While some might be interested in whether that golfer's shot landed on the fairway or not, an important transmission from Star Fox himself is now available! Star Fox Zero launched last Friday, and a SuperPhillip Central review is forthcoming later this week. For now, check out this second U.S. commercial for the game.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Just the Way to Kick Off Your Week Edition
Welcome to an all-new edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs! This longtime weekly segment, now in its second form, has your old pal Phil sharing five songs from popular and lesser known games from all gaming generations and platforms.
This week we kick things off with a lovely symphonic theme from Super Mario Galaxy, one of my favorite gaming soundtracks. Then, we move onto music from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Finally, we head towards the PlayStation side of the fence with music from Graffiti Kingdom, a severely overlooked PS2 game, and Ape Escape, the first PlayStation game to use the dual analogs on the PS1 controller to fantastic use.
If you've been a longtime reader and listener to SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, then you know this part of the introduction is saved for mentioning the VGM Database, where you can find every VGM volume I've ever put under the spotlight. Hey, I put it in the same place this week as well!
v1126. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - Rosalina in the Observatory 3
There are three versions of Super Mario Galaxy's Rosalina in the Observatory. The first uses a modest amount of instruments, while the second builds a bit. The third is a full blown orchestral waltz, my favorite of the three. These pieces are some of the few that veteran Nintendo composer Koji Kondo contributed to Mario's first interstellar adventure on the Wii.
v1127. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS) - Quest Clear Theme
There's no better theme to hear after breathing a sigh of relief after a successful monster slaying or capturing. The blood, sweat, and tears your custom hunter poured into the preceding battle makes hearing this quest clear theme a fabulous prize... not to mention all the post-hunt materials and loot you earn. That sort of makes things even sweeter!
v1128. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (DS) - Time Travel (Instrumental Version)
This touching credits theme is instrumental in the North American version while the other versions have a vocal track. The soothing saxophone playing the romantic main melody hits an emotional note, especially after all of the drama at the end of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (known as Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel in PAL territories).
v1129. Graffiti Kingdom (PS2) - Turning Disk
Graffiti Kingdom is quite the unknown entity in the exhaustive PlayStation 2 lineup. It was the spiritual sequel to Magic Pengel, but unlike that game which was a Pokemon-like battler, Graffiti Kingdom is an action-adventure game. Both titles allow for the creation of 3D characters, monsters, and what have you using a decidedly hard-to-use editor. Music-wise, Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger fame scored Graffiti Kingdom.
v1130. Ape Escape (PS1) - Oceana ~ Crabby Beach
Our last VGM to share together in this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs comes from the very first Ape Escape, and also heard in its PSP port, On the Loose. This catchy theme for the Oceana world's Crabby Beach is simple in its composition form, but sometimes the simplest songs are the better ones.
This week we kick things off with a lovely symphonic theme from Super Mario Galaxy, one of my favorite gaming soundtracks. Then, we move onto music from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Finally, we head towards the PlayStation side of the fence with music from Graffiti Kingdom, a severely overlooked PS2 game, and Ape Escape, the first PlayStation game to use the dual analogs on the PS1 controller to fantastic use.
If you've been a longtime reader and listener to SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, then you know this part of the introduction is saved for mentioning the VGM Database, where you can find every VGM volume I've ever put under the spotlight. Hey, I put it in the same place this week as well!
v1126. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - Rosalina in the Observatory 3
There are three versions of Super Mario Galaxy's Rosalina in the Observatory. The first uses a modest amount of instruments, while the second builds a bit. The third is a full blown orchestral waltz, my favorite of the three. These pieces are some of the few that veteran Nintendo composer Koji Kondo contributed to Mario's first interstellar adventure on the Wii.
v1127. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS) - Quest Clear Theme
There's no better theme to hear after breathing a sigh of relief after a successful monster slaying or capturing. The blood, sweat, and tears your custom hunter poured into the preceding battle makes hearing this quest clear theme a fabulous prize... not to mention all the post-hunt materials and loot you earn. That sort of makes things even sweeter!
v1128. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (DS) - Time Travel (Instrumental Version)
This touching credits theme is instrumental in the North American version while the other versions have a vocal track. The soothing saxophone playing the romantic main melody hits an emotional note, especially after all of the drama at the end of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (known as Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel in PAL territories).
