RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Credit to SuperGamBoy, this is his work that I've copied over here for preservation. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In this thread I'm hoping to document differences between US and Canadian releases of the same game. I intend to dedicate each post to a Canadian release or two, in alphabetical order. I will provide pictures of all sides of the game and will provide a side-by-side with its US counterpart release. I will also highlight any distinguishing features of the game so that you can more easily spot each particular game as you are browsing eBay and may be working with limited photos. So far I've identified 59 Canadian releases. The below table lists the games, as well as what "style" of cover art each game has (for easy identification when browsing eBay listings), and any changes made to the Canadian cover (such as omiting text boxes on US versions). # Title Canadian Cover Art Style CAN Changes 1 After Burner II No border 2 Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle Same as US release 3 Alisia Dragoon 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 4 Altered Beast French text, Irwin logo ENG/FR manual 5 Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf Same as US release 6 Aryton Senna’s Super Monaco GP II 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 7 Batman Returns 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo No hologram 8 California Games 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 9 Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 10 Chakan 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 11 Columns No border, 16-Bit Cartridge 12 Cyberball No border, 16-Bit Cartridge 13 David Robinson’s Supreme Court 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo No NFL Films textbox 14 Decap Attack 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 15 Dick Tracy 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 16 Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 17 Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 18 ESWAT: City Under Siege No border, 16-Bit Cartridge 19 Fantasia 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 20 Fatal Labyrinth 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 21 Flicky 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 22 Forgotten Worlds No border, 16-Bit Cartridge 23 Galaxy Force II 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 24 Ghostbusters No border, no copyright text 25 Ghouls ‘N Ghosts Same as US release 26 Golden Axe Same as US release 27 Golden Axe II 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 28 Greendog the Beached Surfer Dude 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 29 Herzog Zwei Same as US release 30 Home Alone 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo No “Holy Cow!” 31 Joe Montana Football 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 32 Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 33 Kid Chameleon 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo No Levels/ Screens Splash 34 Last Battle Same as US release 35 Mario Lemieux Hockey 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 36 Mercs 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 37 Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker No border, 16-Bit Cartridge 38 NFL Sports Talk Football ‘93 Starring Joe Montana 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo Hor. Sports Talk info/ No 12 Megs 39 NHL All-Star "Match Des Etoiles" Hockey '95 Red banner cardboard French in title 40 Phantasy Star II Same as US release 41 Phantasy Star III 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 42 Quackshot Starring Donald Duck 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 43 Revenge of Shinobi Same as US release 44 Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi 16 Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 45 Sonic the Hedgehog Cream background 46 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Yellow border, 16 Bit/Sega 47 Space Harrier II Same as US release 48 Spider-Man 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo No "50% off" 49 Streets of Rage 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo No 1 or 2P logo 50 Strider 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 51 Super Hang-On Same as US release 52 Super Monaco GP No border 53 Super Thunder Blade Same as US release 54 Sword of Vermillion No border (no multi-lang) Unique Manual 55 TaleSpin 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 56 Taz-Mania 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 57 Thunder Force II Same as US release 58 ToeJam & Earl 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo 59 Tommy Lasorda Baseball Same as US release 60 Wonder Boy in Monster World 16-Bit Cartridge/Sega logo The games in red text are ones I haven't yet found the Canadian releases of, so I haven't been able to take side-by-side comparison pictures. Pictures coming soon! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 1) After Burner II Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The covers are quite similar, but the Canadian release does not have a border around the cover art. The most apparent difference between US and Canadian releases is that Canadian releases often include several langauges, as After Burner II does. In addition, the back of the Canadian release does not have a "1 Player" logo in the top right, and it is also missing the Sega of America information in the bottom left corner. Canadian spine on top. Could be sun-fading, but I dont' think so. Canadian release on its own2) Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Slight difference in the font size/spacing Minor difference in the arrangement of the spine text Canadian release on its own3) Alisia Dragoon Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The difference between the two releases is quite distinct and easy to spot. Many Canadian releases added the "16-Bit Cartridge" along the bottom and the Sega logo in the bottom right corner. These releases also do away with the border present on the US release. Very different backs. The Canadian version is multi-language, as usual. The US release has its own "non-black box" back that is not present in Canadian releases. Canadian release on top Canadian release on its own4) Altered Beast Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Altered Beast is the only