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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri May 06, 2016 9:23 am

I don't usually buy original boxed games from Europe (usually the UK) unless that was the original source for a game studio and print. Some exceptions would include Syndicate, Populous 2, Lemmings - I'll grab those in a heartbeat if there is no U.S. alternative... But if I can find a U.S. printed version, I'll get that first.

Why? Because it is the region I'm in, for one. Second, I never have to wonder about PAL vs NTSC. If it was sold in the U.S. it would have been optimized for the NTSC experience most of the time. And third, most of the game studios I'm interested in were based in the U.S., so it makes sense for me to hunt for stateside releases.

But there are some classics that are so extremely rare - and awesome - I am willing to break my own rules. One such game is Dune II.
"Dune II has long held the honor of being the first real-time strategy game. Dune II was an evolutionary step forward with "real-time" action. There were no longer any turns, everything happened in real time. Comparing turn-based strategy to real-time strategy is like comparing chess to hockey." -- Westwood artist/designer Joseph Hewitt
In the U.S. the game was called Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty. Outside the U.S., it was renamed Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis. The game was created by Westwood Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada, and released in December of that year (interestingly, you wouldn't know this by looking at mobygames.com. They only show the European box and release date of 1993).

But, for the curious, the exceptionally rare (for the Amiga) U.S. box looked like this:
pic.jpg
U.S. box cover version of Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

After looking for over 6 months, I finally gave up and got the more common UK version after finding it for a surprisingly low price.

If you happen the have the U.S. box version, I would love an original scan! Until that day, however, I'll keep what I have, but I'll also keep looking. Collecting is fun, and for those with a similar illness, it's all about the hunt, isn't it
dune2box.png
Dune II: Battle for Arrakis (or is it a dreary shot of the oil fields of Iraq during Desert Storm?)


User avatar
Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Fri May 06, 2016 1:49 pm

That American box is bad ass! Looks fantastic! Too bad you couldn't find one. We're just such a throw away culture... I don't think it has much if anything to do with sales, it's just we tend to throw things away. My dad would hold onto the box for maybe a few months, but in the end it always got thrown in the trash.





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