Poll: Box Art Brawl

Live and learn

by Jim Norman Yesterday, 10am

Image: Nintendo LifeIt’s time for another clash of the covers as we dive into this week’s Box Art Brawl!

Before we meet our contemporary contenders, let’s throw things back to last week when we matched up a trio of designs for the NES classic Kid Icarus. The votes were pretty evenly spread across our three options, but it was ultimately Japan’s colourful variant that walked away with 42% of the vote and the win. The pixel art North American design landed second with 34%, while Europe rounded things out with the remaining 24%.

We’re speeding into the present day this time as we put the two regional covers for Sonic X Shadow Generations under the microscope. Now, all those who pick up the physical version will have the chance to see both variants in all their glory thanks to a reversible sleeve. However, Sega clarified on Twitter that one side is the main Western design, while the other is the main Japanese look, so we’ve got a good, old-fashioned duel on our hands.

Before we drop dash down to the voting, let’s meet the racers…

Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let’s check out the box art designs themselves.

North America / Europe
Image: SEGA / Amazon
Okay, we’re sure you will have all seen this Western variant before. Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic and Shadow take centre stage against all kinds of red craziness in the background. Our three heroes look super cool in their running poses and we’re particularly keen on the colour fade behind them.

Japan
Image: SEGA / PlayAsia
The Japanese design goes for something different and brings all the Sonic Adventure 2 vibes in the process. We still have our colour split, this time on a vertical divide, as Modern Sonic and Shadow take an almost jin-and-jang pose in the centre. It’s certainly dynamic, and we like the emphasised contrast between the two characters, but it would have been nice to see ol’ Shadow the right way up, don’t you think?

Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another round of Box Art Brawl.

Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since.

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