Best Videogame Cover Art of all time?

Originally posted by Kazenji

Originally posted by Frisky Dingo
Is this some kind of joke?! Doom is not amused 😠

That is quite honestly one of the worst, most boring covers of them all. You need to play more fighters, chap. For one, that sort of background is overused and looks rather cheap in this day and age. Next up, the art and style isn't really that good, looks like mediocre fan art. 3rd, the characters don't even look like they're drewn by the same person, the entire cover looks like a cut and paste job. Not to mention a painful lack of "epicness", the background's a bright light yet has no dynamic affects on the characters.

Agreed. That SSB cover is phuckin' lame yo. And it's really sad cuz the tech to do a better job is available. That shit looks like it took all of 5 minutes to make. I put that in the same boat with SSFIV cover.

Still, my A2 cover beats the A3 cover hands down. When your cover is inspiration for Scott Pilgrim's, call me. EAT IT, art snob!

Another Classic

[h+]³ all the way for me. The standard edition cover is perhaps the coolest I've ever seen. In my case my eyes are first drawn to Adam, then the title of the game, then to the shards of glass with scenes and people reflected in them. These shards then lead me downwards to the producers of the game.

I want that guy's jacket... 😛

This is one of my favorites.

Originally posted by Peach
The characters in the SSBB cover look like they do in the game. They all originally come from different games with different art styles, and that fact was retained for SSBB's art style. And in fact the bright lighting of the background is reflected on the characters. See those shadows and highlights? Yeah.

Whereas a jumble of random characters, all colored the same, placed in such a way where if you're lucky you can see half a face, and a mediocre logo slapped in the middle covering up most of it...no, there's absolutely no way that's a good design at all. Nor is a bunch of faded images superimposed over a face; that looks like some newbie teenager just got Photoshop and is freaking out over being able to use layers.

A jumbled mess is not epic.

Seriously, this is basic stuff. Things you'd learn in any standard "art for beginners" class that everyone takes in high school.

They didn't need to make the art style uniform, but they did a lazy job of placing all the characters on the cover properly to make it appears as if it were single game and not compilation disc. And I said "DYNAMIC" affects, not just affects. The lighting in the background leaves a very poor and uninteresting shine and shadow on the characters. It's amazing how you could think this is a "good" example since SSBB's cover is widely considered trash. 😂

You pretty much just Parroted what the other person said and thus, you are wrong. 🙁

The "art for beginners class" you attended must have been poorly funded. Damn budget cuts! 😠

Originally posted by No End N Site

Still, my A2 cover beats the A3 cover hands down. When your cover is inspiration for Scott Pilgrim's, call me. EAT IT, art snob!

Cover ART is subjective my friend, you would do well to remember that. And since when was Scott Pilgrim the decider of anything not related to SP?

And I am not a "snob"! You blind fool!

Indeed, he's not a snob. He doesn't get art at all.

The reason Peach's post resembled mine is because we're both art majors who understand what we're talking about. Peach is a graphic designer, I'm a game designer. I've had to design covers for game concepts myself.

How do you define "dynamic" lighting? Because it seems you don't understand the concept. Especially as your vaunted A3 cover has no uniform light source, making the combination of characters scattered and messy.

And for the record, the A2 cover is indeed better. Good use of contrasting colors, and the logo isn't covering anyone's face.

Originally posted by Bladewind
[h+]³ all the way for me. The standard edition cover is perhaps the coolest I've ever seen. In my case my eyes are first drawn to Adam, then the title of the game, then to the shards of glass with scenes and people reflected in them. These shards then lead me downwards to the producers of the game.

Widely considered trash among who, exactly? Come on, back up your statements. Considered 'trash' among professionals, or among SF fanboys?

The artwork for the A3 cover looks like it was drawn with being a poster in mind. It would work quite well as a poster, in fact. At a large size, while it would still be cluttered, you could at least differentiate all of the different characters. It wouldn't change the fact that they're so very haphazardly placed, half the characters are barely visible because they're hidden behind someone else, everyone has their own light source, and there's absolutely no flow to it whatsoever, but it would be better.

