Metafight EX


Today’s Battle of the Box Art dares to ask: Which design is more meta? The holistic (and wholesale) approach of Konami’s new “greatest hits” line for DS? Or Sega’s classic “what you see is what you get” Sega Card box design? Let the battle of literal self-referentialism begin!

28 thoughts on “Metafight EX”

  2. Hmm… I’d say the box on a box is more meta. The card-image has a graceful simplicity to it but it’s not quite as meta.

  3. Since both box arts show the product at roughly the same angle, the entire question boils down to how meta the hands themselves are. If those are the same hands as, say, one of the programmers, or even whoever packaged the card, then Sega wins. Otherwise, the round goes to Konami.

    Were those the hands of, say, Meta Knight, there wouldn’t be any question.

  4. put the “konami’s best” box, properly angled, on the cover of another “konami’s best” box and then you’ve got something. i would pay to see that (i would also not pay to see that, given the option).

  5. Countdown to some internet smartass Photoshopping the Konami’s Best box into itself for an infinite self-referential loop, in 4… 3… 2…

  7. Meta, shmeta. The Castlevania game is a 3.04 degree angle from the rest of the box. The Sega game is 10.22 degress. Clearly the Sega games win because they have more incline.

    Also: grids.

  9. Does anyone else have a nasty allergic reaction to Greatest Hits box art? Really, I won’t buy a game covered in that crap even if it’s my only choice. Yes, I’m materialistic.

  11. I’d love to see something like this done with a reissue of a game like GTA:VC. That way the ESRB label reads AO even though the ESRB label on the depicted box reads M. That oughta get a reaction.

  12. Refusing to buy a game based entirely on artwork is awfully self-defeating. I’ve never once had my enjoyment of a game dulled by bad box art. This, from someone who owns Mega Man and Suikoden.

  13. Sadly, I just picked up a copy of Dawn of Sorrow, and to my suprise, when I opened the box from Amazon, that is what looked up at me. Someone was not thinking AT ALL when that got approved.

  14. Inside the box is no game but rather a set of infinitely smaller boxes. It’s like the Schrödinger equation of portable gaming.

  15. parish: I didn’t mean box art in general, I just meant the tacky looking “Greatest Hits” look that adorn some covers. I’d much rather have the original cover of a game than say, Final Fantasy VII with a green stripe along the left side.

    – From a fellow Mega Man owner

  16. The real question begging to be answered is whether the DS game card has a picture of the DS game card on it. And, of course, whether the instruction manual includes a photo of the instruction manual on the cover.

  17. the green stripe is the only truly awful “best seller” box that comes to my mind. i mean, aside from the hideous green boxes that so many oxbox games of any variety came in.

  18. I’ve often wondered if the ugly designs are intentional. A sort of punishment or trade-off for not having bought the game at full price. But I’d go with the SMS game in terms of metaness.

  19. Ghost House! My friend gave me a whole slew of SMS titles the other day that he was getting rid of, this was one of ’em. Not a very great game but oh well, nice to see the mention of that game.

  22. So *THAT’S* what Tomm Hulett’s been working on since he went to Konami. Great job on the box art, big guy!

  24. oh the gaftards have a box in a box in a box in abox of that cv art. and yes I know I am a horrible person for going there.

  26. Who is this… this “toastyfrog”? Anyway, fair enough, it was GAF what brung this thing to light in the first place. Credit where etc.

  28. I’d say the Konami art wins. I never liked that hand in the Sega box art. That person needs to clip their fingernails. And get some moisturizer. Creepy!

    Although, for a game called “Ghost House” I guess a creepy hand could be seen as a positive image for the game…

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