Five favorites: Famicom leading ladies

Here's an admission that should shock no one: I've preferred female protagonists in video games to male ones since my earliest experiences with the medium.

Unfortunately, NES games that let you play as a girl or woman were far from common--or at least that was the case for the ones I owned or rented back in the day. Metroid is an obvious stand-out, as is Super Mario Bros. 2, but other than that pair? The only additional examples that come to mind at the moment are Athena, Ice Climber (you can control Nana in two-player mode), Mickey Mousecapade (in a way) and Final Fantasy (I'm one of those folks who have always considered the white mage to be female).

Thankfully, I'm no longer a kid, which means imports are no longer off limits. That's a big deal, because Famicom games weren't as sexist as their North American counterparts--as should be evident by the time you finish reading the following blurbs about five of my favorite female protagonists to grace the Japanese iteration of Nintendo's 8-bit console.

Altiana (Space Hunter)--Full disclosure: I've never actually played this Kemco-made, flick-screen action game, but I've long wanted to give it a try. Admittedly, its gameplay looks a bit rough (see it action here), but its spritework--protagonist Altiana's, especially--is right up my alley. I know some folks wish the in-game version of Altiana looked a bit more like the version showcased on the Space Hunter box cover, but I think she looks great in both forms. Plus, based on the footage above, she seems to be a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of gal, which means I'd bow down to her even if her sprite was gnarly. (To learn more about this Japan-only release from 1986, check out Video Game Den's Space Hunter write-up.)

Clarice (City Connection)--What do I like least about this console port of Jaleco's arcade classic? That you only get a glimpse of its main character, the blue-haired lady in the screenshot above, between stages. Sure, the rest of City Connection also is as cute as can be, but I find Clarice's design to be so pleasant that it's a real shame players don't get to see more of it. Oh, well, at least she's the star of this banana-yellow Famicom cartridge. After all, how often does a driving game--even one that's more of a platformer than a racer--feature a female protagonist? (Bonus content: I first rented the NES iteration of City Connection back in the day because I thought its logo was adorable.)

Lum (Urusei Yatsura: Lum no Wedding Bell)--I've got to be honest here: I don't know a whole lot about the Urusei Yatsura manga and anime series in general or the Lum character in particular. (Besides what I've read on Wikipedia, I mean.) That unfortunate ignorance hasn't kept me from lusting after this Jaleco-made platformer, though, which is a remake, of sorts, of the same company's Momoko 120% arcade game. Chiefly responsible for the blossoming of that long-distance love affair: Hardcore Gaming 101 writer Neil Foster's declaration (in this article about Momoko 120%) that both Lum no Wedding Bell and its predecessor are "more or less standard arcade flair in the Donkey Kong vein." Add to that the fact that the blue-coiffed Lum can zap on-coming baddies with lightning bolts, and the appeal should be as clear as day.

Myu (Insector X)--Before I say anything else, I've got to give a shout-out to the 1CC Log for Shmups for educating me as to this red-headed gal's name. Before I came across the post linked to above, I assumed this 8-bit reimagining of Taito's quarter-muncher of the same title simply referred to her as "girl," or something similarly lazy and disappointing. Speaking of disappointing, Insector X's character-select screen suggests players should only choose Myu if they're girls themselves. Ugh. On a positive note, at least a female option exists. Related aside: I prefer Myu's design to that of her male cohort (his name is Anny) many times over.

Sayo (Kiki KaiKai Dotō Hen)--I've had a soft spot for the Shinto shrine maiden that serves as this Famicom Disk System's protagonist ever since I played through Pocky & Rocky with wide-eyed gusto as a teenager. That soft spot only grew when I became aware of the PC Engine port of the original KiKi KaiKai. (FYI: you can peruse the entirety of that game's instruction booklet in this "Manual Stimulation" post.) In the beginning, I liked Sayo because she was cute. Later, I came to appreciate that she single-handedly sets out to rescue not just one god, but seven of them, in this multi-directional shmup--which differs from both the arcade original and the aforementioned HuCard release in a number of important ways--with nothing more than a fistful of o-fuda scrolls.

