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[RurouniZel]

So Sakura Wars: So Long My Love is coming out in exactly one month, and I need to get working on the official thread! This is a great game in one of my all time favorite series’, so I want my official thread to be attractive, informative, and maybe (just maybe) help Sakura Wars not get quite as lost in the shuffle and it’s certainly going to be next month what with Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III, etc. coming out as well. However, I don’t yet have a banner, and I’m not good at designing attractive banners like the ones that adorn several official threads here on NeoGAF.

To that end, I’d like to ask my fellow Gaffers for assistance. However just asking isn’t very fun, and since this is a very special game to me I thought I’d try to make this as interesting as possible. That’s when it came to me; a contest!

From today (February 23rd) until midnight EST on Tuesday March 9th, contestants will design and post their entry banners in this thread. From Wednesday March 10th through midnight EST on Friday March 12th, everyone on NeoGAF will be invited to vote on their favorite banner. You may only vote on 1 banner, since there will only be one winner. Each vote = 1 point. The person with the most points wins, and their banner will be used for the Official Thread of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love!

So what’s in it for the winner? The winner will get a free copy of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love on their system of choosing (PlayStation 2 or Wii). I will be supplying this to the lucky winner. When I pick up the game I will send it to you via Priority Mail USPS (so it might take a day or two, sorry!), but at least it’ll be free right?

A couple of good resources for making a banner:
NISA’s official Sakura Wars site: http://www.sakurawars.us/
RPGFan.com’s Artwork section: http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/Sakura_Wars_So_Long_My_Love/art.html

Rules:
- Please keep it safe for work (no suggestive fanart or language!).
- Banners should be no larger than 1024 x 320 (not everyone has a widescreen monitor!)
- Should contain the follow text somewhere in the banner “Sakura Wars: So Long My Love Official Thread” (Placement and size are up to you!)
- Only one entry per contestant (however, if you submit an entry and decide to change it before the deadline, you may do so!)
- Only one vote per contestant. You do not need to be a contestant to vote on a banner, but you may not vote for your own banner if you participate!
- Banners posted on March 10th will not be accepted (however I’ll be a little lenient if your banner is posted at, say, 12:05)
- All countries are eligable! For US and Canada residents the shipping will be USPS Priority Mail, for International (outside of North America) the shipping will be Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope, so you'll have to wait 6-10 days to receive your prize (sorry!)

Prize:
First prize will receive a free copy of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love on your system of choice, PlayStation 2 or Wii (information about the versions and the game in general can be found in the official hype thread here)

Vinnk and his site www.risingstuff.com is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

DISCLAIMER: This contest is not an official contest of NISA, Red Entertainment, Sega, or Idea Factory, nor is it official endorsed by any of the above parties. I’m running this contest purely out of love for this game and this franchise (and the fact that I was trying to figure out what to do with my extra pre-orders anyway…).

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EDIT: Okay, contest is officially closed to entries. This has been wonderful, thank you everyone for participating! The following are the entries for the Sakura Wars Official Thread Banner Contest. Please vote once and ONLY ONCE. Each vote gets 1 point, most points wins!

Names of the creator is ABOVE their entry!

spats

Ikkarus

soulhouf

Android18a

TunaLover

radiantdreamer

u_neek

Koren

Durante

Kid Marin

Remember, voting is open to EVERYONE!! You do not have to be a participant to vote, but you can NOT vote for your own entry! Only one vote per person please! Thank you!

 

[LiK]

Wow free game dude? You really don't work for them?

 

[VGChampion]

It's nice to see the game have a following. I've been interested in it ever since I read about it in Nintendo Power but it's just one of those games that doesn't have a lot of followers over here. Yet at least. It's awesome that you're offering the game for free to someone.

 

[RurouniZel]

It's nice to see the game have a following. I've been interested in it ever since I read about it in Nintendo Power but it's just one of those games that doesn't have a lot of followers over here. Yet at least. It's awesome that you're offering the game for free to someone.

Well it just seemed silly to do a contest with no prize, ya know? I already had a couple extra pre-orders that were either going to sit in my room doing nothing (or be given to a friend if I can find ones who'd take 'em), I figured I might as well offer one of those to Gaffers, since you'd probably be the most interested.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Prize sounds good. I'll try to throw something together.

 

[LiK]

Well it just seemed silly to do a contest with no prize, ya know? I already had a couple extra pre-orders that were either going to sit in my room doing nothing (or be given to a friend if I can find ones who'd take 'em), I figured I might as well offer one of those to Gaffers, since you'd probably be the most interested.

I know someone who's a huge fan of the series. He owns every game ever made. I can't wait to check out this new localized one too see why it's so good.

