IGN Does top 25 Worst Game Covers

[Griking]

I wish they included a small paragraph explaining why some were chosen. Some of these are well deserved, others are a head scratcher to me.

Link (http://pc.ign.com/articles/776/776398p1.html)

[cyberfluxor]

Lame.

There's a JPN artwork in there, so why don't they have more? There are so many questionable covers over there, and even Europe, but of course they want to point out primarily US covers. Most of those that visit their site don't even know what 3DO is!

[playgeneration]

A lot of the game covers in there really arent bad at all, some i really like.

Ninja Golf is a great cover, suits the crazy game perfectly

Karnaaj rally is utterly awful though

But generally it's yet another lazy article without much research gone in to it, theres dozens of worse covers for Master System than Wonderboy for one thing.

[diskoboy]

Mega Man's US artwork is far worse than W&W2.

Valis III - Dude looks like a lady! :)

The Super Bust-a-Move artwork is absolutely horrifying. That still scares me...

[Captain Wrong]

The beautiful thing about Best/Worst lists, no matter how bad they are, people read them and talk about them. Probably more so if they are bad.

Someone should compile a Worst lists of all time list. heh.

[Nebagram]

Question: how is a picture of Tia Carrere bad?

But I agree some of them are pretty diabolical.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

...This game almost makes me want to buy a 7800. :|

[Pantechnicon]

Question: how is a picture of Tia Carrere bad?

My sentiments exactly. And Kimberly Drummond wearing a tight sport top and jeans will always have a permanent positive resonance with my inner adolescent as well.

[c0ldb33r]

Ninja Golf as #1? wtf? wow that list just lost any credibility.

Mega Man for NES should be #1, not #3. I hate that cover more than anything.

[Daria]

It looks like a writer for IGN spotted our worst box art ever thread here or at one of any other millions of similar threads spread across the internet and yanked some photos. Boring.

[Kid Ice]

Someone here had Karnaaj Rally as their avatar and I swear I seriously thought it was something he or she photoshopped.

[scooterb23]

The Ninja Golf cover reeks of awesomeness. It can't be the worst cover ever.

[Daria]

Question: how is a picture of Tia Carrere bad?

But I agree some of them are pretty diabolical.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

...This game almost makes me want to buy a 7800. :|

Yeah what's wrong with this one? It's funny and well painted. This has no buisiness being number one, not when there are so many other games out there that suffer from the crotch of power poses.

http://www.rpg-legends.com/images/tests/landstalker/Landstalker%20%5BEUR%5D.jpg

This cover would be kinda cool in a Saturday morning style if the Nigel wasn't protrayed as Beefcakes the mighty and the whole composition didn't appear to be radiating from his groin.

[lkermel]

It looks like a writer for IGN spotted our worst box art ever thread here or at one of any other millions of similar threads spread across the internet and yanked some photos. Boring.

Yep, same here. I've always found all those lists boring. Threads on the subject are a lot more fun (especially for all the crazy discussions going with it) , but all the 'worst/best whatever lists evar !!' found on all those 'high-end' game sites are just lame...

[Kroogah]

Someone should compile a Worst lists of all time list. heh.


Shhhhh. You're just encouraging VH1 with that kind of talk.

[jajaja]

First thing i thought when i saw this topic was Mega Man 1 for NES lol LOL Luckily its on the list because that cover sux! :) Some of these covers are pretty bad, but far from all of them. That Kong game for C64 should be on top (or atleast #2) and i would like to see Mega Man 2 US cover there as well.

[k8track]

Before I even clicked on that link and looked at that article, here are the three that popped into my head:

Ghouls 'N Ghosts (SMS)
Scrapyard Dog (7800)
Escape (Emerson Arcadia 2001)

Looks like we agreed on one of them (Scrapyard Dog). Some of those others are noodle-scratchers.

EDIT: Pictures added. Bask in the crappiness.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/k8track/smsghouls.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/k8track/Escape_1.jpg

(And don't forget the SMS "The Sega Card" games.)

[Rogmeister]

A lot of the game covers in there really arent bad at all, some i really like.