Do you have any favorites when it comes to women who have starring roles in Famicom games? If so, let me know which ones in the comments section that follows.

Five favorites: Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World tunes

I've put a lot of time into Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World this past week. Nearly 15 hours, to be exact.

In fact, I'm not too far from the finish line--if you consider the finish line to be completing every level. Although I've nabbed all the flowers, stamp patches and yarn bundles hidden within the game's first three worlds, I'm not sure I'll even attempt to do the same in its last three. If I do, expect it to add another 10 or 15 hours to my play time.

That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, of course. After all, it would allow me to fully take in the game's wonderful soundtrack.

Speaking of which, here are my five favorite Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World tunes:



"Duplicitous Delve" is the first Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World song that really jumped out at me. I especially like its chill vibe.



"Yoshi and Cookies," above, takes me back to the original Yoshi's Island. I mean, it's no "Athletic," but it's still pretty snazzy, wouldn't you agree?



The bouncy, jazzy feel of "Ms. Cluck the Insincere" made the corresponding boss battle (at the end of the game's third world) one to remember.

Five favorite Pac-Man clones

Full disclosure: I'm not the world's biggest Pac-Man fan. Oh, I like the character well enough, and I love Ms. Pac-Man to death, but the Namco-made quartermuncher that started it all? It kind of bores me, if I'm allowed to be honest.

In fact, I'd much rather play any of the Pac-Man clones described below than the arcade classic that seemingly inspired their creation.

Crush Roller (Neo Geo Pocket Color)--OK, so this ADK-developed title, a remake of a 1981 arcade game called Make Trax, isn't a total rip-off of Pac-Man. After all, rather than tasking players with clearing each screen of something, Crush Roller tasks them with filling them with something. Paint, in particular. That's easier said than done, of course, thanks to the baddies, which look a bit like Dragon Quest slimes to my eyes, that chase you as attempt to "paint the town red" (or whatever color you're given for a specific stage). These baddies don't always play fair (they're often a smidgen faster than the paint roller you control), and as a result the game can be teeth-gnashingly frustrating. Still, I enjoy playing it now and then, and I have a feeling most people who have even a passing interest in Pac-Man would (mostly) enjoy it, too. If you'd like to see this Neo Geo Pocket Color game's packaging, by the way, you can do it in this old post of mine: "It's just a little Crush (Roller)."

Devil World (Famicom)--Although I like all of the Pac-Man clones included in this post, I like this one the least. Sure, it sports some great, early-Famicom-era (or early-NES-era) graphics and music, but its gameplay is a tad more complicated than it needs to be, in my humble opinion. Instead of having players focus on eating dots and avoiding enemies à la Pac-Man, Devil World has them perform those actions while also collecting crosses and bibles as well as staying far away from the crushing ropes that ring each maze-like stage. Speaking of which, the stages in Devil World are a lot more convoluted than those found in Pac-Man, which can lead to confusion and even death if you're not careful. In Devil World's favor, its cover art and the contents of its instruction manual are stellar and are worth owning on their own. (Bonus round: read my overly succinct Devil World review.)

Lock 'n' Chase (GameBoy)--At first glance, Lock 'n' Chase appears to be a lazy and uninspired Pac-Man clone. Hell, the protagonist looks like everyone's favorite spherical dot-muncher with a dapper fedora plopped onto his head. Thankfully, Data East's title differs from Namco's in a few other notable ways--chief among them being the former's larger, scrolling levels. Also, the levels in Lock 'n' Chase are far less symmetrical than the ones in Pac-Man, which I guess could be a positive or a negative, depending on your personality. Another feather in the snazzy cap of Lock 'n' Chase: its baddies all sport police hats. Unfortunately, the lack of color in this GameBoy port hurts its replay value by making it difficult to tell one screen from the next. If you can overlook that fact, though, you'll probably get a kick out of this portable Pac-Man homage.

