Variations

Variations

A number of games were released with differences in packaging, often to accommodate a certain territory. Where any part of the packaging but none of the game content is changed, it's classified as a variation. All known variations are shown below - clicking on the image will take you to that game's entry.

Chuck Rock, Hook & Kriss Kross
These are easy to spot - a six lanugauge European manual with no border on the left, and an English-only manual (i.e. the UK version of the game) which has a blue border down the left side. The back of the box is in several languages, so it's a bit of a mystery why the front cover & manual was changed but never the back.

European version T-113035-50		UK version T-113035-05

European version T-93055-50		UK version T-93055-05

European version T-93025-50		UK version T-93025-05

Power Factory
Both the front and back covers are different on this one. Note how the joypad on the UK cover says "Genesis", whilst the European one says "Mega Drive". This suggests that the blue covers are reprints of the very similar style US English manuals, with the Sega CD logo changed to Mega-CD.

European version T-93035-50		UK version T-93035-05

Microcosm
The European version of Microcosm comes in a US-style box, the English only version is in the standard PAL double CD case. Oddly, there's also small box French & German versions, though only the manual and not the game or any of the packaging is changed. Perhaps someone at Sony finally listened to all the complaints about those fragile cases half way through production. The part numbers for all four are identical.



Sewer Shark
One version has no BBFC rating on the disc, whilst the other does. There's no difference in the part number or manuals, which all seem to carry the BBFC rating. Either they're just early and late prints, or the rated disc was for the UK and the non-rated one for Europe.

Early / European version with no BBFC rating on the CD.		Later / UK version with BBFC rating on the left of the CD.

Battle Frenzy / Bloodshot
German game censorship laws are notoriously strict - strict enough that the game title "Bloodshot" was deemed unsuitable, and had to be changed to Battle Frenzy for the German release. It's all a bit pointless, as the game data is identical. Load the game and select German as your language and you get a "Battle Frenzy" title screen, select any other and you get "Bloodshot" regardless of which pressing you're playing!

Bloodshot T-88045-50		Bloodshot T-88045-18

Battlecorps
A new back cover for the German market, and a "Komplett in Deutsch" sticker for the front. There's no other changes, and language selection is done in-game.

Back of European version showing 6 languages		Back of German version

Brutal - Paws of Fury / Paws of Fury
Another victim of the German censorship laws, this time resulting in the loss of "Brutal" from the game's title. The front & back covers, CD and manual were all changed (including having only German text on the back of the box). Game content and part numbers are identical.

European title		German title

Dracula Unleashed
One version has the BBFC rating printed on the CDs (but not the box). These are absent from the second version. The part numbers for the discs were also switched.

Early / European version with no rating on the CD		Later / UK version with BBFC rating on the left of the CD.

Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco appears in both early and later style packaging, with both covers, the manual, spine card and disc screen printing changed. Part numbers and game content are identical, and there seems to be no specific country to find one or the other.

Early style front cover		Later style front cover

Jurassic Park
Like Ecco, this one appears in both early and later style packaging with identical part numbers and content. In this case, the early version seems to be native to Australia. This game was also translated several times, all of which were released in modified later-style packaging.

Early / Australian style front cover		Later / European style front cover (English version shown)

SoulStar
A replacement back cover for the German release, and a "Komplett in Deutsch" sticker for the front. Like Battlecorps, game content is identical and language selection is done in-game.

Back of European version showing 6 languages		Back of German version

Prize Fighter
The CD for the Australian release of Prize Fighter has no BBFC age rating logo on it. The BBFC is the UK Age Rating System, hence Australian copies don't have it. Instead, it has an "M 15+" sticker on the front.

European version CD showing BBFC Logo		Australian version CD with no BBFC logo

Tomcat Alley
Tomcat Alley also has an Australian variant which has no BBFC logo on it, it also has "Printed in Australia" on the CD and the Back Cover, but there was no age rating sticker.
European version CD showing BBFC Logo		Australian version CD with no BBFC logo