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/vr/ - Retro Games

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4278636 No.4278636 [Reply] [Original]

Why were the American covers of Sonic so fucking ugly?

>> No.4278637

We'll never know.

>> No.4278638

because everything had to be super edgy back then

>> No.4278660
File: 24 KB, 241x231, 1412866067349.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4278660

>American Sonic has a more pronounced belly

>> No.4278665

>>4278636
ive heard that most of the artists contracted to westernize game box art used oil based paint and japanese artists who tended toward watercolor/acrylics. Also, most of them were illustrators of western fantasy books/games/etc.

so basically, you had these guys who spent their entire art careers doing stuff like big titted warrior women and wizards and Conan the barbarian, being asked to envision concepts they never knew before.

>> No.4278719
File: 19 KB, 870x870, 1385136139955.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4278719

>>4278636
best is japanese sonic, second best this one, third amurricasonic

>> No.4278738

>>4278719
But that's not Sonic. It's Sanic.

>> No.4278739

>>4278636
I just leave this here:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/693431

and this:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/607024

>> No.4278839

>>4278636
In the words of EGM: Insect Politics

>> No.4278909

>>4278636
I think the American designer also did some Mega Man covers.
I also think he's dead.

>> No.4278974

>>4278909
Did the covers kill him?

>> No.4279225

>>4278636
Same reason why Kirby is angry on American covers. Because Americans hate fun.

>> No.4279272

>>4279225
no, we just like things to be extreme and violent

>> No.4279275

>>4279272
Which basically equates to hating fun.

>> No.4279276

>>4279275
ok

>> No.4279282

>>4278636
Serious question
Why are they even different?
Why even change them?

>> No.4279317

>>4279282
Localization and marketinf. Personally I think the US cover for Sonic 1 is the only one on par with the JP/EU covers. While the US/EU cover for Sonic 2 is objectively the ugliest piece of crud that has ever graced the front of a Sonic game.

EU Sonic 3 on the other hand is very underrated in my opinion.

>> No.4279332

>>4278636
because the market back then finds no importance in "art & design"

>> No.4279367

>>4279317
The american one looks fat, but seriously I dont see any logical reason to change them

>> No.4279384

>>4279275
>>4279272
Extreme violence is fun

>> No.4279523

>>4278909
Greg Martin, died in 2014, he did a lot of illustrations for videogames.

>> No.4279691

>>4278636

Sega of America suffered from low self esteem, so they constantly bullshitted Japan that everything needed to be "localized".
Then once Japan allowed them to do it they'd quickly let a retarded cousin draw some shitty artwork just so they could say they played a part in the making of the game.

HEY MIKEY, DOES YOUR 12 YEAR OLD NEPHEW STILL DRAW??!!

>> No.4279863
File: 150 KB, 640x891, 13116-sonic-the-hedgehog-2-genesis-front-cover.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4279863

I don't care what you fuckers say

Sonic 2's box art is fucking art.

Although I wouldn't mind a rendition with the Japanese character designs.

>> No.4279865

>>4279863
That's true, I do love the overall art. It's VERY nice.

>> No.4279887

>>4278636
The American version is better.

>> No.4279916 [DELETED] 

>>4279863
>dude hurry we need a cover for Sonic 2 make sure people get that it's the SECOND game in the series and put there the angry demon robotnik from american media kids love that edgy shit oh and don't forget there's supposed to be this two tailed fox or some mutant shit lol

>> No.4279921

>>4278974
if not, they should've killed his career

>> No.4279939
File: 173 KB, 640x835, original.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4279939

>>4278909
>>4279523
guy drew all the classics in the 90s. He was a former animator at Hanna-Barbera

>> No.4279948

>>4279939
Imo his contractors (SoA) are to blame for giving him faulty concept material and directions to begin with.

>> No.4279964
File: 53 KB, 317x445, eu_snic3.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4279964

>>4279317
You're right, though Knuckles looks a little off.

>> No.4279976
File: 1.97 MB, 1274x884, 7966.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4279976

>>4279948
Sonics design started to look less spherical in later games. I still have nostalgia for goofy looking bowling ball head sonic and robotnick.

>> No.4279998
File: 583 KB, 736x1004, sonic compilation.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4279998

What the fuck Europe?

>> No.4280007

>>4279976
>accurate Eggman-like Robotnik on left side
>assface Sonic

>accurate Sonic on the right even if a little derpy
>that ugly as sin satam rendition of Robotnik

There's no winning it.

Also Sonic's face was never spherical, in the originale sketches his head was very much undiscernible from its back spines like actual hedgehogs, starting from Sonic CD they came up with a better design that fused the upper spines with his head and the lower spines are separated and very small, around 3 in total.

>>4279964
That body language, man.

>> No.4280478

>>4279691
Dude, as a whole SoA were legendary and the American box art Sonic guy was a great artist. It's unfortunate that he had to strictly follow the ugly designs drawn up by SoA's hand wringing marketing team. But maybe that ugly design was necessary to sell the products to the market. Their marketing were definitely hyper competent back in those day Who knows if it actually worked?

>> No.4280498
File: 128 KB, 310x400, Robotnik_fat_fat_fat.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4280498

>>4280007
>that ugly as sin satam rendition of Robotnik

That's Adventures, not SatAM. Ya pingas

>> No.4280510

>>4279939
Even the same animator didn't draw the turtles the exact same way facial wise. It's like the animators of the first cartoon tried to make it like Ren and Stimpy so that every time they drew the characters they look different everytime. Whether that was intended or not remains the question to me.

>> No.4280565

>>4279863
didn't japan just get that shitty 90's shapes and colours shit for all sonic games?

>> No.4280571
File: 2.00 MB, 371x213, 1472828203158.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4280571

>>4280565

Hey, I liked all that jazz!

Better than the inconsistent garbage we kept getting....

>> No.4281272

>>4280498
Worst Robotnik design

>> No.4281745

>>4280565
>shitty

>> No.4281919

>>4279939
that certainly explains the rimlighting you see on a lot of the art in that era

>> No.4282452

>>4278636
Has anyone ever made a high quality 3D model of the design on the right?

>> No.4282474
File: 39 KB, 400x369, Double_Nigger.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4282474

>>4281272
WRONG

>> No.4282494

>>4278636
I like both.

You've probably heard this story before but Sonic was inspired by old-timey American cartoons and the stuff on the left is an approximation of that style by Japanese people. The drawing on the right is what Sonic would look like if drawn by an American artist looking to capture that same style. The squash and stretch is also more pronounced, and there's probably a line of action somewhere in there too.