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Let's get the ball rolling on another edition of Box Art Brawl, shall we?
Last week, we matched up two covers for Capcom's Demon's Crest on the SNES. The regional designs shared few similarities and the same can be said for the spread of votes, with 84% of picks falling in Japan's favour. Talk about a washout!
This time, we are throwing things forward to the GameCube as we take a look at Super Monkey Ball Adventure. While not considered the crème de la crème of the Monkey Ball series, Adventure was a big swing by Sega, giving AiAi and co. a world-hopping story mode alongside the more traditional floor levels.
With the game not landing a Japanese release, there are only two covers to pick between this week, so let's get into the duel!
Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let's check out the box art designs themselves.
North America
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The North American cover art keeps things firmly in the classic Monkey Ball territory. Familiar faces roll about in their translucent balls while all kinds of mayhem ensues behind. It doesn't go heavy on the 'Adventure' theme — you're not going to know that this one is any different from what's come before — but its bright colours are certainly eye-catching enough.
Europe
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Ooo okay, now this is leaning into the 'Adventure' vibes a bit more. The overall design is much darker, with the muted colouring standing apart from the above variant. But perhaps most importantly, where are the balls? We still see AiAi and his pals, but are they... walking? What kind of madness is this? If you wanted to know what makes Super Monkey Ball Adventure different from the prior games, this cover puts it front and centre.
Thanks for voting! We'll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.
Comments 44
Buff AiAi is not real, it can’t hurt you
I don't think I've ever noticed that he has pacman eyes - intentional or not that's cool
I hate both of them.
Definitely going for Europe since it reflects better what this specific game is about as also mentioned by the article.
I don't like either of them but on the European one the face AiAi makes is kinda funny so that gets my vote
I didn't even know this game existed and how bizarre it didn't release in Japan?! Looks pretty boring from the YouTube footage I just watched...
Europe one in this case looks like a cheap knock-off.
Happy not to be the only one to dislike both covers. Those monkeys are almost scary XD
Europe gave us AiAi funniest face, it clears easily
This game was basically the beginning of the end for Monkey Ball, and the quality of the cover art reflects that... So ugly. I miss Amusement Vision... :,(
Box Art Brawls Current Total:
Europe: 78
Japan: 74
North America: 88
Australia and New Zealand: 1
So weird... I've never even heard of this game. I look up videos on this and I'm even more confused as to why I've never heard of this.
Anyway, the US cover is the less creepy of the two, so I chose that one.
Other than Europe’s taking place in Zootopia (yes, that’s the actual name of Adventure’s amusement park setting), which I thought was really cool at the time. It really has nothing over North America’s. How do you make a Super Monkey Ball cover without putting him in the ball?
@Blofse lol, “Pac man” eyes predate Pac-Man and video games in general for several decades.
They were very common in early cartoons, from Mickey Mouse to Felix the cat.
Many modern cartoons still use it, and specially those imitating old aesthetics (Cuphead)…
Totally unacceptable! Europe should get disqualified for not even having a ball in the artwork! Sacrilege! I...I'm going to fain-
North America by a longshot. I would've assumed the box arts were mixed since Europe's is more what I'd expect from North America if not for the PEGI rating.
They both kinda suck, but EU looks a little nicer.
@JohnnyMind I had zero clue that the game deviated from the standard gameplay. I took NA because I figured that's what the gameplay was and always has been. I've played very little of the series and had I not read your comment I still would think they only roll around in balls.
I'm going to give my vote to the North American boxart this week.
Super Monkey Ball Adventure was one of the first games I rented before reading its reviews. The original and its sequel were two of my favorite games on GCN, and Adventure ended up being such a garbage fire (“not considered the crème de la crème” is a delirious understatement to me). When IGN rolled out their 4.8 review, I finally achieved the dopamine burst I so craved from the game, itself.
What a horrid game with horrid box art.
Bad game. Nice cover
@Solomon_Rambling Yep, much like Sonic the Hedgehog, SEGA have totally mismanaged this franchise. And it hurts because the first game is arguably my fvourite game ever made There is an alternate universe somewhere where it's been banger after banger (I believe the kids say these days!)
Both aren't very good, but if I had to choose I'd go with NA's box art because AiAi looks less uncanny.
I'm surprised the US is leading by so much.
@Clyde_Radcliffe Wait... this game never released in Japan? That's very surprising.
I guess that shows how confident SEGA were about this game doing well.
@AfroMario You get a like from me for that avatar.
I dislike both, will not vote
NA for uhm, reasons.
North America just because the face Aiai is making on the European box art bothers me...
All I'm going to say is I'm glad they've redesigned AiAi so he doesn't look like... that anymore.
The NA cover because it clearly shows all four of the main characters in their balls, unlike the EU one where MeeMee is hidden behind the Official Nintendo Seal. lol
They're both cute
Both are not very good. Chose the EU one as it says "adventure" to me with Aiai bounding towards us.
I don't like either one. The Euro one has cleaner composition, but I don't think it ended up looking good. The NA cover is messy and cluttered, yet more interesting and visually appealing relatively speaking. NA for me.
I despise how much foot is being shoved at me in Europe. NA wins.
The monkeys look wrong on both of them in different ways. But AiAi is not and angry or badass dude and none of them are in balls in the Europe one so it looses this week for getting those aspects so wrong.
NA is the best of a bad bunch.
@GrailUK Expecting Sega not to screw something up is like asking for it not to rain during the monsoon season.
I feel bad for the eunuch.
Europe.
For those (not) wondering, this game wasn't made by Amusent Vision. It was made by Traveller's Tales. What is it with SEGA and commissioning them to make games based on their IPs?
Anyway, Europe's AiAi is certainly the stuff of my nightmares tonight.
I'd say Europe because it insists more on the game being different. I mean the game IS very different from the beginning of the series in every conceivable way and something has got to warn you. Nothing tells you that on the US cover it's almost deceptive.
Then again it doesn't even have a ball on it and that's just dumb but it still gets my vote because at least it's more honest.
Both are pretty bad tbh.
I kinda like the idea of what they were going for with this game, which is a marble madness adventure platformer basically. Now not only is the game not great to say the least but also was it really the correct license to try this?
How can the cover of Monkey BALL not have BALLS. Europe fail.
Went with Europe on this one solely because of the face AiAi is making like clearly you don’t own a air fryer.
Neither of those ugly covers would ever convince me to want to play the game. I picked NA, only for being a little more visually appealing, but the monkey pose is slightly uglier on it than on the European cover.
Nice to see some Monkey Ball appreciation ‘round these parts.
I just wish the box art for this game wasn’t so. Um. Terrifying
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