Above, we have the covers for two upcoming strategy titles, Emblem of Gundam and Front Mission 2089. Both series have similar themes -- giant mechas battling it out against an intricate backdrop of political drama -- so it's startling to see the different approaches in their packaging designs.
Front Mission 2089 puts more emphasis on its character lineup, masking a lone Wanzer in the mist, and the result is a lusterless jacket that looks as unexciting as the starring crew's listless expressions. Emblem of Gundam's cover has more action to it, giving its mobile suits and story characters even billing. One guy is flying through space with a rapier! Another has a gun! And a massive Gundam oversees the entire scene, jets blasting and fingers positioned like a master pianist preparing his next attack. This is how you design a box!
Today's lesson: If you have huge robots, use them. Pilot your mecha past the post break for a better look at the two covers.
[Via NeoGAF]
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-14-2008 @ 12:12PM
nil said...
The Gundam cover is epic; Amiro vs. Char, Kou vs. Anavel with Nina in the middle, and Camille with Four as the Zeong watches over it all. It's amazing how well the designer was able to integrate so many characters and mecha without making the cover a cluttered mess.
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4-14-2008 @ 12:12PM
nil said...
Oops... Amuro.
4-14-2008 @ 12:16PM
FoliathR said...
Personally, I prefer the Front Mission 2089 boxart.
I think the Emblem of Gundam one is way too cluttered and it results in me not wanting to examine it too much, whereas the simplicity and neatness of FM2089 makes me get the idea SQ-EX wants to send through: A dark and solemn struggle.
Other than knowing that Amuro Ray and Char Aznable are going to be in EoG, and that giant mechas are going to battle, I can't really know much about the story in the game from its boxart.
Just my personal views. Still, I think both boxarts are nicely done, and seems like the kind of art that fans would want to show off on their walls. =)
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4-14-2008 @ 1:19PM
That Fuzzy Bastard said...
Yeah, I gotta go with the Front Mission cover too. It communicates a mood, a style, and a little plot info in a way that's clear and memorable. Especially strong is the color---the blues and greys, with a flash of orange right in the middle to pull the eye towards the title, and the lighter colors of the arms giving it a nice visual rhythm left-to-right.
The Gundam cover, by contrast, I find a bit of a mess. I can see a basic pyramid shape in there, but there's just so much visual noise, with no indication of where my eye's supposed to go, that I find myself sliding right off it. It doesn't help that the colors seem like a bit of a jumble as well---no really strong contrasts or correspondences.
Dunno if a cover will ever make me want to buy a game, but the Front Mission cover is memorable and feels strong, while the Gundam cover makes me not want to think about it anymore for fear that I'll get pulled into some incredibly confusing maelstrom (already a concern with strategy games, which can be painfully under-explained). But this is the neat thing about the arts---much disagreement is possible!
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4-14-2008 @ 1:28PM
Mad Martin Kinderhook said...
I'm only just now watching Kidou Senshi Gundam so I only recognized Amuro (I assume that's maskless Char on the right, with the Zeon insignia on his collar and the red ZAKU in front of him), but I have to agree that the Emblem of Gundam cover is probably pretty epic for people who know who all of those people are. What keeps it from being just a disorderly splaying of characters and mobile suits is the illusion of everything ascending upward into the sky. The way the Gundam at the bottom of the image is pointing directs the viewer's eye upward in a straight line instead of randomly around the cover, which helps with the effect. It also has a washed out watercolor look like 1980s official art from the Gundam franchise that I've seen here and there, which is a nice touch.
The Front Mission 2089 cover's characters look like a futuristic rock group striking a dramatic pose. It's actually kind of goofy, and looks too clean and too bright in places given what I assume is a dark, serious war plot.
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4-14-2008 @ 1:52PM
vgxtremist said...
Gameplay would help me decide, but barring that, I got to go with Gundam, with it looming over the people.
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4-14-2008 @ 3:13PM
Kia said...
It's not even a contest. Gundam's art is just plain -epic-. Like, the type of art I'd want on a poster.
Front Mission is plain, boring, and I think the guys that are saying it gives a little plot info are just pretentious art snobs. Honestly, -how- does a random lineup of characters communicate the slightest bit of a -plot-?
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4-14-2008 @ 4:44PM
Mad Martin Kinderhook said...
Since that was partially directed at me, I guess I have to respond. Of course I'm not going to supply a rebuttal for the pretentious art snob line because of how it somewhat rashly presumes that one is somehow willfully injecting their analysis with arrogance, self-indulgence, et cetera. (On a personal note, art was my worst subject in high school, eh heh.) All I'm going to maintain here is that the Front Mission cover, and pretty much any game cover at that, can hint to plot. Maybe plot is a bad word because it implies specific details of story progression; premise would probably be more exact in this instance. In Front Mission's case, it has little to do with the characters on the cover as it does the entire cover. One can detect seriousness from the menacing gray sky, a military theme from the characters' attire, futuristic or alternate reality elements from the mech. Put it together and you have a mech-based war in a possibly dark, grim future. This image, in turn, probably sprouts more story archetypes generally associated with this kind of thing, and from this one can get a very basic (even if it turns out to be wrong) idea of what's going to transpire. I didn't state that the characters hinted toward the plot; rather, that their bright colors clashed with the dark plot/premise/mood/etc established in the rest of the picture. To contrast this with Emblem of Gundam, they don't have to do this because they have no hope of selling beyond the Gundam fanbase. Front Mission can at least market to people not yet into the series who may appreciate the particular premise/plot attributes exhibited on the cover.
But hey, I'm all for common ground. Now that we've gotten it out of our systems and traded barbs, there's no longer any reason for contention. Friends?
4-15-2008 @ 9:32AM
puppeli said...
both of the covers are boring, but the Gundam one is too cluttered and the colors are uninspiring. Frankly its ugly. Whatever you may say about the Front Mission cover, at least its "just" boring.
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