• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Japanese games that received superior box art for their Western release

God+Hand+Cover+Comparison.jpg


Some people may like the minimalist approach of the JP version (Left), but the US version (Right) is by far the best box art of all time. EU (middle) is the worst...
 
Maybe everyone here mostly likes the US / EU covers to the JP covers because WE ARE from US / EU. Have you guys thought about that maybe the Asian folks like the JP covers better?
Maybe this means that the marketing teams are doing something right...

Or it means mostly that people have no taste :p
 
Some people may like the minimalist approach of the JP version (Left), but the US version (Right) is by far the best box art of all time. EU (middle) is the worst...

I'm pretty sure you got at least Europe and America backwards. My American copy has the censored punch.
 
Joke post? DaS 1 & 2 Japanese covers are so much better.

I agree with this. The JP cover arts (top) are so much better than their US/EU counterparts.

Dark+Souls+Japan+Cover+Art.jpg


Dark+Souls+Cover+Art.jpg


But for some reason I like the US/EU cover art of Demon's Souls better than the JP version.

Demon%2527s+Souls+Cover+Comparison.jpg
 
Maybe everyone here mostly likes the US / EU covers to the JP covers because WE ARE from US / EU. Have you guys thought about that maybe the Asian folks like the JP covers better?
Maybe this means that the marketing teams are doing something right...

Or it means mostly that people have no taste :p

Uh, I'm pretty sure almost no one actually read the OP so everyone thinks it's the usual "Western box art sucks, let's post examples to laugh at" topic.
 
Breakdown for the OG Xbox

Japan, Europe, and America respectively

breakdownja.jpg
breakdownea.jpg
breakdownua.jpg


America wins hands down

I don't agree at all. The Japanese one is better. The EU one is utter turd.

I agree with this. The JP cover arts (top) are so much better than their US/EU counterparts.

Dark+Souls+Japan+Cover+Art.jpg


Dark+Souls+Cover+Art.jpg


But for some reason I like the US/EU cover art of Demon's Souls better than the JP version.

Demon%2527s+Souls+Cover+Comparison.jpg

I like the Japanese box art for Dark Souls I & II better. Demon's Souls, I like the hopelessness conveyed by the Japanese art, but overall prefer the Western one.


This is a weird topic. I think the only suggestions I obviously agree with are Contra, Castlevania, Resi 4 and Yakuza 4. I think overall Japanese box art tends to be better.
 
wow Eu version is badass



Man I gotta disagree Uematsu's illustration is beautiful and the NA cover doesn't even come close speaking strictly from an aesthetic point of view. NA is certainly better from a marketing/business point of view as you pointed out but artistically speaking not even close

Amano, Uematsu is the series composer, not character designer.
 
It's close, but I prefer the NA cover for E.V.O.: Search for Eden. I like the inclusion of Gaia on the Japanese cover, but the dinosaurs are kind of goofy looking. Lots of weird orange background going on as well. The Japanese title is way better, though: "4.6 Billion Year Story: To Distant Eden." The soundtrack (I think that's what this is) has the best of both.

 
I have no clue what is going on with this thread. People (OP included) keep posting Western art that is way worse than the original art.
 
There were a few cases of Japanese Mega Drive boxes not being quite as nice as the western ones.

Japan:
MD-Taz-Mania.jpg


West:
1193349723-00.jpg


Japan:
fantasia.jpg


West:
Fantasia_coverart_for_Sega_Mega_Drive_game.jpg


Japan:
G4102front.jpg


West:
mcdonalds-treasure-land-adventure-cover.jpg


A lot of these cartoon license ones seem to use just basic stock art for the Japanese ones for some reason.

Japan:
g4117front.jpg


PAL:
cover_large.jpg


The PAL one far closer resembles the games art style. Not sure why they went the 3D route with the Japanese one when the manual is full of cool 2D artwork.

The US one is also completely different:

Dynamite_Headdy_Coverart.png
 
Best Dark Souls cover art is Artorias from the Prepare to Die Edition.

dark-souls-prepare-to-die-edition-1.jpg


That Japanese cover from DSII is pretty great as well, though. I hadn't seen that before.
 
35900_front.jpg


250px-GH_front_cover.jpg


Good lord the US one. I decided to make my own version using artwork from Game Fan magazine (I think?) just so I wouldn't have to use it.

rjGUGPN.png
 
Mega-Man-Box-Art.jpg


This is art. It's so terrible that you can't help but love it. Nobody remembers Rockman's cover art. Everyone remembers this bizarre attempt.

This looks like a drawing made in early 20th century, trying to depict what the world would look like in the 21st century.
Or a cover for a Jules Verne fiction book.
 
Sleeping+Dogs+Cover+Comparison.jpg


The art on the US version (Right) just looks so much better than a guy with a tattoo...

I think the Japanese cover is more culturally evocative, though. In Japan body tattoos have a strong association with the Yakuza and therefore crime, which is juxtaposed with the police badge around the neck.

This is based on my fairly rudimentary knowledge of Japanese culture (I'm not an expert).
 
I think the Japanese cover is more culturally evocative, though. In Japan body tattoos have a strong association with the Yakuza and therefore crime, which is juxtaposed with the police badge around the neck.

This is based on my fairly rudimentary knowledge of Japanese culture (I'm not an expert).

Game isn't set In Japan though
 
[QUOTE="D";121087609]Japan's ---------------------- America
nPUBvOf.jpg


Yeah, ours are hideous.[/QUOTE]

I can't really agree, Chinese Morrigan and Big Forehead Hulk really ruin the cover for me
 
I submit the original Final Fantasy:


The art for the Japanese version looks a bit strange, like it's a colored-in rough sketch, while the American release has a much more polished, classy-yet-minimalist design. It also more clearly indicates an epic quest with a whole world to explore. I found FF's box art to be quite striking back in the day and rented it just because it looked cool.

madness...

In a vacuum, just seeing both boxes on the shelf with no knowledge about what the game was, I would agree that the US box art is more informative, but with some context I would much rather have the Amano box art on my shelf.
 
za3pqgml.jpg
F7nYYIzl.jpg


The Western box does a much better job of conveying the atmosphere and the plot. I don't know what's going on in the Japanese cover with that really bizarre perspective.

I know a weird comment to pull out, but as I learned from a friend, the US box-art actually is double-sided and you can flip it around even for the Japanese box art for Fragile Dreams.
 
Top Bottom