[Panzer_Erwin]

I just want to share something I think it is very interesting. It is on a chinese web site its talking about the Aesthetic change in boxarts during localization. You can see some familiar game characters ( Megaman,Kirby) on different version of the game.

the website here
????????????????? - ????

The Japanese Kirby is just cuter, the American one looks more violent (even Kirby are "violenization" in American... )

 

[masta.g.86]

You should see the differences between the US and Japanese box art for the Phantasy Star series.

 

[Panzer_Erwin]

I remember the one with purple hair sexy girl on.

 

[masta.g.86]

Phantasy Star II US version:

View attachment 204690

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Phantasy Star II JP version:

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Phantasy Star IV US version:

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Phantasy Star IV JP version:

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[Phil]

Interesting. Maybe its just that Americans were not used to effeminate males back then.

 

[Cid Highwind]

Still, the Kirby boxart is kinda disturbing to me. I suppose it's current culture where everything needs to be violent. I've noticed it in cartoons as well, while I was raised with Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes, where the most common type of violence was anvils and pianos dropping on characters, later it turned towards the stuff seen in Powerpuff Girls: Zooming in on fists crunching into faces with body fluids splashing all around. Of course I watched Teenage Mutant Hero (Ninja being censored here ) Turtles, but still it didn't have the amount of gore involved nowadays.

Kirby's supposed to be cute, there's nothing wrong with that, the games are kiddy fun anyway, yet still a lot of fun for adults, being challenging platformers (unless this changed and they dumbed it down).

 

[cottonvibes]

man i didn't know the ridiculous megaman cover was due to localization.
now it makes sense why its completely inaccurate!
(seriously, megaman is some guy in a blue & yellow outfit holding a gun? wtf )
the rockman cover art is true to the series.

and its interesting on the kirby games that the jap version has kirby more nice/innocent, while the localized version has him more angry.

 

[jmf146]

The box art on the first Mega Man was so bad it takes up most of the "Reception" section on Wikipedia:
Mega Man (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Phil]

Yeah that box art is hideous

 

[Xblade]

The box art on the first Mega Man was so bad it takes up most of the "Reception" section on Wikipedia:
Mega Man (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I could of drawn better than that when I was 8.

 

[SCHUMI_4EVER]

I don't think it's anger/violence that was trying to be depicted, but rather determination. Easterners are perfectly happy to just sit back and watch a cute pink blob do funky things, Westerners however need a mission, a reason the play the game cuz if it's just cuteness then it's obviously a girl's game and their time would be better spent elsewhere, the boxart has to depict the determination of the character, the mission he's on.
Also note that the GBA Kirbys are barely any different, just that the red one became happy and the actual Kirby became the determined warrior.
Also for Kirby Airride, if you were in a Race would you be going "Haha this is fun yay ^_^" or would you be going "I gotta win this, no one can touch my speed, o yeah fools eat my dust"

Basically Easterners are more open to light simple fun, all they need is an inviting concept, Westerners however feel far more pressured by time and other aspects and they need to see the mission they are buying into, they for instance don't just care for Mario, but if it's Mario off to save the Princess in a distant castle on the edge of the cover then it's quite a different story.

 

[Spyhop]

Interesting. Maybe its just that Americans were not used to effeminate males back then.

Still not....except for anime nuts. Effeminate is, by it's very definition, is anti-male. Having male qualities isn't a bad thing. It doesn't necessarily mean grunting, huge muscles, and crushing beer cans on your head. You can be a man, and still be a gentleman. What you DON'T want, is do be one of those douches who act too much like a girl, like in anime. Don't emulate anime.