The Gamer's Quarter

david · . Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: b, md

Looks good! I like the close-in camera and the look of the mazes. It seems like it's really well-suited to the Wii.

IGN has an article about it that starts, "it would be a mistake to compare Kororinpa ... to Super Monkey Ball" ... How would it be a mistake?? As the article then explains, they share a core concept (the tilty maze / marble thing).

I'm thinking about trading in Super Monkey Ball next time I buy a Wii game, even though I'll probably get $15 or whatever for it. It's kind of annoying me to own it. Some of the minigames are pretty fun, but I mean just a few. Overall the game is so bombastically annoying, I don't think I can take it.
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Pijaibros · Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:04 pm Post subject:

You have made my day good sir! I finally have a reason to care about this new system.

This looks like next generation Cameltry! I may have to import a Wii if this doesn't come to the US.

Mr. IGN dude probably says it's a mistake only because of the direction SMB has gone these past few years. This new game however seems to be in the direction I wish Monkey Ball would've went towards after the first one.

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject:

i approve of this game.
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SuperWes · Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:45 pm Post subject:

Well it sounds like you can turn the board upside down entirely. That's a pretty big change!

-Wes
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david · . Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: b, md

Hm, yeah.

I'm just saying.
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oligophagy · . Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 28

It's funny that the mistake of comparing them is because "the Hudson title has some big differences" when noting differences is an implicit comparsion. That the sentence makes sense at all (as opposed to, say, noting differences between SMB and Zelda) is proof.

david · . Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: b, md

I know, yeah. That's what I was trying to say.

Of course what they really mean is something like, "although Kororinpa bears many undeniable similarities to SMB, it would be a disservice to dismiss it as an also-ran."

Implicit in the article's opening is how obvious and appropriate the comparison is.
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squidlarkin · . Joined: 10 Dec 2005 Posts: 100

Hey, that's a pretty neat idea.

dessgeega · Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:48 am Post subject:

woohoo!
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JasonMoses · . Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 407

I'm enthused!

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Man, how did I know they were going to fuck up the cover.

Japanese covers often have a decorative, pattern-like composition of elements, and if that's the case you can guarantee the US distributer is going to scrap that shit and replace it with some crap they knocked up in 2 minutes where something is COMING AT THE VIEWER:

Japan:

US:

Japan:

US:

What, do they just think people in the west just don't like nice things? I thought the way the Wii represented a sort of sea change against this bullshit, but obviously not ;_;

Viewer · . Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 8

Americans are all about action and excitement and the hit-you-in-the-face experience! If it's not coming at you at 500 miles per hour, there's something wrong!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

I'm not especially enamored with the japanese covers in those examples, really.
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simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

The Kororinpa one seems to say "If you liked Pikmin and Katamari Damacy, you might buy our game?"

I really like the Mario one though. If the American cover is a CG trailer, the Japanese is actual gameplay. And it's just very playful.

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I think that Kororinpa one is hottt! It says 'experimental and playful' while the new one says 'cheap and nasty'.

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

This was always one of my favorites:

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simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

I like the way those American blocks look a little worried about running facefirst into the camera though.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

The japanese box-art is great, and the other japanese ones are nice, but I can see why they were changed in America. Namely, they don't really show anything about what the game is about. Covers here really need to catch the eye. I guess?

I remember Next Generation wrote a huge article about game covers once, it was pretty interesting stuff.
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B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

if the minigames in zelda and rayman are any indication this is going to control really, really well.

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

dmauro · . Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 303 Location: Brooklyn

I've had the chance to buy Cubivore a couple of times, but I've always passed because the cover was so unappealing (and it wasn't exactly cheap).

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Would you have bought it had it had the japanese cover, as shown above?

dmauro · . Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 303 Location: Brooklyn

Probably, I'm a sucker for good cover art Sad

Viewer · . Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 8

I'm the opposite I suppose--I picked up Cubivore because my eye was drawn to the colorful and interesting-looking box art. Animal Leader's box just looks...confusing. "Unique appeal"? Sorry, I must have missed the airplane creature while playing. And I'm certain that cup in the center has some deep meaning which I simply cannot comprehend. It doesn't even have anything to do with the game!

dmauro · . Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 303 Location: Brooklyn

It's mostly just the terrible logo that's turning me off.

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Tim · . Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 54 Location: Millersville, MD

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

It's funny because I generally think the Japanese movie posters for US movies are terrible!
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Oh, I don't know...

Mister Toups · Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:00 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Army of Darkness is called 'Captain Supermarket' in Japan. 'Captain' because that connotates 'American action hero' to the japanese, and Supermarket because he works in a supermarket, and the silly juxtaposition of the two words neatly hints at the irreverent tone of the movie. In this sense, I think it's more descriptive a title than 'Army of Darkness'!

So the Japanese poster looks like that. Pop Art, comic-booky, fun. Like the film!

I'm not a huge fan of the movie but I'd like that poster.

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:34 pm Post subject:

It makes me think of the cover for Symphonies Of Sickness only with soup instead of cadavers.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:41 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

There is a website you can get it from which specialises in old/obscure movie one-sheets, but I forget what it's called.

EDIT: You can get a 10" x 7" poster of it from http://1000futuristicfilms.net/ for $20.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

I am buying this poster.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

www.revok.com has it too, in the same format. I haven't found any larger prints yet, but I'm making enquiries!

Cryoburner · . Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 27

The Japanese cover art tends to be more ambiguous than its American counterparts, and it can be more difficult to determine what the games are about at first glance. In some of these cases I feel the US versions were better.

For instance, the US Mario 64 DS cover is far more recognizable. Mario and the others are the central focal point, so you can immediately see that it's a Mario game without even reading the title. The Japanese cover might be more unique and interesting, but its subjects are small, and not likely to catch the eye of potential customers in a display full of other games. The same goes for the Cubivore box art. Displaying a few large objects tends to make for a more recognizeable package than covering it with many tiny things.

The Japanese Kororinpa box does look a lot nicer than its American counterpart, but it's also more vague as to what type of game it is. The American version might be tacky, but there's no question that it's a game involving balls and ramps. Of course, it's still ugly, and they should have done something better with it.

Kollon should have probably stuck with its original cover though. It's well-balanced with clean styling, unlike the Block Party version that looks as though it was thrown together in an afternoon.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

I am not purchasing any item in a store that is pink with anime characters on it, guys.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

So says the man whose signature is

:P

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

And I'm not purchasing any game that has stupid :3 blocks on the cover! So there!
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Mister Toups · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject:

Ultimate Block Party is a pretty awesome name for a block puzzle game.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Mister Toups · Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 12:30 am Post subject:

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

not me, unfortunately
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Not me

FortNinety · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I'd like to see that!

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

So I was at the store today and I saw Kororinpa on the shelves at a low price and with the original Japanese cover art. I might pick it up.
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dessgeega · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:05 am Post subject:

do it.
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