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.
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