Posts with tag Boxart
Posted Nov 12th 2007 9:50AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
The boxart for
Pet Pals: Animal Doctor clearly shows where the artists' (and developers') priorities lie. The animals are all presented using what appear to be real photographs, looking totally realistic and even cute. The humans, on the other hand, are awkward 3D models hastily Photoshopped into position.
The troubling thing about this is that it probably would have been cheaper just to take pictures of
whoever happened to be around instead of going to the trouble to render these subhumanoids, and the game is already full of 3D renders of animals. So they unnecessarily modeled humans, and also unnecessarily photographed animals.
Posted Oct 19th 2007 3:55PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News, Screens
Though you wouldn't know it by the amount of
advertising Square Enix has done so far for
Front Mission, a total equal to
nothing, the mech-filled
SRPG stomps into stores next week. Those familiar with the series will agree -- as far as SRPGs for the DS go, this is the best one coming out in North America this year.
Just to make sure we've swayed as many of you over as we can, we have updated our gallery with over 65 new screenshots and artwork images from this remake of the original, never-been-localized SNES/PS1 game. If you prefer your pictures
moving,
Square Enix has also swapped out its
completely uninformative, six-minute clip of a building exploding in slow-motion with a new English trailer at the official
Front Mission site.
Posted Oct 5th 2007 6:45PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News
Every single step Konami and WayForward take in their march towards
Contra 4's November 13 release seems in service to the series' fans, the faithful run-and-gun followers. From its recent
Nintendo Power poster to rumors about
preorder gifts and
bonus retro titles, our excitement, long-thought dead after the
Bioware/Sonic debacle, grows stronger with each news item that comes in.
NeoGAF forumite The Main Event posted a press sheet revealing
Contra 4's packaging artwork yesterday, and we couldn't be more pleased. It has everything we could ever ask for -- extravagant explosions, guns firing at unseen enemies, and a menacing alien watching over the entire scene. All Konami needs to do now is bundle a bottle of baby oil with every purchase so that our shirtless muscles can glisten while we play the game. Flex and shine past the post break for a look at the scanned pages.
Continue reading Contra 4 boxed, dated, and ready to own your face
Posted Sep 11th 2007 4:50PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News, Imports
It's fitting that one of the most beautiful games for the Nintendo DS receives the same attention to aesthetics with its Japanese
packaging design. Even if we hadn't already seen
Archaic Sealed Heat's gorgeous prerendered CG scenes, spotting a cover like this on a shelf would've compelled us to pick the box up and study the screenshots on its back.
The posture and headdresses of the characters lined up in the background make us think of chess pieces, an apt comparison considering ASH's
SRPG trappings. Now let's just hope that Nintendo of America keeps the same arrangement for the boxart
when if it brings the game to the US.
Posted Sep 4th 2007 11:00AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
We are pleased with Ubisoft right now. We won't lie; our goodwill is mostly the result of the incredible
Jam Sessions and the fact that Ubisoft is taking a big risk in releasing it.
However, even within the context of something we're
not pleased about in general, we can find reason to praise the company. Specifically, the terrible, stock-photo-bearing boxarts for their
Imagine series. Ubisoft has redesigned the cover art for the series, switching out the fonts, losing the bubble-based layout, and replacing the images with something presumably
not pulled from an iStockPhoto preview image.
Absolutely the
best thing to come out of this development is the accompanying NeoGAF thread, which has been loaded with absolutely hilarious (and, occasionally, vaguely NSFW) Photoshops. Just look at
those, and the new official boxarts, and not the screenshots of
Imagine Babyz.
Posted Aug 25th 2007 12:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Fan stuff
Though publishers aren't as big on featuring these silly poses anymore as they were during the DS's first two years, the perceptive gamers at The Platformers pointed out that we'll be receiving two new members to the outstretched-hand-boxart club next month: DK Jungle Climber and Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game.
Some say that the covers are meant to emphasize the touchscreen nature of the titles, but we're convinced that there's more to it. Perhaps the characters are reaching for something unseen -- a dropped banana, a tool vital to their current task, or the wrist of a fleeing love who's spurred their unwanted advances. Keep that last possibility in your mind as you look over a few more examples of outstretched-hand boxarts after the post break.
Continue reading The outstretched-hand-boxart club
Posted Aug 3rd 2007 12:20PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News
We were kind enough to call out the emperor on his new clothes, tapping
Ubisoft's shoulder and explaining how we felt about its
awful Jam Sessions advertisement, but the company ignored our advice and went on to use the promotional photo for the game's packaging art across the Atlantic. In short,
Jam Sessions' European
boxart is absolutely repulsive.
