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[Alpha Phoenix]

We've all done it: Go to the store and find this cool-looking boxart, read the summary on the back, and take it home. I used to do this often back in the PS1/PS2 days. It wasn't until the Internet really became a thing for me that I started changing course.

So I would say for me it has been at least ~12 years. Good times.

 

[Rogue Agent]

Link's Awakening for the Game Boy Classic, based on a screenshot of this cyclops-like monster.

More than 20 years ago, though.

 

[JehutyRunner]

Saw a rather fantastic cover for a game in a newspaper in the UK as part of a deal ran with the paper where you'd get a discount off the game if you took in a coupon into the old Irish video chain Xtravision for this game's launch in March 2002. The cover itself had fantastic art, clearly handdrawn, with a man on the box with a gun (what cover isn't these days) but the way it was designed was impeccable with a red and white background. As soon as I saw it, I said to my ten-year old self - and perhaps within ear shot of my mum - 'I want that'.

It was Yoji Shinkawa's art for Metal Gear Solid 2.

 

[FDBK]

Purchased back at around July 2015, Fushigi no Chronicle: Furikaerimasen Katsu Madewa

 

[sjay1994]

Honestly, I have never impulse bought a game based on the box art.

 

[Woorloog]

I don't think i've ever done this. Usually i know at least something about a game beforehand and have considered getting it. (I've always been careful about what i buy.)
The closest is probably Freelancer, i knew about it and one day i saw it for relatively cheap and bought it.

 

[Katzenjammer]

Probably last year when I bought The Wonderful 101 before it went out of stock everywhere. I think the box looks just gorgeous.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Steins Gate.

 

[Bolivar687]

I obviously knew about the series before the box art but when I saw the cover for the upcoming Doom, I knew I just had to have it.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Probably not since I was a kid. Information is too easily accessible these days to buy based on the box-art.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Superlative mustaches.

They get me going.

 

[GamerMax73]

We've all done it: Go to the store and find this cool-looking boxart, read the summary on the back, and take it home. I used to do this often back in the PS1/PS2 days. It wasn't until the Internet really became a thing for me that I started changing course.

So I would say for me it has been at least ~12 years. Good times.

On box art only? Not since about '89/90 - probably around the time Amstrad Action started giving away full games on the covermount cassettes and the local news agents stopped stocking budget games making the nearest games store was 10 mile away.

I'd guess at an Alternative Software budget game like Postman Pat or Count Duckula

 

[stan423321]

~12 years ago. Not only we didn't have Internet at home, the game was World of Goo, priced like a McDonald's bundle or something, and the box proudly announced it. And it generally looked good.

 

[Kuraudo]

I did this all the time with Game Gear and Mega Drive games, where there weren't that many ways to inform myself on games besides the major releases. I'd often see something just browsing Our Price and end up giving it a shot. Last one was probably Eternal Champions.

Once I moved on to PS1, my purchases were informed by magazines and, soon after, the internet. Don't think I've bought a game since where I haven't at least had some basic awareness of it before seeing it instore.

 

[OnimaruXLR]

We've all done it: Go to the store and find this cool-looking boxart, read the summary on the back, and take it home. I used to do this often back in the PS1/PS2 days. It wasn't until the Internet really became a thing for me that I started changing course.

So I would say for me it has been at least ~12 years. Good times.

I did it with the X-Men game for the NES by LJN, and then it was so terrible I never did it again

Even without the internet there was still magazines and word of mouth.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Saw a movie related to killing Greek monsters. On the way home, my friend stopped by GameStop. I heard about dark souls and saw it for $20 bucks. Why I said. Turned out to be one of my favorite game series ever.

 

[Emu-Fred]

*sigh*

This taught me to never judge a game by its boxart

I knew nothing about it. Thought it would be some sick fantasy rpg game.

 

[dh4niel]

Uh, never? I couldn't put down 40 bucks just because the cover looked nice.

 

[shoreu]

Like 16 years ago lol

 

[BananasWithGuns]

When I was a kid I convinced my mom to buy me Unlimited Saga because I liked the box art.

That one hurt pretty bad when I got home and put the game in.

 

[PhazonBlazer]

Probably Majoras Mask, cause I didn't know a new Zelda game was out.

 

[xDUMPWEEDx]

Probably Shadowgate Classic for GBC.

This was a hidden gem for the GBC.

 

[ReBirFh]

I used to do this when renting games, never had money to buy games as a kid and when I got a job, internet was already a thing.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

This from the beginning of last gen.

I needed an RPG and it was the only one in the store. Got back home and couldn't play it because I wasn't fluent in english at the time.

 

[Koh]

Starcraft. I remember it was at Costco. Protoss cover looked awesome, and having 3 to choose from was really appealing.

I knew nothing about the game, ended up loving it.

