This year of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs starts things off right with music from a wide range of games, from the bright and colorful to the dark and macabre. There's some Darksiders II to start this edition off on the right foot. We then go full mascot with music from Ty the Tasmanian Tiger and Crash Nitro Kart. Following that, we learn the concept of love with Jet Set Radio Future. Finally, MadWorld raps us back home.
If you're still interested in looking back on the past before moving towards the future, check out the VGM Database for all past VGM volumes spotlighted during this segment.
v1046. Darksiders II (Multi) - Guardian Boss
We start this new year of VGMs off with a tense orchestral theme, perfect for a boss encounter. This theme comes from Darksiders II, a game that recently saw a "Deathinitive" edition release on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. I played a lesser version on the Wii U, but overall, if you like an enjoyable mix of God of War-style combo-based combat and Legend of Zelda-esque dungeons, puzzles, and exploration, then Darksiders II might be worth checking out.
v1047. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (PS2, GCN, XBX) - Bridge on the River Ty
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger was one of the games on my backlog that I went through on my holiday vacation. Going back to that collect-a-thon style platformer was quite a trip, but other than the quality of the game (which was good), the one thing that surprised me most from my time with the game is how nice the soundtrack is. This theme plays during the eponymous level, taking place under a nighttime sky with spiders, cockroaches, and a frog you need to escort to his home.
v1048. Crash Nitro Kart (PS2, GCN, XBX) - Main Menu
My adventure in backlogging stayed around the PlayStation 2 generation of game platforms, as you can see with last month's Review Round-Up. After playing some of Crash Nitro Kart, the Vicarious Visions-developed Crash Team Racing sequel that pretty much takes everything from Naughty Dog's fantastic PS1 racer and just reiterates on it, I see myself really liking the game for what it is. By no means does it surpass Naughty Dog's effort, but it does indeed deserve more praise for getting what Crash Team Racing offered and delivering it well.
v1049. Jet Set Radio Future (XBX) - Concept of Love
When SEGA went third-party after the underachieving Dreamcast, the company released games on all three then-current platforms, the PlayStation 2, the GameCube, and the Xbox. The latter received some of the most striking content from SEGA, games like Shenmue 2, Crazy Taxi 3, and yes, Jet Set Radio Future. With SEGA releasing the original Jet Set Radio digitally, it makes sense to have the hope that the Xbox-only sequel will finally get to be played by more people with a digital release on current gen consoles.
v1050. MadWorld (Wii) - Survival
Platinum Games turns ten this year. Now, that's more of an achievement than posting the final first edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs of 2016, I'll admit. The company of former Capcom/Clover Studio devs has made some truly fantastic titles in their tenure, and while MadWorld isn't the studio's brightest work, it does offer an absolutely sensational soundtrack. When a soundtrack can turn me onto a genre I don't normally listen to, that's also one heck of an achievement.
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