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This round of box art reviews focuses on the big portable releases that came out this week. See how their covers stack up.
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"Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" (DS)
What the Box Tells Us: A guy on a motorcycle. Two angry dudes. A dagger. A guy with a freshly used gun. A woman with a sword. A guy getting kicked in the face. A guy with a gun.
Pros: Like other "GTA" boxes, this version sticks to the formula. It also means you can expect angry dudes, guns and the stealing of automobiles.
Cons: But what's different about this game besides the setting and the platform? Doesn't say much.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.
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"Resistance Retribution" (PSP)
What the Box Tells Us: A man with a gun and a badass leather jacket stands there facing the Eiffel Tower, the wasteland that was formerly known as Paris, and a dead alien thing apparently killed by a headshot.
Cons: Using the monochromatic color scheme makes me feel kind of blue.
Pros: But the monochromatic color actually works in that I can see all the detail in the artwork, including the aforementioned Tower, wasteland and dead alien.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.
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"Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure" (DS)
What the Box Tells Us: An old man wields a sword and a cup of tea while standing on a pile of colored blocks. A bridge is in the background with a purple thing on one end and an angry screaming man on the other.
Pros: The title says it all, but the box art designers at EA went the extra mile to show you a bit of the puzzles, the adventure and even more of Henry Hatsworth's hat, so aptly placed on top of his name. If I didn't know anything about this game, I'd buy it just for the fact that he's holding a teacup and a sword.
Cons: I might be encouraged to try to use my stylus and drink a cup of tea at the same time. Probably not a good idea.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.
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"Suikoden Tierkreis" (DS)
What the Box Tells Us: Absolutely nothing, with a bunch of words I can't pronounce or even read.
Pros: If you're familiar with the series, the name alone -- set on a black background -- will grab you.
Cons: If you're not, it's just a bunch of words on a black background. Not very exciting, and it seems like there was no effort made here.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.
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"Men of War" (PC)
What the Box Tells Us: A poorly lit soldier is in the foreground as tanks cause explosions, parachutes make their way down and planes fly overhead.
Pros: The game's all-too-literal title is portrayed quite literally.
Cons: Why is the soldier's face obscured by darkness? Is he a mannequin? A zombie? Something inhuman? The cover, like its title, evokes no other feeling than "Oh, another war game." And I only see one man, by the way.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.
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