American Box Art Sucks
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
Yahtzee, you're awesome, but I fail to see your point. Mainly because you primarily refer to games from an era that was 1. Before I played console games (I was only a computer gamer until late grade school, in the last couple years of the 90s) and 2. Back when console games were kinda lame in general (which is what I felt even back then, hence my not playing console games until the late 90s).
Also, haven't you heard the phrase "Never judge a book by its cover"? Actually, I bet you have already. And probably dozens of times again since you posted this article. Point remains. I don't judge games based on their box art. What I care about is the game content. I go into stores knowing ahead of time which game(s) I intend to get, and if I see one that I haven't heard of which looks interesting based on what I read on the BACK of the box, I do some research before deciding to buy.
Finally, I have to be honest and say I don't like the condescending tone you took when making remarks about Americans. Yes, we do have a lot of stupid people. But then again, stupid people are everywhere (just take a look at some of the legislation being put in place in Canada, the supposed paradise of tolerance and progress in North America), and honestly, there are worse places to be from. Granted, I believe you are a misanthropic limey with a pole up your ass, but that's only because it's what you present yourself as (quite intentionally) in Zero Punctuation and Extra Punctuation, not because of prejudice due to you being English.
Also, haven't you heard the phrase "Never judge a book by its cover"? Actually, I bet you have already. And probably dozens of times again since you posted this article. Point remains. I don't judge games based on their box art. What I care about is the game content. I go into stores knowing ahead of time which game(s) I intend to get, and if I see one that I haven't heard of which looks interesting based on what I read on the BACK of the box, I do some research before deciding to buy.
Finally, I have to be honest and say I don't like the condescending tone you took when making remarks about Americans. Yes, we do have a lot of stupid people. But then again, stupid people are everywhere (just take a look at some of the legislation being put in place in Canada, the supposed paradise of tolerance and progress in North America), and honestly, there are worse places to be from. Granted, I believe you are a misanthropic limey with a pole up your ass, but that's only because it's what you present yourself as (quite intentionally) in Zero Punctuation and Extra Punctuation, not because of prejudice due to you being English.
Many Japanese game designers things we want boobies and bad ass violence. Does that say more about us or them?mjc0961 said:Yup. We sure get some weird boxart over here in the States. I also submit for this discussion, Kirby:
http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=288
Last one is a joke obviously, but really, why did they keep making Kirby angry on our box art?
Why did our boxart in the '80s need squids/octopi? Were there squids and/or octopi in those games? And if there were, why were there mollusks in each of these games? The hell is that about?
We are not all Yanks. That word is not synonymous with American, pal.SilentHunter7 said:
once again subjectivity misconstrued as objectivity. i don't see how any box art is better than any other and to randomly claim that one country's box art sucks doesn't make it true.
plus i have yet to see box art from bioware or EA that sucks. most of our blockbusters look good. no one can really say that box art for Red Dead Redemption or Mass Effect is really bad.
Besides that, we like seeing who our protagonists are. so we'll know who and what we'll be playing as. most of your examples are old and (by now) don't matter, so don't ***** about nothing
plus i have yet to see box art from bioware or EA that sucks. most of our blockbusters look good. no one can really say that box art for Red Dead Redemption or Mass Effect is really bad.
Besides that, we like seeing who our protagonists are. so we'll know who and what we'll be playing as. most of your examples are old and (by now) don't matter, so don't ***** about nothing
Not just the SNES, PAL regions always got the shitty boxart in the PS1/N64 era.Sauvastika said:
Why are American versions worse?
Simple.
Ruining perfectly good things is practically our national hobby. Why drink one can of beer when you can have twenty? Why throw a ball around when you can throw darts at eachother? Why have a descriptive cover when you can show a white guy punching an alien in the face?
Simple.
Ruining perfectly good things is practically our national hobby. Why drink one can of beer when you can have twenty? Why throw a ball around when you can throw darts at eachother? Why have a descriptive cover when you can show a white guy punching an alien in the face?
Because American box art is controlled by a committee of people with marketing degrees, instead of a few artists with any skill in design.
A few of my favorites...
