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FIFA 14 sports Gareth Bale on UK cover
Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale shares the UK cover of FIFA 14 with boxart-everpresent Lionel Messi, essentially notching the most lucrative UK soccer accolade behind the Players' Association and Football Writers' gongs, which he greedily gobbled up last season. The news could be big for other reasons; with Bale a widely speculated transfer target of Euro-giants Real Madrid, his cover appearance in a Spurs shirt might suggest he's staying at Tottenham for a while longer. Or it could just be a big old platform for embarrassment when he does make the move. We'll know either way when the latest FIFA reaches North America on September 24, and Europe on September 27, hitting the net-backs of Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. For a lookie at the full UK cover, head on past the break.
Grand Theft Auto 5 sticks with tried-and-true box art
After some recent speculation surrounding a mural unveiling, Rockstar revealed the official box art for Grand Theft Auto 5 this morning. As you can see in full below the break, it does not stray far from the style introduced during the series' PlayStation 2 days.The art unsurprisingly features the three main protagonists of the game, with Franklin holding the handgun at the bottom, Trevor holding the slightly larger weapon, and Michael taking to the water. Also typical to GTA's style, in the hands of the woman on the left we can see a rather familiar-looking device...Grand Theft Auto 5 rides onto Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 17.
Netflix extends new user interface experience to Android phones (Update)
Netflix's new user interface experience popped up on Android tablets last year before progressing to the iPad and finally iPhones just last week, but now the company officially announced it's completing the circle by pushing it to Android phones. As seen on other devices, it's focused on larger artwork, and offers the ability to scroll through many more titles, as well as search its streaming library from anywhere within the app. Users can tap once on a title to see more info about it or double tap to start playing immediately. The new UI is available on hardware running Gingerbread and above. It may already be appearing on your device but if not, check out the video preview embedded after the break. Update: We downloaded the app and started poking around and have discovered a rather unfortunate detail left out by Netflix -- the new UI is not optimized for high-res displays. Icons, thumbnail images and even the company's logo are noticeably pixelated on our Galaxy Nexus. Even on the qHD panel of our Droid RAZR M things are pretty fuzzy looking. Hopefully Netflix will address the issue soon and maybe, just maybe, make it look like an Android app instead of an iOS one.. Update 2: We've heard from Netflix on the issue, and are told that certain screen resolutions + certain flavors of the OS are resulting in "suboptimal" rendering. Currently it's doing more testing and making tweaks to improve the experience across the board, we'll let you know when they arrive.
Catwoman is also armored in Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition (plus: Wii U boxes are blue!)
The tablet technology included with the Wii U allows Batman to have fancier armor in Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition. We don't understand how it works either – just go with it. A new image released by WB today shows that Catwoman will also benefit from this increased armor tech. Now she's more covered up.Speaking of Wii U and being covered up, the box art image sent by WB reveals something interesting: not only do Wii U game covers have a blue bar on top – the actual boxes appear to be light blue. That'll be hard to miss on the shelf.%Gallery-162636%
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Blu-ray full specs revealed, arrives in October
We already got an early peek at the trailer, but Universal has finally issued a press release that breaks down everything that will be included in the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 30th Anniversary Blu-ray. The disc will include only the 1982 theatrical version of the movie, a Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound audio track and two brand-new featurettes. Those include an interview with the director Steven Spielberg and a behind the scenes look in The E.T. Journals. There's also support for the pocket BLU remote app, Ultraviolet and standard Digital Copy, and more. It certainly seems to be a package befitting the fourth-highest performing movie of all time, check after the break for another look at the trailer and the full press release. It's already up for preorder on Amazon for $24.49, although we'll have to keep waiting for an exact release date.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Blu-ray trailer and box art pop up online (video)
Ever since Universal announced during CES 2012 that it would deliver many of its classic films on Blu-ray this year as part of a centennial celebration, we've been keeping a careful eye out for news regarding Steven Spielberg's classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. While we still don't know the release date, price or if it will contain the changes made in the 2002 edition of the flick, Universal posted a trailer for the Blu-ray (embedded after the break, note that at 0:25 seconds the FBI agents are holding guns, so it appears to be the original) that confirmed a digital remastering from the 35MM film, 7.1 surround sound and "hours of bonus features". Additionally, forum posters on Blu-ray.com have noticed this (probably not final) box art appearing on Amazon UK recently. After waiting for word since a new distribution deal brought the flick back to Universal in 2008, a few months of silence hasn't broken us, but hopefully more details appear soon. The best guess still sees the 30th Anniversary release hitting store shelves in time for the holidays (likely after Jaws, which is scheduled for release August 14th), when we can relive our childhoods in proper 1080p HD at last.