 

[Linkyn]

Never. When I was young and stupid enough to do it, I shared every console with my brother, and he was savy enough to keep me from potentially wasting my allowance on impulse purchases.

 

[SRTtoZ]

Fuck yea.

 

[Elitist1945]

I'm pretty sure I bought Warhawk based on its box art. I never heard of it before I saw it in EB Games.

Just look at that.

 

[kamineko]

It's been a while

 

[DeSolos]

I just discovered anime. I wanted something anime. Didn't like it because it was 2D and I was used to the spectacle of FF7-10.

(I was like 11)

 

[potatohead]

The younger generation here probably doesn't understand it as well, but in the olden days centuries ago the only thing you had to judge a game by was the box essentially.

I'm talking like pre-1995 or even pre-2000 era. Internet was still not that pervasive and was slow AF where it was available, and Gamespot was still a great website.

I'm talking about those dial-up times when loading a single screenshot of MGS2 was like loading a highly detailed pr0n image and getting all hot and bothered by how realistic it looked.

Sure games magazines were big at that time, but still not everyone had them, I only had a few rarely, not through subscription either.

For me the main way to learn about games was to go into the store and look at all the boxes available. Look at the cover, look at the back, and judge whether or not it was interesting enough to rent.

Why rent Syphon Filter? Look at that box.

If you're 8 years old and you look at that box it's pretty much the greatest thing you've ever seen.

 

[tilomite!]

Maybe in the NES Era when there wasn't as much info readily available.

 

[Fbh]

Only one I can think about is Legend of Dragoon on the ps1.

Cool looking dragon armors + rpg was all it took to sell me a game back then.
And I really ended up loving it

Purchased back at around July 2015, Fushigi no Chronicle: Furikaerimasen Katsu Madewa

That's a nice cover.

Is the game any good?

 

[Rizific]

Had to have been some game during the Genesis snes Era since that's when I had to beg my mom to buy me games. Actually I think it was Ranger x for the Genesis, which turned out to be a damn good game.

 

[Z_Y]

Never. It would be crazy to do in the Internet age. But I don't think I've ever done this as a kid/teen either. I think all of my purchases were well researched via the plethora of gaming magazines that were around in the late 80s/early 90s.

Of course back then, I only bought a couple of games a year tops. They had to be good buys. I still remember the sinking feeling I felt about 10 minutes after popping in Buster Douglas's Knockout Boxing.

 

[Barajas_201]

"Why is the front cover dark and serious but the back has this goofy carton in it? This discrepancy intrigues me." Best blind purchase ever and now Fallout is one of my favorite series.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Over 10 years ago

 

[Captainbob]

It was a long time ago, it was the first, and as far as I remember, the only time :
Switchblade on Amstrad CPC.

It turned out to be a good game, even though very hard for my young self.

 

[Otakumegane]

It was good.

 

[stan423321]

Fuck yea.

Oh no, now I have to research this.

 

[Revven]

I can't remember the exact last time or the game, might have been a Gamecube game but one that has always stuck with me as a game I bought just based on the boxart alone was Snowboard Kids. Well, actually, I rented it based on the boxart and then bought a used copy somewhere else later.

This was before the internet so I only had the boxart and the back of the box to go on. I don't remember what my exact thoughts were but I know I probably thought something like, "A snowboard racing game that's like Mario Kart? Oh man, I gotta try this." It also helped the characters on the boxart were very eye catching due to how they are designed, notably Slash's big nose and the general cartoony nature of it all.

Still one of my favorite N64 games to this day, along with the sequel. Within my top 10 for sure. Had I not rented it based on the boxart I would have missed a gem.

 

[Nollemaster]

Oh man that must've been Halo PC back in 2006 or so. I always bought the worst games when I was a kid because the cover looked cool. Halo was an exception of course.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

ps2 era

 

[Living Proof]

Probably PS2/GameCube era

Not saying it's a pointless thread but it reminds me of this one from a few days ago:

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1207894

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Back in the '80s. I think I bought a few A2600, Apple ][, Amiga, and C64 games purely based on the box front and back cover. Can't remember that again since.

 

[Denzel]

Saw this for sale at Costco when I was a kid

 

[Dizzy]

I was probably about 7 years old. It was called the Ninja, and it had a ninja on the cover. Enough said.

Sadly the game was a bit crap and too hard for me as a child. Worse still in game the enemies looked like the ninja on the cover, but the player character was some guy with a ponytail. wtf?

Luckily I discovered this game later...

 

[RealityCheque]

Last week I saw a game cover with some guy on it holding a gun. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't stop myself from buying it.

 

[Systolique]

For me last time was for Odin Sphere, nowadays I always look up online about games I want to pick

 

[Darth_Caedus]

Only if they have a mustache.