Shiren the Wanderer arrived today. I’m pretty happy about that! A good roguelike is always fun, and Shiren is the roguelike-iest thing you’re ever going to see on a console. I feel like I should extend Sega my compliments for actually localizing it.
They also win the Suikoden-Harlequin Award for Achievements in Inappropriate Packaging Localization with this amazing conversion from the Ghibli-meets-Tidus character art on the left to what appears to be an attempt to recreate a 1992-vintage Terry Wolfinger Gamefan cover. Could someone let Sega of America know what year it is? I mean, I know roguelikes are sort of a throwback, but damn. Why go to the trouble of translating a niche game only to wrap it in a cover guaranteed to cause the target audience’s gaze to slide right past, like it was riding a teflon banana peel?
“Could someone let Sega of America know what year it is?”
Shush! If they think it’s the 90’s, they might start making good games again!
Ah, man. I didn’t know if ‘arrived today’ meant ‘arrived in the office’ or ‘arrived in stores.’ My excitement clouded my better judgment until I checked the release date.
*waits*
Still more pleasant than that Steambot Blokus cover, but at least that was probably just a misguided attempt to appeal to a more casual audience.
Guh. That boxart has me comfuzzled.
Uh, that was me just now. Whups.
Well, what I thought I posted without filling in the name entry was:
“I feel like I should extend Sega my compliments for actually localizing it.”
Woah, wait, Sega brought over a roguelike? How uncharacteristically niche of them!
Really, though, how’d that one get by corporate?
I die a little inside every time I see that cover. I need to find a high-res scan of the original cover to print out before I buy it. I remember being sdo excited when I heard about the DS version and looking at the Japanese site and wanting a poster of the artwork. :(
The most baffling part is why they feel they have to change it at all, considering anything Japan is so in demand these days. The same goes for the changes Agetec makes to Disaster Report and Raw Danger.
Agetec’s changes to Raw Danger are really confusing. As if we couldn’t relate to a character with black hair or something.
“Why go to the trouble of translating a niche game only to wrap it in a cover guaranteed to cause the target audience’s gaze to slide right past, like it was riding a teflon banana peel?”
Exactly my thoughts about Yakuza. Maybe not as niche as this one, but I think it would have been more appreciated if they would have left it as authentic as possible.
doh, i’m with Lakupo on this one… need to find japans cover art and print it… the u.s. cover art looks like teenage mutant ninja turtles tv series art… ouch.
Yes! I’ve been eyeing this on store shelves for the past couple of months – please, please give your impressions. I want to know if it’s worth slapping a few yen down for it.
Do you like roguelikes? Shiren is the original console roguelike and arguably the best of them. So, there’s your answer.
The SFC Shiren is way awesome. It will flip out and kill you if it wants, but that’s part of the fun of a roguelike.
I am given to understand that this is in fact a port of the SFC Shiren.
Uh…wouldn’t the “mystery dungeon” part of the name they slapped onto there make it extremely clear it’s a roguelike?
What wi-fi stuff does that game have?
Count your blessings. At least it doesn’t look like GamePRO cover art. I think it is law in North America that you cannot smile while holding a sword, unless it is a TMNT-style doorstop shaped grin.