It's no secret that there's a massive difference in taste between the Japanese, North Americans and us here in Europe. The marketing bods of publishers all have to take this into account when creating the box art. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong. Very wrong...
A burly space marine with an assault rifle might get your game of the shelves in the US, but put the same box in front of a Japanese kid and he'll probably leave it alone. And Europe? We usually end up with Japanese boxes because, y'know, we're all arty and stuff.
We've picked ten recent(ish) games that have had packaging shuffled around for regional tastes. Argue over who got it right in the comments below.
The Boxes
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm Tom Clancy box art has always been a good example of regional tastes (in the marketing departments, anyway) and Jungle Storm isn't any different; big borders for Americans, pink sunsets for the Far East and ONLINE INCLUIDO for Europe. Nice.
Dark Sector And here's the first rule they teach you in games packaging school; only Japanese and PAL box arts can be artistic/moody - American box art must be to the point and ALWAYS facing forwards. Also, the Dark Sector bloke looks like he needs to go to the toilet here.
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition As with the GameCube version's original box art, Capcom has gone for a wicked moody piece on the PAL cover, and a 'Leon and his village friends' picture for the rest of the world. Perhaps the Japanese don't find trees scary?
Ratchet & Clank 3 Insomniac's platforming series exhibits an even deeper Europe/US/Japan box art rule; the usual 'Americans get angry, Europe gets slightly less angry' idea applies, except that the Japanese theory says mental and bonkers anime will help shift Ratchet from the shops a bit faster. Just look at those pupils.
Crackdown ... and here's another example of the same rule. Got an overly-Western free-roaming shooter to sell in Japan? Stick some bloody massive anime blokes on the box. Oh, and give a name that makes no sense what-so-ever.
No More Heroes A lot of thought went into accommodating Suda 51's no-holds-barred Wii actioner to the West, including protecting us from the horrible red blood of the US version. But that's another matter. In short; US box good, Japan box rubbish screenshots, PAL box rubbish Photoshop skills.
Motorstorm We wish we were clever enough to figure out the ideas behind each region's unique Motorstorm box. Do Japanese punters prefer big jumps to big crashes? Does Germany get off on biker helmets? We'll ask Sony the next time it's in the office.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes This happened quite a bit with American GameCube covers, but we couldn't possibly tell you why. Japan and Europe get awesome Metal Gear Solid artwork, while North Americans can base their buying decisions on what looks like a shit screenshot. That one's going to the back of the games shelf. Thank god it's called Metal Solid Solid though...
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption The CVG team is split on this one (some more than others); is Japan's colourful display of Samus and her bounty hunter friends gorgeous, or childhood-destroying? And how many times can Nintendo possibly get Samus onto the Western cover?
Kirby Squeak Squad Kirby is a legend of box art translation history; in EVERY game he's ever starred in, the Japanese get to see his happy, smiling face donned on their game box, while NOA decides to make him a miserable, angry git for the West. Cheer up, mate.
Ico Easily the WORST case of tinkering with box art EVER is Sony's beautiful Ico. For some strange, baffling reason, SCEA decided to take the artwork for one of its most artistically brilliant games ever, and replace it with a PSOne FMV of a 12-year-old on a stag do. What ON EARTH was it thinking? There are no words...
I'm confused as to why the European box art is marked with the UK flag... I know this is an English site, but the comparison was for US, Japanese and European box art. Also it's pretty clear that the Ghost Recon box isn't the UK version. Here, let me help you out: European Flag.
Other than that, that was a good feature. Very interesting, if a bit pointless.
The Darkness had different covers for the US and European versions (don't know about the Jap version), not radically different but I think the EU one looked better.
How about the Final Fantasy's? The EU/japan get classy white background with the classic FF Font/Symbol combo. The US get some tacky as hell FMV screenshots usually.
Its the game you play not the bloody box. Res 4 box would have been better if it had had the u.s art. Like i say its the game that matters not the box.
I'd personally say, overall, we (europe if you want to be pedantic ) and the Japanese get the best boxart. There's been plenty of times where I've seen the US artwork for a game, and think that is really quite bad.
I love the Resident Evil 4 box covers As someone else has said, the Final Fantasy box covers are great too. Where as the US get some dodgy character montage on theirs.
Those Kirby covers made me chuckle. It's amazing what just two lines can do to a face. I love the Japanese/anime way of doing things, so I would prefer to have Kirby happy and jolly, while going round beating things up. It's the way to get things done, with a smile on your face!
I always thought the original Japanese Sonic box art and manual were really nice; bright and colourful with loads of lovely little original stickman sketches of sonic etc.
Then what did we get in the UK? A beige front cover and black and white manual.
Brillant.
The worst one ever though was easily strider. The Japanese cover was well cool - moody and very arty. The US and European version looked like the artwork for a bad heavy metal band. I think more often than not - and maybe its just my taste - but the Japanese covers look better. Mind you, the Euro RE4 Wii cover looks much better than the other version so I guess its hard to say. Interesting article though.
The worst one ever though was easily strider. The Japanese cover was well cool - moody and very arty. The US and European version looked like the artwork for a bad heavy metal band.
