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Posts with tag boxart

Battle Rage looks fantastic (for the PC)



We immediately cried out, "Bullshots!" when we sighted these screenshots released with Battle Rage: The Robot Wars' Wii press release today, but then we remembered that a PC version of the fighter is also in the works.

With a quick comparison comparing the image resolution with other screens for Wii games (and a bit of common sense), we were able to confirm our suspicions that these shots are, indeed, too good to be true. That said, if graphical detail isn't a primary concern for you, jump into the gallery for three new screenshots of the four-player arena combat game.

And, while the images might not be for the Wii release, there's no doubt that this European boxart is! The cover actually looks badass, you know, despite Data Design Interactive's out-of-place Popcorn Arcade branding.

Details about the actual game: 20 weapons, 10 arenas, 8 robots, special melee/ranged weapons for each robot, customizable robots, arcade mode, team battles, 2036 setting, yadda yadda yadda, convicts trying to earn their freedom by battling mechs for a bored society's entertainment.

Gallery: Battle Rage: The Robot Wars


[Via press release]

Samba de Amigo features some kind of pay-to-play online content

The boxart for the Wii version of Samba de Amigo has now been revealed in tiny form on Gamestop's site. It is, as far as we know, the first game to feature the new red Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay-to-Play logo, which was first shown at GDC this year.

Either this means that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play Samba online, or (infinitely more likely) that downloadable songs will be available over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Which, if true, makes the Wii version of Rock Band (with its new lineup of expansion discs!) just that much more insulting.

Gallery: Samba de Amigo


[Via NeoGAF]

Print your own Okami boxart, IGN watermark optional


In order to share the new replacement Okami boxarts with people outside the U.S. (to whom they can't ship the printed copies), Capcom has made the boxarts available as PDF downloads, in a big, take-it-to-Kinko's resolution. Capcom's one-time blunder is becoming more of a boon to fans every day.

We checked the new version of the original design for IGN watermarks, and didn't see one. That means that you can place the IGN watermark wherever you'd like! You now have the power to choose the size, location, and opacity of the IGN logo on your Okami boxart. For that matter, you could use any watermark you like!

Wii Warm Up: Watermarkgate


Capcom did a very admirable job of making up for an error that nobody but snarky bloggers actually cared about. A lot more people cared once we found out that beautiful replacement artwork was available!

We wonder, however, how many people actually cared -- how many people were offended who either bought Okami twice or dutifully held on to their Nintendo fandom, firm in the belief that Okami wouldn't be any good without waggle? For us, it was just a few seconds of lulz. We didn't hold anything against Capcom or anything, except that, of course, we would have preferred Wii Fanboy watermarks to IGN's.

Capcom fixes Okami boxart goof awesomely


The Okami boxart issue discovered this week, or Watermarkgate, could have been a huge embarrassment for Capcom. Instead, it's become a totally great situation for everyone who bought the game. Capcom announced via their blog that any Okami owner can receive a free replacement boxart in one of three styles. One is just the normal boxart with (presumably) less IGN advertising, but the other two are beautiful art pieces with no Wii box design conventions.

So not only do you get amazing new boxart free from Capcom, you also have a highly collectible "error" art. And there's probably something inside the box, as well -- maybe a game or whatever.

Gallery: Okami



[Via Capcom Blog; thanks, Roto13!]

What the? Did IGN sneak onto my Okami boxart?


Personal story time, kiddies. I went out this morning to run some errands and pick up Okami, when, as I was leaving the Target, I noticed something weird about the boxart. I didn't recall us posting it on the site, so I spent some time glancing at the cover. It was then I noticed something very weird around Ameratsu's mouth: an IGN watermark.

"No, I didn't just see that," I told myself, as I placed the game back into the plastic bag the cashier put it in. Then, when I got back to the office, I checked a second time. And there it was again, sitting right where it was when I first spotted it. I quickly got online to see if anyone else caught this and lo and behold, our cruel overlords had reported on a thread at NeoGAF all about this.

So yeah, now I feel like I want to return it. I know the watermark shouldn't bother me (it's pretty lultastic), but ... but it just does.

Gallery: Okami


[Via Joystiq]

Rock Band drums and boxart revealed


Click to enlarge image.

As disappointing as it was to hear that the Wii version of Rock Band would be closer to the PS2 game than those on next-gen machines, we're not about to start booing the game off stage just yet. Besides, who says the Wii version is inferior in every way to its next-gen brethren? The Rock Band drums, for instance, look absolutely spiffy in Wii white -- we genuinely prefer these to the black versions that appeared on other consoles. Okay, so that's a small victory, but it's a victory nonetheless.

Speaking of Rock Band peripherals, GameStop has already listed prices for the drums ($79.99), wireless guitar ($59.99), the game on its own ($49.99), and the Rock Band Special Edition Bundle For Rich Sods ($169.99). Hit the gallery for some boxart goodness.

Gallery: Rock Band


[Via press release]

U.S. boxart for Wii Fit celebrates diversity


The final package design for Nintendo's Wii Fit bundle (game and the Balance Board) does, in fact, feature diversity through not only the ethnic backgrounds of each individual on the cover, but also through their age, and even down to the different play styles one can enjoy Wii Fit with. It's a celebration of individuality and, also, a smart way to market a product.

It just shows people, predominantly displayed as they participate in the activities the bundle offers. Nothing to read, nothing to think about, just a visual representation of what you're in for should you sign up. It's a good way to sell it to the mass-market crowd that the Wii has been such a success with.

Gallery: Wii Fit


[Via NeoGAF]

Blast Works media reveals more of editor, underwhelming boxart

For a game as inventive and unique as Budcat's Blast Works, that sure is some vanilla boxart. Okay, so it's functional in a Ronseal-kinda way, but it's also far from pretty or imaginative (like the game itself). Then again, sporting the kind of cover you'd expect to see on the blandest of Wii budget shovelware didn't harm Game Party's chances, so perhaps this will do the trick, and millions will get to sample Blast Works' original premise and amazing item editor. We can but hope.

Speaking of the item editor, it's the center of attention in the fifteen new Blast Works shots in the gallery below. It looks as deep and as engrossing as ever, and there's some encouragingly weird ships being created in those screens.

Gallery: Blast Works

Family See-saw Fighting Trainer


Namco Bandai has released new screens of the events in Athletic World: Family Trainer, including a couple of new games that weren't covered in the last roundup. "Kenken Step" involves dodging stone idols that move toward the player (we think), and "See-saw Fight" is actually a kind of Twister/Simon/DDR thing in which players hit a specific spot on the Family Trainer mat in response to onscreen cues, with see-saw level representing performance.

Amazon now has a boxart for the American version of the game, called Active Life: Outdoor Challenge, as well as a potential September 20th release date and a $60 price. Since it's impossible to talk about this game without comparing its sales potential to Wii Fit, we'll say this: ironically, this game's game-ness may be its biggest liability. Wii Fit makes a concerted effort to be an exercise program with some little minigames in it, focusing on things like weight tracking and exercise training and such. Outdoor Challenge is a video game that requires movement. The "expanded audience" will be more interested in the "serious" exercise tool, and gamers will still find Outdoor Challenge too non-game-like.

But on the other hand, $60 is probably less than Nintendo will charge for Wii Fit.

BOOM BLOX boxart ensures the game's success


What's a genius marketing strategy for EA's upcoming puzzle game, BOOM BLOX? Putting Steven Spielberg's name on the box, of course. Casual gamers have no doubt heard of Spielberg (he's the guy who did that jewel thief movie, right?), and will flock to this video game box that so shamelessly flaunts his name. Brilliant move, EA.

