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Ezra Tucker (b. 1955) Pete McDonnell (b. 1959) Walter Carzon (b. 1965) Michel Bohbot (b. 1955) Unknown Lawrence Fletcher (1954–2022) Paul Kidby (b. 1964) Oliver Frey (1948–2022) Mark Heine (b. 1961) Paul McCaffrey Brad Lonergan (1968–2024) Simon Roberts (b. 1957) Steinar Lund (b. 1954) Lee Sullivan Peter Andrew Jones (b. 1951) Bob Eggleton (b. 1960) Ken Macklin (b. 1954) Tom Thiel (b. 1968) Wil Overton Greg Winters (b. 1956) Koichi Miyajima Hisashi Fujiwara 藤原ひさし David Rowe (b. 1950) Don Bluth (b. 1937) Greg Martin (1956–2013) Rick Grayson Jim Krogle (b. 1944) Joe Spencer Lee MacLeod (b. 1953) Yasushi Torisawa 酉澤安施 (b. 1962) Roger Loveless (b. 1957) Carl Flint Boris Vallejo (b. 1941) Tim Gabor (b. 1958) Fabien Rypert (b. 1964) Frank Cirocco (b. 1956) Tom Raney (b. 1966) Bill Morrison (b. 1959) Sergio Medina Tom duBois (b. 1957) Simon Bisley (b. 1962) John Youssi (b. 1947) Kevin O'Connor (b. 1952) Lisa French (b. 1956/7) Marc William Ericksen (b. 1947) Stephen Sampson Donato Giancola (b. 1967) John Smyth (b. 1946) Bob Wakelin (1952–2018) Dave DeVries (b. 1963) Leslie Cabarga (b. 1954) Dermot Power (b. 1967) Sam Weber Gary Meyer (1934–2021) Alan Craddock (b. 1956) Michael Dashow (b. 1968) Danny Jenkins (b. 1965) Robert Blackwell Franco Tempesta (b. 1966) Dave McMacken (1944–2019) John Zeleznik (b. 1965) Paul Faris (b. 1949) Julie Bell (b. 1958) Philip Howe Kenny Yamada (b. 1956) Mike Winterbauer (b. 1959) Gary Ruddell (b. 1951) Drew Struzan (b. 1947) David Harto Larry Grossman (b. 1948) Steve Weston (1948–2010) Stephanie M. B. Czech Joe Madureira (b. 1974) Terry Wolfinger (b. 1967) Robert J. Clarke (b. 1947) Adrian Powell (b. 1941) Tim White (1952–2020) Mark A. Nelson (b. 1953) Roger Huyssen (b. 1946) Ron Dias (1937–2013) Christopher Moeller (b. 1963) Stephen Gardner (b. 1963) Phil Roberts (b. 1960) Mike DeCarlo (b. 1957) Jason Edmiston (b. 1973) Val Semeiks Neal Adams (1941–2022) John Dearstyne (b. 1943) Duncan Gutteridge Ron Randall (b. 1956) Mike Wieringo (1963–2007) Duncan Fegredo (b. 1964) Iain McCaig (b. 1957) Randy Green (b. 1963) Joe Mathieu (b. 1949) Oclair Alberto Silverio Mark Fredrickson (b. 1957) Don Ivan Punchatz (1936–2009) Takahiro Kanie (b. 1955) Gary Winnick (b. 1954) John Higginbotham Bill Hall (b. 1948) Phil Trumbo (b. 1948) Takaya Imamura 今村 孝矢 (b. 1966) Dave Pether (1943–2021) Mick McGinty (1952–2021) Scott McDougall (b. 1954) Bruce Timm (b. 1961) Masao Koga 古賀 マサヲ (b. 1957) Bud Thon (b. 1938) David B. Mattingly (b. 1956) Steve Lang (b. 1960) Luc Collin (b. 1960) Ed Bryan Ken Steacy (b. 1955) Stephen Peringer (1951–2024) Eddie Sharam Paul Mann (b. 1955) Masami Obari Ayano Koshiro Don Bluth Studios Jeremy Pyke Nixon Galloway (1927–2003) Madhouse Studios Eiji Shiroi 白井影二 Ciruelo Cabral (b. 1963) James Dietz (b. 1946) Greg Hildebrandt (b. 1939) Tokyo Movie Shinsha Jeremy Wilson (b. 1986) Barbara Lofthouse Mark Stutzman (b. 1958) Dave Dorman (b. 1958) Corey Wolfe Ralph Horsley Robert A. Kraus (b. 1959) Yoshihiro Hashizume 橋爪義弘 Peter Bollinger Del Thompson Michael Koelsch (b. 1967) Paul E. Niemeyer (b. 1957) Roko (b. 1953) Tony Szczudlo (b. 1957) Marc Silvestri (b. 1958)

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  1. OVGA Database
    Description: Gary's portfolio on his website included two images for Super Hornet. They appear to be the same painting, yet there are differences between them, with changes made for one to appear at sunrise and with flames added to the jet's engine afterburners. As this game was released in 2000, it is not clear whether these changes were made digitally or if Gary used traditional techniques. Year: 2000 Medium: Image Area: Image Source: Online Condition:
  2. OVGA Database
    Description: This image has been described online in relation to the 1983 movie Blue Thunder; it is possible that Gary painted this image around ~1983 and that it was subsequently reused for the 1991 Game Boy release of Choplifter II: Rescue Survive, published in Japan by JVC Musical Industries, Inc. Gary's website named the piece "Blue Thunder Helicopter Chase" and his website had a possibly related painting called "Blue Thunder Game Board," which has been added below as an Additional Image. If anyone is able to locate a published usage of this art other than the Choplifter II video game, please let us know! Year: ? Medium: Image Area: Image Source: Online Condition:
  3. OVGA Database
    Description: Box art for Operation Thunderbolt, published by Taito in 1994. Operation Thunderbolt was the sequel to Taito's Operation Wolf. Year: 1994 Medium: Image Area: Image Source: Online Condition:
  4. OVGA Database
    Description: Box art for Namco's Wings 2: Aces High, published in 1992. Gary painted the image in 1991 and the painting is signed at left, beneath the plane's tail. Year: 1991 Medium: Gouche Image Area: 20" x 15" Image Source: Online Condition:
  5. OVGA Database
    Description: A.S.P.: Air Strike Patrol published in the U.S. by SETA in 1994 Year: 1994 Medium: Gouche Image Area: 20" x 14" Image Source: Online Condition:
  6. OVGA Database
    Description: Cobra Command box art for the Sega CD. The game is a port of the 1983 arcade game Thunder Storm by Data East. Year: 1992 Medium: Image Area: Image Source: Online Condition:
  7. OVGA Database
