Just received the Bloodborne artbook too. I knew from this thread that the book would be softcover, and that was a disappointment, but at least I expected some quality to it. Nope, it's the cheapest shit imaginable. What the hell happened? I'd have gladly paid 5-10 bucks more for something that doesn't look like it belongs to a 50 cent notebook.
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Artbooks - The Best And The Worst
- Thread starter hampig
- Start date
SgtWiggles
Member
Anyone who ordered that Persona 4 Artbook from Amazon UK hear anything else about it yet?
I noticed they went from having it in stock to being backordered so I'm assuming they must have had some stock, but mine has been sitting on Estimated from July 20th to August 1 since I have ordered it. And since I didn't pick an expedited shipping I figured if it was coming it would have to ship very soon.
I noticed they went from having it in stock to being backordered so I'm assuming they must have had some stock, but mine has been sitting on Estimated from July 20th to August 1 since I have ordered it. And since I didn't pick an expedited shipping I figured if it was coming it would have to ship very soon.
ChasingComets
Member
I've had a copy ordered since May that has already been delayed once from June to end July, so I'm guessing it's backordered and they simply don't have any stock of it right now.
Randy Monk
Member
I haven't opened mine, bought from Kinokuniya, thinking about returning for refund or store credit. I love bloodborne but refuse to reward companies who put out sub par products compared to the past.
I think the publisher thought they could get away with it since bloodborne has such a fanatical fan base.
sublimit
Banned
show me your skeleton
Member
ordered that too, cannot wait. then it'll be bravely default i think.And this morning my wife says, "Oh my package from Amazon is here! Maybe you should open it?"
Tactics Ogre Art Works.
Edit: can't seem to post pics from phone.
miller.skippins
Banned
from what i've heard, the japanese version is better.
i got the japanese version..it's softcover as well but the texture of the cover seems 'leathery' and apparently the US version doesn't and paper quality is worse than the jp counterpart?
The past Design Works are certainly better, and cheaper on top of that. Had the quality been identical to the Japanese edition, I really couldn't have blamed Udon that much; but it seems like they made it even worse, and I'm not okay with that.
A picture is worth more than many words. I guess you have (or have had) one of these at home:
The quality is not so distant, and the cover doesn't have any particular texture or anything, except for the title and the Udon logo. It's all very plain. Besides, the color being very dark, imperfections are easily visible, especially on the borders.
Yep, as I said above, it's very basic. The paper isn't so bad, but it's certainly thinner than in the Souls series artbooks.
Just opened up my copy of the art of Splatoon last night.
Ugh, I might have bitten off more than I can chew. I don't think I really grasped what I was getting into here.
I conveniently forgot that it's a hardcover book that's over 300 pages. Just glancing at it, and it's full of just about everything ever made for Splatoon 1 (+ some promo stuff for 2). It's got 2d art, 3d art, all of the weapons, all of the gear, art for splatfests, every twitter and tumbler post they put out for the game prior to and after release, all of the sunken scrolls, stuff for all of the stages, all of the enemies, all of the discarded designs for Callie and Marie...
It has a bit about the kinds of fruit grown in the greenhouse stage and when inklings like to eat them! It's insane!
Ugh, I might have bitten off more than I can chew. I don't think I really grasped what I was getting into here.
I conveniently forgot that it's a hardcover book that's over 300 pages. Just glancing at it, and it's full of just about everything ever made for Splatoon 1 (+ some promo stuff for 2). It's got 2d art, 3d art, all of the weapons, all of the gear, art for splatfests, every twitter and tumbler post they put out for the game prior to and after release, all of the sunken scrolls, stuff for all of the stages, all of the enemies, all of the discarded designs for Callie and Marie...
It has a bit about the kinds of fruit grown in the greenhouse stage and when inklings like to eat them! It's insane!
Lord of Ostia
Member
Yeah the Splatoon book is incredibly thorough, it's fantastic. I love the promotional manga at the back too.
UnluckyKate
Member
I'm super disapointed as well. I've been waiting for this book for almost 2 years now and I gave up the idea of importing it when Udon announced the US version. After months and months of delays... Damnit what a disapointement.
Paper is so cheap. There is NO text, not a single commentary not a single explaning, design comments, anything... So what took 2 years to bring it here ?
Also, the art is... bare bone... I love my artbook with design iterations, trials and errors, but here it's just a display of what we got in game. It feels like an asset catalog and sometimes these assets are not even properly printed or the source material not so great in quality...
