Boxart. Name your favourite.

[MisterStone]

MicroProse FTW.

Medeival German Mullets FTW! I was going to post that one, but instead I'll post another favorite of mine. In the spirit of the 1980s, this one has a nice air-brushed ninja theme!:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/apple...elestial-harmony/cover-art/gameCoverId,40015/

Honestly, that couldn't really be called a "true" RPG, but there is no real class to which it belongs. The in-game artwork for that game was really nice, too... the author chose the tiles directly from medieval Chinese paintings, etc. Here's an example... don't laugh, it looks kind of funny, but it worked pretty well:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/moebius-the-orb-of-celestial-harmony/screenshots/gameShotId,88826/

*sigh* No one has a good screenshot of the tile-based world map. The one I posted up there is OK, but you can't see a whole lot. Oh well...

 

[Fez]

The mullet guy looks like he is about to teabag someone.

 

[Psycroptic]

Here's my list!

A very classy cover. Its interesting to me because its so sedate, whereas the game is nothing but nonstop hack-n-slash.
Bard's Tale I

Suitably ominous...
Akalabeth

Adventure party vs the 30 foot demon.
Quarterstaff

What the hell is that thing?!
Shadows Over Riva

 

[franc kaos]

This image was burned into my brain because I knew the box contained the first (?before Arena?) fully 3D realised RPG.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ulti ... ld-box.jpg

My first game ever and I was always a sucker for space ships-
http://www.mobygames.com/game/starfligh ... rId,12973/

And finally from the brilliant Mike Singleton:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/midwi ... erId,2176/

I'm willing to place the last two under the RPG label as it exists today...

 

[MisterStone]

The mullet guy looks like he is about to teabag someone.

He bears a strong resemblance to J.C. Van Damme too... which only makes the whole teabagging thing seem more likely.

Just out of curiosity, which decade has the best box art, and which has the worst? I'm thinking probably both honours [sic] go to the 1980s.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Intellivision, establishing RPG console excellence for decades after. Graphics have gotten better, but they're still just as shallow as this dungeon hack. They raised the bar high they did.

 

[MF]

Edit : Oops. I just looked at my shelf of boxed games, and I liked this one best. Of course it's not an RPG. Chastize me all you want, I'm stupid. After confining myself to RPG's, I'd have to say this one :

Gorath is just drawn cool as fuck here, with the suave white moustache.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Too bad the other Warcraft-games are RTS.

Pure awesomeness:

 

[A_Leftist_Pig?]

Wait.. isn't this game for Super Nintendo? :S

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

I liked my MW special edition cover.

And this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld

 

[Cthulhugoat]

Same name, different games.

 

[A_Leftist_Pig?]

Cthulho, guess that was for me... So what is different in the Sega version? Since from the cover it seems about the same (a dark future, guns, post-punk, etc)

 

[Cthulhugoat]

Sega = a little CRPGish. SNES = more like an adventure. The setting is the same anyway.

 

[A_Leftist_Pig?]

thx

 

[Surgey]

Not to mention the Sega version was better because it wasn't insanely difficult and requiring grinding, and there were no melee weapons you could use in the SNES version. But plenty of enemies used them. HAVE FUN.

 

[Kizmiaz]

 

[DwarvenFood]

 

[Rhalle]

 

[Zeriel]

 

[Zed]

Zeriel worst shit I've seen, ahahaha

 

[sea]

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/011/104/the mystery of the druids boxart.jpg

It's like one of those infinite mirrors things, where your face becomes a reflection of the box art, which becomes a reflection of your face, which becomes a reflection of the box art, which becomes...

 

[Zed]

Anvil of Dawn is one of my favorite oldies because of the art associated with it.

And say what you will about Diablo II, but the art covers were superb. Especially the expansion.

 

[DemonKing]

Includes "Game Save" feature BITCHES.

I also like the Icewind Dale (original) box a lot but somebody already posted that.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

 

[MicoSelva]

EDIT: Not exactly "favourite", but it's quite nice and obscure enough so people may have not seen it.