Another year, another countdown, another birthday.  And I’m boxing it all up, tying a nice little bow around it, and turning the ripe old age of 32 with a celebration of 32 BRILLIANT examples of FANTASTIC video game box art.  Join me, won’t you?

Gitaroo Man (2002) – The box art for Gitaroo Man reminds me of the sort of bananas and nonsensical sketch I would’ve drawn as a kid.  It’s the sort of thing that as a parent you’d have to probe the child to explain just exactly what’s going on, and I can imagine just how that conversation goes:

“So, why is that guy holding a guitar that looks like a spaceship”

“He fights with the guitar you say?  It’s a “gitaroo” is it?”

“Right then.  So who is the guy wearing the panda suit?  He plays cymbals in the streets does he?”

“Okay then, that dog, he’s a boom box as well?  He’s a normal dog that turns into a boom box?”

“And so those giant eyes are the bad guy?  Right, I think I get it now”

So it’s fitting that if you play the game you’ll have those exact same questions.  Is it the result of trying to fit a narrative around an amazing music game, or is it perhaps that Keiichi Yano and his team at iNiS were fair dinkum crazy.  I guess we’ll never know, but in any event, the box art for the game perfectly captures the music-based mayhem of what is my personal favourite rhythm game.

BONUS!: Obviously not released in 2002, rather just under half a decade later, the Playstation Portable port of the game (Gitaroo Man Lives!) was a pretty great version to have for Gitaroo Man on the go.  So good in fact that I probably actually spent more time with this version than the original.  Oh, and it had pretty great box art too, unsurprisingly.  In fact I think it’s better – and perhaps more manic – than the original *bites fist*.

 

Miss previous entries in the countdown?

Space Ace (1983) – Transylvania (1984) – Impossible Mission (1985) – Defender of the Crown (1986) – Faery Tale Adventure (1987) – F/A – 18 Interceptor (1988) – Blood Money (1989) – King of the Zoo (1990) – Lemmings (1991) – Pinball Fantasies (1992) – The Ren & Stimpy Show: Veediots! (1993) – Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (1994) – Primal Rage (1995) – Wipeout 2097 (1996) – Theme Hospital (1997) – Resident Evil 2 (1998) – Formula One ’99 (1999) – Gran Turismo 2 (2000) – Soul Reaver 2 (2001)