Video games have always been global chameleons. They assume one identity when they're first released, then often change their look entirely when shipped to a different region around the world. They're almost always the same games on the inside, but the outer packaging presenting them is frequently redrawn or renamed by marketing departments trying to tap into the specific tastes of local audiences.

The result? Well, some box arts -- for the same games -- just end up better than others.

It's a trend you can trace back all the way to classic examples like Mega Man's disfigured human appearance in his American NES debut or the old banjo-playing redneck inexplicably adorning the box of SNES shooter Phalanx in the States, but today we're leaving the past alone and focusing on the here and now. What follows are 20 modern examples of games getting different box arts in different regions. Take a look at each one and decide for yourself which region's winning in the Box Art Battles. (And click over into our attached image gallery for a larger look at all of our fighters.)

Readers of IGN's Nintendo channels should recall our first installment in this series from last September, as we pitted 10 of Nintendo's American Kirby packages against their Japanese equivalents. The running gag here is that Kirby is always altered to look pissed off when he comes to the USA, but he's allowed to retain his happy-go-lucky personality elsewhere. Another example has arrived in the interim, along with a name change -- while we in America got the Angry Kirby in "Return to Dream Land," Europe received a Happy Kirby in "Adventure Wii." (And this same trend is starting to affect other franchises too, as next month will see Pit similarly altered to anger on the American box for Kid Icarus: Uprising.)



The Wii's other notable release from this past holiday season demonstrated the region divide to a lesser extent. Japan announced its Skyward Sword box art first, showing off a package design that emphasized the "sky" part of the game's name. America got a golden version instead, along with extra embellishments like a small 25th Anniversary logo and a reminder that a bonus music CD was waiting on the inside of the box. (Japan ultimately switched over and decided to present a gold box as well.)


Nintendo's not the only company offering up altered artwork in different regions, of course -- Square Enix is another long-time proponent of the practice. Its Final Fantasy series almost always presents a simple logo on a white background for Japanese boxes, while the company's American arm pairs the logo with large character art. The recent release of XIII-2 kept that trend going, though gamers who sprung for the Collector's Edition in the States scored the more subtle logo-only style for themselves.


Speaking of Collector's Editions, that special category of more expensive game versions has helped perpetuate the box art battles between regions with several other games recently. Assassin's Creed: Revelations is another good example, as it shipped with tons of different editions -- while the biggest visual difference was probably between the standard release of the game that used similar art of Ezio and Altair across the globe and the European Collector's Edition.


Not to be undone by Ubisoft, Microsoft and Epic made sure their big 2011 release also offered a little something extra for the Euro crowd beyond even the Epic and Limited Editions. Though the art of Marcus Fenix standing with folded hands and grim expression was used as the global standard, the Europe-only Steelbox Edition zoomed in on his brooding visage, dropped out the background in favor of basic black and printed the whole thing on a special metal case. (Marcus also took off his armor, for some reason.)