The covers that launched a thousand arguments
Widely regarded as the worst box art for a great game in NES history, the US cover depicts a middle-aged man in a blue suit firing a pistol — bearing no resemblance to the Japanese original's iconic robot boy.
One of the strongest pieces of NES box art, the US Castlevania cover depicts Simon Belmont in dramatic confrontation with Dracula in a composition that accurately captures the game's gothic horror tone.
The Japanese Famicom Disk System Metroid cover is a moody science-fiction illustration strikingly different from the US NES box, which replaced its atmosphere with a generic action scene that concealed Samus's identity.
An unusually effective piece of licensed NES box art that depicted both Mike Tyson and Little Mac in a composition conveying the game's David-versus-Goliath premise before a single pixel was seen.
The US NES Final Fantasy box features a bold painted warrior figure that diverges from Yoshitaka Amano's delicate Japanese artwork, reflecting Square of America's decision to reposition the game for Western action-game expectations.
The SNES Street Fighter II box art distilled the fighting game's roster into a single explosive composition that became one of the most recognisable game covers of the 16-bit era.
The Genesis Sonic box art placed the character in a confident pose that embodied the marketing attitude Sega was selling alongside the game — faster, cooler, and deliberately positioned as the anti-Mario.
The US Contra NES box is a knowing riff on 1980s action-film poster art, depicting two muscle-bound commandos in poses directly inspired by the Alien and Predator promotional images of the same era.
The Super Mario Bros. Famicom box — later adapted for global markets — established the primary visual identity of gaming's most successful franchise with a simple but instantly legible character portrait.
The DuckTales NES box used official Disney animated series artwork that accurately represented both the game's visual style and its licensed source material, making it one of the most faithful licensed game covers of the era.
The US Ninja Gaiden NES box used a dramatic painted composition of Ryu Hayabusa that communicated the game's cinematic ambition and harder action tone compared to most contemporary NES platformers.
The EarthBound SNES US release came in an oversized box containing a full-colour strategy guide, making it one of the most elaborate and distinctive game packages ever produced for a home console.