I like the version looking at the doll rather than the screen, but I find the teeth a bit too neatly lined up. I liked the broken one, and the fact that some were bigger than others, and that they were a bit apart.
Also I'm curious if there is a way you can add the monkey Spadge did, too.
I like the version looking at the doll rather than the screen, but I find the teeth a bit too neatly lined up. I liked the broken one, and the fact that some were bigger than others, and that they were a bit apart.
Also I'm curious if there is a way you can add the monkey Spadge did, too.
I redid the teeth because I thought it made him look more fierce. That's the main problem I had with the original MI2SE boxart; LeChuck didn't look as angry/scary/fierce as I would have liked him to, and the action/emotion of the scene was lost. I would imagine that LeChuck is shouting in that scene, and stabbing the voodoo doll with genuine anger, but in the MI2SE boxart, he just kind of looks like a generic cartoon villain, just hangin' out and being villainous.
I might try to make Guybrush's face better tomorrow, because I feel that some action/emotion was lost there too.
I generally just feel kind of like the serious overtones of MI2 were compromised in the MI2SE boxart, but that's just my opinion (I still liked it per se).
Honestly, if I was about to stab a voodoo doll, I'd make sure to look at it so I don't stab my hand instead.
It doesn't make sense to me that he wouldn't be looking at the doll.
Honestly, if I was about to stab a voodoo doll, I'd make sure to look at it so I don't stab my hand instead.
It doesn't make sense to me that he wouldn't be looking at the doll.
Well, here's the problem as I see it.
In Purcell's cover, LeChuck was holding the doll a foot or two in front of his face, and his eyes were pointed in that direction. In the MI2SE version, however, LeChuck is holding it closer to his body, but the artist still referred to Purcell's cover for the direction of the eyes, meaning that MI2SE LeChuck was looking at Purcell-cover's doll rather than his own - only a very slight difference but it bugged me a bit.
Are you sure? I was almost positive the old LeChuck was looking straight at the "camera" in a "I'm about to stab this voodoo doll with great fierocity! What are YOU gonna do abouf it?" A quick glance at the first page of this thread will solve this. Perhaps my memory is faulty...
I don't get the big problem. Obviously the new cover isn't in the same league as the original when taken as a self-contained piece of art. But I don't think it's even trying to compete. It's not a replacement for the original art, it's a tribute that unlike the original quite accurately reflects the art style you'll find in the actual game. Certainly nowhere near as horrible as the first special edition cover.
yes barnabus, but the discussision won't harm anyone right? i mean, if someone really hates this thread - and i think there are very well constructed arguments and interesting things to read here, then maybe its the best not to pay attention to thread at all
I might as well add my two cents into this, since I have a tiny slice of time to do so.
The reason why I was taken aback by the remade boxart was not only because it derived itself from an already successful piece of work, but because they found a need to do so without the proper eye for composition. Argue all you like about whether a download-based game needs boxart, but with the way Steam's new UI is going and (in my opinion) the possibility of releasing these on a collectors DVD, cover art means a lot for promotional purposes.
Let's address the main reason they would re-do the original artwork for MI:SE2: to match the style of the game. Sure, I get that, and they did it for the last SE too, that one I didn't have too much of a problem with, I still prefer Steve's original, but the remake wasn't too shabby. Matching artwork to display the game's highly stylized interpretation is a good thing, if done properly. However, given the "need" to remake a cover and then creating something that upsets the few of us, shouldn't be closed off from our opinions.
Now, the renditions people are creating, imo, are no better or worse than the remade cover. It isn't just about the lack of details, in fact, I am intrigued by the stylized choices made by the artist. This is about the overall impact and impression it leaves on people, whether or not they've seen the original artwork.
Steve created something that was alive and active in the original composition, but the remade version feels dead. Guybrush cups his hands around his ears and bends his knees, but doesn't come across as upset. LeChuck holds a voodoo doll so loosely it looks like he's just there posing for a photograph. The whole impression it looks like is someone just took the original and was more concerned about sticking elements in their relevant places without taking time to understand or work out how to make the same elements feel the same.
The positioning of the elements, the choice to skew elements, it's almost as if the artist was just looking at was there and not WHY it was there. There is a similar issue in classical animation, where if the finished line is not done properly, it will lack all life that the rough animation had. The same can be said about the remade copy. Sure, the location of elements is similar, but the overall shape and composition has changed drastically. I personally think that the new design could be redone to be made better, just with a better focus on how those elements work.
Does this post or thread seem overboard to artists and non-artists not moved by the change? Perhaps. Whatever way the new box art will be used is irrelevant to the argument I am making. For this is a promotional element that LucasArts chose to release officially, and that it should be open to opinion from those of us who are concerned about the stylization. This does not impact my overall opinion of the new game's style, as I'll be interested in seeing how it works in upcoming videos and the actual game.
However, I do want to wish one last thing, and that would be either to redo the redone artwork or release another piece of art with the new title on it. Either option is most likely financially impossible, but with such an awesome original cover that MI:2 had, I think it's a disservice to create such a lifeless rendition.