Onyanko Town (Famicom)--This Micronics-developed and Pony Canyon-published Famicom cartridge belongs in the same camp as the one that houses Crush Roller. Onyanko Town looks great (although not as great as Crush Roller, it has to be said) and offers up an adorably appealing premise--which puts you in the paws of a mama cat who has to track down her kittens and safely bring them home--but it also tends to be beyond aggravating. That's due in part to the title's often-enormous stage layouts and in part to the extremely slow speed at which the mama cat moves. Add in a background tune that gives new meaning to the term "earsplitting," and you have a Japan-only release that's sure to turn off a large chunk of the population. I consider it a favorite Pac-Man clone anyway, though,  because I'm a sucker for games starring pixelated pups (the majority of Onyanko Town's enemies) and felines.

Painter Momopie (GameBoy)--There are a lot distressingly overlooked Japanese GameBoy games. Astro Rabby is one. Burning Paper is another. And then there's Sigma Entertainment's Painter Momopie. It may not be quite as fantastic as those other two efforts, but it's just as fascinating. After all, how many games have you played that have you paint the floors of cozy-looking kitchens, bedrooms and the like while avoiding mice and ghosts and other creatures? None, I'm sure. Plus, Painter Momopie's soundtrack is nearly as heart-warming as its homey setting. The same can be said of its outer box and its instruction manual. Another reason I'd recommend Painter Momopie to anyone who's open to playing a GameBoy cart in this day and age: it's almost assuredly the most relaxing (or at least stress-free) of all the Pac-Man clones discussed in this post.

See also: all of the "five overlooked games you need to play as soon as possible" posts I've published so far

Five favorites: North American GameBoy box art

A couple of years ago, I published a post that highlighted five of my favorite pieces of Japanese GameBoy box art.

This post, of course, focuses on five of my favorite pieces of North American GameBoy box art.

Balloon Kid--I know some of you will look at Balloon Kid's cover art and declare it to be an abomination. And I can understand that--to an extent. Its depiction of the game's pigtailed protagonist is a bit odd, to say the least. The illustration of the giant, bug-eyed fish that's attempting to eat Alice (the aforementioned heroine) is even worse. Still, I like the overall image, thanks in large part to its liberal and adept use of color. I'm also a big fan of the game's bold and subtly creative logo. (Bonus: the entirety of Balloon Kid's instruction manual can be seen here.)

BurgerTime Deluxe--This is one of the few instances where I prefer a GameBoy title's North American box art to its Japanese counterpart. (You can see the Japanese BurgerTime Deluxe's cover in this old post.) Not only that, but I think this particular example of packaging design may be my favorite of all the ones included in this post. I want to say the logo is the star here, but the illustrations of Peter Pepper (he's the guy in the funny-looking white hat) and BurgerTime Deluxe's angry, anthropomorphic ingredients are pretty stellar, too. I even like the purple backdrop that supports the whole she-bang.

Dig Dug--This selection will raise a few eyebrows, I'm sure. It's quite a bit darker than and nowhere near as cute as what most people would expect to see splashed across the cover of a GameBoy port of this Namco arcade classic. That's probably a big part of why I like it so much, to be honest. There's more to it than that, though. I also appreciate the skewed perspective that puts one of the game's iconic Pooka enemies front and center. Admittedly, the protagonist's mouth-tongue-whatever-it-is freaks me out a tad, but I'm willing to overlook it for the rest of what's on offer here.

Mole Mania--This piece of box art really looks like something the designers at Nintendo would cook up, doesn't it? It's stuffed to the gills with cute characters, it's positively doused with pastels and it's got an adorable logo plastered across its top half. Could the artists who created it have removed the main mole's unibrow? No doubt. Still, Mole Mania's cover is a keeper even with the little guy's questionable grooming habits on display. By the way, if you'd like to see how this game's North American packaging stacks up to its Japanese packaging, check out this post.

Wario Land--Full disclosure: I've barely played any of the first four Wario Land games. I can't even tell you why that's the case. I guess I've just always gotten my fill from Nintendo's Mario-centric platformers. Anyway, the Wario Land series' covers certainly aren't responsible for me ignoring its games. The one made for this first entry is a knockout, wouldn't you agree? Some may say it's busy, and I can't (completely) argue against that, but I personally think such a bombastic design works in this particular context.

