Video Game Box Art

[Miggs]

So.
Box art.
It's cool and stuff.

To my knowledge we don't have a thread about this. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
So Imma make one.
Post your favorite box arts. Explain why if you want.

I dunno if I have a definite favorite. But two that come to the top of my head are the Majora's Mask Remake for 3DS and Fire Emblem: Awakening for the same hand held.



So this picture is just overall beautiful and captures literally everything about Majora's Mask in one picture. It's a dark Zelda game that has a major focus on the characters and the almost inevitable death that awaits everyone. There's a lot going on, and pretty much every major thing that happens in the game is showcased in the full version of the art.

The full version is way too big to post here as an image, so.
Here.


So, this box art stands out to me because everything is parallel. Everybody's weapons or spells or whatever are all pointed down and to the left, giving a sense of direction and to sort of show they're all on the same side. They're all facing the same way except for Lucina, who is facing the direct opposite direction as the main character, Chrom. Except her weapon is pointing in the same direction, while still facing opposite Chrom. Now, I'm no analyst, but I'm pretty sure this is to signify that although Lucina is different from everyone in a certain regard, her goal is still the same as everyone in the army.

Anyways. I'm no analyst, but that's just what I take from the art. It also just looks badass. A lot of detail in the characters.



But yeah. I wanna see y'all's favorites. Maybe explain them. Or not. I'm not your dad.

[MasterXtreme]

I like this idea!



It is hard to not have the Grand Theft Auto series covers, so I will choose one, possibly the most iconic.  Featuring their classic frame box design, the cover tells you everything you need to know about the game.  Tropics, city, guns, cars, explosions, police, and crime.  Growing up, every kid got super excited seeing the helicopter, motorcycle, and speed boat.  After playing GTA III, everyone couldn't wait to finally get in these vehicles!  Flight allowed so much as did the speed of a motorcycle.  The setting was second to none and the box truly showcased that and the 80s setting.  We were all in for a surprise by arguably the best soundtrack ever compiled.

[Ynona]

Interesting topic! 
Now let's see what I have in my library....

I'll start with Persona 1 and 2:
I like 'em mostly because of how weird they are.
They have a great color palette and great contrast that makes them really eyecatching.
But what really sells me on these is the strong imagery and the symbolism.





If I have to choose between the 2, Persona 2 wins. Mostly because the box art of the first game is a little bit cluttered compared to the second game.

...and since I don't want to that guy that only talks about one series:



Say what you want about Peter Molyneux, but the first Fable was a great game... Even if it was over-hyped.
I like how the box art tells you everything about the game with the protagonist watching a reflection of his future, of what you can become.



This one is simple, it's just a really badass box art.
It's cluttered AF but I love it anyway. XD

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@MasterXtreme
GTA box arts are some of the most iconic around. Good choice!

@System423
Oh, I like the FE one! :O

[mysteryserpent]

This is a great topic! Thank you for making this.

A fun spoof box art is here. https://derpicdn.net/img/2013/3/4/262496/full.png Dk 64 is looking pretty cool with the new cast XD I'd totally want to play a boss fight against King Sombra!

For real though, there are a lot of games I own, mostly from years ago. Solatorobo, Red the Hunter is a game I have that is rare nowadays, but back when I bought it I didn't think it was. Why I bought it was because of the box art.

https://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/257755-solatorobo-red-the-hunter-nintendo-ds-front-cover.jpg

The pokemon series is NOT well known for its box art...at all XD Most of them are honestly really boring to look at. However, two exceptions come to my mind...and both are spin off games.

One is the classic pokemon stadium. The other is a game called pokemon conquest.

https://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/388345-pokemon-conquest-nintendo-ds-manual.jpg
https://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/55977-pokemon-stadium-nintendo-64-front-cover.jpg

The conquest box art stands out to me because it literally shows the villain and other important side characters...but not the main playable character. Honestly the playable characters, both the male and female designs, are some of the best character designs to me personally out of all the pokemon series =) Why the box art refuses to show them is a mystery to me XD

Pokemon Stadium's box art was the first time I've seen 3D models of pokemon, and it still is cool to me to see to this day. It looks incredibly outdated compared to what we have today, but it is charming.  It may just be my blind nostalgia though.

Some of the classics had some of the strangest and best box art that I know of. I've never played any Contra game, but I've heard about them. This box art looks really well made to me =)

https://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/208947-/Contra%20III%20-%20The%20Alien%20Wars%20(USA)-noscale.jpg

[Miggs]

@MasterXtreme Funny, I was also kind of thinking of the general GTA box arts as well. I'm real glad they don't usually go with the whole generic "guy standing in center" that most games do now a days. It's very stylized.

