17BestVideoGameCoversOfAll-

Time
http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/17-best-video-game-covers-of-all-time
Thefirstinteractionwehavewithavideogameiswithitscaseandtheartworkwhichhasbeen
chosentorepresentthegame.Foratitletobecommerciallysuccessfulitneedsacoverwhichis
goingtostandoutonstoreshelves,grabourattentionandhaveuswillingtopartwithourhard
earnedcash.Fromayoungageweretoldtoneverjudgeabookbyitscover.Letsbehonestthough
itsimpossibletolookatavideogameandnotformajudgementbasedontheartwork.Often
itsnotevenabadwayofevaluatingagame.Ofcoursethereisoccasionallyaterriblegamewhich
comes out with an awesome cover but for the most part the artistry and awesomeness of an
effectivepieceofcoverartworkistypicaloftheentiregamingpackage.Somesuccessfulcoversare
daringlycontroversialwhileothersaresooverflowingwithvibrantcoloursthatitsimpossiblenot
to warm to them as withany artwork,theres really no hardandfast rule as to what makes a
goodgamecover.Fromimagesofseveredhandsfloatingthroughspacetogameswhichhavethe
instructions manual cleverly incorporated into the cover, over the years weve seen some truly
incrediblepiecesofcoverartworkwhichhaveingrainedthemselvesontoourmemories.Hereare
17ofthebestever:
17. Uncharted2:AmongThieves(2009)
WhyItsGreat: ItmaynothavethesameunintentionallycomedicimpactasthegamesJapanese
artwork(seebelow)butoverallitisthegameswesterncoverwhichisthemosteffective.Thesight
ofNathanDrakebeingfingertipsawayfromplummetingtohisdoomlooksincredible.Theentire
treasurehunting series is known for its excellent cover artwork, but it is Among Thieves, which
depictstheherointhisperiloussituation,whichisbyfarthemosteffective.Thesightofthestatue
sneeringatDrakesplightinthebackgroundisalsoextremelycreepy.HowItRepresentsTheGame:
Aside from its absorbing shooting mechanics the gameplay of the Uncharted series is based
aroundclimbingupancientbuildingsandclamberingyourwayoutofwreckages(whichseemto
followDrakelikeabadsmell).Thiscovernotonlyencapsulatestheimportanceofclimbinginthe
gamebutalsotellsofitscinematicnature.PlayingAmongThievesislikewatchingagreataction
film,litteredwithmemorablesetpiecemoments.Whatismorecinematicthanseeingacharacter
hangingontosomethingfordearlife?
16.Ico(2001)
WhyItsGreat:AnyarthistorybuffswillimmediatelyrecognisethatIcossuperbcoverisbasedon
the surrealist painter Giorgio de Chiricos The Nostalgia of the Infinite. De Chirico is known for
paintingwhenpsychoanalysiswasanemergingtheory,influencinghimtotransferhissubconscious
landscapesanddreamsontothecanvas.Icoscoverhasanincrediblequalitywhereyoufeellike
yourepeeringintosomeonesdreams.Anyonewhoplayedtheamazinggameallthoseyearsago
willdefinitely feelstrongpangsofnostalgiaastheylookatthisclassiccover.HowItRepresents
TheGame:TheartisticinfluencesIcoscoverdrawsonreflectstheexperienceofplayingthegame.
The games director Fumito Ueda purposely allowed the classic platform game to finish with a
vague,ambiguousendingwhereitwasunclearifYordawasalive,ifshetraveledwithIcoorifthe
wholeexperiencewastheprotagonistsdream.Icoscoverwhichisafterallthefirstpartofthe
gameyouinteractwithcertainlysuggeststhateverythingcouldbeadream.