Canadian release that uses the Irwin logo. Apparently, from 1987, Irwin Toy Ltd. distributed games for the Sega Master System and continued distribution of Sega Genesis games until 1993, when Sega of Canada, a subsidiary of Sega of America, took over. The front and back of the box contain text in both English and French. You’ll also notice that the Canadian release uses the grid design, while the US release does not. Also, interestingly enough, the Canadian release does not have a barcode of any sort. Both the US and Canadian release were made in Taiwan. The cartridge for the Canadian release is the same as the US cartridge, from what I can tell. The instruction manual is dual-language, English and French. The manual is opened from one side for French and the other side (flipped upside down) for English, something I didn’t realize until I started putting together this post. The texture of the clear plastic on the clamshell case (of the Canadian version) is very smooth. It does not have the bumpy texture that most black box games would have had. I think the US version is also smooth in a similar way, but I'm adding this comment absent from the games so I can't be certain. Also, my Canadian Altered Beast does not have a hang-tab, but if I look very closely it appears that there might previously have been a hangtab and that it was cut off. I am uncertain whether the Canadian release of Altered Beast is supposed to have a hang-tab or not - by comparison the US release comes in a clamshell that never had a hang-tab. I can't confirm that it is the same for the Canadian release. Next up is Aryton Senna’s Super Monaco GP II. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 5) Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on its own6) Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II Left: US release; Right: Canadian release You'll notice that the Canadian release features the SEGA logo in the bottom right corner as well as the text "16-Bit Cartridge" across the bottom. For the Canadian releases in this style, the SEGA logo makes them standout and easier to spot as you won't find this logo on cover of black box US releases. The spines are pretty identical; the Genesis logo might be slightly large on the Canadian release [top]. I've commonly seen this SEGA sticker seal on European and Australian PAL Mega Drive releases. I believe some PAL games were sticker sealed instead of shrink-wrapped, but I am not certain. A number of the Canadian releases I have picked up have included this same sticker; however, in instances in which the original case I acquired the game with did not include a hangtab, I've swapped the cases out for cases with the hangtab, at the loss of the sticker. A close up of just the Canadian release Unlike the US release, the Canadian version does not have a "border" around the image. The Canadian release uses the same image, but the image is stretched to the full size of the box and the Official SEGA Seal of Quality logo has been removed and is missing from the Canadian copy. Like most Canadian releases that I will feature in coming posts, the back of the box includes the game synopsis in several different European languages. Screenshots are smaller and all aligned to the left-side. The barcodes for Canadian Genesis games begin with 69044 whereas US releases begin with 10086. Next up is Batman Returns. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 7) Batman Returns Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Now, the spines here are interesting. The barcode for the US release of Batman Returns is on the spine, which is an awful eyesore; however, for the Canadian release the barcode is not on the spine and is on the back of the box, which I greatly prefer. And as a bit of a "spoiler," looking at all of my Canadian releases, not a single on as a barcode on the spine. Another small peculiarity, the "Batman Official Licensed Product" hologram is only on the US release of the game. The Canadian release does not have this hologram sticker. And lastly, here's a shot of just the Canadian release on its own: California Games Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on its own. I am missing the manual but should receive it soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 9) Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Interesting spine difference here. Canadian release is on top. The "Starring Mickey Mouse" text is much smaller, as is the Sega Genesis logo. Here is the Canadian release of Castle of Illusion, on all its own:And lastly, here is a bit of a bonus. Pictured below is a rather interesting release of Castle of Illusion. Quackshot has a similar release and Kid Chameleon might as well. Coincidentally, Quackshot and Kid Chameleon also both have Canadian releases, so there may be a nexus to explain these odd mis-matched releases. The box is a regular Genesis box - no European languages on the back, but the cart is a Mega Drive cart and the manual is the one used for PAL releases. I have seen this release discussed on a number of forums and I have seen it on eBay quite a few times. I've compared the box to my normal US release and there are a few differences. Here are the backs of the "mis-matched release" [top] and the normal US release [buttom] Here the two releases side-by-side: Left: Mis-matched release; Right: US release Looking at the two boxes, I see some very subtle differences. For the mismatched release the box art seems to be slightly larger with less border around the image. The Genesis logo on the spine [not pictured] also seems a tad larger. There may be differences, but for the most part, from the front, they aren't distinguishable. Here is a comparison of the back covers: The only real difference is the placement of the Sega of America address line. On the US release it is at the very bottom . but on the mismatched release that line is between the third screenshot and the barcode. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 10) Chakan Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top. Notice how the US release has the UPC on the spine. No Canadian releases have the UPC on the spine. Canadian release on its own11) Columns Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The Canadian release has the "16-Bit Cartridge" text, but the text it centered and the cover does not have the Sega logo in the corner Canadian release on its own12) Cyberball Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Note: My Canadian release is a little bit sunfaded First thing you'll notice, the Canadian release actually gets the full box art. The main robot's shoulder is completely visible and we get to see more of the blue robot's back. Also, the font color for "Cyberball" is different. On the US release it is orange, but for the Canadian release it is red. Even with any sunfading, it is clear that the two used different font colors. I've checked images of the PAL release and, like the Canadian release, the font color is red. I didn't notice until today, but covering some of the UPC on my US copy is a return address label for a previous owner from Minnesota, Kevin E. Nelson, haha. Looking at the spines the difference is font color is unmistakeable. Canadian release on top in red and US release on the bottom in orange. Canadian release on its own The cart for the Canadian release is just a standard US release cart. To my knowledge there is no Genesis cart with a red Cyberball cart label. You can see the contrast in color between the cart and the manual. And lastly, on the spine of my Canadian release of Cyberball there are still the remains of one of those Sega stickers. Next up is David Robinson's Supreme Court 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 13) David Robinson's Supreme Court Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The differences between the US and Canadian release of this game are consistent with the kinds of differences we've seen displayed so far in this thread. Canadian release on the top Here's an individual shot of just the Canadian release One major difference between the US and Canadian release is the below text block about an NFL Films Sports Videotape. There are two US releases of David Robinson's Supreme Court, one with this textbox and one without. I have not seen a Canadian release of the game that includes this textbox - to my knowledge no Canadian copies will have this textbox. Next up: Decap Attack 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 14) Decap Attack Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top Canadian release on its own15) Dick Tracy Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top Dick Tracy pics courtesy of jkenned5 - thank you! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 16) Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top Canadian release on its own Pretty standard as far as Canadian releases go. Next up is Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 17) Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Top: Canadian release. Notice how it doesn't have a barcode like the US release does Canadian release on its own18) ESWAT: City Under Siege Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 19) FantasiaI don't yet have the Canadian release to do a comparison20) Fatal Labyrinth Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Both releases use the same Fatal Labyrinth logo (with "shadows" behind the letters), but the shadow on the US release seems little more purple Canadian release on top. For whatever reason the text on the US spine no longer has the "shadow" behind the letters Canadian release on its own21) Flicky Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top Here is the Canadian release all on its own. Next up is Galaxy Force II 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 22) Forgotten Worlds Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The covers appear nearly identical, but for the Canadian release the colors look sharper/brighter. There appears to be a small difference in the "SEGA" logos, but its quite minor. And lastly, here's a shot of just the Canadian release on its own:23) Galaxy Force II Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The Canadian release has a few of the obvious major indicators (SEGA logo, no Official Sega Seal, no borders) The backs are quite different. Back of the US release. The US release hypes up the game more and makes more of a sales pitch. For the Canadian release, the same text needs to be repeated in a few different languages, so its more brief, but takes a different approach. The US release has more space on the back of the box, but it instead includes those kind of story details in the instruction manual. Pretty similar spines Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 24) Ghostbusters Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The cover art for the US release includes a large block of text about trademark and copyright information that is absent from the Canadian release The backs of the covers have the standard differences. Here is the back of the US release. By comparison, you can specifically see the lines that were cut out to create the abbreviated game summary. Canadian spine on top Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 25) Ghouls and Ghosts Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The covers of the releases appear to be identical The backs of the games show the typical differences (no "1 Player" logo on Canadian release, lack of Sega of America address, different UPC, and multi-language) Canadian release on top. The red text in the Canadian release is less vibrant than in the US release. It could be sunfading, but I doubt it. Usually the Canadian releases seem to have brighter colors, but overall I've seen enough color differences to believe this difference may be intentional Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 26) Golden Axe Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The covers of the releases appear to be identical, with the Canadian cover possibly having brighter colors Deeper colored lettering for the Canadian release Canadian release on its own27) Golden Axe II Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Lettering on the Canadian spine is a tad larger Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 28) Greendog the Beached Surfer Dude Left: US release; Right: Canadian release I've noticed that US releases without the black-box style back don't have a UPC on the back and instead have it on the spine Canadian release on top. US release has UPC on spine Canadian release on its own29) Herzog Zwei Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Colors seem brighter in the Canadian release Slight difference in the Genesis logo Canadian release on top Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 30) Home Alone Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian version (on top) doesn't