10 Terrible NES Games with Amazing Cartridge Label Cover Art (Nintendo Entertainment System)

[@BigOleWords]

I did end up making an inverse video of this one "10 Great NES Games with Awful Cover Art" : kzbin.info/www/bejne/forLooKXeJd-h9ksi=oQO6Q8TqmiTFQlPW

[@ButcherCakesTheCakeButcher]

This channel is criminally underrated

[@BigOleWords]

You’ll never take me alive coppers!

[@kaicanyonellis]

Totally agree!!!

[@mattsweeney3790]

Still true

[@BigDaddyCola]

Still true!

[@cmfort2696]

"Confident knee up stance revealing the mysteries behind the loincloth." I love the flat, laid-back, style, of commenting, and thoughtful script writing.

[@BigDaddyCola]

100%

[@zooropa04]

The real irony is that the NES initially made its name with honest cover art, so as not to make the Atari 2600's mistake of misleading customers.

[@BigOleWords]

Right?! They started off so strong but followed the same path as Atari!

[@amBigSweet]

I guess eye of the beholder jazz, but Stanley and the search for Dr. Livingston was one of my favorite games

[@Freddyfan1428]

I think that creature you mention on the co9ver of Ghoul School is actually a skull face that is 3/4 upside down and 'speed-blurred', which would explain why it looks so freaky! lol!

[@BigOleWords]

You're right! As soon as someone pointed it out it was like it was clear as day!

[@RonManGaming]

0:32 dude you had me dying with that smile! Great video. I, too, love awful cart art.

[@BigOleWords]

Haha I didn’t mean to shoot that been when I was editing I thought it’d be funny to leave it in. If it made you laugh, I consider it a success!

[@ImmortalThanos]

Fun fact -- Athena served as the inspiration for Asina, one of the sages from Crystalis. Considering they're both SNK games, it makes sense.

[@BigOleWords]

Interesting, I did not know that!

[@therealbitwars]

I can relate to this. Sometimes admiring your own collection is just as fun as playing the games.

[@BigOleWords]

Haha for sure. My intention is always to play something but…

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

I don't always have time to play my games, but my bedroom is also my gameroom, and it's nice to see all the neat stuff, little nostalgia hit every day.

[@BigOleWords]

@@scramblesthedeathdealer Yeah for sure!

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I've literally never heard of Stanley: The Search for Doctor Livingston. I don't think ANYONE has ever heard of Stanley: The Search for Doctor Livingston.

[@BigOleWords]

Haha it's a pretty deep cut. I should really review it in depth soon...

[@KamenRiderGumo]

I did, but only thanks to Nintendo Power. They made that game seem a LOT more fun than it actaully is.

[@noaht2005]

I remember SNESDrunk mentioning it briefly. It is a weird concept but he seemed to think it was good.

[@PrincessOzaline]

I remember finding Tom Sawyer fun, I probably didn't have much basis for comparison but it made for a couple really fun days with the cousins.

[@GameplayUploaded]

much respect for this guy for being so organized with his vast collection of NES cartridges 0_0

[@BigOleWords]

If they ain’t alphabetized, I ain’t sleepin’!

[@cmfort2696]

You might have to add the Mighty Bomb Jack cover to this list.

[@cmfort2696]

"With a great appreciation for that top level of conartistry." I love it

[@mchenrynick]

@5:20 That bat on Dr. Chaos immediately reminds me of the band Overkill's bat.

[@cmfort2696]

I'm sorry I can't stop quoting you. " and,Huckleberry Finn looks like he's sashaying away." I bet your biggest struggle is saying these funny ass lines without laughing uncontrollably.

[@cmfort2696]

Mike Tyson's Intergalactic Power Punch sounds like a mushroom trip, in which Mike Tyson partook.

[@nerdfatha]

I remember seeing an ad for Dr Chaos in an old comic I had. The ad was just the cover picture blown up. The blood stuck to his finger and the creepy critter that was stabbing his foot with a spear that was attached to some sort of umbilical cord really disturbed me as a kid.

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah it’s pretty disturbing for sure!

[@MrPQ2112]

Love this channel and that intro is sick, never change it!!

[@BigOleWords]

You got it!