15.Borderlands (2009)
WhyItsGreat:ReleasedaroundthesametimeasHalo3:ODSTandCallofDuty:ModernWarfare
2,Borderlandshadtofindawayofgarneringtheattentionofbuyerswhowouldnormallydefault
topurchasingthemoretriedandtestedfirstpersonshooters.GearboxSoftwarewoulddothisby
usinganeyecatching,controversialboxcovertogetthegamenoticed.Thecoversendsforththe
unambiguous message that the RPGshooter is going to blow your mind; anyone who played
Borderlandswillknowthatitdeliversonthisloftypromise.Thedecisiontonotfeaturetheplayable
characteronthefrontcoverwasanexcellentoneasusingabanditallowedBorderlandstohavea
lessconventionalpieceofartwork.HowItRepresentsTheGame:ComparedtothelikesofSkyrim
andFallout3,Borderlandsisanoffthewallexperiencewherethegreedofthoseontheplanetof
Pandoraquicklyleadsintomadness.Theimageofthebanditpretendingtoblasthisbrainsoutis
certainlytypicalofthecrazy,unforgettableexperienceofBorderlands.Thegamescelshadedstyle
inspiredbyBenHibonsshortfilmCodehuntersisalsoreflectedintheboxcover.
14.Catherine(2011)
WhyItsGreat:Easilyoneofthewackiestcoversinthelonghistoryofboxartwork,ifeverthere
wasaboxwhichleftyoucuriousastowhatonearththegameisabout,itsthecoverforCatherine.
Picturedonthefrontisthe22yearoldbeauty,Catherine,suggestivelytakingoffhertop.Thecover
alsodepictshumanoidsheephurtlingtowardsthegroundlikerain,leavingyoucluelessastowhat
isgoingonuntilyouplaythegame.Weirdthoughitmaybe,itcertainlygrabsyourattention.How
ItRepresentsTheGame:ThepresentationofVincentbeingdwarfedbyCatherineisveryfittingas
theprotagonistfindshimselfintheclutchesofforcescompletelyoutsidehiscontrol,spearheaded
bytheyoungwomanwhoattemptstoseducehimeverynight.Thoughthegamedealswiththemes
likesexualityandfidelity,everythingisalwaysfairlycomicwithsomedarkundertonesandthisis
captured by the wackiness of the cover. The image of Katherine, Vincents girlfriend, staring
austerelyoverherglassesonthegamesspinehintsatthedarkerelements.
13.StarCraft(1998)
WhyItsGreat:TheorangeglowoftheProtosseyesmakesitdifficulttolookawayfromthecover
of what is easily the most important real time strategy game ever made. The alien being is
sandwichedbetweenahumanandaZergHydralisk.Itsbeneficialtothecoverseffectivenessthat
the human isnt the main subject matter when all is said and done, aliens are so much more
awesome.HowItRepresentsTheGame:ThemainreasonwhyStarCraftissomuchbetterthan
thestrategygameswhichhadprecededitisbecauseitfeaturedthreecompletelyuniqueplayable
factions. Prior to the release of StarCraft, RTS games had always featured armies which looked
eversoslightly different to one another but which were identical to play as. StarCrafts cover
makesitclearthatthegamesbiggestsellingpointisitsthreeincredibleraces,witheachofthe
three figures representing their faction onthe cover.Each armyhavetheir own strengths,
weaknesses and motives. For example, the Protoss are costly and extremely powerful while the
Zergarecheapbutcanbeusedtoswampanopponent.
12.DeadSpace(2008)
WhyItsGreat:Theressomethingoddlycaptivatingaboutseeingaseveredarmfloatingthrough
space.Itssomethingwhichisappallingbutwhichwecanttakeoureyesoffof.DeadSpacescover
is incredibly dark but it achieves this effect without revealing the identity of the sinister beings
whichhaveseveredthisarmnamelytheNecromorphs.Inthiswaythecoverisbothhorrifying
andmysterious;whatafeatinboxart!HowItRepresentsTheGame:WhenitwasreleasedDead
Spacefeltlikethefirstgameinyearstohaveproperlymadeareturntosurvivalhorrorprinciples.
