Disclaimer: Contrary to this week's edition title, there are actually no rock songs featured in this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, but we can still celebrate tomorrow evening's beginning of Hanukkah to all of SPC's Jewish readers regardless!
It's an edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs spanning three generations of home consoles this week, starting with the new. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness brings us a sweeping orchestral overture to start things off. Following closely behind is the Evil Forest dungeon theme from Final Fantasy IX. Then, Mario Sports Mix and a little known Wii game called Opoona bring us some lovely music, too. Last on this week's edition is de Blob 2, also a Wii era game.
Either click the VGM volume name or the embedded video here in this article to hear each song and game represented. Also, check out the VGM Database for every past featured VGM volume on this weekly SuperPhillip Central staple. Now, let's get on to the music!
v1521. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (PS4) - Star Ocean Forever ~ Overture
We begin this edition with Star Ocean's fifth outing, a modest budget affair with lots of backtracking and corner-cutting to save money. Despite my issues with the game, I played through it to completion (well, getting one of the several endings in the game) and overall enjoyed my time with it. (Though it has nothing on the second or third games in the Star Ocean series.) Star Ocean Forever's Overture version plays at the title screen of the franchise's games. It blares as boldly as ever to great effect. Many problems persist with Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, but Motoi Sakuraba's soundtrack is definitely not one of them.
v1522. Final Fantasy IX (PS1) - Danger in the Forest
Nobuo Uematsu is perhaps my favorite video game music composer in the industry. His soundtracks run the gamut of emotions and tickle my nostalgia bones splendidly. He was absolutely on a tear with his work on the Final Fantasy series, and my favorite of his during the PS1 era of games was Final Fantasy IX. It was a game that hearkened back to classic Final Fantasy games after multiple futuristic ones, and the soundtrack went right along with it to an epic medieval soundtrack featuring brilliant character themes, fantastic battle works, and dungeon themes such as this one for the Evil Forest.
v1523. Mario Sports Mix (Wii) - Peach's Castle
From one Squaresoft game to a Square Enix game, we have Mario Sports Mix up next with a catchy and jaunty tune played during matches at Peach's Castle. Mario Sports Mix is a bit of an underrated Mario sports game to me. I enjoyed all four sports in the package which included basketball, volleyball, hockey, and dodgeball. Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack, just like with Mario Hoops 3 on 3. This particularly talented composer would later go on to score a wide variety of songs for Final Fantasy XIV.
v1524. Opoona (Wii) - Bonbon Battle 1
Koei-Tecmo presented a whimsical role-playing game for the Nintendo Wii that players used the Nunchuk attachment of the Wii Remote exclusively to control Opoona through dungeons and in battles. Speaking of which, this battle theme might seem familiar to fans of Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles as it's the same composer, Hitoshi Sakimoto, who provided the music. This theme uses similar synth and sounds to what Sakimoto generally uses. Recently, Opoona got a guest starring role in Koei's Warriors All-Stars as one of the playable characters along the likes of Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa and Dead or Alive's Kasumi.
