A few thoughts on a handful of recently released Japanese box arts

What do you write about when you're hopped up on cold meds and, as such, can't think straight? (As if I was ever able to do that anyway.) If you're me, you write about something tried and true--you know, like Japanese box art.

Thankfully, there are quite a few stellar--or at least interesting--pieces of Japanese cover art to chat about at the moment. For example:

The art above will grace the packaging of Daigasso! Band Brothers P when it releases on Nov. 14. (I'm planning to pick up a copy of this game myself, by the way, although possibly not until after the holidays.)

The box art produced for the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster TWIN PACK (boy, is that a mouthful) is pretty snazzy, too, don't you think? Would you believe it if I told you I've never played either of the games included in this collection? Well, it's true. I've always wanted to give X-2, especially, a go, though. Maybe I'll buy the localized version of this release at some point after I acquire a Vita (or a Vita TV)?

Full disclosure: I know next to nothing about Liberation Maiden SIN. I mean, other than the fact that it's being released for the PS3, and that it likely has something to do with the similarly titled game that originally was included in Level-5's Guild01 for 3DS. Regardless, I quite like the looks of its box art.

The cover art above was produced for another game I know little about--that being Steins;Gate: Senkei Kousoku no Phenogram. I do know it's going to be released on Nov. 28, though, so hopefully I'll learn more about it between now and then. (At least enough for me to come to a conclusion as to whether or not I should long for its localization.)

Finally, there's Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2's plucky, pastel-infused box art, above. I had this game pre-ordered via amiami.com for a hot second, by the way, but decided to cancel it after I pre-ordered the gold Pokémon Center 3DS LL that should arrive on my doorstep ... sometime between now and the end of the year. (I'm kidding, kind of.)

That's not to say I've given up on owning a copy of this adorable looking rhythm title; on the contrary, I'm still hoping to add it to my collection, although that may not happen for a few months now.

Anyway, with all that out of the way, what do you lads and lasses think of the above examples of Japanese box art? Do you love some of them? Hate some of them? Feel absolutely nothing about any of them? Let me know in the comments section below.

A few brief thoughts on the latest trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts

I don't know about you, but the very first thing I did after waking up this morning was check out the Nintendo Directs that were made available to Japanese and North American audiences a few hours ago. (I skipped the European one because I assumed it would be a rehash, more or less, of the other two.)

Anyway, here are a few brief thoughts on the above-mentioned broadcasts (watch the North American one here, and the Japanese one here):

(Sort of) surprisingly, Super Mario 3D World looks smashing--Although I wasn't all that interested in Super Mario 3D World following the game's unveiling at this year's E3, I'm pretty darn interested in it now. Some of the levels shown during today's Nintendo Direct looked absolutely stunning--and, more importantly, looked like a lot of fun, too. The question is: will I ever get my husband to play it along with me? Thankfully, I have a feeling it'll be a blast while played solo, too.



Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze delayed--The only news related to this Wii U title is that it's release--originally scheduled for later this year--has been pushed to February. That doesn't bother me too much, as I'm not planning on picking it up (I liked Donkey Kong Country Returns, but not enough to buy a sequel), but I know a lot of people were hoping to get their paws on it this holiday season.



The 3DS is really going to suck next year--In a good way, that is--thanks to the new Kirby game that's scheduled for release at some point in 2014. Anyway, this latest entry in the long-running Kirby series--which I believe will be called Kirby: Triple Deluxe in Japan--looks a lot like Kirby's Return to Dream Land, which is a very good thing, in my opinion. That said, I wouldn't mind at all if Nintendo announced a follow-up to Kirby's Epic Yarn for Wii U sometime next year.



Looks like I'll get my yearly dose of Daigasso! Band Brothers sooner than expected--The highlight of the Japanese Nintendo Direct (which covered a lot of the same ground as its North American counterpart) for yours truly: the news that this third entry in the Daigasso! Band Brothers series--called Daigasso! Band Brothers P--will hit the streets in its home country on Nov. 14. Unfortunately, that's about all I got out of this portion of the broadcast--although I think the major revelation here was supposed to be that folks will be able to go on line to access or download a ton of additional tunes. That aspect of the title likely will be lost on me, but that's OK--the 100 or so songs that are supposed to be included on the cart should be more than enough for me.

To those of you who also checked out one or more of this morning's Nintendo Direct broadcasts: which games stuck out at you, if any?

Nintendo needs to release a Daigasso! Band Bros-branded 3DS LL (plus a few more musings on yesterday's Nintendo Direct broadcasts)

As soon as I realized that yesterday morning's trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts (one each for Europe, Japan and North America) would focus entirely on previously announced 3DS and Wii U titles, I decided to take a pass on them.

At least that was the plan until someone suggested that the latest entry in the company's Daigasso! Band Bros. might show up in the Japanese one.

So, I watched it. And guess what? That random NeoGAF commenter was correct. And not only did the game pop up, but it was given a couple of minutes of airtime. 

In many ways, it looks to very similar to the first two Daigasso! Band Bros. music games that were released for the Japanese DS back in 2004 and 2008, respectively. (The second also earned a European release, as Jam with the Band, in 2010.)

That's not to say this third one is going to be a total rehash of its predecessors. For example, there's a hilariously weird (and kind of creepy, admittedly) looking mode in this one that allows players to snap a photo of their faces and have them applied to in-game singers.

It also appears as though another of the game's modes features an entirely new style of gameplay, although I may be wrong about that.

And then there's the fact that the title, which will hit Japanese store shelves (and presumably that region's 3DS eShop) later this year, is going to be called Daigasso! Band Bros. P, with the "P" standing for both "Producer" and "Professional"--which implies we may be in store for additional gameplay surprises between now and whenever the finished product ships.

Regardless, I'm on board, and I'll be pre-ordering this sucker as soon as amiami.com allows me to do so.

That said, you know what would get me even more on board (if that were possible)? If Nintendo of Japan announced that a Daigasso! Band Bros.-branded 3DS LL system--especially a purple one, in honor of Barbara the Bat--would be sold alongside copies of the game.

As for the rest of the Japanese Nintendo Direct: about all I can say is that I think The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (boy, is that a mouthful--and not the good kind) looks marvelous, while The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds looks better than I thought it did at E3.



Oh, and I absolutely adore the look of the One Piece: Unlimited World R "Chopper Pink" 3DS LL system that will launch in Japan on Nov. 21 (just in time for my birthday).

If you missed any of yesterday's Nintendo Directs and would still like to see them, the European one can be seen here, the Japanese one can be seen here and the North American one can be seen here.