The bad boxart gallery

[gossi the dog]

Otaku84

Here's the US Boxart for Sky Gunner. It does indeed look great.

[Max M]

I love it.

[gossi the dog]

Konami of America were having a right mare during the early days of the PSOne. Suikoden, Castlevania and Vandal Hearts have absolutely appaling boxart especially when you comapre them to the brilliant Japanese boxart that fortunately was kept for the European market. Things have fortunately improved.

[Ady]

Redeye was bitching about this I believe, how we hate the American box art to mobile light force 2. Wasn't actually fair considering every goddamn issue Edge is far more anal about box art than we ever are, even telling you to buy the much more expensive Japanese version of a game for the box art alone.

RedEye's views do not necessarily correspond with Edge's...

His point that it was aimed at the massmarket is invalid. Who the **** in the mass market buys japanese shooters when THUG: We've run out of numbers is on the shelf next to it?

No, but they might. That was his point. Also, like he rightly pointed out, if you're really into the game and all the eastern esoteria then import.

Besides, as forums go, we're rather positive about most things in life.

I don't think RedEyewas having a go at any forum, but an attitude that exists within vertain parts of the 'gaming community'.

To be fair, I used to bitch about things like the above, but his article actually made me think about it from another POV and didn't bother me at all.

[Crispin]

Stuff

Good points, the boxart issue doesn't bother me. The whole boxart issue doesn't bother me too much, I won't ever NOT get a game because of poor box art. In fact I often prefer the PAL version of a lot of stuff...

Nor am I particularly bothered by conversion jobs. Half the stuff in Ikaruga GC PAL is totally redundant. So I wouldn't have noticed it's absence. Perhaps it was just because Redeye came across as a little "immature" in that article. He does seem not to be able to restrain himself. Commenting upon what clothes people wear and how they should "**** off" isn't the best way to get a point across.

I don't think of myself as Otaku or even hardcore in the slightest, but no need to slag off people who are simply keen gamers. Waiting in line for DOAXBV isn't sad, as he suggested. Would it have been sad to wait in line to see Star Wars: Phantom Menace. Of course not, it is just a keen interest.

People are allowed to think what they like about stuff. I'm sure some people were thrilled when they used subtitles for the Japanese stuff in Kill Bill. Similarly, I'm sure people are thrilled when they get a subbed anime film.

So would a game with the Japanese box art really be so bad?

Regards,

Crispin

[Ady]

Nor am I particularly bothered by conversion jobs. Half the stuff in Ikaruga GC PAL is totally redundant. So I wouldn't have noticed it's absence. Perhaps it was just because Redeye came across as a little "immature" in that article. He does seem not to be able to restrain himself. Commenting upon what clothes people wear and how they should "**** off" isn't the best way to get a point across.

I don't think of myself as Otaku or even hardcore in the slightest, but no need to slag off people who are simply keen gamers.

That's the thing; he wasn't slaagging off keen gamers per se, but gamers -keen or otherwise- with the attitudes he expressed.

I for one can totally relate as I've met those type of people before. I'm as keen a gamer as the next guy, but the anally-retentive, 'hardcore than thou' snobs he berates deserved every word as far as I'm concerned.

People are allowed to think what they like about stuff. I'm sure some people were thrilled when they used subtitles for the Japanese stuff in Kill Bill. Similarly, I'm sure people are thrilled when they get a subbed anime film.

Similarly, RedEye's allowed to think what he wants and write about it too, yes?

The sub/dub thing is a non-issue these days. As anime goes, I persoanlyl detest dubs, but with DVD, it's no longer a worry.

So would a game with the Japanese box art really be so bad?

Of course not, no-one's saying it is, though I believe his article explains why such concessions may be necessary. Either way, there isn't any need for snobbish bellyaching either.

[Ady]

Just to add, what I'd really like to know is who is it that decides we western players need re-drawn boxxart. Who decides that the revised graphical abortions that often make our game boxes are more culturally appropriate than the (generally superior) Japanese versions.

If anyone can answer this question that would be great, because I'd really like to know.

