Valve Unveils Portal 2 Box Art

[Andy Chalk]

Valve Unveils Portal 2 Box Art

Valve has unveiled the official Portal 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Portal-2-Pc/dp/B002I0JIQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294250003&sr=8-2] box art and while it's strictly a matter of taste, I just don't care for it very much.

I'm not going to bother describing the box art since, you know, it's right there for you to look at. But it's interesting that Portal [http://www.valvesoftware.com/]. I also think, and this is where the "matter of taste" comes in, that it's pretty ugly.

Maybe not "ugly" in the strictest sense - it's certainly no Planescape: Torment [http://www.amazon.com/Planescape-Torment-Pc/dp/B00002EPZ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294250286&sr=8-1] - but definitely underwhelming. A robot jumping through a portal while another robot (is that a Modron?) looks on isn't exactly a dramatic, grab-you-by-the-collar image, and while most game box covers never rise above the merely functional, I can't help but think that this is an opportunity missed. The stark visual style of Portal and the majesty of GlaDOS in all her imposing techno-grandeur both strike me as great material to work with. Instead, we get... this.

Am I being a jerk here? Looking back, I can't think of a single Valve box that really turned my crank, so maybe the problem here is me. Am I being unfair?

Portal 2 is scheduled to come out on April 18 for the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac.


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[Eri]

Maybe they figured box art doesn't matter much..since you know..most people should be buying it off STEAM.

 

[T-Bone24]

I think it just looks kind of... dull. My eyes are just slipping away from it, it's too boring to look at for a few seconds before I notice something more interesting, like my deskside lamp.

 

[DrScoobs]

being the HUGE portal fanboy that I am, even i find the box art a bit meh. maybe valve already knew that 90% of people will buy it off steam and didnt put too much effort into the box art?

 

[Woodsey]

Don't care, it's never going to show up on Steam.

I stopped worrying about box-art and, yes, even manuals, when I started buying games for dirty, dirty prices.

 

[Urgh76]

April 18th.... *marks calender*

 

[mParadox]

The first game's box art was good to look at 'cause it delivered the message of what was the general idea but this time, it doesn't seem like it.

 

[Monshroud]

While it isn't amazing, it is nice. I think the issue is that people want to have such high hopes for this game that the box not containing the secrets to the universe is a bit of a let down.

 

[Urgh76]

Don't care, it's never going to show up on Steam.

Wait... it's not gonna be on Steam?

EDIT: I GET IT! I've already been quoted 7 times about my misunderstanding!

 

[Disaster Button]

I like it a lot but I think it would be really great if they got rid of the background environment and just kept the robot jumping through the two portals with the background light. Maybe put the other robot jumping too.

 

[KarmicToast]

No, I think that's perfectly fair. It art is rather...uninspired. I'm not even sure of how I feel about this game. The first one was great, sure, but it sort of became the Monty Python and the Holy Grail of games...something indie and funny that got way too much press. I mean seriously...I still hear the flesh wounds jokes as often as the "cake is a lie" jokes. So you have everyone with way too high expectations, different gameplay, full length, no "surprise factor" on the GlaDos humor. I don't want to be a naysayer, but I will be surprised if this sequel inspires even half of the true magic of its predecessor. I'm not saying it's going to suck, mind you, just that it may be as blasé as this cover art.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Meh.

I've seen better fan-made cover mock-ups.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

They probably decided to avoid putting Chell on the box since most people probably don't know what she looks like, although why they chose the co-op bots instead of Glados I'll never know. Hopefully the console box art will be less crap.

To be constructive, they could have had a portal at the top and bottom of the image with a weighted companion cube falling infinitely through it and Galdos' eye glowing evilly in the background shadows, waiting to snatch away the cube and break everyones' hearts.

 

[Sixcess]

If they're going for the console market shouldn't the box cover be Chell, in a ripped 'battle-damaged' jumpsuit and high heeled heel springs, dual wielding portal guns on top of a heap of smashed sentry drones with something big exploding in the background?

 

[Delusibeta]

Don't care, it's never going to show up on Steam.

Wait... it's not gonna be on Steam?

I think he's referring to the box art. Which, looking at the Grid view of my Games Library, is possibly incorrect.

 

[Jesus Phish]

Don't care, it's never going to show up on Steam.

Wait... it's not gonna be on Steam?

He means the box art will never really be shown on Steam.

The box art looks alright. I dont care much though because I'm not buying the game for a box. I probably wont even get it from a box.

Also, you have to hand it to them for not just going with a white box and Portal 2 on it.

 

[Nimbus]

Anyone else think that even a plain light blue cover would have been better?

 

[royohz]

Don't care, it's never going to show up on Steam.

Wait... it's not gonna be on Steam?

He meant that the box art won't show up on Steam.

 

[Rad Party God]

Well, Valve were never known for giving away too much value if you bought it off in the retail shelves, like having a miserable sheet of paper instead of a humongous manual.

Valve's covers were never pretty to look at, but also were never too ugly, the last cover that I remember that made me gasp the first time I saw it was the Orange Box, but it was for it's content instead of looking at the mere cover.

I mean, the L4D covers are great and all, but not breathtakingly pretty.

Also, just look at the first Portal box cover, it certainly ain't pretty too.

And yes, the Portal 2 cover is as ugly as it gets, but I don't care anyway, I'm buying it from Steam.

 

[Vkmies]

The original had a lot more mysterious box art. THis explains too much... -_-