v1129. Graffiti Kingdom (PS2) - Turning Disk
Graffiti Kingdom is quite the unknown entity in the exhaustive PlayStation 2 lineup. It was the spiritual sequel to Magic Pengel, but unlike that game which was a Pokemon-like battler, Graffiti Kingdom is an action-adventure game. Both titles allow for the creation of 3D characters, monsters, and what have you using a decidedly hard-to-use editor. Music-wise, Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger fame scored Graffiti Kingdom.
v1130. Ape Escape (PS1) - Oceana ~ Crabby Beach
Our last VGM to share together in this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs comes from the very first Ape Escape, and also heard in its PSP port, On the Loose. This catchy theme for the Oceana world's Crabby Beach is simple in its composition form, but sometimes the simplest songs are the better ones.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Two new site update announcements!
While you enjoy your Sunday afternoon, I've been at work on a new, though good for aesthetics only feature for SuperPhillip Central. There is now a rotating banner that can change as you reload pages. There are ten currently in all. You can take a look at them below.
In addition to that, it came to my attention that my Patreon currently only offered a $10 contribution level. I stupidly thought that people could contribute anything they wanted, but I had to have put reward levels so people could contribute at different levels. You can now contribute a monthly donation of $1, $2.50, $5, and $10, all prices USD. I hope with this change you'll find yourself wanting to contribute now, though it's by no means necessary.
The Patreon link is right here, and here are the six (update: Now ten!) banners that will be in the rotation for now. Characters included: Mario, Luigi, Ratchet, Squid Girl (Splatoon), Mega Man, Rayman, Kratos (God of War), Master Chief (Halo), Banjo-Kazooie, Sonic the Hedgehog, Nathan Drake (Uncharted), Delsin Rowe (Infamous: Second Son), Link (The Legend of Zelda), The Kong Family (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze), Lucario (Pokken Tournament), Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Atoi (Tearaway), and Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi (Star Fox Zero).
In addition to that, it came to my attention that my Patreon currently only offered a $10 contribution level. I stupidly thought that people could contribute anything they wanted, but I had to have put reward levels so people could contribute at different levels. You can now contribute a monthly donation of $1, $2.50, $5, and $10, all prices USD. I hope with this change you'll find yourself wanting to contribute now, though it's by no means necessary.
The Patreon link is right here, and here are the six (update: Now ten!) banners that will be in the rotation for now. Characters included: Mario, Luigi, Ratchet, Squid Girl (Splatoon), Mega Man, Rayman, Kratos (God of War), Master Chief (Halo), Banjo-Kazooie, Sonic the Hedgehog, Nathan Drake (Uncharted), Delsin Rowe (Infamous: Second Son), Link (The Legend of Zelda), The Kong Family (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze), Lucario (Pokken Tournament), Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Atoi (Tearaway), and Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi (Star Fox Zero).
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| The original: The Gun and Fun banner |
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| The Super Mario Bros. banner |
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| The Link Between SPC banner |
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| The Wii U banner |
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| The PlayStation 4 banner |
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| The Star Fox Zero banner, a limited time addition |
EDIT: Four new banners!
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| The Console Warrior banner |
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| The Media Molecule banner |
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| The Two Men, One Banner banner |
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| The Platforming All-Star banner |
Disney Crossy Road (iOS, Android) Review
I started covering mobile games at SuperPhillip Central in February after a long time coming, and since then, I've been quite busy preparing new mobile games for review. The market is absolutely saturated, so it's hard to get an idea of the good, polished games from the rubbish. Disney Crossy Road is one of the good, polished games. Certainly not rubbish, as you'll be able to tell with my review.
I'm not a huge Disney aficionado, but I can't lie and say that Disney doesn't have some place in my heart, as corny and dramatic as that sounds. I love a good animated yarn, whether it's Hercules, Aladdin, or my personal favorite, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Of course, Disney Crossy Road doesn't have any of those franchises in them, but the game is ever-expanding anyway, so maybe some day. Even still, the movies that it does contain are wide and varied, offering a robust roster of characters for each in wonderful voxel form.
Upon reading the title of this game (and assuming you know what Crossy Road in general is), you should know what to expect from it. You move diagonally through multiple lanes of traffic, hoping to avoid getting squashed or run over by an obstacle as one of many Disney characters in various Disney environments. It's simply Crossy Road with a Disney flavor, right?
Well, yes and no. The addictive quality of Disney Crossy Road comes from acquiring new characters with the Gacha machine, giving you one turn at it for every 100 coins you collect. This is done by waiting a specific amount of time until you're rewarded money and collecting coins strewn about the game's levels. With any Gacha machine, some characters are easier to get than others.