v1525. de Blob 2 (PS3, 360, Wii) - Boogaloo in Blue
Concluding this edition with more colorful and charming cartoon goodness, de Blob recently released for consoles on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The original de Blob was a Wii exclusive, but the sequel saw the series go multiplatform for the first time. The music of the de Blob series can be described as catchy, funky, jazzy, smooth, relaxing, and that just depends on which track you're listening to as you paint the games' levels with color. De Blob 2 is no different in this case, and thank goodness, as the soundtrack is just as fabulous as it was in the original Wii release.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4) Launch Character Roster Trailer
A brand-new trailer for next month's Dissidia Final Fantasy NT has been revealed, and it shows off the 28 characters in the roster. Unfortunately, while four new characters were added from the previous PSP game's roster, six characters are currently missing such as FFVII's Tifa and FFX's Yuna. That said, a season pass promises more characters, and it's true that a lot of work goes in to creating each fighter presented in the game so I can't be too disappointed. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT launches exclusively on the PlayStation 4 in late January.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC) Announcement Trailer
Announced earlier this evening, Capcom's famed fighting game franchise Street Fighter celebrates its 30th anniversary. Coinciding with that is a collection of 12 arcade Street Fighter classics, four with online play, along with various goodies like a sprite viewer and sound test in the collection itself. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is ready to rumble on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC in May with an MSRP of $39.99.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Review Round-Up - November 2017
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| Journey to fossil-filled plateaus, mysterious temples, moonlit deserts, frozen caves, flowery fields, and much more in Mario's latest adventure. |
While not the GotY contender I was alluding to, Rogue Trooper Redux from Rebellion was a compelling Wii era third-person shooter reborn on the Nintendo Switch. It got an average C grade. Finally, the game that will be fighting lots of games at SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2017 Awards beginning late this month, Super Mario Odyssey, greatly impressed with a masterful performance and an A grade.
No worries about a drought of reviews for December, as I have plenty of games lined up to cover review-wise. It takes time to play through these things when SPC is but a hobby! I hope you'll look forward to see what I cook up and dish out for this last month of 2017!
Rogue Trooper Redux (NSW) - C
Super Mario Odyssey (NSW) - A
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| Hey! Mario's walkin' here! His game, Super Mario Odyssey, is a Game of the Year contender on SuperPhillip Central! |
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Making A List & Checking It Twice" Edition
Well, I'm making a VGM list (to make a modest correction), and I think I've checked it waaaaay more than just twice! Nevertheless, it's the first edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs of December, meaning the holiday preparations are underway! Hang up the mistletoe, decorate the tree with lights and ornaments, and start listening to some Christmas music to get yourself in the mood! Actually, instead of Christmas music (which you have the whole month to get around to and enjoy), how about some good, old video game music? That's what I'm stuffing in my readers' stockings this December all month long with SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs.
This first full work week of December sees us traveling to a quaint animal-filled village with Animal Crossing: Wild World. From there, the pace quickens and the action heats up with music from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and a related game, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. The only good thing that war is good for is that it brought us Battalion Wars 2, which has a song featured this week. Finally, we get cool and relaxed with a jam from Yoshi's Story.
For all past VGM volumes on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs' past editions, check out the VGM Database with this link. Now, let's get on to the music!
v1516. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - 7 AM
Ah, just in time for the relatively recent release of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp! Animal Crossing: Wild World came out around the time I first got seriously involved in online gaming. Even such a limited (even for the time) online infrastructure would amaze someone like me who hadn't any experience playing a video game online. Wild World holds a special nostalgic place in my gaming heart, as I played with online folks I had never met, yet we enjoyed the company of one another in our online towns. The music of the Animal Crossing series also brings many memories coming back, and certainly tugs on my nostalgia greatly.
v1517. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS) - With Mila's Divine Protection
My first actual Fire Emblem game I've played through and beaten was the Nintendo 3DS's Fire Emblem: Awakening, which I imagine was a starting point for many other players outside of those who jumped in with the Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games. When I heard this theme within this past spring's Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, it sounded the memory bells. I knew this song. I heard it originally in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Hearing it remixed in an actual Fire Emblem game, and in the remake of the original Fire Emblem game it appeared in, was so satisfying to me as a listener.
v1518. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (Wii U) - Mid Boss Battle
There are a handful of Wii U games that need to make the jump over to the Nintendo Switch. There are obvious ones, but Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was a late Wii U offering that released when the system was on its way out and most of the gaming world had its sights on the Switch. For those who gave this JRPG a try, however, they experienced a rewarding game that they would probably recommend to others. Unfortunately, the game's currently stuck on the Wii U. Perhaps a Switch port would give it a bigger audience? HINT! HINT!