    Description: Donato noted that the working title for this game was "Revenge of the Ravengers." The Rhinoceros' left arm guard is signed "Donato." Year: 1994 Medium: Oil Image Area: Image Source: Artists' files Condition: N/A
  8. OVGA Database
    Greg Martin was the American illustrator behind much of gaming's most beloved box artwork. His illustrations graced many of the most memorable games of the early 1990s, including many Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man boxes, along with several Hanna-Barbera and Hudson Soft video game properties. From an early age, Greg loved drawing and loved cartoons, twin passions he carried on into adulthood and into his professional career. Fittingly, though Greg graduated from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1980, he had already started his animation career at Hanna-Barbera in 1979. Greg took on projects relating to The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, and the rest of the Hanna-Barbera line-up, a dream come true to work on characters he had loved as a child. It would be no surprise that Greg later—as a freelancer—illustrated the packaging for both Hanna-Barbera VHS and video games releases—he already had perfected drawing those same characters! Greg’s greatest legacy comes from having illustrated some of the absolute standout Sega and Nintendo titles of the early 1990s, including several Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man boxes (identified in detail below), along with several titles in the Adventure Island series, Super Bomberman, DuckTales 2, The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak (and several other The Flintstones titles), several The Jetsons titles, Landstalker, Felix the Cat, and Snow Brothers. Between 1990 and 1995, Greg illustrated more than 60 boxes, along with dozens of additional images for promotional use. His first box artwork of this period was most likely Little Nemo: The Dream Master, released in September 1990. Knuckles Chaotix, released in May 1995, may have been his last of this period. Greg’s airbrushed paintings were typically 24 to 30 inches and took nearly a week to complete. Pac-Man box artwork (earliest release date identified): Pac-Man (Tengen 10th Anniversary Version, NES) (1990) Pac-Man (Namco, Game Boy) (1991) Pac-Mania (Tengen, Genesis) (Sept. 1991) (Note: this cover reused the Tengen 10th Anniversary image identified above) Ms. Pac-Man (Namco, NES/Game Boy/Game Gear) (Oct. 1993) Pac-Attack (Namco, SNES/Genesis/Game Boy/Game Gear) (Oct. 1993) Pac-Man (Namco, NES) (Nov. 1993) Sonic the Hedgehog (and related) box artwork: Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear) (Dec. 1991) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis) (Nov. 1992) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear) (Nov. 1992) Sonic Spinball (Genesis) (Nov. 1993) Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Nov. 1993) Sonic Chaos (Game Gear, Nov. 1993) Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine (Genesis/Game Gear) (Dec. 1993) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Genesis) (Feb. 1994) Sonic Spinball (Game Gear) (Sept. 1994) changes to Robotnik design Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (Game Gear) (Nov. 1994) Knuckles Chaotix (32X) (May 1995) While game enthusiasts and art collectors have come to know Greg's name through his extensive work illustrating Sonic the Hedgehog and his 1990-1995 oeuvre, his earliest game works were for UMI-published games for the Vic-20 console in 1981 and 1982, which he signed "Martin" or "G. Martin" in an early block-signature style. Among the boxes Greg illustrated for UMI, Amok and Super Amok both included visual references to his own favorite artist, Frank Frazetta, with the female figure in the Super Amok artwork in particular referencing Frank's method of rendering hair in motion. Greg was the rare person who both worked in and was a fan of the work of others in his industry, himself a collector of art books, movies, comic books, comic strips and comic art. Indeed, Greg used his very first paycheck from professional illustration to get in contact with Ellie Frazetta and negotiate the purchase of the original artwork for one of Frank's Johnny Comet strips! Greg never lost the sense of wonder he had as a teenager for really great artwork. Beyond his work for games, Greg illustrated scores of VHS boxes, beginning around 1985. Typically, but not always, these were cartoon properties, such as Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, many of the Hanna-Barbera properties such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons, and many others. Greg’s Thundercats boxes were among his earliest VHS work; he illustrated almost the entire line. He also illustrated approximately 50 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VHS boxes alone. While cartoons were Greg’s bread and butter, he dabbled in other genres, including horror, having done most of the box artwork for the Thriller Video releases hosted by Elvira; Greg was proud to have met Elvira / Cassandra Peterson at the time. Fun fact: fellow illustrator Lee MacLeod and Greg Martin were best friends in real life. What’s one game box you probably didn’t know was by Greg Martin? The Game Boy release of Milon’s Secret Castle. Another surprise: Greg’s last known illustration for games came in 2002, with the Game Boy Advance release of Lilo & Stitch. Greg passed away on May 21, 2013. Following his passing, a tribute thread on NintendoAge detailing