We’re back, back, back for another edition of Brawl Box Art!
Last week we looked at the trio Contra: Hard Corps covers for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. Despite three pretty cool designs (in our opinion), the vote wasn’t even close. You lovely folks crowned the North American version as the clear winner with 64% of the vote, leaving Japan and Europe with 29% and 7% respectively.
This time we’ll be zooming into the future as we pair two different covers for Astro Boy: The Omega Factor on GBA. This side-scrolling shooter/brawler was released by SEGA (THQ in Europe) in 2003, 2004, and 2005 in Japan, North America, and Europe, respectively, with alternate releases to coincide with the television anime’s premiere in the United States. It’s a treat for fans of Astro Boy and Osamu Tezuka’s wider oeuvre, with fast-paced action and gorgeous pixel art.
Europe and North America have chosen the same design for this one, so we have an old-fashioned duel, with the general design going head-to-head with the Japanese version. Let’s find out…
Be sure to vote in the poll below; but first, let’s take a look at the case designs.
Europe / North America
The European and North American covers are all about the action. There’s no denying who this game is about as Astro Boy flies right at us, front and center. It’s a pretty simple look, to be sure, but we respect the “no nonsense” aspect of it all. You may not know what the game is about, but you definitely know its star.
Japan
Now for something different! Taking advantage of the wider regional box design, the Japanese cover still puts Astro Boy front and center, but also saves some space for the villains with the Blue Knight, Atlas and Pluto standing menacingly above the title. With the TV anime series being so popular in Japan, it makes sense that the design would show off a little more of what’s on offer, although we can’t help but feel that this cover looks a little busy compared to the simplicity of what we’ve seen before. Yeah.
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time in another round of Box Art Brawl.
