1. Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damashii--I've yet to add this game, known as Me & My Katamari outside of Japan, to my slowly but surely growing PSP collection due to the rather negative word of mouth that has dogged it since its release in 2005. I have a feeling I'll do so eventually, though, thanks to its beautiful box art. The question is: Do I pony up for the Japanese release or its North American counterpart, which also sports a rather attractive cover illustration?
2. Corpse Party -The Anthology- Hysteric Birthday 2U--Admittedly, this game features one of the most ridiculous names I've come across to date (and that's saying a lot given the Japanese gaming industry's propensity for weird titles). Its moody box art, on the other hand, is anything but ridiculous. In fact, I'd say it's downright gorgeous. If only the folks at Xseed Games could be convinced to bring it stateside along with the forthcoming Corpse Party: Book of Shadows.
3. Grand Knights History--It would have been easy to spitefully leave this game's cover art out of this post due to the North American version's painful (and prolonged) cancelation. That would have deprived people of one of the year's best pieces of box art--regardless of system--though, so I decided against it. Just don't hold it against me if the reminder causes you to tear out your hair or punch a hole in your wall, OK?
3. Grand Knights History--It would have been easy to spitefully leave this game's cover art out of this post due to the North American version's painful (and prolonged) cancelation. That would have deprived people of one of the year's best pieces of box art--regardless of system--though, so I decided against it. Just don't hold it against me if the reminder causes you to tear out your hair or punch a hole in your wall, OK?
4. Nayuta no Kiseki--I know this admission will cause some of you to clutch your pearls, but before I read this blog post over at Unlimited Zig Works I knew next to nothing about Falcom's Nayuta no Kiseki. Don't worry, I know all about it now--or at least enough to know that I desperately want to get my hands on a copy of it. Surprisingly, that's mainly due to the game's swoon-worthy graphics and not its packaging--although I'd obviously be lying if I said I wasn't a bit smitten with that, too.
5. R-Type Tactics--What can I say about this particular selection? Although I love ornate cover art as much as the next gamer, I also love cover art that's simple--as long as it's still elegant and attractive, of course. Well, R-Type Tactics' cover imagery--which with its surprising use of silhouettes and its smoldering color scheme--checks each of those boxes and then some, in my opinion.
See also: 'Five favorites: Japanese PSP box art'
38 comments:
Great box-arts again! But I really like the european box-art of "Me & my Katamari" even more than the japanese. I really loooooove all Katamari-games and own all except "Katamari Damacy" which was never released in Europe. I think my favourite is the PS3-Version "Katamari Forever" but the controls of "Me & my Katamari" was just aweful... too sad because except the PSvita version "Touch my Katamari" there is no game for a portable handhelds. :(
BTW: have you watched the Animal Crossing movie yet? No Problem if not but I really want to know what you think about it.
Hey there, Lizzi! You guys didn't get the first Katamari Damacy game? How sad!
I've heard that the controls in Me & My Katamari are horrible, by the way. That's sad, too :( As such, I'm guessing you wouldn't recommend it?
Sorry, I haven't watched the AC movie yet. No time! Maybe this weekend?
More great choices! But I must admit I've never heard of Nayuta no Kiseki either. The article says it's like Ys but too easy (or would that be "too Ysy"?). But that's been my problem with every Ys game -- they start out great, and then I get stuck on some impossible boss early on. And they don't make it easy to level up either. So it sounds like this one's perfect for me.
Thanks, Steve! Also, like you, I don't think I'd mind much if Nayuta is/was too easy. Back in the day that would've bothered me, but now I just want to have some fun, you know? Still, I'm not sure I'll be getting this one anytime soon, as most copies I find on eBay, etc., are pretty pricey.