[Chadruharazzeb]

LOL @:









Weak

[Crispin]

Just to add, what I'd really like to know is who is it that decides we western players need re-drawn boxxart. Who decides that the revised graphical abortions that often make our game boxes are more culturally appropriate than the (generally superior) Japanese versions.

If anyone can answer this question that would be great, because I'd really like to know.

Then we can hunt them down, and explain to them very slowly, that is usually a good idea if the box art of the game reflects the game's style.

I feel sorry for the Americans - TimeSplitters 2 and Ico. The cover for the former is just bad, latter makes it seem like some sort of CGI crapness.

I liked the previous post as well. Good points. I've spoken to people on GameFAQs who are elitist, "hardocorier than thou". They are annoying. Luckily I haven't met people like that otherwise I might have to kill them. Wouldn't want people thinking we shared the same hobby. I suspect they'd be hardcorier than thou even in the most non-competitive hobby you can think of.

As you point out (at least I think it was implied), Jap art isn't neccesarily better (see previous posts), but when it is clearly very, very good, one must wonder why Publishers refuse to use it.

After all, using the front cover to 'missell' a game, isn't a nice thing to do.

GTA:VC did what it said on the box. Explosions, cars, cops, black uzi toting people in snazzy white suits.

I appreciate they used a different graphical style to the game, but that is because the graphics for this wondrous game don't really compare well to the linear Splinter Cell, say. But they got the main points across superbly. It was a very vibrant cover.

Having a group of characters on the front cover just standing in a non-conflicting manner or with their hands at their sides limply, is just boring. Doesn't tell you what you do in the game.

Take the PAL TS2 cover. The characters are stylish, they're shooting stuff, posing, it's dynamic. This is an action packed game. You can tell this from the box. There are monkeys.

The American box art. It's a man with shades (one of the least vibrant and uninteresting characters in the game) with a gun pointing outwards in a gungho manner.

Woopee-****ing-do.

[Chaser]

I found this cover and as you can see it is very nasty.

Was the game any good, before my time??



Imagine seeing this in the shops. It is so bad its funny.


Heres some more:

[Sketcz]

I actually really like the ANCIPITAL cover art, seems like something done by Jeff Minter.

Anyway, hungry horace is as good as the cover.
IE really bad scrolling platformer. Just terrible, and some seriously dodgy collision detection. Still, the cover art suits it to a T, the charatcers really looks like that.

Apparently one of Paul Rose's first games.
I guess a signed copy by him is worth owning.

On a side note, he is clearly a huge fan of ID on the speccy.
Id almost say it was programmed by him, very biffo esque.

[Ady]

Then we can hunt them down, and explain to them very slowly, that is usually a good idea if the box art of the game reflects the game's style.

I feel sorry for the Americans - TimeSplitters 2 and Ico. The cover for the former is just bad, latter makes it seem like some sort of CGI crapness.

Sometimes though it isn't even a matter of style. Take the SNK covers someone posted in this thread earlier. Exactly why did the American side of the company feel that the boxart needed to be changed - particularly as the in-game characters look like those on the Jap box art?

Surely it costs money to hire a new 'artist', so why bother? If it ain't broke, don't fix it as they say...

[Stroker Ace]

Anyway, hungry horace is as good as the cover.
IE really bad scrolling platformer. Just terrible, and some seriously dodgy collision detection. Still, the cover art suits it to a T, the charatcers really looks like that.

Uh, no it isn't. Have you ever played it?

It's a Pac Man clone. The sequel - 'Horace goes Skiing' was a kind of skiing slalom bit with a Frogger style bit and 'Horace and the Spiders' was a mix of little sub games, at least two of which were quite fun and creative.

But no, not a single platform game amongst them.

[Sketcz]

You are right
sorry, my mistake, I meant horace and the spiders.

I thought HatS wasnt so good actually, the first bit played like a platfornmer on rails, where you had to jump up to higher ground and over baddies.
then there was the rope climbing, and after that, I never could get past the ladders and spiders.

I dunno, guess it depends on the era you played it in.

Sorry for the mix up

as for the pacman type of game, I have no idea how that played.

[superkully]

The PAL Mastersystem art put me off consoles until the Dreamcast.

Which monkey decided to make them as interesting as school graph paper?