[@Starpilot17]

"You got to be kidding me!" - Mark Twain

[@erainmartinez8175]

I love the Deadly tower artwork style 1:50

[@BigOleWords]

Hell yeah!

[@alanfike]

2:14 "That's a cute rhinosceros costume, little boy. Are your parents around?" *_stabbed_*

[@adampaulausky2044]

Deadly towers does technically show the character in the strongest gold armor but unfortunately the character design in the game doesn't look like that nor changes his armor color

[@BigOleWords]

Haha insult to injury right there!

[@MikeandKatieShow]

Love your videos as always. Great sound, and video production. Anyway though, I'm surprised Dr. Chaos was allowed by Nintendo back in the day. Lot of blood on that cover art.

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks! And yeah, Dr. Chaos is super gory! I didn’t even notice til I was editing that the one monster is stabbing the guys foot!

[@cmfort2696]

Here's a list idea: Games you traded with your friends. Whether you knew you were getting a better game trade, an upgrade trade, an uptrade. And, If you knew you were covertly passing a lame game, like a 90s crappy bag of weed.

[@fshoaps]

This channel is the new AVGN! The intro and so on. Love it, man.

[@BigOleWords]

I take that as the hugest of compliments :) Glad you dig it!

[@youreallyplaythat]

"A child Trick-r-treating as a rhinoceros." Awesome. I played that stinker. To hear a Conan the Barbarian line in the middle cracked me up. This was a good one!

[@BigOleWords]

Glad someone caught that ;)

[@reiwhirlwind115]

The arcade Athena is in fact a different game also by SNK, which featuring an in-game theme song that is ahead of its time, gaining its popularity in Japan. The NES geme is a prequel, where you play as the ancestor of the arcade protagonist.

[@BigOleWords]

So they lied on the label then!?!

[@DragonGrafx-16]

I love your videos so much. As someone with a large NES and Famicom collection myself (not as large as yours but I still have around 150 games) I really love seeing the obscure stuff.

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks so much! The collecting is as interesting to me as the games themselves.

[@haruruben]

11:00 Iron Sword had a photo of Fabio on the cover, no monster make up like Jeckyl but he was decked out in Conan gear

[@GT-dh5nk]

The trophy in the background first seen at 1:50. Not sure what it's a trophy for, but well done my friend.

[@BigOleWords]

That's a little statue of Josef Martinez who plays for Atlanta United, my local soccer team.

[@xenos_n.]

Even though there's something weirdly nostalgic about it, I'm glad we are past the era where we judged games based on the cover because we had nothing else to go on and we were purposefully being scammed by developers that made bad games.

[@BigOleWords]

Totally agree, it’s an aspect of retro gaming that none of us should remember fondly.

[@patg108]

@@BigOleWords yet it still exists. Just in not quite the same methods. These days you have to research it by game name and platform as well. Some of its indie some of its downloadable some of it is sloppy and exploitative AAA that causes the problems. Or a lazy port among other things. Or a cheap mobile port to console (mostly on switch/3ds)

[@citizen_grub4171]

@@patg108 And now it's pretty graphics instead of pretty box art.

[@patg108]

@@citizen_grub4171 graphics which aren't all that much better than the last generation (if at all)

[@cmfort2696]

I mean Mark Tyler; future Mandela effect.

[@williamsisk6707]

Nice video. I don’t know, I kinda dig Stanley and Ghoul School. Flawed for sure, but kind of fun in their weirdness.

[@BigOleWords]

They are the most borderline of these titles. So much potential and charm but such rough execution. I’ll definitely do a more detailed review of both at some point.

[@cmfort2696]

As far as Athena being a "top...game" top, being defined as: top of a pile of s***.

[@carterevanroust]

It would be cool if someone made the games that these covers make you expect. With how varied the indie NES scene is, it's totally possible and it makes total sense.

[@BigOleWords]

That would be hilarious

[@selfishagenda]

I remember buying Dash Galaxy from Kay Bee Toys thinking the box art was cool. When I got home, I realized I had made a huge mistake.

