Ever bought a video game just for the box art?

[XYXZYZ]

Do you ever buy video games just becaue the box art looks cool? I mean, I wouldn't pay too much if I didn't like the game, but if I think somethng would look cool on a shelf next to similar items I may get it. Not too often, mind you. I'm a sucker for the old anime style girls/mecha imagery you saw on PC Engine CDs.

And I'll have to get a boxed Phalanx for the SNES if I find one. Is there a cooler video game package?

What about you?

[Daria]

When I was a kid that's how I used to buy games. My family didn't have any magazine subscriptions so I pretty much had no clue what was available unless a friend had it or I saw it sitting on a store shelf. This shopping technique yeilded gems such as Hydlide and Yu Yu Hakusho, in Japanese no less.

[Lady Jaye]

For me it was the other way around: back in the day, fugly boxart was a turnoff (especially in the NES days). So I never played Final Fantasy till much later cuz the boxart didn't appeal to me. Same goes for Dragon Warrior (I probably would have been more interested by it had it kept Toriyama's boxart, even though that was a few years before I ever heard of Dragon Ball).

[mailman187666]

the only game I bought for cover art was Guilty Gear XX but it turned out to be pretty good. I also ALMOST bought Disgaea when it first came out for that reason.

[theshizzle3000]

Yeah all the time its usually what catches my eye a couple of examples for a couple of systems:

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai (PS2)
Go Go Hypergrind (GC)
Phantom Dust (XBOX)
Trog! (NES)
Skies of Arcadia (DC)
and I am sure there are thousands of others but I can't think at the moment.

[JPeeples]

Silpheed: the Lost Planet is the only one that jumps out at me right now as one that I bought mainly to stare at its cover. The game itself was no great shakes, but its cover still rules.

[mailman187666]

would you have bought Custer's Revenge for atari 2600 for the box art...ha ha ha..

[Dangerboy]

Sylphia on the PC-Engine CD2.

http://battleship.ibbun.com/html/pce...et/sylphia.gif

Greatest Cover Art Purchase Ever.

[skaar]

I bought Phalanx for the box art.

[Greg2600]

When I was a kid that's how I used to buy games. My family didn't have any magazine subscriptions so I pretty much had no clue what was available unless a friend had it or I saw it sitting on a store shelf. This shopping technique yeilded gems such as Hydlide and Yu Yu Hakusho, in Japanese no less.

I fell into the same trap, although my friends always had Nintendo Power, I often went by the box art, front and back, on those laminated cards in the Toys R Us. Which is how I bought the worst NES game I've ever seen, Airwolf. Either that way, or simply one of us would almost dare the other to buy a game, swearing it was good. Stupidly we did it, which is how I wound up with City Connection, which you need to be high on LSD to play.

[XYXZYZ]

Sylphia on the PC-Engine CD2.

http://battleship.ibbun.com/html/pce...et/sylphia.gif

Greatest Cover Art Purchase Ever.

Sylphia's also a damn good game. I can't afford a real copy.

[Steven]

Nope, but back in the day I rented NES games based on the cover. I still remember renting the likes of Yo-Noid, Beetlejuice, and Totally Rad just b/c of how cool I thought their covers were!

[alec]

Well it wasn't the box art, but rather the label art (which is the same as the box art) of Truxton for Sega Genesis that made me buy it at Funcoland for 1.99 one day. Although I had never heard of it before, by the looks of it I figured it must be one of the coolest games in the store. Its been one one of my very favorite Genesis games ever since.

[Arasoi]

One of the coolest cover arts, back in the day. Zelda 1 and its gold box with the shield was another.

[scorch56]

I have several I've bought for that reason.. but the one that immediately comes to mind is the US/NTSC release of Sagaia for the Genesis. As a matter of fact.. my copy is still shrinkwrapped and unopened. I hear the game's actually OK.. but I can't bring myself to open it. I just think the cover-art looks cool. I'm not really a big shmup fan.

[NES_Rules]

Almost all my purchases are based on the game's cover, if it looks like fun, I'll buy it. As long as the game is cheap anyway.

[bangtango]

Yes, I did it regularly before learning to consult reviews a little more often. Obviously, a few of them turned out to be pretty bad games.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (NES)
River City Ransom (NES)
Checkered Flag (Atari Jaguar)
Space Channel 5 (Sega Dreamcast)
NCAA College Football 2003 (multi-platform)
Yars Revenge (Atari 2600)
Xevious (Atari 7800)
Power Moves (Super NES)
Quarterback Attack (Sega Saturn)
NFL QB Club 2002 (Playstation 2)
MLB Slugfest 2003 (XBox)

[Pantechnicon]

Never bought a boxed game for the art, but I am after all the Mythicon 2600 releases in either loose or boxed format precisely for the artwork. Lousy games but beautiful paintings on both the boxes and labels.

[Steve W]

I've bought a few games just because of cool artwork. Pretty much any Psygnosis game for the Amiga falls into that category. Amazing artwork.

How many people bought Mobile Light Force 2 (I think that's it's name) on the PS2 just because of the artwork? (I unfortunately have to raise my hand here...)

[Daria]

I fell into the same trap, although my friends always had Nintendo Power, I often went by the box art, front and back, on those laminated cards in the Toys R Us. Which is how I bought the worst NES game I've ever seen, Airwolf.

I too had Airwolf, but I never would have picked it out. It was my brother's.

Also on a different twist, I have bought games now soley for the box art. I have Super Hydlide for the PAL Megadrive just because it's nicer looking then the US edition, which I also have. Despite the game not being all that good.

Then there's buying a game just for the box when you already own it. :P