30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[Solly]

Day 3: Favorite Box Art

Most of the games on my shelf have unmemorable boxes. Lots of muted colors, or poor composition, or they're gritty looking or...what's this?

This really jumps out at me. It's bright, it's colorful, it's got a ton of shit going on, and it's totally relevant to the content of the game. I can feel the whimsy leaping right off the box. Look at Mario and Yoshi. Look how much fun they're having. I wanna have fun, too! Just looking at it makes me wanna play this. I remember I was worried that the American version would be toned down because we get Angry Kirby and whatnot, but no. I love this because it's as cute and charming as the game itself.

 

Runner Up.

This was a really close one but the Japanese version of the Mega Man Legends 2 art is amazing.

It just screams adventure. Like the Mario Galaxy 2 one, I love it because it's depicting a scene in-motion, and everyone's in some dynamic pose. The problem is that I've never actually seen this one in person. What did we get in the United States?

EUGH. The 90's rendering. It hurts. It probably looked good at the time, but like Lara Croft, it's aged like milk. I guess the other art was too anime for us. 

[Your Vest Friend]

A very, very unpopular choice from me, probably.

 

 

Crash Twinsanity

 

I can't say that I'd be able to explain fully why I prefer this cover art to other solid offerings. I guess, to me, this is the cover that struck me the most when I first saw it in 2004 and still stands out strongly to this day. It gets across the main mechanic of the game like a good cover should do (Crash and Cortex are working together, but still while battering each other to bits!), and the art style conveys the tone of the game pitch perfectly. More than that, it's just really pleasing on the eye with bold colours (in the art and in the logo, being cohesive with each other) and a unique art style while actually being relatively minimalist with the content. 

[Captain Fun]

Day 3: Favorite Cover Art

 

 

With very minimalist borders, the entire box cover (and the box itself) are red, so it's very striking. It was designed to be striking. It's no wonder this game sold so fucking much when it has an awesome box like this. As for the image on the box itself, they crammed a lot of stuff in here at once. It does a pretty good job of capturing the somewhat cluttered, chaotic but fun nature of the game's multiplayer mode- which is again being advertised on the box. It also uses plenty of bright colors so in general, it's veryeasy on the eyes and nice to look at. 

[Debug Ring]

Yeah, I'll have to say Arkham City. I love how it's got the black and white with the red blood on Batman's fist, just standing out there. It's really an eye-catching cover, and suits the game well. It's very detailed too, and looks amazing with it. I don't think it'd have been as good in colour, so I'm glad they chose this minimalist colour palate. That's pretty much all I have to say on it, it looks damn fine.

[NGw00d]

Day 3: Best Cover Art

Batman: Arkham City

 

This was a tough one considering I never really thought about it outside the occasional "that looks cool" or "that looks awful," so I'm still not 100% on my choice, but I'm confident enough to go with it. Batman has never really been known to have a cool pose on the cover of box arts or posters as its usually just him awkwardly standing in front of a backdrop of Gotham or his logo on fire, but Arkham City is different in this case. It has Batman in his element kneeling on top of a gargoyle and watching over the city he protects. The black and white is a great choice for Bats as instead of just having gloomy deep blues and browns, the black and white really makes it stand out. The hint of red with the blood on his hands and face makes it pop even more and gives you the thought, "Hell yeah, Batman just beat the shit outta some thugs!" and that's what I like to think of when I see Batman.

[Jolt_TH]

Day 3:

Hmm, well my one of my most favorite covers I used in yesterdays answer, so i'll use something different for today

 

 

although not as good as the Japanese version, i really like the European version of the cover too. The artstyle I really find pleasing to look at and I really like the background aswell with Fi and the gate of time. Its also interesting how the Hyrule crest is covered in vines and moss.

 

I also really like this cover

 

I really love how busy and bustling this cover is, not to mention how colourful it is! I really love just how happy this cover makes you feel. plus not to mention all of the hidden bits and pieces.

