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Ninja Gaiden boxart flips into view, falls flat on backside
As if the news of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword being delayed until next March wasn't disappointing enough (news that was super-officially confirmed by a Tecmo press release today, by the way), the boxart for the game is ... well, not necessarily bad, but certainly underwhelming. Not ninjatastic. It might just be us, but the whole thing comes across as a bit half-assed, the kind of design a Tecmo work experience lackey might churn out on Photoshop during his lunch break. We really hope that didn't happen, Tecmo. Here's hoping the game, which we're immensely looking forward to, makes more of an impact than its packaging.
Final Fantasy IV boxart gets final
Famitsu dropped a megaton on us: Final Fantasy IV boxart. We know, we fell down when we found out about it, too. In fact, our bottom still hurts from the force at which it slammed to the ground. Personally, we're liking the character grouping in the center, but could do without all of the blue everywhere. We understand it's cloudy, but sheesh. Toss some color in for us outside of Japan, please!%Gallery-3278%
No More Heroes' European boxart is familiar
We're starting to think that Rising Star Games are taking all their cues from the Japanese release of No More Heroes. The European version of the game will, of course, lack blood like the Japanese version; this was revealed as the decision of the game's creators, Suda 51 and Yasuhiro Wada.Now the European boxart has been released, and it features the exact same piece of artwork that the Japanese boxart used. The artwork has been tilted and, for some reason, a white haze now decorates the bottom quarter of the box. In addition, the logo has been moved around and given a border. But those are minor changes compared to the American boxart. Maybe Rising Star is exercising just a bit of safe rebellion by making extremely slight changes.
Miami Nights hotter in Europe
"Party in the city where the heat is onAll night on the beach till the break of dawn"Oh, Will Smith, if only we could believe you and your ridiculous ears. Slated for next February, Miami Nights: Singles in the City is the latest mobile-to-DS port from developer Gameloft (Asphalt Urban GT), advertising itself as a "social simulation game" in which you try to make it big in Magic City as a model, singer, or actor. To our surprise, the DS game's graphics actually look worse than the cellphone version, mostly due to the studio's move from 2D sprites to 3D figures. Gameloft isn't the only company to blame for making Miami Nights less inviting -- Ubisoft, the title's publisher in both Europe and the states, also did its part to tone down the game's sex appeal, at least for the US. While Miami Nights' European cover features a blonde woman in a bikini, the North American boxart has the same model covered up, now in a low-cut dress.Is Ubisoft worried about conservative parents revolting over the lubricious image were it to appear on game shelves, right in between Meteos: Disney Magic and My Horse & Me? Or maybe the publisher just doesn't think we're ready for that jelly? Shake your hips past the post break to see the original packaging art and an embedded video of Miami Sound Machine's "1-2-3."
No More Heroes: possible U.S. boxart, possible attempt at placation from European publisher
Two interesting items related to localized versions of No More Heroes have popped up, and we decided to combine them despite the fact that they don't necessarily relate to one another. First, Amazon's page for the American version of No More Heroes now contains a boxart image. We have no idea if it's the final boxart or a placeholder, but it's cool and doesn't have too much clutter. The other news tidbit is that Rising Star Games has apparently been responding to angry emails from European gamers who want ichor. The message, as reported by NeoGAFfer Dachande, says not to "rule out a revised, 18+ version released some time in 2008 incidentally." If this happens, it's either a fan-pleasing move or an open grab at double-dippers' wallets -- or a confusing bit of marketing that will make people hesitate to buy the game the first time and, at worst, forget to buy it the second time. Most likely the statement is just Rising Star's way of trying to get people to leave them alone about the blood thing.
DS Daily: Judging a game by its cover
Just yesterday we showed you some of Games Radar's choices for the worst examples of boxart in 2007. There are certainly many more important aspects to a game, but how significant is boxart to you? Have you ever decided to buy a game based purely on awesome boxart, or vice versa in the case of an ugly cover? Maybe it's something you barely even notice? And, what are some of the best or worst examples of DS boxart that you can recall? Weigh in with your opinions here, folks; that's what the comments section is for.
Site recalls worst boxart of 2007, DS titles dominate
Games Radar's choices for the worst examples of boxart in 2007 don't necessarily coincide with our own, though even we would be hard pushed to dispute the inclusion of the above travesty in this hall of shame. Of the fifteen titles listed by GR, five are to be found on the DS, with OMG 26: Our Mini Games (#2), Julie Finds a Way (#4), John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland (#6), Touch Detective 2½ (#11), and Etrian Odyssey (#14) all charting.Jump past the break for more boxart that only a mother could love. Just remember that DS boxart can also be hella awesome.
