10 Best NES Box Arts!

[@erneststackhouse1133]

i totally agree with you on your #1 pick as i love how they don't show you the face of Simon Belmont, so in my mind & i'm sure others have thought of this as well, but i would imagine my face on Simon Belmont when i was a kid! Oh man, great Honorable Mention Solstice! i remember seeing that box & just laughing out loud! Didn't make me want to buy it but it sure made me laugh! Glade you had Uninvited on there as well. But one of my top 10 picks has to be, Karnov. That cover in my eye was epic! Sky Shark though is my all time epic cover for the NES.

[@Fortefyre]

Solstice is an entire mood in terms of box art :P

[@pjw5328]

My sister-in-law did the box art for Friday the 13th! She wasn’t an LJN employee or anything, just a freelance artist that they hired for the project. I suspect that’s probably the case for a lot of NES boxes, especially from the smaller third-party publishers, which would be one of the reasons that info on them is so hard to come by.

[@Fortefyre]

That's beyond dope!

[@rubenmejia4881]

I heard the same for konami. I can't remember the guys name, but he did a few titles. Someone made a KZbin video on him. I wish I had the info, but getting old sucks 😕 😪

[@ithakra]

Zelda 1, my favorite. The hint of gold peeking at you from the cartridge was awesome

[@EpicureMammon]

I came here to say the same thing. The box was eye-catching but also an enigma. It was intriguing because of the lack of information and just hints at adventure, almost like the box and the game within were a treasure waiting to be won.

[@Fortefyre]

That's an awesome perspective!

[@EatingCtrlV]

Cool list, I love the sky shark box so it's great to see it in the honorable mentions.

[@Fortefyre]

Absolutely!

[@GavinMasters]

Two more bangin' boxarts for ya: Bionic Commando, Castlequest!

[@Fortefyre]

Absolutely!

[@spidey-voltage]

Personally, Dragon Warrior is the best. I mean, it’s just beautifully colored and drawn

[@Fortefyre]

It was a a contender, definitely!

[@pharmcat8484]

#6 Also red is the second most popular color for tablets and capsules because of the positive associations with the color.

[@Fortefyre]

It sure is!

[@UstraMage]

Willow is a great darn movie, really wish I had known there was a game back in the day, I would have begged for it

[@Fortefyre]

I feel like most powerhouse 80s-90s movies stood a chance at being a game lol.

[@WizardoftheGhost]

Jaws has a great box art because it was iconic and uncle festers face on festers quest was a great box.

[@Fortefyre]

Fester's Quest almost made it lol.

[@NateTheGnat]

The box art for Super Mario Bros 2 is the best. You can't beat Mario Madness.

[@Fortefyre]

That's a great choice too, I did have it on the list, but it did lose out to 3.

[@WarioSaysSo]

Oh this is a tough one. While I liked this list, I would select these Top 10 with reservation for switching places on some; 1. Tetris = UNDISPUTED the BEST. 2. Batman the Video Game 3. Super Mario Bros 4. The Guardian Legend 5. Double Dragon II 6. Castlevania 7. Final Fantasy 8. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 10. Kabuki Quantum Fighter Kabuki Quantum Fighter and The Guardian Legend's box arts are greatly nostalgic as that was one of the earliest box arts that really caught my attention and fantasy spinning what the illustrations was telling me and how mysterious they gave the impression of possibly be! But Tetris is just so great looking !!!!

[@Fortefyre]

Kabuki Quantum Fighter almost made the list, I love the effect they used on it.

[@WarioSaysSo]

@@Fortefyre Indeed true!

[@CobraShuttle]

This was a fun topic for a video. Good list! I’m so happy you included SMB3. I feel like it gets overlooked since it’s so simple.

[@Fortefyre]

Sometimes simple is perfect, right, it gets the job done and it's appealing :)

[@squiresphone]

Skyshark is the only video game, my dad bought and played with me as kid. ❤

[@Fortefyre]

I'm glad you have that memory :)

[@guits_n_games7678]

This was a great vid! Box art was a HUGE part of the game selection back in the day. It had to spark your imagination because the graphics rarely did (speaking 2600 era here).