The logo placement, however, really kills it. It's as if the art was designed with no thought at all as to where the logo was going to go, and the logo was just slapped on in the middle of the image. It's covering half of Cammy's face, FFS. Now, if the logo had been placed in the lower left corner, framing the Capcom logo, then it would work much better. It wouldn't save the cluttered mess that is the artwork, but at least the logo wouldn't hide half the art.

And what, praytell, 'dynamic' effects is lighting supposed to have other than highlights and shadows?

Art is subjective, but use of design elements in an image and how they work together is not. You can like something all you like, but if it doesn't properly utilize the important elements of a design, then it's not a good design, period. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad piece of art, but the art itself is only one part of being a design.

But hey, you know, I only have extensive training in this sort of thing and get paid to do graphic design, and have designed game covers before (among a slew of other things). What could I possibly know?

--

The Deus Ex cover is great, and I like that someone other than me has actually posted reasoning as to why they like something. Sound, logic-based reasoning, too, other than "it looks pretty"!

Transformers is nice, but I feel that style is a bit of an overdone trend at the moment. Unfortunately the background is a bit too washed out, but it does do a good job at making the logo and Optimus stand out. Also the lens flare irritates the hell out of me, but at least it's not a Photoshop filter one and is decently done 😛 It's just too overpowering.

I was in art school but I don't think that makes any person more "right" or wrong in this case, people are generally going to choose the cover to the game they like more. With few exceptions.

This is no different than the "best console" or "best game" threads. It just becomes a fan war.

So then I'll just quote this again -

Art is subjective, but use of design elements in an image and how they work together is not. You can like something all you like, but if it doesn't properly utilize the important elements of a design, then it's not a good design, period. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad piece of art, but the art itself is only one part of being a design.

There is more to a piece of cover art than the actual artwork itself. Art is part of a design, but only one part of it.

Quite a few games that have covers I've slammed I like, and a few that I like a lot I either don't like the game itself that much, or I haven't played it. Believe it or not, people can look at this sort of thing objectively.

Originally posted by Tha C-Master
I was in art school but I don't think that makes any person more "right" or wrong in this case, people are generally going to choose the cover to the game they like more. With few exceptions.

This is no different than the "best console" or "best game" threads. It just becomes a fan war.

Opinions on the games themselves shouldn't matter here. The title seems to be referring to an objective artistic basis, not subjective favoritism. Given that, some covers are going to be objectively better than others, people's opinions on the games themselves be damned.

I like these.

inFamous 2 also has good art in Europe. And I always thought Majora's Mask's art was kind of cool, despite how plain it seems to be.

Oh, here's a picture of inFamous 2's art.

Here's another favorite of mine.

Originally posted by Peach
So then I'll just quote this again -

There is more to a piece of cover art than the actual artwork itself. Art is part of a design, but only one part of it.

Quite a few games that have covers I've slammed I like, and a few that I like a lot I either don't like the game itself that much, or I haven't played it. Believe it or not, people can look at this sort of thing objectively.

Art is definitely subjective, and it is true that certain things work well with the eyes and mood. Batman for instance is monochrome because Batman is a "Dark Character" and his game is "Dark".

People like certain structures because of what they like, but some structures are designed better. So it applies to anything.

You may like a game, but it can have lackluster controls, graphics, story, and gameplay. So there is a difference.

Originally posted by General Kaliero
Ostensibly, this is a "best cover art" thread, not a "favorite cover art" thread. I've never played Duke Nukem or any of the Deus Ex series, but the covers are objectively well-done. I hated Fable and Borderlands but I love the cover art. I love Portal 2 but I think the cover art is boring.

Opinions on the games themselves shouldn't matter here. The title seems to be referring to an objective artistic basis, not subjective favoritism. Given that, some covers are going to be objectively better than others, people's opinions on the games themselves be damned.

