Ugliest game art

[crazyjoedavola]

We already have a thread regarding the dumbest game names ever, but I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on what the ugliest game art was. A long time ago, I was really into buying import games just so I could have it before it came out here in the states and found the US release to have game art much worse than the Japanese versions.

My question is, what's the worst game art you've encountered and it can be for any system.

Since I've owned the import version of Jewel Master at one time and have recently bought the US release of that game, I can honestly say that the US art sucks.

[Vicman]

Strider, need I say more?

[Melf]

The original Mega Man. Nothing else comes close.

[Drixxel]

Ahahaha... the Mega Man box art is hard to beat. I believe that in one of the bonus interviews found in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, it's revealed that the artist was only given one day to hammer out the cover artwork. The bow-legged stance, the bulky blue-and-yellow outfit, the pistol, the old, tanned face.. allll is clear.

There was a time when I had no idea that Phalanx was a shooter because the box art is just that misleading. The cover depicts an old, bearded hillbilly sitting in a chair and playing a banjo. Why? Why?

[rgam2000]

The original Mega Man. Nothing else comes close.

I agree.

[GeckoYamori]

Actually, there are things far worse than Mega Man. Like the Turbografx Bomberman art.

[Wampaa]

Dungeon Explorer on Turbo is pretty horrid.

[Drixxel]

A lot of the TurboGrafx box art is pretty wretched.. but then there are occasional moments of brilliance, like this: http://exotica.fix.no/gallery/games/.../Ballistix.jpg.

But for every Ballistix, you have a Double Dungeons...



That panther is pretty awesome.

[StRiDA CoL]

hey megaman 2 was pretty bad as the first one

[crazyjoedavola]

There was a time when I had no idea that Phalanx was a shooter because the box art is just that misleading. The cover depicts an old, bearded hillbilly sitting in a chair and playing a banjo. Why? Why?

Yeah, I remember Phalanx. How in the world did the idea for that box ever make it from concept to completion without anyone saying, "You know, this not only doesn't tell you it's a shooter, but it doesn't tell you anything about the game at all".

[Drixxel]

If you can peel your eyes away from the hillbilly, there actually is a space ship in the top right of the box art, but it's not nearly prominent enough for one to associate Phalanx with anything other than total confusion. Now, if they'd put the ship front and center with the hillbilly floating in the top right, well.. err.. still pretty bizarre, but clarity achieved. At least people would have known a bit more about the game on display, but imagine the multitudes of angry letters complaining about the lack of destroyable in-game hillbilly.

I can almost imagine a man quite like the one on the game's cover wandering aimlessly around a video rental store, only to spy his likeness staring back at him from the SNES shelf. "...Finally!" he'd gasp, snatching for the box and renting it without even a thorough inspection of the packaging. Oh, how happy the man would be.. he might even write a banjo lullaby about the day's adventure. Find out next week, in this hideous continuation of Satan's work, 'The Hypothetical World in which Phalanx's Box-Art Succeeded!'

And oh man, Mega Man 2's box art is by no means great, but it wasn't nearly as terrible as Mega Man 1's. Sure, he's still holding a pistol (what the hell?), but at least Mega Man himself could be positively identified as Mega Man this time around. No yellow at all! You done well, Capcom..!

[crazyjoedavola]

I can almost imagine a man quite like the one on the game's cover wandering aimlessly around a video rental store, only to spy his likeness staring back at him from the SNES shelf. "...Finally!" he'd gasp, snatching for the box and renting it without even a thorough inspection of the packaging. Oh, how happy the man would be.. he might even write a banjo lullaby about the day's adventure. Find out next week, in this hideous continuation of Satan's work, 'The Hypothetical World in which Phalanx's Box-Art Succeeded!

Good stuff. I agree totally.

[j_factor]

Super Bust A Move for PS2.

[Sega Uranus]

I remember being imbarassed to show Super BAM rightside up.