Hey, when there’s hundreds and hundreds of titles, you’re bound to see a few horrendously designed/drawn game boxes. The NES has had tons of really great box art, but here’s five that are bad, ugly, weird and just plain inexcusable.
Vice: Project Doom (1991, American Sammy)
Starring Huey Lewis and a Vietnamese hooker! This box art looks like something you might see from a Media Home Entertainment release. Seriously, I know the game is supposed to be pretty good (and apparently has tons of similarities to id Software’s DOOM), but was this really the best art choice to represent the game?
Shatterhand (1991, Jaleco)
No, it’s not a typo. The game is called Shatterhand, but the cover design makes you think its Shatter Hand. That’s not the worst part though. Who is this guy? Was he the inspiration for Johnny Cage? Shouldn’t he be playing volleyball on a beach somewhere or roller blading with those shades?
Metal Fighter (1989, Color Dreams)
I really don’t understand what’s going on here. I guess it’s a picture of someone/thing fighting metal? Looks like a story you would see in Heavy Metal by Lisa Frank. I love the bold claim of “superb action and incredible graphics”.
Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf (1988, SNK)
Sadly, there was no fighting to be had when you popped the cartridge in. Though that would be pretty cool, kinda like Arch Rivals, huh? Nothing says “THIS WILL SELL MILLIONS!” like putting a photo of an old man on the cover. Heck, why even bother making a golf game at all? I know Lee Trevino all too well though. I used to do lawn care on his street. Not the actual Lee Trevino… It was Lee Trevino Court.
Astyanax (1990, Jaleco)
Uh-oh! Jaleco takes the lead in this article! While the art isn’t great, that’s not the real problem. Who is this hero we’re supposed to be controlling in the game? He looks like the type you might see at a costume party in West Hollywood (not that I’ve ever been to a West Hollywood costume party).
Check out Part 2!
Tags: Astyanax, Lee Trevino, Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf, Metal Fighter, NES, Nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment System, Shatterhand, Vice: Project Doom, Video Game
Thats awesome, I think Fighting Golf is my favorite.
I own Astyanax! Haha.
Astayanax may have crappy box art, but that game (despite it’s steep difficulty curve) still rules. Metal Fighter – that box art is actually better than the game itself, which doesn’t even pass muster as a 3rd-rate shmup.