I do like The Duke Cover and the Batman cover and a few others, so I like to be objective. Being an art person myself the acceptance of design changes between cultures, times, moods, etc.

Originally posted by Frisky Dingo
Cover ART is subjective my friend, you would do well to remember that. And since when was Scott Pilgrim the decider of anything not related to SP?

Yeah, that's basic knowledge buddy. It is subjective, which is why I don't get why you even waste the effort to argue down 3 mod opinions. You're engagin in a loosin battle for the sake of nothin at the end of it all.

And Scott Pilgrim is LAW!

Originally posted by General Kaliero
Indeed, he's not a snob. He doesn't get art at all.

I always call dude that every time the subject of art comes up. Dude does "abstract" (WTF) art and sells it for like 500$? And people actually buy it.

I'll never understand why people spend money on art that looks like a 5 year old drew it. But whatever, that's my opinion and I'll let you all argue 'bout that shit.

@Frisky, don't you and your secret art guild have a site?

Originally posted by Tha C-Master
It is still "the best art cover" of all time, not to mention when "of all time" is used people are generally going to choose what they like more. A better title would be "good art covers", keeps the bias out, or helps to reduce it.

Art is definitely subjective, and it is true that certain things work well with the eyes and mood. Batman for instance is monochrome because Batman is a "Dark Character" and his game is "Dark".

People like certain structures because of what they like, but some structures are designed better. So it applies to anything.

You may like a game, but it can have lackluster controls, graphics, story, and gameplay. So there is a difference. I agree that some things are going to be perceived as better made or whatnot even if the game is not their favorite. It just doesn't happen generally. People will pick games they like and have more exposure to, human nature and all of that.

I do like The Duke Cover and the Batman cover and a few others, so I like to be objective. Being an art person myself the acceptance of design changes between cultures, times, moods, etc.

And this is why you da man! You like the grownest dude on the forum. I am 2nd. Don't dispute it.

Imma keep it real. If motha ****in' cover art aint got characters on it, that I like or recognize, to hell with it.

@ No End: We did.

Originally posted by Peach
Widely considered trash among who, exactly? Come on, back up your statements. Considered 'trash' among professionals, or among SF fanboys?

Among people who are not total Nintendo fanboy/girls. Many went out of their way to design better covers for that game. All you have to do is google it. The only thing good about that cover was it showed the game was rated teen. 😂

I'm finished arguing about VG covers. This became incredibly unbearable to continue when folks began bringing up how they went to art school as if they were the only humans on the planet to do so. Like that matters in the least and gives the individual an authority on whats "good" work and what's not. Art is not a science.

And FYI, I major in Commercial Art and Advertising. 😆

Originally posted by Frisky Dingo

And FYI, I major in Commercial Art and Advertising. 😆

YEAH! Make you're own damn sigs!

Lulz @ you people and your "art schools". Schools for the intellectually lazy and challenged. Ya'know what they say, "If you're not smart, pursue art." The alternative to flippin burgers. lmao

Originally posted by Frisky Dingo
@ No End: We did.

Among people who are not total Nintendo fanboy/girls. Many went out of their way to design better covers for that game. All you have to do is google it. The only thing good about that cover was it showed the game was rated teen. 😂

I'm finished arguing about VG covers. This became incredibly unbearable to continue when folks began bringing up how they went to art school as if they were the only humans on the planet to do so. Like that matters in the least and gives the individual an authority on whats "good" work and what's not. Art is not a science.

And FYI, I major in Commercial Art and Advertising. 😆

And then you run out of the argument once you realize you can't back up your statements.

Art is a science inasmuch as there are defined techniques that are superior for specific types of presentation, and for achieving specific goals. You'd think someone who actually majored in art would get that.

Originally posted by No End N Site
YEAH! Make you're own damn sigs!

Lulz @ you people and your "art schools". Schools for the intellectually lazy and challenged. Ya'know what they say, "If you're not smart, pursue art." Lmao