Games with better US box art.

[GUTS]

First up, MUSHA - http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/musha/

Japanese - Mega Drive


USA - Sega Genesis



The JPN version looks like a little kid's cartoon, the US cover is 100% true to the game's badass image.

[Kitsunexus]

I actually like the manga-ish vibe of the Japanese cover over the pretentious Ghost In The Shell-esque American cover.

[Keranu]

Whoa, good one, GUTS. In an all serious manner, I think the American one definitely looks cooler as the Japanese one looks a bit dorky, not to mention the kick ass flames in the background of the USA one.

Here's a choice from me:

Wimpy Japanese



ALL AMERICAN!

[Joe Redifer]

Keranu you're gonna have to take the image from Sega-16 and post it on your Photobucket (or whatever) account because Sega-16 is blocking you.  PWND!

I agree that the US MUSHA is better.  Anime/Manga is old news, seriously overrated and only virgin males with ponytails enjoy it.  Well they may not have ponytails, but there is a 95% chance that they wear glasses!

I also agree that Sonic's US cover is way better.  All of the Japanese Sonic covers are way too spastic and unappealing.  It looks like it was designed while the artist was having a severe seizure.  No wonder they hate Sonic in Japan.

[Keranu]

Keranu you're gonna have to take the image from Sega-16 and post it on your Photobucket (or whatever) account because Sega-16 is blocking you.  PWND!

Sarcasm?

I agree that the US MUSHA is better.  Anime/Manga is old news, seriously overrated and only virgin males with ponytails enjoy it.  Well they may not have ponytails, but there is a 95% chance that they wear glasses!

LOL, right on! That's so correct.

I also agree that Sonic's US cover is way better.  All of the Japanese Sonic covers are way too spastic and unappealing.  It looks like it was designed while the artist was having a severe seizure.  No wonder they hate Sonic in Japan.

Well I like the direction the Japanese cover was going in, but it's overdone, in my opinion. It's got a 80's/early-90's style I love and Sonic is definitely an early-90's fellow, but the cover is just too spastic as you've said. The detail in the American one is just awesome.

[TR0N]

I've all ways like the US boxart for Contra compare to the JPN one.

U.S


JPN


I guess, because the US boxart has that whole predator/alien thing going on 

[Joe Redifer]

Keranu, no sarcasm at all.  Your US Sonic image simply displays the SEGA-16 logo and nothing else.  The image works for you because it is in your browsers cache.  Press REFRESH and you'll see what I mean, and you'll realize that it is TEH PWN.

[Seldane]

Hotlinking is for suckers.

image shack .us

[GUTS]

That japanese contra cover is horrible!  Good find there.

Japanese Ranger X- pretty cool, but kind of plain.  Makes me want to play something that would appear to have a little more action.



USA Ranger X- awesome action pose with flames, looks belligerent as hell.  This cover makes me want to destroy stuff with a huge mech, which is convenient since that's what the game is about.

[Keranu]

Screw sites that won't hotlink. I'm not going to bother relinking the image either since everyone should know what the American Sonic cover looks like anyways . Sega-16 is gay.

[NecroPhile]

Apparently, Moby Games is teh ghey too.  Here ya go, ya lazy fuckers! 

[gundarN]

Screw sites that won't hotlink. I'm not going to bother relinking the image either since everyone should know what the American Sonic cover looks like anyways

Even us non-American scum?

[Joe Redifer]

Wow.  And I thought that I was lazy.  Keranu you have exceeded me in laziness.

[offsidewing]

Was the Japanese version of Chronic the Hemphog better than the american release??

[Keranu]

Wow.  And I thought that I was lazy.  Keranu you have exceeded me in laziness. 

Sorry but if Sega-16 wants to be an asshole, then I'm going to continue hotlinking them. And no, I'm not going to doubt my laziness , but I'm also not going to waste my precious time either to impress a forum  .