[@BigOleWords]

That is for sure a candidate

[@garyhall7867]

The mini boss in Dr Chaos a) is simple, just go back towards the front of the house and stand on the ledge and hit him with the sword, and b) is a rip off of Richard Moll from the movie House

[@panelvixen]

The cover for Krion Conquest shows Francesca wearing a white dress with what looks like a chef's hat. In the game she wears red dress and a witch's hat. That always puzzled me. Many years later I played the original Japanese version and there are scenes wear she wears a white dress and there is an alternate sprite of her wearing with what looks like a Russian hat.

[@BigOleWords]

Huh, that’s makes more sense then!

[@Nesguy92]

The horror in the window above the door is a skeleton skull sideways

[@throwbackswiththetechnodrome]

I remember seeing Dr. Chaos in the window of this TV/VCR repair store that sold used NES games $4 each or 3 for $10. I saw the title and the artwork and thought “Wow what the hell is that game?!” I scurried home very excited to play, popped that sucker in and immediate changed my thought to “Wow…wtf is this…” Great video, thanks for covering these stinkers, liked and subscribed. -Cast

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah was my reaction when I first saw it!

[@ryanchurchill5081]

I honestly watched avgn since he started and I am glad this channel visits the nes and games of the past. I will gladly go through your videos

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks, there are worse folks to be compared to ;)

[@ryanchurchill5081]

@@BigOleWords he is going on 20 years which is crazy in its own way.

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

I remember seeing and ad in a magazine for Stanley, the quest for Dr. Livingston. I want to say it was in Nickelodeon Magazine.

[@BigOleWords]

That’s awesome. Surprised anyone remembers it.

[@yamatodamashii1179]

Fun fact, Athena is the only arcade cabinet you’ll find if you can manage to summit Mt Fuji. Greek mythology 3776m above sea level in the land of the rising sun and where the game earned the title, Top Arcade Game in Japan.

[@BigOleWords]

Hahahaha that’s amazing, and now I know there was no false statement made in their advertising ;)

[@KasumiKenshirou]

2:47 That "Dr. Livingston" game is based on a true story. Henry Morton Stanley went to find Dr. David Livingstone after the world had lost contact with Livingston for years. Put the phrase "Dr. Livingston, I presume" into a search engine and you'll find lots of information about it. Also, neither man looked like the Angry Video Game Nerd guy on the cover. I know they couldn't find photos as easily as we can today with the internet, but they could have been easily found at a library for reference when designing that cover.

[@Hitoritaka]

So, for Ghoul School, it's an upside-down skull with an eyeball.

[@Faraway.G]

Great video. Artwork was selling the games back in the day 😉

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks so much!

[@KeavyGoesLive]

The last NES game I bought as a kid was Ghoul School and it holds a special place in my heart for that reason. That said, I firmly believe Ghoul School is a hidden gem that is like Blaster Master in the "Early Metroidvania" category. If it's still around the $10 price I paid for my replacement copy a few years back, pick it up. You may really enjoy it and, if not, trade it!

[@BigOleWords]

$10?! No way.

[@GenerationPixel]

An excellent collection of great art work that accompanied terrible games. The Stanley art, well that just screamed Monty Python to me. Great stuff bud 😎👍

[@BigOleWords]

Haha I can see Eric Idle or Michael Palin as Stanley for sure!

[@tardiscommand1812]

If any young gamers are reading this, back then you went only by the cart labels. It was always a magical journey to the movie store cause sometimes you’d get something great and sometimes bad based on the labels.

[@BigOleWords]

All the weird games we got had no research behind them

[@vankook]

Nice, refreshing video. Sticks out from the thousands of other Nes content channels.

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks so much!

[@GINTegg]

The Blues Brothers has a great illustration on the cover depicting the two protagonist in a well detailed cartoon style. The game itself is an average platformer with cheap level design and poor graphics that resembles something on an older computer more than something built for NES.

[@BigOleWords]

That is a solid contender right there!

[@NESADDICT]

Dude keep the videos coming! I love the NES heavy content!

[@BigOleWords]

You got it!

[@MrPQ2112]

Great writing!! I laughed during the whole thing :D

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks so much :)

[@xxHUNGRY4THETRUTHxx]

Castlequest also has that same Deadly Towers bait n' switch box cover.

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah, but I actually kinda like Castlequest!