Ninja Golf is a great cover, suits the crazy game perfectly

Karnaaj rally is utterly awful though

But generally it's yet another lazy article without much research gone in to it, theres dozens of worse covers for Master System than Wonderboy for one thing.

It's ironic about Karnaaj Rally because I was watching a tape I'd recorded of episodes of Judgment Day and Victor Lucas was talking about this game. He liked the game but wondered what was up with the spelling of the game. He didn't comment on the artwork of the box, though.

[Push Upstairs]

Question: how is a picture of Tia Carrere bad?

Never, ever. Its inclusion makes this list null even before we get to #1


But I agree some of them are pretty diabolical.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

...This game almost makes me want to buy a 7800. :|

Play it. After you do you will have to look at your life as "pre-Ninja Golf" and "post-Ninja Golf"....it is that awesome.

Why was Mega Man #3? I'm certainly not attracted to Fabio, but a shirtless Fabio is better than that smeared fecal matter that is the Mega Man cover.

[dlopez9069]

Why did they mostly just point out games from the 80's? we can't help what was cool back then

[jajaja]

Why was Mega Man #3? I'm certainly not attracted to Fabio, but a shirtless Fabio is better than that smeared fecal matter that is the Mega Man cover.

lol, true that. Altho that W&W 2 covers is far from the greatest cover i never looked at it as one of the worse covers of all time. I actually didnt know it was Fabio before my sis boyfriend told me some months ago hehe.

[exit]

Why is the Lego Batman cover even on there, it doesn't look bad at all. Also Keith Courage? I always thought that cover was pretty badass.

One thing we can all agree, Ninja Golf has the best cover ever.

[Snapple]

This list is not the 25 worst box art covers. Read the beginning of the list. It's a list of 25 pieces of box art that are "so bad it's good."

Hence why Ninja Golf was high on the list.

[wufners]

It looks like they are using "bad" and "cheesy" interchangeably (thus the so bad, they're awesome title.) I'm betting they weren't so much interested in putting together a list of the 25 worst examples of box art as they were in showing funny pictures that would make readers giggle, "Oh my God! Fabio! That's so dorky!"

I think about half of those titles actually deserve to be on a genuine "bad" list.

As for Tia, it looks like she has a very small half man growing out of her ass. :O

[Fuyukaze]

All those games yet no mention of Mobile Light Force 2.

[Steven]

LOL, I knew Phalanx would find its way on there.

I thought Rival Turf might have cracked the list.

Yeah, it is very VH1-ish. Lists to me are hit-or-miss. I loved EGM's 1st Top 100, and I loved all the lists found on OPCFG. Other lists, like this 25 cover thing, is just meh, really.

[k8track]

Did not see the "so bad, it's good" tagline. I thought these were meant to be genuinely bad.

In any case, the three I mentioned ARE genuinely bad.

[Lozza]

Some of those are terrible and some are funny, but some (like Rambo & Ninja Golf) are amazing!

[TheRedEye]

I think "I Want My Mommy" has a gorgeous cover. It's clean, appealing, and very nicely illustrated.

[Lozza]

I think "I Want My Mommy" has a gorgeous cover. It's clean, appealing, and very nicely illustrated.

yeahhhh.........................

[DaBargainHunta]

Am I the only one who likes these covers?

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025740011.jpg http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025740401.jpg

I think the Trouble Shooter cover is especially awesome. Makes me want to track down the game. (Never heard of it before now.)

[Griking]

Am I the only one who likes these covers?

I think the Trouble Shooter cover is especially awesome. Makes me want to track down the game. (Never heard of it before now.)

I don't hate them but i don't particularly care for them. They're so bland.

I also liked the I Want My Mommy art.

[exit]

Am I the only one who likes these covers?

I failed to mention that the Demonhead cover is pretty sweet as well.

Why wasn't My Hero's cover on there? From what I remember, the cover was just a fist hitting a skinhead.

