New Burnout Paradise box art ditches crashes for white space

by Jason Dobson { Nov 20th 2007 at 4:30PM }

If you think about it, box art is a video game's calling card. It makes the first impression, and inspires the consumer, especially those who don't follow game news day to day, to pick the release up from retail shelves for a second look. Because of this, box art often tries to capture the essence of the game in a single picture, which only makes us scratch our heads at EA's newly redesigned cover art for the forthcoming Burnout Paradise. The new cover ditches the previous art, which featured a car being smashed like a twisted metal flapjack, and replaces it with a serene, overly white piece that looks like it just drove off the set of an Ah Ha video.

The new art reinforces the series' change in direction, from a crash-centric racer to something a bit more open. While early impressions of the racer are encouraging, we cannot help but be a bit worried at the game's seemingly constant push to separate itself from its legacy. With a demo slated for both XBL and PSN next month, we'll know soon enough if the game's Jan. 22 release date will be one to keep on the radar, or if the day will be better spent playing Takedown in remembrance of the series that was.

Tags: box-art, boxart, burnout, burnout-paradise, ea, electronic-arts, paradisecity

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

FidliousWong @ Nov 20th 2007 4:37PM

Time for me to be torn apart. I like the new boxart. It's distinctively different from the 300 other racers on the shelf. Fans will know Burnout, newcomers will be attractive to the stylistic cover. And it certainly gives it a more approachable face than a wrecked car on the cover.

aka Prof Chaos @ Nov 20th 2007 4:42PM

See my comment below. Joystiq comments are brokenz :(

Hashbrown_Hunter @ Nov 20th 2007 7:11PM

Yeah I think the new box art is great. I like the art style and, as Joystiq said, it represents the open-ended gameplay change.

So if you're a hardcore Burnout fan you might have a problem, but I think it's a great design choice.

Rooslin @ Nov 20th 2007 4:38PM

man that one on the right kicks fucking ass! seriously

Adam @ Nov 20th 2007 4:39PM

I prefer the new box art immensely.

pasht @ Nov 20th 2007 5:03PM

I'm very partial to a clean design, and the new one is definitely that. Gran Turismo 4's boxart is one of my favorites, and this one is similarly easy on the eyes. Love it.

aka Prof Chaos @ Nov 20th 2007 4:41PM

I don't think you should be slammed for your opinion, but I think most people will disagree. The one on the right doesn't grab my attention. I'd be inclined to pass it over if I saw it on a shelf, thinking that it was just a temporary holder or something (as opposed to the actual box). I just hope its a good game.

aka Prof Chaos @ Nov 20th 2007 4:41PM

Damn Joystiq comment system!! This was meant for FidliousWong.

monmin @ Nov 20th 2007 5:21PM

From the comments here, most people agree with him.

Justice @ Nov 20th 2007 10:43PM

I LOVE the new box art. I perfer it mainly because the one on the right SUX hard. It's just a car smashed. Nothing special and doesn't speak "Paradise"

If you look at Burnout 3 Takedown, you can see the box ard reflected that. A car was shown getting taken down. Same with revenge, I think the new box art relfects "paradise" more in the one on the right than some lame plain black background with no emotion or feel.

Bad Mojo @ Nov 20th 2007 4:43PM

I don;t mind the new look... but it's very "Skate" like in its use of white space.

New branding direction maybe....

Tango Charlie @ Nov 20th 2007 4:46PM

Oh hell yes! Better contrast, more interesting style, more colour - it'll stand out way better on the shelves, and is just much more aesthetically appealing than the old art.
True, it's a little more divorced from the crashy-crashy concept behind the game, but they must just be trying to emphasize something different. Notice the word "Paradise" now stands out much more strongly than the "Burnout" branding - a reversal from the old art.

Either way, a significant improvement. Plus, I'm an "artist" so I would know. ;D

Towers @ Nov 20th 2007 4:47PM

The one on the right looks more stylish without a doubt

mikemick @ Nov 20th 2007 4:48PM

I think white stands out more, and I prefer it. The one mistake they might have made was making the "Burnout" logo so small. It almost looks like a game thats called Paradise, not Burnout. All in all, I seriously douby either one of these box-arts will affect the game's sales.

FoxHoundADAM @ Nov 20th 2007 4:48PM

I really like the new box art actually. Breaks away from the typical style I expect from the series.

BTW this series DOES need this change of pace. Revenge was so dissapointing.

aka Prof Chaos @ Nov 20th 2007 8:14PM

Revenge was the first Burnout I played, so I loved it. I guess if I was a fan from the beginning, it would be a different story. I've tried to go back to the others, but its hard to play a classic if you didn't play it originally.

losttoys @ Nov 20th 2007 4:49PM

The new cover is likely designed due to the UK pulling ads for Burnout due to "enhancing the coolness of wreckless driving".

Vidikron (FU) @ Nov 20th 2007 4:51PM

The new cover sucks.

