During the holiday shopping season, it's more important than ever for games to stand out... in a good way. Here are the covers of this week's releases and how they fared in our weekly box art reviews...
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"Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars" (Wii)
What the Box Tells Us: A pair of mouthless, weapon-wielding mushroom men make their way through the treacherous grass, giant snake in tow.
Cons: Are the mushroom men the bad guys or the good guys? Are they going to destroy humanity as we know it?
Pros: It reminds me of movie posters from '50s sci-fi flicks, like "Them!" (though with less carnage). Still, a very cool aesthetic.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.
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"Family Party: 30 Great Games" (Wii)
What the Box Tells Us: A slew of pale-faced avatars enjoy some of the 30 great games, like soccer, log-rolling, log-cutting, archery and rope-climbing.
Pros: There's quite a variety of activities on the cover.
Cons: Of the 30, these are the best games to showcase? There's also a baseball, an apple and a brain. Not too exciting. Or great.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.
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"My Fun Facts Coach" (DS)
What the Box Tells Us: This game will provide "facts for your daily life."
Pros: It seems you can learn facts about everything from penguins to hot air balloons.
Cons: Some of the squares are cut off. What's the point of showing half or one-third of a random stock image?
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.
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"Prince of Persia" (Xbox 360, PS3)
What the Box Tells Us: A man is surrounded by the red and purple headwear he's donning. One hand is holding a sword and the other looks like a scary claw.
Pros: The box art designers used his scarf as a frame for the cover, focusing your attention on the protagonist and the title.
Cons: The angle he's leaning at looks like he's about to fall off of a ledge or trip. I hope there's someone else around to save him...
Love It or Leave It: Love it.
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"Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon"
What the Box Tells Us: A menacing alien stands at the forefront, while a chaotic alien invasion takes place in Paris and Las Vegas.
Pros: Unlike the aforementioned "Mushroom Men," it's pretty clear that the aliens are going to destroy humankind. Humankind donning bell bottoms and shaggy hair.
Cons: If you put this box next to the other three "Destroy All Humans!" titles, I couldn't tell them apart. Try straying from the formula.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.
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