Friday, January 31, 2014

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

9 comments:

michaelstearns said...

I really like the F-Zero X cover! The US one appears to use the same art, they just chopped off the characters (too bad about the format) and I think lost a lot of what made it so cool and dynamic. I never got into F-Zero X for some reason (loved the original!) but I spent a LOT of time with GX on Gamecube. Its cover (in both regions) is unremarkable. :(

thegaygamer.com said...

Yeah, NA N64 box art often sucked, IMO--not just when it came to this game. Also, as much as I love the original F-Zero and F-Zero X, I've never even opened my copy of GX for the GC! Terrible, I know...

michaelstearns said...

Oh man, you gotta open that up! :) If not for the great racing or gorgeous backgrounds, then for the nonsensical story mode cut scenes. :D

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, I'll definitely open it up and play it at some point, Michael. Not sure when, though :|

Reggie White Jr. said...

The Japanese F-Zero X box art is all kinds of radical.


I recently just came across the Japanese Yoshi's Story box art and I cannot believe how utterly adorable it is. I would so hang a poster of that on my wall!

thegaygamer.com said...

I obviously agree on both counts, Reggie. I especially like the Yoshi's Story art myself -- and as such I've been pondering picking up a copy of the game for some time now...

Freezair said...

Another love of Yoshi's Story? Yay! The JPN boxart is indeed precious. Whereas the US got things like an extremely, EXTREMELY weird soundtrack CD... shaped like a Yoshi's head.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, yeah, I really like this game, Freezair. It's just so cute! I didn't realize us North Americans got a soundtrack along with the game, though. Was that some sort of pre-order bonus or something?

Freezair said...

I can't remember. I think it was something given away with subscriptions to Nintendo Power at the time, but don't quote me on that!