[Joe Redifer]

Curious, what do you do with your time that it cannot be "wasted" ?  Sounds like you are just grumpy that you were PWND when trying to steal another site's bandwidth.

Anyway, another example!

Gaiares Japanese box:



Gaiares US box:


US box clearly wins!!

[Keranu]

Curious, what do you do with your time that it cannot be "wasted"?  Sounds like you are just grumpy that you were PWND when trying to steal another site's bandwidth.

I do many things with my precious time, such as grating cheese. And of course I am pissed off that Gayga-16 wouldn't let me hotlink because that's just a sign of ignorance, especially coming from such a small website. Linking a little 16kb image isn't the end of the world . I am glad that Yakumo doesn't mind me hotlinking a Sonic cover from his fine Sega site, which had a 8.4 times larger file size .

[Seldane]

Ha ha ha, flames and manly robots. Typical american cliché!

PS: Sega-16 rules!

[GUTS]

As opposed to the typical japanese cliche of effiminite men and pre-teen robots?  I'll take the american cliche, thank you.

[Kitsunexus]

The Japanese Gaiares box is probably the best box for any game ever. Please tell me the spaceship is a removable sticker! 

[offsidewing]

Ha ha ha, flames and manly robots. Typical american cliché!

PS: Sega-16 rules!

Somebody's already using insanely huge mouths and giant round eyes.  All we got left is fire, robots, and Paris Hilton.

[SignOfZeta]

I really think you guys have no fucking taste at all.

Well, the US Contra cover is clearly better, but I think the Japanese Aleste box is very superior. Same with not only that Sonic game, but all the early Sonic titles. This goes double for Sonic CD.

I don't know about manga being "old news", especially when you are talking about a game that is a) clearly %100 inspired buy "kiddie" shows or whatthefuckever your backlash is aimed at, and b) is 15 years old itself.

Also, I don't really need the cover of a game to be all bad-ass and shit. The game is hours and hours of that. I really like covers like...KOF AES carts, to use an example.

[Kitsunexus]

I think these, "let's diss the anime/manga fans" comments are a way to cloak said poster's insecurity.

[offsidewing]

I think anyone that takes any of these hobbies/interests to a state of impassioned opinion needs to step back and take a little nap.

You are sad if you need to start a pointed argument or flame session (do they still call it that??) against anyone or anything in a video game forum. 

People that say "your F-ing dumb/lame/loser if you like X instead of X" just ruins everything for everyone.

With that said, anyone who likes the Japanese cover of Deep Blue over the US release is an obvious double digit I.Q. mongoloid that needs euthanized.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Gaiares US box:

US box clearly wins!!

That is the best cover for a game, past, present, & future!

[offsidewing]

Mullets and Trash-Staches.  This game must have been HUGE with the primer-colored Camaro crowd!

[Ninja Spirit]

Gaiares US box:

Can't wait to hear what Maximum Exposure has to say about this. Y'know that show's fetish for mullets is so bad that every time they spot one, they waste 3 seconds of airtime to admire it.

[Kitsunexus]

I think anyone that takes any of these hobbies/interests to a state of impassioned opinion needs to step back and take a little nap.

You are sad if you need to start a pointed argument or flame session (do they still call it that??) against anyone or anything in a video game forum. 

People that say "your F-ing dumb/lame/loser if you like X instead of X" just ruins everything for everyone. 

Listen, punk, back the fuck off, because:

1. I am NOT an anime fan, I just dabble in it occasionally. I didn't start ANY shit with you, and here you go and try to instigate something.

2. What about the people who make fun of people for being in a hobby? Yeah, the people who flaunt it are annoying little pricks, but so are the people who are vocally against the hobby in question.

I repeat, BACK THE FUCK OFF. Thank you. ^_^

[MrFulci]

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

[Kitsunexus]

I can't fistfight for shit, I'm not strong, etc...

But I'm psycho and determined enough to kill someone when I get confronted, and when I get pissed, I have more adrenaline than a crack-snorting elephant with a hormone problem.

