Games you would NEVER play just seeing the cover art alone

[KörangarTheMighty]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

The people who wrote the reviews I should think. The only advertisement expected for the majority games was the front and back of boxes. Review access required magazine subscriptions, which cost money. Besides, ain't nobody got time to read, the weekend is only 2 days long! I bought plenty of games just by judging them by their cover and most I had an alright time with. Anyone who wasn't a retard will have more surprises than let downs, provided they also had taste.

 

[gaussgunner]

 

[The Decline]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

The people who wrote the reviews I should think. The only advertisement expected for the majority games was the front and back of boxes. Review access required magazine subscriptions, which cost money. Besides, ain't nobody got time to read, the weekend is only 2 days long! I bought plenty of games just by judging them by their cover and most I had an alright time with. Anyone who wasn't a retard will have more surprises than let downs, provided they also had taste.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I had to be very careful with my game purchases since they were few and far between. And by the time I could waste money on a blind purchase I already conditioned myself to make sure the game wasn't shit.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Bonus content:

Spoiler

This list is a treasure trove. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2...box_art_of_all_time_-_10_terrible_game_covers

 

[Jack Of Owls]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side? I always read previews and reviews before deciding to pick up a game.

*Edit*
Or word of mouth.

Me. I bought Police Quest 3 strictly on the packaging. Of course, I only paid, like, $3.00, having gotten it in the discount/closeout bin, so...

 

[El Presidente]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

I would definitely buy this one if I seen it on a shelf

My favorite box, I love it. AND you get pretty much the entire franchise too. They really don't care about prestigious art like this anymore to go along with the games, it's just sad.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side? I always read previews and reviews before deciding to pick up a game.

Guy + overgrown lizard about to eat him = Kick ass.

And this one's just awesome, whatever you may think of the actual game.

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I had to be very careful with my game purchases since they were few and far between. And by the time I could waste money on a blind purchase I already conditioned myself to make sure the game wasn't shit.

I had a shitty turn of the century Windows ME machine until 2005, so most of my purchases were confined to stuff that was in the bargain bin, or pricier compilations of classic games. Ironically, being trapped in 1996-2000 for so long probably saved me a lot of money.

 

[Drop Duck]

This looks like the best game ever made judging from the cover. Did it get a Western release?

 

[mediocrepoet]

This looks like the best game ever made judging from the cover. Did it get a Western release?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cho_Aniki

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

me

 

[Melcar]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

me

Same. When I got into PC gaming most stuff I got to play were games I got from the bargain bins at my nearby Fry's or demo compilations from magazines. On some ocassions my stepmom would take me to CompUSA and buy me an expensive PC game for my birthday. The box art and text were what decided if a game was worth it or not most of the time.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Guy + overgrown lizard about to eat him = Kick ass.

Faery Tale Adventure did it first:

 

[mediocrepoet]

Faery Tale Adventure did it first:

True... but I hated that game.

Actually, this is one I'd be curious to see if I like it more now than I did as a kid. With all the simulationist aspects like day-night, sleep, etc.

 

[Tweed]

Didn't the guy who painted that become a furfag?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Guy + overgrown lizard about to eat him = Kick ass.

Faery Tale Adventure did it first:

Yeah but that game sucks
Source: I've never played it so it must be true.

 

[Falksi]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

I saw this as a kid and my cock made me buy it...

Surprisingly good game too!

 

[Fatberg Slim]

I mean, even Twinsen and Dino-Fly look embarrassed to be part of this...

I remember seeing this at the store and thinking "WTF is this kiddie shit," and then picking it up some time later due to the positive review in CGW. I enjoyed the game and its sequel, but I distinctly remember making sure I kept the box cover-side down when walking to the counter to pay for it.

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Not many people know about Tank Racer. It's not exactly bad, it's just a combination of awfully generic name and cover. Still, one of my favorite arcade racers of all time.

Again, not bad, just generic, in total dissonance to how original game was in every other aspect.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Again, not bad, just generic, in total dissonance to how original game was in every other aspect.

I've never really looked at this before, but now that you mention it, this is several levels of bad. Its like the Mona Lisa of bad covers, every time you look at it again, you uncover something new and even worse. Why is some Nordic-looking fellow wielding what seems to be a Walther MPL? I don't think that was in the original game or its expansions, though I haven't ever played Wildfire. Why are Ivan, Gus, Reaper, Spider, Dr. Q and Shadow on the cover? Are they supposed to be the dream team, as it were?

 

[Cael]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side?

I saw this as a kid and my cock made me buy it...

Surprisingly good game too!

*cough*

Probably showing my age there.

 

[DemonKing]

Who actually bought games based solely on cover art and/or back side? I always read previews and reviews before deciding to pick up a game.

Back in the early 90s I would routinely buy stuff based on the cover art/back of the box because there was no interwebs to look up reviews on or find other peoples opinions.

Found some great stuff that way Like the first Lands of Lore game (also a lot of crap too of course...).

 

[octavius]

Also, any art that sports a character that wears a hood when it's not raining.

Spoiler

Hoods are so retarded. It's insane how much they reduce your perception, which is kind of important for an assassin. As much as I disliked Splinter Cell (for its extreme linearity), at least they got that part right with a tight fitting mask instead.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

View attachment 24589

I mean, even Twinsen and Dino-Fly look embarrassed to be part of this...

I remember seeing this at the store and thinking "WTF is this kiddie shit," and then picking it up some time later due to the positive review in CGW. I enjoyed the game and its sequel, but I distinctly remember making sure I kept the box cover-side down when walking to the counter to pay for it.

This reminds me: I felt the same way when I once bought a Bill Wyman solo album called Monkey Grip. In a misguided artistic decision, Bill thought it would be cute to have himself photographed for the back of the album of him standing with a cool Fonzie pose as two of his long-haired male bandmates looked on at him and giggled and whispered into each other's ears like giddy groupies. It was so homo I was totally embarrassed to bring that album up front to the owner of the record store for check out, and made sure the LP was facing front cover UP. But of course, the owner turned it over and said, "What is this?!" To make matters worse, the owner was the father of a girl in my class. On the plus side, the album was in the discount bin for like $1.50 (Bill was not a solo artist commercial success). On the negative side, the music on that album was every bit as terrible as that faggy back cover suggested.

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Hoods are so retarded. It's insane how much they reduce your perception, which is kind of important for an assassin. As much as I disliked Splinter Cell (for its extreme linearity), at least they got that part right with a tight fitting mask instead.

Yeah, they do serve a purpose for certain character classes, but if the primary purpose is anonymity, there are better options. Certainly if your profession is criminal.

That aside, for inclement weather or temperatures yes, but I give them a pass on casters and scholastic types as well. That old wizard locked in his tower all day may want to wear his hood inside to keep his attention fixed on the treatise he's writing, rather than on the goblin lackies toppling his book piles while attempting to clean up his lab.