[@EuSouRCS]

2:50 Man,you need to trust me,this game is a MASTERPIECE!

[@BigOleWords]

Haha I'll review that one at some point :)

[@EuSouRCS]

@@BigOleWords you can also talk about NES games that won't come to Japan (Stanley is one of them,and there are so many titles only on NES)!

[@dingalingmasterpiecetheater]

Now for the artwork, Swords and Serpents. Art by Boris Vallejo, but the gameplay, jinkies, it's bad. There's also Eternal Champions, but that's on the Genesis. Artwork by Julie Bell. Boris' girlfriend, if anyone was unaware.

[@BigOleWords]

What?! Awesome!

[@hdofu]

The Adventures of Bayou Billy, leads you in thinking you're playing as a bad ass, but because Konami is evil on their edits for localization, the drastically beefed-up enemies will be the ones beating Billy's Ass bad.

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah that’s a solid example right there!

[@pepijn23]

As a casual collector I can relate to you. I have alot off games that I never really play, but are nice additions. Then when I actually play them I have a good time.

[@BigOleWords]

Glad I’m not alone!

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Imagine if they called Deadly Towers by it's Famicom name Hell's Bells along with that awesome cover art. I'm surprised the cover for Dr. Chaos wasn't changed in NA. It's a graphic cover for sure and went against Nintendo's strict guidelines. Bad Street Brawler is a guilty pleasure game of mine. I know it's not great but I still enjoy it.

[@BigOleWords]

Hell’s Bells is a dope name for a game. Deadly Towers in unworthy!

[@videogamevic1635]

Omg lol i’m guilty of the same thing just scrolling through my NES games over and over then finally just going back upstairs and not end up playing anything

[@BigOleWords]

Haha the gift and the curse!

[@garyhall7867]

I know the emphasis on the word NERDY isn't a coincidence because I was looking at it and saying the same thing. I know he talked about that game before, but can't remember if he said anything about the similarity.

[@VisionThing]

Fun fact, the Dr. Jekyll model was actually Arnold Schwarzenegger with a lot of makeup.

[@BigOleWords]

Haha Heyo!

[@HisRoyalRyNes]

Great video!!! And again I will always appreciate the “Mr. Show” reference. “Who speaks Ill of pornography “ I do the same thing with my games. I spend more time looking at them than actually playing them.

[@BigOleWords]

Glad to hear I’m not the only one…that perpetually browses my cartridges AND loves Mr. Show :)

[@haruruben]

12:00 in ‘92 you would have been doing “photoshop” effects using an exactor knife and rubber cement and then photographing your outcome.’if you wanted blur or glow effects you’d do them with in-camera composition I.e. taking photos of the same thing multiple times with different settings and different parts of the lenses’ view masked so as not to expose that part of the film so when you took the second photo you’d remove the mask and allow light onto the film

[@planetphatness]

I fell for the artwork of Nexoft Castlequest, beautiful artwork, a swashbuckling hero saving a hot babe with a giant demonic beast in the background (who does not appear in the game), it even came with a poster you can put on your wall. The game play was horrible and bland with tons of traps that force you to reset the game and start all over.

[@BigOleWords]

Oh damn that is a really good cover. My only issue is…I kinda like Castlequest! It’s pretty cheap and obtuse but I think the puzzle exploration is pretty fun. Not great by any means, but still better than some of these.

[@planetphatness]

@@BigOleWords I played it because I spent $40 on it, but I hated every minute of it. 😆

[@BigOleWords]

@@planetphatness Oof I feel ya. I had Spiderman Sinister Six for the NES as a kid and even though I knew it was awful I played it non-stop.

[@TheGameroomAwakens]

Very cool! Solid picks and not just dismissive for comedy value alone. Great vid. 😁👍

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks so much!

[@AngryDadGaming]

5:46 - I think _more_ games need a Testicle Monster. Can you think of anything more terrifying, really? 😂

[@BigOleWords]

Haha yes! Unless your some kinda roided out athlete, then it’s just your daily experience :)

[@RewindArcade]

Deadly Towers definitely got me as a kid. I’ve had people swear there’s a good game underneath the banal, simplistic presentation, but I’ve never been able to find it. 😅

[@BigOleWords]

Haha many many people have chimed in to say they love Deadly Towers. I don’t get it either!