[Steven]

Demonhead cover I liked, esp. as a kid. I still have this image in my head of seeing the cart lying bare in the middle of a lawn at one of my friend's houses. Why it was there I'll never know. But I remember glancing down and seeing that guy shooting back at the alien-esque baddies. Good times

[wufners]

Wow--I may be in the minority. Clash at Demonhead is AWFUL. Incompetence rages throughout it. It's horribly drawn and the elements just kind of float around with absolutely no relation to one another. It looks like everything was drawn separately and then haphazardly thrown together with little thought for rhythm or design. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Troubleshooter, although still poorly rendered (a huge improvement over Demonhead) works a little better from a design perspective. It still has lots of issues, though. For example, the lady on the right appears to be standing on a tiny roof instead of floating. Or those airplane thingies. What the heck is up with those? That's some super wonky perspective going on. Just terrible.

That said, if I ever came across them, I'd snatch 'em up and display 'em proudly. They may be horribly drawn, but that gives them a lot of entertainment value. :P

[Clownzilla]

Well, I thought Wonder Boy was good in a design\marketing perspective. I remember when the SMS was out and what attracted me to it was the minimalist game covers. I also remember wanting the Atari 2600 games to look like the box art. A lot of the 2600 box art could be stand alone paintings.

[Overbite]

WHY IS FABIO ON THAT LIST I LOVE FABIO :(

fabio :(

[Push Upstairs]

Yes your love of Fabio is unending.


This list is not the 25 worst box art covers. Read the beginning of the list. It's a list of 25 pieces of box art that are "so bad it's good."

Hence why Ninja Golf was high on the list.

Ninja Golf is good, not "so bad it's good" just plain good. Ninjas + Gold = Awesomeness beyond human comprehension.

That "Valis 3" cover is so bad it makes small children cry. Squirrels run away from the sight of it. It makes the Mega Man cover weep at losing its title of "worst cover" thats how bad that cover is.


"Night Trap 32X" - See those three vampires on the cover? See the guy on the far left? Dorkiest vampire I have ever seen. They should have kept the cheesy original artwork, it was more fitting.

[nebrazca78]

Mega Man's US artwork is far worse than W&W2.

Valis III - Dude looks like a lady! :)

No shit! Have you ever seen Shadow Blasters for Genesis? They were all obviously women before the artwork was "touched up".



http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

...This game almost makes me want to buy a 7800. :|


The Ninja Golf cover reeks of awesomeness. It can't be the worst cover ever.

Seems we all agree Ninja Golf is closer to the #1 best than the #1 worst...


Yeah what's wrong with this one? It's funny and well painted. This has no buisiness being number one, not when there are so many other games out there that suffer from the crotch of power poses.
http://www.rpg-legends.com/images/tests/landstalker/Landstalker%20%5BEUR%5D.jpg
This cover would be kinda cool in a Saturday morning style if the Nigel wasn't protrayed as Beefcakes the mighty and the whole composition didn't appear to be radiating from his groin.

Crotch power is the shizzy.


It looks like they are using "bad" and "cheesy" interchangeably (thus the so bad, they're awesome title.)

They just don't understand how great cheese really is...



LOL, I knew Phalanx would find its way on there.



Wow, one I actually agree with. This might be the only SNES game I ever bought new. It was on sale. But WTF is the art supposed to mean? Banjo guy? The only ones I thought were really poorly done (although that doesn't mean I didn't like them) were Scrapyard Dog, Gauntlet and Mega Man.

[Tron 2.0]

I see they list, Valis III still most cover art for TG16 games sucked any ways.

If only TTI stuck with the original covers in the frist place.

[Aussie2B]

Hmmm, some weird choices on there. Some of them aren't notable at all. I mean, none are good, but some are more mediocre than poor.

Wonder Boy especially bugs me because the later Wonder Boy titles had MUCH WORSE art (and much more cheesy, if that's what they're going for).

[goemon]

Here are some Japanese PS games with some of the most poorly drawn cover art I've ever seen:
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7438/kiwame208img350x3161165os8.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kiwame208img350x3161165os8.jpg)

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/979/pierrot2004jpimg600x450sc3.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pierrot2004jpimg600x450sc3.jpg)

[Push Upstairs]

Those look like something out of those "How to draw anime/manga characters" books.