To summarize: I'm normally a great, sane, calm collected person. I'm usually OK. But when it comes down to life or death, I'm not OK. Not at all.

[runinruder]

US Shape Shifter has much better art than JP Shape Shifter.

[MrFulci]

Kit, I suggest for you some World Heroes 2!

I played some Flash Hiders today. Unique fighting game. Being able to save a character, level it up, something I don't see much in fighters. I played through a dozen or so rounds today to get a feel for it, fun stuff, though the choice of players is limited.

The breasts jiggle on one of the characters. Good for her.

[Tatsujin]

you guys are all unbelievable

[offsidewing]

I think anyone that takes any of these hobbies/interests to a state of impassioned opinion needs to step back and take a little nap.

You are sad if you need to start a pointed argument or flame session (do they still call it that??) against anyone or anything in a video game forum. 

People that say "your F-ing dumb/lame/loser if you like X instead of X" just ruins everything for everyone. 

Listen, punk, back the fuck off, because:

1. I am NOT an anime fan, I just dabble in it occasionally. I didn't start ANY shit with you, and here you go and try to instigate something.

2. What about the people who make fun of people for being in a hobby? Yeah, the people who flaunt it are annoying little pricks, but so are the people who are vocally against the hobby in question.

I repeat, BACK THE FUCK OFF. Thank you. ^_^

I wasn't speaking to anyone specifically and I apologize if what I said was interpreted and taken personally. 

I was using "you" in that wonderful ambiguous context.

Anime is cool.  Sewing is cool.  Gardening is cool.  Hot Wheels are cool.  Legos are cool.  Anything that anyone does within the confines of commonly accepted morality is cool by me.

I still mean what I said about people needing to chill out about this stuff.  If you have a problem with that, then my post is dead on and you (in the total ambiguous sense of the word, not one person specifically) need more hugs.

Long live the Turbo Duo and those brave enough accept criticism maturely.

[termis]

For games that went US->JP, I also prefer mostly the US covers (I'd say 2/3).
http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/japanboxes/japanboxes.htm

And I agree with that the US cover looks better for MUSHA, Sonic, Contra, and Ranger-X.

All that said, I think those are the exceptions rather than the rule for classic consoles (ones these days seem pretty even). 

And the truly awful one were 90% US covers (those Renovation ones were pretty bad, now that this post reminds me).

[Keranu]

As opposed to the typical japanese cliche of effiminite men and pre-teen robots?  I'll take the american cliche, thank you.

Preach on my American brother! We must defend ourselves from the Japanophiles and introduce manliness to the world again. What's the point to eating riceballs when you can get a big greasy burger for only a fraction of the price and served instantly?

US Shape Shifter has much better art than JP Shape Shifter. 

Dude I totally agree! From what I recall, the Japanese cover is art from the title screen of the game right? The triple face morph on the American cover is just badass.

P.S., that Photoshoped Gaiares cover rules. Saved immediately!

[Joe Redifer]

I think these, "let's diss the anime/manga fans" comments are a way to cloak said poster's insecurity.

Nobody's making fun of the fans, just the artwork itself which in this day in age is more common than finding a copy of Madden '96 at the thrift store.  It may have been great back in the day, but my eyeballs are more pleased with the US MUSHA cover.  Plus, the US cover has the SEISMIC logo, so it wins no matter what!

[gundarN]

As opposed to the typical japanese cliche of effiminite men and pre-teen robots?  I'll take the american cliche, thank you.

Like the lead character for something like Gears of War? The fella was lame.
Jap stuff has more character for me as there is less cock waving.

Pre-teen robots rock.

[GUTS]

That was the point of this thread, everybody knows that Japanese boxart is generally always superior, I was just looking for the few examples where the western covers were better.

And that mildly retarded guy who started talking about killing people, wtf?

[nat]

Gaiares US box:

Dude, where did they find this guy ?

I've never played this game or seen the cover but now I find that I must acquire a poster of this immediately.