The really funny thing is that the artist drew some Games Workshop space marines on the front cover which look nothing like any enemies in the game. It's not even that they LOOK like space marines, they are drawings of of actual models available at the time, right down to equipment and weaponry
Look at the guys on the bottom right http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/strider/strider-genesis.jpg
Now try and spot them all http://www.solegends.com/citcat88/4101marines.htm
I'm confused as to why the European box art is marked with the UK flag... I know this is an English site, but the comparison was for US, Japanese and European box art. Also it's pretty clear that the Ghost Recon box isn't the UK version. Here, let me help you out: European Flag.
Other than that, that was a good feature. Very interesting, if a bit pointless.
I knew once I saw you're comment you were Irish. Ye it doesn't really bother me that much though. I've been reading games magazines for years and they always say 'UK' release date rather than European. But I suppose you are still correct in regards to the flags on the screenshots.
I've seen the American Ico cover before and I think that it's pretty good. The UK and the Japanese ones look very De Chirico inspired but the sense of isolation in the artwork could be offputting to some if you don't know how good a game it is in the first place.
I have always preferred the American Resident Evil 4 cover, for both the Gamecube and the Wii versions, to the UK one. The UK one, to me, is a displeasing blend of minimalism and understated violence/gore as its washed in blood red and there's a distasteful chainsaw wielding maniac in the background. Given priority to that character, rather than Leon, almost makes a hero of one of the villains. If they'd just had the tastefully eerie woodland scene in monochrome without the maniac it would have been great to me.
The UK Resident Evil remake on the Gamecube is another case where the US version is far better than the 'minimalist' UK version (ie just the title on a brown background).
The people who do UK covers need to learn that literalism is sometimes better than having little to say on a cover.
The worst box artwork EVER has to GOT to go to Streetfighter Alpha on the Saturn and PS1 (probably worse for the Saturn as the box was bigger and you could see more of the "art" The japanese artwork was cool as it always is but the US and Europe artwork... well it seriously looked like some guy had drawn it with his feet... everything about it was really really bad. really bad.
My God they really murdered the Ico box. I love the japanese Motorstorm and R&C art. Japan always seems to get the best box art... cept for Ghost Recon.
I'm confused as to why the European box art is marked with the UK flag... I know this is an English site, but the comparison was for US, Japanese and European box art. Also it's pretty clear that the Ghost Recon box isn't the UK version. Here, let me help you out: European Flag.
Other than that, that was a good feature. Very interesting, if a bit pointless.
Yeah, no, f**k off. The British flag will do just fine.
I'm confused as to why the European box art is marked with the UK flag... I know this is an English site, but the comparison was for US, Japanese and European box art. Also it's pretty clear that the Ghost Recon box isn't the UK version. Here, let me help you out: European Flag.
Other than that, that was a good feature. Very interesting, if a bit pointless.
Isnt that just the flag for the EU? Not all European countries are in the EU. I could be mistaken!
I'm confused as to why the European box art is marked with the UK flag... I know this is an English site, but the comparison was for US, Japanese and European box art. Also it's pretty clear that the Ghost Recon box isn't the UK version. Here, let me help you out: European Flag.
Other than that, that was a good feature. Very interesting, if a bit pointless.
Yep your right, its the Spanish version. The box art is different in Europe even. Take PES, the players on the box differ in each country.
The Euro art in general for me looks the best of the three though.
You should take a look at Castle Of Shikigami in all territories, too. Oh and Chulip US / Japan. The Japanese version is A+, beautiful stunning landscape. The US version is... worse than the one they used for ICO!
I'm confused as to why the European box art is marked with the UK flag... I know this is an English site, but the comparison was for US, Japanese and European box art. Also it's pretty clear that the Ghost Recon box isn't the UK version. Here, let me help you out: European Flag.
Other than that, that was a good feature. Very interesting, if a bit pointless.
STFU you EU Fanboy. ITS PROBABLY BECAUSE MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PRIMARY LANGUAGE ISN'T ENGLISH! AND THE MAJORITY OF "EUROPEANS" READING THESE ARTICLES ARE BRITISH... THOUGHT OF THAT ONE?!
Wait, did the EU adopt the Union Jack as its official flag?
LMAO quite the opposite- they indoctrinate our country and our lilly livered PM won't allow a refferendum on the issue of BRITAIN ADOPTING THE EU FLAG... pfft.
This is a gaming site- no need for your politically correctness of pro-EU thoughts. As I said above for the reasons.
The EU flag isn't THE FLAG OF EUROPE- its a flag for EU State countries- AKA Not Britain or any other nation that has a sense of self worth and understands the EU "constitiution" is a cover up nazi regime revival. And no- I'm not a Xenophobe- I'm a Briton with its best interests at heart.
Excuse me for being paranoid! LMAO
Anyways ON TOPIC- the box art seems to be better in Japan if you ask me. More of a good vibe going on there- beats the sometimes unessesary doom and gloom- particularly on kirby lol.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
) and the Japanese get the best boxart. There's been plenty of times where I've seen the US artwork for a game, and think that is really quite bad.
As someone else has said, the Final Fantasy box covers are great too. Where as the US get some dodgy character montage on theirs.
Ye it doesn't really bother me that much though. I've been reading games magazines for years and they always say 'UK' release date rather than European. But I suppose you are still correct in regards to the flags on the screenshots.
