Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (PaRappa The Rapper edition)

I have had Rodney Greenblat on the brain ever since I wrote yesterday's post about Tsukatte Utau Saru Band (aka Make and Sing: Monkey Band). So, I decided funnel some of that energy into yet another edition of "which box art is better?"

Here are today's contestants:

The Japanese version of PaRappa the Rapper is on top, the North American version is in the middle and the European version is on the bottom.

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time picking a favorite. I mean, I like the energy and overall zaniness exhibited in the Japanese version, but I also like the pop-art simplicity showcased in the European and North American versions.

If I absolutely had to choose one over the others, though, I'd go with the North American version. Probably. How about you?

See also: 'Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Death Smiles edition)' and 'Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Heavy Rain edition)'

This game isn't going to be released outside of Japan, is it?

If you're anything like me, you've always wanted to own a game that lets you create songs and then have them performed--with digitized/synthesized singing--by a band of Rodney Greenblat-esque monkeys.

Well, you're finally going to get your chance to own such a game next week, when Nintendo publishes--in Japan, harumph--a DSiWare title called Tsukatte Utau Saru Band (aka Make and Sing: Monkey Band).

The 800-point game was made in partnership with Muu Muu, the developer behind the similarly strange PS2 title from 2003, Kuma Uta (aka Bear Song), which starred a polar bear who, you guessed it, performed user-created songs using digitized/synthesized speech.

(Via andriasang.com)