Monday, July 18, 2011

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

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Nooo the new art is awful! I really don't like it D: I agree with you on liking the original Japanese cover the best, I think. The NA version looks great, too, but it's pretty cluttered and doesn't really set it apart from other PSP games with anime-style art

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, I'm not sure what they were thinking when they created the box art for the second game, Anne. The first box art (esp. for the Japanese release) was not only cuter, but it was more representative of the game, too. I'm not sure what the most recent box art is supposed to represent :\

Also, I agree with your thoughts on the NA box art. The illustration is OK, if a bit me-too, but overall it's too cluttered, IMO.

BTW, I really have to get this game at some point. Otherwise, I'll be partially to blame if the second game fails to leave Japan--and I certainly wouldn't want that!

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Oh, for sure the charm of the Japanese original makes it the best one of the bunch. And...the new art? Stink. Why would they dump a fun style for something generic and ugly?

Bryan Ochalla said...

I guess the designers (or someone else at the company) thought the new art would attract a wider audience? Honestly, that's the only thing I can think of, as the art is pretty darn hideous, IMO.