Gregorius @ Nov 20th 2007 4:52PM

I think it looks very cool.

ill trooper @ Nov 20th 2007 4:54PM

Much nicer. The older art was guilty of looking too much like the last few Burnout releases and frankly I had glossed over it, never really looking at it too much. "Cars crashing" is all that registered on some subconscious level, which was fine, but I get that same reaction when I think of 'New Burnout Videogame,' boxart unseen, so why not get more stylized? Nice one, EA.

creid @ Nov 20th 2007 4:56PM

I like it, very stylish.

LesbianHam @ Nov 20th 2007 4:57PM

I think it looks really good, but what would make it sweeter still would be a wreck on the back. Nothing says "Crash beautiful cars in a beautiful fashion" than a sexy-looking front with sexily-wrecked traffic on the back. I mean, the back would have to depict a crash, but with the new style the front has going on...

gonk @ Nov 20th 2007 5:00PM

man i love that song

GRANTED @ Nov 20th 2007 5:06PM

New box art is better. But it's what's on the inside that counts=)

ymmv @ Nov 20th 2007 5:11PM

The new cover is so much more visually interesting than the rather generic original cover. Good choice!

Mr Khan @ Nov 20th 2007 5:12PM

I don't know, despite being a fan of the simple white look, this doesn't really click with me

But of course, this is a more extreme case of judging a book by its cover

Todd @ Nov 20th 2007 5:14PM

I think "paradise" is supposed to conjure thoughts of serenity. Perhaps the new cover art is trying to tap into this idea.

Kaemon @ Nov 20th 2007 5:17PM

I love the new cover, kind of makes me excited to play it. Never played a burnout game except for the PSP one and I enjoyed that alot, so I expect that this new 360 one should be great. Now all I need is to get a 360...

horngreen @ Nov 20th 2007 5:21PM

I like the one on the right also. It's different and more like the old box art of Atari 2600 days. Now if you're the kind of person who spends $60 on a game based on box art I'm amazed. I don't think box art sells games anymore. At $60 a pop I'd bet most people have at least read a couple of reviews before they drop off the cash. I remember as a kid spending $20+ dollars on an Atari cartridge based on what was on the box. A short desrciption, two screen shots and the cover art. Talk about a crap shoot. And that was hard earned grass cutting/babysitting money!

Robert @ Nov 20th 2007 5:24PM

Oh good Burnout Vice City is coming out

boxmyth @ Nov 20th 2007 5:34PM

LOVE (with a capital everything) the new box art. Of course, like any Burnout game, I would buy it even if it featured a picture of a sickly Ethiopian nun milking a giraffe.

Shagittarius @ Nov 20th 2007 5:42PM

I miss the Activision Rainbow box art. Nothing conveyed action and motion like teh rainbowz.

Jeff @ Nov 20th 2007 5:57PM

That's possibly the nicest box art I've ever seen.

duerra @ Nov 20th 2007 6:12PM

You all are on crack. The new design doesn't convey anything to me. I think the original design conveys what burnout is all about. All I get out of the new design is a lot of what the cover is offering - white noise.

Mike-453 @ Nov 20th 2007 6:21PM

I hate it.

It's new with a unique style, but I don't like things just because they are different.

DaveP @ Nov 20th 2007 7:12PM

im pretty sure that this change in direction of box art has something to do with the UK advertising standards agency banning adverts showing the previous games boxart because it incited dangerous driving apparently. i do like the new boxart as its not as generic as a crashed car but its still not exactly amazing. im fairly certain that a black and white picture with a part coloured in isnt really that new either.

kellydude @ Nov 20th 2007 7:40PM

errr, this is the fifth burnout...
Burnout, Burnout 2, Burnout 3 Takedown, Burnout: Revenge, Burnout Paradise.... OMG I'M A NERD@!

Spartacus @ Nov 20th 2007 9:27PM

The new box art is "stylish" and "attention grabbing", however it does NOT represent the game itself as well as the old box art.

It's like making a game about oranges, but slapping a picture of an apple on the cover due to apples looking more apealing...

refinedsugar @ Nov 20th 2007 11:28PM

Yeah ... didn't see this coming with all the trailers they've released that don't even feature crashing. Yep ... didn't see this coming.

Hart704 @ Nov 21st 2007 12:45AM

The original box art is more what you expect from the cover of a video game these days. However, the new box art is better in that it at least sets itself apart from everything else on the shelf.

Cuja @ Nov 21st 2007 1:37AM

Let us pray that neither one makes it.

erac3rx @ Nov 21st 2007 2:08AM

I know I shouldn't comment on the game but instead the box art... but honestly if you want to watch quite possibly the worst trailers for a game ever made, take some time to download the Burnout Paradise ones.

I love the series, and the trailers quite literally *convinced me* that the game is going to suck ass. Not that we didn't expect this with EA taking over the franchise, but still. Seriously, watch the trailers, then come back here and tell me if you think the game is going to be good.