 

[androvsky]

I've been waiting for nearly a decade for one of the Sakura Wars games to come out in the U.S., trust me, RurouniZel's actions seem perfectly reasonable.

Besides, I'm glad you're doing stuff like this. I had similar notions, but wound up getting too busy/lazy as the game's release date approached. That, and NISA is already buttering up the podcast I was planning on sending extra copies to. :lol

 

[RurouniZel]

I know someone who's a huge fan of the series. He owns every game ever made. I can't wait to check out this new localized one too see why it's so good.

My collection as of a couple of years ago (sorry, photo's kind of old!)

I'll have to update this pic. There have been additions since...

 

[Kid Marin]

NA residents only ?

 

[hellclerk]

Eh, because of the lack of premium package for Wii owners, I can't bring myself to actually buy the game, but I'll throw my hat in for this, and if I win, just hate that red head with the Texas accent that will rape my ears.

 

[andymcc]

Eh, because of the lack of premium package for Wii owners, I can't bring myself to actually buy the game, but I'll throw my hat in for this, and if I win, just hate that red head with the Texas accent that will rape my ears.

are you saying you don't own a ps2? :lol

 

[MCX]

Where does this game fall in the Sakura Taisen timeline? Man, I really wish Sega had localized this series during the Dreamcast days. This will be my first entry.

 

[RurouniZel]

NA residents only ?

Didn't think of that one. Hm. I can do US/Canada shipping. I'll add this to the OP, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I can add Europe if it's not too expensive (anyone know how much shipping to Europe from the CT/NY area typically costs?)

 

[RurouniZel]

Where does this game fall in the Sakura Taisen timeline? Man, I really wish Sega had localized this series during the Dreamcast days. This will be my first entry.

Forgot to answer this, sorry. It's the last game timeline wise, but the game is self contained. No previous entries need be played to understand this game.

 

[spats]

I guess I'll start then...

 

[MCX]

Forgot to answer this, sorry. It's the last game timeline wise, but the game is self contained. No previous entries need be played to understand this game.

Thank you, sir.

spats: Very nice logo!

 

[hellclerk]

are you saying you don't own a ps2? :lol

No, my parents bought me a GCN back then, and by the time I could buy one myself, the next gen was kicking into gear. I chose to buy the Wii.

Anyway, spats has given me some competition with the high polish...

 

[RurouniZel]

I guess I'll start then...

And we're off to a blazing start! Well done! ^_^

I will be collecting these in a post once the deadline hits, so that they can all be compared next to each other, and also make it easier for people to see all the entries in one place so they can be voted upon.

 

[bernardobri]

International shipping is a no-no? (South America)

 

[Nekobo]

I guess I'll start then...

Great logo placement there! :lol

 

[RurouniZel]

International shipping is a no-no? (South America)

Where in South America? I mean what country specifically, I need to try and research the shipping cost.

Great logo placement there! :lol

Took me a couple looks to see that too. It's quite a nice detail!

EDIT: USPS international shipping rate for Priority Mail® International Flat Rate Envelope is doable. So long as you're willing to wait 6-10 days, I will make this an international competition! However, the copy of the game you receive will be the North American edition, so it will require a North American PS2/Wii.

 

[bernardobri]

Where in South America? I mean what country specifically, I need to try and research the shipping cost.



Took me a couple looks to see that too. It's quite a nice detail!

EDIT: USPS international shipping rate for Priority Mail® International Flat Rate Envelope is doable. So long as you're willing to wait 6-10 days, I will make this an international competition! However, the copy of the game you receive will be the North American edition, so it will require a North American PS2/Wii.

Chile

 

[RurouniZel]

Chile

That will do, after researching the USPS having an international flat rate since it's just a game it won't weight over 4 lbs. so it's fair game.

 

[APZonerunner]

Two thumbs up for this effort, guys. A deserving game!

 

[Ikkarus]

Here's my attempt.

 

[Boerseun]

Here's my attempt.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/Linkura/SakuraWarsBanner.jpg

I like the idea behind this one, but having the larger foreground character behind the logo while the smaller background characters are in front of it doesn't work.

 

[Ikkarus]

I like the idea behind this one, but having the larger foreground character behind the logo while the smaller background characters are in front of it doesn't work.

Thats a very good point. I completely over looked that part. I'll re-edit.

If you or anyone else have any other suggestions, feel free to comment.

Edit:

 

[Soulhouf]

My contribution:

 

[Android18a]

It looks simple, but it took a deceptively long time.

Process: Cut logo out of desktop wallpaper, cleaning it up (hardest bit), Create extra sign bit at the bottom to match the logo and look like part of the original design, find a font which actually sort of matches.

I just went for something simple and striking, rather than a character-based design. I wanted to make it clear, yet make the "official thread" part look as if it was part of the game logo itself.

