Box Art Request

[EdenMaster]

I recently hunted down a copy of Katamari Damacy, since I'd heard so much about it. I've had a tough time finding it around here, but I finally found a copy at GameStop.

The one catch: The box and manual were missing. The manual I can live without, but I'd really like box art on the case. So what I'd like from one of you is either a scanned copy of your box art that I can print out and put in the case, or a link to where I can find it.

Your assistance would be much appreciated, thank you in advance.

[OB1]

You got it used? Fow how much?? The game is new for $20!

[Dark Jaguar]

Sorry you had to buy a used copy... As popular as that game was I'm surprised they didn't make more copies of it. Honestly I haven't seen it since I bought mine, which was the last one being sold at the store I went to.

The manuel has the same art on the cover as the box actually. It depicts a calm green pasture with a cow standing there calmly. In the distance you can see a lovely purple mountain and a rainbow arcing in the sky. Oh, and way off you can see a terrifying ball of junk that has picked up entire cities rolling around.

I'm sorry but I couldn't find a picture of the box art... Also I don't have a scanner so that's out...

[OB1]

The game comes with Manuel?? Gadzooks!

[EdenMaster]

You got it used? Fow how much?? The game is new for $20!

I didn't get it used. GameStop stores the actual game discs under the counter and keeps the boxes on display, to prevent theft. Well, that obviously didn't stop one person. They had only one copy left, and it was the one they kept under the counter, and it's empty box and manual were stolen. People are morons. I got ten percent off though, but on a $20 game, it really didn't matter too much...

So yeah, it's brand new, but missing the manual and box art. I've figured out the controls, so I don't need the manual, but I'd still like to have the box art for my game case.

[Great Rumbler]

Only ten percent? What a rip-off.

[OB1]

Yeah, seriously. With those Best Buy coupons I've mentioned before you could have gotten the game for $15. With box and manual! :p

Sorry, man.

[EdenMaster]

Yeah, seriously. With those Best Buy coupons I've mentioned before you could have gotten the game for $15. With box and manual!

Assuming the game was available at my Best Buy (it wasn't).

As I said, after such a hard time finding it in the first place, I was just happy to get a copy, regardless of packaging.

[A Black Falcon]

In the cases that "weird" games like that are released, it's generally in limited numbers to cope with the fact that of course they'd have no chance of ever selling well...

[Great Rumbler]

Stupid mainstreamers...

[OB1]

Assuming the game was available at my Best Buy (it wasn't).

As I said, after such a hard time finding it in the first place, I was just happy to get a copy, regardless of packaging.

Well you could have gotten a copy online...

[Great Rumbler]

I can't wait until Katamary Damacy 2 comes out.

[OB1]

Yeah!


Damashii

[Great Rumbler]

The box says Damacy, though.

[EdenMaster]

I WISH I KNEW!!

Well you could have gotten a copy online...

Then I would have had to pay for shipping and have to wait for it.

[OB1]

he box says Damacy, though.

The FFVI box for the SNES also says FFIII.

Katamari Damashii means Clump (or Collage) Spirit, it's a Japanese word. Words. That spelling is much more accurate of the correct pronunciation.

Then I would have had to pay for shipping and have to wait for it.

Dude, EB usually has free shipping.

[A Black Falcon]

You'd still have to wait for it, though, and there's something nice about having the box in your hands...

[OB1]

...

what? he doesn't have the box...

[A Black Falcon]

You know what I mean... some kind of box... even if it's just packaging you throw away... :) (like when you get used N64 games that usually just come with the cart, or perhaps if you're lucky the cart and box (without manual)...)

[OB1]

wait what are you referring to? you said that he'd "still have to wait for it" (a con of buying online), "and there's something nice about having the box in your hands" (a pro of getting it online). Perhaps if you'd had said "but there's something nice about.." your sentence would have made more sense.


...

[A Black Falcon]

I meant it's nice to have the game in your hands when you buy it... having the box and manual too are even better, but having it when you buy it is what I meant. I like to be able to see what I buy before I get it and then have it immediately... buying games in stores just seems so much better (and personal) than buying it online and waiting for it to be delivered.

[OB1]

Yeah but it's often more expensive. Not really with games, but with dvds and other stuff.

[A Black Falcon]

I mostly just buy games and books...

[OB1]

Books can be found for really good prices online...

[A Black Falcon]

I'd need a credit card first... though I might get one in not too long, it's a good thing to have.

[Great Rumbler]

Or you could just use a debit card.

[A Black Falcon]

I don't have one of those either... just a checking account.

[Dark Jaguar]

Doesn't your bank have a system that lets you get a debit card for that account? All a debit card is is a card that draws directly from that account.

[A Black Falcon]

Probably, but I haven't tried. But I don't think most stores take debit cards... only a few, like the supermarket, as far as I know. They seem to be much more popular in the south...

[Geno]

If a store takes credit cards, then you can have them swipe your debit card and give them your signature and the transaction will go through just the same. At least that's how it works down here in the south. (As you said, the south is very much in favor of an electronic system of money.)

[Dark Jaguar]

A debit card is encoded EXACTLY the same as a credit card made by the same company. The only way they could get them to be in popular use was to do that. The instant they invented them, all stores with credit card swipe.. whatever they are, instantly were able to take them. It's just the computer where the specifics of that card's account data where there's a difference. So, even if they tell you they don't take them, don't listen to them (people in such positions aren't exactly tech savvy). Just make them scan them and it'll work. The same goes for online transactions. Most of the time the site won't even bother asking if it's a debit or credit card, because the information you type in is in the exact same format.