[@Fortefyre]

Absolutely!

[@Ruudos]

Battle of Olympus, Faxanadu, Mega Man 3 (PAL) and Ufouria (PAL) are some of my favorites.

[@Fortefyre]

Those are great choices as well!

[@pharmcat8484]

#2 surprised me, not because I disagree, but because it’s so different from your other picks. Good range.

[@Fortefyre]

I felt obligated to put it there, it's so simple and effective!

[@thomashorine9198]

It is very simple, but I love Wizardry's box art.

[@Fortefyre]

I agree!

[@m0ocow_love783]

It would be interesting to see a list of best pc game boxes, especially in the big box era. Maybe divide the list by decade? Anyway great video and you know how much I love to hear that Solstice theme ❤

[@Fortefyre]

Yeah I can easily do "best boxes of the year" or "decade" depending on how it would be wanted.

[@bildo1977]

Many years ago, I balked at getting Solaris for the Atari 2600 because it used the exact same box art that Star Raiders for the 2600 had. Even worse, the art was in black and white as opposed to the Star Raiders version. I’m glad that I got over that issue and got the game because it really pushes the 2600’s hardware to its limits.

[@Fortefyre]

I own solaris....should I check it out?

[@bildo1977]

@@Fortefyre Yes. The depiction of hyperspace or hyperwarp is an unexpected visual feast. Actually all of the graphics and effects are quite good. It’s also on Atari 50th Anniversary Collection. Play it now. Play it yesterday. 😁

[@Riz2336]

I once found a cib final fantasy in a game store that’s long gone now, I think I paid 5 bucks. Nice box art it took me a long time to beat it though, I did last year

[@Fortefyre]

It took me a few days :P I pushed HARD to get it going lol.

[@RefTrades625]

I am happy to see Solstice on this list even if it an honorable mention. One of my favorite games on the NES. #TimFollinsRocks

[@Fortefyre]

Tim Follin is the BEST.

[@SamusGunship]

You should see the Famicom boxart for Solstice- it is excellent. I consider the NES Solstice boxart to be really bad, but the Famicom boxart is *chef's kiss*

[@RefTrades625]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@SamusGunshipI just saw it and damn!!!! That is a good looking board. @Fortfyre you need to do a top 10 Famicom box art. The Solstice on their has literally the best box art

[@SamusGunship]

@@RefTrades625 Heh, I'm so glad that you agree

[@Stinger420]

Yes! The Legend of Kage! I don't remember how old I was I was still fairly young,...im gonna say...11. Not that it matters....so,...yah,.. My older brother bought it for me for a bday present. I was never any good at it, but I liked it. It was a favorite at the time.

[@Fortefyre]

I genuinely didn't understand how to play it lol.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

I still think that the box arts for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Dragons of Flame, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes of the Lance, and the European release for Metroid are darn cool.

[@Fortefyre]

Honestly most D&D games had great artwork, even the simple scene for a Bards tale wasn't bad.

[@johnnyrenkiewicz2789]

Tc skate and surf also city connection some of my faves

[@Fortefyre]

At least the box looks good lol.

[@HelloMyNameIsRED]

One of my personal favorites is Mega Man 1, and I know you thinking. "THAT HORRIBLE ABOMINATION???" but no i'm not talking about the North American box art but the PAL one. To me that one perfectly represents what mega man would look like if he was in a realistic style. Also i love how Dr Wily is looking down on Mega Man much like Dracula looks at Simon on the Castlevania box art.

[@Fortefyre]

Oh absolutely! The PAL art is wonderful!

[@nttn5264]

Some solid choices in there! Castlevania is a favorite of mine aswell. Others include The Punisher, Gyruss, Ghosts n Goblins and ofc Faxanadu!

[@Fortefyre]

I almost put the punisher at #10 lol, I love the comic art style.

[@andrewmaiewski4743]

Shingen the Ruler is one of favorite games from the NES. You can tell from the box art that Shingen is ready to get down to some samurai butt kicking.

[@Fortefyre]

Absolutely!

