Aquamarine
Member
Are you crazy? That might make it a cover that represents the GAME! Or WORSE, an ARTISTIC cover!
That's madness! If it's not a generic dudebro cover, it doesn't sell!
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Bioshock Infinite Final Box Art
- Thread starter Pranay
- Start date
Are you crazy? That might make it a cover that represents the GAME! Or WORSE, an ARTISTIC cover!
That's madness! If it's not a generic dudebro cover, it doesn't sell!
XANDER CAGE
Member
This cover sucks but come on, let's not get into COUNTRY WARZ rubbish.
These also suck, but I like the idea of a cover more similar to the Game Informer reveal cover. Hell, just use that.
Who is getting into wars? It's a serious question in view of American's gun culture. Compare US boxarts to EU or JP boxarts and most people here would unanimously agree that the latter ones generally more imaginative, artistic.
lazer_bean
Member
the real shame about this cover (and most covers) is that it's not reversible.
XANDER CAGE
Member
Er, for AAA games at the Bioshock level? No. If we were talking about JRPGs and stuff coming to the states then absolutely, there's a trend of HARDCORIFIED covers in the US. But Bioshock is 1. a shooter, so while this cover sucks a gun should probably be on it and 2. a huge, huge franchise that will be marketed as broadly as 2K can afford around the world. Do the Call of Duty games have less prominent guns in Europe? No.
Patrick Bateman
Member
The placeholder boxart was so positively refreshing with its lack of men-with-guns.
Yep, I really liked that one, too.
I think the gun love is universal for big AAA action games like this from what I can remember. Though it's been a good six years or so since I last lived in Europe, so I could be wrong.
edit: beaten badly by BigJiantRobut
Grok4Spock
Member
Wii U box art missing..
Most people would already know what the game is about either through websites or tv spots so making it so in your face is as aforementioned a testament to lack of imagination. On that assessment we both agree.
Recently, the only shooter whose cover really stood out was Resistance 3.
I remember having the same complaint about MGS4 US boxart vs JP.
EDIT: The thing about military shooters is just that they are pertain to nothing but war and conflict and involves "military". It's more apt and logical to feature a weapon there.
Aquamarine
Member
From Bioshock Infinite's lead designer, Ken Levine:
https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/244643423804596224
XANDER CAGE
Member
Except there's no gun on the cover of the US version of MGS4, and Resistance 3's cover was the same in the US as elsewhere, so your whole second amendment jab sort of doesn't make any sense.
But yes, we agree, this cover is dumb and generic dude-with-gun covers are dumb.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
LifEndz
Member
I guess pubs are scared to take a chance with an artistic cover. Guess they still haven't realized that their customers are well past the point where we bought games based on what the cover can cover (The cover of this game is a dude with a gun! Guess that means there'll be shooting in this!)
Oh well. Still hyped for the game. Next year is going to be fucking nuts...and then we get new consoles!
Oh well. Still hyped for the game. Next year is going to be fucking nuts...and then we get new consoles!
a secret-boss
Banned
At least it followed the bad ass cliche of
nintendors
Member
Can someone shop the WiiU cover in there ?
Btw they used Assassin Creed 3 color pencils
Btw they used Assassin Creed 3 color pencils
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
The hell?
XANDER CAGE
Member
You know, it's funny that Resistance 3's cover was brought up. I wonder if there's any marketing data on whether they feel it hurt or hindered (or even helped!) their marketing and sales.
No, for MGS, I should have clarified, "lack of imagination" because it only features Snake's face.
And I mentioned R3 boxart because unlike most it does something different despite being a fps.
And pertaining to CoD or BF, those games are all about guns, war and military. It makes more sense to feature guns there. But a game like Bioshock is far more different because it's in a different genre (of story not gameplay).
johnathon holmes of destructoid thinks late 3rd party ports show cracks in the wii u. levine responds that there isn't even a port planned at this point.
Levine's comment comes after the ---
MrCookiepants
Member
Those all look shit.
