Bad Box-Art for Otherwise Great Games

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TwoHeadedBoy

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Jul 10, 2012
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What can be defined as bad box-art? Is it something that is legitimately bad from a aesthetic perspective (like the North American copies of Mega Man and Ico)? Or can it be something that is competent enough, yet fails in communicating the actual content of the game (Spec Ops: The Line and Bioshock: Infinite spring to mind)? Does it actually matter?

Anyway, what are good examples of lacking box-art for good games? My picks would be Mass Effect 2 and Spec Ops: The Line.
 

BloatedGuppy

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Feb 3, 2010
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Always my submission when these threads come up. Hideous color palette, conveys absolutely nothing about the game thematically or in terms of narrative. Just a big blue head staring out from a garish orange backdrop.

 

TwoHeadedBoy

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Jul 10, 2012
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Agree with you there! I've been putting that game off for a while, due no small part to the cover-art.
 

TwoHeadedBoy

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GSP66 said:
Mass Effect 2 definitely.

Also Deus Ex Human Revolutions.
I kind of like the HR cover, it isn't anything special but there's hardly anything disastrous about it.
 

Zhukov

The Laughing Arsehole
Dec 29, 2009
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Take your pick really.

Game cover art is designed as one would a miniature billboard. It's there for its advertising value and absolutely nothing else.

Just walk into a video game store and throw a rock. Nine times out of ten that rock will hit a generic, forgettable, over-designed, artless, tasteless piece of crap that serves no purpose but to scream, "I have violence! Pick me up!"

Oh, and for that one time out of ten when the rock hits something good, you just go find the American version.
 

scorptatious

The Resident Team ICO Fanboy
May 14, 2009
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Point to the one you think is the worst box cover.



If you pick the right then you are correct!

I'll admit though, the American box cover is sort of nostalgic to me as I remember seeing it a lot at my local Hollywood Video store when I was little.
 

Aerosteam

Get out while you still can
Sep 22, 2011
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Can I jump this thread forward in time so Bioshock Infinite is released?

I'm looking at my stack of boxes and I see... Crackdown, The Orange Box, The Witcher 2.
 

Chester Rabbit

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Mass Effect 3 - Let me have my opinions people.
I mean seriously they couldn't come up with anything better than the place holder Shepard giving a stern look with his new toy whipped out? ME1 we kind of had a Star wars movie poster cover. ME2, not great but still had at least some more of the cast on it; but this was just sooooo laaaame for the final epic chapter to this series.
 

Twilight_guy

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Nov 24, 2008
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That.

I have no idea who thought this was a good idea for box art. Not even so long ago would this look like anything but a surreal nightmare.
 

default

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Twilight_guy said:

That.

I have no idea who thought this was a good idea for box art. Not even so long ago would this look like anything but a surreal nightmare.
Oh Jesus, who the hell painted that? Looks like something out of a 13 year old's sketchbook.

For me? Gotta be the classic American Ico cover. So glad I got the PAL version...
 

jollybarracuda

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LobsterFeng said:
I didn't really like Batman: Arkham Asylum's cover, but Arkham City's cover is pretty cool.
You know, the Arkham City cover actually really, really bothers me. The way the logo gets pushed off to the side like that makes it look like they got all excited with their sweet ass artwork, got it all printed out, and then remembered "oh...i think we forgot to put the logo on this" and ended up just sticking it off in the white space.

maybe im just overly concerned with box arts being balanced and centered.
 

RheynbowDash

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Chester Rabbit said:
Mass Effect 3 - Let me have my opinions people.
I mean seriously they couldn't come up with anything better than the place holder Shepard giving a stern look with his new toy whipped out? ME1 we kind of had a Star wars movie poster cover. ME2, not great but still had at least some more of the cast on it; but this was just sooooo laaaame for the final epic chapter to this series.
I have to disagree, because Bioware was nice enough to give us the reversible cover so we didnt have to look at that generic 30-something, stubbled, white guy on the cover (I do enjoy the red-head FemShep ^_^)
 

Darren716

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The Arkham CityGOTY edition

Was it really necessary to make the accolades the game got larger then the title of the game?
 

Glover09

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I'm pretty sure the Arkham City GOTY cover is at least in competition.


Edit: Err, OK how about this one.

 

Vault101

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Sep 26, 2010
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RheynbowDash said:
I have to disagree, because Bioware was nice enough to give us the reversible cover so we didnt have to look at that generic 30-something, stubbled, white guy on the cover (I do enjoy the red-head FemShep ^_^)
while I'm glad they finally did ackowlege femshep...as a cover its still not that great

I mean where is he/she? floating out in space?