So, what do you think of these examples of North American GameBoy box art? Do you like them, too--or do you hate them?

If it's the latter and if you can think of pieces of North American GameBoy box art you prefer, let me know about them in the comments section of this post.

Five favorites: WonderSwan box art

I know I haven't mentioned it in some time, but the wonderfully named WonderSwan handheld continues to intrigue me more than maybe it should.

Actually, that's not completely fair. After all, there's a lot to like about this weird, Japan-only portable and its similarly odd catalog of games. For instance, there's the WonderSwan's unique design, which allows users to hold their systems either in a horizontal or vertical position (depending on the cartridge that's stuck inside, of course).

Also, although quite a few uninteresting (especially to Western audiences) games--many of which could be described as downright turds--were released for the WonderSwan during its relatively short "reign," a good number of quality titles were made available for it, too.

Something that often goes hand in hand with quality games, of course, is quality box art--especially when we're talking about Japanese games.

That's true even when it comes to the lowly WonderSwan, as the following five examples of cover imagery should help prove.

Engacho!--OK, so this particular piece of box art is a bit gross. It's also got a lot of verve, though, and the use of color is nothing short of brilliant, if you ask me. An added bonus: its puzzling gameplay's actually loads of fun.

Hataraku Chocobo--This Final Fantasy spin-off's nearly unknown outside of Japan, which is a shame as it seems pretty interesting. Specifically, it sounds like an Animal Crossing-esque sort of experience, although I'm guessing this Chocobo-centric twist on Nintendo's world-conquering series is quite a bit less deep in the content department.

Mr. Driller--This 2001 port of Namco's classic arcade puzzler is proof that it's been released for pretty much every system imaginable over the years. Not that I'm complaining. I'm beyond thrilled that the WonderSwan got in on the Mr. Driller action--although the thing that's chiefly responsible for my bliss is the beautiful box art seen above.

Rhyme Rider Kerorican--This portable music game was made by the well-regarded crew at NanaOn-Sha, perhaps best known for PaRappa the Rapper, UmJammer Lammy and Vib-Ribbon. Rhyme Rider doesn't quite have the same cachet among gamers as those previously mentioned titles, but at least its cover imagery stacks up to the counterparts of its predecessors rather admirably.

Tane wo Maku Tori--This unique puzzler's box art is, without question, my favorite of the bunch showcased here. I like its use of color, of course, and I also like that it looks as though it was crafted out of pieces of cut-up paper, but there's more to it than that, too. Maybe it's that it gives off slightly melancholy as well as cheerful vibes, much like its in-game graphics?

Do you have any favorite examples of WonderSwan cover art? If so, let me (and everyone else) know about them in the comments section that follows.

See also: previous 'five favorites' posts

Five more favorites: Japanese Dreamcast box art

You didn't think my last "five favorites" post would be my one and only write-up on this subject, did you? Well, if you did, you were wrong, because today I'm publishing another!

With that out of the way, let's get to the meat of this particular box-art-focused post.

Berserk--I've never played this game, and probably never will, but that isn't stopping me from slobbering all over its cover art. My favorite part of said piece of cover art, by the way, is the blue-haired fairy, although that's mainly due to how she pops from the red-and-black backdrop that sits behind her.

Elemental Gimmick Gear--I nearly included this one in my last post on this subject. I can't remember what I went with instead, but I guess it doesn't matter now. Anyway, the illustration that serves as the focal point of this piece of box art is its highlight, if you ask me, although I think the minimalist logo is a nice touch, too.

Gunspike--I'm a real sucker for cover art like this. Cover art that's full of color and showcases an illustration that takes a few risks when it comes to how it's laid out. Sure, it's easy for a game's logo to get lost amidst such chaos, but I'm OK with that (in most cases).

Sengoku Turb--This one's sure to be deemed an odd selection, but I'm not going to back away from it, as I like pretty much every aspect of it. Its overall art style, which calls to mind Japanese calligraphy, is an obvious high point, of course, but its successful use of space (white space, especially) is worth a respectful nod to two as well.