The games protagonist, Isaac, was isolated, ammo supplies were scarce and the enemies were
utterlyterrifying.DeadSpacescoverannouncesthefactthatthegamecontainedwithinisgoing
to be one of the darkest, most intensely unsettling experiences youve had for years. The literal
blackness of the cover is also indicative of how shadowy the gaming experience is, with Isaac
venturingintothedepthsoftheoverrunUSGIshimuraanditsmany,dimlylitcorridors.Cuttingoff
limbsisahugepartofthegameplaysoitisfittingthatitisrepresentedonthefrontcover.
11. GrandTheftAutoIV(2008)
WhyItsGreat: WhatwouldalistofthebestvideogamecoversbewithoutaGTAtitle?Sincethe
release of GTA III back in 2001 the series has utilised the iconic paneling style to depict various
examples of the crime, corruption and excess which define the franchise. It can be difficult to
conclusivelysaywhichcoveristhebest,thoughwetendtofavourtheultrastylishGTAIVartwork.
Youmightnevermeetthewomanwiththelollipopbuteachofthepanelshavetheirownstories
totellaboutLibertyCity.HowItRepresentsTheGame:Nikospanelisfittinglythefocalpointof
thecover.Themanwhounwillinglyfindshimselfatthecentreofallthecitysviolenceandconflict
is also bang in the middle of the cover, surrounded by various criminals packing guns. The
protagonist may have come to America looking to make a better life for himself legally but this
doesntmeanhellsubmittoanyofLibertyCitysmanythugs,documentedbyhisintenseglareon
thecover.
10.L.A.Noire (1996)

WhyItsGreat:
Itsnotoftenthatthe coverofavideogamecouldeasilybe
mistakenforapromotionalposterforafilm.LANoirescoverlooks
likeitscomestraightfromHollywoodandwillbegracing
billboardsandbuses allovertheworld.Youdbeforgivenfor
thinkingColePhelpswasanactorwhohadbeenretouchedtothepoint
ofoblivion.NoothervideogamecoverhasbeenquiteasHollywoodas
L.A.Noire.
HowItRepresentsTheGame:
Thegameitselfplaysoutlikeamovieandisveryfocusedonnarrative.ColePhelps,theobvious
starfromthecover,isalsodevelopedverydeeplyasacharacterthroughflashbacksandgameplay.
Theuseofredandbluehuesfortheimagesinthebackgroundmirrortheflashinglightsatoppolice
cars while the colours also represent the themes of the game. The red part of the background
showingpoliceinvestigatingamurdergivesoffasenseofdangerwhiletheblue,showingawoman,
seemstorepresentPhelpslovelifecoldandaloof.
9.ResidentEvil(1996)
WhyItsGreat:Surelyitisallbutimpossibletoseethevideogamewiththiscoverandnotbewant
toplayit?FromChrisRedfieldsveinriddenforearmstothemassiveshotgunhespacking,thisis
the sort of memorable box art which makes you want to take control of the character. Its no
wonder that Resident Evil launched a franchise with this cover compare it to dull,
forgettableResident Evil 6 coverand you see why theseries has diminished in quality so much.
HowItRepresentsTheGame:Itmightnotactuallyfeatureanyzombiesbutthecoverstillreflects
thefactthatResidentEvilwasoneofthemostterrifyinggameseverwhenitwasreleasednearly
two decades ago. The horrorstricken look on Chris face (which incidentally looks a lot like Evil
DeadsAshWilliams)makesitclearthatthegamewillfeaturesomehorrifyingopponentswhich
makethespidersonthecoverlooktame.
8.SuperMarioGalaxy(2007)
WhyItsGreat:MariodebutedontheNintendoWiiinwhatwouldbeoneofthebestgamesinthe
consoles entire lifecycle. Bursting with colour and vibrancy, Super Mario Galaxy also boasts an
incredibly visually appealing cover loved by both adults and children alike. There is something
comforting about examining the bright artwork it could be thenostalgic appeal of such an
importantcharacterinvideogaminghistoryorperhapsthefactthatthereisnovisiblethreatother
than the black hole in the bottom right corner. How It Represents The Game: Super Mario is a
serieswhichhas,overtheyears,cometobedefinedbyitsbrightlandscapesandinvitingworlds.