Mass Effect 2 - Collector's Edition
http://files.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/181672_S/Mass-Effect-2-Collectors-Edition-Detailed.jpg
Left 4 Dead
http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2008/08/medium_left_4_dead_boxart.jpg
Fallout 3
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101021004329/videogame/images/thumb/8/84/Fallout_3_(Box_Art).png/250px-Fallout_3_(Box_Art).png
Farcry 2 (PAL version or US Gamestop pre-order sleeve cover)
http://www.xgn.nl/images/boxarts/ps3/big/far-cry-2.jpg
The Witcher (original red edition)
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/4005/242764-the_witcher_boxart_super.jpg
The Elder Scolls IV: Oblivion
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c331/Trazac/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-box.jpg
Knights of the Old Republic
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/516675_47672_front.jpg
(Yeah, I know KotoR is one of those 'collage' covers, but it's also an awesomely good homage to the style of the movie posters for the original trilogy. So its easily one of my favorites. Hell for what it's worth, I think it's better than the posters for the new trilogy too.)
A few of my favorites...
Mass Effect 2 - Collector's Edition
http://files.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/181672_S/Mass-Effect-2-Collectors-Edition-Detailed.jpg
Left 4 Dead
http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2008/08/medium_left_4_dead_boxart.jpg
Fallout 3
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101021004329/videogame/images/thumb/8/84/Fallout_3_(Box_Art).png/250px-Fallout_3_(Box_Art).png
Farcry 2 (PAL version or US Gamestop pre-order sleeve cover)
http://www.xgn.nl/images/boxarts/ps3/big/far-cry-2.jpg
The Witcher (original red edition)
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/4005/242764-the_witcher_boxart_super.jpg
The Elder Scolls IV: Oblivion
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c331/Trazac/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-box.jpg
Knights of the Old Republic
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/516675_47672_front.jpg
(Yeah, I know KotoR is one of those 'collage' covers, but it's also an awesomely good homage to the style of the movie posters for the original trilogy. So its easily one of my favorites. Hell for what it's worth, I think it's better than the posters for the new trilogy too.)
I find Yahtzee's bagging of America a little annoying and bordering on near racist funny sometimes or not. Everything is all so blah when it comes to us. I know we're not renowned in the world, but really, talk about stereotyping more than a neo-nazi. I agree the whole box art thing can be both good and bad, there's some box art I've seen from other countries that suck just as much as our tend to. Plus not every American on the planet is a complete moron with no sense of art or knowledge outside out little country.
It's both the mainstream audiences and the companies that choose to change the covers into blandness. Heavy Rain allows the player to see the characters, and Madison is in the middle in her underwear why? Because America knows sex sells, the boxes aren't designed after what looks more artsy they're designed by those committees douche bags Yahtzee always tends to mention who know or think they know what statistically will get sales and what won't. Either way it's not American's it's the American companies.
It's both the mainstream audiences and the companies that choose to change the covers into blandness. Heavy Rain allows the player to see the characters, and Madison is in the middle in her underwear why? Because America knows sex sells, the boxes aren't designed after what looks more artsy they're designed by those committees douche bags Yahtzee always tends to mention who know or think they know what statistically will get sales and what won't. Either way it's not American's it's the American companies.
uh...are you being sarcastic? youve taken ONE boxart, terribly over-analyzed it, then chastized me for not seeing the symbolism you made up about a cover i never said anything about.Robborboy said:
and besides whatever you see in the box art, it needs to have an obvious theme to it that draws your attention before you notice any little details; a lone figure in an environment for an adventure game, a mugshot of various characters for an RPG, something like that. in the enslaved boxart, my first thought is "2 people running from a giant robot". now i havent played the game, so maybe running from giant robots is a big part of the gameplay or story, but whether this is indicative of the game or not is irrelevant to my argument because you completely ignored the most obvious aspect of the boxart in favor of inventing symbolism for the minor details.
This is a cover for a video game, not the centerpiece of an art exhibit. There is no point in admiring any small details if it cant express what the game is like to begin with; as i said, havent played it, so i cant judge that, but please consider that the purpose of boxart is to draw attention to a game, not be studied for interpretation.
mjc0961 said:Yup. We sure get some weird boxart over here in the States. I also submit for this discussion, Kirby:
http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=288
Last one is a joke obviously, but really, why did they keep making Kirby angry on our box art?
