Bioshock Infinite: The latest victim of the Stupid-American-Box-Art Virus.

[Ninjafire72]

I wonder how many rewards do long runner high quality games such as COD and Mario have?

CoD, high quality... good joke, sir.

OT: It is kind of disappointing, but like others have said there are MUCH, MUCH worse ones out there. Maybe people (myself included) expect better because this is Irrational we're talking about; Ken Levine is like a Peter Molyneux that actually delivers on their promises made.

 

[MammothBlade]

If you really look at this box art and think about it you will find it matches the themes perfectly. This is a series that is about this kind of man, the hero of the Gilded Age. It is like they mixed Teddy Roosevelt, Carnegie and John Galt and this is what we are left with. Am I really the only one that sees how perfectly this box art fits with this series?

Look at the subtext. It is screaming at you.

The thing is, it's NOT just about the main character's gun rampage throughout a beautiful game environment. It should be a picture of the city itself or something, not some square-jawed cowboy. Something about it irks me.

How do you know it isn't?

It is a First Person SHOOTER. The trailers focus a heck of a lot on the combat.

Sorry, but the city premise itself... it's a little goofy when you sum it up in just one frame. A flying city like Columbia is something you have to live in to accept, not just have "huh, flying city, probably a JRPG".

Captcha: Believe Me

It's a shooter, yes, but it doesn't have to adopt that same generic style. And it does not focus on the player character so much - at least, the first Bioshock didn't. It was more concerned with the environment- the wacky, insane inhabitants of the beautiful city called Rapture. Exploration and combat in equal measures.

Much better box art concept, Bioshock Infinite should have something similar. It wouldn't be "goofy" at all. And people who think that probably wouldn't or shouldn't buy the game anyway.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

At least it isn't a cornucopia of floating heads.

I blame starwars boxart for that becoming a thing.

The difference is that when Star Wars does it, they do it well. You can't fault them for copycats screwing up composition and placement.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

I like the bright colours- that's a nice change from the usual gloom seen on most covers.
However, it is inevitably just another "generic guy with gun" cover, and you'd think the cover would place more emphasis on the game's setting seeing as though that looks to be a truly unique part of the game itself.

 

[Norrdicus]

Is it just me or does the box art say Fuse and have nothing at all to do with Bioshock Infinite? I don't see the Irrational games logo...what's going on in this thread?

...

Actually the problem with Fuse is not the box art but the change in the tone of its content over the development. The first trailer shows it as a jokey cartoonish team-based co-op shooter (also called Overstrike back then), while the newer ones have had the visual style and tone change completely. The box art is merely a proof they stuck with the grimdark yellow/grey filter style, and people HATE it

 

[Smeggs]

What's wrong with that? Main character on the front, supporting character on the back, setting is displayed in the background, genre is made pretty obvious because he's holding a friggin' gun. So in a single glance you know what the game is about in a nutshell. It's a video game box, not a fucking Monet painting.

The setting is a sky with a burning flag. That's a pretty damn sparse landscape to travel in.

 

[WaReloaded]

Honestly, I don't see the issue here. If I was just your average Joe consumer, I'd look at the box art and think to myself "Cool, this looks interesting enough." The fact that Elizabeth is only featured on the back of the box wouldn't even cross my mind

I don't mind the box art, it's simple, I like the use of colour, etc.

 

[Pandaman1911]

What's wrong with that? Main character on the front, supporting character on the back, setting is displayed in the background, genre is made pretty obvious because he's holding a friggin' gun. So in a single glance you know what the game is about in a nutshell. It's a video game box, not a fucking Monet painting.

The setting is a sky with a burning flag. That's a pretty damn sparse landscape to travel in.

The sky! It's in the air! Bioshocks 1 and 2 were underwater! This one's in the sky!

 

[J Tyran]

Box art? What is this "box art" you speak of? Wasn't that something they had on the cover of PS2 games? In all seriousness give me a half arsed generic badass on the front than some horrible anime thing any day of the week.

 

[DementedSheep]

Eh it?s not that bad, it?s just...uninspired. Still I would have expected better from them, its not like they don't have better art they could have used.
Its certainly not as bad as the ME2 cover art.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Personally I think using boxart to lure in those of poor taste while using the game to satisfy the people who care enough to look past it is a brilliant strategy. You don't need to please fans with boxart after all.