N+ boxart wall-jumps out, collects gold
A rather final-looking boxart has shown up on Amazon for N+, Atari's upgraded remake of Metanet Software's brilliant freeware platformer N. It lacks the final ESRB rating, and contains some kind of "FPO" code, but it looks otherwise ready for stores. It features the two most important elements of N+: jumping and gold, and keeps it simple otherwise. The image also appears on Atari's page for the game, so it's probably safe to look for that picture when you go to buy it.But when can you do that? Amazon and Atari both say March 18th, while Gamestop says February 26th. We're guessing that the later date is the real one, because that's pretty much how it works. That gives us just ... not nearly enough time to finish all the official single-player levels in N.
New Space Invaders boxart Extremely better than the last
As for the rest of this Japanese cover art for Space Invaders Extreme, the gold-on-black text is slick, as are the patterned sprites. Even if this design doesn't strike your fancy, you have to admit that it's remarkably more attractive than the cheap-looking pieces used for the series' previous remake on the DS, Space Invaders Revolution. Compare the different boxarts past the post break, and you'll agree. We've also embedded another trailer for the game -- technically, it isn't new, but it's the first time we've come across it. Considering how marvelous it is, we doubt you'll mind watching it again if you've seen the clip before!
Trauma Center's Japanese boxart includes art
When we saw the official American Trauma Center: New Blood box, a great meh rose up into the heavens. We cried aloud: "It's not very goooooooood!" Our casual disinterest could not be overstated.The Japanese boxart is roughly ten million times better, because it shows something and/or someone. Even if it's just the same character art we've seen before, arrayed together to look like a group shot, it still manages to generate more interest than the pink plus sign. We don't think this is a compliment to the Japanese box, so much as it is reaffirmation that that American box is really boring.
K-1 World GP: Great concept, boxart
We're not too familiar with K-1 or other mixed martial arts organizations, but we recognize a clever cover when we see it! K1-World Grand Prix's packaging design mimics the plastic runners that often accompany scale model kits; both the boxart and the game's subtitle, "Let's Produce a Great Champion," reference K-1 World GP's premise of training a kickboxer to build up his stats before a match.The simulation portions are played out with 2D minigames and menus, whereas the actual combat is all 3D. You can check out a few screenshots of both segments past the break. Publisher D3P is scheduled to ship out K1-World Grand Prix to Japanese stores this week. Plans for a US release have yet to be announced.
Joshikousei Nigeru!'s final boxart not so wacky
Remember that bizarre boxart we cracked jokes about for Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen, the budget survival horror-themed puzzler from Success? That cover turned out to be just a placeholder, and the finalized design has been put up at Joshikousei Nigeru!'s recently launched teaser site. The new art seems more appropriate to the game's schoolgirls-in-distress cast, but it's not nearly as memorable as the ghoul lunging for some off-camera cheeseburger (viewable past the break). We're actually kind of bummed that Success opted to not use that silly image. We were planning on turning the bogeyman's open-mouthed expression into the next Jam Sessions dude, photoshopping him into article images at every opportunity.%Gallery-10383%
Ys to get JP release in Fb
GAME Watch has revealed the Japanese release date for the Ys remakes: both drop on the same day, February 28th. If you think you'll be in the mood for $92 worth of ported action RPG, these seem like appropriate purchases. Of course, they almost seem worth it based on their boxarts alone. Featuring the original art we previously wowed over, they show that somebody still knows how to make RPG boxarts-- and it's Interchannel, a company who primarily makes dating games. Check the link for the Ys II boxart, and be sure to poke around the official site for a few screenshots.
Double take on Duel Love boxart
Our eyes passed over Duel Love's cover design and dismissed the art as typical shoujo fare at first, but a second glance revealed a disturbing detail -- the shirtless figure in the foreground, Yuuki Jin, has no nipples. Sorry, Bandai Namco, but no nips, no sale.If you're planning on picking this one up next March anyway, don't miss out on the preorder gift, an "entrance guide" DVD. For the uninitiated, Duel Love has you currying your crush's favor by cheering into the mic while your he wrestles one of his classmates, toweling off his sweaty chest using the DS's touchscreen, and nibbling on his earlobe via a rubbery Ear Pak that slides into the GBA slot*. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there'll be any opportunities for any tweaking minigames, given the dearth of male bumps.Though many have mistaken Duel Love as some sort of homoerotic adventure, this simply isn't the case! Not only do you play as a female student, but the game is marketed towards women and follows a plot/style very much in keeping with the melodramatic manga popular with girls in Japan. Maybe that explains the missing nipples? Perhaps women just don't find our manly nubs very romantic?*This last part is untrue and ridiculous.
