A lot has changed since the last time we featured an episode of the Cover Critic. Both Sony and Nintendo have released new portable game systems, long time companies have shut their doors forever, and the world has been reintroduced to a certain lawyer named Jack Thompson. Heck, even this site you're looking at has changed in many ways. So maybe it's time we take another serious look at video game covers, letting you know which ones we like and which we hate. After two years I invite you to embrace a brand new Cover Critic, one that isn't afraidto tell you what we really think. So enjoy five new covers and one new look!
Eternal Darkness
Like the game, this cover gets under your skin the more you look at it. Unlike Resident Evil this cover is actually good looking. Actually, this is one of my favorite American covers of the year. I love the coloring, I love the picture, and the font used for both the name and the subtitle. In fact, there's very little I don't like about this cover. You'll find that almost all of the covers we review today are beautiful, and some may be front runners for cover of the year. What they did with Eternal Darkness that is so unique, is that they didn't litter the cover with a whole bunch of characters, or peoples faces, or even in game shots. This looks more like a cover to a thrilling book. Which is the whole point, after all. This cover is one of my personal favorites.
Aero Dancing 4
This might be hard to see, but click on the picture to see the full image to see what I love about this cover. Sure it's simple, it's not all that detailed, and it's just an airplane. But when you walk by it those two angelic wings popping out of the jet you can't help but look. It's hard to make a good looking cover for flying games (just see Ace Combat 4 for proof), but Sega has done the impossible. Like I said, click on the cover to see what I mean, it's simple, but one of the best looking covers I've seen all year. Oh my, could this day get any better?
Hunter: The Reckoning
Here's something that isn't used nearly enough: shadows and sillhouettes. Regardless of what you think of the game (which is essentially a post-apocalyptic Gauntlet remake) this cover is something to behold. The use of the lighting in the background, not to mention the prison theme, is both inviting and creepy as hell. When you walk by the Xbox section at your local Toys R Us, THIS is the game that is going to stand out, and that is important in this day and age. Fact is, this is one of those covers that is extremely simple, yet leaves an impact. Thankfully Interplay left a lot of large logos off the art, and their own watermark is small and easy on the eyes. Truth is, the ugliest thing on the cover is the M-Rating. But even with a few small gripes, this is one cover I'll never forget.
.Hack Vol. 1
One of the biggest surprises at E3 was a game called .Hack (pronounced "Dot" Hack). It's concept (a game in a game, online-offline role playing game) had me both stratching my head and looking for more information. This cover doesn't give an details away, but manages to keep you satisfied until you pop it in your PlayStation 2. It's beautiful artwork, with some subtle detail. Every time I look at this cover I just get lost in it ... and it's only volume one?
WipEout Fusion
When you look at all the covers we've reviewed, many of which will likely be up for cover of the year, we have to remember one important thing: you can't have a perfect cover critic!! While WipeOut Fusion has a tollerable cover, it doesn't feature anything more than your average, run of the mill American cover. And when compared to the other covers in this edition, it's easy to see the difference between an "A" cover and a "B" cover. Oh well, at least all of the covers were above average, and that's a good thing, I guess. Well, that basically concludes this cover critic ... hopefully that makes up for the last few, which haven't been good at all. Not at all.
