Balloon Pop!'s U.S. boxart was never the most eye-catching piece of work, a mistake that 505 Games was determined not to repeat when it launched the game in Europe last week. In place of Balloon Pop!'s forgettable NTSC art, the PAL edition features a shot of the game's hero hurtling through space beneath brightly colored letters, passing a lush planetoid covered in greenery on his way.
And if that all sounds extremely familiar, that's because it totally is, as one NeoGAFfer recently noticed. Whether intentionally or not, Balloon Pop! -- or just Pop! as it is known in Europe -- sports boxart that is eerily similar to that of this other game called Super Mario Galaxy. There's even a damn mushroom!
Suffice to say, Nintendo's crack legal team have been contacted. In an office located somewhere beneath Redmond, Washington, they wait. Suits pressed. Teeth bared. Preparing to feed.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-19-2008 @ 5:08PM
RupeeClock said...
Incidentally, a crappy shovelware PS2 game called "Finkles World" features characters that are REMARKABLY familiar.
http://www.phoenixgamesgroup.com/uk/games/ps2/finkles1.html
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5-19-2008 @ 5:28PM
Charles said...
Sorry but I have no clue as to what they remind you of...
5-19-2008 @ 5:29PM
Charles said...
WAIT! Upon further inspection, I noticed they look like Lumas... But it's not as bad as Pop!'s boxart vs. SMG's... Those 2 are WAY to similar, I bet it's not even legal!
5-19-2008 @ 5:36PM
RupeeClock said...
This image will make it even more clear.
http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/2444/lumaripoffvy7.jpg
5-19-2008 @ 5:40PM
TheOverlord#2 can has Mario Karts?(MK:2578-3517-9859) said...
Damn.
Theres a planet right next to the mushroom and even the title's colors match the Mario colors in the SMG boxart.
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5-19-2008 @ 5:52PM
Shugotheripper said...
Pop reminds me of bust a move
http://i.gametap.com/web30/games/120053050/PuzzleBobbleBustaMoveARCO3_31d60.png
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5-19-2008 @ 5:53PM
Jhongerkong said...
Did you hear that?
That was the sound of Nintendo's lawyers each opening a bottle of champagne simultaneously.
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5-19-2008 @ 7:15PM
hvnlysoldr said...
Lawyers know they'd cause black holes if the champagne corks blacked each others' eyes resulting in law suits and counter suits.
5-19-2008 @ 6:17PM
Player1 said...
I don't think anything will come of this. You can't copyright the concept of an image of space. It's like the iPod commercials. Anyone could make a commercial of silhouettes dancing on a colored background. They are not using anything unique to the Super Mario universe.
Sure they probably tried to make it look similar to catch the attention of SMG fans, but that's about it.
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5-19-2008 @ 10:40PM
Croove55 said...
I agree. What could Nintendo do, sue for infringement on their small, green planet? Or perhaps a red/yellow color scheme on a shroom? or perhaps the use of a RYGB sheme in the title? Even if they do sue, they're essentially giving the big F.U. to a third party developer. Despite the inconsequential loss of such a small caliber company, I think Ninty learned their lesson back in the N64 days.
5-19-2008 @ 7:50PM
Mr Khan said...
Fact: Mushrooms beat Mario
Mario beats Beets
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5-20-2008 @ 8:21AM
ribminster said...
This is a joke, right? OMG a space-themed game has a space-themed box cover, just like ANOTHER space-themed game? And there are PLANETS on it? Stop the presses!
And there's even a damn mushroom!!! OH SHIT!! TOTALLY SMG!! Except, wait, there is no mushroom on the SMG cover. And the mushroom is the main character in Pop.
Wow, have you guys noticed how EVERY SINGLE WII GAME has that white strip at the top and says "Wii" in the top-right corner, JUST LIKE SUPER MARIO GALAXY?! OMG LAWSUITS!!
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5-20-2008 @ 8:39AM
Chris Greenhough said...
Because I was being deadly serious about the lawyers.