Mega Drive Box Art — Across the Regions

[timewarpgamer]

This is a little fascination of mine: How games are marketed with totally different box art (sometimes even different titles as well) across North America, Europe, and Japan. My latest focus is the Mega Drive, and you can find my comparison/critique here:

http://timewarpgamer.com/features/genesis_box_art_comparison.html

Delving into this topic is a big one, so I turn to you to provide additional examples. One person can only track down so many pieces of box art x 3 for each game! And if you're into this sort of art discussion, you might like my first foray into this world, focused on the TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine:

http://timewarpgamer.com/features/tg16_box_art_disparity.html

[MrRoboto19XX]

This is pretty awesome, I love this kind of stuff. Well done and thanks!

[vivaeljason]

All I've got to say is that the Genesis/Mega Drive article was great; I've never really thought about variations in box art prior to now, but all I can say is that in a lot of cases, the US got the short end of the stick when it came to the box.

I'm going to the TG16 one now, and I'm sure it'll be more quality stuff.

Man, now I want to read an SNES one. LOL

[Steve W]

I've always wondered if there wasn't another reason why the US branch of Hudson couldn't get access to the original art. There's the thought that the art was too Japanese for Western tastes, but that's not always true. Dungeon Explorer for the PC Engine is light years better than the one for the US release, and there's nothing at all that looks Eastern about the PC Engine version. So why wouldn't they use the original art?

[PresidentLeever]

Nice to read this kind of article by someone who knows what they're talking about :) I really enjoyed both of these.
If you want to expand on them, I guess you could compare the box art to the actual in-game graphics as well.

[c2000]

Nice feature!

BTW Why does the 'quick reply' button gives me the 'quote' screen?!

[Baloo]

Japanese Genesis/Megadrive art has so much anime, sometimes it doesn't seem to fit very well.

[timewarpgamer]

All I've got to say is that the Genesis/Mega Drive article was great; I've never really thought about variations in box art prior to now, but all I can say is that in a lot of cases, the US got the short end of the stick when it came to the box.

I'm going to the TG16 one now, and I'm sure it'll be more quality stuff.

Man, now I want to read an SNES one. LOL

Thanks for the compliments; I'm glad you enjoyed it. You'll be pleased to know that SNES is next on my list. Anyone know good places to find PAL SNES box art? I've got the US and Japan covered with ease, but the European releases are elusive.

[Doonzmore]

Are you some sort of art major? I swear reading those articles reminded me of the critiques i go through at KCAD.

[TonyTheTiger]

I actually like the American Elemental Master box art.

[timewarpgamer]

Are you some sort of art major? I swear reading those articles reminded me of the critiques i go through at KCAD.

Thanks, Doonzmore. That's quite the compliment. I used to be really into art in high school, and when I was writing the critiques I definitely thought of my old art teacher and the various categories she used to critique my work. So, no official art credentials, but I've always enjoyed art. If a position for video game art critiquing opens up at KCAD, please let me know, haha.

[Ze_ro]

It's interesting seeing comparisons like this, but it seems that they're invariably from an anime fan who's pissed off that the style never made it onto the North American versions.

Frankly, the North American Genesis box arts don't look bad at all to me, and many of the Japanese ones look incredibly bland... especially the Warsong art (which might as well be for anything, it's just a guy in armor with marble pattern shelf paper behind him). The anime characters on the Landstalker (looks like Link in armour) and Elemental Master (The villain looks completely out of proportion) boxes also look quite poorly drawn to me. I honestly prefer the North-Am box art for Elemental Master.

When it comes to TG16 though, I have to admit that almost every North American release had laughably bad box art.

--Zero

[Tupin]

This is my personal favorite, and this happens to this day, especially with Kirby games:

http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/amg/games/drg000/g026/g02642bs48b.jpg
American

http://www.taradgame.com/images/walkthrough/QuackShot_front_resize.jpg
Japanese

At least it's not AS bad as Kirby, in one cover all they did was draw two slanted lines over his eyes to indicate anger.

[ccovell]

The cover of Bare Knuckle II always looked familiar, until I found the source of the red villain in the back:

http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie3sm.jpg http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie0sm.jpg

It's from a revue of Arnold Schwartzenegger ads in a Japanese Total Recall commemorative book. Cover artists steal from movie posters and photographs all the time, so this is no surprise.

More:
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie0.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie1.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie2.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie3.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie4.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie5.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/images/arnie6.jpg

And, in the SOR2 cover, isn't Max right there, in the top-left corner, giving some punk an elbow?

[timewarpgamer]

Thanks for all of your feedback. I just posted a new box art feature, focused on the Sega CD here:

http://timewarpgamer.com/features/box_art_disparity_sega_cd.html

I also started a new DigitPress thread, and I'd provide the link to it except that I don't know how to do that, due to the frame-based architecture of this website. Anyway, I welcome your feedback wherever you may provide it.

[Push Upstairs]

I'm pretty sure "Revenge of Shinobi" is the only US cover that looks better than the Japanese version.

