Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Dragon Quest IX edition)

The folks at Nintendo have announced (finally!) European and North American release dates for the eagerly anticipated Square Enix/Level-5 RPG, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. North Americans will be able to get their grubby little hands on the DS title on July 11, while their European counterparts will be able to do so on July 23.

Although the European and North American versions of the game will retain most, if not all, of the features and qualities that made the Japanese original a mammoth hit, they will not retain that version's cover art (below).


Here's how the cover art will look on the European/North American versions of the game:


Which do I prefer? Eh, the Japanese version, I guess, although I can understand why the brass at Nintendo of America/Europe decided to change it (i.e., they probably considered the original art a bit too "Japanese" for Western audiences).

Anyway, if you want to know more about the European and North American versions of Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, head over to tinycartridge.com or toastyfrog.com. Or just click on this link to see the game's latest trailer.

See also: 'Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (PaRappa The Rapper edition)'

8 comments:

Viewtiful_Justin said...

I don't particularly enjoy either box's art. The Japanese version seems to do little to represent the game, and the US version is so "generic RPG box art" that it doesn't make an impact.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I'm not sure I agree that the Japanese version does little to represent the game, but I certainly agree that the US version is generic. That said, it could be a *lot* worse :)

Mischievous Lumi said...

Second one is too cliche for my taste, I like the first one.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Well, it certainly seems that the consensus is that the European/NA version is a bit cliche/generic. At least the game itself seems to be worth playing :)

Devil Persona said...

I will have to agree with Luminairis. With the first one it looks like they could be doing anything -THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

Like the Brown-Hair-Goku is like, "Yeah let's have a sandwich party!"

Then the red hair lady is like, "Hell yeah! I will cut the meat with mah axe!"

Then the woman in the dress is like "I will dance and do other useless things 'cause I don't cook!"

Then the little guy is "I got the bread!"

Then the cucumber at the top is hiding from them and willing to fight to the death because he doesn't want to be turned into a sandwich.

Just to prove that more glam can sometimes be good. It tells more of a store than four people standing above the logo.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ha ha! I like the way you think, Devil Persona :) I esp. like the imaginative caption you came up with for the woman in the dress ("I will dance and do other useless things 'cause I don't cook!"). :)

IvaNEC said...

I don't like the Japanese version's cover art. The colors seem pretty washed out for what seems intended to be a jovial scene, and I have no idea what these goofballs are celebrating in the middle of the street about! The main guy on the right looks particularly goofy; I've never seen someone express their delight about something with such an awkward leap for joy (and he's doing it in public, no less).

The American version's cover is indeed pretty typical in that it's taking these little cartoony characters and trying to make them look like badasses while striking "cool" poses. I think it pulls off the cliche well enough, though, and I like most of the color choices they made. The main guy is again the lowlight, though.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Opinion sure is divided on these two box covers! Anyway, I agree with you re: the NA art -- it pulls off the cliche about as well as it can. I still prefer the Japanese art, though :)