[@Enigma1788]

Ok, got to nitpick..... lol For Castlevania 3, at 14:53 you said that was Simon on the boxart which is incorrect as the Belmont in this game was Trevor. Dracula's Curse was a prequel taking place over 200 years before the original game (side note: this was originally said to be 100 years, and has even most recently been seen in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection despite the fact that the official timeline has had this retconned for some time now and places Dracula's Curse in 1476 and the original Castlevania as 1691) As for the difficulty level, Konami for whatever reason messed with the game for the American release. If I had to guess, it was likely due to how prevalent rental stores such as Blockbuster were back then, so this was likely done with the intent to force people to buy the game by making it harder. Anyway, as I'm sure you know, the enemies get stronger and do more damage over the course of the game. This wasn't the case in the Japanese version. While they start out slightly stronger when compared to the US version, the damage levels remain consistent for the whole game. Other changes include Grant having the throwing dagger AS HIS MAIN ATTACK, swapping out several sub-weapons for daggers in the US version, and the biggest middle finger of all towards the player: getting rid of the final checkpoint right before Dracula. Honestly, if you ever feel a need to replay CV3 or haven't checked out every level (don't forget, it has branching paths!), then I'd suggest playing the Japanese version. I feel like it's a MUCH more enjoyable game when you aren't constantly fighting against changes that were made for the sole purpose of making the game harder to compensate against a market where game rental was extremely common at the time. Plus, you've also got the improved VRC6 soundtrack in the Japanese version 👍

[@Fortefyre]

It's a nitpick that I'm shocked I didn't catch lol. I've beaten the American version which is a mean kick in the nuts when compared to the Japanese version lol. I'll be playing the Japanese one at some point.

[@agentchris1482]

I so would want the FF1 art as a tattoo on my back if I was able to get one lol. Also the guardian legend box art looks like it could’ve been a hair metal band album cover from back in the day lol.

[@Fortefyre]

That would be dope! I'll get it with ya! Lol

[@agentchris1482]

@@Fortefyre lol would hurt like hell and take a bunch of sessions!

[@Fortefyre]

@@agentchris1482 haha. I'm covered in tattoos.

[@agentchris1482]

@@Fortefyre Nice lol.

[@StarBoy62]

That's Trevor (a Belmont ancestor) who's on the Dracula's Curse box art, not Simon.

[@Fortefyre]

Yeah yeah, I know, I fucked up lol.

[@d-fyant1925]

Castlevania is a great choice for number 1 on a list like this. Glad to see Life Force an The Guardian Legend on here also.

[@Fortefyre]

They are wonderful games!

[@hummushero9428]

Nice choices. Hard to narrow down the list with so many games. Final fantasy, Life Force, Castlevania 3 all iconic boxes. I might have put SMB2 in there I always liked that one. 👍

[@Fortefyre]

Smb 2 is like a watered down 3 in terms of boxart. Now that I think about it, the 3 games always featured just a single element, mario.

[@hummushero9428]

@@Fortefyre well it’s all opinion… but I feel the opposite. SMB3 is just a yellow backdrop with more simple lettering. SM2 has a nice sky backdrop with clouds and streaks coming off of Mario, and the Bold 3D effect on the font. IMO 3 was just putting the new flying ability on display, which was cool to market that, but doesn’t do much visually.

[@TheShiftyShitShow]

have done a video dedicated to Tim Fallens career? I would watch it

[@Fortefyre]

Like an artist spotlight? Yeah I'd do it!

[@mikeburkhart8336]

Castlevania 3:Dracula's Curse,Dragon Warrior 2,The Guardian Legend,The Legend of Zelda,Life Force were the best NES box arts. (That was Trevor Belmont in Castlevania 3,Simon's ancestor by the way...)

[@Fortefyre]

I wonder how many are on this list :)

[@Fortefyre]

Also whoops lmfao forgot Trevor was in cv 3 lol. I've seen the anime I should know that.

[@Darkfacts2080]

Missing from this list: Wizards and Warriors, Deadly Towers, The Battle of Olympus, Bionic Commando, The Adventures of Bayou Billy

[@Fortefyre]

Those are all great ones as well!

