Worst game boxart

[AmandaRose]

 

[godreborn]

there's some game where the box art is just a person's hand holding the cartridge. I think it's for the pc engine. lol it might be in avgn's list.

 

[AmandaRose]

there's some game where the box art is just a person's hand holding the cartridge. I think it's for the pc engine. lol it might be in avgn's list.

To be fair the vast majority of pc engine box art was god awful.

 

[godreborn]

To be fair the vast majority of pc engine box art was god awful.

oh, yeah. the legendary axe (can't remember if it's 1 or 2) is legendary.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

that's not the only problem with pc engine games. sometimes the instructional manual had no screenshots. I remember the blazing lazers instruction manual just had drawings. despite that, some of the cd games are quite good. I still think that the pc engine version of the ys games is the way to play them.

 

[AmandaRose]

oh, yeah. the legendary axe (can't remember if it's 1 or 2) is legendary.

Both are terrible here they are along with some other terrible pc engine box arts.

 

[godreborn]

the girl on the the valis 3 cover looks like a man. lol I own valis 2, not 3 or 4.

 

[AmandaRose]

the girl on the the valis 3 cover looks like a man. lol I own valis 2, not 3 or 4.

Fuck ya do remember I'm a trans woman  right   so I couldn't possibly comment on that lol.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

I don't know what you guys are trying to say. You don't like the box art because the art is bad? Least there was effort placed into making it more visually interesting and stimulating. It may not be as out of place as something like the lazy ones. Lazy box art are just plain bizarre. It won't make anyone want to play the title. Does something like this (see below) make you want to play the game? Yellow background with feet at the top?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

All the old Sega Master System boxart is pretty bad. Not even in a funny way, just bad and lazily made.
These two are especially bad:

 

[godreborn]

wicked 18:

if you don't read what it says, it's almost misleading. when I first saw this, I thought it was an adventure game.

 

[godreborn]

with the bad mega man box art, it makes you wonder if the artist only got a description of the character rather than seeing the real thing in the game. lol

 

[osaka35]

with the bad mega man box art, it makes you wonder if the artist only got a description of the character rather than seeing the real thing in the game. lol

pretty dang close

"What happened was I had to go down to Capcom and do a game they just got in from Japan. They had a beta version; they were in a hurry to get this thing out. So I went down there. The gentlemen was the art director was there with the beta guy and they were waiting for me and I came with my pad and they started running the game. What we saw was this little pixelated figure of the famous Mega Man running around on the screen shooting. Bang, bang, bang, he's shooting obviously like this with his arm [Marc points his arm forward].

So I said to the art director, 'what is he shooting? What is he shooting with?' The art director said, 'he must have a pistol because I don't see that he's got a rifle so he must have a pistol.' 'So... a pistol? You want me to do a pistol?' And he said, 'yeah, let's put a pistol in there.' So I did what I was told and I put the pistol in there. Add to the fact that they only had, like, a day and a half for me to do the painting and what you wound up with was not the greatest result but certainly a result that was not my fault. It was one of those things. Here's my opportunity: I'm saying to everybody now that was not my fault! Talk to Capcom about the pistol." -- Marc Ericksen

Megaman 1 had a similar "a day or so to do it based on vague description" thing going on, so...yup. I don't know why they made art such an after-thought.

 

[AmandaRose]

 

[ThoD]

View attachment 183855

I actually like this one, too bad the actual game looked NOTHING like the boxart Would have been awesome to be a 3D action game with similar graphics as the boxart honestly...

 

[SG854]

View attachment 183880

Thanks, I now have a new avatar

 

[Dust2dust]

I always thought that one was horrible. In most cases, I would think bad boxart is the result of no budget left for that.

 

[godreborn]

I managed to get this transcript from an undercover operative at Capcom. here's how it went down.

artist: "is this right sir? I didn't really notice mega man holding a weapon. the pellets just seemed to fly out of his arm."
boss: "yes, yes, we don't have time to redo it."
artist: <holds up mega man 1 boxart print> "oh, my, what have I done!?"
boss: "it's good enough. we just need to get this bad boy into stores, so little Timmy has something to play on Christmas."

 

[Coathanger08]

 

[Nobody_Important4u]

c'mon you can do better

Introducing the new smash bros dls character: some ugly guy!

Do i need to say anything?

It looks like c64 boxart but no its a ps2 game...

 

[FAST6191]

Both are terrible here they are along with some other terrible pc engine box arts.

Are they they bad?

By no means are most of those great or anything (between a terminal case of 80s art and a lack of perspective in a few of those) but they all seem to showcase something of what the game is about, give or take the yellow one that I don't know anything about.


Anyway I am not sure what to pick here. You have the obvious ones that people have picked already but I tend to make something of a note of overdesigned artwork (if your first pick for PS360 era game that is described as "send in the hardnut to clear the room, possibly also have them defend someone at the same time" is not this then the second one will be), and some of the changes between regions to... appeal to various sensibilities I guess.