Catherine and Katherine split box art duty
If you're shocked to see the seductive poses on the Japanese box art for Catherine, this is likely your first encounter with the Persona team's foray into HD games. The covers feature Catherine (on the PS3 box), the mysterious woman with whom protagonist Vincent has an affair with, and his current girlfriend, Katherine (on the 360 version). The box art is in line with the general marketing for the adult-themed game, which has used lascivious imagery to capture Vincent's insomnia-plagued predicament. Look closer -- notice the falling sheep-men? Catherine arrives in Japan on February 17, and in North America who knows when.
Activision confirms final Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions cover
GameFly has proven that the speed of a game rental website exceeds the proportionate speed of a radioactive spider. The website posted the final box art for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions well in advance of next week's Shattered Dimensions Comic-Con panel, which is expected to provide the "official" reveal of the game's fourth universe. Activision confirmed to Joystiq that the box art image is authentic. There's still plenty of info to reveal at that panel, however. The newly revealed, fourth version of Spider-Man (pictured on the far right) looks like he's wearing the famous (infamous?) black "symbiote" costume, which raises questions about which "universe" it represents in the game. In the comics, the Secret Wars storyline that resulted in Spider-Man's acquisition of this costume took place in the normal "Earth-616" Marvel Comics continuity, which is already one of the game's revealed dimensions. (The other two are the Noir [Earth-7207] and Marvel 2099 [Earth-928] universes.) It's possible that this probable symbiote costume is the version from the Ultimate universe, which would qualify as a separate universe and fulfill the game's multidimensional gimmick. Check out the full box art after the break, while we ponder the biggest question brought on by this reveal: When did we learn so much about Spider-Man comics?
The Michael Jordan NBA 2K11 cover
2K Sports calls it the "Greatest Cover of All Time" -- but, you know, it's not even the greatest Michael Jordan cover of all time. Five words: Chaos. In. The. Windy. City. (Click the image for a better look at Jordan's latest comeback.)
And the winner of the Lucha Libre AAA boxart battle is ...
... Dr. Wagner! Take note, budding luchadores: you have to engage the crowd. The doc bested three other masked men this afternoon in a wrestling ring plunked down on the E3 show floor to "achieve immortality" on the Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes of the Ring game cover. Check out the highlights from the four-man free-for-all in the gallery below. %Gallery-95583%
What the HTC EVO 4G packaging does -- but hopefully won't -- look like
There are actually days when we envy those who are paid to hawk telephones. Today, for instance, we hear that certain Sprint employees have recently obtained an HTC EVO 4G. However, our jealousy is tempered by the fact that we've already spent considerable quality time with the superphone, and, quite frankly, by the ridiculous packaging you see immediately above. Pardon our French, but it looks like a microwavable food tub. See a pair of close-ups after the break. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Fable 3 box art crowned with 'Windows' label
"Dudes, this box art rules!" We would have been satisfied to leave it at that after sharing Fable 3's regal cover art with you, had it not been for the curious stamp at the top: "Only on Xbox 360 & Windows." The label, which denotes "exclusivity" on Microsoft's console and PC, was most recently adhered to THQ's atmospheric first-person shooter, Metro 2033. Since this official Microsoft-provided art has now been retracted (from Games Press), you're either looking at an elaborate labeling error or an accidental announcement of Fable 3 heading to PC. We'll do our best to be royal pains and keep bugging Microsoft for a proper answer. At the time of writing, neither Microsoft US nor Microsoft UK had responded to our calls. Update: A Microsoft representative told us, "We have not made any official announcements beyond 'Fable III' for Xbox 360 at this time," and offered to forward additional information "as it becomes available."
The Fallout: New Vegas box art is stoic
We struggle to find anything else to say about the Fallout: New Vegas boxart that's been revealed via the Bethesda Blog. Depicting a single New California Republic Ranger standing alone (you know, the guy from the first trailer?), he wields his pistol, presumably ready for any ne'er-do-wells lurking. Or maybe he's just showing his gun to us? We can't imagine it's very impressive, what with all the sand in the post-apocalyptic desert. Of course, if the regular edition of the game doesn't do it for you, don't forget there's a collector's edition you can snag for $79.99 on PS3 and Xbox and $69.99 on PC -- or about 7,162 bottle caps.* *Note: Please don't mail bottle caps to Bethesda.
Rumor: F.E.A.R. 3 to be revealed by Spanish magazine as 'F.3.A.R.'
