Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 5/24/2012

Good – Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (GBA, Atlus/Quest)

I love this box. It’s a delightful scene, with two knights contemplating while at a beach, with a castle looming in the background. The colors are perfect, and the logo doesn’t take away from the overall beauty of the art. Well done, Atlus.

Bad – Rock Star Ate My Hamster (Amiga, Codemasters)

O_x

Yes, I just crowned this the worst box art in 1988, but it deserves a second drubbing. This art is atrocious. My god. I wonder if Michael Jackson ever saw this one, because he should have sued Codemasters into oblivion for commissioning this unflattering caricature. The newspaper format of the box isn’t terrible, but the art promoting it is, and I don’t want to stare at a quasi-Michael Jackson making a difficult poo. This is gross. *runs off yet again*

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 4/25/2012

Good – Shin Megami Tenshi: Persona 3 Portable (PSP, Atlus)

Despite my dislike of the game’s conclusion (see here if you don’t mind spoilers), I still adore Shigenori Soejima’s spin on the franchise, and this is an eye-catching cover. It puts the focus on the choice of a male or female protagonist, one of the game’s selling points, and it’s effectively using blues and blacks to give it an excellent sense of mood.

Bad – Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year (Xbox 360, Warner Bros./Rocksteady)

Wha…?

This is how to take your box art in the wrong direction. First off, this looks like an magazine advertisement, not a box. This kind of over-saturated blurbage quickly makes my eye wander off to somewhere else. It’s okay to maybe squeeze one blurb on there normally, but to have four wedged into nearly every tiny bit of space is overkill. Second, the render of Batman is rather poor. What exactly made Warner Bros. decide to go with “Batman wrapping blood off of his face in extreme closeup” for their GOTY box? That’s rather unattractive. And then there’s the double logo, one shoved into the top right corner and the other lurking in the background. Plus the bonus content! Can’t forget to throw that in there.

In short, there’s too damn much going on on this box, and there’s nothing appealing about it whatsoever.

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 4/9/2012

Good – Ecco the Dolphin (Genesis, Sega)

Unlike our last visit with Boris Vallejo, this one is quite spectacular!  I’m curious about the oceanic world Ecco inhabits, why he has stars on his forehead, and am overall impressed with the ambiance of the piece.  This looks like a fun game (which it is, for the most part) from the cover, and I definitely would consider it as a purchase.  Well done, Sega!

Bad – Magic Sword (Super NES, Capcom)

And then there’s this.  The woman at the left is probably the best thing about this piece.  She looks appropriate and she isn’t marred by some hideous problem (her left thigh is a little odd, but not super noticeable).  The hero, however…what exactly is he staring at?  It’s not the villain!  His pecs are also a little lopsided, his arms don’t look like they were originally attached to him, and I don’t think most people would be successfully defending attacks holding a shield like that.  That and he just looks too…prissy to be out in the battlefield (well, our heroine as well looks a little too dolled up, considering the game’s context of her being locked up in a wizard’s tower for a few days minimum).  The antagonist looks like he’s laughing, is doing some great jazz hands magic, has a dorky costume, and his horns aren’t even.  And why is that dark gem randomly floating around?  I don’t recall any purple, cloudy sky in the game, either.  Nor mountains.  Doesn’t it take place in a TOWER? And the space to the right of the villain seems like a rather sudden shift of colors, from pink to dark purple with no transition whatsoever.  I’ve seen worse boxes, but this one has quite a few thorns, that it does.

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 3/13/2012

Good – Dragon Buster (Arcade, Namco)

Wow, I say – this was done in the gaudy, over-neoned ’80′s?  This is an astoundingly beautiful gaming poster in an era where such words rarely combined together.  The colors, the mood, the cool details in the foreground and background…this person should have gotten more work.

Bad – Bust-A-Move 2 (Saturn, Acclaim/Taito)

Oh my god EYEBALLS

Gah, I can barely even look at this monstrosity without feeling a bit queasy.  And that does NOT sell video games!

(honestly, I can’t analyze it.  I am afraid I may spew.)

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 2/27/2012

Good – Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii, XSEED/Namco Bandai)

XSEED seems to have a solid knack of selecting excellent art assets for their covers, with Fragile Dreams serving as yet another perfect example.  It has a wonderful sense of mood thanks to the excellent coloring and detail, the two main characters are lovingly accentuated, and the logo, while a bit too wiggly for my liking, is not blocking any prime art real estate.  In short, another great box.

Bad – Freestyle Metal X (Xbox, Midway)

Ugh.  This is attacking one of my phobias – eyeballs. XD  But beyond that creepy sensation this box gives me and me alone, it’s not really all that hot.  It’s featuring a rather unappealing “big-head-cheat” motif for character design, and it forces the viewer to suffer it three separate times!  There’s very little to entice me to look further at this box – it’s about BMX apparently, but its “XTREME” attempt to win over my gaming dollar does not work.  It’s unappealing, unattractive and unlikable.

