[Rant] Box Art Gone Bad

Browsing the shelves at Best Buy tonight, I came across the re-released versions of Clubhouse Games and Hotel Dusk. "Great," I thought, "Now more people will get a chance to play these wonderful games." Then I noticed what horrors Nintendo had wrought upon the box art:



A MYSTERY NOVEL. Yeah, thanks Nintendo, I never would have figured out what the game was about if you hadn't put a giant orange banner across the top. Why do game companies feel the need to ruin perfectly good covers when they reprint games? We already had Konami's genius picture of a box as box art:



Is there some unwritten rule that reprints must intentionally have bad box art, so the early adopters can feel better about their purchases? Sure, some folks don't care what their game case looks like, as long as they get what's inside, but why purposefully make a product less appealing? And that doesn't even address all the times companies have changed perfectly good box art when releasing games in other territories.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, the Touch Generation stuff makes sense.

People who passed over Hotel Dusk the first time won't really notice it a second time based on the art, so a synopsis of what it's about might help those who will only glance at it and not realize exactly what it is.

How effective the new marketing will be, I'm not sure, but I can't imagine it hurting sales in any way. And the more who get to play that one, the better.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I don't get what Konami was thinking on that one though.

They made box art of the box art to the game. Great job there.

The Cover Project covers a good majority of the covers out there, so buy the game and just print out a new one.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Holy shit, is that Castlevania box serious? I totally regret buying the game in its original case now, that thing is fantastic!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

That's kinda weird about Hotel Dusk, considering it wasn't even part of the Touch Generation series when it first came out.

I really have no problem with different box art for reprints/budget versions of a game, I'd just prefer them to be uniform. I know the Greatest Hits games and the like have their detractors, but I never minded them partly because it's a uniform system, therefore if I was anal about how they looked, at least I could group them with similar looking games.

So while at least Nintendo is being somewhat uniform with these (they even switched the placement of the wi-fi logo and TG logo on Clubhouse Games), it's a shame it's only going to work with Nintendo published Touch Generation games. That means Konami is free to keep making crap, and so is any other third-party publisher if they so please.

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If we're sticking with RECENT games' box art, here's one that comes to mind.

Persona 3 US Box Art

Spoiler:

Japan Box Art

Spoiler:

Because I got dissed, maybe I wasn't clear in my initial response, US Box Arts always suck. Japanese ones are usually pretty good, stylish as well as to the point.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

People, please! CHECK THIS OUT:

"Air Traffic Controller"

US Cover: "Air Traffic Chaos"


Japanese Cover:


This falls in line a bit with Nuttyturnips' complaint about Hotel Dusk: Did they feel the need to draw a cartoon character and ALSO have him proclaim his profession?

I do have to hand it to them though, the US title change is very accurate. Only a section of airspace filled with CHAOS might include an airplane flying completely horizontally.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

A MYSTERY NOVEL.

The best part is Hotel Dusk wasn't even a Touch Generation game originally! So now anything can be reprinted as one!



The PAL PS3 Platinum range is the most God awful example I can think of at the moment.



My eyes! URINE; THE BEST OF PLAYSTATION 3.

How ya doing, buddy?

The later PS2 platinum range design was bad enough, but this PS3 one is absolutely awful. WHY. Wouldn't it make sense to make them, you know, oh I don't know, say, look like PLATINUM???!?!?!

And those hideous edges at the top, who the fuck photoshooped that in there?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

It looks like they tried to go the japan "THE BEST" route, only forgot to change the name.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Ugh dear god seriously what is wrong with you, games industry. Fuck.

I just need tow ork out how to print my own case inserts, then i'll never suffer these atrocities to my game shelf.

Really though, any post that is a 'platinum hitz' or such is cheating. Post some ICO US box art.

How ya doing, buddy?

Not long ago GAF had a nice thread about this very subject... well, not exactly the same, actually not even related (except for the box art)... but for some reason I have to post this:

And a link for those interested:
http ://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333458
(just remove the space after http)

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

The "so bad it's good" tag certainly applies to some of the fine work spewing out on our retail shelves. Here's another good example of East vs. West:

ICO US box art


Slipshod collage approach with rudimentary image blending and one hideous front and center CG model.


ICO Japan box art


Art. I'm reminded of Don Quixote.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Chaotic

I don't get what Konami was thinking on that one though.

They made box art of the box art to the game. Great job there.

Reminds me of the 360's Platinum Hits games -- the original cover art is shrunk down, moved to the right side, and the rest of the box is some shitty silver background.


Edit: Oh hahaha, I just noticed it says "PLATINUM" vertically along the side. Nice!

Dos Editos: Another one for good measure, just cuz I saw it a second ago.


What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Given the title of that game, Tafer, I think that's actually pretty rad boxart.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by BlindMonk

The "so bad it's good" tag certainly applies to some of the fine work spewing out on our retail shelves. Here's another good example of East vs. West:

ICO US box art


Slipshod collage approach with rudimentary image blending and one hideous front and center CG model.


ICO Japan box art


Art. I'm reminded of Don Quixote.

I have the PAL version and mine is the same as the Japanese one. Hooray for Europe!

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Actually, if you look at the Japanese and PAL versions their colors are a bit different. Still better than ugly American version and its lack of 2 player mode, lightsaber, and watermelon ending extras.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I had to post this.



What the hell, Ubisoft.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Chaotic

I had to post this.



What the hell, Ubisoft.

Ahahaha, Wii is quickly catching up to the PS2 with super quality box art.



I look forward to the years ahead.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Some Crassics.



It's still so wrong, even today.

And then there's THIS:

I don't even know what to make of that one. Asides from the dildoing, of course. PAL wins this round.


I'm a dude. I'm a dude. I'm a oddly dressed dude.



At least this one LOOKS like Megaman.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by wvlfpvp

What region is that from? That's actually fairly decent for a Westernized Mega Man haha.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Whose fist is that aiming at and missing Mega Man's crotch?

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My powers of deductive reasoning would indicate Bomb Man's fist is missing the crotch.

FELIPE NO

I like how Dr Wiley is in the background and looking like Simon Wiesenthal for some reason

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by sprouticus

What region is that from? That's actually fairly decent for a Westernized Mega Man haha.

It's the PAL one. It still looks like actual PEOPLE rather than the SD look the Japanese folks god, but it's more decent than any of the other ones.





The look on Rock's face is priceless.

Jam it back in, in the dark.