 

Honorable mention to the HMV exclusive cover sleeve for Okami

[DocAzure]

 

DOOM

 

Look at this! It's so fucking metal, like a Judas Priest album or something. Hand drawn hell. The thing I love most about this cover is how perfectly it sums up the game, you're in hell/on Mars and you gotta shoot the faces off demons. That's what's happening here, that marine has caught one of them perfectly, that brain splatter man.

 

Of particular note is the landscape behind, which is so hellish and massive looking, all those mountains...also it's unclear whether this is Hell or Mars, and I don't know if that was a deliberate decision, but I like it.

 

Also look at that bastard in the bottom left corner, glaring right at you with his tongue dangling out. Kinda eeks me out...

 

 

EEEEEHNOOOOO!!

[Danj86]

Favourite Cover Art: Anything by Takehito Harada

 

The list is extensive. It's hard to choose one, but I do freakin' love Harada-sans unique style of designing characters and colouring them. Offering both cuteness and "badass freaking overlord!" Disgaea tends to have cover art featuring almost the entire cast in a long shot with them looking kawaii. The series has continued that trend, while other games Harada-san has worked on, have a different approach.

Phantom Brave is a bright and colourful seaside atmosphere, while Makai Kingdom is dark and...well, "badass!"

Mugan Soul had a mixture of dark and bright, while The Witch and the Hundred Knight goes for gritty and mysterious.

 

On a related note, it does seem like most of Harada-sans games tend to have a strong, female lead character. Which is still pretty rare in games for some reason...

[Silencer226]

 

Steins;Gate the VN recently released officially in the U.S. a month ago is like my favorite box art at the moment. I love it, because it looks melancholic and mysterious. Like when I think of some art I'd like to hang in my office for inspiration, I think of this lol. I don't think anyone here plays VN's much, but if you want a good one, try Steins;Gate.

[Red]

Day 3: Favourite cover art

 

Very difficult choice for me, but I'm gonna have to go with this:

 

 

Kitten and the Magical Hat

 

This was such a fantastic game for it's time, and the story was really sweet. This cover artwork captures the style of the game perfectly, and it's very colourful and showcases the characters well. Just by looking at it, you can have a rough idea of what the game is about.

 

Compare it to this which is the cover everyone else got. It's misleading, isn't it? Not to mention the back of the cover gives out false information.

[Conando]

Day 3-Favorite Box art

 

I don't know, it could be mostly nostalgia but I still remember the Kingdom Hearts 1 box art the most out any of my games. Not to say the others are forgettable, but this one always stuck out to me. This is specifically the front for me; it's the first game where I was introduced to actual hand drawn Nomura art rather than CGI renders of the characters he designed. Hell, it's my favorite piece of art in the entire Kingdom Hearts series, even though it's really hard to pinpoint why. It's just...nice. It's a bit odd, just like the concept of the series.

[Nepenthe]

Day 3-Favorite Box Art

 

Box art is a thing I generally don't pay attention to, mainly because I feel that when I'm in a game store, I'm faced with a lot of generic art compared to European and Japanese gamers. It's just a blur of close-up faces and generic, out-of-context poses of the heroes. However, there were a couple that continue to stick in my mind when I'm randomly reminded of "box art" and they're these two:

 

 

This box art is just so interesting. I like when artists make use of negative space by just cutting out pieces of an image or canvas to reveal another, in this case the car. But further inside of that is an entirely new view of the city, with color and extra information like the reflected cars. It's really simple but still a little mind-bendy. I feel we don't ever get that in American box art, and have been tempted on more than one occasion to buy the game just for the box.

 

 

This feels like an old school horror movie poster or something. The atmosphere in it is marvelous, achieved entirely by silhouette, allowing you to see just enough to wonder what the heck that is before realizing the truth and wanting to "nope" right on out of the country. I almost feel like this thing could sell the game on its own, either by making the title smaller or just eliminating it altogether.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Nepenthe

[Tornado]

Imagine you just bought Nintendo's shiny new tech demo viewer handheld console. the DS. What do you play? It's only 2005 so Clubhouse Games hasn't been invented yet so there was no reason to have bought the damn thing in the first place, so what do you get to make up for it? While the thing does play GBA games, you can't play Buu's Fury indefinitely, after all.

