Apropos of nothing, I really like these recent examples of Japanese Vita box art

My original plan was for this post to be filled with pieces of box art that represent a variety of current-gen game systems--from the 3DS and Vita to the Wii U and PS4.

After contemplating things a bit, though, I decided to focus my attention on the Vita. Specifically, I decided to focus my attention on the following trio of Japanese Vita covers:

This first piece of box art, for those of you who can't read katakana, is for a game called Airship Q. Don't worry if this is the first you've heard of it, as I hadn't heard of it until I came across the image above while perusing NeoGAF about a week ago.

So, what's the point of Airship Q? Well, for starters, its developers--which include a bunch of ex-Square Enix employees--are touting the game as a "sandbox action RPG" in the mold of Minecraft and Terraria. (Visually, it calls to mind the latter far more than the former.)

There's more to this intriguing title than that, of course, but I'll hold off on saying more until tomorrow, when I'll publish a more extensive post about this upcoming release. (It's due out in Japan on Nov. 19, although it seems it'll eventually hit other regions as well.)

Even if there weren't more to it, though, I'd be seriously thinking of buying a copy because of its beautiful box art alone, which calls to mind some of the lovely illustrations that graced the covers of Sega Mega Drive games back in the day.

This cover art, on the other hand, is for a Namco Bandai-published game called Tokyo Ghoul Jail. All I know about it, unfortunately, is that it's based on a popular anime and manga series and that it'll hit Japanese store shelves both digital and physical on Oct. 1.

OK, so I know one more thing about this Tokyo Ghoul game adaptation: it'll be a visual novel--at least for the most part. (Its second trailer, which can be viewed here, suggests it'll feature some battle scenes, too.)

Is Tokyo Ghoul Jail's in-game art as wondrous as the art that's set to appear on its packaging? Not really, but you can't have everything, right? And at least the folks who buy retail copies of this title will be able to ogle the cover imagery found above whenever they feel the need.

Finally, we have the box art that's been prepared for Nihon Falcom's latest--and hopefully greatest--effort, Tokyo Xanadu.

Unsurprisingly, Tokyo Xanadu is going to be an action RPG. (I say unsurprisingly because Nihon Falcom has made a bunch of games in that genre, such as the Dragon Slayer, Popful Mail and Ys series.) Surprisingly, on the other hand, this one looks to be taking some cues from Atlus' mega-popular Persona titles.

You can see some of the latter influence in Tokyo Xanadu's cover illustration--which, admittedly, isn't as immediately sexy as the other two examples that've been shared in this post so far, but it's still pretty darn impressive.

What do you think of the pieces of box art shown throughout this post? Do you like all of them? Some of them? Even just one of them? Also, can you think of any other pieces of Vita box art that you consider wow-worthy?

Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Persona 5 sure look (and sound) like a lot of fun, don't you think?

I may not have much (any) experience with Atlus' vaunted Persona series, but that has absolutely nothing to do with a lack of interest on my part.

In fact, I've been interested in this series since I first read about Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment back in the day.

Sadly, I can't tell you why I've yet to buy or play any of the games that have been released in English since the original, PlayStation release of Eternal Punishment back in 2000.



I can guarantee you, though, that the Persona-free portion of my life isn't going to last much longer. In part, that's because I recently bought a Vita (don't get too excited--it isn't due to be dropped on my doorstep for a week or so), and as such I'm planning to pick up a copy of Persona 4 Golden "tout de suite," as the French like to say.

Another reason my Persona virginity is likely to end soon is that I just watched the latest trailers for both Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Persona 5, and I'm now beyond stoked for both of these upcoming games.



Am I a bit bummed that I may not be able to play Persona 5 due to not owning a PS3 or PS4 (for the moment, at least)? Undoubtedly.

Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4: Dancing All Night are sure to keep my busy for some time, though, and after that, who knows? Maybe I'll get such a kick out of these Vita titles that I'll finally be willing to buy a PS3 just so I can play Persona 5 (and a few other games).

How about you? Are you, too, frothing at the mouth for either of these delicious-looking games?

