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Just because the last one has been engulfed by The Server That Ate The Occasional Topic:
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Once you've finished admiring my delicious pun in this thread's title, I ask you to consider the shelves of your local games shop. It could be Special Reserve (lucky you) or maybe a GAME (ah well...) but either way, when you walk in you're confronted with hundreds of little DVD cases (or boxes for the consoles and old Nintendo stuff). It's hard being a game, especially if you're not in the demo pod - your only shot is if the customer comes in knowing he wants you. If not, box-art's pretty much all you've got.
When you walk into a club, you don't walk over to a girl because you noticed their sparkling personality; it's because they were wearing a low cut top. The likes of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy are your run-of-the-mill lasses...not much to look at, but they get away with it because they're funny, and intelligent and all that. However, what hope do munters have? Take Crazy Taxi on the PS2. A plain yellow background with a simple logo? Puh-lease. If someone's never played it on an arcade or DC, for all they know you could play a demented zombie taxi who, as a result of being struck by lightning, has gone insane...actually, that sounds quite good, but you see what I mean.
Ico is another great example. A fabulous game, one of the best on the PS2, everyone that plays it agrees. So what about the box-art? Well, it's quite good really. Stylish, like the game. Mysterious, yet with a clue (the two of you running). However, what about the boxart over in America? It's quite possibly the ugliest ever seen. Too complicated with a criminal blend of gold and red, Ico's big fat frowny face interspersed with horsemen and small screenshots. See that in a shop and you'd walk out in disgust.
Sports games are another area as yet unexplored, well, here in Europe anyway. In America the main basketball and American football games (Live and NBA, Madden and NFL respectively) always battle it out for simulatory supremecy. Each tries to outdo the other by getting the best player on the box. So why is it that the likes of TIF resort to getting whoever they can? Kieron bleedin' Dyer? Give me a break? No longer would it be Fifa vs Pro Evo, it would be Beckham vs Owen, Henry vs van Nistelrooy.
Film posters are plastered everywhere. They have to show you what the film's like: MIB is a cool comedy, so it has Smith and Jones in their suits, complete with a 'hilarious' tagline. GTA: Vice City has helicopters, motorcycles and a load of 80's style people on the front. Get it? Games are neglecting to fill their windows of opportunity up with enticing eye-candy, instead opting for big flashy word art and an oversized picture of the lead character. And some, like Virtua Tennis 2 on the PS2, are just nasty.
Looks ARE first impressions. Much is made of graphics, despite some saying it's superficial...but really, that's what you notice first and foremost when playing. Well why not take it back a step, to what you see BEFORE you play? People rent videos, read books, watch TV shows all because 'they looked good'. Gaming is already more than a match in terms of revenue, so why not join its peers?
There's always going to be people who judge books by their covers. Someone should take advantage.
Thanks for reading.
-El
========== ========= ========
Once you've finished admiring my delicious pun in this thread's title, I ask you to consider the shelves of your local games shop. It could be Special Reserve (lucky you) or maybe a GAME (ah well...) but either way, when you walk in you're confronted with hundreds of little DVD cases (or boxes for the consoles and old Nintendo stuff). It's hard being a game, especially if you're not in the demo pod - your only shot is if the customer comes in knowing he wants you. If not, box-art's pretty much all you've got.
When you walk into a club, you don't walk over to a girl because you noticed their sparkling personality; it's because they were wearing a low cut top. The likes of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy are your run-of-the-mill lasses...not much to look at, but they get away with it because they're funny, and intelligent and all that. However, what hope do munters have? Take Crazy Taxi on the PS2. A plain yellow background with a simple logo? Puh-lease. If someone's never played it on an arcade or DC, for all they know you could play a demented zombie taxi who, as a result of being struck by lightning, has gone insane...actually, that sounds quite good, but you see what I mean.
Ico is another great example. A fabulous game, one of the best on the PS2, everyone that plays it agrees. So what about the box-art? Well, it's quite good really. Stylish, like the game. Mysterious, yet with a clue (the two of you running). However, what about the boxart over in America? It's quite possibly the ugliest ever seen. Too complicated with a criminal blend of gold and red, Ico's big fat frowny face interspersed with horsemen and small screenshots. See that in a shop and you'd walk out in disgust.
Sports games are another area as yet unexplored, well, here in Europe anyway. In America the main basketball and American football games (Live and NBA, Madden and NFL respectively) always battle it out for simulatory supremecy. Each tries to outdo the other by getting the best player on the box. So why is it that the likes of TIF resort to getting whoever they can? Kieron bleedin' Dyer? Give me a break? No longer would it be Fifa vs Pro Evo, it would be Beckham vs Owen, Henry vs van Nistelrooy.
