Let's ogle six lovely examples of Japanese PS4 and Vita cover art

To know me is to know I love a good piece of game box art.

Sure, most of the cover art I shine a light on here is of the "retro" variety, but that doesn't mean I turn my nose up at more modern offerings. Consider the following, all of which make me feel warm and tingly inside:

Birthdays the Beginning (PS4)--Although this game is still a bit of a mystery to me, that isn't keeping me from wanting it with all my might. Sadly, I'm unlikely to buy Birthdays the Beginning--even the North American release, which will hit the streets here early next year--because I don't currently own a PS4 and because I doubt that'll change in 2017. Oh, well, staring at its Japanese cover art (above) brings me so much joy that it (almost) makes up for the fact I'll likely never experience its gameplay.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 Gentou Rondo (Vita)--This one's a Japanese otome game, which means there's no way a copy of it is going to find its way into my collection anytime soon. (Not because I hate otome games, mind you; rather, it's because I can't even imagine attempting to play through an otome game in Japanese at this point in time.) If some brave company were to release an English version of this title, though, I'd buy it in a second--as long as the company in question retained its brilliant Japanese box art, of course.

Nier: Automata (PS4)--I may not be as hot to trot about Nier: Automata as your average "gamer," but I'm certainly hot to trot about its beautifully stark Japanese cover art. Granted, I'm a huge Akihiko Yoshida fanboy, so I guess my interest should've been expected?

Princess wa Kane no Mouja (Vita)--This piece of box art, for the upcoming title Western gamers often refer to as The Princess is Money-Hungry, is as bright and colorful as Nier: Automata's is dreary. I especially love its funky logo, which--appropriately enough--seems to be bathing in gold and silver coins.

SaGa: Scarlet Grace (Vita)--OK, so I'm no longer so sure I'm going to pick up this latest entry in Square Enix's odd SaGa series. (This despite the fact that I've got a huge crush on earlier entries that were released for the GameBoy, Super Famicom and PlayStation.) I am sure I like SaGa: Scarlet Grace's Japanese box art, though. Is it on the simple side in terms of design? Definitely. Still, it seems fitting for a title that'll hopefully end up being a compellingly strange RPG.

Touhou Shinpiroku ~ Urban Legend in Limbo (PS4)--This box art is for an upcoming PS4 brawler, if you can believe it. Fighting games usually prompt me to yawn, but this one has my attention thanks to its eye-popping cover illustration. Does this mean I'd probably buy Touhou Shinpiroku if I had a PS4 console? I doubt it. I'd definitely buy a poster-sized version of the above, though.

See also: 'Eight Vita games I'm planning to buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017' and 'Six Vita games I may buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017'

Eight North American and Japanese Vita games I'm planning to buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017

The recent unveiling of the Switch did more than prompt me to contemplate all the things I may or may not be able to do with Nintendo's next console after I get my hands on one next March.

It also prompted me to contemplate all the non-Switch games I'm planning to pick up between now and then--and perhaps even after.

As the headline above hopefully makes clear, this post focuses on the many Japanese and North American Vita titles that I'm aiming to buy (and obviously play) later in 2016 or at some point in 2017.

A follow-up post that'll be published in a couple of days will cover the Vita games I'm considering buying during the same period of time, while a later post will tackle the slew of North American and Japanese 3DS games that are likely to land on my doorstep in the coming six months or so.



2064: Read Only Memories--It's kind of weird (some might say sad) that I'm starting this list with a port that may never see the light of day, isn't it? After all, developer MidBoss "indefinitely delayed" the Vita version of this LGBTQ-inclusive cyberpunk adventure a couple of months ago. Still, I'm holding out hope it'll eventually be released, as I'm desperate to play it and I really don't want to have to do it using my MacBook.



Crypt of the NecroDancer--I salivated over this game from the time it was first announced to the time it hit the Vita early in 2016. (It was a messy year or two, I admit.) So why have I dragged my feet in terms of buying it? Because I've barely turned on my Vita or played any of its games this year, that's why. That's not a rip on Sony's second handheld or its catalog of titles, by the way; the fact is I've simply been too busy and too stressed out this year to play more than the occasional 3DS or retro game. Thankfully, things will be much different next year--hell, they may be much different in a few days--so don't be surprised if I start chatting about this curious mash-up of the rhythm and roguelike genres sooner rather than later.



Dragon Quest Builders--Of all the "definitely buying later this year or early next" games discussed in this post, this Minecraft clone is the one I want the most. The main reason for that, I've got to sheepishly admit, is that it looks amazing. I especially love how Square Enix's artists have translated Akira Toriyama's character designs into 3D. On top of its delicious visuals, though, Dragon Quest Builders also seems like a ton of fun.



