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Welcome, interwebs, to Otomedius Excellent: THE UNBOXING!
The Otomedius Excellent Special Edition comes packed in a very nice sparkly cardboard box. No, really, it is both nice and sparkly.
One aspect I appreciate is that the box comfortably holds all the contents inside without causing any distortion in the packaging, even after multiple openings - in my experience, cardboard boxing starts to fall apart soon after the initial opening, and then you're left with a pretty, flimsy case that can't really hold anything. Thankfully, that's not an issue here.
The box itself is only slightly larger than a regular 360 case, so if you are inclined to store it in the same shelf as your regular-edition games, you can.
So what's actually in the box? The actual game case, pillowcase, and artbook with official soundtrack CD:
The regular game case isn't anything special. The instruction manual, like many in recently-published games *coughGEARS3cough* is an exercise in uselessness.
It's made up of two black-and-white pages, which detail the control scheme and how to use the menu screens. These two pages are reprinted in a number of languages so that all the world's people can be equally confused as to how to actually play the game.
If Otomedius Excellent is your first introduction to either the Gradius series or Japanese shmups, get ready to exercise your google-fu for instructions - the manual isn't going to provide them, clearly. :P
Now onto the fun stuff! First, the soundtrack - which does not have a dedicated case, but is enclosed in the cardboard jacket of the artbook:
Not the most, ah, prestigious of holding cases, and if you're not keen on carrying around the entire artbook when transporting the CD you'll have to carry it around coverless or bring your own jewel case, envelope, etc. Not a huge issue, especially when most game soundtrack CDs get the same treatment - but a separate slipcase for the CD wouldn't be too much to ask for, right?
An important note - the CD is not an Otomedius Excellent OST; it's a compilation of tracks from the whole Gradius series, and with a particular focus on tracks from the Japanese-only Otomedius Gorgeous. If you've never had a Gradius/Otomedius soundtrack before then it is a fine soundtrack, but if you have imported Otomedius Gorgeous stuff you may find a lot of the CD is familiar.
As for the artbook itself, it's a very nice addition with a few issues.
As an artbook, it's quite thorough, at least when it comes to official, finished art. The first few pages are multi-character promotional images; after that the book is broken down by character, with each section containing start/select screen icons and various promotional materials. (game magazine covers, arcade marquees and posters, telephone cards, etc.) The pages are glossy magazine-quality paper and the colors are bright, clear and don't show any printing mishaps or smudging.
On the downside, no concept sketches are included, so if you like that kind of stuff you're out of luck. Also, the artbook back cover is glued onto the cardboard slipcase in a way that makes them impossible to take apart:
It is not a major issue, but book and case are clumsily joined and it affects the binding of the last few pages. Also, it looks...pretty cheap. :[ But aside from those issues the artbook is a welcome addition.
Finally, in the 'things you might find hard to explain to others' category, comes the double-sided pillowcase:
OKAY THEN. Now, if one gets over the absurdity of the overtly sexual quality of the basic character designs - and you should have, because let's be honest that box art is not disguising *anything* and the Otomedius series could easily be called Gradius: This Time There's Boobies! edition - the image is about as neutral as an image from a fanservice game can get. I mean, yes, it's going to be hard to explain to any non-anime/video game fan, but if you're used to this kind of thing it only earns a mild eyebrow raise, right? Right?
So what about the other side -
OH.
Well I suppose this is the reason somebody would spring for a special edition that includes a pillowcase. And you can always flip it over to the slightly less suggestive side, if necessarylike every time somebody walks into your room?
In terms of embarrassing fanservice items this ranks above Record of Agarest War's Yearning Ellis pillowcase and on par with that game's mousepad with gel boobs - I can't decide if resting your wrist between lumps of gel simulating breasts is more or less tasteless than resting your head on a pillow covered with anime breasts. Anyone else care to weigh in on this extremely important issue?
As for the actual quality of the pillow, I haven't used it (lol) but the fabric is nice, though obviously synthetic. The print looks very solid and bright and I don't *think* the colors will run instantly, but tbh I have no idea about the image durability.
The side also zips up, which I do like. The zipper itself isn't immediately obvious, another nice detail.
So if you're in the market for a new pillowcase, particularly ones that have nubile young anime girls inviting you to bed on them, you could do a lot worse. I mean, it may very well be comfortable for reasons having nothing to do with scantily clad women near your head!
All in all, it's a decent special edition, especially at the price of $49.99 - most standard editions of games are above that. I personally would rate it higher than the similarly priced Deathsmiles special edition - the artbook, pillowcase, and soundtrack are more entertaining extras than the Deathsmiles Arrange album and faceplate that only fits certain 360 models. As to which is a better game, that's really up to personal preference...although my alliances lie with Deathsmiles. :P
In conclusion, I would suggest picking up the special edition over the regular version - the SE isn't particularly expensive, the material is overall well-made and can be enjoyed by both long-time Gradius fans and newcomers to the series, and you can have a pretend girlfriend in your bed all the time, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?! You know, aside from maybe your dignity.
GO FORTH, AND SHOOT THE CORE!
