Thursday, November 29, 2012

Speaking of Japanese games with great box art ...

... here are a few recentlyish (don't worry, I know that's not a real word) revealed pieces of cover art that I can't help but find appealing.


1. Phantasy Star Online 2 (Vita)--As far as I can tell, the illustration you see above will only appear on some sort of special edition of Sega's upcoming (it's due out sometime in 2013) online RPG. I say "as far as I can tell," of course, because I know next to nothing about Phantasy Star Online 2. Based on how I feel about this particular piece of box art, though, I think I'm going to have to educate myself about it soon. (Note: I do wish this example featured about three or four fewer logos, as the bottom edge, in particular, is more than a bit cluttered at the moment.)


2. Fate/Extra CCC (PSP)--Oh, hey, another soon-to-be-released game that's as foreign to me as, well, soy sauce Kit Kats. Like Phantasy Star Online 2's cover art (above), though, this PSP RPG's packaging makes me want to know more about both it and its predecessor, Fate/Extra. (Speaking of which, have any of you played Fate/Extra? If so, would you recommend it to someone who generally enjoys dungeon-crawling RPGs?)


3. Fantasy Life (3DS)--Don't worry, I'm not going to say for a third time that I'm clueless when it comes to one of the games I'm highlighting here. In fact, I know quite a bit about Level-5's Harvest Moon clone, as I've been paying attention to it since it was first announced as a sprite-based DS title. Anyway, it's still unknown as to whether or not this one will make its way across the pond, but I'm hoping beyond hope that it is--especially if the folks at Level-5's North American arm decide to use this piece of cover art, too.


4. Disgaea D2 (PS3)--I know what at least a few of you are thinking right now: "Ugh. This one's just your typical 'crowd of characters' box art that's all too common in Japan." Although I agree with that reaction, I'm still pretty fond of this take on that tired trope--thanks in no small part to its effusive use of color.


5. Atelier Totori Plus (Vita)--Gust's Atelier series has intrigued for as long as I've been aware of it. For strange reason, though, I've yet to pick up one of them and give them a try. Considering I don't own a Vita and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon, I can't imagine I'll be starting with the beautifully packaged Atelier Totori Plus. That said, it's possible I'll buy this game's PS3-based counterpart sometime next year--assuming I also purchase the system that's capable of playing it.

What do all of you think of the pieces of cover above? Do you love them? Hate them? Or maybe you're completely indifferent to them?