There's always the possibility this is one of many covers that went through focus testing, and in the end this is what people liked the best. Personally I don't want to see Commander Shepard on any of the covers as he's always different. Or, at least, he's drastically different for me. Much rounder face, hair in a graeco-roman style, more pale, etc.
Still, considering Bioware's marketing tactics for Dragon Age (which doesn't at all play or come off the same as in the trailers), I imagine they're trying to get the fratty-bo-batty interested in higher-art by making it look a Hell of a lot more basic.
The downside is, those kids will always prefer games like Halo or Call of Duty. They don't even play those games for story. It's all about the competition, and until Mass Effect has multiplayer that can compete no one will care so much about how deep the universe is, or how often your moral standing is tested with countless gray areas.
So yeah, it's pretty generic box art. But honestly, what else would you put on there that wouldn't come off as generic?