v1519. Battalion Wars 2 (Wii) - Scorched Earth
Related to the Advance Wars series here in the West (and in Japan, even earlier than that with the Famicom Wars line of games), the Battalion Wars series forgoes the strategy RPG aspects of the Wars series for standard real time war gameplay, whether players assume the role of an infantryman, enter a vehicle like a tank, plane, or battleship. Battalion Wars 2 features similar gameplay to the GameCube original and expands on the types of missions included for an overall grander campaign. The symphonic score such as this piece played during the "Scorched Earth" mission highlights the exciting action on battlefields both big and small.
v1520. Yoshi's Story (N64) - Yo-Yo-Yoshi
Yoshi's Story's soundtrack features a lot of tunes that use the same melody to greater and lesser extents. This time around, the theme appears in limited quantities while the main star of the show is the "Yo-Yo-Yoshi" vocals popping up in this heavily funky tune. Yo-Yo-Yoshi is generally played in Yoshi's Story's cavern levels as Yoshi explores labyrinthine mazes searching for fruit to gobble up, preferably melons.
This first full work week of December sees us traveling to a quaint animal-filled village with Animal Crossing: Wild World. From there, the pace quickens and the action heats up with music from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and a related game, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. The only good thing that war is good for is that it brought us Battalion Wars 2, which has a song featured this week. Finally, we get cool and relaxed with a jam from Yoshi's Story.
For all past VGM volumes on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs' past editions, check out the VGM Database with this link. Now, let's get on to the music!
v1516. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - 7 AM
Ah, just in time for the relatively recent release of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp! Animal Crossing: Wild World came out around the time I first got seriously involved in online gaming. Even such a limited (even for the time) online infrastructure would amaze someone like me who hadn't any experience playing a video game online. Wild World holds a special nostalgic place in my gaming heart, as I played with online folks I had never met, yet we enjoyed the company of one another in our online towns. The music of the Animal Crossing series also brings many memories coming back, and certainly tugs on my nostalgia greatly.
v1517. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS) - With Mila's Divine Protection
My first actual Fire Emblem game I've played through and beaten was the Nintendo 3DS's Fire Emblem: Awakening, which I imagine was a starting point for many other players outside of those who jumped in with the Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games. When I heard this theme within this past spring's Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, it sounded the memory bells. I knew this song. I heard it originally in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Hearing it remixed in an actual Fire Emblem game, and in the remake of the original Fire Emblem game it appeared in, was so satisfying to me as a listener.
v1518. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (Wii U) - Mid Boss Battle
There are a handful of Wii U games that need to make the jump over to the Nintendo Switch. There are obvious ones, but Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was a late Wii U offering that released when the system was on its way out and most of the gaming world had its sights on the Switch. For those who gave this JRPG a try, however, they experienced a rewarding game that they would probably recommend to others. Unfortunately, the game's currently stuck on the Wii U. Perhaps a Switch port would give it a bigger audience? HINT! HINT!
v1519. Battalion Wars 2 (Wii) - Scorched Earth
Related to the Advance Wars series here in the West (and in Japan, even earlier than that with the Famicom Wars line of games), the Battalion Wars series forgoes the strategy RPG aspects of the Wars series for standard real time war gameplay, whether players assume the role of an infantryman, enter a vehicle like a tank, plane, or battleship. Battalion Wars 2 features similar gameplay to the GameCube original and expands on the types of missions included for an overall grander campaign. The symphonic score such as this piece played during the "Scorched Earth" mission highlights the exciting action on battlefields both big and small.
v1520. Yoshi's Story (N64) - Yo-Yo-Yoshi
Yoshi's Story's soundtrack features a lot of tunes that use the same melody to greater and lesser extents. This time around, the theme appears in limited quantities while the main star of the show is the "Yo-Yo-Yoshi" vocals popping up in this heavily funky tune. Yo-Yo-Yoshi is generally played in Yoshi's Story's cavern levels as Yoshi explores labyrinthine mazes searching for fruit to gobble up, preferably melons.
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