TheabilitytotravelthroughspaceandencountersomanyworldsmeansthatSuperMarioGalaxy
featuresanevenmorediversearrayofenvironmentsthanotherMariogames.Thegamescover
certainlycapturesthisasweseeMarioleapingfromoneworldtoanother,followedbyatrailof
stardust.
7. MarvelVS.Capcom3(2011)
WhyItsGreat:TheressomuchgoingoninthecoverofMarvelvs.Capcom3thatitcanbedifficult
toknowwheretolookfirst.DoyoufocusontheHulklettingoutabellowofrageorAlbertWesker
lookingsuaveinthetopcorner?IsthebattlebetweenIronManandRyuthemostinterestingor
doyoulookatWolverineabouttoplungehisadamantiumclawsintosomeonesface?Thingsmay
bealittlecongestedbuttheyremostdefinitelyamazing.HowItRepresentsTheGame:Thehectic
coverperfectlyrepresentsthecrazy,manicfightingoftheMarvelvs.Capcomfranchise.Oneofthe
sellingpointsofMarvelvs.Capcom3wasthehugerosterofplayablecharacterssoitmakessense
forthecaseartworktobecoveredinthefighters.ItwouldhavebeenniceforThortogetsome
love on the front cover, particularly withthe original film abouttheNorse god opening just one
monthafterthegamesrelease.
6.AssassinsCreed3(2012)
WhyIts Great: Assassins Creed IIIwill likely not be remembered as the finest game in the long
running Templarkilling series with the tailing and eavesdropping missionspartially undermining
the gripping narrative, incredible visuals, naval missions and hunting mechanics. However, the
gamescoverisbyfarthebestintheseries.AlloftheAssassinsCreedcoversarevisuallylinkedby
theirwhitebackgroundsandthedepictionofahoodedassassin.AssassinsCreedIIIscoveristhe
best as where the others encapsulate the importance of stealth it is the only cover which
depictsaction.WeseeConnorabouttobedhistomahawkintheheadofalucklessBritishRedcoat.
HowItRepresentsTheGame:Theothercovershadneveracknowledgedthatthebestthingabout
Assassins Creed is the ability to kill historical bad guys with brutal efficiency. Of course stealth
mechanicshavetheirplacebutitseemsobviousthatassassinationsshouldbethepartofthegame
tobedepictedonthecover.AssassinsCreedIIIisthefirstandonlytitleintheseriestoshowreal
actionandassuchitisthebest.
5.GodOfWarIII (2010)
WhyItsGreat:GodofWarisnotonlyoneofthebestseriesofhackandslashgamesevermade
butitalsohassomeofthebestcovers.Thecoversoftheothergamesmayhaverathermoregoing
oninthembutitistheartworkofGodofWarIIIwhichisthemosteffective.Asyoulookintothe
intensestareofKratosyouwouldbeforgivenforthinkingthattheGhostofSpartaisthebadguy.
Itisthisterrifyingstarewhichisguaranteedtograbyouattentionandmakethegamestandapart
fromtheothersonstoreshelves.HowItRepresentsTheGame:Kratosuncontrollableferocityis
veryevidentinalloftheGodofWargames.Indeed,theheromusthavekilledmoreenemiesthan
any character in the history of video games (normally in extremely graphic fashion). This cover
perfectlycapturestherageandirrepressiblethirstforrevengewhichdefinesthecharacter.Some
of the other game cases inthe series may show cool temples andin the case of the original
Medusas severed head but God of War 3s cover gives amazing insight into the heros troubled
psyche.
4.Halo4(2012)
WhyItsGreat:ThereleaseofHalo4wassohotlyanticipatedthatMicrosofthadtoreleaseaslow
dripfeedofinformationaboutthegametokeepfanssatisfied.Thegamespublisherrevealedthe
gamescoverartworkinanincrediblycleverway,emailing32puzzlepiecesofthecoverto32of
thegamesbiggestfans.TheemailssubjectwasYourPieceoftheHalo4Puzzle.Fromherethose
who had received the email had to pool together their snippets of the image to make a whole.