We're actually surprised that they didn't make Spielberg's name bigger. The thin white text kind of gets swallowed up in the loudness of the box. Maybe they should have put "Steven Spielberg" in big letters and "BOOM BLOX" in small text, to be safe.

The boxart is quite eye catching (although -- dare we say it -- not exactly nice looking), and will certainly help the game to rack up some big numbers. It looks like EA has already won the sales war before it even began.

Gallery: BOOM BLOX



[Via Joystiq]

Don't fear the fire in these fresh Alone in the Dark screens


Atari's upcoming Alone in the Dark game will have lots of fire in it, apparently, as that's all we've had to look at from the game as of late. The game's website just updated with a trio of fresh screens from the Wii version of the game. And, as you might have guessed from the headline, they all involve fire in some way. Be sure to check them out in our gallery below.

What do you guys think of Alone in the Dark? Are you excited for it?

Gallery: Alone in the Dark

Koei to roll Opoona out late March

If your days are spent yearning for a game in which you play a bald kid with an orange orb hovering over his head, circle March 25th on your calendar, the date Opoona, that other Wii-exclusive epic RPG, makes its stateside debut. Then you can put a happy face in that circle, draw a smaller circle above the face, and, will you look at that, you've got a picture of the game's titular hero!

After a spaceship-wreck interrupts his family vacation, Opoona finds himself stuck on Planet Landroll, forced to begin a new life in the strange world while searching for his siblings and parents. Opoona's hardships range from trying to find a job to fighting against the Dark Rogues terrorizing Landroll's people. We assume he also has to deal with the self-esteem issues that often come with balding at such a young age.

As with the entire game, combat during the turn-based battles is handled with just the Wii's nunchuck -- you can fire projectiles and direct the trajectory of your attacks with different nunchuck movements. Without having tried the single-hand controls out ourselves, we're still not sure about them yet, but it won't be long before we'll get that chance! Hit the gallery below for Opoona's packshot, artwork, and a huge pile of screensshots from the US release.

Gallery: Opoona


[Via press release]

Metroid Prime 3's Japanese boxart is Prime

Japan isn't getting Metroid Prime 3: Corruption until March, but Nintendo is making up for it (in a gameplay-insignificant way) by releasing the game with a boxart that looks nothing like Sonic Adventure 2's. We're not complaining about the tri-Samused American boxart, just stating that the Japanese boxart is quite nice -- the kind of thing we wouldn't mind having on a poster. The color scheme is unique among Metroid games, as is the decision to feature some characters that aren't Samus.

This (arbitrary) Boxart Victory is even sweeter for Japanese Nintendo fans, who have been subjected to some fairly rough Metroid Prime series boxarts.

Sega Superstars Tennis boxart misses a Beat


Come on, Sega. We're doing our very best to love your new mascot tennis game, and for the most part it's been quite easy. Putting wonderful Sega characters into a wonderful Sega tennis game (Virtua Tennis) is exactly what we'd ask for if we were asked, and if we were clever enough to think of it. Virtua Tennis is excellent enough when it's all boring humans, and can only be made better with space reporters and two different varieties of cartoon monkey.

But the European boxart for Sega Superstars Tennis dampens even our enthusiasm somewhat. We understand the reasoning (he's very popular) but we still would have chosen not to put that hedgehog front and center. But in their zeal to sell this to Everybody, Sega has failed to emphasize the most amazing thing about the game: the wide variety of Seganess found within. And in so doing, they've given a bland box to what looks like an extraordinarily jubilant game.

Some other characters are indeed on the box (in the area not taken up by Sonic), but where's Beat? Where's NiGHTS? Where's Alex Kidd (who we have yet to see)? Where are the wacky Sega backdrops? With the Sonic-themed stage (which looks the most like a normal, boring tennis court of any of them) and the centered Sonic, somebody could walk by and mistake this for a Sonic Tennis, which nobody wants.

[Via GamesPress]

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