Being a trained designer, when the people were making these games, from their native nations, they knew what they were doing.
However when the games crossed over, they handed the original artwork, to the designer ( illustrator, font person ) and ask them to come up with something.
Lords of thunder for instant. The Japanese one wanted to give more detail to the artwork, and left the title is small fine print. Most Japanese works do this on purpose. I am not going into the cultural aspects of the typeface. The USA version instead used the music from the game itself to make a big impression on the consumer. They wanted the consumer to feel they were buying Metal, or some other related form of music when they brought this game. However they also wanted the advertise the DUO.
With Megaman, Rock was like Rap during the early 1990's, and the game also sent of negative messages, as well as positive for those people into Metal ( I am assuming ).
Sherlock Holmes on the other hand, was just Sherlock homles so the person whom they paid to the cover art
did not really have any idea of what the game was about. The question is the usage of the colorfull graphics as with the FMV games for the DUO. While green means creepy and spooky, it is not a serious color. The Japanese version used an victorian style cover most likely. Note they do not show the actors face on the cover for the obvious reason.
Final Zone US.......was never taken serious to begin with. The US cover just reminds me of US animations where they had armor and helmet that made no sense.
The Japanese cover shows the characters who are part of the story, while the US cover makes the expression that their is going to be alot of violent activity. It looks like an advertisment for a G.I. Joe toy line up. Everything on that cover is kill, kill instead of story.
Monster lair ( the position of the typeface ) looks like once again they were having too much fun, or did not take the game seriously. The characters are drawn as dwalfs, while the monkeys are drawn realistic. Then they also make the girl role be stereotypical, while
The snake has a bit of Peter Griffon in him. The artwork looks well done but the feeling of the game is missing.
Both hides the fact they are shooters.
Valis just shows an typical American woman, like "Ghost Lion" posing, being smirky looking. Then it advertise,
ooooooohhhhhheeee cut scenes!!!. Also the woman is oldish looking ( like 20+ ) while Valis was a young adult.
That could be a young adult ( a very healthy, and tall young adult ). But otherwise it gives the same message as Lord Of Thunder font.
Dragon Curse font is not taken seriously. They pretty much give away the game, and tries to be as realistic DAD looking as possible.
Aero Blasters do not even focus on the characters.
It is all about the planes.
Alien Crush matches the font of the Turbo Grafx logo.
It looks okay. The Japanese one, looks more ancient time or serious. Note the "Alien" alien heads in the artwork. I like this one actually. Stupid but it works.
Ballistik they just moved around typeface.
Chew-Man-Fu is point is completly destroyed. I do not even get that. It looks like some sorta game of Chinese Checkers. Biggest waste of money for an artist.
Bomberman looks good eitherway. The original makes a statement about begining bomberman series. 93, makes a statment about all the blow-up fun ( note the US version looks like laser tag ).
US chase HQ domminates the Japanese one.
Bravoman Japan, looks normal, and makes the statement about Harry Truman, desiguised as a bombing
maniac. US game makes him look like a typical standard stereotypical small private area assault bag. In general they said "punch the druggie small private area man". Little boys will be safe from a world of weirdos who grow their hair out, especailly druggie small private me.
That is what I am assuming, which is kinda sad.
The Davis cup is pretty intresting. The JAP one, basically showed energy ( which was/is a common art style for sports images ) while the US one shows victory dance ( which is then infused in the minds of men ).
Dead Moon was perfect, then they drew skellenton hands in the corner.
Deep Blue is reasonable, the JAP one has a nice calm typeface, that shows a dramatic encounter. The US one is like ( oh yeah a shooter, look fishes ). See the way the JAP type plays with water as well.
Devel Crash/Crush More Celtic crap in the US version but more serious and pinballish in the JAP. Both are reasonable.
Who the hell is Doremon...says the US game. Doremon is doing his typical time travel gig.
Double Dungeon........hmm IDK. JAP is serious, with the stereotypical DAD dragon. US is playing around with the title.
Dragon Spirit. Again more play in the US art. Type matches the Turbo logo. However I really love the art.
JAP is all about the story.
Dungeon Explorer......is the same thing as Double Dungeon, but the US cover art could even be for a childrens book.
Fantasy Zone JAP looks like a drugged up world. Which it is sappose to be. Explains where SEGA got it's name from. It is even dramatic, and life like. The US game looks like NES art cover.
Galaga is blasted screen shot.
Gunhed dominates Blazing Lazers. It was a nice try, but you can see the scematics of the actual ship, while the other one looks like an arcade cab art from the 1970's.
Seriously the JAP game had love pured into it. They do not even draw the ship right on the US cover. Star Soilder would murder Blazing lasers.
Boxing. Earlier I mentioned the popularity of energy in sports art? Look at the typeface, see something serious. Then the US version is like.....nicely drawn but they look like stiff dolls. Why do we even need to see them smile at each other, they look like they are practicing Yoga. Then they are just tooooo strong looking as well.
The Turbo Casino wins. Looking at it, makes me want to play. At least we know one thing US knowns for sure. JAP version looks like "Oh that C-A-sinooo, not Pachinko" Seriously Pachinko palors all over the place, and that is all you have to show.
I am not even going to talk about the Kung-FU. Same nonsense. The artist do not even know what martial arts is. "Lemon knee kickk!!" ( in a high pitch voice I go ), to bald army man.
Legendary Axe is perfect asides for the Spiders head, and one of the arms is bigger then the other. The turbo type kills.
Magical Saurus Tour / Magical Dinosaur Tour meh....
They had tons of these games. I even have one of these types of games. It had nice comic book artwork.
Cevtarius wins. MMadness nice art but missing point.
Look at the seriousness, it looks like a film cover.
Neutopia has more Ish, Celtic, crap. Looks like two differnt games. Ohee look shiney armor type. Note the serifs, are an odd-shape. I forget where those are from.
Both Air-Zonk points to Astro-boy.
PCrock/Boink, PC-rock looks like Bomberman LETS PARTY!!! while Boink looks like the standard cave-man flinstones thing to do. Both are doable. However typeface seems to change with Boink.
Pomping world ( one of my favorite games ), they had a picture perfect cover and just took that perfect away. They did not even bother to add anything. So much could have been done. Their is no videogames in USA.
I mean god almighty, why limit the artwork.
Boxxel is boxxel, I can't arugue but at least the JAP game has some nice art work going.
Silent Debuggers had a story going on in the JAP game.
The US game makes no-sense. Just kill kill monster, monster. I asume kill is associated with monster.
Lord of the Rising Sun, is a complete kill. If a real Japanese person with historic information would complain.
R-type is meh... I do not care, because it is Alien mockup.
