It’s time for another clash of cover art as we dive into this week’s edition of Box Art Brawl!
Last time things got NESsy, as we pitted three different cover designs for the original The Legend of Zelda against each other and oh boy was it a close one. The classic gold North American / European art just sealed the victory with 36% of the vote, while the Japanese Famicom and FDS releases followed closely behind on 33% and 31% respectively.
After a week of Pokémon news (or lack of it) this week, we are matching up two regional covers for the Nintendo 64’s Pokémon Stadium. This was technically the second entry in the series for Japan after the original never received a global release, but 1999’s title was the first time that Western audiences got their hands on a different type of ‘mon mash-up.
Europe and North America opted for near-identical designs on this one, so we have combined them together to face off against the very different Japanese cover. Let’s get this duel on the road…
Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let’s check out the box art designs themselves.
Europe / North America
The European and North American cover might not match up to the sprite visuals that we are used to today, but there is no denying that this design shows you everything that you need to know about the game. Charizard and Blastoise face off in the foreground (note the absence of all trainers) while a packed arena stretches out behind them. It’s got Pokémon and it’s got a stadium — what more do you need?
Japan
The Japanese cover, on the other hand, takes a very different approach. As we noted, this was the second game in the series for Japan, hence the large “2” on the logo, but numbering is perhaps the least-significant change here. Gone are the images of the stadium itself and indeed the fighting, replaced by way more Pokémon taking centre stage. Aside from Pikachu, Venusaur, Mewtwo and co. in the central image, the background is absolutely swimming in images of the full 151 ‘mon that appear in the game in some form.
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.
It’s time for another clash of cover art as we dive into this week’s edition of Box Art Brawl!
Last time things got NESsy, as we pitted three different cover designs for the original The Legend of Zelda against each other and oh boy was it a close one. The classic gold North American / European art just sealed the victory with 36% of the vote, while the Japanese Famicom and FDS releases followed closely behind on 33% and 31% respectively.
After a week of Pokémon news (or lack of it) this week, we are matching up two regional covers for the Nintendo 64’s Pokémon Stadium. This was technically the second entry in the series for Japan after the original never received a global release, but 1999’s title was the first time that Western audiences got their hands on a different type of ‘mon mash-up.
Europe and North America opted for near-identical designs on this one, so we have combined them together to face off against the very different Japanese cover. Let’s get this duel on the road…
Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let’s check out the box art designs themselves.
Europe / North America
The European and North American cover might not match up to the sprite visuals that we are used to today, but there is no denying that this design shows you everything that you need to know about the game. Charizard and Blastoise face off in the foreground (note the absence of all trainers) while a packed arena stretches out behind them. It’s got Pokémon and it’s got a stadium — what more do you need?
Japan
The Japanese cover, on the other hand, takes a very different approach. As we noted, this was the second game in the series for Japan, hence the large “2” on the logo, but numbering is perhaps the least-significant change here. Gone are the images of the stadium itself and indeed the fighting, replaced by way more Pokémon taking centre stage. Aside from Pikachu, Venusaur, Mewtwo and co. in the central image, the background is absolutely swimming in images of the full 151 ‘mon that appear in the game in some form.
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.