 

[Mortons4ck]

It's not terrible. At least the protagonist isn't roided to the max.

 

[Ishal]

If you really look at this box art and think about it you will find it matches the themes perfectly. This is a series that is about this kind of man, the hero of the Gilded Age. It is like they mixed Teddy Roosevelt, Carnegie and John Galt and this is what we are left with. Am I really the only one that sees how perfectly this box art fits with this series?

Look at the subtext. It is screaming at you.

Stated it better than I could have. Tip of the hat to you sir.

In the previous games the memorable characters were the non-player ones since we saw them and never really saw who we were. Now its the opposite and they want to portray the hero like this, and it looks great. Also sweet that Troy Baker is voicing him.

 

[Treblaine]

If you really look at this box art and think about it you will find it matches the themes perfectly. This is a series that is about this kind of man, the hero of the Gilded Age. It is like they mixed Teddy Roosevelt, Carnegie and John Galt and this is what we are left with. Am I really the only one that sees how perfectly this box art fits with this series?

Look at the subtext. It is screaming at you.

The thing is, it's NOT just about the main character's gun rampage throughout a beautiful game environment. It should be a picture of the city itself or something, not some square-jawed cowboy. Something about it irks me.

How do you know it isn't?

It is a First Person SHOOTER. The trailers focus a heck of a lot on the combat.

Sorry, but the city premise itself... it's a little goofy when you sum it up in just one frame. A flying city like Columbia is something you have to live in to accept, not just have "huh, flying city, probably a JRPG".

Captcha: Believe Me

It's a shooter, yes, but it doesn't have to adopt that same generic style. And it does not focus on the player character so much - at least, the first Bioshock didn't. It was more concerned with the environment- the wacky, insane inhabitants of the beautiful city called Rapture. Exploration and combat in equal measures.

Much better box art concept, Bioshock Infinite should have something similar. It wouldn't be "goofy" at all. And people who think that probably wouldn't or shouldn't buy the game anyway.

Yes, artistically, that's superior cover at (as superior as any work of art ever could be over another work of art)

But was it actually EFFECTIVE in its purpose: marketing

Was Bioshock overlooked by those who might have liked it? How much did the cover art contribute to that?

You can't judge a book by it's cover, but people do. And if they do then they don't need to have the experience reaffirmed, what is needed is something that draws people in.

What I'm saying is, people who car about the art mainly shouldn't be turned off by Bioshock Infinite's cover art, but those drawn by the shooting wouldn't be drawn by a flying city landscape.

 

[Eggsnham]

Yes, that box art is pretty ridiculous, but let's not act like it's only American box art that sucks; or that American box art is inherently bad.

 

[Edl01]

Still sin't as bad as what they have claimed the american future diary cover will look like(I know it's not a game but still). It will be the same cover as the origional just with skulls and blood added along with a new tagline reading "every text may be your last"(I shouldn't even need to describe why that tagline sucks).
Well at least he didn't spill baked beans on his leg before walking out like the Battlfield guy.

 

[Jonny49]

I don't think it's bad. That's not to say it isn't generic (it is), but it's by no means awful. I just think it pales in comparison to the countless other possible covers they could of used instead. The Bioshock games, Infinite in particular, have some amazing art and character designs. Why they would settle for this is beyond me, but it's still decent, even by dude-standing-on-the-front-with-a-gun standards.

its hilarious..

its so unapologetically generic it could almost be a parody

Def wont buy now.

*sigh*

mabye you could not buy for you know...a REAL reason, like DRM or online or some practice you don't agree with

why do peopel have to be so fucking petty?

Sarcasm dude.

 

[Augustine]

Isn't propaganda one of the central themes of the game? Seems fitting.

 

[Wicky_42]

Still not as bad as Fuse.

Spoiler: Just look at this shit

It's the kind of cover one would use as a parody.

Oh wow, that's just amazing. Overstrike fell a LONG way. I honestly don't know how that box art made it through even a single person, let alone the entire publishing company. Just... fail, on so many levels (especially love the 'NTSC' tag over the token black guy's mouth...)