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?

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (2007) – The Shin Megami Tensei series has a lot of things going for it, but by far and away my favourite thing about them if I had to choose, is the art style.  If Kazuma Kaneko is at the helm, well that’s double thumbs up from me.  There’s something surreal about his work, an ability to perfectly meld beauty with an otherworldly quality, that makes them about as unique as you get in video games.  Digital Devil Saga 2, in much the same way as its predecessor is for mine the pinnacle of his character art, melding the fantastical with the futuristic in a way that isn’t done enough.  By eschewing the more fantastical and exaggerated features usually associated with Japanese character design and his ability to breathe an aura of elegance into the grotesque makes the box art for Digital Devil Saga 2 a thing of almost impossible appeal.

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) – Gitaroo Man (2002) – Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly (2003) – Warioware, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (2004) – DK King of Swing (2005) – We Love Katamari (2006)