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Judging a video game by its cover

1UP examines the history of box art design and the importance of localization to sell games. The piece notes poor translations of early pixelated NES covers and bland Sega Master System grid boxes during the Japanese to US adaptation process, including the turning point for video game cover art. From the article:

"One of the first truly excellent examples of American box-art design was The Legend of Zelda for the NES. The Famicom artwork pictured a cartoonish depiction of Link against the backdrop of a dark Hyrule, while the American box featured gold packaging and a shield divided into four squares... This highly professional design made Zelda seem far less childish than many other releases of the time, accurately reflecting the complicated nature of the game. This box design was so successful, in fact, that all subsequent Zelda releases in America have kept the same motif."

[via Slashdot]

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