Oh, hey, it's another fresh-from-the-oven episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever

OK, so this episode of The Nichest Podcast Ever, our eighth, actually was pulled from the oven yesterday, it's still pretty fresh.

Anyway, a new episode. Yay! Assuming you like podcasts, I mean--and this one in particular.

What kind of ground do Anne, shidoshi and I cover this time around? Well, we begin by chatting about our "holiday halls" before moving onto the return of Wonder Momo (don't feel bad if that means nothing to you), the newly announced Senran Kagura and Persona 3DS and Vita sequels and spin-offs, the censorship (or not) of Bravely Default and Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder as well as Anne's Twitter-based #Falcomonth.

Finally, we grab our pompoms for that Nichiest highlight, the "Cheerleading" section. This time around we chant, bounce and shake our booties in support of Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. (That last one was my pick, by the way--and, yes, I know it isn't a very niche-y title. Sue me!)

Anyway, if you'd like to give it a listen, direct your favorite Internet browser to radio.morningproject.com as soon as time permits.

Which version of Persona 3 should this Persona 3 noob purchase?

I nearly pulled the trigger on the PSP port of Persona 3 this past weekend.

What stopped me from following through with the purchase? Online commentary about the portable version's "streamlined" overworld. (From its Wikipedia page: "instead of navigating the game world by directly controlling the protagonist, the player guides an on-screen cursor around an area, allowing interaction with characters and objects.")

On the other hand, I really like the idea of being able to choose a female protagonist at the beginning of Persona 3 Portable and I also like that this version allows players to directly control all party member during battles.

So, my question to all of you who are experienced in at least one or more iterations of Persona 3: which one would you suggest buying--the original PS2 release (Persona 3), that version's "director's cut" (Persona 3 FES) or Persona 3 Portable?

Screw the haters, I'm excited for both Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) and Persona 4: Dancing All Night (Vita)

Would you believe that I completely forgot that the folks at Atlus were supposed to make an announcement related to the Persona series yesterday until I woke up, checked NeoGAF and saw the news that Persona 5 will be released for the PS3 sometime next winter?

Granted, that the company's main announcement would revolve around both Persona 5 and the PS3 enter "foregone conclusion" territory long ago, so that may have had something to do with it.

Anyway, note the placement of the word "main" before "announcement" in the sentence above. I worded things that way because, as you've probably already heard, before Atlus revealed Persona 5, it revealed two other Persona-related spin-off titles (in addition to finally sharing a summer release date for the PS3 release of Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold, aka the sequel to 2012's Persona 4 Arena.)

One of those spin-off titles will be Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, an Etrian Odyssey-esque RPG starring chibi-fied characters pulled from Persona 3 and 4. Here's a teaser trailer for the game, which will hit Japanese store shelves (both actual and virtual) in June:



As surprising--and strange--as Persona Q's reveal was for most of the Interwebs, the following reveal was even more so.



Yes, the trailer above really is for a Persona-based rhythm game, called Persona 4: Dancing All Night, that's being made by the same folks (Dingo) who brought the world the Hatsune Miku PSP titles.

Oh, and it'll be released for the Vita--again, in Japan--next autumn.

I don't know about you, but I'll certainly be picking up some version of Persona Q next year. Should I add a Vita to my collection in 2014, I'll likely also buy a copy of Dancing All Night, as it looks and sounds far too wacky and wonderful to pass up if given the chance.

Are any of you planning to purchase any of the games mentioned throughout this post? If so, which ones--and why?

Not sure if want: Atlus' Catherine

I've had my eye on Atlus' Catherine, which will be released (in Japan) for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on Feb. 17, since it was announced last fall.

Until yesterday, though, I didn't have a clue as to how the game would play. Now that I do have a clue--thanks to the trailer below--I'm not sure if I should keep Catherine, which was developed by Atlus' Persona team, on my "to buy" list (you know, after I finally pick up a PS3 or Xbox 360) or if I should move it to my "avoid unless you're forced at gunpoint to buy it" list.



See also: 'And this week's 'WTF is this?' award goes to ...' and 'Will either of these box covers leave Japan?'