Twinkle Star Sprites--I guess you could say this is the most traditional of all the examples shared here, but that doesn't make it any less impressive in my eyes. Granted, it's hard to hate on a piece of box art that's as cheerfully colorful (or colorfully cheerful?) as this game's is, isn't it?

See also: previous 'five favorites' posts

Five favorites: Japanese Dreamcast box art

This recent post got me thinking about Dreamcast box art, and anyone who has visited this blog for any amount of time knows that when I start thinking about box art, a post like the one you're reading right now is sure to follow shortly thereafter.

Anyway, as I'm sure you can tell from the headline above, this post is about five of my favorite examples of box art that was produced for the Japanese version of Sega's Dreamcast during its amazingly long lifespan.

D2 (Bliss Edition)--I've yet to play this survival-horror game, one of the first Dreamcast releases in Japan, but I'm seriously considering picking up a copy of it soon thanks to the brilliant cover (above) of one of its three limited editions. The other limited-edition covers are known as "Eclipse" and "Hope," by the way. Oh, and the cover of the "normal edition" can be seen here.

De La Jet Set Radio--A pretty fitting cover for this cell-shaded, graffiti-focused action game, don't you think? Too bad it's supposed to be kind of rare. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to stick with my comparatively boring North American copy.

Mr. Driller--Admittedly, most folks who come across this post are likely to deem this piece of box art to be the least impressive of the bunch. Regardless, I've long considered it a favorite thanks to its eye-popping colors and its overall adorableness.

Napple Tale--The cover imagery seen above makes me think of Christmastime as a kid--specifically, the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" TV special that is known and loved by most Americans my age and older--and for those of you who don't know me all that well, I can assure you that's a very good thing. Even if that weren't the case, though, I'd still praise it for its use of color and space.

Power Stone 2--Gee, do you think I like colorful box art? That's not the only reason I like Power Stone 2's addition to this little manual-cover-focused soiree, though; I also like its rather daring composition and its general style.

Do you have any favorite examples of Japanese Dreamcast cover art? If so, let me (and everyone else) know about them in the comments section of this post.

See also: previous 'five favorites' posts

Five favorites: Japanese PlayStation box art

Of all the "retro" game systems I currently collect, the one about which I'm the least knowledgable is the original PlayStation--especially when it comes to the subject of Japanese cover art that was produced for that groundbreaking console.

Still, I think I've come across enough examples of the above to publish a post such as this.

Should you have any favorites that aren't highlighted here, though, by all means let me know about them in the comments section below.

Boku no Natsuyasumi--To be perfectly frank, I'd like this particular piece of box art a lot more if it ditched the English text and even the "contrail" logo that takes up a smidge of space in the lower-right corner. Even in its current state, though, I'm pretty darn smitten with it and the cheery, nostalgic vibe it gives off to viewers.

Eldergate--There are a bunch of Konami-made PlayStation covers that could be mentioned here, but I'm going with Eldergate's because it features a sumptuously colored--and not at all clichéd, which can't be said of many of its counterparts, especially today--illustration.

Mad Panic Coaster--Could you describe this selection as a bit garish? Yes, I suppose you could. It's long been a favorite of mine regardless, though, due to its unique layout--it takes the eye a few seconds to recognize the roller-coaster car along the bottom edge--and bold use of color. (Although I wouldn't have complained if the logo had been made a bit smaller.)

Mizzurna Falls--Here's another piece of cover art that I've been a fan of since I first laid eyes on it (while perusing this review at easternmind.tumblr.com). There's something so ... moody about it that really appeals to me. Plus, it features snow-covered mountains, which always earns an approving nod from me.

PoPoLoCrois Monogatari--This is the perfect way to portray an RPG's contents on its box art, if you ask me. We've got dragons (two of them, I think), a varied party of adventurers (the dudes and the dudette situated between the dragons) and dramatic dose of magic--unless, of course, that orb is something other than a "wall" or "protect" spell.

Add in the abundance of color and clean composition and you've got yourself one attractive cover illustration. In my opinion, of course.

See also: 'Five favorites: Japanese DS box art,' 'Five favorites: Japanese PSP box art' and 'Five favorites: Japanese Wii box art'

Pardon the re-introduction

Don't worry, I know the phrase is "pardon the interruption," but I decided to turn it on its head for this post because, well, in this post I'm going to be turning a few other things on their heads, too.