This is how I always do them on my "home" forum =3

And having done the transgaf logo recently, I have a taste for it!

 

[Onemise]

So this is going to be the 1st ever Sakura Wars title coming out of Japan?

MUST BUY!

 

[TunaLover]

I hope win, the game probably will not come here =(

 

[radiantdreamer]

Here's my entry:

Scanned art from the Sakura Taisen I-V artbook, and did some photoshop on it.

Here's a screencap of the number of layers I used:

A 320 height is too narrow to put a good focus on the characters and have room for a large enough logo.

 

[RurouniZel]

Here's my entry:

Scanned art from the Sakura Taisen I-V artbook, and did some photoshop on it.

Here's a screencap of the number of layers I used:
http://radiantdreamer.net/temp/bannerlayers.jpg[img]

A 320 height is too narrow to put a good focus on the characters and have room for a large enough logo.[/QUOTE]

It looks nice, however it's 480 pixels high and the rules are for 320 pixels in height maximum. Everyone's playing by the same rules and this banner will need to be adjusted, or I'm afraid it'll have to be disqualified. :-(

 

[radiantdreamer]

It looks nice, however it's 480 pixels high and the rules are for 320 pixels in height maximum. Everyone's playing by the same rules and this banner will need to be adjusted, or I'm afraid it'll have to be disqualified. :-(

Alright. Your thread, your contest, your rules.

Was definitely trying for a more artsy bold look. I think I might have over-shaded everything, but it definitely gives more depth than flat sketching, especially for Gemini Sunrise. I might go back and darken a few of the characters a bit to make Gemini stand out more and put more depth between her and the others.

 

[u_neek]

Here's my contribution - might make a few changes later. Great initiative btw

 

[kiryogi]

Scanned art from the Sakura Taisen I-V artbook, and did some photoshop on it.

? Which artbook are you talking about?

 

[Deadly Monk]

Finally! Is the Wii version widescreen? That's actually a deciding factor for me because I want to play the game on my plasma. I'd rather not have to hook my PS2 back up.

This is on the official site:

[Format] ：Two Dual-Layer Discs, with English and Japanese Voice Acting (Premium Package)
Single Dual-Layer Disc, with English Voice Acting (Standard Package)

Is that telling us the only way to get Japanese voices is to buy the premium edition on the PS2?

 

[Koren]

? Which artbook are you talking about?

There's a lot of artbooks and official guides, I own 7 ou 8 of them... I'd like to be able to scan a couple of things for the contest (maybe in the Chronicles book, it must be 4-500 pages of arts, pictures and text), but I'm not at home.

 

[kiryogi]

There's a lot of artbooks and official guides, I own 7 ou 8 of them... I'd like to be able to scan a couple of things for the contest (maybe in the Chronicles book, it must be 4-500 pages of arts, pictures and text), but I'm not at home.

for V? I own a good majority as well All the softbank data/designs and the chronicle set. Amongst other things. I just don't recall that image, then again it's been a long time since I've flipped thru any of the V materials.

 

[Ikkarus]

Can I ask where you guys got the Sakura font from for your banners?
I couldn't find it when I tried looking for it.

 

[Koren]

for V? I own a good majority as well All the softbank data/designs and the chronicle set. Amongst other things. I just don't recall that image, then again it's been a long time since I've flipped thru any of the V materials.

I see, sorry... There's several books with episode V, but seeing how he speaks about it, my best guess is the ST 1-V illustrations from DNA? I don't remember if I own this one.

I must say that the pose reminds me something, but not the style... Maybe he used some artistic filters (and/or work) to get this result?

 

[RurouniZel]

Some great entries so far!! One more week left in the contest for those looking to enter!

 

[radiantdreamer]

? Which artbook are you talking about?

Specifically, this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sakura-Taisen-W...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea8c173ac

I scanned in the black and white sketches, and painted shading on it to give it more depth, added a lot of color filtering and such too (as you can see from all the layers).

Here's a scan of one of the pages I used:

Bad scan and didn't want to flatten my book too much. Now you know why she's on the left side. :lol

Can I ask where you guys got the Sakura font from for your banners?
I couldn't find it when I tried looking for it.

For me, I just used Times New Roman.

 

[radiantdreamer]

oops.

 

[TunaLover]

Didn't get access to that material, anyway, nice sketches =P

 

[Vinnk]

Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

This is a pretty cool idea, hopefully I'll have time to contribute

 

[androvsky]

Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.

*runs off to learn the photoshops*

 

[TunaLover]

Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.

Wow, that's pretty awesome on your part Vinnk =)

 

[Ikkarus]

Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.

Wow, thats awesome! I need to tweak a few things on mine before the deadline but hopefully it invokes more to participate. Competition is always healthy.