tl;dr get the Korg M1 VST, it's 99 USD
I started typing all of this and it turned out longer than expected, so that's why i decided to put the tl;dr on top
If you'd like to read the full answer, then it will start bellow this line!
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Hmmm, this is a hard one
I recently got EastWest Hollywoord Pop Brass because i was lacking good trumpet/brass VST's, especially when it came to stabby stuff and higher frequency brass and trumpet sounds (this is especially important for stuff like JRPG battle themes for example)
But i wouldn't say i have used it enough to properly reccomend it yet
The Korg M1 Legacy collection, now /that/ is something i can reccomend in a heartbeat, it has all those cool Sonic Mania instruments, and far more than that too
What i really love about the Korg M1 Legacy is that it compliments my primarily Roland (Touhou + many "classic Nintendo" sounds) and Yamaha (PS1 + Japanese visual novels + more) instrument "vibes" very well
I feel like the Korg M1 instruments have a kind of "character" that some of my love for traditional Roland vibes (SC-88pro, SD-90, XV5080) lacks, but it's not like, the kind of lacking where it's emptiness, but more like, the kind of feeling where you feel like you wish it was "slightly different in this specific hard to describe way"
Like....how do i put this...
You know when you're listening to Titanic Monarch Act 1 from Sonic Mania and you hear those "cool bells"?
Well, i feel like bells is something that the Korg M1 just does very differently compared to the Roland stuff i have, and Sonic Mania and Tee Lopes's music in general have really convinced me about the power of Korg stuff
Oh, and his trumpets, they're really iconic, like REALLY fucking iconic, once you hear "the Sonic mania trumpet", you can never forget it, it's like how the ZUNpet makes the SD-90 iconic, the Tee Lopes trumpet, or, the "lopespet", is what really helps give that game's music, and the game as a whole, such a recogniseable and memorable idendity
There's also of course Castlevania Symphony of the Night!!!
Have you ever wondered where those cool organs from the Marble Gallery or those beautiful bells from Lost Painting where from?
It's the Korg M1!
Oh, and of course there's also Revo from Sound/Linked Horizon, i think he still uses Korg samples, even in modern orchestral productions, like those "anime sparkles" that he uses in almost every song in Bravely Default, well, that one is from the Korg Triton i think...? Or was it Korg Trinity...?
Anyways, basically, i feel like Korg instruments are often underestimated in the general video game music world, they really have an interesting and unique vibe that can compliment a lot of existing VST/hardware collections
This is why i reccomend the Korg M1, it's a good starting point, and contains many iconic instruments, its layering and editing options are also fun to mess around with, i didn't regret it for a second, even though it may get some time to get used to the interface, and i reccomend keeping a note app or piece of paper with you to write down your favourite presets, because it can be hard to find them again if you lose them
