Early Mega Man box art — specifically the North American versions of Mega Man box art — are infamous for being a bit, well, off. And we're being exceptionally generous when we say 'a bit'; the NA cover used for the original game is renowned for being one of the worst examples of video game box art ever created and even Capcom designers themselves have been known to voice their dismay at the decisions made in those early NES days. We'd beg to differ that it's the worst box art ever, although there's no denying it is absolutely atrocious.
By the time Mega Man 3 rolled around, things had settled down a bit and the North American Mega Man adorning the 8-bit classic's cover is much closer to the Rockman we know and love. Sure, his face is a little impish, but compared to 1 and 2, it's close to being acceptable.
Recently a production cell featuring an alternate version of the North American art — possibly a layout design before the final artwork was created — was sold via online auction. As you can see above (and below), this version features the same exact layout as the finalised art, with minor differences across the board. Specifically, check out the detail on the flooring and the lighting in this preliminary version, plus the main character's face:
In the description the seller detailed how it was originally purchased from "years ago from someone on the now-closed NintentoAge site who got it directly from someone involved in the marketing of the game". Here's some more detail on the cell from the same item description:
It’s roughly 5” tall and is extra cool because it features the box art without any of the game title, Capcom logo, and promotional stripe over it. This might be one of the only ways to see the full format of just the artwork. The most interesting thing about this piece is that it features an unused version of the art. If you look at Mega Man’s face, you’ll see his eyes are different from the final box art. Who knows if there any other copies of this version anywhere else.
It’s possible that this piece was used to create the layout for the final production box art. Most pieces like this are either locked away somewhere and nobody knows about them, or often they are destroyed, so this is truly a unique piece.
The cell ended up selling for $566 plus shipping — not bad for a piece of 8-bit Mega Man history. We certainly hope the new owner takes good care of it.
We've taken a look at early Mega Man box art as part of our Box Art Brawl series (which will return someday, we promise!) — feel free to peruse the varying levels of horror at your leisure:
Like this version of the Mega Man 3 box art? Where would you display this lovely little bit of NES history if you'd put in a winning bid? Let us know below.
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[source ebay.com, via rockman-corner.com]
Comments 23
Looking at his face ... I did not need to sleep tonight anyways!
I don't think I've ever seen Mega Man looking quite so sadistic.
It's interesting how nostalgia makes us think ugly things are beautiful. It's one of my all time favorite games!
Judging from this variant cover, I can't quite decide if Megaman is equipped with an arm-cannon or a spillage vacuum. It's a priceless work of art.
It looks like Megaman turned evil. Top Man (?) and Rush in the background are like "no Megaman, don't do it!"
@John_Deacon "It's interesting how nostalgia makes us think ugly things are beautiful."
oof that's so true.
Lol he's still looking at Spark Man's crotch.
I wonder why it isn't Mega Boy?
$566 seems pretty cheap actually, given it might very well be the only one in existence to this day.
cool, I was looking for a new sleep paralysis demon to haunt me.
Well clearly they should have put it inside a clear plastic case and put a sticker on it with a random number over 9 written on it then sold it on Heritage auctions. $2bn easy.
@GravyThief true
@blackice85 - IKR? If I had known about this a week ago, I likely would have pulled the trigger myself tbh.
It’s like a gremlin mega man met up with a mechanical hex nut on a cyber moon and went for him below the belt..
Haha, great Photoshop.
...Wait, that's REAL? Dios mio.
The box for Mega Man 5 NES is my personal holy grail
Reminds me of the one scene in 21 jump street
More Box Art Brawl
I actually like how they were improving art style with each new box art
If you wish, you can even came up with a sorta backstory for these covers - Mega Man starts out as a middle aged homeless dude who found a super suit in a dumpster.
Soon, he learns about great responsibility that comes with great power, all these fights exhaust him so much he starts undergoing through drastic body changes and ultimately shrinks down and turns into a boy.
@Kutal
That's really messed up and sort of funny.
psychotic mega man.
@Meteoroid Yeah I'm just thinking that people have paid a lot more for other collectible items that actually number in the 10s, 100s or even 1000s of units made. And here this is what's likely a single unique piece, seems like quite a steal really for any collector.
It was me. I bought them. This is the post I made a few minutes ago:
A local collector reached out to me a few weeks ago and brought this Mega Man 3 prototype cart by my house. He knew I wanted it....and we were able to pull off a perfect 1-item-for-1-item trade. We both walked away happy.
He got quite the grail from me too (A nice condition Mr. Gimmick box and MINTY Mr. Gimmick manual for those that are wondering what he got from me)!
The Prototype is apparently a NTSC to PAL conversion prototype of sorts. Most likely final build, but I haven't looked into it myself.
I shared this picture of the prototype with another collector and was thankfully informed of three auctions that I more or less immediately knew that I had to make a move on. I was able to seal the deal on all 3 auctions. I knew I couldn't just have one of them.
These prototype cels were used during the creation of the box art. As you can see, one of the cels is a different cover art to Mega Man 3 than what was released. It is assumed that the final artwork was painted over the top of the prototype artwork and there is only one original painting of this. These cels are simply scans of that (before and after) painting.
When the cels were in the mail...
Nintendolife.com wrote an article about them!
https://www.nintendolife.com/.../random-an-unused...
I was informed about the article and then a few hours later... the item was marked as delivered and signed as "C.COVID". I panicked a little..... not gonna lie. I am usually pretty trusting in the mail system too... A few days later it was delivered without more issues. A roller coaster of emotions to say the least.
I really look forward to framing these cels and prototype together. They will look killer on the wall when done correctly! Wish me luck!
Thanks again to the Big Dawg that helped me spot these auctions. Big ups!
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