The Otomedius Excellent Special Edition comes packed in a very nice sparkly cardboard box. No, really, it is both nice and sparkly.
One aspect I appreciate is that the box comfortably holds all the contents inside without causing any distortion in the packaging, even after multiple openings - in my experience, cardboard boxing starts to fall apart soon after the initial opening, and then you're left with a pretty, flimsy case that can't really hold anything. Thankfully, that's not an issue here.
The box itself is only slightly larger than a regular 360 case, so if you are inclined to store it in the same shelf as your regular-edition games, you can.
So what's actually in the box? The actual game case, pillowcase, and artbook with official soundtrack CD:
The regular game case isn't anything special. The instruction manual, like many in recently-published games *coughGEARS3cough* is an exercise in uselessness.
It's made up of two black-and-white pages, which detail the control scheme and how to use the menu screens. These two pages are reprinted in a number of languages so that all the world's people can be equally confused as to how to actually play the game.
If Otomedius Excellent is your first introduction to either the Gradius series or Japanese shmups, get ready to exercise your google-fu for instructions - the manual isn't going to provide them, clearly. :P
Now onto the fun stuff! First, the soundtrack - which does not have a dedicated case, but is enclosed in the cardboard jacket of the artbook:
Not the most, ah, prestigious of holding cases, and if you're not keen on carrying around the entire artbook when transporting the CD you'll have to carry it around coverless or bring your own jewel case, envelope, etc. Not a huge issue, especially when most game soundtrack CDs get the same treatment - but a separate slipcase for the CD wouldn't be too much to ask for, right?
An important note - the CD is not an Otomedius Excellent OST; it's a compilation of tracks from the whole Gradius series, and with a particular focus on tracks from the Japanese-only Otomedius Gorgeous. If you've never had a Gradius/Otomedius soundtrack before then it is a fine soundtrack, but if you have imported Otomedius Gorgeous stuff you may find a lot of the CD is familiar.
As for the artbook itself, it's a very nice addition with a few issues.
As an artbook, it's quite thorough, at least when it comes to official, finished art. The first few pages are multi-character promotional images; after that the book is broken down by character, with each section containing start/select screen icons and various promotional materials. (game magazine covers, arcade marquees and posters, telephone cards, etc.) The pages are glossy magazine-quality paper and the colors are bright, clear and don't show any printing mishaps or smudging.
On the downside, no concept sketches are included, so if you like that kind of stuff you're out of luck. Also, the artbook back cover is glued onto the cardboard slipcase in a way that makes them impossible to take apart:
It is not a major issue, but book and case are clumsily joined and it affects the binding of the last few pages. Also, it looks...pretty cheap. :[ But aside from those issues the artbook is a welcome addition.
Finally, in the 'things you might find hard to explain to others' category, comes the double-sided pillowcase:
OKAY THEN. Now, if one gets over the absurdity of the overtly sexual quality of the basic character designs - and you should have, because let's be honest that box art is not disguising *anything* and the Otomedius series could easily be called Gradius: This Time There's Boobies! edition - the image is about as neutral as an image from a fanservice game can get. I mean, yes, it's going to be hard to explain to any non-anime/video game fan, but if you're used to this kind of thing it only earns a mild eyebrow raise, right? Right?
So what about the other side -
OH.
Well I suppose this is the reason somebody would spring for a special edition that includes a pillowcase. And you can always flip it over to the slightly less suggestive side, if necessary
In terms of embarrassing fanservice items this ranks above Record of Agarest War's Yearning Ellis pillowcase and on par with that game's mousepad with gel boobs - I can't decide if resting your wrist between lumps of gel simulating breasts is more or less tasteless than resting your head on a pillow covered with anime breasts. Anyone else care to weigh in on this extremely important issue?
As for the actual quality of the pillow, I haven't used it (lol) but the fabric is nice, though obviously synthetic. The print looks very solid and bright and I don't *think* the colors will run instantly, but tbh I have no idea about the image durability.
The side also zips up, which I do like. The zipper itself isn't immediately obvious, another nice detail.
So if you're in the market for a new pillowcase, particularly ones that have nubile young anime girls inviting you to bed on them, you could do a lot worse. I mean, it may very well be comfortable for reasons having nothing to do with scantily clad women near your head!
All in all, it's a decent special edition, especially at the price of $49.99 - most standard editions of games are above that. I personally would rate it higher than the similarly priced Deathsmiles special edition - the artbook, pillowcase, and soundtrack are more entertaining extras than the Deathsmiles Arrange album and faceplate that only fits certain 360 models. As to which is a better game, that's really up to personal preference...although my alliances lie with Deathsmiles. :P
In conclusion, I would suggest picking up the special edition over the regular version - the SE isn't particularly expensive, the material is overall well-made and can be enjoyed by both long-time Gradius fans and newcomers to the series, and you can have a pretend girlfriend in your bed all the time, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?! You know, aside from maybe your dignity.
GO FORTH, AND SHOOT THE CORE!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 05:48 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 05:01 am (UTC)From:Still, I sorta want to get a pillow to showcase it. It's so...joyously perverse!