SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Valentine's Day Hangover Edition

We're still reeling from Valentine's Day, but we do have a new installment of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs to share with our readers. We've tried to create a collection of the best video game music ever released, and our list has been made up by hundreds of series and games for consoles and handhelds new and old. We add five more VGM volumes to our list with such themes from such games as Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy IX, and Sonic Unleashed.

v566. Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1) - A Chapel

This is from one of Phil's favorite soundtracks. Final Fantasy Tactics is a musical tour de force to him, that he considers composer Hitoshi Sakimoto's best work. Of course, Masaharu Iwata is credited as co-composer on the soundtrack, so it's not as if Sakimoto-san did all of the work. A Chapel is one of the themes heard in random encounters in Ivalice.

v567. Sonic Unleashed (PS3, 360) - Empire City - Day

The fun thing about Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks is that they don't focus on just one or two musical genres. Sonic Unleashed's Empire City - Day is a funky little theme that makes great use of the harmonica. It's important to note that Empire City and its subsequent Sonic and Werehog levels only appeared in the HD versions of Sonic Unleashed. Hence, why the Wii and PlayStation 2 are not mentioned in this volume.

v568. The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES) - Boss Battle

We're going back to the 16-bit era with the Super Nintendo's The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, the first in the Ganbare Goemon series to reach the West. The game is a mishmash of RPG, adventure, and platforming elements to create a title that is a must for 16-bit fans. The oriental soundtrack is superb, too, with the game's Boss Battle theme being one of the best of the very capable bunch.

v569. Final Fantasy IX (PS1) - Feel My Blade

Nobuo Uematsu is one of our favorite video game composers, offering some of the most memorable music in the medium by far. Feel My Blade, an early piece in Final Fantasy IX, is just another fantastic piece that is a part of Uematsu-san's impressive resume. It is a greatly paced theme that begins with a dramatic flair before leading into a fast-paced instrumental track.

v570. Dynasty Warriors Gundam (PS3, 360) - Speed and Tension

We aren't really interested in Japanese history, so the Dynasty Warriors series of games do little to excite us. However, playing a Dynasty Warriors game featuring an abundance of colossal mechanical suits of armor doing battle on land and in space does. It did so much that it made us seriously reconsider our relative indifference for the Dynasty Warriors series in general. One part of Dynasty Warriors Gundam that shines the brightest is its music. It stands strong, even through repeated plays of the same themes, which one who plays the game will definitely hear repeatedly.