Rockstar Settles on Mediocre L.A. Noire Box Art

[Greg Tito]

Rockstar Settles on Mediocre L.A. Noire Box Art

The L.A. Noire box art is pretty uninspiring, given how experimental the actual gameplay is being hyped.

The cop drama videogame from Rockstar might be one of my most anticipated releases in the first half of 2011, but the box art doesn't exactly make me jump for joy. As our own Yahtzee Croshaw pointed out [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/extra-punctuation/8631-Extra-Punctuation-American-Box-Art-Sucks], American box art doesn't have an amazing track record, and the floaty images surrounding protagonist Detective Cole Phelps follows suit. L.A. Noire is set to reach store shelves on May 17th in the US and May 20th in Europe on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Would it have killed Rockstar to buck the trend by using images that are a little more evocative of the game? Nothing in these images suggest a game that offers the kind of investigative choice, facial animation, and depth of gameplay that the trailer for L.A. Noire seems to portray.

It's not quite as bad as the Mass Effect 2 box art [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96189-Mass-Effect-2-Box-Art-Fails-to-Impress], but it's damn close.

Yeah, I think I may just watch that trailer again to wash the bad taste out of my mouth ... Yep, excitement restored!

L.A. Noire gameplay trailer. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/2743-L-A-Noire-Gameplay-Series-Orientation]

Here are the images for both PS3 and Xbox 360 boxes in full resolution, in case you wanted a closeup of the mediocrity:

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[Dumbfish1]

Wow, that is truly average. Why is it that american companies don't understand good boxart?

 

[New Troll]

Agree. Not bad. But nothing special either. Course that's what Rockstar gets for not sticking with thier norm.

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

It's a shame that they went for this. It would have be cool to see a film noire inspired box art.

Does anyone know if this is the European box art also?

 

[TheBoulder]

That's mediocre? I think it looks good because here's actually stuff going on in it. Some box art is just bland while others show things that have next to nothing to do with the game. At least this game shows what it's about, and the main character is in a sweet suit.

 

[Flamezdudes]

I dunno, I really like it actually.

 

[Drauden]

Here's hoping the European one is a little more original.

 

[Ih8pkmn]

Hoy vey. I'm just going to replace the cover for this with a sticky note that says "L.A. Noire". This is pathetic. Wtf, Rockstar? Red Dead had good cover art. GTA4 had good cover art. Why not this?

 

[repeating integers]

Cole Phelps? Is this about the ashamed brother of the Westboro Baptist Church leader trying to gain redemption by luring them all to LA and killing them in a daring series of gunfights and car chases? I might well get it, if it is.

 

[The Hive Mind]

Well if your saying that the American is so bad, what are the ones for Europe and elsewhere?

Also, I would be seriously put off by that cover; it makes it look like a bad third person shooter with cheap eye-candy girls. Its meant to be l.a NOIRE, i.e black and white.
I like the title on the cover, but the background for it should be something more subtle and moody. And rainy, definitely rainy.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Huh? Sure it's not the worst box art I've ever seen, but what about that says L.A. Noire to them?

 

[ImprovizoR]

I had an idea of how it should look like. I was thinking noire kind of look with dark lightning and some fog and a man alone on the street crouching and examining a piece of evidence. Something like that would have been nice. Or even a simple vector with some buildings and main protagonist (also vector drawing).

 

[Shycte]

I haven't seen anything that mediocre since Avatar.

 

[Susan Arendt]

It's a shame that they went for this. It would have be cool to see a film noire inspired box art.

Does anyone know if this is the European box art also?

Ha! That was my exact reaction: "Wow, this cover sucks. I bet the Euro version is amazing!"

Ok, all ye photoshop wizards in the audience (you know who you are). Give us a proper LA Noire cover. Best one gets a badge.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

I don't know. I think it's okay, though the girl looks out of place from the rest. At least it isn't as bad as the Amnesia box art. Good lord that was awful.

 

[Infinatex]

It's sad that it's like this. It's not just american box art either, it's almost everything. It's as if all the US graphic artists are stuck in the early 90s.

 

[se7ensenses]

The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind. Or in this case videogame...I'm so stoked for this game! They could've of just put the title on the cover,good enough for me. What erks me is the BACK of games. All that online, ESRB shite that takes up like 80% of the room. C'est la vie

 

[Prometherion]

Its so cliche, the guy on the cover could be replaced by Leonardo di Caprio.

 

[CitySquirrel]

Good thing I wanted to play this game already because if I were to see that on a shelf it would be wholly unremarkable to me.