[@jeffb.6642]

Gonna go out on a limb before I watch this video and say we ain't seeing no Mega Man 1 box art around here.

[@Fortefyre]

The guy with two left knees in front of a volcano and an incan temple that 100% bought his uniform from Spirit Halloween? Nope lol

[@mikeburkhart8336]

Sad part was it wasn't the artist's fault the MegaMan 1 American Box Art was so bad. Capcom hired him yet showed him nothing about how the character looked,so he made MegaMan look like a coal miner of all things!

[@bmeht]

why not? mega man's gun looks great in this box art

[@rubenmejia4881]

😂

[@necrogenesis1981]

Have you thought about doing a video on manuals? I can’t remember exactly how many notable manuals there are but Zelda 1 is definitely up there in my opinion, the box art is simple and iconic but the manual is even better. I dunno about you but I miss the old school manuals. There’s no reason you can’t go to other consoles too, or even PC games, those definitely had some cool art in the manuals.

[@Fortefyre]

I would consider it, but I don't own many manuals, I'd have to rely on scans.

[@necrogenesis1981]

@@Fortefyre fair enough, neither of us are hardcore collectors like some, fortunately I still have my Zelda and Earthbound manuals though because they’re my favorites, I know, the Earthbound manual is technically a strategy guide but I love the way it’s designed, it’s brilliant although that’s probably why it was so expensive even at retail. Even if it’s not your favorite game check out the manual if you haven’t seen it.

[@michaelbarley7399]

​@@necrogenesis1981 @Fortefyre that 80 page Final Fantasy manual, although my maps are disintegrating and probably not worth anything by collectible standards.

[@LordTeaboBaggins]

Man- this list just reminded me of a time when Konami gave a shit about their games… And I will say as someone who LOVED Koei’s historic strategy games as a kid, their box art was all awesome

[@Fortefyre]

Right? It was a good time.

[@TadashiNazuka]

Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon, Rampage, TMNT 2, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Mike Tyson, Heavy Barrel, Tecmo Super Bowl, WrestleMania, Tecmo World Wrestling.

[@Fortefyre]

Those are all great decisions!

[@TadashiNazuka]

@@Fortefyre yea us kids back in the 80s loved movie cover art and cool looking themes. Nobody I knew wanted anything to do with wizard geek shit or space games. Not after living thru the Atari age beforehand. Just how it was. Same thing happened to Nintendo when Sega Genesis hit the market. Made NES look weak.

[@cbo1080]

What do you think about Contra?

[@Fortefyre]

I think the blatant reskin of Arnold and Rambo wasn't too great lol.

[@pharmcat8484]

I would have put Crystalis and Ultima: Quest of the Avatar in there. Somewhere.

[@Fortefyre]

They ALMOST made the list.

[@mikestockman951]

Uninvited was neither published nor developed by Rare and it certainly was not released in 2001.

[@Fortefyre]

Oh jeez, did one of my labels slip through the cracks? I'm sorry, it was kind of rushed because of my move to the new house lmao.

[@Marc_Araujo]

I don't care what anyone says, I absolutely love the "bad box art" of the original Mega Man. I display it up front in my collection display...and it draws eyes like no other.

[@Fortefyre]

Haha, I love it!

[@oodaloopc9725]

Incorporating color theory and advertising psychology in a video on box art? I had to watch the video with my pinky out! In other news, I did two papers in my masters degree on early box art for SSI focused on a man named Louis Saekow. Worth a google. Great work as always

[@Fortefyre]

I'll have to check it out!

[@guarapo66]

4:03 That’s a manor ( mmmhh 🥴) 4:16 that’s a cadaver (mmmhh🥴)

[@Fortefyre]

that's a ghoul (mmmhh🥴)

[@SamusGunship]