Greg’s life and box art credits was the most viewed thread on the site, with the information having been picked up by dozens if not hundreds of websites reporting game-related material. OVGA has included below Greg Martin's full known box art catalog: Alien Blitz (UMI | Vic-20 | 1981) Amok (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Arachnoid (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Cloudburst (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Outworld (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Satellites and Meteorites! (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Skibbereen (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Sub Chase (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Super Amok (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Video Vermin (UMI | Vic-20 | 1982) Amazing Penguin (Natsume | Game Boy | 1990) Little Nemo: The Dream Master (Capcom | NES | 1990) Pac-Man (Tengen 10th Anniversary Version) (Tengen | NES | 1990) Atomic Punk (Hudson Soft | Game Boy | 1991) Marvel Land (Namco | Genesis | 1991) Pac-Man (Namco | Game Boy | 1991) Pac-Mania (Tengen | Genesis | 1991) Repeat art of Pac-Man 10th Anniversary Shining In The Darkness (Sega | Genesis | 1991) Snow Brothers (Capcom | Game Boy, NES | 1991) Toxic Crusaders (Sega | Genesis | 1991) Not NES Woody Pop (Sega | Game Gear | 1991) Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega | Game Gear | 1991) Not Genesis Adventure Island (Hudson Soft | Game Boy | 1992) Adventure Island 3 (Hudson Soft | NES | 1992) Felix the Cat (Hudson Soft | Game Boy, NES | 1992) Super Adventure Island (Hudson Soft | SNES | 1992) The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! (Taito | NES | 1992) The Jetsons: Robot Panic (Taito | Game Boy | 1992) Landstalker (Sega | Genesis | 1992) Taz-Mania (Sega | Game Gear, Genesis | 1992) Whirlo (Namco | SNES-EUR | 1992) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega | Genesis | 1992) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega | Game Gear | 1992) Different game/art Bonk's Adventure (Hudson Soft | Game Boy | 1992) Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise (Hudson Soft | Game Boy | 1993) Cartoon Carnival (Philips Media | CDi | 1993) Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine (Sega | Game Gear, Genesis | 1993) DuckTales 2 (Capcom | Game Boy, NES | 1993) The Flintstones (Taito | Genesis | 1993) The Flintstones: King Rock Treasure Island (Taito | Game Boy | 1993) Inspector Gadget (Hudson Soft | SNES | 1993) Milon's Secret Castle (Hudson Soft | Game Boy | 1993) Ms. Pac-Man (Namco) (Namco | Game Boy, Game Gear, NES | 1993) Pac-Man (Namco) (Namco | Game Gear, NES | 1993) Pocky & Rocky (Natsume | SNES | 1993) Speedy Gonzales (Sunsoft | Game Boy | 1993) Super Bomberman (Hudson Soft | SNES | 1993) Tom & Jerry: The Movie (Sega | Game Gear | 1993) Sonic Spinball (Sega | Genesis | 1993) Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega | Sega CD | 1993) Time Gal (Renovation | Sega CD | 1993) Sonic Chaos (Sega | Game Gear | 1993) Sonic Spinball (Sega | Game Gear | 1993) changes to Robotnik design Bonk's Adventure (Hudson Soft | NES | 1993) Repeat art Pac-Attack (Namco | Game Boy, Game Gear, Genesis, SNES | 1994) Adventures of Yogi Bear (Cybersoft | SNES | 1994) Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (Sunsoft | SNES | 1994) Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (Sunsoft | Genesis | 1994) Separate painting from SNES Desert Speedtrap starring Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote (Sega | Game Gear | 1994) Disney's Aladdin (Sega | Game Gear | 1994) Not Genesis The Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak! (Taito | NES | 1994) The Flintstones: The Treasure of Sierra Madrock (Taito | SNES | 1994) The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates (Taito | SNES | 1994) Pocky & Rocky 2 (Natsume | SNES | 1994) Super Bonk (Hudson Soft | SNES | 1994) Taz In Escape From Mars (Sega | Game Gear, Genesis | 1994) Yogi Bear's Gold Rush (GameTek | Game Boy | 1994) Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (Sega | Genesis | 1994) Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (Sega | Game Gear | 1994) Speedy Gonzales: Los Gatos Bandidos (Sunsoft | SNES | 1994) Turbo Toons a.k.a. Hanna Barbera's Turbo Toons (Empire | SNES | 1994) Europe only release Cheese Cat-Astrophe starring Speedy Gonzales (Sega | Game Gear | 1995) Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions (Sunsoft | Game Boy | 1994) Not SNES Knuckles Chaotix (Sega | 32X | 1995) Disney's Lilo & Stitch (Disney Interactive | Game Boy Advance | 2002) Note on misattribution: While Greg Martin did illustrate the 1994 Game Boy box for Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions, the SNES release in 1993 is not Greg's work. Similarly, though Greg is responsible for the box artwork for Super Bomberman, Greg confirmed that Bomberman II (NES) was not his illustration. Separately, the original artwork for the Super Nintendo release of Pirates of Dark Water is a collector-owned piece; while the painting differs in execution from much of Greg Martin's airbrushed box art, it is believed to be Greg's work, though it was not obtained directly from Greg and cannot be confirmed. Given the uncertainly, Pirates of Dark Water (SNES) has not been included in the above list. Greg Martin did not illustrate the Genesis release of the game.
