Box Art Used to be So Much Better
- Thread starter Walshicus
- Start date
neopokekun
Member
There is an interview with the artist, Roger Dean, in the latest issue (#50) of Retro Gamer. Dean is doing an artbook that will feature his game related works, it will be released in September.Infernal Monkey said:
I certainly miss when most covers were hand-drawn art, rather than renders/digital art. Obviously not all of them were good, but there was some great art back then.
I know it's mostly older titles, and that 80s style [which is awesome] but seeing as people are posting SNES covers as well, I have to post the Super Metroid art.
I know it's mostly older titles, and that 80s style [which is awesome] but seeing as people are posting SNES covers as well, I have to post the Super Metroid art.
Kitschkraft
Member
Kulock said:
Thanks...
Full 3d remake needs to come along!
Dark Octave
Banned
:lol Most of the OP's choices for box art don't look all that great.
Infernal Monkey
Member
neopokekun said:
Whoa, thanks for the heads up!
charlequin
Banned
RevenantKioku said:
This whole discussion basically breaks down very similarly to the one about album covers. There are three major factors that have changed over time. First, who's making the covers: it used to be subsets of the same people making the games, now it's a marketing department art-directing contracted artists, much of the time. Second, it's the target canvas: giant cardboard sleeves free of any detritus vs. tiny DVD cover boxes half filled with system trade dress, ESRB ratings, and other such stuff.
Anyway, what's really missing from this here thread is Electronic Arts box covers. Not "EA," mind you -- covers from back in the early days when the company's purpose was to credit individual designers and they purposely created packaging that was intended to evoke the album cover "feel":
TheJollyCorner
Member
Kandrick said:
believe me, I have my fair share of nostalgic hang-ups, but shit... that was embarrassingly horrible.
the game itself? Well, I admit that punching bats and rocks is pretty awesome.
You know about this, right?Sir Fragula said:
It's an attempt to make an Albion-themed MMO. Originally they just wanted to do a sequel, IIRC. Commendable, but given the scope of the project I doubt it'll provide an Albion successor before the sun turns into a red star. Even then there's always the monetary constraints... Running a MMO costs quite a bit.
Ah well. I'm just being my usual pessimistic self. We'll see. I'm rooting for the team.
KingOfF00LS
Member
I'll never understand the importance I see placed on the appearance of the box on this site.
dsmoke1986
Member
CowGirl said:
LOL, This is a great one...My god, that is good stuff, I forgot how crappy those Capcom games Box Art was back in the day....Where's Gunsmoke, and Section Z??
dsmoke1986
Member
HoTHiTTeR said:holy shit that's awesome!Do want Starman shirt.
Yeah, those are tight, he's been rocking them for a couple months now...
dsmoke1986
Member
I used to think that this box art was hot...Wow, the times have changed, :lol
Olaeh said:
So here we have a single cover that steals from no less than five movies. We've got the Legend guy as goatboy, Schwarzenegger from Commando as the guy on the right, a mildly resketched stormtrooper on the left side...I'm sure the monkey is from a Planet of the Apes poster, and the other guy looks familiar and I'm sure is from a publicity still as well. Probably Rambo.
And modern box art is "too commercial"? :lol
Goodfortexas
Banned
Interesting similarities....
JasonUresti
Member
Goodfortexas said:
Interesting similarities....
Well, thats how the scene is described in the book.
Pureauthor
Member
Goodfortexas said:
Interesting similarities....
*facepalm*
Pureauthor
Member
dp.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
This thread really shows how homogenized modern box art has become.
straydog1980
Banned
charlequin said:
i came in this thread to post these two images....
thank you!!
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
The Roger Dean artwork is amazing at least. I hunted down both Shadow of the Beast and Fatal Rewind for the Genesis just because they included posters of the box-art.
I agree with the general sentiment. Actual hand-rendered artwork on a cover is a million times better than the 3D renders which befoul 95% of today's covers.
A similar phenomenon happened with the movie industry; where once nearly every movie poster was a painting or a more design-oriented representation of the movie, now they're almost entirely photocollages of the movies' stars. It's depressing and nauseating to look at a chronological collection of movie posters and see it gradually morph from well-rendered, interesting art pieces to a bunch of headshots thrown together in photoshop.
A similar phenomenon happened with the movie industry; where once nearly every movie poster was a painting or a more design-oriented representation of the movie, now they're almost entirely photocollages of the movies' stars. It's depressing and nauseating to look at a chronological collection of movie posters and see it gradually morph from well-rendered, interesting art pieces to a bunch of headshots thrown together in photoshop.
abstract alien
Member
wow, thats pretty manly....fighting goat satan with no shirtOlaeh said:
greatness +1
POWERSPHERE
Member
What the hell?!? Not even ONE Atari 2600 box???? Seeing as they had no graphics to tell the story, the box art was where they unleashed their visual brilliance, often with amazing oil painting genius. Sooooo rad. I'd love to find out who the artist responsible for the earlier paintings was, they're so great! The best part of the game, usually...
Even their catalogs ruled!
Even their catalogs ruled!
...McDonaldland?
And one of my top five favorite box arts:
I don't really even like VI all that much, and this is pretty amazing IMO, and I don't really know why.
Japanese box-arts back then used to be so amazing. Never really felt much for Western ones back then, but some of the ones posted here have changed my mind.
And one of my top five favorite box arts:
I don't really even like VI all that much, and this is pretty amazing IMO, and I don't really know why.
Japanese box-arts back then used to be so amazing. Never really felt much for Western ones back then, but some of the ones posted here have changed my mind.