Specifically, I'm using this post to let folks know I'm renaming a few of the "columns" that are semi-regularly published here.

The column names in question--"Five Favorites," "Let's Play: Which Box Art is Better?" and "Shall We Do It?"--have been bugging me for a while now, so I decided a couple of weeks ago to try to come up with new ones.

Here are the possibilities I'm toying with at the moment:

The rather boringly titled "Five Favorites" will be dropped in favor of "The Fab Five." Or "Five Fabulous Favorites." Or maybe even "Five Fab Faves." I don't know.

On the other hand, "Let's Play: Which Box Art is Better?" will, without question, be replaced by the far more colorful (and silly) "Nice Package!"--with related headlines that will look something like this: "Nice Package! (Tomodachi Life, 3DS)."

Finally, "Shall We Do It?" is going to become "Let's Do It"--as in, "Let's Do It: Etrian Odyssey IV and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball (3DS)." I think.

By the way, I actually quite like "Shall We Do It?" as a column name. That question mark really messes things up, though, which is why I want to change it. That said, maybe there's a way I can tweak it to make it work--like, "Shall We Do It? (THE "DENPA" MEN 3 and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call)."

As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not completely sure about any of the above--except, I mean, for "Nice Package!" That one's being used for sure.

What do you think? If you have any thoughts--especially about "The Fab Five" et al--please share them in the comments section below.

Oh, and as for the other columns I tend to publish here--the "Great Gaymathon" reviews, my "Somewhat Gay" reviews and "Manual Stimulation"--their names are staying put.

Five favorites: Japanese GameBoy box art

In the recent post in which I declared 2014 to be the "Year of the GameBoy," I warned folks that they should expect a good number of GB-focused write-ups in the coming weeks and months.

This isn't really the kind of post I was talking about, but it is related to them. After all, one of the things that has pushed me to turn my attention, once again, to Nintendo's first handheld system is the cool, quirky and even beautiful box art that was created for some of its Japanese titles.

The following five pieces of cover art certainly deserve to be tagged as cool, quirky or beautiful--if not all three--or at least I think they deserve to be tagged as such. What do you think?

Banishing Racer--I only became aware of this Jaleco-made platformer--which stars an anthropomorphic car that hops and bops its way across the US--a few months ago, but I've since made up for lost time by basically falling in love with it. Truth be told, the game itself is far from amazing and even can be downright frustrating at times, but I've never been overly picky and I've always been a bit of a masochist, so neither of those things bother me too much. Granted, I may be more lenient on the game than I should be because of its colorful--and kind of hilarious--box art.

Bubble Bobble Junior--Another kind of ho-hum GameBoy title, I have to admit, but, boy, do I like its box art. Of course, I like almost anything related to the iconic Bubble Bobble series, so maybe my interest here shouldn't be too much of a surprise. If only the gameplay were as tight and energetic as its arcade and Famicom/NES predecessors...

Hoi Hoi--Seriously, how can you not love a piece of cover art that features a gigantic, grinning--and winking--cockroach? I also like the kiddies that appear on this one, thanks in large part to the rosy cheeks that make them look like they belong in a cartoon or comic from the early 1900s. Thankfully, the gameplay--which can only be compared to modern tower-defense titles--in this one is worth a second glance, too.

Kitchen Panic--What? Another piece of Japanese GameBoy cover art that showcases illustrations of insects? Yep! Unsurprisingly, those bugs are the star attractions here, with my personal favorite being the bee or fly or spider or whatever you want to call the thing on the left (the one that's crying and holding its face with two of its many hands).

Lock 'n' Chase--After all of the drama above, you're probably surprised I'd decide to include such a "boring" piece of box art in this post. The thing is, I've always liked how this game's Pac-Man-like protagonist is depicted here. Plus, I like the overall use of color in this creation. A really attractive and well-balanced cover, in my humble opinion.

