Because I highlighted a handful of Japanese DS box arts in this previous blog post, I thought I'd focus on North American examples in this one. Look for a post about my favorite European DS box arts to be published late next week.
1. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime--You really can't go wrong with a piece of cover art that features the ever-adorable Dragon Quest slime, can you? That's not the only reason I like this one, though; I also like its bold use of color and its depiction of abject chaos.
2. Electroplankton--I've often been accused of being a bit too minimalist when it comes to home decor and other such things, so I guess it isn't exactly out of character for me to say I like this experimental game's rather austere box art.
3. Etrian Odyssey--Would you believe this has long been my favorite piece of DS cover art? I think that's mainly due to the fact that it's seemingly designed to look as though you're peeking into the pages of a most adventurous novel.
4. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney--I'm pretty fond of this box art's design, too. There's the cool perspective, for starters. Also, I like how "real" yelling and pointing Phoenix balances out the one included in the game's logo. Finally, the sense of drama is much appreciated.
5. The World Ends With You--The design folks at Square Enix regularly knock it out of the park when it comes to producing awesome cover art, and this example is no exception. My favorite part of this creation: the subtle pops of color that bring life to the otherwise monochromatic illustration.
See also: 'Five favorites: Japanese DS box art'
28 comments:
The World Ends With You - excellent game, and I concur that the box art is great too. :)
Thanks, Chalgyr! You can't go wrong with The World Ends With You in any context, can you? Now when are we going to get a 3DS-based sequel??
Great list! Though personally, I'd be inclined to swap Kingdom Hearts 358/2 in for Phoenix Wright ;-) Also, it's a shame that Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light has that iffy font, because the art on that cover is fantastic!
Hey there, Ryan! Thanks for the comment, as always. Anyway, just remember that the examples discussed in this post are just a sample of my favorites. Also, I agree with you about 4 Heroes of Light. I still think it's a pretty great cover, even with the wonky font/logo, but I don't think it's better than what I wrote about here. As for Kingdom Hearts 358/2's box art: that's a nice one, too, although it has a bit too much white space for my liking!
I love that Rocket Slime box. If I had to be blown up, I would like it to be by a Slime Cannonball, just so a psychotically-happy Slime happy face would be the last thing I see.
Also, also love TWEWY box (and the game was awesomesauce). :3
I've always been drawn to white space on game covers for some reason. I even love the "logo-only" Final Fantasy boxes! :-)
Ah, you're one of those people, eh? Just kidding :) Considering my love of minimalism, you'd think I'd also love the logo-only FF covers, but I don't! I also wouldn't say I hate them, though, so maybe there's hope for me yet :)
Ha! I like the way you think, Sonji! (Or do you prefer Mineeva?) Being blown up by a Slime Cannonball would be great, I think :)
HA! That Dragon Quest one makes me lol.
Well, then, my work is done, Tom. Glad I could make you laugh this morning :)
Mineeva, Minee, Sonji... it's all gravy, baby!
Ha ha! OK. I'll go with Sonji for now, but I might forget that due to your username. At least I can use that one, too!
Agreed! Especially since the iOS release was a huge disappointment for a lot of fans (including my son who rates the original title as one of his all-time favorite games) who were expecting a sequel release, not an update tor iOS
I have Elektroplankton and TWEWY :)
Elektroplankton is quite a cool "non game". Playing with sounds etc
While TWEWY exudes style all the way through the game (starting with the box hehe)
I fear, though, that the iOS port you mentioned may be a bad sigh for those of us hoping for a sequel on the 3DS. Hopefully we'll find out one way or another soon...
I agree with both of those statements, Igor! I do wish I found Electroplankton more involving, but I'm glad it was released all the same.
I was very disappointed when the 7 day countdown was for the iOS port! I was hoping they'd announce some special TWEWY release, say a 3DS-Wii U crossover game (similar to Monster Hunter) or a sequel or something like that. Not a port. Square Enix's latest foray into iOS has been quite disappointing and in some cases nothing but a money grab (ie All the Bravest)
Yeah, SE has been a bit strange as of late, if you ask me. One minute they're trying something new on the 3DS (in Japan) and finding good success with it, and the next they're throwing money-grabbing titles at iOS. Where will they go next? Who knows :|
Nice choices, Bryan - the first one is my favourite I think! I've also long found that Electroplankton intriguing but I've still no idea what the game's about :P
Hey there, Simon! Nice to see you over here :)
Anyway, yeah, the DQ one is nice, isn't it? It has a lot of energy, I think :)
As for Electroplankton: it's not really a "game," per se. It's more of a "musical toy" or musical tool, really.
I think it's most valuable and enjoyable for people who like making music, personally, but it's still a nice thing for weirdos like me to own.
If you're ever looking for an actual game that includes aspects of "music making," I'd highly suggest the Famicom game Otocky, which was made by the same guy responsible for Electroplankton.
Phoenix Wright and TWEWY are two of my top favorite games for the DS! Rocket Slime is also a blast! I wish we got the other games in the series stateside! =[
Shockingly, I've never tried any of the Etrian Odyssey games even though they're totally up my alley! They've all slipped under my radar for whatever reason! lol I want to get into them now but I feel so far behind at this point! Although, I know Atlus just republished all of them. My handheld back log is pretty large right now since I've mainly been playing console stuff! lol
I wish we'd gotten the other two Rocket Slime games here in the States, too, Marty. That said, this one definitely looks the best to me. Although I'd probably buy the 3DS one if it were released here, I'm not entirely sure I like its part-pixel, part-polygons graphics :|
As for Etrian Odyssey: you could always just pick up part IV, which is releasing for the 3DS shortly, and start there. I don't think there's any major story that links the games together, after all--although I may be wrong about that!
Awwww "The World ends with You" is such a great game.
I really enjoyed playing it even though the fight-controls were a bit confusing.
You had to control two characters at the same time....
About "Electroplankton": I think it's a cute game but I bought and then never really played it... too sad :(
And hey: I just ordered Ace Attorney today! :D
Never played it before.
You just ordered the first Ace Attorney? What timing! What prompted you to buy it, if you don't mind me asking?
I'll have to pick it up myself eventually, I think--especially since Ace Attorney 5 is in the works for the 3DS and for some reason I'm curious about it :)
Well I just played all Prof. Layton games through and now I want to start playing Ace Attorney before the release of the crossover-game :)
I bought "Miles Edgeworth", Apollo Justice" and the first one so far.
Ah, that makes sense! I should have thought about that. Hmmm, maybe I'll have to do the same. I can only see myself buying the first one at this point, though...
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