Guest Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Yeah, so, I thought it would be fun to pick apart or give credit to bad, good or excellent game art. I started this over on Lemon64 but no takers so I thought I might bring it here, to a wider audience who might have fun with it. To kick off, I think John McEnroe here might be better off with an actual Tennis Racket rather than the Frying Pan he seems to be holding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 When you've secured the rights to make a game of a film but not spent enough to use an image from the film or a likeness of the leading actor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) I love this. It is very well drawn. But... For one thing, why is our hero literally standing in a fire ? And second, what the hell is that thing below the robot ? And lastly, how effective do you think that Knife will be (however sharp) against a METAL robot ? Edited March 30, 2020 by Guest second picture shows second enemy clearer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBoris Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 I have always been a fan of the Hard Hat Mack cover art. One of the few games I can think of that had a real photo graph as the cover instead of something drawn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 Yeah ? Each to their own I suppose. I used to think it was very bland. The game was pretty good as far as my fuzzy brainbox remembers it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 I'm still waiting for this game... eventually I'll have to program it myself! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoyous Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 The Sega Master System gets a lot of criticism for its early box art but it's also got some excellent art, especially in the later years. Take a look at this box for Air Rescue. Whoever painted this went to town. Aside from the properly intense composition, they've literally painted every single bolt on the helicopter, the person clinging to the rope ladder for dear life as it crazily twists and bucks in the wash from the chopper blades is wearing incredibly detailed tattered and spattered clothes, and the guy holding the ladder is encouraging him every rung of the way to safety - watch your thumb with those chopper blades, buddy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBoris Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 On 3/31/2020 at 2:13 PM, Zoyous said: The Sega Master System gets a lot of criticism for its early box art but it's also got some excellent art, especially in the later years. Take a look at this box for Air Rescue. Whoever painted this went to town. Aside from the properly intense composition, they've literally painted every single bolt on the helicopter, the person clinging to the rope ladder for dear life as it crazily twists and bucks in the wash from the chopper blades is wearing incredibly detailed tattered and spattered clothes, and the guy holding the ladder is encouraging him every rung of the way to safety - watch your thumb with those chopper blades, buddy! I can't imagine why something like this would get criticism. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoyous Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 1 hour ago, DanBoris said: I can't imagine why something like this would get criticism. ? I can understand what they were going for - something reminiscent of the style of sophisticated doodle art typically seen in upscale publications like The New Yorker. Probably to differentiate this product line from the previous (North American pre-crash era) video games. Was it the best aesthetic to market to pre-teen kids? Probably not. But the entire product line was localized and launched in less than 12 months. They did make some smart choices... the plastic clamshell cases probably being the best one of all, because many of these 30+ year old games still look nearly mint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 On 3/31/2020 at 5:30 PM, carlsson said: I'm still waiting for this game... eventually I'll have to program it myself! I'm sorry, Anders, I don't get the reference mate. Can you enlighten me ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 (edited) On 3/31/2020 at 7:13 PM, Zoyous said: The Sega Master System gets a lot of criticism for its early box art but it's also got some excellent art, especially in the later years. Take a look at this box for Air Rescue. Whoever painted this went to town. Aside from the properly intense composition, they've literally painted every single bolt on the helicopter, the person clinging to the rope ladder for dear life as it crazily twists and bucks in the wash from the chopper blades is wearing incredibly detailed tattered and spattered clothes, and the guy holding the ladder is encouraging him every rung of the way to safety - watch your thumb with those chopper blades, buddy! I could have sworn that I had replied to this post already, but, reading back I can't see it... Yeah it is well drawn. I think it does not help with the compulsory 'graph paper' 'maths book' background that was used. I know why they did this though, because if they all look like they come from the same collection or set they will appeal to avid collectors much like 8 bit budget games having numbers along the spine. It generates other sales just by being part of a whole. Think Hit Squad titles say. Edited April 2, 2020 by Guest + additional comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 10 hours ago, Zoyous said: ? I can understand what they were going for - something reminiscent of the style of sophisticated doodle art typically seen in upscale publications like The New Yorker. Probably to differentiate this product line from the previous (North American pre-crash era) video games. Was it the best aesthetic to market to pre-teen