I don't get the big problem. Obviously the new cover isn't in the same league as the original when taken as a self-contained piece of art. But I don't think it's even trying to compete. It's not a replacement for the original art, it's a tribute that unlike the original quite accurately reflects the art style you'll find in the actual game. Certainly nowhere near as horrible as the first special edition cover.
I'd agre with this, and I did say that I at least did not think it was a big deal. But that Guybrush face is so bad. And now I've seen Fealiks LeChuck it's hard to look at the new one.
But truth be told, I don't care, the SE looks amazing and I'll always have Purcell's cover. Which is incidentally my favourite video game cover of all time, which is probably why the new one hurts my heart so much to look at it.
I actually do not mind the SE cover... obviously its not as good as Steve's but come on Purcell is like a Demigod ... think Heracles if instead of being strong he was good at art.
I actually do not mind the SE cover... obviously its not as good as Steve's but come on Purcell is like a Demigod ... think Heracles if instead of being strong he was good at art.
I just like playing around in photoshop..
I mostly agree (especially about Steve), but the SE looks so damned amazing, and such an improvement over the original (because of the originals technical limitations of course, not because the new art is better than what Steve could do in HD) it's such a shame the cover is so much lesser than the original.
Not a huge deal, and I agree it's also because Photoshop is fun. But for myself, I would like a version of the SE cover I can look at and not wince.
With the Guybrush head swap, the brushstroke filter and the improved LeChuck, I have that. And I'm happy. I don't think I am going to do any more on it though until we get a HD version to work with. Then I'll go crazy making it perfect. And it's just for me, I share it on the forums in case anyone else likes it. And it's fun to collaborate on something among MI fans.
At the end of the day I have nothing to do but drool over the few screens we have of MI2 SE until they release it. This gives me an outlet. Although I should be working lol! I just want a kickass SE wallpaper :-D
I don't get the big problem. Obviously the new cover isn't in the same league as the original when taken as a self-contained piece of art. But I don't think it's even trying to compete. It's not a replacement for the original art, it's a tribute that unlike the original quite accurately reflects the art style you'll find in the actual game. Certainly nowhere near as horrible as the first special edition cover.
I agree that this time it looks better and less annoying but the part that still confuses me is why don't they spend a world class game some world class art? Is the budget really so tight? Especially with the success they had with the first second edition, although i'm more thinking of the ingame graphics but as the cover results from that...
I agree with most of what Edgy McSpoon said. My main problem with the SE cover art was that the emotion, the drama and the "mid-action" sense from the original have all been dulled down. Faces convey a lot of emotion, and I think that (along with the lighting) the stylized faces of the new one lose a lot of emotion.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm still very happy with the special edition cover. The first time I saw it, it made me really excited. This is in no way a "fuck you" to the original SE cover artist because I think they did a pretty good job overall, there are just things they could have done better.
And, like parabolee said, this is mainly for my own amusement. I think it's important in a community that we can do collaborative stuff like this, and it's fun for the individual to do things like this in photoshop (or gimp or dogwaffle... I don't discriminate ). If the original artist happens to see any of this, I don't want them to think "oh crap, the fans hate my art" because that's not it at all. I mean, look at Purcell's cover and how Laserschwert altered that - was that a slight against Purcell? I think not. Granted, that was slightly different since he was editing the published versions rather than the art itself, but the fact remains that you don't have to be enraged by something to want to change it.
The only way that image could be improved would be if you gave that hairstyle to all the skull-headed pins as well. And the monkey holding the '2' in the title.
I do think its hilarious that the first thing we all complain about with the special editions is hairdos and beards... Lucasarts must think we are all nuts... But really this is a franchise that includes pirate barbers they should know better...
I kind of hope they continue this trend with future Special Editions... I hope they give Bernard a Kid n Play flat top if they make Maniac Mansion a SE.
Comments
Well he original cover didn't match the game either so...
*facepalm*
Also I'm curious if there is a way you can add the monkey Spadge did, too.
I redid the teeth because I thought it made him look more fierce. That's the main problem I had with the original MI2SE boxart; LeChuck didn't look as angry/scary/fierce as I would have liked him to, and the action/emotion of the scene was lost. I would imagine that LeChuck is shouting in that scene, and stabbing the voodoo doll with genuine anger, but in the MI2SE boxart, he just kind of looks like a generic cartoon villain, just hangin' out and being villainous.
I might try to make Guybrush's face better tomorrow, because I feel that some action/emotion was lost there too.
I generally just feel kind of like the serious overtones of MI2 were compromised in the MI2SE boxart, but that's just my opinion (I still liked it per se).
I'm pretty sure Purcell's LeChuck was looking at the doll (or that might just be my interpretation of it?)
It doesn't make sense to me that he wouldn't be looking at the doll.
Well, here's the problem as I see it.