American Kirby is Hardcore
Now I'm just as confused as Yahtzee is with the box art changes.10BIT said:
But I think, maybe, it's for reasons similar to say... why Disney went from showing off great G-rated animated movies like Aladdin or Tarzan to throwing Hannah Montana on stage and calling it a night.
In other words, I think the American box artists think they're getting to the American mainstream with their way of doing it.
I once again feel ashamed with being American....
I think there are several issues.
1) We Americans aren't exposed to art. Most other countries have artistic traditions that go back many hundreds if not thousands of years, and cities where statues are crowded shoulder-to-shoulder. Not so here.
2) Average Americans don't know a damn thing about art. When school budget cuts are made, and they are always being made, art is the first thing to go.
3) The games industry desperately wants to be Hollywood and the marketers model their audience theories on the film industry's. Hollywood's entire existence is based on pandering to the stupidest among us who need everything spelled out and are frightened of ambiguity (a self-fulfilling prophecy).
4) On the one hand, most American gamers want space marines, guns, (American) football, big identifiable faces, and a feeling that "Playing this game will make me a bad ass." On the other hand, we are enticed by the mystery of what we will face in the game, but put off if the gameplay type itself is a mystery. The original Ico cover looks like it's about outrunning windmills. The European Heavy Rain cover looks like an origami simulator. They are certainly more beautiful and better compositions, but American gamers want to grasp the premise in some way. Ico actually is about a boy in a castle carrying a plank, so in a way the American cover is more indicative of the experience if not the style. I haven't played Heavy Rain but from what I understand it's very character-driven and the American cover shows you the people you will meet inside.
5) American business is extremely copy-cat driven. If a competitor's game sells well then American executives will demand their next game have similar box art.
6) Since the early days of American videogames the box art has been a target of corner cutting. Consider the Megaman cover Yahtzee linked to -- why does it suck so bad? Could it be they hired a high school student to do it for pennies?
7) Since foreign-owned companies don't know any better they hire fast-talking marketers rather than talented artists to localize their products at the lowest possible cost.
8) Localization departments for foreign-owned companies need to justify their existence and constantly make up bullshit tasks for themselves like "improving" box art. The thinking goes like this: If the localization team had just used the original ICO cover, what is Sony paying them for?
1) We Americans aren't exposed to art. Most other countries have artistic traditions that go back many hundreds if not thousands of years, and cities where statues are crowded shoulder-to-shoulder. Not so here.
2) Average Americans don't know a damn thing about art. When school budget cuts are made, and they are always being made, art is the first thing to go.
3) The games industry desperately wants to be Hollywood and the marketers model their audience theories on the film industry's. Hollywood's entire existence is based on pandering to the stupidest among us who need everything spelled out and are frightened of ambiguity (a self-fulfilling prophecy).
4) On the one hand, most American gamers want space marines, guns, (American) football, big identifiable faces, and a feeling that "Playing this game will make me a bad ass." On the other hand, we are enticed by the mystery of what we will face in the game, but put off if the gameplay type itself is a mystery. The original Ico cover looks like it's about outrunning windmills. The European Heavy Rain cover looks like an origami simulator. They are certainly more beautiful and better compositions, but American gamers want to grasp the premise in some way. Ico actually is about a boy in a castle carrying a plank, so in a way the American cover is more indicative of the experience if not the style. I haven't played Heavy Rain but from what I understand it's very character-driven and the American cover shows you the people you will meet inside.
5) American business is extremely copy-cat driven. If a competitor's game sells well then American executives will demand their next game have similar box art.
6) Since the early days of American videogames the box art has been a target of corner cutting. Consider the Megaman cover Yahtzee linked to -- why does it suck so bad? Could it be they hired a high school student to do it for pennies?
7) Since foreign-owned companies don't know any better they hire fast-talking marketers rather than talented artists to localize their products at the lowest possible cost.
8) Localization departments for foreign-owned companies need to justify their existence and constantly make up bullshit tasks for themselves like "improving" box art. The thinking goes like this: If the localization team had just used the original ICO cover, what is Sony paying them for?