[goemon]

Those look like something out of those "How to draw anime/manga characters" books.

I was thinking more like they were drawn by someone whose only art training came from those books.

And why do half the "bad cover art" entries in the IGN list have celebrities? Just having a famous person doesn't make it bad art.

[CRV]

Wow, one I actually agree with. This might be the only SNES game I ever bought new. It was on sale. But WTF is the art supposed to mean? Banjo guy?

Why am I thinking there may have been a TV ad that the front cover tied into to?

[Ed Oscuro]

It looks like a writer for IGN spotted our worst box art ever thread here or at one of any other millions of similar threads spread across the internet and yanked some photos. Boring.
I'm getting Deja Vu just reading this thread :p

Also, nice scimitar, Ninja Golfer. Interesting game though.

Edit: Man, the second page sucks. The only one that really belongs on the page is Karnaaj Rally. Nice to see they didn't just cop the whole list from GameSpy's old one.

[djsquarewave]

Wow, one I actually agree with. This might be the only SNES game I ever bought new. It was on sale. But WTF is the art supposed to mean? Banjo guy? The only ones I thought were really poorly done (although that doesn't mean I didn't like them) were Scrapyard Dog, Gauntlet and Mega Man.
I believe there's an interview out there somewhere with either the person who designed the cover or the old guy on the cover. The reasoning was something like "so many games have a space ship on the cover, so let's put some yokel's reaction to a space ship on the cover instead!"

...or something like that, anyway.

[Gillian Seed]

The the Daedalus Encounter and Night Trap ones are among my favourites, I really thought I was being hi-tech playing FMV games on my Sega CD. And I remember being envious of the 3D0's titles like the Daedalus Encounter. Tia Carrere in her prime IMO.

http://games.multimedia.cx/wp-content/uploads/daedalus-encounter-tia-carr.jpg

[Aussie2B]

Here are some Japanese PS games with some of the most poorly drawn cover art I've ever seen:
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7438/kiwame208img350x3161165os8.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kiwame208img350x3161165os8.jpg)

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/979/pierrot2004jpimg600x450sc3.th.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pierrot2004jpimg600x450sc3.jpg)

What's sad is that the second game has a really pretty forest background, but they crapped it all up with the character art in front. If they had just gotten a competent artist, it could've been a really nice cover.

[Gapporin]

Wonder Boy especially bugs me because the later Wonder Boy titles had MUCH WORSE art (and much more cheesy, if that's what they're going for).

Wonder Boy In Monster Land (SMS) immediately comes to mind. I love the game, but the cover art is definitely equal parts ugly and creepy.

[Three-P]

Some of them, I understand, such as Super Duper Sumos, Karnaaj Rally, and Phalanx, but how the fuck did Hydlide dodge that bullet? :yipes: The game sucks, but the cover art is boring as hell!

I mean, all you have is a picture of a midget dragon who fights the hero who is roughly 1/3 his size, all on a blank background.

[PentiumMMX]

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

This box is awesome! Believe it!
[/naruto]

[bangtango]

Question: how is a picture of Tia Carrere bad?

But I agree some of them are pretty diabolical.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

...This game almost makes me want to buy a 7800. :|

This wouldn't be the last time Atari charged into a console war with a gnarly ninja game cover.

http://www.atariage.com/Jaguar/boxes/b_KasumiNinja_front.jpg

Too big to reproduce here (?), it looks like, and I prefer to send you right to the source.

In 1993, they were still fighting the good fight. At least they can sleep well at night knowing they went full bore against Nintendo, Sega, 3DO and Sony. There would be more bitter regret on Atari message boards if this one hadn't been unleashed.

[Rogmeister]

Hmmm, now I see (in an e-mail alert) that 1up.com has a similar list, 15 of the worst covers ever. Unfortunately, for some reason, my computer doesn't get along with 1up's site...never has...so I can't get to that page and thus will never know what their choices are.