[termis]

IMO, Gaiares is the one of the best shooters of that generation (and one of my all-time favorite shooters).  Awesome graphics, huge bosses, good tunes, and an terrific weapon system.

Was the mullet dude actually used for the Gaiares magazine ad?  That what I seem to recall.  He was some shooter fan/champ or something like that?  (I'm totally digging into my memory that's like 15+ years ago, so I can be completely off on that.)

[kenomac78]

its a bit more recent but i think  all the final fantasy box arts of the last 10 years  are better in the us than japan. simply because in japan, its a white box. it might be more minimalist for a reason there, but at least in the usa you can see a slice of the game right from the top.

maybe when you have a automatic 5 million seller, the box art can take a backseat.

[esteban]

Dude, where did they find this guy?

I've never played this game or seen the cover but now I find that I must acquire a poster of this immediately.

You are going to be delighted when you find out that Joe did not randomly choose this fellow. Hint: He is an expert in his field and he only endorsed products that were worthy. No joke.

[Seldane]

Anime is cool.  Sewing is cool.  Gardening is cool.  Hot Wheels are cool.  Legos are cool.  Anything that anyone does within the confines of commonly accepted morality is cool by me.

Word! That's an excellent statement! 500 rupees to you my friend.

[offsidewing]

I think that dude is Ralph Machio.

[esteban]

Forgive me, this is the only game I wish to discuss...

Here we have the bland, sterile Japanese cover for my favorite underdog (perhaps, back in the day, this 3D CGI-inspired art invoked more passion from folks... but even when this art was cutting-edge, this composition would have been considered sterile and static):


I wouldn't mind this cover so much if it had a different composition. All of the exising elememnts could be arranged  in a much more exciting manner. Oh well.




Behold! The glorious North American cover (honestly, this has a lot of things going for it):

I love the spirit of pinball and psychedelia this cover invokes. How about the trippy mobius-inspired green tube thing? When I see this cover, I want to ride a motorcycle through the GRAND CANYON. I want to listen to THE WHO at the local deli. I want to do it all. Thankfully, playing Timeball is as exhilerating as all of these activities. Let's go on a road trip, guys...




If only the artist for the TG-16 cover had taken inspiration from this work of art!

Clearly, there is an inherent drama in Diablo's composition that you simply do not find with the U.S. version. The Japanese and U.S. artwork is too abstract when compared to Diablo. Despite this, the U.S. art still manages to invoke some passion and exhileration -- no small feat.

Note: The artist of Diablo took liberties. He cheated to achieve the great drama in his art. On those grounds, the TG-16 artwork is the clear winner!

I suspect that the look of horror on some of your faces right now might match that of our friend above -- if so, then SHAME ON YOU. Diablo's cover is still brilliant, and thus a very strong runner-up.

[Hobo Xiphas]

Gaiares US box:

US box clearly wins!!

Dude, where did they find this guy ?

I've never played this game or seen the cover but now I find that I must acquire a poster of this immediately.

I would buy a game with that cover immediately.

Here is another great US shooter cover:



Hell, even the side quote thing is awesome: "THE HYPER-SPEED SHOOT-OUT IN SPACE."

Forgive me, this is the only game I wish to discuss...
Here we have the bland, sterile Japanese cover for my favorite underdog

Oh, dear, not Blodia.  I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!

[Seldane]

I love that Phalanx cover in a weird sort of way. What made them choose such a picture? It's nuts! That's one hell of a shooter, by the way.

[SignOfZeta]

Forgive me, this is the only game I wish to discuss...

That's kind of cheating, isn't it? I mean, all three of those covers look like weekly middle-school art projects. The Timeball one is best, but that's not saying much.

[guyjin]

you and your bloody blodia. 

Also:

You are going to be delighted when you find out that Joe did not randomly choose this fellow. Hint: He is an expert in his field and he only endorsed products that were worthy. No joke.

An expert in the field of what is arcade perfect?