Got this in the mail yesterday.
Is it still okay to post non-gaming art books in this thread? I know we were doing that over at NeoGaf.
Just my opinion: non game artbooks get in the way of content I actually care about, as in general mega corporations release art books for just about every product they can and half of them aren't very detailed or worth looking at.Is it still okay to post non-gaming art books in this thread? I know we were doing that over at NeoGaf.
I bought the french version of the Bloodborne artbook. Here's a comparaison with Udon's : but my phone suck in the dark and I'm taking these in the evening and these are dark books. I'm no a very smart man, so I used HDR and pictures are shit. Sorry. I hope they still are useful enough to make my point.
First : the content is EXACTLY the same. Same pages, same layout. 100% copy pasted, but text is all in french now. (mind you, there is barely any text, only monsters, places and weapons name. Sometimes a few lines of the in game poetry / lore from runes or else)
Second : it's hardcover. Yes, it's much nice that the glossy softcover Udon made. It has a nice touch feeling to it too !
(french edition on the left, Udon's softcover edition on the right). This picture may be missleading : there is the SAME number of pages on both book. It's just that Udon used a much thinner paper.
The spine is inverted because it's a french book. Left is top. Right is bottom. I kinda liked Ludwig's sword on the spine on Udon's it was a nice touch.
Now the paper quality : Udon's was criticized because they used a super glossy, magazine like paper that doesn't look nor feel very good in hands. French edition use a much more traditional half grainy half glossy paper that is much better and on par with traditional artbooks. Of course pics are hard to make to prove this and I did this quick and dirty with my shit phone but you'll see the gloss paper vs normal paper (against strong light to illustrate extreme reflection) :
Udon :
Mana Books :
conclusion : if you are a french reader do NOT hesitate. Buy the french edition locally in your bookshop. It's cheaper, better, and you do something good for a local book shop and local publisher.
If you are not speaking french : there's really not much text. None are commentary it's only names or in game lore/ poetry. Up to you to decide what edition you want, if you have the choice.
I bought the french version of the Bloodborne artbook. Here's a comparaison with Udon's : but my phone suck in the dark and I'm taking these in the evening and these are dark books. I'm no a very smart man, so I used HDR and pictures are shit. Sorry. I hope they still are useful enough to make my point.
Just my opinion but gaming history non-artbooks get in the way of what I care about ;P.Just my opinion: non game artbooks get in the way of content I actually care about, as in general mega corporations release art books for just about every product they can and half of them aren't very detailed or worth looking at.
But that's just one poster's opinion!
Why do French people get a hardcover edition of the BB art book? :(
Because the french publishers who bought the right decided to keep the book as close as possible as the original japanese release while the north american publisher decided to do something very... different.
Would have loved to make it a hardcover version like Dark Souls, but unfortunately the JP publisher did not give us the rights to upgrade the book that way. That said, even for a softcover we agree it's still a little floppier than we'd prefer. Being such a thick book helps a bit, but we'll probably not use that paper stock for future books.
Can't speak for the P5 book since my order got delayed, but...
For the SMTIV Artbook, you can check it out here: https://www.parkablogs.com/content/book-review-shin-megami-tensei-iv-official-artworks
I have the japanese version and looks like it's pretty much identical.
Because the french publishers who bought the right decided to keep the book as close as possible as the original japanese release while the north american publisher decided to do something very... different.
UnluckyKate thank you so much for that post about the Bloodborne hardcover edition.
isn't the japanese edition softcover as well though?
Japanese was indeed softcover, but still different than Udon's.
I tried to contact the french publishers to know how they could make the hardcover but no answer yet.
Not sure if it's been posted yet but I saw Amazon Japan is getting more copies of the Dragon's Crown artbook the 20th. Guess that means a reprint just in time for the PS4 release.
I have a question: Did they ever release an Odin Sphere art book? I have the small one that came with the preorder of Leifthrasir but I'd prefer something more comprehensive.
20th of this month ? Good news. Do you think they will be sold in BOOK OFF ? I have people in Japan.
For Odin Sphere, there was an artbook, and it got updated with the leifthrasir PS4 re-release. It was in the collector edition but you can find it. It's small (64 pages) but nice and can be found cheap
Does that art book have many sketches/rough drafts/concept art?
It's only 30 euros and I can read French, so I just ordered it myself :) Thank you so much for posting it, if you hadn't I wouldn't have known
Well, technically, he/she isn't the only one who talked about it in this thread :P
I'm still on the lookout for the three Dark Souls Design Works books
The best part of the Shovel Knight art book is seeing the first really bad sketche of the characters.
If you really love Shovel Knight it's a really good book, other than having a foreword from Colin. Tons of sketches, a look into different versions of the same character that didn't make the final cut, and insight into what the creator had in mind with each character and level.I'm having second thoughts on buying this book. It's not on my priority list, but I'll probably get it sometime.
If you really love Shovel Knight it's a really good book, other than having a foreword from Colin.
The huge pictures caught my attention more so unfortunately :) Thank you as well for mentioning it!
I would love to add this one to my collection but I wonder how much of the art from this book will eventually end up in the upcoming Dark Horse Ultimania localization. If the FF7/8/9 volume is 300+ pages, that means over 100 pages dedicated to FF9 art. I might just wait for that since the FF9 art book is like $90 new at this point.
Dang that sounds right up my alley gonna see if I can bait anyone in my family to get this for me for Xmas.If you really love Shovel Knight it's a really good book, other than having a foreword from Colin. Tons of sketches, a look into different versions of the same character that didn't make the final cut, and insight into what the creator had in mind with each character and level.
Thanks for the heads up.Half Price Books is having their 7 days of saving sale currently, 30% off a single item today and tomorrow, 40% on Friday/Saturday, and 50% on Sunday. My favorite times of the year since I'm a Graphic Designer/Animator and the Art/Animation based books are usually ignored (Though the Comic Books go fast).
On the gaming side my best find of the day was this Dragon Quest Artbook by Mutsumi (With beautiful paintings/illustrations) for like $17.50
Also found a Bioshock Infinite Artbook and Hyrule Historia for around $14. Other finds I ended up with was the Art of the Incredibles for $14, Art of Big Hero 6 for $14, the entire Bone comic volumes for $14, and a couple of Art Books by some Designers and Artists I had been waiting for. They still had a ton of Art of Blizzard Entertainment books and some Comic related art books I'm gonna try to wait out for Friday.
I always tend to buy out everything I want when the sale hits 30%, especially if they only have one copy. I tried to go on the 40%/50% days before and it was an absolute crowded hellhole.
Oh and my Rockman.exe Official Complete Works came in from Amazon.JP today. So happy to finally have it in my collection for this price, especially since I almost paid like $45 on Ebay.
Yep, this month. No idea about BOOK OFF, sorry.20th of this month ? Good news. Do you think they will be sold in BOOK OFF ? I have people in Japan.
For Odin Sphere, there was an artbook, and it got updated with the leifthrasir PS4 re-release. It was in the collector edition but you can find it. It's small (64 pages) but nice and can be found cheap
I'm still on the lookout for the three Dark Souls Design Works books, as well as the Bloodborne Design Works book.
But I bought too many artbooks this year already.
By the way, does anyone know if the Eyes of Bayonetta 2 artbook will come to the west anytime soon? I really need that in my life.
1st : Good luck. I've been scouring the b/s/t thread to find one. Prices are nuts.
2nd : Amazon. Got my this year and still flipping through it. Really like the commentary.
3rd : Only JP right now I think. Haven't seen a nonJP version yet.