Five favorites: Japanese Nintendo 64 box art

Another Friday, another post devoted to five of my favorite pieces of box art. (Don't worry, I'm not planning to devote every Friday post to this subject, but I am going to focus on it for at least a few more.)

Anyway, this week's write-up will be a Nintendo 64-centric affair, with the first selection being one of my all-time favorite titles (for any system):

Dobutsu no Mori--Don't let the "scan" above fool you: in person, Doubutsu no Mori's cover art is pretty darn appealing. That's mainly because it looks like a postcard, complete with stamps. The logo is a rather nice addition, too, though, as is the appearance of the one and only K.K. Slider in the lower-left corner.

Mario Story--Oh, look, another of my all-time favorite games. How funny that both were made for the sometimes-software-starved Nintendo 64. Anyway, is it just me or does this piece of box art (for the Japanese version of Paper Mario) resemble a pin that you'd wear on your lapel?

Sin and Punishment--Full disclosure: I think I'd like this game's cover imagery even more than I do now if that second logo (along the left edge) weren't mucking up the proceedings. Oh, well, it's still all sorts of fabulous thanks to the sketchy (in a good way) illustration that serves as its centerpiece and its futuristic logo.

Yuke Yuke!! Trouble Makers--Would Mischief Makers (this game's North American name) have sold more if its packaging had looked more like the above? I'm not sure, but it certainly couldn't have hurt. Oh, well, at least those of us who care for such things can pick up a copy of the Japanese version and then stare at it to our hearts' content should we so desire.

Zelda no Densetsu Toki no Ocarina--Of all the pieces of box art showcased in this post, I think this is my favorite. I love its simplicity and elegance and even drama--fitting, considering all of the same words could be used to describe the contents of the cartridge packed inside.

See also: previous 'five favorites' posts

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Sin & Punishment 2 edition)

Nintendo of America unveiled the cover art for Sin & Punishment: Star Successor earlier today.

I'm a big fan of the art that appeared on the cover of the Japanese version of the game, so I had my fingers crossed that Nintendo's American arm would use it as well.

As you can see in the image below, all of my finger-crossing was for naught.

The Japanese box cover is on the left, while the American box cover is on the right.

Do I still wish Nintendo of America had used the art that appeared on the Japanese version of the game? Sure, but that doesn't mean I dislike the art it decided to use instead. In fact, I think I like both images equally at this point.

Anyway, enough of my vocal vomiting--which piece of cover art do you prefer?

See also: 'Let's play: Which box art is better? (Fragile Dreams edition)'