SMB2
Image: Nintendo Life

Hi folks, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl!

Before we dive into this week's heated battle, let's take a look at how we got on last time. We took a look at a new addition to the Nintendo Switch Online service, and that's Burger Time Deluxe for the Game Boy.

Rarely have we seen such bizarre box art before, but the more - shall we say "traditional" - western version took the lion's share of the vote with 77%. Admittedly, the Japanese version just looks like an old advertisement for McDonald's or something, so we can certainly see why it failed to entice voters.

This week, we're going to be checking out Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES, or as it's known in Japan, Super Mario USA. Y'see, Nintendo quickly released a sequel to the first game in Japan known as 'The Lost Levels', but opted to give it a full numbered title. As such, when Super Mario Bros. 2 launched in the west, Nintendo needed to give it a different name in Japan to differentiate it from the existing sequel. It's a whole thing...

Anyway, given the different names, the box art for this game is \quite different for North America/Europe and Japan, so it's going to be a good old-fashioned duel this week. Let's get cracking!

Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let's check out the box art designs themselves.

North America / Europe

Super Mario Bros. 2 NA
Image: Nintendo

The design for North America and Europe is reasonably straightforward, all told. It features the main man himself front and center, and looking quite jolly too, as a matter of fact. We like the simplicity here, and the logo at the top really stands out - there's certainly no mistaking this game for anything else.

Japan

Super Mario USA - JP
Image: Nintendo

Japan's design for Super Mario USA is a bit busier in its composition, featuring Mario getting ready to hurl a sprout at the multitude of enemies lying in wait. We've also got Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad in the background, so it's a really nice little gathering of all of our favourite Mario characters. We must admit, too, we're really quite taken with the pink colour surrounding the artwork. It's nice!

Which region got the best Super Mario Bros. 2 box art?

Thanks for voting! We'll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.