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Variants of this Box
All from this Series
3 variants
2 variantsTitle screen
Related Posts from the Blog
Pixels
In my second life as C64 graphician jmin I'm pixeling all kind of things for fun. Yesterday, I've submitted a pic for the currently running C64GFX.com Game Loading Screen Compo 2024 which celebrates the visuals shown while a game is loading. Rules are pretty loose, so game wise, everything goes.
The first thing that popped into my head was doing a MDK pic, and guess what, IMHO it turned out pretty neat, so here it is:
For those interested, the C64 file can be downloaded over at CSDb and you'll find some background info on jmin.at.
Look at all these variants
Gameroom Ramblings shared a post where he wondered why some games have different box art and well, that's a good question.
My latest purchase [...] made me wonder once again why publishers in different regions decided that different box art was needed.
Me, I have of course also come across variants too. We're not talking about small layout shifts here, those are often necessary due to translated names and tag lines as well as to make space for huge USK labels, but completely different art. Here's a couple of examples from my shelf:
For some, I do like the European variant a bit more (e.g. MDK), while others, I definitely prefer the US take (e.g. Last Ninja 2) but all in all, they all have their own reasons to exist. Looking at my sample, one major reason might just come down to having different publishers with a different line-up of games to cater and — like in the case of Epxy — their own style to follow and also marketing trying to match whatever's cool with the kids right now in their part of the world.
As a collector, I am, like GR, happy knowing that there's more than just the one box art out there, waiting to be stumbled upon and put onto my shelf.
Killer Ad
Had an old PC Action mag (issue 2/97) on my desk and found a double page ad for #MDK ðŸ˜
Photo shoot
Snapped a couple of photos for an upcoming bit in RetroGamer magazine about my collection.
Turned out OKish, right?
4k MDK
Wait, what?
MDK in 4K is a possibility?
Love it ðŸ˜
Books: Game Breaker Solutions Vol.1
I'm not really a fan of using strategy guides and walkthroughs although I have of course consulted them over the years, but I do enjoy browsing through them a lot.
Yesterday, a buddy of mine handed me the Game Breaker Solutions Vol.1 pictured below. The book covers nine games in the genres of Action and Strategy on two platforms — PC and PSX which is kind of weird — and comes with tons of tables, stats, maps and even short story details:
- Diablo
- MDK
- Resident Evil DC
- Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
- Command & Conquer
- Command & Conquer II: Red Alert
- WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness
- Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat
- Z
While browsing through the book, it does become apparent how drastically the genre of play guides have changed over the the last two decades: for Diablo, the look-up tables for the various stats the game's item generator is built upon are pretty neat, while the step-by-step description of how to beat a jump'n run stroll like Oddworld referencing hand-drawn maps feels archaic. Regarding C&C, Z and WarCraft II, those could be written a day ago main strategies for the single maps isn't something that would be done differently today , however, a guide for MDK? Really? All the mechanics are explained in game, all maps are straightforward, combat is straightforward, "puzzles" are straightforward too, well, in short, the game is a perfect example of what a game should play and feel like and sure, a guide to all its easter eggs is handy but if you'd need a guide to play through it, we're in trouble.
