SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "A Different Day for a Special Milestone" Edition

No worries, all. I wasn't late with posting SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs this week. This edition being posted on a Tuesday serves a purpose as this is a very special edition of the Favorite VGMs indeed. We've finally arrived at the historic 1500th VGM volume of this long-running SPC staple as of this edition's conclusion! That means that this weekly series has now delivered 1,500 different video game songs to this site's readers from hundreds of different games across dozens of platforms!

Let's strike while the iron's hot and go in to what games are featured this week in this very special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. Two Nintendo 3DS kick things off in the form of Metroid: Samus Returns and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (coincidentally, the latter being a game that will be reviewed later this week). Moving on from two Nintendo 3DS games we turn to two Nintendo GameCube games, F-Zero GX and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. Finally, the main star of this week's edition, the 1500th VGM is here, and it is a theme from Banjo-Kazooie, one of the best 3D platformers ever created, at least to a certain SuperPhillip Central writer here (wink, wink).

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs will resume its regular schedule of being posted on Mondays next week. Until then, check out this week's selection of tunes (just click on each volume's link to be redirected to the YouTube video featuring it), and as always, click on the VGM Database for all previous 1495 VGM volumes. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1496. Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS) - Surface of SR388

Let's start off this special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs with the awesome return of Samus Aran and the Metroid franchise. After an absence of games since the Wii's Metroid: Other M, Metroid as a franchise exited from its 2D hibernation and graced fans with a remarkable Nintendo 3DS adventure. Metroid: Samus Returns serves as a reworking of Metroid II, originally on the Game Boy, and made for a better game, at least in this writer's opinion. One of my favorite themes from the Game Boy classic returned on the Nintendo 3DS in superior-sounding glory, the surface theme for planet SR388!

v1497. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (3DS) - Hoohoo Village

We go from a re-imagining to a complete remake with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, also for the Nintendo 3DS. (Slightly off-topic but too good not to include: expect a full review from SuperPhillip Central later this week!) Using the graphics engine of the previous Mario & Luigi games on the Nintendo 3DS, Superstar Saga was rebuilt and included some new improvements and even a bonus mode as well for posterity. The music was also updated courtesy of original composer Yoko Shimomura. This theme's named specially in the sound test of the game, but let's just stick with the name of the area the song plays to keep it simple!

v1498. F-Zero GX (GCN) - Cover of Mute City

F-Zero's Mute City theme has been heard in countless forms in and out of F-Zero games, but the one played in F-Zero GX is one of my favorites. This particular version is an unlockable within F-Zero GX that you can substitute for the techno/electronic theme that ordinarily plays on the Mute City tracks within the game. Along with this musical version of Mute City being one of my favorites, F-Zero GX happens to be my personal favorite F-Zero entry in the entire franchise. Here's hoping a Nintendo console will get the taste of another high-octane F-Zero game that will fulfill thirsty fans' need for speed.

v1499. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (GCN) - Battle for Storm Hill

Another GameCube game on this week's edition is Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. I'm probably not telling you anything you didn't already know, but the team behind this nontraditional 2D platformer (after all, you control it by banging on a bongo drum, for Cranky Kong's sake!) would make their next game for Wii. It's something you might have heard of or read about called Super Mario Galaxy. In fact, this Friday they have a new game called Super Mario Odyssey that might make some waves. Who knows, though -- I'm not that smart when it comes to game predictions.

v1500. Banjo-Kazooie (N64, XBLA) - Gruntilda's Lair

Here we are with a special game for a special VGM volume number! It's Banjo-Kazooie, one of my favorite 3D platformers and games of all time, and its song, Gruntilda's Lair, is the one represented as VGM volume #1500! Based off the villain's theme, this jaunty and spirited song plays while exploring the hub world of Banjo-Kazooie. Much larger than Peach's Castle in size, Gruntilda's Lair shows that bigger isn't always better, as more rooms to platform through means time it takes to get through it. Still, with this playful theme at your side, that's not too much of an annoyance.