  9. OVGA Database
    One of the premier talents in the pinball industry, perhaps John's first foray into illustrating pinball machines was with Old Chicago (1976). However, he perhaps best remembered as the oustanding pinball illustrator of the 1990s, having worked on some of the most iconic and/or best selling machines of all time during that era, including the incredibly successful Addams Family and Twilight Zone machines, and the revered classic, Medieval Madness. Other notable machines graced with his artwork include Bride of Pinbot, White Water, Funhouse, Road Show, Cactus Canyon and too many others to list. The Internet Pinball Database has an excellent list of his credits for interested parties to review. John is still on top of his game illustrating new games for the Jersey Jack Pinball company, continuing his long collaboration with Pat Lawlor, the equally distinguished pinball machine designer behind Addams Family, Twilight Zone, and many more. Beyond pinball, John also illustrated some of the arcade artwork for the Cruisin' series of games. The N64 versions of Cruisin' Exotica and Cruisin' World adapt his arcade artwork onto the box covers. John spent most of his years in the Chicago area, and now lives and works in Tennessee as an avid hiker, dog lover, and plein air painter.
  10. OVGA Database
    Greg Winters is an internationally recognized illustrator and artist. He graduated from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1982 and immediately transitioned into being a sought after illustrator, illustrating for the video game industry as early as 1984 with the Gremlins for the Atari 2600, along with Asteroids for the Atari 7800. He illustrated more game boxes than any other artist of which we are aware: well over 100 titles, not including digital works. Greg worked not only prolifically but also on the box art for some of the most high-profile projects in the video game industry, particularly for Nintendo branded consoles. No other artist illustrated more Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) boxes than Greg — 16, tied with Frank Cirocco — including some of the most classic images released for the console. OVGA has included below Greg Winters' full NES box art catalog: Cabal (Milton Bradley | June, 1990) Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight (Capcom | September, 1990) Mega Man 3 (Capcom | November, 1990) Yo! Noid (Capcom | November, 1990) Shadow of the Ninja (Natsume | December, 1990) Conan (Mindscape | February, 1991) KlashBall (SOFEL | June, 1991) Mega Man 4 (Capcom | January, 1992) G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor (Capcom | February, 1992) RoboCop 3 (Ocean | September, 1992) Gargoyle’s Quest II: The Demon Darkness (Capcom | October, 1992) Little Samson (Taito | November, 1992) Mega Man 5 (Capcom | December, 1992) Alfred Chicken (Mindscape | February, 1993) Mighty Final Fight (Capcom | July, 1993) Mega Man 6 (Capcom | November, 1993) His list of Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) box artwork illustrations is even more impressive, having illustrated a mind-boggling 27 titles, including all five of the SNES Mega Man titles, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Final Fight 2, Super Double Dragon, Alien vs. Predator, Wild Guns, and Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics. Greg was no stranger to Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, and PC box artwork, having illustrated many wonderful examples of each in a number of different styles. Its no wonder that between the large output of work Greg could handle and the diversity in style that he could portray that he was truly one of the “go-to” illustrators during one of the video game industry’s most important eras. In addition to his work with video games, Greg illustrated VHS boxes, gaming magazine covers, a number of movie posters, and toys including work for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Hot Wheels. Additional notable titles in Greg's box art catalog include: Alisia Dragoon (Genesis, 1992), Bionic Commando (Game Boy, 1992), Dark Wizard (Sega CD, 1993), Mega Man II, III, IV and V (Game Boy), Shinobi I and II (Game Gear) and III (Genesis), Splatterhouse 2 (Genesis), and Streets of Rage (Genesis). Greg’s final traditionally painted game box illustration appears to have been Starlancer for Windows, released in December 2000. Subsequently, Greg transitioned to digital as many artists did in the 1995–2000 era with the advent of Photoshop having completely reshaped the illustration industry during that time. Greg’s digital catalog includes art for around a dozen boxes for MumboJumbo, LLC, including several of the Luxor titles, the first of which was released in 2005. OVGA has embedded below a comprehensive table of Greg Winters’ published video game box art. The table does not include digital works nor does it include a variety of intended box art pieces that