I mean, the bosses pages are so sad... HERE, a drawing of Rom. What's the lore, the idea behind it, the first iterations, the functions, the moves ? Well stop asking questions. For Paarl we got 2 diagrams of his skeleton and weirdly, Ebrietas got a double page of her T-pose front, side and back...
That's pretty interesting. I assumed it would be the same as the Japanese version but it sounds like there might be more to it? Does it have art for the later Splatfests too, like the Pokémon one?
The Bloodborne artbook really is a major disappointment. Had it ordered because I decided to spend my money on something else since I was not allowed apparently to buy the Nier Automata soundtrack on Amazon.de, so I got the artbook instead.
Did not live up to expectations.
Way below even.
Did not live up to expectations.
Way below even.
Not to mention, one of the artists in the office I showed the book to complained how bad many of the background colour selections was so that it clearly showed how they had copied the art from another file and not bothered to clean the pictures (you can see bits of white around a bunch of pictures).
No, the art for splatfests is pretty limited. I think it's just from the Japanese ones. Bread/Rice, Fox/Tanooki, Lemon Tea/Milk Tea, etc. I don't know what the Japanese artbook has in it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was just the same as this.
From that point of view I am not disappointed, since I already knew how it would be as I'd seen some scans online a few months ago, and the Design Works are very similar in format. Indeed, the lack of commentary is a shame, but I'm more interested in the art.
I also knew the Japanese version has what little is written both in Japanese and in English, so the language was never a problem. I didn't buy it simply because it was cheaper to just wait for the "translated" edition, and I was in no hurry to own the book. Had I been aware of the difference in quality, I'd have done things differently.
Any examples? I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Art of Splatoon is amazing. It is probably the most colorful artbook I've ever seen. They packed this thing with everything they thought of right from the start. Every character, stage, weapon, clothing, etc. and all their concept sketches and notes, all there from beginning to the final creation. Really remarkable.
I personally think the Capcom Fighting Tribute is good but because it's fan art YMMV in regards to your personal taste with the artist they featured. The only thing I don't like is that more than half of the book is Street Fighter focused.
I personally think the Capcom Fighting Tribute is good but because it's fan art YMMV in regards to your personal taste with the artist they featured. The only thing I don't like is that more than half of the book is Street Fighter focused.
Page 211, Living Failure, look around the edges of the figure.
LOL, I still had to get there. Yeah, that's pretty bad. Fortunately that awful background color is just for the Old Hunters part. Weird choice.
sleazefrenzy
Member
Anyone here have any hands on with the Nier: Automata World Guide & Strategy Guide art books?
Obviously they're all in Japanese but if the art is substantial I might be tempted to import.
Obviously they're all in Japanese but if the art is substantial I might be tempted to import.
StrangeRoboMemory
Member
I have the world guide, it's absolutely not worth it at all...90% just screenshots from the game, screenshots of the in-game map, and some basic character art.
sleazefrenzy
Member
Damn, well thanks for saving me £20.
boneyjangles
Member
My first and only game artwork book arrived - Bloodborne Offical Artworks.
Maybe my expectations were too high, I was expecting a more of a nice tome. It's flimsy paper back, the stock is poor, the layout and design sucks, the content is sub-par. Waste of money.
Maybe my expectations were too high, I was expecting a more of a nice tome. It's flimsy paper back, the stock is poor, the layout and design sucks, the content is sub-par. Waste of money.
Captain N. Tenneal
Member
Art of Splatoon is excellent! Jam-packed with content, and is a hardcover with high quality paper. They even translated the fun little comics at the back of the japanese version, and added a few extra pages at the very back with some promotional art for Splatoon 2. Highly recommend!
Bloodborne -- well, it's been stated enough on here. It's just such a disappointing release, the game deserves better.
Bloodborne -- well, it's been stated enough on here. It's just such a disappointing release, the game deserves better.
Nocturnowl
Member
This thread has done well to inform me to skip the Bloodborne book, much like I had to pass on Dark Souls 1's book for being underwhelming as well, Souls ain't getting much luck here (though I hear 2 was solid I think)
Waiting on Splatoon to arrive, it's been a quiet time on the artbook front for me but they're slowly getting back into the mix, looking forward to Overwatch and Shovel Knight later in the year.