Zelda, Zelda 2, Blaster Master, Mega Man, Mega Man 2, Castlevania, Goonies II, Gradius, Life Force, Bionic Commando, DuckTales, DuckTales 2, Little Nemo, Journey to Silius, All the black box games, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario Bros 2, Little Samson, Rescue Rangers, Rescue Rangers 2, Hudson's Adventure Island, Final Fantasy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Crystalis, Mega Man 3, Contra, Battle of Olympus, Faxanadu, Metal Gear These are the NES games that I consider to have the best box art As for Famicom, I generally consider them to have better boxart than the NES counterparts, with some notable exceptions. My favorite among those are: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario USA, The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu, Zelda II: Zelda no Bouken, DuckTales, Ducktales 2, Akumoja Dracula, Raf World, Dragon Quest 1-4, Final Fantasy, Gradius, Gradius II, Salamander, Goonies, Goonies II, Red Arremer II, Metal Storm, Argos no Senshi, Saiyuki World II, Hoshi no Kirby, Skykid, Faxanadu, Ninja Ryukenden III, Arumana no Kiseki, Pajama Hero, Little Mermaid, Willow, Guardic Gaiden, Punch-Out!!, Rescue Rangers, Rescue Rangers II, Doki Doki Panic, Wanpaku Cookun no Gourmet World, Gremlins II, Metal Gear, Kage, Gun-Dec, Donkey Kong 3, Solstice, Rockman, Hikari Shinwa Palutena no Kagami, Lolo II, Lickle, last but not least - Gimmick! Although, I do love all of these games, I do genuinely love all the box arts that I listed here, despite what I think of these games. The NES games that have better boxart than their Famicom counterparts are: Bionic Commando is better than Hitler no Fukkatsu, NES Contra is better than Famicom Contra, All black box games are better than their Famicom counterparts (except Super Mario Bros.), Mega Man and Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 have better boxart than Rockman and Rockman 2 and Rockman 3, Journey to Silius has better boxart than Raf World, Battle of Olympus is better than Olympus No Tatakai Battle, TMNT has better boxart than Gekikame Ninja Den Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Blaster Master has better boxart than Chou Wakusei Senki Metafight (just barely- personal preference). And some few Famicom games use the same boxart as their NES counterparts, such as: DuckTales, DuckTales 2, Rescue Rangers, Rescue Rangers 2, Castlevania and Akumojo Dracula, Castlevania II and Dracula II, Gradius, Life Force and Salamander. Also, while the Koei NES games all have very impressive boxart (and there are a lot of them), I just don't think that those box arts compel me to want to play those games. Which makes them less than effective, I think. Personally, I consider Dragon Quests 1-4 to have the best boxarts of the entire NES or Famicom libraries. (strangely their NES american counterparts of Dragon Warriors are absolutely awful box arts in comparison- though excellent games)

[@Fortefyre]

That's an amazing breakdown, thank you for taking the time to write it up!

[@SamusGunship]

@@Fortefyre It was fun to get my thoughts in order around this, and I have been analyzing this subject quite a bit in the past. I'm so happy to share this kind of breakdown with someone else who cares about the subject. And, thank you for your video

[@Fortefyre]

I'm honored! Are there any other topics you wish you could discuss but can't find relevant topics about it on KZbin? I'd love to make it happen!

[@SamusGunship]

@@Fortefyre I think your topics tend to be really cool already. You are doing fine with what you have been coming up with. But, if you would like a suggested topic from me, how about you analyze Nintendo Power magazine? That would be a fun subject.

[@Fortefyre]

@SamusGunship That is actually in the works. I'm going to be doing a collaboration with a fellow KZbinr who specializes in niche video game history such as magazines, demo disks, and obscure games. Kind of helps he's a very close friend of mine as well lol

[@alanfike]

I recommend an honorable mention for Castlevania 2, where Simon makes a "2" with his whip. Also, incidentally, Castlevania 2 for Game Boy looks pretty menacing with Simon looking like He-Man in mid-swing of his whip. It looks better than the Castlevania 2 NES box art overall.

[@Fortefyre]

You know I didn't even notice that he did lmao. He does it on the Famicom Disk System entry too!

[@alanfike]

It's quite subtle, as you see. Someone pointed it out to me.

[@Fortefyre]

I can't unsee it now, it's like the smile in the Goodwill logo, or the arrow in the FedEx logo lmao.

[@leefischer5814]

Surprised that Kabuki Quantum Fighter, Megaman 5, Guerilla War, Deadly Towers, or Contra aren't on the list.