[Great Rumbler]

As far as I know a debit card works in exactly the same way as a credit card, except the debit card draws money directly from your checking account. My brother uses a debit card for just about everything he buys, including online purchases.

[Dark Jaguar]

Exactly, the encoding is the same so there's really no way the scanners can tell the difference, which means there's no way a store can reject it. The last part, where it draws money from your account instead of charging it, is something the computers at the store doesn't even see, much less actually do. That's something the credit card company's computers do, so again, it's totally invisible to the store, and if it's totally invisible to them, then again, no way they can reject it.

[A Black Falcon]

I remember some stores in Chincoteague (dollar store, etc.) that only took debit cards... very weird... since many bank cards are debit cards they certainly do exist in the north but I don't think that they are as prevalant. Standard credit cards are, of course.

As for taking them, I don't think that anything that takes credit cards can immediately take debit cards. It does swipe the same way and all but it uses a different system so it'd need to also be set up for debit... after all they aren't credit cards so they don't work exactly the same way. It has to access your bank account and directly withdraw the money... even if it works in something of the same way as a credit card it's not exactly the same, I'm pretty sure.

[Great Rumbler]

Any places that accept checks or credit cards will likely also accept debit cards.

[Dark Jaguar]

No really, the computer can't tell the difference on that end. The data is encoded the same way, and the exact same thing is asked for and sent. That is, the account number, expiration date, verification code thingy, and amount charged are all sent. That data is encoded the same way despite the card. The return data is just "accepted" or "denied" (if it's denied, try managing your affairs better! yeesh...), so no, the card slider does not have to be modified to accept debit cards, because the exact same data is sent and recieved either way. The credit machine has NO idea of the details going on. It doesn't even CARE about any bank account or credit issues, just that it was accepted and is now filed with that place. The details on if the money will be coming from a bank account or from the credit card company, later collected on with interest, and also actually delivering the money into that company's account, is ALL up to the computers at that company. The slider just recieves that it was confirmed and, most likely, stores a record of that on it's computer. Since that's all the data that is transfered and recieved, why WOULD there be a problem accepting debit cards?

Really, that IS how it works, there is no problem!

Oh and, you mentioned some stores ONLY accept debit cards? I suspect that isn't due to data compatibility myself... I suspect rather it's because they don't want to risk any credit incidents, since credit is essentially borrowed money from the credit card company. The sale could end up having to be cancelled due to that person's negligence, and the product collected, likely in worse condition than when first sold. I dunno, some store policy like that? I mean, that might explain why they only take credit cards. I'm pretty sure if you managed to trick them into thinking it was a debit card it would work though :D.

There is one special bit of programming they can add though, purely for security, not nesecity. That is, I notice a lot of places have added a special debit option on the scanners that actuall send an extra bit of data that tells them it is a debit card specifically, so instead of handling it like a credit card, they actually ask you for your PIN number and it's managed more securely that way. Well, not really when you think about it. I mean, that security is supposed to prevent OTHERS from using the card, right? Well, if someone steals your card, do you really think they are going to select "debit"? Oh no, they'll just select "credit" (which works just fine, as I've said, because the card's data is in the same format as a credit card, also I've done it before myself) and won't even have to know your PIN number. Honestly, the whole method is just a placebo to make people think they are being more secure. Really, using that method yourself isn't making it any more secure at all.

[Geno]

Though advanced machines require a pin number for debit cards and a signature for credit cards, some machines will run any card as one or the other. Some places require a pin number, some places require a signature, some places you can choose between debit (pin number) or credit (signature), and some places (like Chick-Fil-A and gas stations) only require a swipe of the card, which is odd. I make online purchases with my debit card all the time, and the sites never ask me what kind of card it is. They simply refer to it as a credit card or a Visa.

[EdenMaster]

...

So...nobody can help me then?

:bummed:

[A Black Falcon]

Here you go. Box art. Just click the image of the box. :)

http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,7/gameId,14970/

[OB1]

Man, best box art ever after the non-US ICO box art.

[A Black Falcon]

That Ico box art is great, but the Katamari Damacy box art is just weird... wouldn't get me to pick up the box, probably, if for some reason I was looking at PS2 games.

[EdenMaster]

That Ico box art is great, but the Katamari Damacy box art is just weird... wouldn't get me to pick up the box, probably, if for some reason I was looking at PS2 games.

I disagree. You have a peaceful pasture with cows, a rainbow....and a mile high ball of everything on earth clumped together. It's odd enough that even if I'd never heard of the game, I'd still be at least curious.

Of course, if not for the hype, I'd have placed it neatly back where I found it, but I'd at least have given it a glance :D.

[Great Rumbler]

As soon as I heard about Katamari Damacy and what it was about, I knew that I had to have it.

[OB1]

I don't want to meet any person who wouldn't instantly fall in love with the game after seeing that awesome box art. It's one of those very rare box arts that so perfectly captures the essence of the game (like ICO's).

[Great Rumbler]

Where is that ICO boxart from? It's a lot better than the one that we got here.

[OB1]

That's the Japanese/European box art. Sony didn't want the game to sell too well over here, so they decided to make the worst box art imaginable for the U.S. release.

[Great Rumbler]

Yeah, it wasn't very good. It just had too much stuff on the front, the Japanese one's really minimalist, but it accurately caputures the feel of game.

[OB1]

Yes. And Jake Lloyd is not in the game, contrary to the U.S. box art.

[Great Rumbler]

Indeed.

[OB1]

Yup.