how to box art

and how not to

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RESIDENT EVIL: DEADLY SILENCE (2006)

                                                      north america

                                                             europe

capcom’s obsession with character composite action shots continues. the resi series is an endless wellspring of terrible american boxart.

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SUIKODEN (1995)

north america

europe

if there are two defining characteristics of pre-2005 american box art, it’s badly rendered characters and needless clutter.

thanks to thecoverproject and mobygames

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ASSASSIN’S CREED SYNDICATE (2015)

what a horror show this is. boring cipher protagonist with the conspicuously missing eyes straddles ornate chair. far too many people crammed in frame and looking just off camera. silly hats. joel from the last of us. jason statham on bat duty. big ben and a flag in case you didn’t realise we’re in landaaan. complete shambles.

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BODY HARVEST (1998)

north america

europe

dma design (later rockstar north)'s 3D sandbox prototype. with aliens. i can see why they fell out with US marketing over the original gta.

thanks to thecoverproject.net and neoseeker.com

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TIMESPLITTERS 2 (2002)

north america

europe

normal service resumed, possibly. we miss you free radical.

welcome any suggestions as always, and would love to talk to anyone involved in producing box art past or present. use the contact form or hit me up at alex (at) warpzone (dot) co (dot) uk

thanks to cdcovers.cc and thecoverproject.net

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it's almost a year since psygnosis was finally shuttered by sony, but their games - and box art - are eternal.

via rock paper shotgun

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check out the us/japanese releases of a game called mass destruction, i think you'll find the contrast interesting

north america (saturn)

europe (ps1)

…and japan. holy smokes.

contrary to what people might expect, jp box art often seems to be more serene, but that is on a different level.

i’m fascinated to know what the message is here. is the japanese text simply the game name, or a slogan? i can see why war might be a hard sell, but even among tank games this one seems basic: blow everything up.

don’t you just love saturn box art though? thanks to you, satakore and cdcovers, and sorry it took so long!

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the only instance I can remember of UK censorship for 'cultural' reasons. the reverse V is considered an insult in ol' Blighty. this was after the ESRB forced extra fingers to be added, as the original was too 'gruesome'.

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GRANDIA (1999)

europe

north america

japan

yes, I realise it debuted on the Saturn in '97, and yes, I've been highly inconsistent in back-front orientation. once again, my thanks to cdcovers.cc.

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BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY (2011)

original

game of the year

thanks again, self-evidently, to the guys at neoseeker

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EVERYBODY'S GOLF 5 / HOT SHOTS GOLF: OUT OF BOUNDS (2007)

Sony America, you are beyond my comprehension. This raises several questions: why the contrast changes? Why is Adam Jensen lurking in the background? Why does the US game sound like a Leisure Suit Larry title? What's wrong with clouds? I fear we will never know.

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megaman (various)

via 4chan

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SILENT HILL 2 (2001)

europe

north america

japan

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PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997)

united kingdom [unconfirmed]

united kingdom [re-release]

north america

germany

Okami has taught me to be a little more conscious of my sourcing. It's a shame I don't have my copy with me, or I'd do some high-res scans of the UK release.

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RECORD OF AGAREST WAR (2007)

north america

UK [proposed / eventual]

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BRAID (2008)

north america [re-release]

russia

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