In Purcell's cover, LeChuck was holding the doll a foot or two in front of his face, and his eyes were pointed in that direction. In the MI2SE version, however, LeChuck is holding it closer to his body, but the artist still referred to Purcell's cover for the direction of the eyes, meaning that MI2SE LeChuck was looking at Purcell-cover's doll rather than his own - only a very slight difference but it bugged me a bit.
Oooh, can't wait
The reason why I was taken aback by the remade boxart was not only because it derived itself from an already successful piece of work, but because they found a need to do so without the proper eye for composition. Argue all you like about whether a download-based game needs boxart, but with the way Steam's new UI is going and (in my opinion) the possibility of releasing these on a collectors DVD, cover art means a lot for promotional purposes.
Let's address the main reason they would re-do the original artwork for MI:SE2: to match the style of the game. Sure, I get that, and they did it for the last SE too, that one I didn't have too much of a problem with, I still prefer Steve's original, but the remake wasn't too shabby. Matching artwork to display the game's highly stylized interpretation is a good thing, if done properly. However, given the "need" to remake a cover and then creating something that upsets the few of us, shouldn't be closed off from our opinions.
Now, the renditions people are creating, imo, are no better or worse than the remade cover. It isn't just about the lack of details, in fact, I am intrigued by the stylized choices made by the artist. This is about the overall impact and impression it leaves on people, whether or not they've seen the original artwork.
Steve created something that was alive and active in the original composition, but the remade version feels dead. Guybrush cups his hands around his ears and bends his knees, but doesn't come across as upset. LeChuck holds a voodoo doll so loosely it looks like he's just there posing for a photograph. The whole impression it looks like is someone just took the original and was more concerned about sticking elements in their relevant places without taking time to understand or work out how to make the same elements feel the same.
The positioning of the elements, the choice to skew elements, it's almost as if the artist was just looking at was there and not WHY it was there. There is a similar issue in classical animation, where if the finished line is not done properly, it will lack all life that the rough animation had. The same can be said about the remade copy. Sure, the location of elements is similar, but the overall shape and composition has changed drastically. I personally think that the new design could be redone to be made better, just with a better focus on how those elements work.
Does this post or thread seem overboard to artists and non-artists not moved by the change? Perhaps. Whatever way the new box art will be used is irrelevant to the argument I am making. For this is a promotional element that LucasArts chose to release officially, and that it should be open to opinion from those of us who are concerned about the stylization. This does not impact my overall opinion of the new game's style, as I'll be interested in seeing how it works in upcoming videos and the actual game.
However, I do want to wish one last thing, and that would be either to redo the redone artwork or release another piece of art with the new title on it. Either option is most likely financially impossible, but with such an awesome original cover that MI:2 had, I think it's a disservice to create such a lifeless rendition.
I'd agre with this, and I did say that I at least did not think it was a big deal. But that Guybrush face is so bad. And now I've seen Fealiks LeChuck it's hard to look at the new one.
But truth be told, I don't care, the SE looks amazing and I'll always have Purcell's cover. Which is incidentally my favourite video game cover of all time, which is probably why the new one hurts my heart so much to look at it.
I just like playing around in photoshop..
I mostly agree (especially about Steve), but the SE looks so damned amazing, and such an improvement over the original (because of the originals technical limitations of course, not because the new art is better than what Steve could do in HD) it's such a shame the cover is so much lesser than the original.
Not a huge deal, and I agree it's also because Photoshop is fun. But for myself, I would like a version of the SE cover I can look at and not wince.
With the Guybrush head swap, the brushstroke filter and the improved LeChuck, I have that. And I'm happy. I don't think I am going to do any more on it though until we get a HD version to work with. Then I'll go crazy making it perfect. And it's just for me, I share it on the forums in case anyone else likes it. And it's fun to collaborate on something among MI fans.
At the end of the day I have nothing to do but drool over the few screens we have of MI2 SE until they release it. This gives me an outlet. Although I should be working lol! I just want a kickass SE wallpaper :-D
Here, LuigiHann, have an internet.
Lol. It looks like guybrush is actually 'putting on' his head.
Not anymore, now it'd be forced and thus lame.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm still very happy with the special edition cover. The first time I saw it, it made me really excited. This is in no way a "fuck you" to the original SE cover artist because I think they did a pretty good job overall, there are just things they could have done better.
And, like parabolee said, this is mainly for my own amusement. I think it's important in a community that we can do collaborative stuff like this, and it's fun for the individual to do things like this in photoshop (or gimp or dogwaffle... I don't discriminate
The only way that image could be improved would be if you gave that hairstyle to all the skull-headed pins as well. And the monkey holding the '2' in the title.
Horrifyingly excellent
I kind of hope they continue this trend with future Special Editions... I hope they give Bernard a Kid n Play flat top if they make Maniac Mansion a SE.
... And thus this thread takes its turn for the awesome and jackknifes into a turn for the transcendent.
With that bit of gratuitous hyperbole out of the way, I bestow upon Irishmile an internet as well. May you use it well.
What good would that do?