Nippon Ichi Software just announced what appears to be a Half-Minute Hero rip-off for Vita, and I'm more than OK with it

After all, it's not like Marvelous, the maker of the Half-Minute Hero games, seems all that interested in continuing the series. So why not let the folks at Nippon Ichi Software, who have shown a similarly deft touch when dealing with quirky, sprite-centric titles, have a go at it?

This is assuming the just-announced Vita game, whose title apparently translates to something like World’s Longest 5 Minutes, actually is some sort of Half-Minute Hero rip-off or clone. At the moment, all we have to go by is its name and the image of what appears to be its pixelated protagonist that's placed front and center on its teaser site.



It's quite possible, of course, that the final product won't be a clone of the series that's called Yūsha Sanjū in Japan. Even if that's the case, though, I have a feeling I'll be interested enough in World’s Longest 5 Minutes to want to pick up a copy of it at some point down the line.

Actually, I might want to pick up a copy of it at launch. I'll probably hold off on that a bit, though, as you never know--some brave company may decide to bring it to North America. All bets are off in that regard, though, if World’s Longest 5 Minutes winds up with great cover art.

How about all of you? Are any of you intrigued by this game, which will be released in Japan on July 28, despite the fact that you don't know a whole lot about it? Or do you need to see it in action--or at least see a screenshot or two--before you can make that kind of decision? Share your thoughts one way or another in the comments section below.

Six Japanese PSP games I wish had been brought to the States

Considering how poorly the PSP sold in the US, it's pretty amazing how many Japanese games have been localized and brought to our shores since it debuted in 2005. (In fact, they're still coming--as evidenced by the recent announcements concerning Class of Heroes 2 and Sweet Fuse: At Your Side.)

Still, a number of noteworthy PSP titles never earned an English release of any sort. Of those, the six mentioned below are the ones I most wish had made it to North America.

1. 7th Dragon 2020--Truth be told, I'd much rather be able to buy and play a localized copy of the original 7th Dragon (for the DS) than this "side story," but that doesn't mean I wouldn't pick up 2020 if given the chance--despite the fact that the crew at Hardcore Gaming 101 have described it as being "significantly dumbed down" compared to its predecessor.

2. Any of the Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA games--I'm a sucker for rhythm games, especially those that could be called "cute," so this Sega-made selection is a no-brainer. That said, I have a feeling this game would have been ruined had its developers attempted to replace its Japanese tunes with English ones, so maybe I should be happy it never left its home country.

3. Either of the MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village titles--This series (consisting of just two games, at the moment) often is described as being "Monster Hunter meets Animal Crossing," which of course means I've been curious about it since the first title was announced in 2009. Considering Sony seemed desperate for a while to expand western sales of the PSP (and Capcom similarly seemed desperate to expand western interested in the Monster Hunter series), I thought one or both of the MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village would be shoe-ins for a US release of some sort. Apparently I thought wrong.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Half-Minute Hero II edition)

On August 4, the second Half-Minute Hero--it'll be known as Yūsha 30 Second, or Hero 30 Second, in its homeland--will, at long last, be released in Japan. Although rumor has it the game will (eventually) hit store shelves elsewhere in the world, too, an official announcement regarding such an endeavor has yet to escape the lips of the powers that be at developer Marvelous Entertainment.

Because there are, as of yet, no European or North American counterparts to compare to the cover art that's been revealed for Yūsha 30 Second, I decided to expand this edition of "Which Box Art is Better?" a bit by including the first game's box art as well as the second's.

Speaking of which, here's the art that greeted folks who bought the Japanese version of the first game:

And here's the illustration that graced the cover of the North American iteration (order a copy of it here):

Interestingly, the European packaging (below) basically is a mash-up of the Japanese version's art and the North American version's logo.

As you can see in the image below, Yūsha 30 Second's box art won't be following in its predecessor's rather precious footsteps.

As much as I want to, I can't say I'm all that fond of Yūsha 30 Second's art at this point. I much prefer what the folks at Marvelous Entertainment produced for the first game.

So, which of the original options do I prefer? Roll your eyes if you must, but once again I'm going with the Japanese cover. It has the best logo--in my opinion, of course--and I like that its designers decided to focus on the game's beautifully pixelated characters and environments.

That said, I don't hate the North American cover art. The illustration that serves as its centerpiece is quite appealing, for instance, as is its autumnal color scheme. If only it didn't have such a generic-looking logo...

Which piece of cover art do all of you prefer?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts