This is something I was thinking about the other day. Keep in mind this obviously only applies if the mythical physical release of DD actually happens.

We all know (and I'm sure most of us like) the traditional AA box art, with photos of 4 of the main characters of that game. In Japan this has been the box art for all 7 DS/3DS AA games. In other countries, the box art from GS1 wasn't the black-bordered, 4 person shot from Japan but varied between regions (US got that "action" painting-like shot, Europe got the Phoenix-behind-a-white-background shot, etc.). Then the rest of the games released in the west got copies or slightly-altered versions of the Japanese 4 person shot artwork. (I think the backgrounds of the Japanese releases had solid color backgrounds, while the US art for GS2 and GS3 had a gradient which faded to white at the bottom of the case). We know that GS1 was a massive hit in the west (at least compared to the other games) and that the other games sold less than GS1 did.

One thing I've been thinking about is if the cover art affects sales. I know that sounds ridiculous, but think about it. The US at least has a history of buying more games with "action-y" cover art. For instance, the Kirby series has a well-documented track record with this. On US covers, Kirby is made to look angrier, even though Kirby himself is rarely actually angry. The recently-released game Bioshock Infinite drew criticism because the box art featured only the player character holding a huge gun and ignored and secondary characters or the scenery of the game. The creator of the game admitted that it was mainly to attract audiences to buy the game.

I have to admit that while I had seen AA games on the shelf, I never paid any attention to them because it was just a cover with 4 anime people on it with no real context about what it was. It was only when I read a Nintendo Power article about Apollo Justice that I went out and bought one of the games. I never saw the first game on the shelf, and I'm not sure it if would have been more interesting to me or not, because now that I am a fan the only question I have when I look at the box for GS1 is "Why the hell didn't they use the 4 person shot?"

So I just wonder if Capcom used a different piece of artwork rather than the Japanese box art if GS5 would sell more in the west. Maybe something that jumped off the shelf more. Like I said, I personally love and prefer the 4 person shots, but I just wonder if their appeal is lost on non-fans.

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The 4-person shot is actually a rather dull cover I suppose. Especially compared to some cover arts.

The one on FFXIII with the cardboard cover and the shot of the cast members high above the Pulse wilds was beautiful.

So yeah 4 random people won't really appeal to many folks browsing the shelves.

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I don't get why it has to be an 'action' cover, anyway.
Looking at the US Cover for Knight of Ratatosk and then looking at the Japanese and altered European one, I would guess that the US Cover would fail more.
Why? Simply because Knight of Ratatosk rode on the success that Tales of Symphonia was, so having them not appear on the cover was bound to make the game seem less fixing to the Symphonia name. Which the game was, whether they had the Symphonia cast on the cover or didn't, but we'll simply go by Cover.

Oh and Ada, please tell me how this Kirby cover looks action-y or fitting with an angry Kirby.

Looking at the US covers and the Japanese covers, the latter being the kind that Europe usually gets, I don't see why we need action all the time. Especially in games that are not that action-y to begin with. Looking at the cover for Lightning Returns, it's simply black with the title - previous FF games also had simply a solid background with the title, said title showing or even spoiling an important part in the game. The US cover for Lightning Returns has Lightning in her black suit on it.... Okay, she was on the previous covers. None of those looked very action-y, either.

Will the cover affect sales of AA?
Well, considering AA is already a niche in the gamer area, I think majority of people who will buy the physical release will buy it, simply because they already are fans of the AA games. It's unlikely there will be a lot of new gamers buying the game, no matter what the cover, as the description might already put some people off.
A game about law? Bo~ring!

C-A

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First off, I think you're misinterpreting what I am saying. I'm not saying I prefer an "action" cover, just that it seems that American buyers buy games that have "actiony" covers. Also, I think Tales of Symphonia is a larger series than AA, so it needed connections to the series. Most gamers who walk into a gamestop to casually browse have never heard of AA, so whether they recognize the brand or not doesn't factor in really. I think if AA had a cover that jumped off the shelf more it might persuade someone to at least pick it up and read the back of the box.



