Japanese vs. American video game box arts!

[OverlordMondo]

I can't really choose between the two. I can't even say some of them look better than others at all, they all look different, none of them look terribly bad or good.

[Mag]

I always preferred the Japanese game covers, they have that distinct diverse flavor of creativity. In a sense, they are much more artistic in a way. I'll take ICO's box cover for example:

Japan's - U.S's

[Wizard]

The japanese psy-ops box art seems vaguely familiar.

It should; it was designed by the same guy who's in charge of SNK's artwork and designs in its games. (FALCOON?).

Shinkiro

 

Also, this topic was on 4ch that keeps coming up. Americans want an angry or agitated character on their boxarts complete with action poses.

[Hera]

I lean more towards the Japanese art in most of the ones you have shown. There's something about them that gives me more of an urge to dig deeper into the soul of the game. I know that statement was pretty full of cheese but if you captivate me visually, you've won me over.

[Bambi]

Can I vote for both?

[Krosigrim]

Yea I can't choose either. I saw no definitive winner in those examples. And... well... I haven't really seen (or noticed) any Japanese covers before. So what do I know.

[Shadi_Potter]

There are still instances where American box arts are quite bizarre, esp. the retro games such as the first Mega Man.

 

IMO, Japanese ones are more direct to the point with their box arts.

[KyokugenKiss]

im too lazy to upload the pix, but we all know the best example ever was Casltevania SOTN

 

 

but im glad all the FF remakes have been using the simple cover art, sometimes less is more

[rubiocroft]

Well... I think Japanese covers look better.... and if you feel troubled about the manuals and Asian titles... then try to learn that bloody language once for all! lol

 

[emsley]

American art work caught my eye much more than the japs did.,

[NameUser]

Orochi Saga: America

 

Orochi Saga: Japan

 

I think the quality found in boxart is very subjective for a variety of reasons. For one, you have to consider the region. In Japan, KoF (as an example) is big, so not much is needed to advertise what it is for the sake of appeal. The market is already knowledgeable as to what the product is, it just needs to know the specifics. In America, conversely, the market for KoF is much smaller, so something more artistically engaging is needed to attract consumers.

 

Also, the perception of artistic merit belongs to the individual, so, overall, it's all just a matter of opinion. To gauge the overall quality of American boxart versus Japanese would be tedious and, ultimately, futile. People will still have their opinions.