If so: surprise!
Anyway, folks who have done their best to ignore Sony's first handheld while it was still au courant may be shocked to hear this, but the PSP has showcased some pretty great examples of box art since it hit store shelves nearly eight years ago.
My favorite such creations were produced for Japanese PSP games, of course, so those are the ones I'm planning to focus on in this post. (Oh, and look for me to highlight five more of my favorite pieces of Japanese PSP cover art in a follow-up post that'll be published next week.)
1. Final Fantasy Type-0--I nearly didn't include this one here simply because I'm still mad that Square Enix has thus far failed to release it in North America in any form. In the end, though, I just couldn't leave such a beautiful piece of cover art off of a list like this.
2. Hyakumanton no Bara Bara--This piece of box art is the main reason I wish Patchwork Heroes had received a retail release here in the States. Also, it's the main reason I'm constantly finding myself this close to picking up a copy of the Japanese version. Do I really need two copies of this adorable action-puzzler? No, but, man, I'd sure like to be able to look over and see this box sitting on my (non-existant) game shelf.
3. Parodius Portable--I'm pretty sure only folks who have hearts of stone fail to be impressed by Parodius Portable's colorful cover illustration. OK, so people who have phobias related to flying pigs, mustachioed octopi or bunny girls riding oversized bullets are likely to be unimpressed, too, but everyone else should grin from ear to ear upon catching a glimpse of it.
4. Rockman Rockman--Although there's absolutely nothing wrong with the imagery that appeared on this title's North American packaging (note: it's known as Mega Man Powered Up here), I can't help but wish we'd received the box art that greeted Japanese gamers when they went searching for it in early 2006 instead.
5. Yuusha no Kuse Ni Namaikida--How's this for strange? Although the North American version of this wacky strategy game features basically the same art as the Japanese original, I've always preferred the latter. I guess I just find Yuusha no Kuse Ni Namaikida's logo more appealing than that of Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do To Deserve This? Whatever. Both are pretty darn attractive--and do a great job of giving buyers a peek into the title's retro-inspired gameplay.
See also: 'Five favorites: Japanese DS box art' and 'Five favorites: Japanese Wii box art'