Film posters are plastered everywhere. They have to show you what the film's like: MIB is a cool comedy, so it has Smith and Jones in their suits, complete with a 'hilarious' tagline. GTA: Vice City has helicopters, motorcycles and a load of 80's style people on the front. Get it? Games are neglecting to fill their windows of opportunity up with enticing eye-candy, instead opting for big flashy word art and an oversized picture of the lead character. And some, like Virtua Tennis 2 on the PS2, are just nasty.
Looks ARE first impressions. Much is made of graphics, despite some saying it's superficial...but really, that's what you notice first and foremost when playing. Well why not take it back a step, to what you see BEFORE you play? People rent videos, read books, watch TV shows all because 'they looked good'. Gaming is already more than a match in terms of revenue, so why not join its peers?
There's always going to be people who judge books by their covers. Someone should take advantage.
Thanks for reading.
-El
Blank wrote:
> Did I miss something here? The last I saw, Griff Rhys-Jones was doing
> Vauxhall ads.
Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones.
And the Crazy Taxi art is boring. It barely tells you anything. At least with Zelda: Majora's Mask you saw the mask. Otherwise it's just plain. Not intruiging, plain.
> Did I miss something here? The last I saw, Griff Rhys-Jones was doing
> Vauxhall ads.
Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones.
And the Crazy Taxi art is boring. It barely tells you anything. At least with Zelda: Majora's Mask you saw the mask. Otherwise it's just plain. Not intruiging, plain.
El Blokey wrote:
> MIB is a cool comedy, so it has Smith and Jones in their suits,
Did I miss something here? The last I saw, Griff Rhys-Jones was doing Vauxhall ads.
But anyway, there is a lot of off-putting box art. Like the American Resi remake. Just a picture of Jill in a corridor with a zombie latched onto her neck. Not mysterious in any way like the PAL and Japanese boxes. Just in your face rubbish. God knows which corporate exec thought it would be a good idea.
Personally I'm not affected by box art, as I do my research like a good little boy, but developers do need to give it some thought. The average schmo on the street probably will buy a game they've never heard of because of the cover.
> MIB is a cool comedy, so it has Smith and Jones in their suits,
Did I miss something here? The last I saw, Griff Rhys-Jones was doing Vauxhall ads.
But anyway, there is a lot of off-putting box art. Like the American Resi remake. Just a picture of Jill in a corridor with a zombie latched onto her neck. Not mysterious in any way like the PAL and Japanese boxes. Just in your face rubbish. God knows which corporate exec thought it would be a good idea.
Personally I'm not affected by box art, as I do my research like a good little boy, but developers do need to give it some thought. The average schmo on the street probably will buy a game they've never heard of because of the cover.
It depends on the game inside, though, doesn't it? After all, for something as simple in conception as Crazy Taxi, the last thing you want is to have a garish amalgam of parts of the game - you want it direct, and to the point, like the game itself.
However, for a game such as Zelda, you need something that can represent all the great ideas in the game, that can represent the overall feel of the game. For something hardcore in style and very quick, yet with most of the gameplay being the same, you want something that has one idea, and is direct. The logo on Crazy Taxi was crucial to this, and the little flick, seemingly unimportant, epitimised the whole feeling and ideology behind the game.
Box art needs to show the game at a less obvious level - it's simple marketing. The brain will take more notice of something more subliminal than beautifully-drawn artistry, as that art will only give you a small idea of what the game has, whereas summing it all up in simple things will clearly give the customer a better idea, especially for simpler games. It all depends on your genre, lads.
However, for a game such as Zelda, you need something that can represent all the great ideas in the game, that can represent the overall feel of the game. For something hardcore in style and very quick, yet with most of the gameplay being the same, you want something that has one idea, and is direct. The logo on Crazy Taxi was crucial to this, and the little flick, seemingly unimportant, epitimised the whole feeling and ideology behind the game.
Box art needs to show the game at a less obvious level - it's simple marketing. The brain will take more notice of something more subliminal than beautifully-drawn artistry, as that art will only give you a small idea of what the game has, whereas summing it all up in simple things will clearly give the customer a better idea, especially for simpler games. It all depends on your genre, lads.
Box art like Crazy Taxi's direct yellow approach are the best. Think of Zelda on the N64. High and pure.
Much better than all the overkilled and messy box art we see more and more.
Much better than all the overkilled and messy box art we see more and more.
Just because the last one has been engulfed by The Server That Ate The Occasional Topic:
========== ========= ========
Once you've finished admiring my delicious pun in this thread's title, I ask you to consider the shelves of your local games shop. It could be Special Reserve (lucky you) or maybe a GAME (ah well...) but either way, when you walk in you're confronted with hundreds of little DVD cases (or boxes for the consoles and old Nintendo stuff). It's hard being a game, especially if you're not in the demo pod - your only shot is if the customer comes in knowing he wants you. If not, box-art's pretty much all you've got.
