Reversible Coverart

穴

I don’t own it but i know that the reverse cover of the special edition of the Metroid 2 remake for 3ds has the original Gameboy box art on the inside and I think that’s the best concept for reverse cover art

antillese

I like reversing the cover art because it reduces how much supply chain information, legal disclosure text, and copyright information I have to just see in my house for my hobbies. I don’t have a collection of games that I want to display (except for this one Doko Demo Issyo PocketStation PS1 disc I have next to me on my desk) so breaking up the branding doesn’t bother me.

My Nier Automata is reversed
My Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is reversed
My Sonic Mania is a Genesis game

Tradeghouls 'n ghosts

I also like to reverse if I like the artwork more or just to change up familiar-looking box art to something more interesting before changing it back. A big part of the joy of owning a physical game is to look at the artwork!

sabertoothalex

Tradeghouls 'n ghosts NIS are really keeping this practice alive, I think every single release they do they run a contest that lets people vote on which reverse cover art will be included with their games.

captain

Clear winner here. I’m not a huge fan of the SotC cover art by itself so even better that one entire side of the box gets to be the Ico art!

(maddeningly however the reverse spine is slightly too narrow so you see the edges of the Ico & SotC art splash onto it when the case is closed and on the shelf)

the rocky connrrr picture show

captain it would make me laugh if one of the JP releases for Ico had reversible art with the original generic CG collage the NA release got.

connierad

Here’s a few examples from my collection:

That Death Stranding one is sick.

captain Wow, this is how I find out my copy of the Ico/SOTC collection doesn’t have reversible cover art :(

captain

I like when movies do this

captain maddeningly however the reverse spine is slightly too narrow

GAH!

captain

connierad I had just read that some regions didn’t get the reversible art :(

phylaxis

i always reverse when i can, i don’t wanna see those big dumb chunks o text and barcodes and copyrights, and half the time the art inside is better than the actual cover art

Chopemon

I reverse if the reverse art sticks to the box art template with the console name and layout so it looks uniform on the shelf.

I find the reversible art amusing as you can see the compromise between creative side of the team and the utterly pedestrian and cowardly marketing side of the team. The Nier Automata box is a good example. Main cover is trying their best to make it look like a gritty war drama and then the reverse is a beautiful painting that goes some way to conveying the wistful beauty of the game.

Doom is another good example. Pedestrian render of gun man or reverse for a metal as heck tableau of ferocity.

exodus

I don’t reverse cover art usually, but I do look at it!? if that makes sense. We like making them, too. Gunhouse has two different reversible covers, one for PS4, one for Vita. Hyper gunsport will have three!

◉◉maru

exodus St-t-t-tealth Hyper Gunsport physical version announcement？ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Salloumi

I always loved how subscription to Edge meant you got a cover that was pure art, with none of the HOTTEST TIPS AND TRICKS! IS JAK & DAXTER SONY’S MARIO KILLER?? text-noise all over it. Once you see it without the words, you realise how many words were there. They need to be there, in theory, because those words are for selling the product. If you’re a subscriber, they’ve already sold the product.

I see reversible covers as the same thing: a version of cover that speaks to ownership, rather than sales. So they’re often more relaxed, more tasteful, more in-world. And I love that. They speak to games as coffee-table objects, books, parts of collections.

And I guess I love the “I own this” aspect because I’m awful.

tomjonjon

Salloumi I value ownership as well. Can’t delist my discs/carts.