include the "Holy Cow!" text bubble Canadian release on top. Note how the US release has the UPC on the spine Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 31) Joe Montana Football Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top Canadian release on its own32) Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on top without the teal background behind the text Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 33) Kid Chameleon Canadian version on top. The coloring of the game titles are drastically different US release includes a "100+ levels 1850+ screens" burst not present on the Canadian release Canadian release on top, with much different design/coloring for game title Canadian release on its own. I have seen Canadian releases of Kid Chamelon that had a Mega Drive cart instead of a Genesis cart. I'm inclined to view them both as correct, with one being a variant.34) Last Battle35) Mario Lemieux Hockey 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 36) Mercs Canadian release on top. Spine text is smaller37) Michael Jackson's MoonwalkerMy US release of Moonwalker is currently in storage, so I'll have to use an image pulled from eBay. Here is the US release The Canadian release removed the border around the cover art and added the "16-Bit Cartridge" text at the bottom. Back of Canadian release Canadian spine (appears to be the same as the US version, based on images online of the US release)38) NFL Sports Talk Football '93 Starring Joe Montana Left: US release; Right: Canadian release On the Canadian release the title is in a horizontal box, and on the US release its in a vertical box. The US version also has a "12 Megs" burst not present on the Canadian release Canadian spine on top. The spines also use the separate horizontal and vertical text boxes. US version also has a UPC on the spine I previously had two copies of this game sealed, the above of which I opened to document its contents. Now that I've covered all three Joe Montana games, here are all the games togeher 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhyNotZoidberg | 585 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 1 hour ago, RoyalT said: And lastly, on the spine of my Canadian release of Cyberball there are still the remains of one of those Sega stickers. I have that on a boxed Mr. Nutz, so they must have used them in the PAL markets also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 39) NHL All-Star "Match Des Etoiles" Hockey '95 This game is the only cardboard Canadian release. It came out much later than all of the other Canadian releases and is a bit different. I count it as part of the Canadian set because of the English/French text and that there are two separate releases (US release and this "Canadian" release). The release is different because it doesn't use the 69044 UPC and instead has a 10086 UPC used typically for US releases. It turns out I've sold my US release of this game. So like with Moonwalker, I'll have to first showcase the US release using pictures from eBay. US release front US release back Canadian release front Canadian release back For some reason, this barcode sticker was added. This is not the typical US barcode or Canadian barcode (at least not the one used for early releases). Its also odd because the Canadian release already has a barcode on its side/spine. Left side/spine of Canadian release. Notice there is no French text and no barcode. The box has a cardboard hangtab. Right side/spine of Canadian release. French text and UPC barcode. I went ahead and opened up one of the two sealed copies I had:40) Phantasy Star II Left: US release; Right: Canadian release The covers are just about identical. The only minor difference is the Sega Genesis logo at the top. On the Canadian release the words "16-Bit Cartridge" have been added to the logo. Even the backs are nearly the same. Phantasy Star II is one of the toughest Canadian releases to spot or find. The Canadian release doesn't have the Sega of America text and it doesn't have the "1 Player" logo. Bottom of the US release with UPC Bottom of the Canadian release with UPC Canadian release on top Small difference in the spines. No trademark on the spine for the Canadian release. Also has the different Genesis logo What's even more tricky is that both the US release and the Canadian release have vertical "US-style" manuals. Canadian manual on the right. Notice how there is no "TM" for Phantasy Star. In addition, there is no Genesis logo at all Backs of the manuals. No reference to Sega of America on the Canadian manual. The US manual is copyright 1989 and the Canadian manual is copyright 1990 A small difference inside the manuals Canadian release on its own 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) 41) Phantasy Star III Edited November 15, 2019 by RoyalT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) 41) Phantasy Star III Continued Edited November 15, 2019 by RoyalT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalT | 161 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 42) Quackshot Starring Donald Duck I've come across three different US versions of the game and one hybrid release, in addition to the Canadian release. I'll touch on each of those briefly after my comparison of the US and Canadian releases. Left: US release; Right: Canadian release Canadian release on its own Here are the three US releases One of the releases of Quackshot (maybe the first release) included a sweepstakes to win a trip to Walt Disney World. You can see that release on the far left. When the contest ended, some of those art inserts were still used, so the sweepstakes logo was covered up with a Genesis sticker. And lastly, a more standard release with no contest logo or cover up. Here is the contest version and the covered up one. Both of those backs mention that the Treasure Hunt promotion ends on April 30, 1992. The last release of Quackshot is a bit of a hybrid. It has a Genesis box, but a Mega Drive cart and a Mega Drive manual. Castle of Illusion also had a release like this, which I covered earlier in the thread. Hybrid release on top (compared to the "standard" US release). As you can see the Genesis Seal of Quality logo has been tweaked/updated. So its not simply the exact same box art with new cart/manual. Here is the standard release and the hybrid release side-by-side. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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