kuligs2 I wouldn't say that. Sure, back then, due to limited hardware, the games didn't have the same fidelity as the art. But like @trizZzle mentions, Secret Of Mana art illustrations was used in the game. The Katamari box art I feel captures the game really well. The Final Fantasy Meteor is a key moment in the story of the game.

    From purely graphic design standpoint, I think wipeout series boxes are unsurpassed to this day.

      All of you current game publishers, why you not publish game boxes?

      You could atleast include it with the purchase of the game, so that people who still burn cd's can print out the "official" game box art??

      MikeCL I really miss the era of box art and the energy that went into creating it.

      kuligs2 ..When the game art was nothing like the game inside

      Yep, it's not boxart but close — a print ad in a magazine:

      That's my reference point and inspiration. Usually indie developers try to repeat their favorite games. I, on the other hand, want to develop — repetition is only the first step. To bring into the game what's missing. To bring it closer to the dream and the publicity.

            i loved the intro to GTA2, its a short movie 😃 nothing like the game itself 😃

            Tomcat hahaha, to be fair this isn't that far off from some of the real events you can get in The Sims 2

                housatic to be fair this isn't that far off from some of the real events you can get in The Sims 2

                To see something like this in The Sims 2-4 usually requires custom mods. Often firms intentionally create problems to modify their games.

                    Really old classics from Konami, but man, these are beautifully crafted. Love the use of vibrant colors in these!

                    Gradius

                    Not sure who the artists are. But I can definitely see some influence from Frank Frazetta and John Berkey in these.

                      To go a couple of hardware generations back, I always loved Zaxxon's aesthetics. This is also one of the rare examples in the 8 bit era where the box cover is actually showing how the game looks. Admittedly it's "un-pixelated" but this is basically what you get in the game. Oh and the logo kicks ass.

                      One a similar note, here's a rare (and good looking) example of using pixelization as a visual aesthetic element in the 80s. This is curious because back then, the only type of game art was pixel art. So it was not perceived as a "style" like nowadays, but merely as a technical limitation. The key artwork is again very close to what's in the game.

                      MikeCL But I can definitely see some influence from Frank Frazetta and John Berkey in these.

                      Was the game industry back then as big as it is today, they probably would have been able to afford actual Frazetta and Berkey 🙂

                        Back to 16 and then 32 bits. Two great "shadows"; Shadow of the Beast 2 for Amiga by Roger Dean and Shadow of the Colossus for PS2.

                        And back again to 8 bits. Stylish designs like this one for Archon were quite rare