Waiting on Splatoon to arrive, it's been a quiet time on the artbook front for me but they're slowly getting back into the mix, looking forward to Overwatch and Shovel Knight later in the year.
tiebreaker
Member
Based on the impressions here, The Art of Splatoon is what I want to see from an Artbook.
That's why I've been skipping Soul's artbooks as they all seem pretty barebone to me.
That's why I've been skipping Soul's artbooks as they all seem pretty barebone to me.
Oof. Thanks for the review, was going to pick this up. There are tons of great artbioks dont fret
Ok here are some images from the 'All about Street Fighter III New Gen' Artbook.
Album link;
https://imgur.com/a/8W58s
Enjoy!
Album link;
https://imgur.com/a/8W58s
Enjoy!
Hades Hotgun
Banned
show me your skeleton
Member
whelp, never played splatoon but i definitely need that art book.
anyway, as bloodbourne's seems so disappointing, has anyone got any opinion of the bravely default art book?
also anyone have any idea what's going on with the persona 5 english release?
anyway, as bloodbourne's seems so disappointing, has anyone got any opinion of the bravely default art book?
also anyone have any idea what's going on with the persona 5 english release?
Can confirm, by far the best of the three. If one wanted a Souls artbook, I'd recommend that one no doubt.
Yeah I agree, it's quite something. It doesn't contain all the stages and weapons from the DLC though, right? A slight blemish on an otherwise great product.
Speaking of Nintendo art books in case anyone else was waiting for this one: the Super Mario Encyclopedia that originally was released in 2015 in Japan and that was supposed to come in localized form in June seems to either have been cancelled or (hopefully just) delayed depending on whether you check the English version on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de, both of which now list "unavailable", or the German version on Amazon.de which has a September 27th release date now.
The weirdest part is that Amazon.uk has gone back and forth on listing the book as available for preorder as well, even going so far as to cancel the initial preorders before making the book available and then unavailable again within weeks.
I really hope well see this book as it seems to be the only Mario art book in existence pretty much as far as books go that have those great classic 2D pieces of art as well. If anyone has more info to share on it, such as publisher info, please do.
Dark Souls 1 book is good, it's just small. It's leagues better than the Bloodborne art book, which is now the worst standalone video game art book I own. The slapdash job with the art book stands out all the more considering how carefully crafted the game is.
Very excited to get the Splatoon book soon. It sounds amazing.
PrinnyBomb
Member
This thread has inspired me to get the Splatoon art book. Glad it was worth the wait, could've sworn it came out in Japan like two years ago
Artbook made by B-Team confirmed.
Sumio Mondo
Member
Tactics Ogre artbook is probably my favourite artbook that I own. The illustrations are so beautiful and it's easily one of Akihiko Yoshida's best works as a game artist (also a big fan of Metal Gear AC!D artist Tsubasa Masao as well, who did the PSP remake redrawn art). 10/10 on the layout of the book too. I wish Vagrant Story received such an artbook, same for Crimson Shroud & the other Ogre Saga games (Ogre Battle 64 had some really good character art).
show me your skeleton
Member
yeah i received it a few days ago and it's beautiful. i wish final fantasy tactics and final fantasy xii had art books, especially with the recent rerelease.
With this, I don't agree. The quality may be better (hardcover, etc), but there really is too little content, the developer commentary is almost as lacking as in the BB artbook, and I don't think the interview at the end is enough to make up for it. At least the BB artbook is pretty thorough when it comes to the art itself.
pennypincher
Member
I am pretty happy with the Sonic Art Book by C&B Amsterdam.
UnluckyKate
Member
Is there a good FF XII illustration book ? I'm in the remaster and my god I wish all this amazing art was detailled somewhere with good commentary
Sumio Mondo
Member
Doesn't seem like it. :/
Now there's a game that deserves that treatment.
EDIT: Apparently there is:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ULTXPM/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Seems like the CG artwork though, don't see any Yoshida art in there going by the images on Amazon.
UnluckyKate
Member
50 pages only ? Bummer...
UnluckyKate
Member
First rule of artbook : don't buy special edition for their artbook. They are small.
You want to buy separate, full size, 200+ pages artbooks.
You want this :
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616559276/?tag=neogaf0e-20
cj_iwakura
Member
The Ultimania would probably be your best bet.
I sometimes get strategy guides because they double as art books.
The ultimania does have a lot of good stuff in it, I can confirm.
I'll also say DO NOT buy the FF12 Zodiac Age guide if you want art... actually don't buy it at all. It's rubbish in every way.