Artistic Discussion – The GNARLY of Gaming Box Art: 2/13/2012

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with some hideous gaming box art?  Nothing! :p

Kung-Fu High Impact (Xbox 360, UTV Ignition Games)

In what marketing meeting would a box art this ugly get cleared for approval?  For one, syncing real life people with ‘roid-y comic stereotypes does not equal win.  The model looks pissed as hell, but he doesn’t really inspire confidence that you will be feeling that kind of pressure.  The purple background may be why – purple is rarely ferocious.  The art itself is unspectacular in every sense – that guy isn’t even looking at our hipster ninja at all!  Blind grappling is often no grappling, my friend!  And the zombie/monster crowd at the bottom is sort of pointless, as are the minions in the background.  Their purpose is mere padding.  Poor.

Black Belt (Master System, Sega)

Hey, it’s our old friend the Master System grid!  Long time no see.  And once again, their attempts at making box art is a failure.  A kung-fu artist’s foot (maybe, could be Hammer pants or white jeans or something – it was the ’80′s) left dismembered from the rest of its body, and a comic-style explosion indicating impact on …nothing at all.  Yep.  This is the opposite extreme of the one above, isn’t it?  Minimalist or maximalist (new word!) – both can go wrong!

Power Instinct (Super NES, Atlus)

Those are some fugly warriors.  I’m not even sure what exactly is more disgusting – the multiple varicose veins, the sweat, the bizarre lines all over the (Native American?) fighter on the right….the proportions are janky on both men, the stereotypes blatant and sort of offensive, and the random golden sun bejhind them both is just weird.   Definitely not Atlus’ best effort.

Ninja Scooter Simulator (Commodore 64, Silverbird)

Another legend! Ninjas and scooters – what could make more sense, right?

The art here is among the poorest I’ve covered…and I’ve covered Mega Man.  Everything is rendered in a crude and uncaring fashion.  The lame skulls are superimposed on top of everything else, and the garish purple/black stripes do not aid this game’s cause at all.  This is everything you can do wrong with a box exemplified.

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 1/24/2012

Good – Archon (C64, Electronic Arts)

In the ’80′s, it can be difficult to uncover decent box art – luckily, Archon’s dynamic use of black and white is among the finer ones of the era.  I like the switch in style of the light and dark creatures combating each other, and the nifty 3D object they’re balanced on is eye catching.  In short, it makes one want to know more about the game and why these forces are at war.  Nice work.

Bad – Jumpman (C64, Epyx)

I really like Jumpman, but I never had the box when I was a kid.  Probably a good thing, because I would have run away from this box in a hurry.  Neon abuse to the extreme, Jumpman looks like a massive dork, and the background seems out of place due to its lack of bright lights.  It’s obviously a bit inspired by Tron, but Tron has a fanbase for its use of neon and 80′s effects, because it was kind of, you know, cool looking.  This fails on every level to achieve a sense of coolness.

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 1/5/2012

Good – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube, Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)

Another dynamic box for Fire Emblem.  This one puts a lot of the major players front and center, and it certainly caught my eye and made me curious about these warriors and their plight.  It’s also effective with its color choices and logo placement.  No one feels like they’re unimportant due to the logo covering half their face – even the Black Knight, the closest to having that happen, appears menacing despite a slight streak of light.  Good choice.

Bad – Tin Can Escape (DS, Mumbo Jumbo)

?

I don’t even know where to begin with this one.  What is supposed to entice me to buy this game?  The title sure doesn’t – why am I a tin can, and why am I escaping?  What from?  And where to?  The background doesn’t help – it’s blurry images of what I think is a can in mid-air hovering over a Pokeball that has big headphones.  I can’t guarantee that, because I CAN’T MAKE IT OUT, but it’s feasible!  In short, this game, which I doubt is any good in the first place, does little to trick me otherwise.  It screams “cash grab”.

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 12/23/2011

Good – Tales of Graces F (PS3, Namco Bandai)

I know, this game isn’t even out yet, but this is a lovely box that sells me on its characters right off the bat.  I want to know them better.  It’s also not afraid to use color or flowers on the box.  Dynamic and pretty – way to go, Namco.

Bad – Face Racers Photo Finish (3DS, Majesco)

Dear god, what the hell is this?  Look – using real people in…ahem…

…ways like…this…lead to ridicule and embarrassment.  That guy in the front?  He looks like a complete and total tool/douchebag/shitkicker (to steal a phase from Bill Bryson).  The glasses and Goku-styled hair do not equate to coolness, dude.  And that missile missed you – I’d be more concerned about the explosion your car is about to be reamed by to your left.  The girl in the back  has dorky glasses and a dorkier hat, so her awesome meter is fading fast.  The course looks unattractive, and the cars look lame.  There’s no merit here.  Big head cheat does not mean win.  Please, don’t do this again, Majesco.  You’re better than that.

Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 12/17/2011

Good – Super Mario 3D Land (3DS, Nintendo)

I like the overall vibe this rendering has.  It has action, a smug Mario leaping up blocks, a angry Tanooki Goomba looking on as he failed in his task, and the use of scale for the 3D effect is well done.  It’s among Mario’s finer boxes, in my opinion.

Bad – Metro Cross (PC, U.S. Gold)

This is a legend well documented elsewhere on the web, so it’s high time to add it to my posts of shame.  I feel sorry for this poor guy.  If he was paid extra for this, instead of some fraternity initiation embarrassment, then it’s no wonder U.S. Gold is dead, for they spent money on incredibly inane shit.  This is a train wreck.  Who would even want to be seen carrying this to the counter?  I bet employees made bets to see how many days would go by without this being purchased, like point spreads for football.   A poor effort all around, one that deserves ridicule.