Anyway, as I'm sure you can tell from the headline above, this post is about five of my favorite examples of box art that was produced for the Japanese version of Sega's Dreamcast during its amazingly long lifespan.
D2 (Bliss Edition)--I've yet to play this survival-horror game, one of the first Dreamcast releases in Japan, but I'm seriously considering picking up a copy of it soon thanks to the brilliant cover (above) of one of its three limited editions. The other limited-edition covers are known as "Eclipse" and "Hope," by the way. Oh, and the cover of the "normal edition" can be seen here.
De La Jet Set Radio--A pretty fitting cover for this cell-shaded, graffiti-focused action game, don't you think? Too bad it's supposed to be kind of rare. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to stick with my comparatively boring North American copy.
Mr. Driller--Admittedly, most folks who come across this post are likely to deem this piece of box art to be the least impressive of the bunch. Regardless, I've long considered it a favorite thanks to its eye-popping colors and its overall adorableness.
Napple Tale--The cover imagery seen above makes me think of Christmastime as a kid--specifically, the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" TV special that is known and loved by most Americans my age and older--and for those of you who don't know me all that well, I can assure you that's a very good thing. Even if that weren't the case, though, I'd still praise it for its use of color and space.
Power Stone 2--Gee, do you think I like colorful box art? That's not the only reason I like Power Stone 2's addition to this little manual-cover-focused soiree, though; I also like its rather daring composition and its general style.
Do you have any favorite examples of Japanese Dreamcast cover art? If so, let me (and everyone else) know about them in the comments section of this post.
See also: previous 'five favorites' posts
I forgot how nice some of the DC box art was. These are all really great! Napple Tale is one of my favorites. I also really like the art from the Cool Cool Toon cover. It's simple but it works well.
ReplyDeleteD2 is alright and a treat for my collection but, I remember it being way to repetitive but the atmosphere of it and the entire series was great. It sort of, in my mind, laid the atmospheric foundations for many of the survivor horror games and art games currently out. I'm probably wrong because it was a critically torched for the repetitive gameplay despite everyone enjoying the surrounding environment, lore, and character that was Laura, in all 3. In regards to artwork, I think this one breaks the tradition of putting Laura on the cover. Localized versions of the game feature Laura on the cover.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to revisit and post my favorite covers in the comments in a bit.
Cheers!
One of my favorite games, at least, is Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, and I think the Japanese box is really interesting! They have books full of detailed CG renders of the characters (I own some of them!) but for the cover they threw all that out and used this comparatively rough-looking illustration instead. Seems like a classy decision (and of course they went with the usual renders for its western releases!) http://dreamagain.free.fr/media/images/tests/voot/voot_big.jpg
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, I like Cool Cool Toon's box art, too, finchiekins!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, I've definitely heard that D2 as a game can be ... less than a great experience. Still, I'm a glutton for punishment, so I'm up for at least trying it--especially since I find the premise interesting.
ReplyDeleteI actually considered including this one, Michael, but went with others for various reasons. Who knows, though, maybe it'll pop up in a "part two"? ;)
ReplyDeleteThat was on my list. I'm still trying to find working twin stick controllers for that game.
ReplyDeleteSome great ones here, Here's mine .
ReplyDeleteI need to play that. I know it's somewhere in my DC collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the follow-up comments, Chief, and for sharing some of your own favorites! I really like EGG's box art and Cosmic Smash's, too. In fact, one of them may appear in a "part two" post that I may have been planning all along ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with you about how memories are attached to our games and our gaming experiences and how games aren't played in a vacuum. My memories of the Dreamcast aren't as vivd as, say, my memories of the NES or SNES or TG-16, but they're still pretty vivd--and heart-warming. I wonder how I'll look back on the days of the 3DS, for instance, in 10 or so years' time?
Oh, I completely forgot that Sega released a twin-stick controller for this game. I can only imagine how pricey such a thing is today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing one of your faves, too, Billy! Sadly, I've never played ANY Grandia game :|
ReplyDeleteMe, too. I need to play it, I mean. I don't own a copy of it (or any other Grandia game).
ReplyDelete!!?
ReplyDeleteI know :) I can't even explain it. I guess there were too many other games at the time and they got overlooked?
ReplyDeleteNapple Tale is GORGEOUS! I've never seen that before! And Mr. Driller is adorable.
ReplyDeleteI'm not 100% sure if it's specifically for this game but, there is a dreamcast twin-stick controller. I know there are adapters that can be used on the Saturn twin-stick but, I don't collect for Sega Saturn at all.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it, though? Sadly, the game's a bit pricey at the moment. Still, I want it! Gah... :|
ReplyDeleteAh, that makes sense! Thanks for the info :)
ReplyDeleteE.G.G. didn't show up. Instead another one I like did. Here is EGG
ReplyDeleteE.G.G. didn't show up. Instead another one I like did. Here is EGG:
ReplyDeleteYep, it showed up this time. And like I said before, I like it a lot! Tha game itself, sadly, seems a bit less appealing, although I haven't played it yet so maybe it's more enjoyable than it looks?
ReplyDeleteYou liked it so much you posted it twice, eh? Just kidding :)
ReplyDeleteIt's middle of the road rpg fare so, not much to miss there.. The US cover isn't bad either.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why it double posted. :-p
ReplyDeleteIt's OK. I was just teasing :) I'm guessing it was Disqus' fault...
ReplyDeleteWell, then, maybe I'll focus on other DC games first!
ReplyDeleteI should discus that with them. Don't judge me, I had to. The set-up was ripe for the picking :-p
ReplyDeleteWhere's that damn rim-shot sound file when I need it? ;)
ReplyDeleteI love JSR so so so so so MUCH!
ReplyDeleteOh, me, too--though I wish I were a bit better at it! XD
ReplyDelete