In this section:
Box art projects
Hyperreal series
Below are the box art projects I've worked on, with download links to the packs. I coined this series of boxes "Hyperreal" as I wanted to make them as realistic as possible and apply similar principles across the set. Each box set is full, i.e. covering every released game for that system. They are of course transparent PNG.
There are many "2.5D" boxes out there where the actual box/case looks like an afterthought and is not photorealistic. I wanted to create boxes that look as close to the real thing as possible. The cassette cases should have all the proper ridges and features, the Sega Genesis cases should have the plastic hang tab and slightly mottled plastic cover, etc etc.
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Most of these projects have focused on the 2.5D images, apart from the CPC464 set where I wanted to make a 3D set.
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Since the advent of the rotatable 3D model box features in Launchbox, these static image projects have temporarily been placed on hold. When Launchbox improves this feature I will resume some of this cover work. For example, when a 3D cassette case model is added, I'll focus on that for the CPC464. When at least 2 spines are supported (left and right), I'll focus on a DOS set, and so on.
Super Aladdin Boy
Hyperreal series
The first box set that I worked on. An odd choice, I know. The Super Aladdin Boy is essentially the Sega Genesis's release in South Korea, and was distributed there by Samsung. It was originally called the Super Gam*Boy before the name was changed to Super Aladdin Boy. If you're interested, take a look here for information on the Genesis releases in South Korea:
https://segaretro.org/Mega_Drive_consoles_in_South_Korea
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I suppose I started with this system as a dry run before doing the main Sega Genesis sets. The cases were similar to the Genesis, though lacked the hang tab at the top. The set uses an authentic box and a slightly mottled plastic cover.
There are 76 covers in this set, which I think covers all games specifically released for South Korea.
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Here is the link to the pack on Emumovies:
https://emumovies.com/files/file/4801-super-aladdin-boy-genesis-korea-region-25d-box-art-set/
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And on the Launchbox downloads section:
Sega Megadrive (Europe)
Hyperreal series
Next came the Sega Megadrive, Europe region set.
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Same 2.5D aspect, slightly different case; this time they had the hang tab at the top. I think whether the cases came with hang tabs or not varied; I included them on all games in this set for uniformity.
There are 552 covers in this set, based on the No-Intro rom set. The main region is Europe, though anything that was not USA or Japan region was included in this set. Each case was tailored individually so that the plastic cover effect worked well with the cover art.
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The Sega Megadrive artwork differed from the Genesis in a few ways. The cover art was often slightly different, there would be a Mega Drive logo instead of the Genesis one, they would not have the "Official Sega Seal of Qualtiy" logo, the text on the back would be in a few European languages, and from around 1994 onwards had the ELSPA age rating system instead of the VRC and then ESRB systems used in the USA.
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Here is the link to the pack on Emumovies:
https://emumovies.com/files/file/4805-sega-megadrive-europe-25d-front-box-art-pack-hyperreal-series/
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And on the Launchbox downloads section:
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Any missing boxes, let me know on the forums.
Megadrive
(Japan)
Hyperreal series
After the Europe region set I did the Megadrive, Japan region set.
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Same 2.5D case as with the Europe set.
There are 476 covers in this set, again based on the No-Intro rom set. As with the set before, each case was tailored individually so that the plastic cover effect worked well with the cover art.
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A lot was different with the Japan set - artwork, logos, age ratings etc.
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Here is the link to the pack on Emumovies:
https://emumovies.com/files/file/4810-sega-mega-drive-japan-25d-front-box-art-pack-hyperreal-series/
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And on the Launchbox downloads section:
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Any missing boxes, let me know on the forums.
Sega Genesis
(USA)
Hyperreal series
To complete the set, the USA/North America region was given the same treatment.
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Same 2.5D case as with the other regions.
There are 741 covers in this set, again based on the No-Intro rom set. As with the set before, each case was tailored individually so that the plastic cover effect worked well with the cover art. There were a few extra covers made for some non-physical releases.
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The Sega Genesis USA region box art was distinguished by the Genesis logo on the front, sometimes the Official Sega Seal of Quality logo, just English text on the back, and use of the VRC and then ESRB age ratings.
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Here is the link to the pack on Emumovies:
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And on the Launchbox downloads section:
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As always, any missing boxes, let me know on the forums.
Nintendo Wii
(all regions)
Hyperreal series
Next on my list was the Nintendo Wii. It was the system I was playing and experimenting with at the time, so I wanted a similar box art set for it. I did not appreciate the magnitude of this endeavour at the start. If you include all regions, there are a lot of games for the Wii, even when excluding WiiWare (that set will come later). This time I didn't release the regions separately, instead releasing them together as a big pack (split alphabetically due to the size).
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The games featured a white keep case (DVD case) into which the artwork sleeve was inserted, with a clear plastic cover; there is some subtle lighting and shadow effect. I used a Photoshop automation to batch produce these, once I had sourced all the covers, due to the number of images.
This set totals 1913 images. I have again aimed for completeness. This is not however a No-Intro set; I may update this collection down the line.
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The different regions have various distinguishing features including in relation to the text, logos and age ratings.
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Here is the link to the pack on Emumovies:
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And on the Launchbox downloads section:
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As always, any missing boxes, let me know on the forums.
Nintendo NES
Hyperreal series
For the NES, I split the set into NES and Famicom; so NES includes most regions outside of Japan.
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This one was a challenge, as there was no box/case template - the games just came in cardboard boxes. I thought I would be able to find a cardboard box/template online that I could apply, but I couldn't; so I had to make my own Photoshop template. This involved removing the artwork from a real NES box photo, then superimposing that onto the front box images.
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Although I was quite pleased with the way the images came out - the boxes have some dents, scrapes, scuffs, proper edges and some lighting/shadow effects, and look quite realistic - I ultimately wasn't satisfied with each box having exactly the same pattern of dents, scrapes, scuffs, edges and lighting. It didn't look right in my fronend. So personally I have gone back to a more standard artwork set (front box images are on pause anyway with the advent of the rotatable 3D box models in Launchbox).
There are 850 images in this set, again based on the No-Intro rom set.
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Here is the link to the pack on Emumovies:
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And on the Launchbox downloads section:
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As always, any missing boxes, let me know on the forums.