See also: previous 'five favorites' posts

Five favorites: Sega Mega-CD box art

True story: I've always felt an odd affinity for Sega's Mega-CD (Sega CD in the West), the bulky add-on device that was released for the Mega Drive (Genesis) in the early 1990s.

In fact, I was so attracted to the system and its rather tiny catalog of games that I regularly rented a CD-X--the surprisingly small all-in-one system, released in 1994, that combined the Genesis and Sega CD--along with copies of Lunar: The Silver Star or Lunar: Eternal Blue (usually) from the local grocery store as a teen.

I've long considered buying a CD-X system and a bunch of the system's games as a result of those experiences, but the former still commands such high prices on eBay that I've yet to bite the bullet.

That supposed resolve is routinely tested by beautiful Mega-CD box art like that which is showcased below, I have to say. I mean, who wouldn't want to own a copy of Keio Yuugekitai just so they could pull it from the shelf and stare at its cover imagery now and then?

Aisle Lord--I know next to nothing about this particular game--I think it's an RPG?--but at the moment I'm perfectly fine with that, as all I care about is its cover art. Sure, the basis of it is that same, clichéd, "let's jumble all of the game's characters together in the center of the illustration" design that's been a staple of Japanese gaming since the beginning of time (or so it sometimes seems), but at least this time around the artist in charge utilized a slightly different style.

Keio Yuugekitai--According to the word on the street, this game is as worth owning for its gameplay as it is for its box art--which kind of shocks me, as its box art is the definition of beautiful.

Lunar: The Silver Star--I'm sure some folks would include the cover art of this game's sequel, Eternal Blue, here instead, and I can't argue with them to an extent, but I've always been so attracted to this particular creation--and the game it represents--that I couldn't help but include it here.

Time Gal--I know the gameplay of this one isn't all that appealing, but you've got to love it box art anyway--or at least I do. I mean, come on--not only does it feature a green-haired lass with ample thighs (and, no, I'm also not sure why I zeroed in on that fact), but it features a giant woolly mammoth, too. In other words, it's close to perfection. The only way it could be better, in my opinion: if it showcased a bare-chested stud with pecs and abs to spare instead of a chick.

Waraou Salesman--OK, so some of you are likely to consider this piece of cover art to be the stuff of nightmares. I can't fault you for that, but I personally love it--mainly because it seems like a Japanese take on the creepy propaganda posters you could have seen in other areas of the world (if not in Japan, too) in the early part of the last century.

Note: all of the box art included in this post was pulled from the always fabulous segagagadomain.com.

Five more favorites: Japanese Nintendo 64 box art

Can a person have too many favorites when it comes to Nintendo 64 box art? Not in my opinion--which may be why I've decided to publish yet another post about the subject.

Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaio--If I had my way, this game's cover imagery wouldn't be constrained by a border as it is now. Even with the border, though, Bangaio's box art is a looker--thanks in large part to its bold logo, which really makes things "pop."

F-Zero X--Would you believe I was completely obsessed with this game while in college? Well, I was--and my copy (of the North American version) didn't even sport the awesome illustration seen above. Anyway, if ever a piece of Nintendo 64 box art perfectly depicted the "experience" of the game packed within, this is it.

Fushigi no Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren 2--For some strange and sad reason, I was completely oblivious about this game until quite recently. I say sad, by the way, because Fuurai no Shiren 2's graphics are nearly as adorable as its cover art. 

Yoshi's Story--I know a lot of folks hate this game, but I'm not one of them. Sure, it pales in comparison to its predecessor, Yoshi's Island, but it's still a joy to look at and a blast to play. That said, I'd kill for a sequel that features graphics similar to the stitched Yoshis seen in the box art above. (Yes, I know Yarn Yoshi is being prepped for the Wii U; what I'm talking about here is a two-dimensional platformer à la Kirby's Epic Yarn.)

Zelda no Densetsu Majora no Kamen--As much as I love the cover art produced for the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time, I love the imagery above even more. In fact, I love it so much that I think I'm going to have to snatch up a copy of it in the future. Maybe it could be a present to myself after I've reached some sort of milestone related to learning Japanese?

See also: five favorite pieces of Japanese Nintendo 64 box art