They won't have to wait much longer, though, as the powers that be at Nintendo of Japan recently announced a June 30th release date for this so-called "re-imagining."
Will the resulting release be worth the wait? Based on the Japanese version's rather snazzy box art (below), I'm going to go out on a limb and say, yes, it'll be well worth the wait--for the five or so gamers who are looking forward to it.
For the sake of comparison, here's the art that graced the cover of the North American version of the game:
I wouldn't go so far as to call the box art above ugly, but I'd definitely say it looks a bit cheap next to its classy Japanese counterpart.
Which one do you guys and gals prefer?
See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts
Gonna go with JP on this one again, just because I think it's more interesting and classy. The NA one is trying way too hard to feature that gun, as if I don't know that they feature prominently in this game or something.
ReplyDeleteI will say that the JP box has a lot of text on it compared to the NA one, which makes it lose a couple of points. Still, all the logos/text are on the bottom, out of the way of our dashing gentleman up there.
Oh, and black system logo wins yet again this time!
I'm gonna agree with you and Kamiwoo and say that the Japanese cover art is far superior to the NA art. I agree that they could've done without all of the text at the bottom, especially the "1-4 players" bit. I mean, most games don't feel the need that right on the front cover...
ReplyDeleteHow come Japan gets all the classy black logos, and we don't see any of that abroad?
Ooh, that Japanese cover is pretty snappy. I especially like that they sometimes get black cases with their games. I don't think that's happened here yet (although we have the red case here and there).
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Goldeneye and Japan... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP5c_MEs9mo
You're right about all of the text on the Japanese box art, Kamiwoo. I wonder why that's there -- and what it says? I can't imagine the N64 original was a huge seller in Japan, although I could easily be wrong about that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love the black box and logo that are used for certain Japanese Wii releases, too :)
Apricotsushi: I'm with you -- why don't we ever see those cool black Wii boxes and logos outside of Japan? I would think they'd be quite popular when used with more "mature" games like this one.
ReplyDeleteYeah, as far as I know Nintendo has yet to use the black boxes/logos outside of Japan, Marcus. Not sure why -- maybe congruity?
ReplyDeleteAs for your link -- that is *too* funny! I read about that meme earlier today, but I didn't actually watch the video that showed it off. I'm glad you forced me to reconsider :)
I was thinking you might like a translation–then I decided against it when I commented for something. But since you're curious, it's something like this:
ReplyDelete"Kill, or be killed.
Gather together for a tense and exciting shootout."
They're really trying to sell the multiplayer, heh. (by the way, translating short Japanese slogans is surprisingly hard!)
I seem to be writing too fast and then not double-checking before I comment. Sorry about that! I think I meant "I decided against it when I commented for some reason" haha
ReplyDeleteThank you for the translation, apricotsushi! I'm glad you decided to change your mind :)
ReplyDeleteAs for the content of the translation -- it does seem like they're trying to sell the multiplayer, which I guess makes sense.
It'll be interesting to see how the game does in Japan. I doubt it'll do tremendously well, but who really knows at this point?
I do like that down the barrel look on the japanese one. Classier as you say.
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese version of the cover is too Bond generic. It could've been for any of James Bond's movie based game:
ReplyDelete- Tomorrow Never Dies
- The World is Not Enough
- Die Another Day
Whereas the American version puts literal meaning of the title "Golden Eye" by putting a golden glow on James Bond's silhouette.
The American image is so descriptive of both "James Bond" and "Golden Eye". Not just "any James Bond game will do with this cover".
Cheers
Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI like the Japanese one more. The other one looks more like Daniel Craig for one thing... :|
ReplyDeleteThe immigayrant: You know what? Now that you mention it, I agree with you that the Japanese cover is "Bond generic" and the North American one is more specific to the game and title. Still, if I had to choose one, I'd choose the Japanese one because its design is a bit cleaner. That's just my opinion, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sean and Simon! As for the guy in the NA art looking like Daniel Craig -- I think I see it, too!
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Japanese one is very predictable, I think it actually pulled it off well, it looks very good. The NA one looks boring as hell IMO :(
ReplyDeleteJapan, FTW.
ReplyDeleteThanks Justin and Trxd! It's interesting to hear the varied opinions on this one.
ReplyDeleteHoly S word, that is some sexy cover art. Why in the goddamn hell do N.American games have the shittiest art? It's fucking lame! ANGRY!
ReplyDeleteTell me how you really feel, J! Just kidding :) Anyway, yes, the Japanese art is pretty sexy, isn't it?
ReplyDelete