[@zetro75]

James Rolf time traveling again to get on the cover of that one game, haha!

[@BigOleWords]

It does look a lot like him!

[@vadenk4433]

Tom fricking Sawyer... I got bamboozled on that one. Played it for hours and was always pissed I didn't spend my $50 on a different game.

[@BigOleWords]

Woof tough break!

[@GregHurstII]

Bad Street Brawler was awesome on the C64. Kind of reminiscent to a comical Final Fight. You could do flips over guys then throw them. At the time it was a big step from just smashing punch.

[@BigOleWords]

Didn’t know it was on the Commodore but it definitely has that look!

[@primokarma9841]

It’s like that 80s film Waxwork, amazing scary cover Terrible non scary film

[@BigOleWords]

Oh my god! That cover is terrifying! Jesus.

[@betsysprouse7144]

I should not drink coffee while watching your videos. ("Trick or treating dressed as a rhinoceros.")

[@BigOleWords]

Haha thanks Bets :)

[@MyPhobo]

I like how Conan has a Sword and Shield in his hands but a knife in his belt. Does he use that knife to cut meat with or something?

[@BigOleWords]

It’s for fast removal of his loin cloth

[@dakhappy]

i watch your channel because you say "check this shit out" instead of "hey guys."

[@BigOleWords]

If you were on the street buying drugs, which would get your attention? Hmm maybe I’ll change it to “now who wants drugs?” :)

[@xcar0982]

11:26 is a skull with eyes looking down

[@hfield07]

ghoul school was probably a painting with the school cut out being laid over the top of it. the windows look like one entire painting behind it. just a guess though.

[@BigOleWords]

Damn I think you’re right! More of a physical collage technique than some sort of digital mock up. Nice!

[@hfield07]

@@BigOleWords i could be wrong but just basing it on the look and the fact that i didnt realize how many album covers i loved that i later learned were actually paintings and not digital like i wouldve thought either.

[@BigOleWords]

Nah I think you’re right. It’s kind of a Physical Graffiti style (without the sliding)

[@JGRICH61]

Ok ok … everything was cool until you dissed bad street brawler! My brother and I sunk HOURS into,that game, beating up little bald weirdos with French moustaches that look like babies… or fighting apes in mini boss fights.

[@BigOleWords]

With the Power Glove?!

[@special_k737]

I had no idea Duke Nukem was on the cover of Bad Street Brawler!

[@hillerm]

You’re doing great James! From your fellow Mountaineer!

[@BigOleWords]

Is that what we called ourselves?!? ;)

[@hillerm]

@@BigOleWords I guess the correct term is Mountain Camper, Mountain Camp Alumni, or just “kid who went to the Mountain”

[@BigOleWords]

@@hillerm Friend!

[@RocKnight11]

The game 8 Eyes has perhaps my favorite cover art for a NES game but the game is rather lack luster and frustrating to play.

[@BigOleWords]

That is a great cover. I’m kinda on the fence with 8 Eyes as a good or bad game though.

[@RocKnight11]

@@BigOleWords "Lack luster" is the wrong choice of words to use, but it is frustrating to play. I think it's that dang short sword. Its way too hard to attack enemies. On top of that the sub-weapons were tough to use. I think the main problem with 8 Eyes is that it's ALMOST a good game. But that cover art is ”S tier” level of greatness

[@garyhall7867]

Ifk how much it figures into power punch 2, but Tyson was already taken off of Punch Out, as his contract was almost up and he lost to Buster Douglas, so Nintendo didn't renew it

[@kokhen]

Love the content 🔥

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks!

[@humorouserrectis5791]

Love the Video subject! Found this video searching for Dr Chaos . I’m definitely subbing for sure

[@BigOleWords]

Nice! I mean that you liked the video not that you were searching for Dr. Chaos ;)

[@humorouserrectis5791]

@@BigOleWords 😂 I was searching for a friend a swear hahaha

[@BigOleWords]

@@humorouserrectis5791 Surrrrreeee ;)

[@starlaw3320]

I bought Deadly Towers as an adult because I remembered playing it with my friend as a kid and we loved it. I was So excited to play it... after 5 minutes I thought, "what the hell was wrong with us back then"? This sux. 😂😁

[@BigOleWords]

Hahaha nostalgia is a killer sometimes

[@PavirryPe]

Relative to its cover, Dr. Chaos is the most dissapointing game I ever rented back in the day.