No, "Me & My Katamari" is a game I would NOT recommend :(
Ah! Well, thanks for letting me know. Maybe I'll save my money for something more worthy then :)
Thanks for reminding me about Nayuta no Kiseki. :(
I'm a fan of the box arts for Way of the Samurai Portable, Onore no Shinzuru Michi o Yuke, and Juusei to Diamond. The Boku no Natsuyasumi Portable box arts are great too, but they're the same as their PS2 counterparts. In between this post and the last though, you made some great choices.
Hello again! Oh, I like Onore no Shinzuru Michi o Yuke's box art, too. I only just became aware of it, though, so I didn't include it here (I feel I have to spend some time with it before declaring it one of my favorites, you know?). I'll have to look up the others you mentioned shortly. In the meantime, though, thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the rewelcome! There's a demo available on the game's official website that I instantly fell in love with, and if it weren't for the fact that I heard the game becomes obtuse towards the end, I would've snatched it up immediately based off of that demo alone. As it is, your two box art posts are making me regret selling my PSP.
Yeah, I've also heard that things become a bit obtuse near the end of Onore no Shinzuru Michi o Yuke. Still, I'd like to pick it up someday.
If you don't mind me asking: Why did you sell your PSP? Did you want/need to use the money for something else, or were you just not that interested in the system or its games anymore?
I just went and looked at the screenshots for Onore no Shinzuru Michi o Yuke on hg101 (http://hardcoregaming101.net/oreike/oreike.htm). Holy crap, that game looks amazing! I wonder if I can get that demo working on my PSP...
I sold it because I figured that once I bought my Vita I'd go all digital with my PSP games, and since the PSP games I owned (namely Ys) were on PSN, I could use the money from my PSP and UMD games to rebuy them on PSN. I ended up only getting $20 for my PSP because of an Amazon screwup on my part, so the plan worked less well than I had hoped. There are a few games that look a bit ugly on the Vita, like Patchwork Heroes, but all in all, I like the Vita much more for PSP games.
There are some imports I'd love to get--namely the Parodius and Twinbee packs, but I don't have the disposable income and won't for the foreseeable future, so I'll just cross my fingers that the Vita gets the same amazing catalog that the PSP did.
Ah, glad I could make you aware of it, Steve! Like I said earlier, I only became aware of it a short while ago (thanks to someone on Twitter). I really have to pick up a copy of it at some point...
Grand Knights History looks awesome. But is the game any good?
Ah, that makes sense. Sorry you kind of screwed up the sale of your PSP, though :(
It's sad to hear that Patchwork Heroes doesn't look so great on the Vita. Is it because of the resolution difference or something?
I also want the Parodius and Twinbee deluxe packs, by the way. Not sure when I'll get them, though. Too many damn systems to support right now and far from enough money to do so. Oh, well, at least I have a roof over my head and food to eat.
That's a good question, Tom! Based on what i've read of the Japanese version, it sounds interesting--but maybe not what many people expected? Apparently it's very much focused on online play, which kind of surprised me. Anyway, I guess I'll never know myself if it's good or not since the US release was cancelled :(
Hi there, I'm the guy that wrote the Nayuta no Kiseki article over at UZW. I saw the comment that you were looking on eBay for copies of the game, and thought I'd help you out a bit. Falcom's very own website has an english-speaking email correspondent, so ordering directly from Falcom is merely a matter of exchanging a few emails. It may be able to save you a few bucks.
http://www.falcom.co.jp/mailorder/attention/howto.html
Scroll down to "International Orders" for English instructions. It may be better for you than import sites.
Hey there, Espiga! Thanks for chiming in here -- and especially for letting me know about the international sales section of Falcom's eshop. I'll have to keep it in mind when I go looking for a copy of the game in early 2013. Thanks again :)
Sad but true...
But "Touck my Katamari" on Vita is a great game! I love the new touch-function :D
Interesting! I haven't heard much about the Vita version before now, to tell you the truth. I kind of wish Namco would make one for the 3DS, but I guess that'll never happen :(
Yeah I guess you're right :( This series was only released on Sony consoles so I think they don't change that. But you never know!