Doubtlesswhentheyhadfinishedtheywerenotdisappointedasthiscoveristrulyepic.HowIt
Represents The Game: Master Chief has always been a hero who has thrived under inordinate
amounts of pressure. The seven foot tall super soldier is nearly always outnumbered and
outgunned but still finds a way to succeed and, yet again, save humanity. The fact that the
protagonistisdepictedononekneerepresentstheenormityofhistask,thoughasalwaysheisstill
lookingahead(presumablytohisnextopponent).
3. SleepingDogs(2012)
Why Its Great: Excessively busy, convoluted game covers can definitely be detrimental to the
artworkscause.Attentionscanbedraggedawayfromwhatweresupposedtobelookingatand
asaresulttheboxcanlackvisualimpact.SleepingDogscasemaybecrowdedbutthisiswhyitis
soawesome.Whereveryoulookonthecaseyouseesomethinginterestinghappeningfromthe
gunwielding Triads to the guy holding a bloody cleaver. How It Represents The Game: When
SleepingDogswasreleaseditenteredthealreadycrowdedterritoryoftheopenworldcrimegame,
dominatedforsomanyyearsbyGTA.TocompetewiththegiantsofthegenreSquareEnixhadto
differentiatethemselvesfromGTAonstoreshelveswiththecover.WhileGTAcoversaredefined
bypanelsofsolidcolour,SleepingDogscaseexecutedbyTylerStoutshowsthecharactersin
blackandwhite.BeingthefirstcrimegametobebasedintheEast,itisfittingthatSleepingDogs
artworkshouldbestylisticallyoriginal.
2.Limbo(2010)
WhyItsGreat:Limbosvisuallyarrestingcoverisgeniusnotonlydoesittellastorybutitleaves
youwithquestionswhichyouwantanswering.Whoisthesmallchild?Whyaretheyaloneinthe
dark woods? Whereare their parents? It is incrediblethat such a minimalistic, simple covercan
provokeallofthesequestions.Ourdesiretofindanswersalsomakesusallthemorelikelytoplay
the eerily dark platformer. How It Represents The Game: Limbos cover art is some of the least
misleadingyoureeverlikelytoencounter.Thecreepy sightofthisfacelesschild wanderinginto
thelightistypicalofthewholeincrediblyunsettlinggame,whereyouarealmostcertaintowitness
thehorrificdeathofthechildpicturedatleastadozentimes.Theuseofblackandwhitetonesin
thecoverrunsthroughoutthegamingexperience,withsimplicitybeingusedtoenhancetheeerie
atmosphere.Limboisatitlewhichprovesthatyoudontneedadvancedgraphicsandgoretobe
scaryandthisistrueofthecoveraswell.
1. Portal(2007)

Why Its Great: The Portal cover proves that the congested, colourful video game covers arent
necessarily the most effective. Valves games cover utilises a limited colour palette and an
incrediblysimpledesignbutisnonethelessthebestvideogamecoverofalltime.Theartworkis
basically just a logo on the games box but its beauty is in its simplicity and by extension its
abilitytobeinstantlyrecognised.Portal2wouldalsofeatureagreatcoverthoughitwaslacked
theminimalismofitspredecessor,probablybecauseitwasmarketedasmoreofastandalonetitle.
HowItRepresentsTheGame:OneofthebestthingsaboutPortalscoveristhat,assimpleasthe
design may be, it practically explains everything you need to know about the revolutionary
gameplay. In this way the cover acts not just as the artwork but also as the games instruction
manual.PartofthereasonwhyPortalwassuchanincrediblegamingexperiencewasbecausethe
gameplay was so simple yet so compelling and the uncomplicated, effortlessly beautiful cover
reflectsthisfactwitharestraintneverbeforewitnessedinthehistoryofboxartwork.
PCGameCDKeys:
EAGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/publisher/ea.html
RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rpggame.html
ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/actgame.html
FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html
AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/avggame.html
RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/racgame.html
SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/sptgame.html
FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/ftggame.html
RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html
SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/slggame.html