It's already unfortunate that all titles under the PEGI's rule must bear the rating system's unsightly standard, but
Jam Sessions' cover has to also suffer this guy's contorted expression. As
excited as we are about the guitar trainer, we can't believe Ubisoft would use this for its boxart. Jump past the break to compare the design with
Jam Sessions' North American and Japanese covers.
Continue reading The day the music died: Jam Sessions' EU boxart
Posted Aug 3rd 2007 9:00AM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: DS Daily
When shopping for games, how much do you depend on the boxart? We're sure you also read reviews and check out a synopsis or two, but we have to admit that sometimes, a crappy box can turn us off a game if we weren't fully invested in the first place. Sure, maybe it seems a little superficial -- maybe it
is a little superficial -- but the box is, after all, among our first physical interactions with many games. It does make an impression.
We've included the
Brain Buster Puzzle Pack here as an example, as it's quite pixelated and rough up close, but as far as puzzles go, it's
so worth it. Sometimes, it's rewarding to take a chance!
Posted Jul 24th 2007 3:05PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Fan stuff, Imports
The NeoGAF forums have been flooded with a variety of boxarts for upcoming Japanese DS titles. Such titles include
Chibi Robo Park Patrol,
It's a Wonderful World and the above, EA's
Bartender DS. Personally, we could use
Bartender DS, as our mixed drinks are anything but, well ...
drinkable. So, if boxart is your thing, be sure to hit up the NeoGAF thread.
[Via Go Nintendo]
Posted Jun 19th 2007 2:05PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
Good
boxart is sometimes a rarity. We hope that this image is what THQ really plans to use for
Drawn to Life, because it's perfect. The hand-drawn character featured not only demonstrates the
main gimmick of the game, he's
adorable. The color scheme is great, and the box is eye-catching in general.
We're rooting for
Drawn to Life because it looks great
and because we need more original side-scrolling platformers. A visually appealing boxart may not affect sales
hugely, but it would at least attract the eyes of shoppers. We don't want this one to slip through the cracks.
[Via GoNintendo]
Posted Jun 12th 2007 1:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Screens
Releasing on the 26th of next month in Japan,
Taiko no Tatsujin DS (
Taiko Drum Master) finally reveals its box art. Of course, if we weren't so interested in music-based games, we probably wouldn't have
already known about the dual-stylus gameplay (the extra stylus is included in the package). We're dying to import this game ourselves, to tell the truth, but what about you? Any readers plan on having this shipped over from the land of the rising
fun?
Posted May 22nd 2007 10:00AM by Jason Wishnov
Filed under: Screens
It's stylish. It's classy. But we here at DS Fanboy think that Link is getting a little too
cute, even yon cel-shaded version. This cuteness is only made more creepy by the fact there is an old man with oddly-styled facial hair standing right next to him. Damn sailors.
This boxart reminds us
heavily of
Wind Waker, and it makes us wonder how big a component sailing is going to be in this new adventure. Crossing the ocean became a bit tedious in
Wind Waker, so here's hoping the process has been streamlined (LOLpun) a bit.
[Thanks, Braden!]
Posted Apr 27th 2007 4:05PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Interviews, Imports
In a recent interview with 1UP,
Square Enix's marketing communications manager gave us some insight on the process behind adapting
Chocobo Tales' packaging for the US. We happen to prefer the Japanese version's modest artwork over North America's chaotic cover, but we understand that the company had a younger audience to appeal to and a different message it needed to convey.
We've collected DS covers from Square Enix's Japanese and US releases after the post break for you to compare and decide which one you like best. To its credit, the company hasn't completely mangled its DS
boxarts so far (The same can't be said about
Nintendo's bastardization of Hotel Dusk's cover). How do you feel about
Children of Mana's simplified design? Does
Final Fantasy 3's stripped packaging appeal to your western tastes? And do you agree with 1UP that publishers have been doing a better job with dressing their products?
Continue reading Comparing Square Enix's Japanese and US boxart
Posted Apr 18th 2007 11:00AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News, Imports
Due for release in Japan this May 17th,
Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2's packaging art has two-stepped its way onto the internet. The cover features the sequel's two rival cheer squad team leaders with their arms outstretched, magnificent rays of light bursting behind them. Their eyes and expressions are brimming with determination, as if to say, "If you don't dance, well you're no friends of mine."
With a
partial songlist,
screenshots, and boxart now out on the internet, unchained, all that's left to cast loose is the actual cartridge. We've already put in our pre-orders for the rhythm game. Have you decided whether or not you'll be
importing Ouendan 2 yet?
Next Page >
Perhaps as an apology for decades of delayed releases -- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass included, though only two weeks later (October 19th) than its North American debut -- Nintendo will feature the artwork used on the game's Japanese packaging for its European cover.
