Zelda Spirit Tracks Box Art

Just a thought, but the European box art is so much better than the American. It also seems that the European box shares the art of the Japanese version, after also looking on Amazon.co.jp.
Any thoughts?

 

European games since the days of he saturn and PlayStation did start to use a lot more of the original Japanese art. Looks like it's stayed that way.

 

One example that sticks in my mind of box art variation is a Kirby DS game. In Japan, Kirby's eyes were fully open, yet in the West, they were given sloped eyelids, to give an 'angry' expression.

I'd love to hear the thought process behind that decision, out of curiosity of their justifications..

 

Where did this come from all of a sudden? Maybe you should keep your rants and blanket statements in one of your own threads, instead of trying to derail and get this thread locked on your own damn forum.

 

Over generalizations can tick some people off...also, why do you always talk about America like you're actually not from here? Its weird.

This is also the 50 bazillionth America vs other countries box art thread, maybe there should be a general sticky for this kind of stuff...like Box art of horror.

 

You know the old saying about sarcasm and the internet.

 

yoda voice on: Casual Mr. a chillpill you need to take cause if Yakumo-sama had said the same thing, then awry you would have gone at him. Yoda voice off. Seriously Yakumo-sama has said a lot worse. But since I like ASSEMbler and Yakumo-sama then I will just say, it is very odd that the American covers are extremely gongho hyper masculine , and "it is time to kick ass and chew bubble gum" like. A LOT to be exact. And well to be honest, I actually think ASSEMbler is right none the less. But then again a lot of people are bloodthirsty and has that hunger for blood. But what do I know ? I am just wondering why the American game covers (with exceptions of course) are so damn macho and all that shit.

 

That my friend , is why the /Sarcasm Tag was created. You must remember, text has no tone of speech. That is why using caps, italics, quotations, tags etc help to create context and tone.

To avoid sticky misunderstandings.



Also to thread topic.

What about this eh?


The Japanese version has link in a battle stance. Yet the US version is completely non-violent. Looks to me like the pages of the book have been reversed!


And to be honest guys I really think is to avoid people getting the impression this is a Zelda Train Game. Because that's one impression I get from the Japanese box art.
To be honest, i'm not that interested in Spirit tracks,and wasn't in Phantom Hourglass.

I'm still waiting for a new console zelda.

 

What's wrong with a negative opinion about one's country, let alone ia connotation that exists when speaking of entertainment advertising and branding?
I think a lot of US covers suck. Who cares?

I think it's interesting to compare and discuss, not tear someone up for being, in my opinion, obviously in at least half-jest or satirical nature.

I don't like my country, and I'm very often ashamed to be associated with it. And? And????


Anyways.
As the LttP cover was noted, I do realize I like our art better. I like them to be ambiguous. It seems a lot of the times cover art is supposed to be part of the advertising process, but I can't think of a reason for this except for the semi-small percentage of buyers who would shop for a game based on the cover and how that describes what they are buying. I suppose a guy holding a sword on the front means there will probably be a guy with a sword to play in the game, and if I want to play a game as a guy with a sword then that would be relevant to my interests.

Spirit Tracks is a bit of a weird one. I do want to hack shit up as Link, not drive a train.
(Although... then again...)

Apologies for a possible derail. LOL GET IT, DERAIL?

 

Woha whats going on in here lol, what assembler said is true.

American gamers need violence and patriotism.

*run and hide*

Seriously though, game box art seems totally at random, whoever is in charge with the country division of whatever developer and publisher.

Usually you are good to say european game packages and covers suck ass against japanese ones, american game covers I dont know, dont collect them. But they sure can look like ass too, Genesis games look like poop with their red border and american dc games have shit covers as well.

In any case though, original complete japanese games blow my mind in their awesomeness. Full color manual zomfgz.

edit: oh yeah i forgot, I think we can all agree on the fact that publishers and developers try to make things "appeal" to a certain market. If the market is US, then we get bad college/surf rock music, advertising of mainstream garbage and a bad angry version cover to go with!

 

With regards to Link to the Past, it gives a more royal, legendary feel. It srpings to mind comparisons of Zelda 64 US Vs PAL box art- American had shiny gold behind the logo, whereas European had a (non Shiny) gold logo and a black background and box. European looked so much better.

 

Oh yeah, I remember now why Link is on the cover with the Knight. The Knight is actually his sidekick. I could spoil a lot more due to a thread I saw with some leaked screenshots if you want.

Don't read any further unless you want to be spoiled.

SPOILERS
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SPOILERS

• 1. Zelda gets "shot" and dies. Im not sure what she's shot by. Pretty violent for a Zelda game.
• 2. Her spirit comes back as a ghost, and she takes control of a suit of armor and I think her spirit accompanies Link through the rest of the game.
• 3. Ganon comes back as a train. A monster train.

​

 

Theres a difference in opinions and sweeping generalizations. I don't like a lot of covers that come to the US, but I never cared for the cover a game got anyway.

*Pulls him out of his hiding spot and scolds him for making yet another sweeping generalization*

Its like you guys think we are all mindless Zombies. Yet when GoH makes a stupid generalization on Japan you tear him up. Ok, comparing you guys to GoH might be a LITTLE harsh, but come on.:lol:

Like you said, I blame most of America's covers on what some guy in an office thinks people want to see...but I dont care on video game covers anyway. Dragon Age Origins had a pretty nice simple cover...then again they redid it so it could appeal to 13 year olds with their advertising for it. Its stuff like that that makes people go "oh, so I guess they made it more "American" for Americans" when its more like they made it more juvenile for 13 year olds. I kind of doubt older American gamers got it because of that shit....BTW the stuff Im talking about are crazy amounts of gore and sex, but also, shit tons of Japanese games do the same shit, like Bikini Samurai Squad, so dont go saying its shallow just because a certain country did it. I think Bikini Samurai Squad is just as shallow, if not moreso.

/rant

 

Sadly marketing is all about the generalization, if you think about it.

Anime games become a westernized watered down cartoon graphic as art design for the western world if it was a japanese game before. And that is, in essence, basically a generalization that all western kids couldnt handle, adapt or in any way enjoy the original anime. While we all do, most kids actually couldnt care less and like it as well.

About sex and gore I dont know, I dont remember any game that actually expressed sex and gore while the other country versions didnt, speaking art-wise only. But then again, one could consider sexy drawn detailed anime figures drawn by a japanese guy that actually had a sense of design, showing a little bit of skin down-right pornographic, so it's to be redone in a less profone way. That is the kind of retardation we live in, every country has a different standard for such things.

Hell, I for one couldnt care less for lolicon magazines and whatever they exist or not, its just drawn paper. You may as well make such stick figures up in your fantasy. But here we are again, a lot of other people think they are the pure evil and shouldnt be seen by anyone, snap. The biggest irony, neither me nor them actually ever have read one of them. Just know they exist and what sorta content is in there.

Hypocrisy and irony plagues the daily life of humanity