When Japanese box art is the worst

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:51 am

Obiwanshinobi wrote:Bump 'cause I want y'all to see it:

Spoiler

I actually laughed at that! Excellent pick.

EmperorIng · Post by **EmperorIng** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:58 am

Some-Mist wrote:
pestro87 wrote:
Spoiler
that's bad though. does he have a sucker in his mouth?

Naw, it's a cigarette because the dude is so hardcore he smokes and doesn't take nuttin' from nobody - like threatening to strangle people with their entrails and then not doing it.

Pictured: Sadler chillin' with his braindead anime girlfriend, tokin' it up.

Obiwanshinobi · Post by **Obiwanshinobi** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 10:22 am

Another mild example, but I like the US cover better for carrying on the spirit of some illuminated manuscripts (not particulary well illuminated ones, but that's the point).

The Japanese cover doesn't look any exceptional in the cold light of A.D. 2015.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 3:30 pm

^ The western one is fucking terrible!

pestro87 · Post by **pestro87** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 3:34 pm

Skykid wrote:^ The western one is fucking terrible!

I have to agree but dat mullet tho

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 3:59 pm

Would've been cooler if they'd gone totally balls to the wall and given it a monochrome woodcut effect. Probably commercial suicide but it would've been an admirable one, ala SNES Phalanx. ^__^

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 6:14 pm

Western Dungeon Explorer art is so '80s mass circulation magazine cartoonist style it's not funny. D

It just needs a cat with crazy whiskers sitting behind the castle, glowing like he's hooked up to an Ecto Cooler IV.

On the plus side, it's nice to know how the '80s Skyrim cover would have looked (truth in advertising, at least).

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 6:19 pm

Ah, ^ that's what I was being reminded of!

READERS DIGEST MUHFUCKA

Obiwanshinobi · Post by **Obiwanshinobi** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:17 pm

Is the glow explained in game? Reminds me of Demon's Souls where the playable character looks permanently powered up.
On a side note, funny how the 2007 Alien Syndrome tries to re-create Diablo II-style light sourcing in 3D, but something about it looks awkward (funny as countless humble polygonal Diablo-likes, heck, the ancient-looking Gauntlet Dark Legacy did lighting of all things properly before).

In this kind of settings, I think Rune artwork looks the just right sort of cartoony:

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:06 am

^ Aaaand tangent.

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:56 am

Take your pick:

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 11:04 am

^ of course the JP is better.

trap15 · Post by **trap15** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:29 pm

Actually I disagree, the JP cover is really poorly illustrated. The US cover has pretty neat style going for it.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:54 pm

It's a picture of an American high school jock in a red cape. It's fucking terrible.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:18 pm

BIL wrote:Ah, ^ that's what I was being reminded of! READERS DIGEST MUHFUCKA

Speaking of which, Victor Ambrus apparently did a lot of work for that rag back in the day. His style is pretty unique and I think it'd fit a game (maybe something by Koei?) pretty well. Just look at Google images; tons of illustrations there. Kind of a sketch / watercolor hybrid.

RE Elemental Master...man Skykid, turn in your art critic badge. US cover is closer to a common style of the time but it's very well executed. JP cover is just bad. Even the overall composition blows.

Obiwanshinobi · Post by **Obiwanshinobi** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:33 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote:Kind of a sketch / watercolor hybrid.

Reminds me of some artwork (stills) I saw in Bagpuss.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:13 pm

This is now the Bagpuss thread.

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:20 pm

(To the tune of John Lennon's Mother)

Bagpuss come hooome,
Why no console po-ort?

drauch · Post by **drauch** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:40 pm

Almost watched some BAGPUSS last night. TOO SOON.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 3:34 am

Ed Oscuro wrote: RE Elemental Master...man Skykid, turn in your art critic badge. US cover is closer to a common style of the time but it's very well executed. JP cover is just bad. Even the overall composition blows.

The JP cover IS poorly illustrated and the composition is badly executed. In terms of actual finish, I ain't got no argument: the US cover has a clear higher level of detail and finer execution.

Stylistically it's also absolutely horrible. A photo/photorealisitic man who is not representative of any character in the game, defined not as a wizard or mage, but as a Wall Street banker who woke up in some abyss with only his Michael Jackson finger cut-offs for power. It's horribly tacky.

The JP one for all its flaws is at least representative of the game, is less tacky, and altogether less offensive.

Art critic badge staying firmly on for this one.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:54 am

Look at dis guy, wants truth in advertising. I think the lo-res copy shows off the relative compositions well - as far as that goes, this cover is actually one of the better compositions in the thread, along with the JPN Dungeon Master one. It's a simple, pleasing symmetrical design. Even better than Dungeon Master, it features at least one real color! The only real downside is the L. Ron Hubbard style Ming the Merciless hands, but that's still a damn sight better than King Walrus over on the right (I actually regret looking closely, and that's a rare thing to feel...I don't want that thing in my house).

Sure, the dude on the front, who you have an excessively acute phobia of, is dated and even a bit tacky (though, dressed like that, where would you fear going?). You want dated and tacky, I'll pile up all the dusty sombreros, Elvis Presley memorabilia, weird '60s interpretations of Queen Anne portraits, and fake jade bottles cluttering up the world's antique stores.

You know what's also dated and tracky? The gigantic gray score display in the game itself. Now that's worth regretting, and choosing the JPN copy won't save you from it.

Squire Grooktook · Post by **Squire Grooktook** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 2:59 pm

I have to agree with Skykid on Elemental Master.

Jp Cover is unworthy of the games excellence, but it's still a notch above the western one. It's representative of the game, has a nice blueish sky contrasting the copious red present in both covers, and overall just looks slightly better IMO.

Obiwanshinobi · Post by **Obiwanshinobi** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 6:28 pm

The blue lettering contrasts red on Genesis cover. Framing of the Japanese one is lamentable and the bent-over fairy looks tacked on (as if the picture wasn't plain poor without her).
Now, Dungeon Explorer US cover looks anything but plain.

Mœbius once said adding detail is a well-known (to the artists) stunt for the sake of making a poor drawing seem decent. Well, didn't quite work out that time around.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 10:29 am

stryc9 · Post by **stryc9** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 1:59 pm

I knew Elemental Master would make it's way in here. The JP cover is one of the most amateur I've seen. I agree that while it's not great it does fit better with the actual game than the US version, which as Skykid has pointed out is stylistically challenged.

Also the fairy is missing from the US cover

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 2:23 pm

What the hell is Bagpuss?

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 6:14 pm

Strider77 wrote:What the hell is Bagpuss?

A lion that says "exit, stage left" and "Heavens to Murgatroyd".

Spoiler

More serious info

shmups.system11.org

When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst

Re: When Japanese box art is the worst