What the hell!?! - Phalanx cover

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:07 pm

I've always wondered about this - ever since i was a kid and to this day it makes me laugh like a giggling schoolgirl when i remember it.

I mean, really - why!?!

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:14 pm

Ah yes, one of the most infamous "what the heck?" pieces of boxart of the 16-bit "what the heck?" localization era. If nothing else, the image certainly succeeded in gaining more than its fair share of attention, and that's what ads and such are supposed to do, right?

In any event, I generally don't bother trying to figure out what the designers were thinking, I just sort of accept it in all its oddness (though the actual game, imo, is pretty mediocre, with a few notable moments). I even call the guy on the cover "Pharmer Bob."

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:16 pm

I always imagine him whistling out "oh shit!" in that crazy old man hillbilly voice as the ship flys over his head. Tarnation!

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:19 pm

I always kinda figured, by the look on his face, that he knows something is there behind him, but he'd rather not turn around and see what it is.

"Git me mah rahfle, Zeke! It's one o' them dang giant fireflies agin!"

Nullsleep · Post by **Nullsleep** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:20 pm

I've heard that it was basically exactly what BulletMagnet suggested, a design decision to capture the attention of the consumer and make it stand out while sitting on the shelf.

Too bad the gba version had completely normal box art.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:28 pm

Nullsleep wrote:Too bad the gba version had completely normal box art.

Boo! Hiss!

Come to think of it, Pharmer Bob would make a great avatar, maybe I'll adopt him someday.

Dewclaw · Post by **Dewclaw** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:51 pm

Wow, I had completely forgotten about that boxart

Very funny. Never cared for the game itself though.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:55 pm

A guy at EB Games told me that at the time people were all excited for adventures/RPGs, and the cover was intended to trick consumers into thinking Phalanx was just that. He said his friend actually shelled out $80, thinking that it was an adventure game. (Did it really retail at $80 initially?)

it290 · Post by **it290** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:20 pm

Why would you think it was an RPG with that blurb on the front?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:44 pm

PharmerBob

Class: HillBilly, level 4

Exp Needed for class change, "StumpJumpr": 857

WepnEquip: Banjo. AttPwr 8. Effective against "City" enemies.
HeadEquip: StrwHat. Def +2. Mosquito damage reduced by half.
BodyEquip: OvrAlls. Def +5. Prevents "Muddy" status.
Accessory: WhtBeard. Whiskey tolerance rate +25%.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:58 pm

it290 wrote:Why would you think it was an RPG with that blurb on the front?

Uhhh... good question.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:05 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:PharmerBob

Class: HillBilly, level 4

Exp Needed for class change, "StumpJumpr": 857

WepnEquip: Banjo. AttPwr 8. Effective against "City" enemies.
HeadEquip: StrwHat. Def +2. Mosquito damage reduced by half.
BodyEquip: OvrAlls. Def +5. Prevents "Muddy" status.
Accessory: WhtBeard. Whiskey tolerance rate +25%.

Good one!

Although my RPG days are long gone...

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:07 pm

Btw, when was Phalanx released, 1992 or 1993, thereabouts? IIRC that was a ways before RPGs really caught on around here...I'd say that didn't happen till FF7, and that was when, '97?

GIANT SQUID · Post by **GIANT SQUID** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:27 pm

yeah, actually the idea that they wanted to make it stand out was correct. i read in an interview somewhere that that image just popped up and they went with it. it works..
anyway, anyone get it for the gba? was it a decent port? hmmmm speaking of which, i need to get steel empire for the gba...i freaking love that game.

EOJ · Post by **EOJ** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:28 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:Btw, when was Phalanx released, 1992 or 1993, thereabouts? IIRC that was a ways before RPGs really caught on around here...I'd say that didn't happen till FF7, and that was when, '97?

Nah, RPGs were pretty popular in the SNES era. Games like FF2, FF3, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Lufia, etc.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:33 pm

twe wrote:
BulletMagnet wrote:Btw, when was Phalanx released, 1992 or 1993, thereabouts? IIRC that was a ways before RPGs really caught on around here...I'd say that didn't happen till FF7, and that was when, '97?
Nah, RPGs were pretty popular in the SNES era. Games like FF2, FF3, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Lufia, etc.

Yeah, I think I read recently that Chrono Trigger was a top three seller when it released. When's the last time a shmup was that high on the charts?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:40 pm

CT was a couple of years later though...1995, I think? As has been said, some of the other SNES RPGs of the time (especially late-era ones) did have their share of fans (which, one could argue, emboldened Square to eventually release FF7 here anyways), but it was still very different back then...I remember hearing someplace that FF6 (as FF3 in the states) sold around a half million copies or so; not bad, granted, but in Japan it sold several million, IIRC. At that time an RPG was almost (if not entirely) unheard of as a million seller in the West. I just find it hard to believe that a company would be looking for "RPG" appeal that many years ago (using Pharmer Bob as their mascot, no less).

pixelcorps · Post by **pixelcorps** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:59 pm

my friend had that game in his store for years.. he just kept in on the shelf for amusements sake...

we used to stare at it occasionally, pondering wether we were missing some extremely clever, but mind destroyingly cryptic metaphor or nuance within the image....

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:00 pm

Yeah, you're probably right, BulletMagnet. So much for the theory of that guy at EB Games. Next time I see him, I'll tell him he's full of crap.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:07 pm

professor ganson wrote:Next time I see him, I'll tell him he's full of crap.

Go! Go forth and destroy without mercy, Kirby With Snorkel! And tell those pathetic souls you conquer under the weight of your fluffy pink foot that BulletMagnet sent ya!

Nah, I'm no authority on this stuff, I just thought that the notion of looking for RPG fans to boost sales in the early 90's seemed a bit odd, not much of what I said (if anything) is exactly "official," just my take on it.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:10 pm

One last thought on behalf of this guy's theory:
Weren't adventures like Zelda a pretty big deal back then? Maybe Pharmer Bob is supposed to remind us of Link?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:38 pm

Zelda's always been pretty popular to the best of my knowledge, but if P.B. is any closer to Link than he is to any RPG character, then I'm a monkey's uncle, heh.

D · Post by D » Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:36 am

Actually the guy was supposed to take a look at his whiskey bottle after he saw an intergalactic battle above the earth and toss the bottle as in, I'm never gonna have another drink again.
right?

Or, he is the real final boss, when you get to the end without using continues.

*choose your destiny*

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 10:46 am

This thread is awesome

TGK · Post by **TGK** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:11 am

you guys are all, hic, wrong, hic...

that fine gentleman there, hic, is the pilot of the Phalanx...

we just had beer, hic, and banjo playing while battling baddies...

that Phalanx ship is amazing thing I tell ya. It's controlled by a banjo...

Galderic · Post by **Galderic** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:20 am

(hehe), anyone have the OST of phalanx (SNES) ? the music archives of www.zophar.net are an error

D · Post by D » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:21 am

Galderic wrote:(hehe), anyone have the OST of phalanx (SNES) ? the music archives of www.zophar.net are an error

I have it, as in it does exist/works.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:34 pm

It's nice to see Uncle Jesse got some other work besides cleanin' up after them dang Duke Boys all the time!

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:34 pm

TGK wrote:that fine gentleman there, hic, is the pilot of the Phalanx...

Okay, if no one else does a fanart or Photoshop edit of this, I'll have to whip something up next time I get the chance.

Dandy J · Post by **Dandy J** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:20 pm

it290 wrote:Why would you think it was an RPG?

Want some rye? 'Course ya do!