The most mediocre box art

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By published

The blandest, dullest and all-around boring-est covers we could find

We poked fun at this one back in our Worst of 2007article. It deserves a double slap on the wrist for being uninspired in addition to plain ol’ bad. Not much else to be said about it, GR’s Mikel Reparazsaid it best:

"Putting a pear-shaped blob on the cover of your game alongside nothing else probably isn't the best way to get people to fork over their cash."

Great title, but overwhelmingly average art. When your game is about monsters and enchanted yo-yos, you should try a little harder than “uhh how about some palm trees?” Look at part two:

Now that’s more like it.

We’ve got two excellent reasons for including oft-ignored Amplitude. First, such an addicting, innovative and unique game deserves something better than washed-up band names flying out of a speaker. Second, it gives us a chance to yet again tell everyone they absolutely need to play this game. It’s from pre-Guitar Hero Harmonix, people, know your roots!

This was the third NES Simpsons game released in a relatively short time period, and you can tell by the shrug-worthy title of “Bartman meets Radioactive Man.” That’s about as compelling as “Maggie Sleeps the Day Away” or “Homer’s Late for Work.”

Oh right, the box. This one falls into the same category as Shadow Dancer, with a group of people that couldn’t be less interested in what’s going on. “Grrr, I’m a crab man of some description, rarrrrr.” Plus Radioactive Man shaking his fist like an angry old man, presumably telling everyone else to "get the hell off my lawn-colored box!"

And it all takes place in a void. Couldn’t even bother drawing in a location. A far cry from the first NES game:

CHRIST there’s too much going on; they took every idea in the room and threw it on the box, the polar opposite of the Radioactive Man cover. Oh, don't try to call Family Video, they've been shut down for about 15 years.

Want more mediocrity? Head back to the Seven out of 10 Week hub.

Jul 24, 2008

Brett Elston
Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.