In our weekly box art reviews, we judge games based on their looks. And no game is safe from being called out as good, bad or just plain ugly...

"Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS)
What the Box Tells Us: The Force you saw before in the "Star Wars" movies? That Force was on a leash. But get ready for the unbridled power of... Midi-chlorians?
Cons: Is it me or does the guy on the cover look awkward holding his lightsaber like that? Do Force-wielders usually put their sabers away when using Force lightning? It's like running with scissors.
Pros: Stormtroopers being zapped and blown away like ragdolls? Yes, please.
Love It or Leave It: Love it. Read more...

Not all box art is created equal. That's why in our weekly box art reviews, we bring the hammer of judgment down upon new releases. On deck...

"TNA iMPACT!" (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2)
What the Box Tells Us: Not sure if there's TNA, but there's definitely iMPACT! A bunch of burly-looking men strike menacing poses on the cover of this wrestling title.
Pros: Wrestling is no laughing matter, I'm sure, but this cover made me giggle. I love the grill that says "impact" on that guy's teeth. And the guy flying in the air about to elbow somebody else in the face is a nice touch.
Cons: The mist on the box seems arbitrarily placed -- a smoke screen perhaps? Is wrestling trying to hide something? Because it's totally real, right?
Love It or Leave It: Love it. Read more...

In "Judged by the Cover," we pass judgment on games according to the cover of their boxes, not by their content. See which games this week will get picked up or passed up:

"My Dream Job: Babysitter" (PC)
What the Box Tells Us: Forget doctor, lawyer or astronaut: A girl can now finally have the job of her dreams -- babysitting seven kids.
Pros: With "Come & Play" on the box, the game looks to be fun for its target demographic -- until the runaway baby carriage hits that stray beach ball.
Cons: Something seems off about the proportions of the children. The baby on the bottom left looks humongous, as does the "toddler" with his hands in his pockets. The box doesn't mention anything about babysitting kids with Gigantism.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it. Read more...

Game boxes can tell us so much... or so little. In this week's "Judged by the Cover," we attempt to see what games are worth our time based only on their box art:

"Mario Super Sluggers" (Wii)
What the Box Tells Us: It's Mario baseball. The box shows a scene from the game, where Bowser super-slugs one of Peach's pitches. But of course, the portly plumber leaps into the air and catches it for an out. Nice.
Pros: Interesting visuals. While the center of attention is on Mario, it subtly shows the variety of characters that will be in the game by putting them in the background (Yoshi, Birdo, Lakitu, etc.)
Cons: Is there ever a Mario game where Peach doesn't look bewildered and about to be kidnapped?
Love It or Leave It: Love it.

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Okay, so maybe we're not great at making our own box art (hey, you try squeezing in as many names as you can), but we do regularly take it upon ourselves to judge new releases solely on their appearances, regardless of their content.

First up, the much-talked about "Too Human" ...

"Too Human" (Xbox 360)
What the Box Tells Us: This guy isn't just human, he's too human. So much so that his eyes and the veins in his forehead glow bright blue. Wait, what?
Pros: The glowy blue veins are a point of interest...
Cons: But nothing else is. I can barely see the shadowy figure and the mountain/Cloud City background.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it. Read more...

From big-budget games to indie titles, no box art ever gets a free pass. In this week's "Judged By The Cover," we start with a little sports game no one's ever heard of...

"Madden NFL 09" (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox, DS)
What the Box Tells Us: I don't know too much about football, but I did hear that this box art was already old before the game came out. (You know, since cover athlete Brett Favre was traded from the Packers to the Jets.)
Pros: Packers fans have a momento to remember Brett by, and Jets fans can have their own cover. Either way, Brett for everyone.
Cons: Jets or Packers, to me it's still the same as every other "Madden" cover I've ever seen.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.

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In our weekly round of box art reviews, we look at the good, the bad and the ugly game covers -- so you don't have to. On deck...

"Little League World Series Baseball 2008" (Wii, DS)
What the Box Tells Us: The pitcher is cross-eyed, the umpire is cross-eyed (angry too?), the catcher looks sleepy and the batter is about to wet his pants in fear. No one on this cover is having any fun.
Pros: In other words, it accurately portrays being in real Little League.
Cons: If that's true, why would you want to bring this home?
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.

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If games are only as good as their box art, then a lot of titles are in trouble. In our weekly round of box art reviews, everything from low-budget games to best-selling blockbusters gets judged by their covers:

"Air Traffic Chaos" (DS)
What the Box Tells Us: The "chaos" of an air traffic controller's job -- keeping planes from crashing into each other -- would make a fun DS game. I mean, look at that guy: he's got a huge, shiny grin on his face as he proudly proclaims, "I am an air traffic controller!" You know, in case you weren't sure who he was.
Pros: It makes a seemingly mundane job look like it could be fun.
Cons: The cover sends mixed messages. Why is the guy smiling amidst the "chaos"?
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.
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No cover art is safe from our hasty judgment. Really, box art designers... it's for your own good:

"NCAA Football 09 All-Play" (Wii)
What the Box Tells Us: Forget beefy cover athletes in mid-run with pigskin clutched tightly in hand; it's time for the mascots to rule. For the Wii version of "NCAA Football 09," a cartoony Spartan (Michigan State's Sparty) graces the cover with finger triumphantly pointed upward. Will I get to play as mascots? Either way,this particular sports cover stands out among the rest.
Pros: A nice change from the typical cover athlete.
Cons: At first, I thought it was a Mii.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.

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We don't review games here. Just their covers. Someone's gotta tell the publishers what their box art says to consumers. And that someone is us...

"Purr Pals" (Wii)
What the Box Tells Us: See these newborn kittens? They have a look of utter fright on their faces. Why? Because they are about to get murdered. Murdered, and then baked into bread. If you read the box closely, the bottom text says, "40 adorable kitten breads to choose from." That's right -- breads. It's a kitten-bread-baking game!
Pros: Mmmm, kitten bread. Great with butter and strawberry jam.
Cons: PETA, you better get on this one.
Love It or Leave It: I can't help but love it. (Sorry kittens.)

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