SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - SuperPhillip's Birthday Blowout Edition

Today is my birthday, and I'm celebrating it not only with dinner with the family but with five brand-new VGMs to share with the SPC faithful (and the not-so SPC faithful)! Volumes 51-55 will consist of titles like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Tales of Symphonia, and Gran Turismo 4! Are you ready to put on your birthday hats and crack out the noisemakers? Here we go!

v51. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1) - The Tragic Prince


What was your first foray into the dark of night with Castlevania, if any? Mine was the Nintendo DS's wonderful Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. In fact, I like it more than Symphony of the Night. Is it purely because I played Dawn of Sorrow first? Quite possibly so. Regardless, I cannot deny that Symphony of the Night was a tremendous game all on its own, too. Just when you thought you beat the game, nope-- you had the upside-down castle to trek through. What a surprise for this stellar game!

v52. The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Wii) -
First Sky Duel


The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is yet another overlooked gem in the sea of under-appreciated titles for the Nintendo Wii. Made by Project Aces, masters of the Ace Combat franchise, this anime tie-in game was quite challenging to play, but the soundtrack made me come back to it time and time again. The insanely catchy and outstanding songs that accompanied the intense dog-fighting action games from Project Aces are known for were all amazing on the ears as evident by First Sky Duel, one of many combat themes heard in-game.

v53. Tales of Symphonia (GCN) - Old Familiar Scent of Iselia


This song is a quaint reminder of home. Iselia is the opening town in Tales of Symphonia, a game that was like a wet tasty tonic for the desert which was RPGs on the Nintendo GameCube. Was the game good because it had no competition on the 'Cube, or was the game good just because it was of fair quality? I vote for the latter. The chibi-inspired cel-shaded characters, the Motoi Sakuraba soundtrack, and the exciting and engrossing battle system all meshed together to create a significant exclusive for the GameCube. In Japan, Tales of Symphonia would appear on Sony's PlayStation 2.

v54. Dragonball Z: Budokai (PS2, GCN) - Challengers


Kenji Yamamoto is a name you should know, but he's not who you think he is. Confused? Kenji Yamamoto is the man who does many of the Metroid soundtracks, but the Kenji Yamamoto in this case who composed the music for various Dragonball games and shows is not that man. Still confused? Well, I can't really help you there. Regardless, Challengers is one sensational battle theme full of great guitar thrashing and harmonious chords. My older brother was a huge fan of these games, but I didn't get into them until Budokai Tenkaichi 2 on Wii and PS2. Perhaps I was missing out, but reviews don't seem to indicate that.

v55. Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) - Moon Over the Castle


Gran Turismo 4 was my first introduction to the driving simulator genre. I did not go all hardcore with it and purchase a driving wheel to get a truly authentic feel for the game, but I did sit through multiple six hours races, purchasing new, more capable cars with the cash I won from sweet victory after sweet victory. Moon Over the Castle is a theme that is synonymous with Gran Turismo, and the fourth version is something spectacular. It begins with a humble Latin chorus before kicking it into third gear with some hard rock. This is a version of the theme that I had never heard. It is the extended version. Enjoy.

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That ends the VGMs for this week, but the birthday bash has just begun. Stay tuned later in the day for more video game-related material right here at SuperPhillip Central!