went unpublished, whether because the game was unreleased or because the final art used a different design. Games in red text reuse artwork from a distinct game (i.e. different developer or game play) in another row. # Title Year Publisher Platform 1 Asteroids 1984 Atari Corporation Atari 7800 2 Gremlins 1984 Atari Corporation Atari 2600 / Atari 5200 / Apple II / Commodore 64 / PC Booster 3 The Goonies 1985 DataSoft Atari 8-bit / Commodore 64 / ZX Spectrum 4 S.D.I. 1986 Cinemaware Amiga / Atari ST / DOS 5 The Movie Monster Game 1986 Epyx Apple II / Commodore 64 6 Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon 1987 Cinemaware Amiga / Apple II / Atari ST / Commodore 64 / DOS 7 Guerilla War 1988 Data East PC Booster 8 Rocket Ranger 1988 Cinemaware Amiga / Apple II / Atari ST / Commodore 64 / DOS 9 Burning Force 1990 Namco Genesis 10 Cabal 1990 Milton Bradley NES 11 Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 Sunsoft Famicom (Japan only) 12 Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 Topo Soft / Elite Amiga / Amstrad CPC / Atari ST / Commodore 64 / DOS / MSX / ZX Spectrum 13 Mega Man 3 1990 Capcom NES 14 Phelios 1990 Namco Genesis 15 Shadow of the Ninja 1990 Natsume NES 16 Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight 1990 Capcom NES 17 Yo! Noid 1990 Capcom NES 18 Batter Up 1991 Namco Game Gear 19 Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball 1991 Hudson Soft SNES 20 Conan: The Mysteries of Time 1991 Mindscape NES 21 Galaxy Force II 1991 Sega Genesis 22 Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1991 Hi-Tech Expressions DOS 23 Hal's Hole in One Golf 1991 HAL Laboratory SNES 24 HyperZone 1991 HAL Laboratory SNES 25 KlashBall 1991 Sofel NES 26 Mercs 1991 Sega Genesis 27 Powerball 1991 Namco Genesis 28 Putt & Putter: Miniature Golf 1991 Sega Game Gear / Master System 29 Shinobi 1991 Sega Game Gear 30 Slider 1991 Sega Game Gear 31 Streets of Rage 1991 Sega Game Gear / Genesis 32 Ys III 1991 Renovation Genesis 33 Alisia Dragoon 1992 Sega Genesis 34 Bionic Commando 1992 Capcom Game Boy 35 Chakan: The Forever Man 1992 Sega Genesis / Game Gear 36 Doomsday Warrior 1992 Renovation SNES 37 Earnest Evans 1992 Renovation Genesis 38 G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor 1992 Capcom NES 39 Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness 1992 Capcom NES 40 Lightening Force: Quest For The Darkstar 1992 Sega Genesis 41 Little Samson 1992 Taito NES 42 Mega Lo Mania 1992 Ubisoft DOS (US only) 43 Mega Man 4 1992 Capcom NES 44 Mega Man 5 1992 Capcom NES 45 Mega Man II 1992 Capcom Game Boy 46 Mega Man III 1992 Capcom Game Boy 47 RoboCop 3 1992 Ocean Software Game Gear / Genesis / Master System / NES / SNES 48 Shinobi II: The Silent Fury 1992 Sega Game Gear 49 Splatterhouse 2 1992 Namco Genesis 50 Super Bowling 1992 Technos SNES 51 Super Buster Bros. 1992 Capcom SNES 52 Super Double Dragon 1992 Tradewest SNES 53 Tyrants: Fight Through Time 1992 Virgin Genesis 54 Aerobiz 1993 KOEI Genesis / SNES 55 Alien vs Predator 1993 Activision SNES 56 Alien vs Predator: The Last of His Clan 1993 Activision Game Boy 57 BioMetal 1993 Activision SNES 58 Dark Wizard 1993 Sega Sega CD 59 Dune 1993 Virgin Sega CD 60 Final Fight 2 1993 Capcom SNES 61 Global Gladiators 1993 Tec Toy Mega Drive (Brazil only) 62 Kendo Rage 1993 SETA SNES 63 MechWarrior 1993 Activision SNES 64 Mega Man IV 1993 Capcom Game Boy 65 Mighty Final Fight 1993 Capcom NES 66 Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master 1993 Sega Genesis 67 The Software Toolworks’ Star Wars Chess 1993 Software Toolworks DOS / Sega CD / Windows 68 Star Wars: Rebel Assault 1993 LucasArts 3DO / DOS / Macintosh / Sega CD 69 Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 1993 JVC SNES 70 The Wizard of Oz 1993 SETA SNES 71 Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 1993 Mindscape SNES 72 Alfred Chicken 1994 Mindscape Game Boy (US only) / NES / SNES 73 Beyond Oasis 1994 Sega Genesis 74 Heart of the Alien: Out of this World Parts I and II 1994 Virgin Sega CD 75 The Horde 1994 Crystal Dynamics 3DO / DOS 76 Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics 1994 Data East SNES 77 Mega Man 6 1994 Nintendo NES 78 Mega Man Soccer 1994 Capcom SNES 79 Mega Man V 1994 Capcom Game Boy 80 Mega Man X 1994 Capcom SNES 81 Poker Face Paul's Blackjack 1994 Sega Game Gear 82 Poker Face Paul's Gin 1994 Sega Game Gear 83 Poker Face Paul's Poker 1994 Sega Game Gear 84 Poker Face Paul's Solitaire 1994 Sega Game Gear 85 Undersea Adventure 1994 Knowledge Adventure DOS / Macintosh / Windows 86 Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio 1994 Sega Genesis 87 Exo Squad 1995 Playmates Genesis 88 Final Fight 3 1995 Capcom SNES 89 High Velocity 1995 Atlus Sega Saturn 90 Mario's Game Gallery 1995 Interplay DOS / Macintosh / Windows 91 Mega Man 7 1995 Capcom SNES 92 Mega Man X2 1995 Capcom SNES 93 Mega Man X3 1995 Capcom SNES 94 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Fighting