This time around, I'll take a look at the game box art of games I'm not a huge fan of.
Diablo 2 (2000)
I'll start with a beloved classic I don't really care for. Personally, I've always liked the first game more. That said, I've always liked the Box art of Diablo II. While it isn't particularly original as far the concept goes, it is a well-done image.
If you've lived under a rock, Diablo is a somewhat popular RPG series, where the main focus is slaying hordes of enemies and gathering increasingly better loot until you finally get to the main baddie.
This particular cover was done by fantasy artist Gerald Brom. His stuff often has elements of dark sexuality, not in the same way as in say H. R. Giger, for that he isn't quite as abstract, or perhaps twisted. Not that there are any such elements in this particular piece.
Brom has done a lot of work for computer games as well as for Dungeons and Dragons. if you want to see more of his art, he has his own web site.
Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager (1994)
And talking of Brom and Dungeons & Dragons here is Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager.
Dark Sun is a sort of a post-apocalyptic world, where people are trying to survive in a world ravaged by some sort of a cataclysm. Wake of the Ravager is a sequel to Shattered Lands, which is, I reckon, a better game of the two.
There's a solid Conan the Barbarian feel about the scene. A muscular warrior holding up weapons, wearing pieces of armour that could come directly from the John Milius directed Schwarzenegger movie.
I like the box art more than I like the actual game. The composition of the warrior and the troops behind him, shaded by the gloomy, dying sun just feels so very, very right.
Barbarian (1987)
And while we are talking of barbarians, here's Barbarian by Psygnosis. This particular Barbarian is a sidescrolling action-adventure, where you control, you guessed it, a barbarian through several levels.
I've played this one a bit, but overall, it isn't a very good game. The controls felt unresponsive and the combat stiff. But that's all I care to say of the game.
The box art was done by Roger Dean. His first claim to fame came when he did several album covers for bands like Yes, Uriah Heap and Asia.
The scene might not say a lot about the game itself, but the rendition of it is great. Not only the finely detailed lizard monster in the foreground but the background detail as well.
Roger Dean did quite a few game boxes for Psygnosis. While I'm not an expert about their games, I've understood the style of Roger Dean had a great effect on how Psygnosis tried to present their games and make them stand out back in the 1980s. That wasn't a bad call at all, considering the art often is the best thing about their games.
You can see more of Deans work if you head to his official web page.
Shadow of the Beast (1989)
Yet another Psygnosis title many think as a classic, mostly because of how nice it looked and sounded on Amiga. As a game, it's not that good though. It just can't escape the feeling all the work was placed on the art and the music while the gameplay was an afterthought.
Roger Dean is, again, responsible for the fantastic looking cover art. Overall, I like the Beast cover more than the Barbarian, but they both are well made, nonetheless.
Diablo 2 (2000)I'll start with a beloved classic I don't really care for. Personally, I've always liked the first game more. That said, I've always liked the Box art of Diablo II. While it isn't particularly original as far the concept goes, it is a well-done image.
If you've lived under a rock, Diablo is a somewhat popular RPG series, where the main focus is slaying hordes of enemies and gathering increasingly better loot until you finally get to the main baddie.
This particular cover was done by fantasy artist Gerald Brom. His stuff often has elements of dark sexuality, not in the same way as in say H. R. Giger, for that he isn't quite as abstract, or perhaps twisted. Not that there are any such elements in this particular piece.
Brom has done a lot of work for computer games as well as for Dungeons and Dragons. if you want to see more of his art, he has his own web site.
Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager (1994)And talking of Brom and Dungeons & Dragons here is Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager.
Dark Sun is a sort of a post-apocalyptic world, where people are trying to survive in a world ravaged by some sort of a cataclysm. Wake of the Ravager is a sequel to Shattered Lands, which is, I reckon, a better game of the two.
There's a solid Conan the Barbarian feel about the scene. A muscular warrior holding up weapons, wearing pieces of armour that could come directly from the John Milius directed Schwarzenegger movie.
I like the box art more than I like the actual game. The composition of the warrior and the troops behind him, shaded by the gloomy, dying sun just feels so very, very right.
Barbarian (1987)And while we are talking of barbarians, here's Barbarian by Psygnosis. This particular Barbarian is a sidescrolling action-adventure, where you control, you guessed it, a barbarian through several levels.
I've played this one a bit, but overall, it isn't a very good game. The controls felt unresponsive and the combat stiff. But that's all I care to say of the game.
The box art was done by Roger Dean. His first claim to fame came when he did several album covers for bands like Yes, Uriah Heap and Asia.
The scene might not say a lot about the game itself, but the rendition of it is great. Not only the finely detailed lizard monster in the foreground but the background detail as well.
Roger Dean did quite a few game boxes for Psygnosis. While I'm not an expert about their games, I've understood the style of Roger Dean had a great effect on how Psygnosis tried to present their games and make them stand out back in the 1980s. That wasn't a bad call at all, considering the art often is the best thing about their games.
You can see more of Deans work if you head to his official web page.
Shadow of the Beast (1989)Yet another Psygnosis title many think as a classic, mostly because of how nice it looked and sounded on Amiga. As a game, it's not that good though. It just can't escape the feeling all the work was placed on the art and the music while the gameplay was an afterthought.
Roger Dean is, again, responsible for the fantastic looking cover art. Overall, I like the Beast cover more than the Barbarian, but they both are well made, nonetheless.
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