Don't go looking for it on Japanese store shelves, though; the game, now called Excite Mou-Machine, will be offered to that country's Wii owners as a Club Nintendo bonus.
The game got more than a new name before it boarded its plane to Japan. As you'll see below, it got a new look, too. For the sake of comparison, here's the North American version's box art:
And this is the art that will grace the cover of the Japanese release:
Which one do you prefer? Personally, I prefer Excite Mou-Machine's box art, although I'm sure I'm in the minority. Don't get me wrong, I quite like Excitebots
' art--mainly because it does a much better job of depicting the title's gameplay--just not as much as I like the quirky, Pokémon-esque cover of its Japanese counterpart.(Via andriasang.com)
10 comments:
I'd go for the top one in this case, no contest! I haven't actually played the game though (or even heard of it until now) :P
Fair enough, Simon! Why do you prefer the top one, BTW? Because it's more action-oriented, because it better shows off the gameplay, etc? Just curious :)
I kind of like the Japanese art better...which is weird for me, since I'm usually the one who dislikes box art that doesn't do anything to explain the game in any way. But...it's kind of adorable. The US version never made me want to play it, but that little black beetle car on the cover would get me to check it out.
It is adorable, isn't it? Of course, I think that's what Nintendo of Japan is going for. That makes sense, as I'm not sure Japanese Wii owners would go for the game if it used the NA box art. As it is, they may pick it up thinking it's a Pokemon-based racer, or something like that :P
BTW, I think I could write about Excite Mou-Machine in a future edition of "Reasons I'm Bat-Shit Crazy," as I seriously want that version of the game thanks to it box art.
Why didn't you compare the European box art. Oh yeah... :<
Hayden! Nice to see you around these parts again :)
Anyway, yes, it's head-scratchingly sad that Excitebots has yet to see a release in Europe, isn't it? Really, NOA and NOE have been so weird this generation...
If you *really* want the game, though, you likely could pick up a copy from North America on the cheap these days -- and play it on you Wii after soft-modding it.
I like the Japanese art better -- especially the freaky one right in the middle. The NA art looks like a budget title. I haven't figured out why yet (maybe because of the blue sky? Budget Wii games all try to look blue and happy), but anyways, yeah.
Ah, you like that frog-like vehicle, eh, Zigfried? I like it, too -- and the black beetle-like one, of course.
As for the NA art looking like a budget title -- I can see that. That said, I do think it does a better job than the JP art a(which I also prefer) of showing what the gameplay is like.
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if Japanese gamers show any interest in this one at all. Of course, we'll probably never really know, since it isn't going to be sold in stores...
Meh they both look pretty neat, but I like the Japanese version slightly better.
Yeah, they both have an appeal, don't they? I really *want* that Japanese one, though :P
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