The Longest 5 Minutes--I already have the Japanese version of this weird Nippon Ichi title (known as World's Longest 5 Minutes on that side of the pond), which is one part RPG and one part visual novel. Oh, and let's not forget the two parts gorgeous 8-bit-esque graphics. Still, I'm thinking of double-dipping (NIS America announced in August it's prepping an English release for sometime in 2017), as I doubt the text in the Japanese original will make much sense to me anytime soon.



Princess wa Kane no Mouja--If the name to the left has you scratching your head, how about The Princess is Money-Hungry? The latter is the former loosely translated into English. For more information on it, check out these posts I published about it in August. Anyway, don't expect me to pre-order Princess wa Kane no Mouja or even pick it up shortly after it hits the streets in Japan late next month. Not only won't I have the time or attention span for it until early 2017, but I'd like to give NIS America a chance to announce a Western release before biting the bullet. (Of course, I may purchase a boxed Japanese copy regardless, as I have a feeling a North American version will be digital-only.)



New Danganronpa V3--Surely NIS America will bring this latest entry in Spike Chunsoft's series of horror-tinged visual novels to Western shores, right? Assuming that's the case, I'll definitely add it to my surprisingly extensive collection of Vita games as soon as is possible--despite the fact that I've yet to finish the first Danganronpa or even start the second.



Shiren The Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate--Although I placed a pre-order for this portable roguelike as soon as I was able to do so a few months ago, I canceled it just before release when I realized I wouldn't be able to play it anytime soon. I've seen so many positive tweets about it since then, though, that now I'm kicking myself for passing on it. So, the current plan is to convince someone in my life to buy it for me as a birthday or Christmas present. If that doesn't pan out, I'll buy it for myself.



VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action--What do we have here? Yes, another in-limbo Vita port of an indie PC game I'm absolutely itching to play. And this one's supposedly getting a (limited, I'm guessing) physical release, which is making the wait seem even more interminable. I guess the good news here is I think the VA-11 HALL-A Vita port is more likely to happen than the 2064: Read Only Memories Vita port, so at least I'll probably get to play one of these curiosities before the end of 2017.

Are any of you also looking to purchase one or more of these Japanese or North American Vita games in the coming months? If so, which ones?

If you've already played some of these titles, by the way, please let me (and others) know what you thought of them in the comments section below.

Thanks to this trailer, I'm probably going to buy The Princess is Money-Hungry (Vita) even though I doubt I'll understand much of its gameplay

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago I published a post about this upcoming Nippon Ichi-made Vita game.

At that time, I suggested I'd place a pre-order for it as soon as possible. That suggestion was made based on its pedigree, a couple of screenshots and a tiny bit of information.

Well, we now have a trailer that shows off a lot more of what The Princess is Money-Hungry has to offer, and ... I'm not sure if it makes me more or less interested in the title than I was before I laid eyes on it.

OK, that's not completely true. I'm still almost painfully interested in The Princess is Money-Hungry--thanks in large part to its wonderfully pixelated protagonist and enemies.



I'm more than a tad worried I won't be able to suss out its gameplay, though, due to my continued discomfort with the Japanese language.

Some of you likely are thinking, isn't it likely NIS America will release an English version of the game sometime next year à la World's Longest 5 Minutes?

That may be true, but I doubt they'll offer up a physical limited edition like Japanese Vita owners probably will get.

I'll let you know what I decide either way, of course. In the meantime, are any of you thinking of buying this action RPG?  Or maybe you're now hoping it'll make its way across the pond in the coming months?

Regardless, share your thoughts and feelings on the matter in the comments section below.

(Via gematsu.com)

Who wouldn't want to play a game called The Princess is Money-Hungry?

Apparently the folks at Nippon Ichi Software didn't get the memo that I need another Japanese Vita game sitting on my shelf like I need a hole in the head.

Why do I say that? Because a couple of days ago the developer and publisher of weird and wonderful niche titles went ahead and announced one. It's name, as I'm sure can guess (and if you can't, lift your eyes and look at the headline at the top of this post), is The Princess is Money-Hungry.

OK, so that's its unofficially translated name. In the original Japanese, its name is Princess ha Kane no Mouja.

Whatever you call it, though, this upcoming action RPG sounds intriguing. Don't take my word for it; here's what gematsu.com had to say about it after reading through The Princess is Money-Hungry's just-launched Amazon Japan listing:

"You’ll defeat enemies and collect money, and when you find a really tough enemy, you can even buy them with money. You can use the money you earn on special moves. When you’re in a pinch, you can somehow use money to get past it."

I guess you could say it sounds a tad like Nintendo's Freshly-Pickled Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, but that's fine with me. Especially since this Vita title's sure to feature Nippon Ichi's charming, trademark spritework.

Does this mean I've already pre-ordered a copy of this sucker (it's set to hit the streets of Japan on Nov. 24)? No, but only because no one's allowing it at the moment.

As soon as that changes, though, you can bet your sweet patootie I'll slap down some money for it. How about you?