That cover may be pleasant enough, but it's in the minority. Take a look at this: http://www.gamerevolution.com/manifesto ... -kirby-987

Again, I'm not saying I prefer covers to be all dark and "actiony" but that's simply what sells more in the US market.


Once again, FF is a huge series. If you want someone to be interested in a new FF game all you need is the logo because of how popular it is. That can't be said for AA.



That's mostly true, but it would be in Capcom's best interests to get as many new fans into the series as possible with this installment. And legal dramas are huge in the US. At one point there were 4 Law & Order shows being produced, and there are tons of CSI shows now. There is a market for legal entertainment in the US and GS1 did really well because of it. And I got into AA from GS4, just because it sounded cool. I would imagine there will be many who have a 3DS, don't have anything cool to play at the moment, and might give GS5 a try. But to do that they need to really see it. So that's why I feel the box art could use some work, for profit's sake.

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Personally, while my favorite box art has always been the US action box for GS1, I still really enjoyed the European white background Phoenix one. The four characters per box design has always been a pet peeve of mine.

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I like the idea of the people in the shot, but I think the design is kind of bland.

Please excuse me for letting my inner Law & Order fan show, but I think a design more like this would be awesome:
http://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/covers/ ... ver-34.jpg
(Except with better character photoshopping, since they have "no background" art already.) Something that still features the characters but has more atmosphere and shows off some more of the feel of the game.
Like I could see the destroyed court in the background, then the characters in the foreground, and maybe simon transparently in the sky like he is on the new GS5 poster.

Keep in mind though, that wouldn't be any better in terms of appealing to new consumers. I think the best art right now for the GS box would be that new poster.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BMn4gK1CUAAMu-P.jpg

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Generally the "poster art" for the game winds up being the soundtrack cover, actually (except AAI, which got original art for the OST).

Personally I like the 4-character art, but I agree it's not exactly eye-catching.

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To be fair, it's going to be difficult to create attention grabbing box art in a game focused around lawyers.

I think the issue is less about the box art cover and more about advertising in general. The game just needs more exposure and it'll sell fine. The reason Investigations was a flop in America and not as much in Japan was because the advertising for it in the US was non-existant. Give it some of those destroyed courtroom posters, and maybe some commercials on Youtube, and it'll do fine. It's already gotten a lot of exposure in Japan, so bring some advertisements to the US and we'll all be ok.

Maybe an edited box design could do something...but I certainly wouldn't bet on it doing much.

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I wasn't saying that you prefer US Covers, I was talking about how I don't see how action-y covers are much awesome in the US market. After all, the Knight of Ratatosk example I showed, the cover looks kinda cool, yeah.... but it shows nothing about Tales of Symphonia. How would I know it has anything to do with it then and instantly buy it because Symphonia was such a success? I wouldn't. Yeah there's the logo. I'm too busy staring at the angry expressions to even see the logo on that cover.

And CSI, Law & Order and such is all liked, but you can't really compare those with AA. The shows have some decent, real-life law going on there - yes, they show the wrong way CSI technicians work in labs. But that's cause they need to make it look interesting. And AA has no real-life law whatsoever going on. It's mentioned once or twice, but even then it just feels awkwardly put in.

C-A

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Yeah but it's not the point that the law is really accuarate, the point is it's a legal drama essentially and those had been taking off at the time indicating that had the cover shown more to do with law, for example AA5 could show the 'destroyed courtroom' shot they love so much, it may intrigue more people than a couple of folks on the front cover.

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Wasn't the box art different for the EU etc version? For the first game.

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The appeal of legal dramas isn't the legal system shown off, since every legal show is going to be unrealistic. Even if the shows' law system seems more realistic than AA it's still taking shortcuts and is not portraying the system accurately. And older, loved tv shows from decades prior were bordering on AA's level of realism.

The real appeal of the legal drama is the combination of suspense, excitement and the feeling over justice being done. Watching two lawyers debate is like watching a chess match, which can be used to create suspense in the stories as well. AA even with its unrealistic system and flawed logic conveys these things and that's why I think the series would be popular if it was advertised to more audiences. One way of doing that is making cover art that stands out better.

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