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This week we’ve got releases big and small, but do their covers measure up to our standards of clarity, originality and amusement? Read on as we judge “Skate 2,” “SimAnimals” and more by their box art. Read more…
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This week marks the first big release of the year with “The Lord of the Rings: Conquest.” So does its cover make our cut? Find out, and see what other games’ box art couldn’t escape our scrutiny. Read more…
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Despite the slow release schedule of games in the new year, we still managed to find a few box art covers that couldn’t escape our critical eyes. Read on to see what box art we found particularly egregious this week. Read more…
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We can’t mention the best box art from 2008 without calling out the bad and the ugly, which included giant babies, men in creepy masks, pantsless women and beyond. Here are some of the worst video game covers we’ve seen this past year. Read more…
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In an effort to help box art designers, in 2008 we started judging video games by their covers. From feline baking to smiling athletes to weapon-wielding fish, this year’s best covers had it all. Here’s the best of the bunch, all taken from our weekly box art reviews throughout the year. Read more…
There aren’t many boxes left to be released this year. Do the games in this year’s final round of box art reviews stack up? Let’s find out…
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“Wordfish” (DS)
What the Box Tells Us: It’s an “outrageously fun word game.” Three fish float by amidst a few bubble-encased words with missing letters.
Pros: There are words on it. And fish. So it’s true to the title.
Cons: How can a game be “outrageously fun” if its cover is outrageously boring?
Love It or Leave It: Leave it. Read more…
Sure, all the major console games have come out, but holiday travelers still need something to play. Check out this week’s box art reviews, where we judge games by their covers, featuring newly released portable titles…
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“Dungeon Maker II: The Hidden War” (PSP)
What the Box Tells Us: A sword and a pick axe protrude out of a stone. A labyrinth, a castle and some mountains are shown in the background.
Pros: It looks like you’ll be making labyrinth-laden dungeons with that sword and pick axe in hand. And calling it “The Hidden War” makes sense; if there’s a war going on, I don’t see it.
Cons: The box art designers have also hidden the excitement that this game may hold.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it. Read more…
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.
We can’t play every game out there. So what can we tell about a game from its cover? In our weekly box art reviews, we do just that…
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“Band Manager” (PC)
What the Box Tells Us: A portly, hairy man wearing sunglasses talks on his cell phone while holding a lit cigar. He’s surrounded by stacks of money.
Pros: I didn’t really know there was a band manager stereotype until I saw this box art — and now that I see it, it’s spot-on.
Cons: But spot-on for a boy band manager. If this were any more specific, Lou Pearlman could sue… if he wasn’t in jail.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.
With the glut of games out this season, a title’s box art is more important than ever. Check out this week’s box art reviews to see which titles get picked up and which ones get “Left 4 Dead”…
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“Tomb Raider: Underworld” (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, Wii, DS)
What the Box Tells Us: A woman wearing a tank top and shorts wields two guns while what looks like mud falls off her limbs.
Pros: That belly button is sure to draw attention to this box.
Cons: Who needs a face when you’ve got a midriff? Aside from Lara having half a head, this could be any other “Tomb Raider” game.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it. Read more…
With all the titles out this season, a game’s box art could be the deciding factor on whether it goes home with the consumer. That’s why in our weekly box art reviews, we offer our swift judgment to help publishers with their designs. On deck…
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“Mirror’s Edge” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
What the Box Tells Us: A woman with a trendy haircut stands above a city full of skyscrapers.
Cons: Trendy or not, this lady looks like she put on her mascara without looking into any “mirror’s edge.”
Pros: Featuring neither men or guns (or men holding guns), this box is not like the others.
Love It or Leave It: Love it. Read more…
It’s that time of year where game publishers pull out the big guns — literally. Check out this week’s round of box art reviews, which features dudes wielding weapons of mass destruction…
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“Legendary” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
What the Box Tells Us: A man fires his weapon at a giant bird about to attack. Meanwhile, a werewolf-type thing is tearing some guy’s face off, and a minotaur is about to charge. A severed Statue of Liberty head lies in the background.
Cons: That one gun doesn’t look like it’s going to do any good against four mythical creatures.
Pros: It looks like “Cloverfield” but with way cooler monsters — and no annoying comic relief carrying video cameras that I can see.
Love It or Leave It: Love it. Read more…