NES · 1988 · US · Art: Unknown
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.
Konami's US Contra NES box art, released in 1988, did not bother hiding its inspirations: the two muscle-bound commandos posed against an explosion background borrow the look of 1980s action-film posters, in the mould of Predator and Rambo. The Japanese Famicom cover used entirely different artwork — a side-profile action scene that was technically accomplished but lacked the Western cover's aggressive bravado. In its cultural moment the US Contra box was effective: it communicated exactly the kind of experience the game delivered, and the shameless movie-poster aesthetic was so common in 1980s gaming that it passed without controversy. The cover is now celebrated as one of the era's most honest pieces of packaging — the game is exactly what the box suggests.