Sega Video Game Illustrations
This book, sometimes called Sega TV Game Gallery, is an art book that covers over 60 of Sega of Japan's early MegaDrive and Game Gear titles. All of Sega's major franchises from the period are present - Sonic, Shining Force, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and, of course, Phantasy Star. This 144 page book was published by Graphic-sha Publishing Co., Ltd.
The book only covers a few select games from Phantasy Star: Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star Gaiden, and Phantasy Star Adventure are each given two pages. In an unusual move, Phantasy Star III gets more coverage than any other part of the series, weighing in with four pages. Phantasy Star is mentioned only briefly; Master System games in general are not covered in this book. Also left out of the mix is Phantasy Star IV, for reasons unknown.
While there are other art books that have much more Phantasy Star content, this one has quite a few unique and interesting aspects. The book is heavily focused on the role of artwork and packaging as a means of influencing consumers to purchase games. To that end, commentary from artists is included, along with details about the original size and materials of artwork. Almost all text is presenting in both Japanese and English, resulting in a book that is more accessible than most Phantasy Star art books.
Image Gallery
Release History
| Release Title | Date | Region | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Video Game Illustrations | August 25, 1994 | Japan | 4-7661-0772-1 |