When Asteroids first came out, seeing the artwork and holding the game in my hand finally was a big deal! After some more games came out, I loved the artwork of Phoenix and Vanguard.
^ The Vanguard artwork is by Ralph McQuarrie, I believe, which would explain why it always reminded me of something out of "The Empire Strikes Back." I'd love to see a modern version of Vanguard that looks like that.