Five games I'd probably pick up if I owned a PlayStation Vita

Although I'm hardly what you'd call a "Vita hater," I'm also not exactly the biggest fan of Sony's latest handheld.

Still, a handful of its games have captivated me enough that I don't think it's completely out of the question that I'll own a Vita someday (especially considering I'm far more interested in portable, rather than console, gaming these days).

Should that "someday" ever arrive, here are five Vita games I'd seriously consider picking up alongside the bulky, OLED-screened system:

1. @field--What do you get when you combine Hot Shots Golf and pinball? Apparently you get this Sega-made game. Don't worry, I don't quite understand how a golf-pinball mash-up is supposed to play either. Something like mini-golf, perhaps? Regardless, I'm intrigued.

2. Dokuro--I've written about my interest in this puzzler-platformer before, so there isn't much more to say about it here. What I will say: if possible, I'd prefer to pay a premium and pick up the Japanese retail version of this game--just so I can sit and stare at its beautiful box art.

3. Gravity Rush--So many people trumpeted this title's merits around the time of its release that I actually stopped paying attention to it. (What can I say? I'm sometimes contrary like that.) Anyway, now that I've had a chance to reflect a bit, I think I can see why gamers went gaga over it and I'm curious to give it a spin myself.

4. Persona 4 Golden--Full disclosure: I've never before played the original version of Persona 4. In fact, I don't even own a copy of the game--although it's been on my "to buy" list since it was released. Everyone says this is the best version of it, so maybe I'll just skip the PS2 release and buy this one instead (should I ever purchase a Vita, of course).

5. Sei Madou Monogatari--The two main reasons I'm interested in this sure-to-be-Japan-only Vita title: 1) I've long been a fan of the Madou Monogatari series of dungeon-crawlers and 2) I like that this one looks more than a bit like Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.

Other possibilities: The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki, Orgarhythm, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Tearaway and Touch My Katamari.

Three recently revealed Japanese box arts that ring my bell

You know what my favorite discussion thread is over on NeoGAF? The one that's devoted to "new Japanese box arts."

Anyway, while perusing the thread this past weekend I came across the following trio of recently revealed pieces of Japanese cover art--all of which really tripped my trigger, so to speak.

Because I'm "that kind" of gaming geek, I thought I'd share them (and chat about them) here.

1. Game & Wario (Wii U)--It pains me to say this, but I have little to no interest in this forthcoming (it's due out in both Japan and North America on March 28) Wii U title. In part that's because Game & Wario doesn't follow the tried-and-true mini-game format of the WarioWare series, and in part it's because I just haven't been impressed by what I've seen of this wonderfully titled spin-off. That said, I'm loving the game's Japanese cover art, so at least it has that going for it.

2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle (PS3)--Full disclosure: I'm no fan of fighting games. Although I used to like the genre quite a bit back in the days when Street Fighter II and its ilk ruled the arcade roost, I've since switched my allegiance to other genres, like puzzlers and adventure games. Still, if I owned a PS3, I'd probably have a tough time keeping myself from buying this CyberConnect2-developed, Namco Bandai-published battler that's based on Hirohiko Araki's manga series.

3. Sei Madou Monogatari (Vita)--When I first heard that Madou Monogatari was going to make a glorious return to the gaming world, I was beyond thrilled. When I heard it was going to be released for the Vita, I was a bit less so--and I was downright pissed when I heard that it wouldn't feature Arle, the protagonist of pretty much every previous title in this series. On the positive side, Sei Madou Monogatari, which will hit Japanese store shelves on March 28, looks a lot like Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, which is a very good thing.

See also: Additional posts about box art

To whomever it may concern: my list of 'to buy' Vita games just grew by one

Oh, and the Vita game is question is the just-announced (by the folks at Compile Heart) Sei Madou Monogatari, a top-down dungeon-crawler a la Shiren the Wanderer that's due out in Japan next March.

Personally, I'd prefer if it the game were a first-person dungeon-crawler like the Madou Monogatari series' first few releases (the MSX, PC88, PC Engine and Game Gear ones, especially), but I'll take what I can get.

Madou Monogatari ARS for the PC88

By the way, the other Vita games on my ever-growing "to buy" list are @field, Dokuro, Gravity Rush, Orgarhythm and Sound Shapes--with Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f, Persona 4 Golden and Phantasy Star Online 2 included as "extremely possibles."

(Via NeoGAF)