This time around I'll take a little glance on several boxes I don't know the makers of.
Impossible Mission 2 (1988)
I am not sure who the artist is for this particular cover, but what I really love about it is how blatant copy it is of one certain movie, where Clint Eastwood nonchalantly inquires if donogooders are feeling lucky on that particular moment in time.
Impossible Mission was released for several platforms, many of which had different artwork. This was, to my knowledge the Spectrum version cover on some areas of the world.
While this could be Bob Wakelin's work, as he wasn't a stranger in lifting poses from movie posters and the like, Impossible Mission isn't mentioned on any of the listings I've seen of his work. So if you do know, throw me a line, will you?
I mean, if it was me, I would have tried to make the character look less like Eastwood, you know just to throw people off at least a bit, but there you have it. The shades don't quite manage to disguise him. And his hand looks like it might have been directly lifted from the original picture.
There could actually be a series of its own based solely on old game boxes and the sources that have inspired them. It really isn't that odd of an occasion to stumble upon an old piece of box art that is very, very blatantly copied from some other pic, down to character likeness. And something tells me, they weren't keen on letting likes of Clint Eastwood know how his mug was used on something he had no part in.
Some of the more easily recognizable homages, or rips, I've seen are Predator, Terminator, Alien and Aliens, which are not really that surprising. But I am certain there are several others as well out there that have inspired game box artists back in the day.
Might and Magic III: the Isles of Terra (1991)
Here is another one for which I don't know the artist. My extensive googling gave me a result where the image and the game box design has been attributed to a company called Focus On Design. If that was something consisting of several people or just someone working from their garage, I wouldn't know.
As the game was made in 1991, it is very likely the party responsible for the art isn't functioning anymore, so again, if you know, throw me a line.
In any case, I've always loved this pic. The sword-wielding warrior is plain creepy with his ribcage lining out and the expression conveys something like ravenous madness instead of ideas of a heroic character plunging into battle.
I do think it isn't really a convenient choice for a cover of a game box, but I do have to give New World Computing credit to go with this as it is far more interesting than the covers for their previous entries to the series, which basically had some gameworld maps slapped on the boxes.
King's Bounty (1990)
Another game in the Might and Magic series. Unlike the other games in the series before this, King's Bounty is a strategy game. While I haven't played it, I assume it is a kind of an early version of what later turned into the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
I really like the scenario portrayed on the cover. While it isn't technically speaking that impressive, the scene is fantastic, with a knight dragging a shackled beast to a castle, where a crowd has gathered to watch their arrival.
Again, I don't know who the artist for this is. I can only make a guess, that it might have been one of the three artists who are named in MobyGames: Kenneth Lee Mayfield, Vincent DeQuattro or Bonita Long-Hemsath. So, if you have an inkling, do throw a line. The artist responsible for the cover art is Lee MacLeod. You can see more of his landscapes on his website.
Code-Name: Iceman (1989)
The final title, for now, is an old Sierra title, Code-Name Iceman.
This is far from being among my favourite Sierra games. Code-Name: Iceman was designed by Jim Walls, better know of Police Quest games, but this time around his fascination for procedures feel dull and annoying rather than charming.
Iceman is an uninspired spy thriller, where a big bulk of the game is spent in trying to manoeuvre a nuclear submarine in a simulation mode the SCI engine used to make it clearly wasn't the best tool.
The clunkiness of the game aside, the cover art for it is great. If I'd have to guess, it might have been done either by Cheryl Loyd or James Larsen, who did the art for the game. If you do know, do throw a line.
As a side note, I do recall reading that the model used to portray the protagonist on the cover is actually Jim Walls' son. I couldn't find that interview again though, but the name of the artist might be mentioned in it.
Impossible Mission 2 (1988)I am not sure who the artist is for this particular cover, but what I really love about it is how blatant copy it is of one certain movie, where Clint Eastwood nonchalantly inquires if donogooders are feeling lucky on that particular moment in time.
Impossible Mission was released for several platforms, many of which had different artwork. This was, to my knowledge the Spectrum version cover on some areas of the world.
While this could be Bob Wakelin's work, as he wasn't a stranger in lifting poses from movie posters and the like, Impossible Mission isn't mentioned on any of the listings I've seen of his work. So if you do know, throw me a line, will you?
I mean, if it was me, I would have tried to make the character look less like Eastwood, you know just to throw people off at least a bit, but there you have it. The shades don't quite manage to disguise him. And his hand looks like it might have been directly lifted from the original picture.There could actually be a series of its own based solely on old game boxes and the sources that have inspired them. It really isn't that odd of an occasion to stumble upon an old piece of box art that is very, very blatantly copied from some other pic, down to character likeness. And something tells me, they weren't keen on letting likes of Clint Eastwood know how his mug was used on something he had no part in.
Some of the more easily recognizable homages, or rips, I've seen are Predator, Terminator, Alien and Aliens, which are not really that surprising. But I am certain there are several others as well out there that have inspired game box artists back in the day.
Might and Magic III: the Isles of Terra (1991)Here is another one for which I don't know the artist. My extensive googling gave me a result where the image and the game box design has been attributed to a company called Focus On Design. If that was something consisting of several people or just someone working from their garage, I wouldn't know.
As the game was made in 1991, it is very likely the party responsible for the art isn't functioning anymore, so again, if you know, throw me a line.
In any case, I've always loved this pic. The sword-wielding warrior is plain creepy with his ribcage lining out and the expression conveys something like ravenous madness instead of ideas of a heroic character plunging into battle.
I do think it isn't really a convenient choice for a cover of a game box, but I do have to give New World Computing credit to go with this as it is far more interesting than the covers for their previous entries to the series, which basically had some gameworld maps slapped on the boxes.
King's Bounty (1990)Another game in the Might and Magic series. Unlike the other games in the series before this, King's Bounty is a strategy game. While I haven't played it, I assume it is a kind of an early version of what later turned into the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
I really like the scenario portrayed on the cover. While it isn't technically speaking that impressive, the scene is fantastic, with a knight dragging a shackled beast to a castle, where a crowd has gathered to watch their arrival.
Code-Name: Iceman (1989)The final title, for now, is an old Sierra title, Code-Name Iceman.
This is far from being among my favourite Sierra games. Code-Name: Iceman was designed by Jim Walls, better know of Police Quest games, but this time around his fascination for procedures feel dull and annoying rather than charming.
Iceman is an uninspired spy thriller, where a big bulk of the game is spent in trying to manoeuvre a nuclear submarine in a simulation mode the SCI engine used to make it clearly wasn't the best tool.
The clunkiness of the game aside, the cover art for it is great. If I'd have to guess, it might have been done either by Cheryl Loyd or James Larsen, who did the art for the game. If you do know, do throw a line.
As a side note, I do recall reading that the model used to portray the protagonist on the cover is actually Jim Walls' son. I couldn't find that interview again though, but the name of the artist might be mentioned in it.
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