[@PsillyApeUSA]

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde had me so confused as a kid. I thought it was supposed to be good for some reason

[@BigOleWords]

Maybe it is but we’ve all been playing it wrong for 30 years. Like the point is actually to sacrifice yourself to the townspeople as Jekyll so you won’t subject them to Hyde :)

[@claudiasolomon1123]

I remember seeing the Dr Chaos's cover art in a Nintendo Power magazine & feeling extremely curious. I never got around to ever playing it though. Now that I see what the game actually offers I don't regret never renting it whoa it looks so darn mediocre😮

[@oldschoolgamesstories]

And I thought I was the only one who looked at my games as much as I play them. Good to know! Every game you showed fits thIs category perfectly. Great video as always.👊

[@BigOleWords]

It’s kind of the collectors curse, so many options somehow makes you browse more than play. You know all too well!

[@sergiosoto7056]

Hahaha I thought it was just me.... I can staring at my games for hours, looking to the artworks, organizing them... Over and over again

[@BigOleWords]

@@sergiosoto7056 The gift and the curse for sure!

[@retrogamerbrando731]

Excellent list. One I always thought looked cool was Swamp Thing, and it is a terrible game. And love the idea of the inverse video with bad art on good games!

[@BigOleWords]

Ooh yeah that is a perfect example! Love the comics but damn is that game abysmal.

[@ivanescamilla2501]

I had Athena as a kid, and it was never really my favorite....

[@dblackesquire]

I own Athena. I bought it on the cover art. Thank you for recognizing my experience.

[@BigOleWords]

I mean who wouldn’t be hooked by that cover?!

[@Keonyn]

Haha, I actually owned "Starship Hector".

[@BigOleWords]

I don't think I've ever played it. Something about the title and cover art always screams bland game. It might be really fun!

[@knkn5049]

athena fans say that nes version had lost lots of artworks and cutscenes that arcade version had, but if you like it, you can try "wing of madoola"

[@BigOleWords]

I hadn’t heard of that one but I see the resemblance for sure. Made by Sunsoft?! I’m there!

[@shortstoryslam9434]

You NAILED it with Dr. Chaos! I remember finding that game on display at the local store. I do remember I just stopped and stared at it for a long while. Soaking in every posible little detail. Being repulsed at the monster stabbed with the syringe, the bleeding arm, and just overall horrendous monsters. But then, I made the horrible mistake of playing the stupid game. My little child brain felt so very, very lied to. Now as for The Search for Dr. Linvingston, I fully bought it due to the cover art. (And name). The game does suck, but I still played the crap out of it. Collecting every little secret, till I could speed run it.

[@BigOleWords]

Two very odd games for sure. I’d probably rather look at Dr. Chaos but play Stanley if that were possible :)

[@Portater]

I fucking loved dr. chaos lol

[@scottwilson3741]

The dude on the cover of Stanley, looks like the AVGN 😂

[@BigOleWords]

Haha I can see it!

[@adamcolbertmusic]

Have you done a video about how NES games based on movies or TV shows were almost always impossibly hard? The only exception I can even think of is DuckTales which is actually super easy for a change.

[@BigOleWords]

No but I do have one about the most obscure licensed titles that Ive been mulling about for a while! But I agree they are usually stupid hard.

[@GellyVelly]

Tom Sawyer wasn't thaaaaat bad imo. I mean, its def a lil weak graphically but I personally thought it was a decent enough lil platformer. I still play through it sometimes.

[@BigOleWords]

I would agree that it’s not that bad certainly not as bad as Conan or Dr. Chaos.

[@GellyVelly]

@@BigOleWords Heh no doubt there. Conan just straight up looks unplayable.

[@Godzilla1982]

I submit Godzilla 2 War of the Monsters, both the most badass NES cover and the most disappointing game I ever played for the system.

[@BigOleWords]

I feel like with that user name, this is an opinion I should trust!