.

v1000. Monster Hunter (series) - Proof of a Hero

Performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, this theme, Proof of a Hero, was one of many that audience attendees got to hear at Monster Hunter's fifth anniversary concert. This bombastic string and brass flavored theme gives a heroic and majestic feeling to listeners, making it more than worthy of being SuperPhillip Central's 1,000 VGM volume.

Review Round-Up - October 2015

Yoshi's latest adventure left SuperPhillip Central in stitches.

Eight reviews came out of the month of October here on SuperPhillip Central. A Better Late Than Never review kicked things off with Bean reviewing Grand Theft Auto V's last gen version, scoring it an A-. The lone Halloween game for this month was Extreme Exorcism, haunting its way to a B-. Then, the excellent Freedom Planet was given an A- from Bean. Following that were two smaller, lesser known digital games, Toto Temple Deluxe (C) and Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut (B-). Wrapping things up for October were two platformers and a unique pinball game. Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash was the first of the platformers, whipping its way to a B, the pinball game was Momonga Pinball Adventures on the Wii U eShop (C), and finally, the second platformer was the game of the month, the excellent Yoshi's Woolly World, getting an A.

Grand Theft Auto V (PS3, 360) - A-
Extreme Exorcism (Wii U eShop) - B-
Freedom Planet (Wii U eShop) - A-
Toto Temple Deluxe (PS4, XONE, Wii U eShop) - C
Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut (PS4, XONE, PS3, Wii U eShop) - B-
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash (3DS) - B
Momonga Pinball Adventures (Wii U eShop) - C
Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U eShop) - A

Yoshi's Woolly World may not be a Halloween-style game,
but it certainly packs some spooky surprises!

Most Overlooked Nintendo 3DS Games - Part Seven

SuperPhillip Central's Most Overlooked series of articles, one of the oldest and longest-running on the site, is back! This time we're dealing with the Nintendo 3DS, a system that I argue has the most quality content across any platform this generation. Regardless of platform, however, there are bound to be games that we overlook, that are underrated, and games that just don't get their due diligence and time in the spotlight. The following five games may not have gotten the best scores, have the most mindshare, or have set the sales charts on fire, but they're still remarkable titles all the same.

For past parts of Most Overlooked Nintendo 3DS Games, look no further than these six links:

Nintendo 3DS - Part One
Nintendo 3DS - Part Two 
Nintendo 3DS - Part Three
Nintendo 3DS - Part Four
Nintendo 3DS - Part Five
Nintendo 3DS - Part Six

LBX: Little Battlers eXperience

Based off the anime cartoon available on Nicktoons (at least here in the States where SuperPhillip Central resides), LBX: Little Battlers eXperience comes packed with customization options and parts to design the ultimate LBX battler depending on the opponent and the scenario. An intriguing story that surprisingly gets dark at some points (at least for a game meant for the younger demographic), great voice work, fast-paced and frenetic battles, and an abundance of replay value in both optional quests and just earning new LBX parts make for a game that should give Custom Robo fans their fix as well as anyone who just loves robot battles. Although selling well in Japan, this first LBX game for the West did not create a big spark in sales. A shame, as it's a highly addicting, massively fun game.

Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash

Beat down in reviews by most outlets and critics, Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash deserves much better than the lack of acclaim it received. Its biggest problem was the Destination Wheel, which players spun to determine what level they would play next instead of a traditional 1-1, 1-2, and then 1-3 structure. However, there are many ways to cheese the system and play the levels you want. For instance, after beating a world, you can choose any level in that world that you desire. Regardless, the actual gameplay of Zip Lash offers the ability to use Chibi-Robo's plug to whip enemies, grab and pull himself onto certain objects, hang from ceilings, and angle his plug to hit off multiple walls to reach out-of-the-way locations and items. The developers said that this could be the final Chibi-Robo! game if sales do not impress Nintendo. Going off by Japan's cold-as-the-stainless-steel-Chibi-Robo-is-made-of shoulder to the game, with the first week sales being less than 20,000, it seems this will be the case. Still, Zip Lash is one heck of a swan song for Nintendo's miniature robot.

Yoshi's New Island

It seems like a good time to talk about this next game, as SuperPhillip Central had just talked about Yoshi's Woolly World earlier this week. While Yoshi's New Island doesn't reach anywhere near the same heights of the either that Wii U game or the Super Nintendo original Yoshi's Island, it does deliver some quaint and cute fun. One of the best new features of this edition of Yoshi's Island is that you don't have to collect all 20 red coins, 5 flowers, and 20 hearts in one run. This was annoying and sometimes even aggravating to accomplish in the original Yoshi's Island. In that regard, Yoshi's New Island is an improvement. While the level design doesn't hit the same notes as the Super Nintendo classic, there are some clever ideas here and there, and some of the bonus stages will definitely test your platforming prowess, especially one that is all vertical and requires multiple well controlled bounces off Bullet Bills with seldom a steady platform to stay on. It's not the best Yoshi has to offer, but Yoshi's New Island is far from a bad game. Bad selling? Definitely.