Edition 1995 Bandai SNES 95 Wild Guns 1995 Natsume SNES 96 Burning Road 1996 Playmates PlayStation 97 Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge 1996 Capcom Sega Saturn 98 Pink Panther: Passport to Peril 1996 BMG Interactive Windows 99 Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers 1996 Bandai SNES 100 Schoolhouse Rock!: Activity Pack 1996 Creative Wonders Macintosh / Windows 101 Schoolhouse Rock!: Exploration Station (aka Science Rock) 1996 Creative Wonders Macintosh / Windows 102 Skull Cracker 1996 GTE Entertainment Macintosh / Windows 103 Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire 1996 LucasArts Nintendo 64 / Windows 104 Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds 1997 MircoProse Windows 105 Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition 1998 Renovation Windows 106 Junkland Jam 1998 Southpeak Interactive Windows 107 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 1998 LucasArts Nintendo 64 108 My Disney Kitchen 1998 Disney Interactive, Inc. Macintosh / PlayStation / Windows 109 Starlancer 2000 Microsoft Corporation Windows 110 Time Out Games 2000 eBrainyGames Windows Based on his work for DataSoft for Goonies (1985), OVGA suspects (not confirmed) that Greg Winters also illustrated the box art for Theater Europe (1985) and Alternate Reality: The Dungeon (1987). Through art owned by collectors, Greg is confirmed to have painted the below unused box art: Title Year Publisher Platform Status California Raisins 1990 Capcom NES Unreleased Don Doko Don 2 1992 Taito NES Unreleased Gunstar Heroes 1993 Sega Genesis Art Unused Eternal Champions 1993 Sega Sega Genesis Art Unused Dream Probe 1994 Renovation SNES Unreleased Dune 1994 Virgin Sega CD Art Unused Mega Man: The Wily Wars 1995 Capcom Genesis Unreleased Croc: Legend of the Gobbos 1997 Fox Interactive Playstation Art Unused Fun Fact: On top of his illustration prowess, Greg is an accomplished pianist.
  11. OVGA Database
    Interviewed by Adam Gidney in January 2021 Lee MacLeod is a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based plein air and studio painter that began his career in commercial illustration for book covers, game boxes, and film posters. Lee often combined traditional illustration with photography, noticeable in many of his early game illustrations, including for his first game box art in 1989, Death Bringer, for Cinemaware’s secondary label Spotlight Software where he was prompted to emulate Boris Vallejo. In fact, the pose of the woman on the Death Bringer box is a direct reference to Boris Vallejo’s cover art for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1975 novel I Am a Barbarian. Lee employed a similar style in his box art for Cinemaware’s The Kristal, an approach also noticeable in his Super C poster for Volume 12 of Nintendo Power (May/June 1990). Lee went on to contribute several interior pieces for Nintendo Power magazine: posters and spot illustrations, including the iconic Street Fighter II, Castlevania III and Final Fantasy posters. He did not produce any magazine cover art for Nintendo Power. Beyond his Nintendo Power work, Lee’s most visible game projects include many of the North American box arts for the NES, SNES, and Game Boy releases of the Ultima series. Lee also did several projects for Sega. Alien Storm for the Sega Genesis was among Lee’s earliest Sega titles, but he did other several projects for Sega, including for the Genesis (Out of This World, Rolling Thunder 2 and 3), Sega CD (Rise of the Dragon), 32X (Tempo), and even Sega's Pocket Arcade series of LCD games. Lee integrates the vivid colors of New Mexico, Colorado, and the American west into his work, so much so that game art collectors have come to know that game covers exhibiting vivid purple and/or pink mountainscapes stand a good chance of being Lee’s work. Prominent examples include Lee’s Castlevania III poster for Nintendo Power, many of his Ultima titles, and King’s Bounty for New World Computing, Inc. While rarely visible, Lee MacLeod signed his illustration work with his “LM” initials surrounded by a circle. Fun Fact: Lee included several of his game illustrations in a 1994 Cardz trading card set, in which each card includes on the back a brief commentary from Lee on the illustration or project details. OVGA staff favorites include Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos, RPG Maker, and Saturday Night Slammasters. OVGA has included below Lee MacLeod's full known box art catalog: # Title Year Publisher Platform 1 B.A.T. 1989 Ubisoft Amiga / Amstrad CPC / Atari ST / Commodore 64 / DOS 2 Death Bringer 1989 Spotlight Software Commodore 64 3 The Kristal 1989 Cinemaware Amiga / Atari ST / DOS 4 Chiller 1990 ShareData / American Game Cartridges NES 5 King's Bounty: The Conqueror's Quest 1990 New World Computing / Electronic Arts Amiga / Apple II / Commodore 64 / DOS / FM Towns / Genesis / PC-98 6 Ultima: Quest of the Avatar 1990 FCI NES 7 Alien Storm 1991 Sega Genesis / SMS 8 Elevator Action 1991 Taito Game Boy 9 Rolling Thunder 2 1992 Namco Genesis 10 Ultima: Runes of Virtue 1992 FCI Game Boy 11 Dracula Unleashed 1993 Sega Mega CD (Europe Only) 12 Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos 1993 Virgin DOS 13 Out of this World 1993 Virgin Genesis 14 Paladin's Quest 1993 Enix SNES 15 Rolling Thunder 3 1993 Namco Genesis 16 Stellar 7: Drazon’s Revenge 1993 Dynamix 3DO 17 Ultima: Warriors of Destiny 1993 FCI NES 18 Ultima: The False Prophet 1993 FCI SNES 19 Alien Legacy 1994 Sierra On-Line, Inc. DOS 20 Rise of the Dragon 1994 Sega / Dynamix Sega CD 21 Saturday Night Slammasters 1994 Capcom Genesis / SNES 22 Star Control II 1994 Crystal Dynamics 3DO 23 Ultima: Runes of Virtue II 1994 FCI Game Boy 24 Alien vs. Predator 1994 Capcom Arcade (marquee) 25 Pocket Arcade Baseball 1994 Sega / Tiger Electronics LCD 26 Pocket Arcade Football 1994 Sega / Tiger Electronics LCD 27 Tempo 1995 Sega 32X 28 Chronicles of the Sword 1996 Psygnosis DOS / PlayStation 29 The Horde 1996 Crystal Dynamics Saturn 30 RPG Maker 1997 Agetec PlayStation 31 Rush Hour 1997 Psygnosis PlayStation 32 Schoolhouse Rock!: 3rd & 4th Grade Essentials 1997 Creative Wonders Windows 33 Schoolhouse Rock!: Thinking Games (and Thinking Games Deluxe) 1998 Creative Wonders Windows 34 Chase H.Q.: Secret Police 1999 Metro3D Game Boy Color 35 Ski Resort Tycoon 2000 Activision Value Publishing Windows 36 Skateboard Park Tycoon 2001 Activision Value Publishing Windows 37 Serious Sam: The Second Encounter 2002 Take-Two Windows / Xbox 38 Snowboard Park Tycoon 2002 Activision Value Publishing Windows 39 Cruise Ship Tycoon 2003 Activision Value Publishing Windows 40 Medieval Lords: Build, Defend, Expand 2004 Monte Cristo Multimedia Windows 41 A Sound of Thunder 2005 BAM! Entertainment, Inc. Game Boy Advance Lee has commented that no single original painting exists for Paladin’s Quest (1993) and that it was cobbled together digitally, mixing elements done by Lee with those from another artist. While only Lee’s box art for Enix’s Paladin’s Quest is included in his catalog above, Lee may additionally have been involved with the box art for Soul Blazer (1992), also by Enix. Lee’s art for Paladin’s Quest was done for Work House USA, the same firm through which Lee did a lot of his Nintendo Power work, including a Soul Blazer illustration—with similar composition to the box art—in the August 1992 issue. Like Paladin’s Quest, Lee recalls the Soul Blazer box art as being a composite image, possibly using or based on his work. However, no elements between the two images appear to be a one-for-one match, and given the uncertainty, OVGA has omitted Soul Blazer from Lee’s box art catalog. As a side note unrelated to Lee: the U.S. box art for ActRaiser (1992) from Enix was also almost certainly the product of the company’s early digital hijinks, making it unlikely a true original exists. Tempo for the 32X was released with separate box arts for the Brazil and U.S. releases, both of which OVGA has credited to Lee MacLeod. The Brazil TecToy release features what has been regarded as an earlier version of Lee’s art (and how he recalls it leaving his studio), with subsequent revisions having been made for the U.S. art. While Lee doesn’t remember making the revisions himself, speculating that they could have been atop his original painting by Greg Winters (who was responsible for the preliminary art/layout upon which Lee based his painting), the final painting for the U.S. Tempo box art is collector owned and was purchased from Lee. Only one painting exists. Lee MacLeod is additionally responsible for a handful of box art images that went unused: Title Year Publisher Platform Status Light Quest 1991 Ubisoft Amiga 500 Unreleased Beastball (a.k.a. Brutal Football) 1993 Spectrum Holobyte Genesis / SNES Unreleased Dig & Spike Volleyball 1993 Hudson Soft SNES Art Unused Star Cruiser 1993 Namco Genesis Unreleased Stellar Assault (a.k.a. Shadow Squadron) 1994 Sega 32X Art Unused Aztec: Empire of Blood 1995 Microprose PC Unreleased Ratchet and Bolt 1995 Sega Genesis / 32X Unreleased Tower Assault 1995 Unknown Unknown Unreleased Ballblazer Champions 1996 LucasArts PlayStation Art Unused Pitball 1996 Accolade PlayStation Art Unused Year information listed above corresponds to the year Lee painted the art, not the year the game would have been released. Aztec: Empire of Blood appears to have ultimately been released in 2000 in Europe for Windows under the name "Theocracy"; however, given that Microprose was not the ultimate publisher, OVGA has listed it as unreleased. Tower Assault was presumably intended to be a console port of the Amiga/DOS game Alien Breed: Tower Assault; however the intended platform and publisher are unknown. As a fun twist, Mick McGinty would end up illustrating the final box art for both Dig & Spike Volleyball and Pitball!