@Ynona Nothing wrong with talking about a single series if there's actually a lot to say about it. And with the Persona games, there is. I think I'm more of a fan of the first game's box art. It's got a nice water-color look to it.
Funny, I have Fable, but I've never played it. But I do like the box art.

@mysteryserpent I kind of agree that the Pokemon games aren't well known for their art, I do think the spin offs have a bit of a better look to them.
Yeah, the Contra games have good art. Especially considering they're from the Nes and Snes era, where most box art is drawn and not super generic.

[Darrin]

This is a great topic idea.  I had thought of this very topic a couple years ago on the drive home from work, then I got home and COMPLETELY forgot what it was!  It drove me crazy for a few days until it just disappeared completely.

Okay, so here we go.

I know we said how great the GTA covers are, but check out this awesome version of the cover that was used in Europe.  This was going to be the US version too, but they changed it at the last second and it turned into the iconic box art style we know today.  I love both versions.

Non-US version


US version




A simple 90s cover from Gran Turismo.  It was super basic, simple, but it got the car enthusiasts excited.  Gran Turismo has always been the classy racer compared to rivals like Forza which doesn't cater to that crew.  This cover has mystique and people wondered what car was beneath and what you could do in the first official "Real Driving Simulator."



Another simple one that was a bold move on Rockstar's part was the cover for Bully.  It was simply a crest of the school.  A lesser known fact is that each symbol represents a group within the school.  It's moody, somewhat sinister, and kind of dark.  The world building increased when opening the box.



Driver started the revolution for open world games and this cover got people more excited than you can imagine.  It had everything people wanted, an open world and car chases!  The exciting cover features cars reminiscent of police chases in San Fran made famous by several movies.  This game gave people control you hadn't had up till this point and this cover got people really excited.

[Miggs]

The Bully one is real good, actually. Never really took the time to take a gander at it, considering I've never played the game, but you're right, it's actually real minimalist, but says a lot once you know what's going on in the game.

Not gonna lie, the face in the Driver cover is kind of creepy and reminds me of G-Man from Half Life for some reason

[Ynona]

Btw, I forgot about this gem:



I'm also a huge fan of american box art Kirby! (So edgy!)

@Ynona I think I'm more of a fan of the first game's box art. It's got a nice water-color look to it.

Right, in the end they're both super good anyway... To me, at least. ahah!

[Miggs]

Oh damn, dat MegaMan tho :weary: :ok_hand:
Screw the Japanese version amirite

[Soda]

That Grand Theft Auto III box art from NOT the USA looks super cool!  It's like a 70s action movie and all of it is laid out in front of the prospective buyer.  That's very cool!  That said, the iconic design is better to build off of.

[RainySunshine]

Here is one you're not going to find out there.  TRANSARCTICA  was a 1993 computer game for the Amiga and Macintosh. 



Game Synopsis: In the 21st century, mankind is being ravaged by the greenhouse effect. A last-ditch effort to counteract it is designed and executed. It works far too well.

Centuries if not millennia later, the planet is entirely covered in a thick, opaque cloud layer. Giant wolf packs roam the frozen wastes, and the mammoth has re-emerged from the elephant stock. Mankind ekes out a living in a few handfuls of settlements, connected by a network of massive armored trains. The network in turn is in the hands of the gargantuan Viking Union, which is merciless towards threats to its power. A few radicals, though, are willing to attempt a change, and managing to hijack a train of the Union, the Transarctica, they set out in search of the "sun".

WHY I LIKE THIS COVER: Because it's so freaking cool!  I mean look at that scale and size of that locomotive in this apocalyptic future!  It looks terrifying but awesome as the same time.  The dude is tiny next to this behemoth of metal and steam.  It has a really neat atmosphere to it.

[Miggs]

That is a badass cover. The style and design of the train looks really familiar to something, but I can't put my finger on it.

[Anyponedrawn]

Oh crap!! That is a HECKA moody cover.  Super cool!  You're right, never seen this or heard of that game before.  Super awesome find, Rainy!

[Darrin]

Oh hot dang, thats a really cool box cover.  That train looks epic.  It reminds me a bit of that giant drill thing in the Avatar tv series when they were trying to drill into the Earth Kingdom capital.  Just some giant train thing.  Really epic cover.

[Kiwi]

Ooh, like that Bully cover there.  Good simple design and colours.  I also fully agree, the Grand Theft Auto series has some of the best and most iconic game box covers out there.  That Euro box art for GTA III is lovely, I fully agree.  But it just isn't as iconic as the current box art style.

I got to say, Rainy, that's a cool box cover you found.  Never heard of "Transarctica," but that is the most amazing box art out there. Steam punk kinda.