XANDER CAGE
Member
You're sorta moving the goalposts now. You asked if second amendment love fueled lack of imagination in game covers in the US, then proceeded to list games that don't have guns on the cover. Yeah, Snake's face was a dumb MGS4 cover. I don't think it's a great example for your initial question/argument.
But yes, we're in total agreement on that second point. Like I posted earlier, this cover only tells us one or two things about the game and ignores a whole bunch of what actually makes the game interesting.
Sickboy007
Member
Lens flare on a boxart? Oh the humanity...
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
Bioshock 1 and 2's boxarts shit on this.
Bjoern the Smexy
Member
I like it. I'm glad I already preordered the super big whatever-it's-called edition with the huge-ass songbird figure.
XANDER CAGE
Member
Honestly if Ken Levine tied me up at plasmid-point with the bee-swarm power and told me to endorse either the official cover or an amateur-hour graphic design student cover I'd take the bees.
Meh
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
This game needs to sell (because of its budget and because of what it represents) so they can put whatever terrible focus-grouped shit on the cover that they want.
Perhaps what I did constitutes moving goal post but considering that MGS was not game made in US, rather Japan (and it's not a fps, and I have no idea whether they outsourced to some firm in US to design the US boxart), I should in my initial post mentioned that the "explicit" gun imagery is attached to games that are made in US.
I was arguing on two separate fronts.
PS: I love guns. I know they are serve no other purpose than hurting or killing. But, I love the science behind it, the ballistic data and spend hours on imfdb.org researching statistics
XANDER CAGE
Member
Perhaps what I did constitutes moving goal post but considering that MGS was not game made in US, rather Japan (and it's not a fps, and I have no idea whether they outsourced to some firm in US to design the US boxart), I should in my initial post mentioned that the "explicit" gun imagery is attached to games that are made in US.
I was arguing on two separate fronts.
PS: I love guns. I know they are serve no other purpose than hurting or killing. But, I love the science behind it, the ballistic data and spend hours on imfdb.org researching statistics
Oh, for games made in the US? Sure, lots of gun imagery there, but that's because shooters are an incredibly popular genre in the US. What confused me in your initial argument was "compared to EU and JP covers", as if many shooters elsewhere had more imaginative covers.
The Praiseworthy
Member
It should have been better than this...
JordanLMiller
Member
Wow, that's terrible.
"God's Beard!"
Member
Really? You guys are bitching about this? It's an awesome poster art-style piece. It's also the best composition out of any of the official works so far. It's instantly readable, tons of saturated colors, you've got some of the game themes going on here in the background.
Sure, the songbird and floating cities probably would have been more awesome than a protagonist you'll never see, but this is a few steps above a generic dudebro cover.
Also. People are confusing "having orange and blue in the background" with an orange and blue color scheme, which this isn't.
Sure, the songbird and floating cities probably would have been more awesome than a protagonist you'll never see, but this is a few steps above a generic dudebro cover.
Also. People are confusing "having orange and blue in the background" with an orange and blue color scheme, which this isn't.
grimshawish
Banned
It is a generic dudebro cover.
Sadly... this is one technique to draw in more casuals to play the game.
I doubt that there will be very many people who will NOT buy this game just because of the game's cover, but there will be plenty of people who WILL look at this and buy it just because of the cover...
And yes, what I just said makes sense.
I don't despise the cover, but it should have included Elizabeth in there.
I doubt that there will be very many people who will NOT buy this game just because of the game's cover, but there will be plenty of people who WILL look at this and buy it just because of the cover...
And yes, what I just said makes sense.
I don't despise the cover, but it should have included Elizabeth in there.
Well... (and it's an example with an abysmal game XD)
US cover:
JP cover:
It looks like to appeal to the market here, which you so correctly described as a one that is ripe for shooters, they have had to emphasize the fire arm.
I was just demagoguing pertaining to second amendment right but it may very well be down the gun culture that may have to do with love for gun imagery. And the part about being in your face (the second argument) makes me feel (and this has been discussed before) that illustrators think it's explicitly obvious, then the message may not get through.
The Dutch Slayer
Member
HOLY SHIT CAN NOT UNSEE! :O