U.S.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/The_Revenge_of_Shinobi_Coverart.png

Japan

http://media.strategywiki.org/images/5/57/The_Revenge_of_Shinobi_jp_cover.jpg

While this lifted Sonny Chiba image is cool, the re-arranged back artwork onto the front of the US cover looks better. I think the plain blue bars on the JP cover kills it.

[Thall Joben]

I thought the Valis series had some very poor US covers except for the Genesis Valis III. That one actually made me want to buy the game back then.

I agree that bad cover designs hurt the TG-16. The overall template design looks good but the game covers themselves look way too generic.
It's too bad that American companies didn't deem the original anime covers marketable. As a kid, anything that looked like it was in the same vein as Transformers or Voltron would catch my eye.

Ernest Evans had a pretty bland cover as well. The game itself has anime cutscenes and looks like it was based on a cartoon. The US cover though has an off-brand Indiana Jones on the cover. As a kid I thought, "it looks like some cheap Temple of Doom wannabe."

[Sosage]

Cool articles. I just don't agree about Elemental Master. That U.S. cover is a really good render. The composition of the painting itself is well thought out, using a spiral-style lay out to guide the eye (you sweep from the blue, to the wizard's arms which swoops towards the larger hands, which sweep up to the head). It's thrown off a bit with the overall placement, looking like the painting was cropped wrong and the blue title fighting for attention (but that is the most important part usually). The rendering may not be what was cutting edge back then, but some people were still stuck in a time where Frazetta-inspired fantasy painting was king (all those romance book cover painters needed work).

The Japanese version is a complete mess in every way possible. Composition and color is just all over the place. Light blue is obviously the strong eye catcher, but it draws the eye away from the title (both in the blast and the fairy wings). Every figure in that picture is in danger of not being in the same space, let alone being aware of each other (the protagonist is the worst...he not only isn't shooting in the right direction as you said, but he isn't even looking at anyone).

I'm just saying, U.S. version IMO is much more competent than you made it seem. It is no where near the wtf-nature of the Japanese version. :P

Different opinions though. :)

[timewarpgamer]

I'm pretty sure "Revenge of Shinobi" is the only US cover that looks better than the Japanese version.
While this lifted Sonny Chiba image is cool, the re-arranged back artwork onto the front of the US cover looks better. I think the plain blue bars on the JP cover kills it.

Wow, you're totally right. I'd seen the Japanese box before, but I never put it next to the American one.

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm pretty sure "Revenge of Shinobi" is the only US cover that looks better than the Japanese version.

I personally think the U.S. got the better deal with all the Sonic covers, too.

[timewarpgamer]

Cool articles. I just don't agree about Elemental Master. That U.S. cover is a really good render. The composition of the painting itself is well thought out, using a spiral-style lay out to guide the eye (you sweep from the blue, to the wizard's arms which swoops towards the larger hands, which sweep up to the head). It's thrown off a bit with the overall placement, looking like the painting was cropped wrong and the blue title fighting for attention (but that is the most important part usually). The rendering may not be what was cutting edge back then, but some people were still stuck in a time where Frazetta-inspired fantasy painting was king (all those romance book cover painters needed work).

The Japanese version is a complete mess in every way possible. Composition and color is just all over the place. Light blue is obviously the strong eye catcher, but it draws the eye away from the title (both in the blast and the fairy wings). Every figure in that picture is in danger of not being in the same space, let alone being aware of each other (the protagonist is the worst...he not only isn't shooting in the right direction as you said, but he isn't even looking at anyone).

I'm just saying, U.S. version IMO is much more competent than you made it seem. It is no where near the wtf-nature of the Japanese version. :P

Different opinions though. :)

You make some good points, my friend. Thanks for taking the time to make a proper argument. The Japanese art definitely could use a lot of help. In general, I try to force myself to choose a favorite in order to spark an interesting debate like this one. Perhaps I got a little too carried away making fun of the Hoff. The monster in the background with the clutching hand is rendered quite nicely, but two things about the US composition really bother me: 1) Why did the guy's cloak have to be so indistinguishable from the background, and 2) Why did the title have to be placed so poorly, where it blocks out the really creepy monster face? While neither the US or Japanese versions are great, I must admit that you're probably right, the US version probably is the lesser of two evils. In addition the the horrible color scheme for Japan, the action has a very WTF quality.

[vivaeljason]

I personally think the U.S. got the better deal with all the Sonic covers, too.

The covers for the original Genesis games are among my favorites for the system and they are better than the Japanese covers. Sonic CD, though, not so much.

[Valkrazhor]

In response to the person who mentioned the US Shinobi boxart being better than the its JP counterpart, I agree.

Ranger X is another example of the US box art being better. Both are nice though. The US version just reminds me too much of Transformers and the 80's to not love it:

US
http://timewarpgamer.com/images/genesis/ranger_x/ranger_x_box_eu.jpg

JP
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/586414_2190_front.jpg

My favorite box art of all time on the Megadrive though is the JP version of Comix Zone. What a beauty:

http://vc.sega.jp/vc_comix/package.jpg