Disney Magical World

Doing abundantly well in Japan, Disney Magical World in the West didn't receive as much attention from Nintendo 3DS owners. The game itself is a combination of simulation-style gameplay where interacting with Disney characters, running your own cafe, and acquiring materials to build furniture and costumes pieces and dungeon exploration. The latter has you fighting monsters, enemies, opening treasure chests, and plundering for materials. As you earn stickers that serve as a means to progress through the game, new shops, new areas, and new points of interest open up, allowing even more longevity to this already content-rich game. Bandai Namco recently announced a sequel to Disney Magical World, and this one will feature a Frozen world with a scenario written by crew members of the movie. It's SuperPhillip Central's hope that Nintendo will localize this sequel for those of us who enjoyed the original game.

Mercenaries Saga 2: Order of the Silver Eagle

For those craving a tactical RPG on a system with no Final Fantasy Tactics game to speak of, unlike the Nintendo 3DS's predecessors, the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS, Mercenaries Saga 2: Order of the Silver Eagle is a highly competent and most importantly, very inexpensive 3DS eShop title. Don't confuse affordability with cheapness, nor think the game's quality is similar to its price. Mercenaries Saga 2 is an engaging RPG with a compelling story, excellent, though unoriginal tactical gameplay, and plenty of maps, strategy, and character types to partake in. It blows me away how a game similar to this would have been sixty dollars back in the Super Nintendo era, and now such a title is but a handful of dollars. We've come a long way, for certain.

Let the Good Names Roll: Great Credits Sequences in Gaming - Part Two

The staff roll, otherwise known as the credits of video games. This is where not only do we see all the names of the folks who worked on the game you just beat, but perhaps something special to go along with it, whether it's an overview of your adventure, the cast of enemies in the game, or something else. This article delves into some of the very best and most memorable staff rolls/credits sequences in video game history. From old school classics to modern marvels, part two of this expanding list continues to bring the excellent staff rolls. Click on the game title to see the credits sequence described, and for the first part of this series of articles, click here.

Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)

We kick things off with a game I talked about in SuperPhillip Central's top ten list of the best platformers on the Wii U from yesterday. Super Mario 3D World delights as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad make their way back to the Mushroom Kingdom through the very same clear pipe that transported them to the Sprixie Kingdom in the first place. Along the way home, they see various characters from throughout their adventure, such as various rescued Sprixies, the helpful water creature Plessie, cute rabbits, and even disappointed, defeated Boom Boom, Pom Pom, and a bottled-up Bowser. All this occurs while a sensational big band theme plays makes this one terrific staff roll sequence.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)

After reliving the same three-day cycle over and over again, though not as many times as Bill Murray had to relive Groundhog Day at least, Link finally defeats Majora's Mask and saves the land of Termina. After some exposition to tidy up loose ends, the credits of the game start running. We see a peaceful Termina, comfortable in the present and hopeful for the future, with multiple scenes showing the denizens enjoying their newly saved lives. We see the organ grinder playing to a full house in the Milk Bar, we see the father and daughter outside of the Music Box House celebrating their lives together, and we see the wedding of Kafei and Anju at the very end. It's a wonderful recap of the lives of the people you, as Link, helped save.

Final Fantasy IX (PS1)

Speaking of recaps, here's a literal one with the credits sequence of Final Fantasy IX. It hits some emotional highs, showcasing CG moments from Zidane and the player's adventure throughout the game. It certainly helps that the two themes that coincide with these moments are absolutely sensational. The first is Melodies of Life, a beautiful ballad that uses the melody of the world map theme. The second is simply Final Fantasy, the main theme of the franchise that plays in most of the mainline games up to this point. The ending, where Zidane and Dagger's two different worlds combine into one, is a powerful one, as is the glowing, rotating crystal that forms the Final Fantasy IX logo adds up to a worthwhile end to the game.

Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)

We move from two credits sequences that are emotionally empowered to a credits sequence that is its own game. Most of the Super Smash Bros. games feature interactive staff rolls where you can mess about with the names of crew members displayed on the screen. What many consider the most memorable of these credits sequences is the one from Super Smash Bros. Melee. It features a first-person view of the player flying through a sector space with flying names coming from all directions. It's possible, as this video shows, to hit all of the names. Since players see this sequence after every Classic mode run, it can either be zoomed through by holding a button, or one can try to hit as many names as possible.

Banjo-Kazooie (N64, XBLA)

There are actually two ending sequences for Banjo-Kazooie, one focusing on the enemies of the game, after completion of Grunty's Furnace Fun game show, and this second one that is played after defeating Gruntilda. This latter one is the one we'll focus on, as it not only shows a parade of supporting characters and bosses, but it also displays the names of the development and production team behind the game. The names are read in the voices of the characters currently shown on screen, each given nicknames such as Eveline "Twinkles" Fischer and Chris "Chomper" Peil, for instance. I love it when games show off their cast, and Banjo-Kazooie's setup is perfect in this regard.

God Hand (PS2)

Now from a comical game to an even more comical credits sequence. You can tell that Clover Studio (rest in peace) had a lot of fun working on God Hand. This is especially apparent in the incredibly goofy and unapologetic in its cheesiness ending credits, helped immensely by the '80s-esque vocal theme played during it. I mean what else can you say about a song that with lyrics that go, "dragon kick your ass into the Milky Way. (Milky Way!)" The credits feature clips from the game's cutscenes, but it also shows the cast shaking their groove thangs like crazy. It's just a balls to the wall ridiculous staff roll, and I, as well as many others, can't help but love it.

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What credits sequences from games would you like to see in future installments of Let the Good Names Roll? Hit me up with some suggestions in the comments below!