It would be an understatement to simply say thatCapcomhas managed to make a bit of a name for itself in the gaming industry over the years. First established back in 1979,Capcomquickly grew into a giant in the industry and has given the gaming community a handful of beloved cult classics and series likeResident Evil,Mega Man,Street Fighter, andMonster Hunter.
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While Capcom has a whole arsenal of amazing titles and series, there are a few games that didn’t get as much time in the spotlight as some of their bigger releases. While these games didn’t receive the same amount of attention, it’d be a shame to overlook the amazing artwork that came along with them. Here are some forgotten Capcom titles that havethe best box art.
9Viewtiful Joe (2003)
Among all the fantastic games that were released for the GameCube, the colorful side-scrolling beat ‘em upViewtiful Joewas a hidden gemthat came out in 2003. The art style of the entire game is incredibly iconic and easily stood out among all the games that aimed for realistic or gritty graphics and aesthetics.
The cover art forViewtiful Joeis a perfect representation of the game as the in-game graphics are just as they’re seen on the box art. The unique art style focused on chibi-like character designs with unrealistic proportions, bright, vibrant colors, and an explosive combination of the Japanese sentai and American superhero aesthetic.
8Final Fight (1990)
The arcade debut ofFinal Fightwas all the way back in 1989 and was released alongside fantastic arcade cabinet art that paintsFinal Fightas a cinematic film rather than amere beat ‘em-up video game. Aside from the amazing arcade cabinet art, there is the box art that came alongside the Famicon released in 1990.
The 90s was an era of amazing hand-drawn illustrations of more realistic art instead of using in-game graphics or cartoon-like digital art.Final Fightis a great example of the typical 90s box art from this era that isn’t as well-remembered as its other fellow Capcom titles.
7Dino Crisis (1999)
This particular title may not ring any bells for new gamers but perhaps may bring waves of nostalgia to those that have been gaming their entire lives.Dino Crisisis a survival horror action-adventure game that was first released all the way back in 1999.
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While the North American cover forDino Crisisis fairly simple, it’s the Japanese box art that truly stands out by just showing a pair of dinosaur feet by a pool of blood. The Japanese cover art forDino Crisisreally sells the simple horror of prehistoric creatures wreaking havoc among humans. WhileDino Crisismay not be as well knownas its counterpart,Resident Evil(made by the same Capcom team), its 1999 cover is a fantastic display of minimalism creating something both aesthetically pleasing and terrifying.
6Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (2008)
Often overshadowed by theMarvel Vs. Capcomseries,Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Starsis still very much worth a mention when it comes toCapcom’s arsenal of fighting games.Tatsunoko Vs. Capcomwas released back in 2008 for the Nintendo Wii and although the title may have been forgotten by many, the cover art still remains one of the best fighting game covers out there.
Japan is known for creating overly decorated, busy art for their game covers; and while some art directors may miss the mark and make their pieces look messy or cluttered, the art team behindTatsunoko Vs. Capcommanaged to artfully showcase its amazing roster of characters without overwhelming the audience.
5Section Z (1987)
The arcade art for the side-scrolling shooter,Section Zchanneled a bit of amysterious sci-fi vibefor its big debut in arcades in 1985. However, for the Famicon release two years later in 1987, art directors ditched the mystery and went for a fun, more action-packed sentai-like piece for the cover art instead.
The 1987 cover art forSectionZ focuses on the futuristic setting and theme of the game and puts the player character (the astronaut) front and center as the heroic star rather than a character that simply served as the focal point of the art (like on the arcade flyer).
4Strider (2014)
Based on the original 1989Stridergame that was released in arcades, the Atari, Genesis, and much later, the Playstation, the 2014Striderreboot didn’t get nearly as much praise as its original. While the 1989 original was often praised, the 2014 reboot got generally average reviews as its older counterpart was difficult to live up to.
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While the game didn’t leave a huge impression on audiences, no one can deny that its cover art was one of the best out there. Using bland and darker colors to keep the red highlights as a vibrant contrast, this piece was definitely worthy of sitting front and center. From its composition to its color palette, the 2014Stridercover art did a fantastic job of paintingStrider Hiryu as the awesome ninja protagonist he is.
3Chaos Legion (2003)
Chaos Legionis athird-person hack-and-slash gamereleased for the Playstation 2 and Windows back in 2003. The title had new cover art for each different debut: one for its Japanese release, one for its North American release, and one more for its Windows release (all in 2003).
Each rendition of the cover art is fantastic in its own way. While the Japanese cover art is black and white, aiming for simplicity/minimalism, the North American version uses the full, vibrant colors on protagonist Sieg Wahrheit’s design while using a dark background as a contrast. Meanwhile, the Windows cover art perfectly mixes the themes of the Japan and N.A. releases into one cohesive piece.
2Darkstalkers (1996 & 2013)
Some fighting game fans may already be well acquainted with Morrigan, Felicia, and maybe even Hsien-Ko, but many audiences only recognize them from theMarvel Vs. Capcomseriesinstead of their original series,Darkstalkers. The 1994 originalDarkstalkers: The Night Warriors(known asVampire: The Night Warriorsin Japan) was released in arcades and later for the Playstation in 1996 alongside beautiful art, featuring shades of cool-toned colors that contrast the red title logo.
Aside from the original cover art, the 2014 compilation,Darkstalkers Resurrection, has impeccable cover art as well; once again using a cool-tone palette giving the series its signature ghostly underworld-like look.
1Clock Tower: The First Fear (1995)
The originalClock Tower: The First Fearwas released for the SNES in 1995 and spooked audiences right from the get-go with its eerie cover art. The game’s cover art is haunting and also subverts audiences’ expectations. TheClock Towerseries is famous for the Scissorman (Bobby Barrows) antagonist that chases Jennifer around during the game as her own personal boogeyman.
Instead ofshowcasing their villainand giving him the spotlight for the cover art, the art team decided to go for a ghastly, haunting portrait of a woman in icy blue tones against the iconic clock tower itself, shining a light on the Barrows mansion, the true star of the game.