Alright, folks, story time -- about five days ago, a tipster sent us the three box shots in the gallery below, claiming they were asked to take part in a survey that essentially revealed the existence of a third game in the Monolith-developed F.E.A.R. series. Further, the game's title on the boxes didn't read "F.E.A.R. 3," but rather "F.3.A.R." Fast-forward four days later and one of the box shots turns up on gaming forum neoGAF as an image (sans box) alleged to be from an unnamed Spanish magazine, with the words "próximo número" ("next number" literally, or, in this case, "next issue") cascading down the left side. Normally we wouldn't tell you about any of this, except for the fact that when we contacted publisher Warner Bros. Interactive for comment, we were told by a representative, "We have no info to share at this time." While that's certainly not solid confirmation, the fact that WB didn't outright falsify the images strikes us as notable to say the least. We'll let you know if the publisher decides to be any more candid, but for now we're leaving this one firmly in the rumor bin. %Gallery-88961%[Thanks Jan!]
DSi LL is too big for its own box art
The box design for the Japanese DSi LL has shown up on Amazon.co.jp, and, as usual, it is classy and fairly minimalist, featuring little more than a picture of the hardware on a white background. We're childish enough to be amused by the fact that the whole DSi LL doesn't fit on the box. You know, because it's so big. Look how much room is on the DSi box! Somehow, despite not fitting on the box, the DSi LL fits in the box -- we can only assume it's in there disassembled like an IKEA desk. [Via GoNintendo]
Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate Box Art of All-Stars
Capcom has finally uploaded the massive box art for its latest Vs title onto the internet: Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. It's very similar to the Japanese box art for the original release, in that it's a bunch of the game's characters set against a white background. The difference between the two is that our localized version shows the characters staring each other down, likely thinking about how they're going to kick the crap out of each other. What a violent world these folks live in, eh? Head past the break for the full box art. %Gallery-32421%
Just Dance box art keeps it simple
Superannuation, like the rest of us, seems to have been drawn to Ubisoft's irresistible Just Dance. The combination of the imperative title and the goofy enthusiasm of the trailer make us follow the Wii dancing game a little more closely than others we don't really intend to play. The site alerted us to the box art for the title, which boldly advertises three songs: "U Can't Touch This," "Groove is in the Heart," and "Hot N Cold." We have yet to decide, but we think ... we might like the design. It'll certainly stand out on the shelf, commanding everyone who walks by to just dance. And the people on the box won't be as humiliated with their appearance as the Jam Sessions guy.%Gallery-70594%
Sony's Kobayashi: better ICO box art could have boosted sales
At DICE Summit Asia, Sony Japan Studio VP Yasuhide Kobayashi gave a speech about appealing to a global audience with games, which he identified as increasingly important as the Japanese market contracts. He mentioned The Last Guardian, which was given that particular title to appeal to Western markets. As an example of Western-focused marketing that didn't work, Kobayashi presented the Japanese and North American boxes for ICO, the game that brought the Last Guardian developers to prominence. "If the packaging was designed differently, we think it would have sold more," he said. "In fact on the internet many people have said that the Japanese version was better." Because it is.Kobayashi then finished by highlighting what he saw as a different perception of what makes a "new" game in the West and Japan. He said that a "new" game in the US or Europe could be "something similar to something that's come before, because they think it is easier for people to understand.""But actually we don't like this - it's like you're simulating, following suit, combining two titles into one," he continued. "It seems the definition of a new title is different in the US and Europe to Japan. It means a new genre, that's what we call a new game."Japan has just as many iterative sequels as anywhere else, but we guess they aren't considered as new?
Sin and Punishment 2 flying into Japan October 29
The Japanese box art for Sin and Punishment 2, which appears to have been cropped out of a Famitsu scan by NeoGAFfer neo2046, is awesome. We're all thinking it: it's far too awesome to survive the trip overseas. This amazing art is doomed to be replaced with 3D character art upon its release in North America. But we can appreciate it now!We can also appreciate the tiny text at the bottom, which reveals a release date of October 29 in Japan. Nintendo of America has yet to update the "Q1 2010" date for North America -- a date that must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now places this niche game, which we want to protect like a little baby, in the middle of a very dangerous game environment.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time box art multiplayer listing simply 'placeholder'
Click to embiggen. The PlayStation.Blog has announced the release date for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. But wait -- isn't that, as commenters like to point out, old news? Thankfully, more can be gleamed from the box art included with the post.In addition to touting the redesigned PS3 logo, the box art for A Crack in Time features the now-standard PlayStation Network banner on the back. The various PSN features include Trophies, PlayStation Home support, leaderboards and ... multiplayer? That's certainly new to us.Unfortunately, a SCEA representative confirmed to us that the box art posted on the web was constructed from a template and that all information listed in the PSN banner is simply placeholder. That doesn't mean A Crack in Time won't have multiplayer -- but it means that this is far from the "omg confirmationz!!!!1" that many have been hoping for. Update: SCEA's Jefferson Dong puts it more directly: "There is no multiplayer."[Thanks, tmacairjordan87]