When you walk into a club, you don't walk over to a girl because you noticed their sparkling personality; it's because they were wearing a low cut top. The likes of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy are your run-of-the-mill lasses...not much to look at, but they get away with it because they're funny, and intelligent and all that. However, what hope do munters have? Take Crazy Taxi on the PS2. A plain yellow background with a simple logo? Puh-lease. If someone's never played it on an arcade or DC, for all they know you could play a demented zombie taxi who, as a result of being struck by lightning, has gone insane...actually, that sounds quite good, but you see what I mean.
Ico is another great example. A fabulous game, one of the best on the PS2, everyone that plays it agrees. So what about the box-art? Well, it's quite good really. Stylish, like the game. Mysterious, yet with a clue (the two of you running). However, what about the boxart over in America? It's quite possibly the ugliest ever seen. Too complicated with a criminal blend of gold and red, Ico's big fat frowny face interspersed with horsemen and small screenshots. See that in a shop and you'd walk out in disgust.
Sports games are another area as yet unexplored, well, here in Europe anyway. In America the main basketball and American football games (Live and NBA, Madden and NFL respectively) always battle it out for simulatory supremecy. Each tries to outdo the other by getting the best player on the box. So why is it that the likes of TIF resort to getting whoever they can? Kieron bleedin' Dyer? Give me a break? No longer would it be Fifa vs Pro Evo, it would be Beckham vs Owen, Henry vs van Nistelrooy.
Film posters are plastered everywhere. They have to show you what the film's like: MIB is a cool comedy, so it has Smith and Jones in their suits, complete with a 'hilarious' tagline. GTA: Vice City has helicopters, motorcycles and a load of 80's style people on the front. Get it? Games are neglecting to fill their windows of opportunity up with enticing eye-candy, instead opting for big flashy word art and an oversized picture of the lead character. And some, like Virtua Tennis 2 on the PS2, are just nasty.
Looks ARE first impressions. Much is made of graphics, despite some saying it's superficial...but really, that's what you notice first and foremost when playing. Well why not take it back a step, to what you see BEFORE you play? People rent videos, read books, watch TV shows all because 'they looked good'. Gaming is already more than a match in terms of revenue, so why not join its peers?
There's always going to be people who judge books by their covers. Someone should take advantage.
Thanks for reading.
-El
========== ========= ========
Once you've finished admiring my delicious pun in this thread's title, I ask you to consider the shelves of your local games shop. It could be Special Reserve (lucky you) or maybe a GAME (ah well...) but either way, when you walk in you're confronted with hundreds of little DVD cases (or boxes for the consoles and old Nintendo stuff). It's hard being a game, especially if you're not in the demo pod - your only shot is if the customer comes in knowing he wants you. If not, box-art's pretty much all you've got.
When you walk into a club, you don't walk over to a girl because you noticed their sparkling personality; it's because they were wearing a low cut top. The likes of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy are your run-of-the-mill lasses...not much to look at, but they get away with it because they're funny, and intelligent and all that. However, what hope do munters have? Take Crazy Taxi on the PS2. A plain yellow background with a simple logo? Puh-lease. If someone's never played it on an arcade or DC, for all they know you could play a demented zombie taxi who, as a result of being struck by lightning, has gone insane...actually, that sounds quite good, but you see what I mean.
Ico is another great example. A fabulous game, one of the best on the PS2, everyone that plays it agrees. So what about the box-art? Well, it's quite good really. Stylish, like the game. Mysterious, yet with a clue (the two of you running). However, what about the boxart over in America? It's quite possibly the ugliest ever seen. Too complicated with a criminal blend of gold and red, Ico's big fat frowny face interspersed with horsemen and small screenshots. See that in a shop and you'd walk out in disgust.
Sports games are another area as yet unexplored, well, here in Europe anyway. In America the main basketball and American football games (Live and NBA, Madden and NFL respectively) always battle it out for simulatory supremecy. Each tries to outdo the other by getting the best player on the box. So why is it that the likes of TIF resort to getting whoever they can? Kieron bleedin' Dyer? Give me a break? No longer would it be Fifa vs Pro Evo, it would be Beckham vs Owen, Henry vs van Nistelrooy.
Film posters are plastered everywhere. They have to show you what the film's like: MIB is a cool comedy, so it has Smith and Jones in their suits, complete with a 'hilarious' tagline. GTA: Vice City has helicopters, motorcycles and a load of 80's style people on the front. Get it? Games are neglecting to fill their windows of opportunity up with enticing eye-candy, instead opting for big flashy word art and an oversized picture of the lead character. And some, like Virtua Tennis 2 on the PS2, are just nasty.
Looks ARE first impressions. Much is made of graphics, despite some saying it's superficial...but really, that's what you notice first and foremost when playing. Well why not take it back a step, to what you see BEFORE you play? People rent videos, read books, watch TV shows all because 'they looked good'. Gaming is already more than a match in terms of revenue, so why not join its peers?
There's always going to be people who judge books by their covers. Someone should take advantage.
Thanks for reading.
-El