Because this game is serious business and important, and I like sharing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov8A5tz8MU0 Originally found on Nico Nico Douga titled, ファミマガVideo創刊9月号 (Famimaga Video September), I stumbled upon this while searching for media on Mother 3 for my Shat-Canned Legends Documentary. The video shows the various differences of this early version to the final that my annotations go over. For one, none of the levels are recognizable (except perhaps one particular part), and the HUD is different. Very interesting stuff, especially upon seeing that these 80s Japanese game videos are from a completely different, and simpler era. Original URL: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm13196307. Because I don't want to take all credit for this, as the video was originally uploaded and found on Nico Nico Douga. I just wanted to spread this video to the western hemisphere. Enjoy.
Damn... I never knew it took 18 months for SMB3 to be localized. Painful! Cheers for the link. Nico Douga has tons of good stuff... I don't have the time to peruse though.
Thanks. Here's an interesting bit. Someone at another forum pointed out that at 0:35, the video shows the infamous "Parabeetles and Grass" screenshot that was used on the back of select SMB3 boxes from the era. I guess NOA got lazy and thought the screenshots, no matter how old they were, would just sell the game itself.
I think it's more that games at the time changed rapidly, even towards the end of development, and the box art needs to be ready way in advance. It happened pretty regularly, I'd guess - I think Sonic 1 or 2 had a screenshot showing an earlier version in the manual or the cover, can't remember the details exactly now (I think it was the title screen?).
Super Mario 64 (at least the PAL version) has some pretty early screenshots on the box too. Seems odd that the US SMB3 box would use old screenshots though, if it was released a year and a half after the Japanese version - surely they could have just used shots from the final Japanese game? or did it have to be ready that far in advance?
nice thread. the box art issue reminds me of GoldenEye, on the n64, which had iirc several screenshots of different rooms/different guns, and the reason given I seem to rrmember reading in an n64 mag was the same as the one offered above, that the boxes are done before the game itself is finished.
Fair point. My guess is the art department were just lazy and used promotional pics they laying around from whenever. You have to appreciate that while these details are fascinating for fans of the game twenty years later, they would've been undetectable and irrelevant minutiae for a box layout designer.
Speaking of boxart that doesnt match the game, it definitely spilled into at least N64, as Goldeneye had a picture of the spyder gun on the archives level, the spyder was removed at some point, but the picture remained. You would think they woul take multiple shots for the boxart and if something changes like a level being taken out, or a gun, etc, they would be able to simply choose a different photo
Box art creation must have been a completely isolated work project for game companies back in those days. From what examples I see, and what I read here: "And here's x game. Make art for it's box. Here's some screens, and a sentence describing the game. Get it done and on my desk by 9AM tomorrow, or Company will be on our asses. And you shall die."