 

"That black guy sure is scary looking. I hope he doesn't go on to nail supermodels behind his (also supermodel) wife's back."

 

"Gee willickers! This would have been awesome in 1983."

 

"What is this animu garbage?"

 

"How gay do you think I am? Elton John gay?"

 

"Where are the motorbikes?"

 

"Yes."

 

""

 

"What the fuck is this shit?"

 

"Now they are even putting shitty friends on the cover? (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But there was hope. A game came out that utilized the DS in such interesting ways that in no way grew boring after half an hour; but would go on to be pretty much the best DS game ever for playing on a modern tablet. A storied update to a beloved Nintendo franchise. A fucking hardcore update.

"Holy fuck guys. That's totally the correct amount of 'tude to get my interest. That pink circle is going to fuck those rainbow squares up."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, though. Real Bout Fatal Fury.

 

[-blank-]

Well, this is surprisingly a difficult question. Mainly because I've never given any thought to my favorite game box art in the first place. ^^;;

 

But, if I had to choooooose.....

 

 

 

 

I know. I know. But really, I can't think of anything else. The image of Sonic rushing towards you, half his normal self, half his Werehog form, the world split up right behind him, with day and night split right down the center of the box... something about it just screams awesome. It's simple, sure. But sometimes, simple is the best.

[Kaabiitorori]

Day 3: Favourite Box Art

 

Box arts are the first contact with the game once it has been released on the market. In order to gather the attention of the consumer when selling a game, a box art needs to be appealing to the eye: a lot of time and thought needs to be put in the creation of the artwork that will feature the game's front cover and needs to capture what you will expect to find in the game when you play it. The artwork style, the in-game elements or even the physical design of the box are some of the important aspects to create the perfect cover art.

 

I like many of the box arts that have been mentioned throughout the topic and those could easily have taken the spot for my answer to today's question. But I am going to choose a different cover art today which at the same time is one of my favourites. Such honourable mention goes to...

 

 

Luigi's Mansion 2

 

To me this box art perfectly matches the three elements I have discussed in the introduction: artwork style, in-game elements and physical design. The artwork is crisp and mixes both horror and humour elements very well, showing the dark and gloomy mansions in the background while Luigi's presence in the foreground alongside his humorous expression connects the whole style overall. The in-game elements such as Luigi's passive and cowardly personality being reflected, the aforementioned dark and gloomy mansions ready to be explored and the Boo flying around the scene gives you an idea of what to expect in Luigi's Mansion 2. The physical design of the box art is really clever; first off, you've got Luigi peeking from the right side of the box art with his hands on the border, something that not only stands out greatly but it's a very nice touch to the already amazing design of the front cover and it's something that not many box arts take advantage of. And secondly, there's one little trick up to its sleeve: as a form of limited edition, the cover will glow in the dark revealing some ghosts that are not visible as well as the logo itself.

 

 

Here is a picture of the box taken while in the dark:

 

 

All in all, Luigi's Mansion 2 features an amazing box art in every sense, from its design to its artwork, and truly invites you to a fun journey alongside Luigi; a great box art for a great game and sequel. =)

[StaticMania]

Favorite Cover Art:

 

American Kirby is Hardcore...

 

 

True dat, but...American Kirby is also a lazy edit...

 

This right here is why I like the Kirby Boxart(s) most, not even just a specific one. I just find it so ridiculous that they try to make the Boxart look like it should be bad-ass or something. They don't even try either, they usually would just draw angry eyebrows on artwork that was already there or swap out edited and non-edited artworks and change nothing else. Its just really funny to see because its just a pointless thing. This and Amazing Mirror are the 2 best cases.

 

I don't have an answer anymore serious than this one, so sorry if it isn't acceptable.

[Sonictrainer]

 

Day 3 - Best Cover Art

 

 

I always did like the Boxarts of the Mario Party Covers. They show off most of the game's characters and had them positioned in specific groups and areas. For example, 5 have the characters separated by their alignment of good and not so good. Sometimes the boxes also foreshadowed new mechanics.

