Yeah, sure, it's easy to give the win to the PAL contender when you translate the PAL box art into words by trying to convey the emotions on the cover and translate the American box art into words by trying to make a joke about it. The PAL version looks like it's advertising a Silent Hill game, one that focuses on isolation and real, actual horror. The American version is more honest about what Resident Evil 4 actually is: Shooting lots and lots of zombies.AgentNein said:
American Box Art Sucks
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
The Resident Evil 4 is my immediate example too, that ethereal image of Dr. Salvador in a sunset-red bathed woods is so atmospheric.
American boxart has always been lousy, not only in games. Check any sci-fi movie from the 50's and you'll find a huge unbelievable monster holding a woman, standing tall over the cast who look scared as if he's about to barf over them all.
American boxart has always been lousy, not only in games. Check any sci-fi movie from the 50's and you'll find a huge unbelievable monster holding a woman, standing tall over the cast who look scared as if he's about to barf over them all.
I'd say the majority of marketing towards Americans focuses on their stereotypical two traits they prefer compared to other markets: Action and Violence.
Sure I wouldn't say I fit that stereotype even though I'm American but stereotypes exist for a reason. A lot of people fit it. The purest and simplest way to see this, IMO, is the Kirby box art already seen in this thread. I mean... they don't need to add the angry expressions. But they do. Because stereotypical Americans will buy that before the happy-fun game. Even if it is still Kirby.
I agree that a lot of box art tends to be more... cluttered when it comes to here in the Western hemisphere. That probably is to appease the action-oriented stereotype. "Look at all that stuff in this game!"
Sure I wouldn't say I fit that stereotype even though I'm American but stereotypes exist for a reason. A lot of people fit it. The purest and simplest way to see this, IMO, is the Kirby box art already seen in this thread. I mean... they don't need to add the angry expressions. But they do. Because stereotypical Americans will buy that before the happy-fun game. Even if it is still Kirby.
I agree that a lot of box art tends to be more... cluttered when it comes to here in the Western hemisphere. That probably is to appease the action-oriented stereotype. "Look at all that stuff in this game!"
This stuff reminds me of a contest that was done by Korn, maybe 10 years ago: fans could submit videos they made for Korn last single, and the best one chosen by the band would actually make the official music video. There was a lot of good stuff, and the winner was a guy that used only footage from security camera, giving a very particular feel to it.
Filming starts, then the marketing from the record company steps in, saying "you need to show the band playing". This doesn't match the artistic direction of the video, so the guy protest, Korn themself protest. Marketing doesn't give a shit, it's "do as we say or we'll get someone else. In America, people want to see the band playing in the video". Down the drain goes the inspired, original video, welcome back generic stuff.
Marketing: the last defense against originality.
Filming starts, then the marketing from the record company steps in, saying "you need to show the band playing". This doesn't match the artistic direction of the video, so the guy protest, Korn themself protest. Marketing doesn't give a shit, it's "do as we say or we'll get someone else. In America, people want to see the band playing in the video". Down the drain goes the inspired, original video, welcome back generic stuff.
Marketing: the last defense against originality.
Wow, just looking at the original Out of this World/Another World box art mad me want to go dig it up a ebay or something.
The main reason we Americans suck at cover art is because most of us wouldn't know subtlety if it came up and stabbed them, hell I forgot how to spell it when writing this.
The main reason we Americans suck at cover art is because most of us wouldn't know subtlety if it came up and stabbed them, hell I forgot how to spell it when writing this.
Man i wish that was the truth but alas it is not, simple answer is the people who CHOOSE box art are not stupid. They also have little to no interest in what is artistic. They know that gamers (if you are on this site this probably is you) who want to play the games they make will know 90% of the games content before the game even comes out. The job of the box art is to draw the attention of the Joe f***wit (not sure if I'm allowed to swear here lol)who is wandering around the electronics section of Walmart. Think about it. games like gears of war and halo. big tough manly games with manly men on the cover holding giant guns of DOOM. Price check on aisle 5. Now imagine if you will you take out the manly man and the gun. you lose the idiot crowd thats a big audience to lose to please some people who have already made up their mind if they want to buy your game right. yeah i thought so.WanderingFool said:
Actually even the digital download services use box arts. XBL has regular box arts as the thing you see when selecting the game, Steam has at least a logo in the list and possibly a big mention of the game at the top, those act together as a kind of box art. Sure, the art isn't on a box anymore but it has the same purpose. A game that makes its main picture a regular screenshot usually looks unappealing.hawk533 said:
Huh. I never really cared for box art. I mean the game can still suck even with really good and stylistic box art. In fact isn't it worse to play a bad game with a good box art cover? I mean with a good game with bad box art cover you can rip the cover off and get some fan drawing to replace it or you can just ignore it and give it good word to mouth pr to sell the game to others. I mean when I started playing Pokemon the covers didn't sell me so much as everyone in the school playing the game. Also a lot of my games are used these days I'd be lucky to have a cover at all.
I can kinda understand what the point is and it is odd but seriously if the content is the same who cares after all this whole discussion is based on making choices with shallow discrimination.
I can kinda understand what the point is and it is odd but seriously if the content is the same who cares after all this whole discussion is based on making choices with shallow discrimination.
Cover Art is usually irrelevant to buying games as if its on the big display board in shops then its big and you heard about it, if not then you only get to see the side of the box so art is pointless..
Personally, I live minimalist art and art that has deeper meaning than to just portray or explain what something is about.. although if it has to be normal 'explaining' art then I absolutely love the semi-drawn, semi-digitalized box art of Dawn of War 2 and the box art of Wolfenstein (the modern one) wasn't bad either.
Personally, I live minimalist art and art that has deeper meaning than to just portray or explain what something is about.. although if it has to be normal 'explaining' art then I absolutely love the semi-drawn, semi-digitalized box art of Dawn of War 2 and the box art of Wolfenstein (the modern one) wasn't bad either.
I think the only alternate cover w'eve ever gotten that wasn't complete shit was for God Hand, which one could argue was an even more perfect representation of the game's content than the Japanese version (it's an extreme black and white close up of a Mad Max style thug in profile with the titular God Hand smashing into his face).
Actually, America also gets the shittiest book covers, too. Just look at the cover for the Penguin Classics edition of Lu Xun's collected fiction (a man in traditional Qing dynasty dress, complete with long queue, seen from behind), representative of everything Lu Xun hated and railed against in his writing, and compare it to the Chinese cover of his collected works which is tastefully designed and features no image other than a small photograph of the author's face positioned dead center. The same publisher's big deluxe edition of The Three Musketeers features a stick figure comic (imagine a much less funny XKCD) emblazoned across its front. If I knew who made these decisions I would do everything in my power to hurl them into the sun or, failing that, to get Lou Ferigno to do it for me.
Actually, America also gets the shittiest book covers, too. Just look at the cover for the Penguin Classics edition of Lu Xun's collected fiction (a man in traditional Qing dynasty dress, complete with long queue, seen from behind), representative of everything Lu Xun hated and railed against in his writing, and compare it to the Chinese cover of his collected works which is tastefully designed and features no image other than a small photograph of the author's face positioned dead center. The same publisher's big deluxe edition of The Three Musketeers features a stick figure comic (imagine a much less funny XKCD) emblazoned across its front. If I knew who made these decisions I would do everything in my power to hurl them into the sun or, failing that, to get Lou Ferigno to do it for me.
It seems like americans have more "aggressive" box-art and more shizzle happening on them. It´s cultural difference, perhaps box-art designers think this is more like their media and this is someone elses.