When you unlock a new character, you're not just getting a new figure to look at and admire. Depending on which series that character you earn is from, whether it be Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Tangled, The Haunted Mansion, or Inside Out, to name a handful, the course you play is different. The Haunted Mansion houses dark corridors that need you to touch lights in order to brighten up the room, enabling you to get a better view of upcoming obstacles. Meanwhile, Tangled has a forest setting with rolling barrels that hurdle towards the player that much be evaded. Having different levels types based on the series your character is from makes you want to collect as many characters as possible from as many series as possible. It makes something already addicting even more so.
Those who know Crossy Road's gameplay will feel right at home, and those who don't will still find themselves welcomed thanks to the intuitive control system. You tap the screen to move your character forward and swipe left and right to move your character in that direction. It's a simple, easy, and accessible control method that most anyone can use.
There are two main goals in Disney Crossy Road, and they are to gain a high score-- each movie has a different personal best high score to keep improving on (or at least try to keep improving on)-- and to amass a collection of characters. The former's longevity comes from how much you enjoy setting high scores or not, while the latter is much more engaging, making you want to keep playing to build up your coin amount and character collection.
While Disney Crossy Road is free it does offer some in-app purchases to unlock characters more quickly. For instance, buying Hamm from Toy Story for $4.99 (USD) gives any character you play as a faster accumulation of coins. Additionally and occasionally the game will show a character you can purchase with real world money in-between plays.
Disney Crossy Road is fantastic for its free price, and can easily be played without investing a dime. However, if you want to unlock characters at a swifter speed and pace, then you have that option. Otherwise, beating your personal best high scores for each movies' obstacle course and building up your character collection are things that will keep you coming back for more.
[SPC Says: B+]
Why did the mouse cross the road? To get a high score!
I'm not a huge Disney aficionado, but I can't lie and say that Disney doesn't have some place in my heart, as corny and dramatic as that sounds. I love a good animated yarn, whether it's Hercules, Aladdin, or my personal favorite, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Of course, Disney Crossy Road doesn't have any of those franchises in them, but the game is ever-expanding anyway, so maybe some day. Even still, the movies that it does contain are wide and varied, offering a robust roster of characters for each in wonderful voxel form.
Upon reading the title of this game (and assuming you know what Crossy Road in general is), you should know what to expect from it. You move diagonally through multiple lanes of traffic, hoping to avoid getting squashed or run over by an obstacle as one of many Disney characters in various Disney environments. It's simply Crossy Road with a Disney flavor, right?
Well, yes and no. The addictive quality of Disney Crossy Road comes from acquiring new characters with the Gacha machine, giving you one turn at it for every 100 coins you collect. This is done by waiting a specific amount of time until you're rewarded money and collecting coins strewn about the game's levels. With any Gacha machine, some characters are easier to get than others.
 |
| Because why should that blasted chicken get all the fun? |
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| A racetrack so sweet that it'll give you cavities. |
There are two main goals in Disney Crossy Road, and they are to gain a high score-- each movie has a different personal best high score to keep improving on (or at least try to keep improving on)-- and to amass a collection of characters. The former's longevity comes from how much you enjoy setting high scores or not, while the latter is much more engaging, making you want to keep playing to build up your coin amount and character collection.
 |
| Egad! A stampede! Find your bearings and cross when it's safe, or SPLAT! |
Disney Crossy Road is fantastic for its free price, and can easily be played without investing a dime. However, if you want to unlock characters at a swifter speed and pace, then you have that option. Otherwise, beating your personal best high scores for each movies' obstacle course and building up your character collection are things that will keep you coming back for more.
[SPC Says: B+]
Friday, April 22, 2016
Why Wii U is More Than Still Worth It - Part 2: 25 Fantastic Downloads
Last week I shared 25 retail titles that proved without a shadow of a doubt why the Wii U, despite its weak sales, very much deserves to be owned by any self-respecting gamer. This follow-up piece details 25 downloadable pieces of software off the Wii U eShop that further illustrates why Wii U owners certainly have a lot to play on their systems. From action-platformers to Metroidvanias, puzzle games to shooters, this list of 25 (and many more honorable mentions that couldn't fit in this article) has some very good titles.
Again, since this is article is image-intensive, please check it out after the break.
Again, since this is article is image-intensive, please check it out after the break.
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