New Burnout Paradise box art ditches crashes for white space
If you think about it, box art is a video game's calling card. It makes the first impression, and inspires the consumer, especially those who don't follow game news day to day, to pick the release up from retail shelves for a second look. Because of this, box art often tries to capture the essence of the game in a single picture, which only makes us scratch our heads at EA's newly redesigned cover art for the forthcoming Burnout Paradise. The new cover ditches the previous art, which featured a car being smashed like a twisted metal flapjack, and replaces it with a serene, overly white piece that looks like it just drove off the set of an Ah Ha video.The new art reinforces the series' change in direction, from a crash-centric racer to something a bit more open. While early impressions of the racer are encouraging, we cannot help but be a bit worried at the game's seemingly constant push to separate itself from its legacy. With a demo slated for both XBL and PSN next month, we'll know soon enough if the game's Jan. 22 release date will be one to keep on the radar, or if the day will be better spent playing Takedown in remembrance of the series that was.
Shiren the Wanderer 3 picks up a Scroll of Awesome Boxart
Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 is a total surprise. The graphics look great, the trailer is classy, and now this boxart is just beautiful. We had no idea Sega was putting this much money into a dungeon-crawling RPG, and, in fact, we're a little shocked that they would want to. The budget for this must be enough to fund four or five Sonic Riders sequels. Is the Japanese audience for roguelikes really that large? We're suckers for great boxart, which the Wii is sorely lacking. It's not the only consideration for game quality, but we bet more boxart like this would at least draw curiosity from shoppers. And it's certainly nice to look at for free on the Internet!
Wacky survival horror puzzle game has wacky boxart
Set for a Japanese release this coming January 24th under Success' budget line of games, SuperLite 2500, Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen tasks you with fighting off ghosts and escaping a haunted schoolhouse via Bejeweled-style puzzles. Think Puzzle Quest, except the fantasy and RPG elements have been replaced with creepy dead children.Joshikousei Nigeru! will sell for 2,625 yen (approximately $23.60), which is about how much Success paid whoever decided to use that photo for its packaging art. The pictured ghoul looks less like a menacing spirit than some dude about to eat a cheeseburger. Match three jewels to save your cheeseburger from the wraith! As you can see in the gallery we've put together, there's a lot of fantastic promotional artwork for this game; why weren't any of those images used instead?%Gallery-10383%[Via Ruliweb]
Pet Pals boxart designer unfamiliar with humans
The boxart for Pet Pals: Animal Doctor clearly shows where the artists' (and developers') priorities lie. The animals are all presented using what appear to be real photographs, looking totally realistic and even cute. The humans, on the other hand, are awkward 3D models hastily Photoshopped into position. The troubling thing about this is that it probably would have been cheaper just to take pictures of whoever happened to be around instead of going to the trouble to render these subhumanoids, and the game is already full of 3D renders of animals. So they unnecessarily modeled humans, and also unnecessarily photographed animals.
Play Wii games with a PS2 controller, consort with witches
GameCube adapters for PS2 controllers are nothing new, but this $13.70 one from UGame seems targeted to the Wii and, most importantly, has some wacky boxart. You should be well aware by now of our weak resistance to goofy packaging. They pull at us, whispering cryptic messages into our ears, like dead children trying to give us clues about their murderers.There are so many odd things going on in this UGame cover: The redhead witch in the flimsy blue dress is holding a golden Wii remote with an attached wand. Could it be some sort of Brando accessory that we haven't heard about yet? The schoolboy chasing the woman looks too happy for his own good. Perhaps class just let out? Or maybe the leggy sorceress hypnotized the salivating fool, leading him to what will surely be his grisly death. Above them, another young witch flies over the scene, straddling a torn PS2 controller cord fashioned into a broom. For reasons never mentioned, she is dressed as PaRappa. Past the post break, we've got a larger image of the box, a photo of the actual product, and Clarissa Sabrina, the teenage witch. Wiggle your nose and head over there.
Mech porn: Hella Front Mission screenshots
Though you wouldn't know it by the amount of advertising Square Enix has done so far for Front Mission, a total equal to nothing, the mech-filled SRPG stomps into stores next week. Those familiar with the series will agree -- as far as SRPGs for the DS go, this is the best one coming out in North America this year. Just to make sure we've swayed as many of you over as we can, we have updated our gallery with over 65 new screenshots and artwork images from this remake of the original, never-been-localized SNES/PS1 game. If you prefer your pictures moving, Square Enix has also swapped out its completely uninformative, six-minute clip of a building exploding in slow-motion with a new English trailer at the official Front Mission site. %Gallery-4781%