 

[The Tenth Doctor]

Day 3: Fave Box Art

My favourite box art probably goes to Portal 2. The cover shows everyones favourite cooperative testing team doing portals. Shows what the game is about on the tin. Also, very darkly coloured, which captures the dark nature of the game and Aperture. Lastly, the logo. It got a nice update from the first game, this one makes you smile when you still see it on bus sides (they got lazy for some of ours).

[Dejimon11]

Day 3: I'm going to cheat and say the covers to pokemon mystery dungeon red and blue rescue teams. Mainly because if you put blues cover on top of Reds they're connected in a way you see what happeneds in on the surface and what happeneds on the ground. Further proof of this is in the Japanese opening to Pokemon battle frontier

[jords]

Hopefully its okay to add more. 

 

 

So colourful..There just so much going on in this picture.

 

A nitpick from this cover is that Luigi is just barely in this picture hiding all away in the tower. You would think Luigi would be in the car with mario but nope. Surprisingly it's Wario.

[Iggy]

Day 3: Favorite Boxart


Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds

I never get tired of the double pun in the title. Anyways, since I don't pay any bloody attention to box art what so ever and this popped in my head was a bit short on ideas, I decided to go with this one. First of all, DAT GOLDEN TONE. I don't know, I always think it looks nice. The scene depicted is calm and peaceful, but Link scooting on the wall let's you know that something's up. The Master Sword looks pretty, too. I like all the details on the trees and mushrooms.

[Chaos Incarnate]

 

Yeah, it isn't much, but I've always been partial to the punk graffiti art style. Sure, I suppose it doesn't do a fair job representing Jet Set Radio Future, but it does such a stylishly cool job showcasing the game's art style. Plus, I really love Beat's design in this game, it's actually one of my favorite visual appearances for any Jet Set Radio character. Come on, don't tell me you don't find those sunglasses, downright dangerous looking DJ Headphones, and futuristic roller skates even remotely cool.

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

Day 3: Favorite Cover Art!

 

Let's get the obvious out of the way so I can harp on things that don't involve Link

 

 

Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

 

Minimalist, intriguing, and eerie, it perfectly captures the feel of the game and really makes you wonder what adventure lies within. Insert two more paragraphs of me squeeing. Good? Good. Next game.

 

 

MOTHER 3

 

This can go for any MOTHER game, but there's something about them that always drew me in. Is it the unassuming box, the strange, deformed logo, the CERO rating in the corner? Tough to say. Naturally, a bit of what I said concerning Majora applies here: a properly minimalist cover can really entice the player in ways fancy artwork just can't. The player can always think of something better than you can put on the box, so I find that the best covers drop only a few hints and let the mind do the rest.

 

plus MOTHER 3 is awesome drop everything and play it now

[Strickerx5]

Wow, good thing I had work today so I could walk around and look at a lot of covers. XD

 

 

Day 3: Favorite (oh my gawd I'm going to frame the fuck out of this) Cover Art

 

 

Yep, definitely going with Halo(4) again for this one. I literally can't tell you how long I kept this as my desktop. It just captures the scale of the game so nicely. The destruction of both the covenant and human ships getting sucked into requiem is something to behold here. While the game wasn't as good as previous entries (though even then I thoroughly enjoyed it), the art was on par if not superior.

[Sir Tynen]

Since I missed Day 2, I'm just gonna say that my favorite game is Dark Cloud 2, which is a very unappreciated title that you should really look into. All you need to know is that it's made by Level-5, the creators of the Layton series, so you're definitely in for a good time.

 

Day 3: Best Cover Art

 

 

Right here is great example of a captivating Boxart. It's really good, not only for it's nice and clean artstyle, but also because it shows all of the things that will actually be in the game. Practically every important detail is showcased in the cover art, so when you find it in the game, you'd go " Oh hey, that was in the cover of the case! Well, what do you know...". The art itself has a pretty whimsical, yet adventurous look to it.

 

It's also miles better than the first game's boxart