kids? Probably not. But the entire product line was localized and launched in less than 12 months. They did make some smart choices... the plastic clamshell cases probably being the best one of all, because many of these 30+ year old games still look nearly mint. Yeah the clamshell was a good shout by the design team. But that graph paper background, urg! I remember not really rating much Master System art. Though I remember the sonic ones well. They were awesome. Couple of other goodies - Streets of Rage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Always loved the compact and punchy look of Game Boy game boxes. Anyone tell me why Kirby has 'done a birdie' and changed colour from game to game ? * Birdie was a character in SF1, he was English and White. But in later games aside from other substantial asthetic changes he was Black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 21 minutes ago, ∞ Vince ∞ said: I'm sorry, Anders, I don't get the reference mate. Can you enlighten me ? The origin is from this thread: As you can see, I reused most of the graphic elements, recreated the fonts but replaced the title (hard -> soft, hat -> veil, Mack -> Nina) as well as the illustration. I can totally see this as some spinoff on TV shows like Say Yes To the Dress or some other bridezilla type game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 16 minutes ago, carlsson said: The origin is from this thread: As you can see, I reused most of the graphic elements, recreated the fonts but replaced the title (hard -> soft, hat -> veil, Mack -> Nina) as well as the illustration. I can totally see this as some spinoff on TV shows like Say Yes To the Dress or some other bridezilla type game. Ah ! Very good. I might have a go at this when I feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 (edited) Both of these, for the same commodore 64 game, are terrible, but in their own ways. Why the heck would you draw a hero from a computer game as a guy in a business suit with a briefcase? The other one is just as bad, as it implies that the game play is some kind of stealth James Bond cum Saboteur game. I assume that the artist who did the first had never seen a computer game and looked at Pacman for inspiration. The second, having never seen a computer game either looked to movies for inspiration. Edited April 2, 2020 by Guest Including the images might be a good idea, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 I grew up with this image of Strider. From computer mags in the UK. So when I saw this artwork for it, for the NES (North American) release recently, I was taken aback. When I gave myself a few moments to acclimatise to it, I really like the art itself. I don't like the iffy title logo, but the picture on its own stands strong. There are a few other takes on Strider art but these two are the standouts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 In times when prosthetics were far less sophisticated than they are now, Let us take a trip back to the 1980s... If you had lost your arm, you had to make do with a Bowling Pin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 I don't know just what is going on here ? For one thing the boys look like they've had a few beers together. There's no-one at the train station. One of those we're having a laugh, someone's said something, now it's gone sour moments? They're both dressed in army gear? Whys the guy on the receiving end looking at us for ? Why does he look like he's been hit already, when he hasn't even been touched ? Code Masters artwork could be a hit and miss affair. For every favourite of mine (some of the dizzies) there are a good number of rough and readies like this one. Usually the cuter end was well catered for and the more realistic and action packed the less it made sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Take this one for Ghost Hunters. You've got a guy with a gun taking out ghosts. I quite like the artwork, but is it right for a game about hunting ghosts? I get a more vampire hunter vibe from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 This one looks great! Promises more than the game delivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 No idea what the Hell is going on here ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBoris Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 On 4/20/2020 at 6:15 AM, ∞ Vince ∞ said: This one looks great! Promises more than the game delivers. Here is a little article on the artist on a web site all about box art. http://www.boxequalsart.com/stevepurcellartistpage.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Nice one. Thanks for this contribution DanBoris. I have always been a fan of Monkey Island games but felt the box art of the latter games far outweighed the efforts of the teams behind the games. Might sound harsh, but to me, after the second game the quality dropped a bit in the third and then fell dramatically for the forth (Escape, shown here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 25 minutes ago, ∞ Vince ∞ said: Nice one. Thanks for this contribution DanBoris. I have always been a fan of Monkey Island games but felt the box art of the latter games far outweighed the efforts of the teams behind the games. Might sound harsh, but to me, after the second game the quality dropped a bit in the third and then fell dramatically for the forth (Escape, shown here). I enjoyed all four LucasArts Monkey Island games. But I couldn't get into the Telltale MI games My biggest gripe with four is they went from Nice hand-drawn 2D art with MI3 to primitive 3D graphics with 4. I didn't think this type of game benefited much from 3D, certainly not if it meant having blobby 3D graphics and drastically raising the system requirements needed to play it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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