I find this trio of recent-ish Japanese PS3 box arts to be really appealing

I may not own a PS3 (yet), but that doesn't mean I lack interest in Sony's third console. On the contrary, I have quite a bit of interest in both it and its catalog of games--especially when the latter sport the kind of delicious cover illustrations that can be seen below.

The following example is for Gust's Atelier Escha & Logy, of course. The game, which is the 15th entry in the company's long-running Atelier series, will hit store shelves in Japan on June 27.

No joke: I'd very likely pick up a copy of this game without knowing a thing about it if it were released in North America with the exact same cover art.

The box art below, on the other hand, was produced for the Japanese retail release of Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara (known there as Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Hero Military History), which is due out on Aug. 22.

Although I don't believe I've ever played either of the arcade classics--1993's Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and 1996's Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara--that will be included in this compilation, I'd strongly consider giving them a go if Chronicles of Mystara were given a physical release in my neck of the woods.

Last, but not least, we have the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's slightly-cluttered-yet-still-brilliant box art. OK, so it's more than slightly cluttered. Still, I love it.

Of course, it looks as though it was created by Akihiko Yoshida--the man responsible for the amazing character art seen in (and on the covers of) games like Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy--so my unflinching support shouldn't be too surprising.

See also: other blog posts about brilliant box art

This morning's Japanese Nintendo Direct sold me on Gyakuten Saiban 5 and Monster Hunter 4

And possibly Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate as well.

Honestly, I've been thinking of hopping onto the Monster Hunter train for a while now, so the admission that I'm strongly considering picking up 3U and 4 probably isn't much of a surprise.

My sudden interest in Gyakuten Saiban 5 (aka Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney--Dual Destinies) is a bit of a shock, though, as this long-running series barely registered on my radar in the past (despite its rather glowing reputation, I should add).

Here's the trailer that sold me on the game during this morning's Japanese Nintendo Direct (which can be viewed in its entirety here, by the way):



And here's the trailer that seemingly pushed me over the edge in regard to Monster Hunter 4:



Monster Hunter 4 will hit Japanese store shelves--as well as the virtual ones of that region's 3DS eShop--on Sept. 14, while Gyakuten Saiban 5 will be released there on July 25.

Are any of you planning to buy either or both of these 3DS titles if and when they leave Japan?

On Touch Detective 3's completely brilliant subtitle

I know I'm pretty late to this particular party, but I have an excuse: I was on a plane--a bus and then a plane and then a train and then another bus, actually--when the game was announced a few days ago.

This 3DS title's full and official name, by the way, is Touch Detective Rising 3: Does Funghi Dream of Bananas?

I'm not entirely sure why the folks at (developer) Beeworks and (publisher) Success decided to add "Rising" to the title, but I'm guessing we'll find out soon enough.

As for why I think its subtitle is brilliant: I love that it seems to be a parody of--or at least a riff on--Philip K. Dick's classic sci-fi novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Sadly, all that's currently known about the third entry in the Touch Detective series is the above-mentioned name and that it'll be released (in Japan, at least) sometime this year.

Here's hoping someone brings it--and maybe Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed, too--to western shores sooner rather than later.

By the way, if this post hasn't quite scratched your Funghi itch, you may want to check out Chic Pixel's post about the "Funghi x Lawson food and folder campaign."

(Illustration and photos nabbed from famitsu.com, obviously.)

Get Lucky (feat. K.K. Slider)

"This is far better than it has any right to be."

That's what one particular YouTube user said earlier today about the following Animal Crossing x Daft Punk mash-up, and I couldn't agree with him (or her) more.



A download link to (a louder version of) the track is included in the video's description, so go here if you'd like to listen to it whenever and wherever your heart desires.

On a related note, is anyone else going absolutely nuts waiting for Animal Crossing: New Leaf to be released in their neck of the woods?

You're buying THE 'DENPA' MEN 2: Beyond the Waves from the 3DS eShop today, right?

FYI: the sequel to my favorite game of last year--Genius Sonority's THE "DENPA" MEN 2: Beyond the Waves--will hit the European and North American 3DS eShops sometime this morning.

I'll be adding this unique RPG's sure-to-be-colorful icon to my cluttered 3DS menu as soon as I'm able, of course. Are any of you planning to do the same at some point?

If you'd like to learn a bit more about THE "DENPA" MEN 2: Beyond the Waves before handing over your hard-earned bucks--it'll cost $11.99 in North America and €9.99 or ￡8.99 in Europe--you might want to check out my recent interview with Genius Sonority's CEO Manabu Yamana.

You might also want to read the "somewhat gay" review of THE "DENPA" MEN: They Came By Wave that I published last October.