Before I knew a single piece of information about Lords of the Fallen, I knew I wanted to play it. Whatever is going on in this image, I want to be a part of it. Has that ever happened to you?
I didn’t know Lords of the Fallen was an upcoming role-playing game from Poland’s CI Games. I hadn’t a clue the project was being led by Tomasz Gop, former senior producer on The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings. Hell, had I read the official description of the game, due out in 2014 for next-generation consoles and PC, I probably would have simply made a note to wait for something more concrete than generic-sounding plot and promises I’ve heard before.
Lords of the Fallen is a hardcore action-RPG featuring an advanced combat systems and robust class skill trees. Set in a richly created fantasy world where the Gods have failed mankind, players will take on the role of a human named Harkyn who sets out on a quest to stand against an apparently unstoppable supernatural force. Players travel across a world that is deeply divideded by those that follow and others that resist, the Fallen God. Along their journey they will be faced with a series of decisions that will alter both the world and their character thus dramatically impacting the storyline.
But no, I saw the art first, and now I am intrigued. An image that chances are won’t even appear in the final product. That’s some powerful mojo.
Luke Plunkett regularly celebrates the work of concept artists in his Fine Art series, through it I’ve developed a healthy respect for those often unsung heroes. They’re thrust into the front lines of the game marketing war, and sometimes they manage to win the battle without a single screenshot fired.
Comments
16 responses to “Has A Single Piece Of Concept Art Ever Sold You On A Game?”
Some of the concept art for guild wars 2 and Mass effect 3 i thought was amazing and i knew it was going to develop into something good…
and sure enough it did
Yep, it was called the 1980s and they were Commodore 64 games 🙂 the box art usually sold you a fake and awesome impression of what the game was like! Then you got home and it was downhill, then up hill again from there!
Same here! I’ll never forget the feelings that came over me the first time I laid eyes on the box art of the original Castlevania for NES, and then later Super Mario 64 for the N64. And I tell you what, my vibes weren’t off a single beat! Both games were AWESOME! I never doubted my instincts again!
Remember when box art… was ART? Yeah. So do I.
Now? It’s dudes with guns just lookin back at ya… badly photoshopped…
Good times 🙁
Part grateful to have experienced them, part sad for those who never will.
So true. I know there were some dodgy ones back then but there were some true classics too. A lot were actually hand painted pieces a few even came from artists allegedly Drew Struzan did a couple but I have no idea which ones :/
No. Because I’m not an idiot.
I see a new game and immediately think to myself: Will this be out on a platform I use? Will it have nasty DRM? Will it be an MMO or a multiplayer-only title? Will it be another vapid exercise in medioce gameplay design? Will it be over or under-priced? Will it be F2P?
I very, very rarely think: “I will play this.”
Also, when I first see concept art, my first thought is very simple: “But what does the game look like?” Concept art is basically useless unless it’s wallpaper-resolution.
this ^
Hey @kotakuinternational, thanks a lot! By the way:
Do me a favor, please let me surprise you on that one! 🙂
I await with baited breath being surprised. And anything else you have to share
as soon as i saw the destiny (new bungie game) concept art i got shivers down my spine. definitely sold on that one, no trailers needed.
You might enjoy this:
http://gdcvault.com/play/1017789/Brave-New-World-New-Bungie
It’s a one hour lecture on the concept art, design and visual inspiration for Destiny.
This WoW one – http://us.battle.net/wow/en/media/wallpapers/other?keywords=&view#/game-reveal3
It was back in 2003 or something and that image of a group of people adventuring on this wild coastline was just enchanting.
http://supermemorybros.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/megaman-boxart.jpg
I’ll just… yeah.
Yep. The teaser and artwork for Hardware: Shipbreakers. Waiting to see if my $100 gamble will pay off.