[bangtango]

Hmmm, now I see (in an e-mail alert) that 1up.com has a similar list, 15 of the worst covers ever. Unfortunately, for some reason, my computer doesn't get along with 1up's site...never has...so I can't get to that page and thus will never know what their choices are.

My computer gets along with 1up ok but I can't even find the article and I've run two searches. Either it is in their archives somewhere or it hasn't been posted. The only notable thing I found on 1up's page is a story about Sega admitting they "need to reinvent Sonic."

Edit: Oh, never mind. Found it at http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3158260

[djsquarewave]

The 1UP one is a little better in that the person who wrote it actually...well, wrote things about it. It's too bad he's a terrible writer trying to use all the jokes he heard on Adult Swim in a single article.

There's some interesting picks...the last one actually made me laugh out loud when I saw it in a store a few days ago. I happen to like the Shatterhand art, though, so...yeah.

[Daria]

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7438/kiwame208img350x3161165os8.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kiwame208img350x3161165os8.jpg)

Wow this one screams generic RPG. Litterally. Look, it's got a little banner for it. You've got all the worst character clichés right here on the cover. The angsty preteen hero, ditzy female in a school girl costume ($10 says she knows magic), bishy older and very confident male sex symbol, and they even threw in a dog for good measure. Yay for mediocrity! Good thing the cover blows or someone may have actually played it.

[nebrazca78]

Am I the only one who likes these covers?

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025740011.jpg http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025740401.jpg

I think the Trouble Shooter cover is especially awesome. Makes me want to track down the game. (Never heard of it before now.)

Personally I think any artwork with good-sized breasts really can't be that bad. The Trouble Shooter bitchez are hotties.


I believe there's an interview out there somewhere with either the person who designed the cover or the old guy on the cover. The reasoning was something like "so many games have a space ship on the cover, so let's put some yokel's reaction to a space ship on the cover instead!"

...or something like that, anyway.

What a concept. But if you look at the picture he's not really reacting to anything. He's a brain-dead hick.

Here's the Gameboy Advance version. It looks really boring to me, maybe the hillbilly is better.

http://home.comcast.net/~nebrazca78/phalanx_u_34476_frontcover.JPG

[shadow77110]

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/776/776279/top-25-tuesday-most-awesome-covers-20070327025741870.jpg

...This game almost makes me want to buy a 7800. :|

This cover is awesome, I need to get this box, even if I don't get the cart with it.

[diskoboy]

(And don't forget the SMS "The Sega Card" games.)

Awww... I like those little Sega card boxes :)

They're actually alot better than most of the US Master System cartridge boxes. But as for Wonder Boy being on the list, I'd disagree with that one, too. I can think of plenty of other ones worse than it.... One of my favorite games on the SMS, for example, had a horrendous and quite boring box.

Especially for the anime it was based on (I'm talking about Zillion, if you guys haven't figured that out by now..)

In all honesty, the box for the first Phantasy Star wasn't all that great, either..

I'm also amazed no one has pointed out, there isn't one single Color Dreams box on that list.

[colicub]

Is it wrong if I totally want a copy of I Want My Mommy based on the box art alone?

And just a quick glance at my game shelves shows me Pit Fighter, Radical Rex and Ballz for the Mega Drive and Crackout and Rad Racer for the NES. Yeesh.

[SeverThe7th]

Mega Man's US artwork is far worse than W&W2.

Valis III - Dude looks like a lady! :)

The Super Bust-a-Move artwork is absolutely horrifying. That still scares me...

Um im pretty sure that is a lady... notice the breasts.
I agree with your other two statements though.

I agree with those who think a few shouldnt be up there, such as Clash at demonhead, Daedalus encounter and i want my mommy.

[Nirvana]

lmao. I actually laughed out loud when I saw the Paper Boy 2 cover. That kid looks so sinister o_O

[kainemaxwell]

lmao. I actually laughed out loud when I saw the Paper Boy 2 cover. That kid looks so sinister o_O

I wouldn't want him as my paperboy. Looks like he's just itching to break windows.