Monster Hunter switched from Sony to Nintendo so it's not impossible. I would recommend "Touch my Katamari" to Katamari-fans but not to everyone because the Katamari-games are kinda special. I think most "core-gamer" would not be so impressed by it. I guess it's a matter of taste when it comes to Katamari :)
I'm going to make a priority to try it so I can blog about it soon, but I've heard similar things about the online play. I'm also worried because I've heard they block foreign IPs? If that's the case then a big portion of the game will be inaccessible which will be a shame
All great choices, again, Bryan! I have to say, though I don't normally reject localization possibilities, I really don't want XSEED to put their efforts into translating Corpse Party 2U. Remember my impressions of the demo? It's complete rubbish! Of course, this is coming from someone who is definitely not a fan of excessive fanservice. I'm very happy they're doing Book of Shadows first, which is actually horror :)
Lizzi, you're forgetting the Xbox 360 exclusive Beautiful Katamari. It's just Nintendo they hate.
Oh right! I own "Beautiful Katamari" but forgot it :3 Thanks Steve. Ok so the Katamari games are not ONLY on Sony-consoles since there is one game for 360. But still no Katamari for Nintendo :(
And I'm am so freakin' mad that the release of "Grand Knights History" has been canceled!!!!! òó
Hey you two (Steve and Lizzi): What do you think of this game? Is it worth owning if you've got a 360? I actually forgot it existed until you brought it up, Steve...
I hear ya, Lizzi! Normally I'd say that we need to learn Japanese and then buy that version of the game, but in this case that wouldn't help us much since the game's online community surely has dwindled by now.
I completely forgot you bought this game, Anne! I guess you have a bit of a backlog, too, eh?
BTW, I hate to burst your bubble, but I believe I've read that the game DOES block foreign IPs. Gah, why would a game-maker do this? So frustrating :(
Oh, yes, I definitely remember your impressions of the demo, Anne! And, really, I'm not feeling too desperate for Xseed or anyone else to localize this follow-up (side story?). I just like its name and cover art :)
Yes it is!!! It's great. I bought it before I owned my PS3 and I was just stunned. Actually when I bought "Katamari Forever" for PS3 I found out that the missions are exact the same. Only the story behind them is different. It is a classy great looking Katamari-game and I bet you would be happy with it. It's worth the money. The PSP-game was bad, "We love Katamari" is on PS2 and old and If you don't own a Vita but a Xbox 360 "Beautiful Katamari" is the best Katamari-game you could buy atm.
Well, that's definitely an endorsement if ever I've read one, Lizzi! I already own We Love Katamari, BTW -- just haven't played it yet :| Anyway, I'll have to see if I can find a cheap copy of Beautiful Katamari early next year...
You own "We love Katamari" and have never played it???!!! That the best Katamari-game in my opinion!!! I am so happy that I had the chance to buy a used copy because they're totally rare here in Germany (about 60€ and more for a used one). Please, please, please play it sometime! Of course in "Beautiful Katamari" are some bad controls fixed and it looks better but "We love Katamari" is just classic.
I know, I know ... It's just that I don't play my PS2 all that often these days. I've yet to play Chulip for this same reason. Anyway, I'll get to it eventually, don't you worry!
Oh, don't even get me started on my backlog... I actually have a *very small* post about it coming up shortly...
But oh man, if they really do block foreign IPs, I don't know if I'm ever really going to play it D: I'll at least have to give it a go...
I don't think that was a 'very small' post, Anne! Regardless, I really liked it -- as always :)
As for Grand Knights History: I'll try to find the NeoGAF thread on the game and send a link to you. I believe that's where I read that the game blocks foreign IPs. I hope I'm wrong though...
I second that :)
Its super trippy funny stuff - you just have to experience it ;)
And I like the music in that one too (Angel Rain being my fav).
You must try it out!! :D
That intro sequence LOL
OK, OK, I'll give it a try soon, I promise! :P
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