[@Fortefyre]

Kabuki almost was on this list!

[@TT-jl1qs]

Haven't watched yet but I hope ghost lion is on the list lol

[@Fortefyre]

:P

[@pharmcat8484]

Heyyyyy, I see to own Shingen the Ruler. Never played it though. I sent my copy to ProJared

[@Fortefyre]

Nice! I'm sure he treasures it!

[@Erwin-h9x]

I would nominate faxanadu, tmnt and startropics.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

The three main TMNT games and even Tournament Fighters have pretty great North American and European box arts. Although it's interesting that the first TMNT NES box art has the turtles clearly inspired by their Mirage Comics counterparts. Even better with the box art is TMNT 4: Turtles in Time and TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist.

[@Fortefyre]

Great choices!

[@sidneyvandykeii3169]

Simon vs Count Chocula. I always hated the Box art for Castlevania. I grew up eating Count Chocula and seeing his image on the box and in advertisements. His face on Castlvania did not inspire fear, awe and wonder. It made me roll my eyes and hate the box art.

[@Fortefyre]

Haha, nice cereal reference lol.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

The worst North American and European box arts would be NA Mega Man 1 (the only box art even worse is the NA Phalanx SNES), PAL Mega Man 3, Mighty Final Fight, Whomp Em, Metro Cross, Hammerin' Harry, Amagon, 720, Action 52, and WWF Wrestlemania Challenge. While the worst Famicom box arts are Super Mario Bros. 2, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Family Mahjong, Ninja Gaiden 1, Contra, Family Trainer 3, Backgammon, Idol Hakkenden, A Week of Garfield, and Dragon Fighter.

[@Fortefyre]

Don't be hating on Phalanx :P

[@1325marky]

Can’t rank them in order, but my top 10 are: SHADOWGATE PIRATES! WIZARDS & WARRIORS BATMAN RETURNS WILLOW CASTLEVANIA 2: SQ FINAL FANTASY GOONIES II ULTIMA: Exodus NINJA GAIDEN II: DSOC Honorable Mention: BIONIC COMMANDO

[@Fortefyre]

Pirates! was extremely close! I adore the game lol. The rest are great choices as well!

[@1325marky]

@@Fortefyre me too!! The game play, graphics, and music are all great for me

[@UltimateGamerCC]

i easily could've watched a Top 100 of this, i've been into Box Art since i was a kid, looking at my SEGA Master System boxes with the coolest Box Art i had (Golvellius and Phantasy Star to name a few.) ever since AVGN reviewed the worst Box Art, it reignited my passion for Box Art. i like Nintendo, but my GOD, their boxes were made from the flimsiest cardboard crap ever created! SEGA's was WAY better, built like Safety Deposit Boxes.

[@Fortefyre]

Do you want a top 100? Lmao. I can do that, it might take a while, but if it's something you would like I don't mind doing it.

[@UltimateGamerCC]

@@Fortefyre hell yeah, why not? i dont think Box Art is talked about very often and that's a bit sad, as that was what would get you to buy a game, outside of commercials or word of mouth.

[@Fortefyre]

It'll be a little while before I can swing it in, but I'll see what I can do.

[@sithlord1051]

How is Mega Man not on this list?! 🤣

[@Fortefyre]

Lmaoooo I'd lose my street cred.

[@sithlord1051]

😂​@@Fortefyre

[@Kevin_40]

Mario 3 wins easily

[@Fortefyre]

I had to put it on the list :P

[@videostash413]

Clearly you are all about the painted movie poster style.

[@Fortefyre]

I like the authentic look lol.

[@billy6427]

I notice you mentioned Final Fantasy "could have Featured a shortless Fabeo " as Box Art . This is Why i Think we need more Topless Female Characters . Im tired of Everyone assuming All dudes Want to See Topless or Half-naked Guys . thats just not True (Edit .Ntm Solstice has a Topless guy on the Cover...Yeah We need a Topless Female lead Video Game Box Art Movement 😎👍)

[@Fortefyre]

LMAO I wouldn't complain.

[@billy6427]

@@Fortefyre 😂 Me Neither, Obviously 😅