The underappreciated media that is box art

Let's just forget NintenConspiracy ever happened...

Far too many people simply toss away their game boxes once they get their new software home. What is that saying to the artists who put so much effort into designing that box art? I consider it an insult to simply discard or tuck away the boxes of games. Here are a few box arts I really feel deserve to be on anybody's game shelf.

Contact

Suda 51 is notorious for making some of the most insane, rule breaking games out there, and Contact is no different. They took it one step further this time, and allowed the insanity to seep into the box art itself. The results? Fantastic.

Just look at that back panel! "Things you WON'T find in Contact: A dull moment. Normalcy. A guy with spikey hair and/or amnesia. Dramatic monologues. The same battles you've been fighting since the 16-bit era." "Things you WILL find in Contact: Monkeys. Cosmic terrorists. Powerful attack stickers. Fishing. Cooking. Humor. Fun with Nintendo Wi-Fi. Deeper meaning in life*. Costumes that increase your power and make you more fun to be around."

"*Results may vary"

What's more, there's the little professor dude up in the top left corner yelling "Psst! Buy the game - I need your help!" They turned the packaging from a mere case to part of the game itself. Masterful, truly masterful.

Battalion Wars 2

Just look at the action! Tanks, planes and boats, oh my! And just look at the detail on the vehicles! The treads on the tank, the rings inside the gun barrels, the reflections... It's all so amazingly well done and action-packed to the bursting point!

Also, gotta love that logo! BWii is the most clever shortform for a game's title that I've heard in a long, long time! And the metalic look of the letters and such in the logo are an incredibly nice touch.

Finally, look at how all the vehicles seem to be coming out from behind the logo, as if everything on the box was thrust forward by the explosion. There are no individual elements on this box. Everything has been drawn and placed as one huge object. This isn't a box art, this is an action-packed scene.

Super Mario Galaxy

This is probably the best box art for a Mario game since Super Mario 64. In fact, it seems to borrow quite a bit from Mario's premiere 3D outing. The flying towards the foreground, the levels in the background... Nintendo made a good decision taking some cues from Super Mario 64!

To elaborate on the levels in the background, the stages visible are some of the most memorable revealed thus far. The capsule-shaped world, the fire octopus battle, the flat planet, the mushroom-shaped world, and even a black hole! And if you look closely, I do believe that is the giant Snifit robot far off in the distance. The attention to detail and the sheer scope of it all help give an incredibly large feel to this game's territory.

Also, look how happy Mario is! That really helps further the whimsical feel of the game. And the little chubby star next to him is just too darn cute! This is an amazing box art, and I can't wait to add it to my collection!

Animal Crossing: Wild World

Now this is a game that's been eating up a LOT of my time lately! It's inventive, unique and just plain charming! Fittingly enough, so is the box art!

First of all, the large amount of houses, stores and buildings is a great way to convey how crazily vast this game's world is. Adding to that factor are all the villagers and such dotting the landscape.

The spherical design of the box art helps greatly to express the world-wide actions in this game. After all, without the ability to visit friends over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, I highly doubt this game would have been as incredibly successful. This box art does an amazing job of saying pretty much everything about this game.

So, those are a few box arts I really thought were top-notch. Which box arts do you really like?

The Duck Has Spoken.