  12. OVGA Database
    Wil Overton is a British artist, specialising in manga styles. Having contributed to prominent British video game magazines like Super Play and N64 Magazine, Overton's trajectory led him to a role at Rare. He took on the mantle of an illustrator for NGamer magazine. A pivotal moment arose when he crafted the Perfect Dark cover for N64 Magazine during the game's launch. The manga-inspired Joanna Dark concept left a strong impression on Rare, eventually resulting in his employment by the company. This initial design influenced the original cell-shaded concepts for Perfect Dark Zero, although these were eventually refined into a more realistic graphical style.
  13. OVGA Database
    Bill Morrison's work has no doubt been enjoyed by millions of people. Lending his talent to Disney early in his career, Bill illustrated all new posters for reissued Disney animated classics such as Cinderella (1987), Bambi (1988), Peter Pan (1989), and The Jungle Book (1990) as well as the iconic movie poster for The Little Mermaid (1989). Significant non-Disney projects included movie poster work for House (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988). However, Bill's work has likely reached an even larger audience on various projects related to The Simpsons. The Simpsons debuted on December 17, 1989, and almost immediately Bill was tapped as the illustrator of choice for the plethora of licensed merchandise illustrations that followed. By February of 1991, the first Simpsons home console video game, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants was released to much public demand, with fabulous Bill Morrison box artwork. 1991 also saw Bill work on illustrations for the iconic multi-player The Simpsons arcade game, The Simpsons: Bart vs the World (NES), The Simpsons: Bart's House of Weirdness (PC), and Bart Simpson's Escape From Camp Deadly (Game Boy). Subsequent years saw Bill continue to produce wonderful The Simpsons illustrations for many video games including The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man (1992), The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare (1993), The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk (1994), and a host of others for a variety of consoles. Contemporaneous with his video game work for The Simpsons, Bill was the principal illustrator and Creative Director for various iterations of The Simpsons-related comic books, including Simpsons Illustrated (1991), Simpsons Comics and Stories #1 (March 1993) and finally the entire Bongo Comics line of The Simpsons-related comics (which debuted in November, 1993 and continued through 2018). All in all, Bill created thousands of The Simpsons drawings for T-shirts, posters, toy packaging, books, calendars, limited edition prints, and nearly all of the packaging illustrations for The Simpsons video games. Much as early Walt Disney merchandise required illustrators to sign the work "Walt Disney," the early The Simpsons illustrations also required the work to be signed "Matt Groening." As a result, we have all probably seen a piece of Bill's The Simpsons art at one time or another that we believed to be Matt's. In addition to his work on The Simpsons, Bill also worked on subsequent Matt Groening TV shows Futurama and Disenchantment, and provided the wonderful box art to the Futurama video game, for PS2 and Xbox. He also served as executive editor of Mad Magazine in 2018 and 2019. Prior to becoming an illustrator, Bill trained in technical drawing, and his absolute precision and mastery with line brought The Simpsons and his other projects to life, allowing characters to become animated and life-like with just a few expertly-placed and carefully drafted lines. Having lived in California for much of his adult life, Bill has returned to his native Michigan and enjoys life on the quiet banks of Lake Erie. He is a popular comic book convention guest, regularly meeting and interacting with his fans.
  14. OVGA Database
    Roger Loveless is an American illustrator based in Bountiful, Utah. Roger began his freelance career in illustration in Los Angeles after graduating from Utah State University in 1983 and has painted professionally on a national basis for more than 35 years with representation in New York and Los Angeles. Roger completed his first video game work in 1985, painting the cover and title art for Datasoft’s Zorro. The job was actually one of Roger’s first LA illustration jobs, completed through his LA reps before actually moving there from Utah. Roger continued to illustrate game covers through the late 1990s, with perhaps his final game work coming in 1999 with Demolition Racer for the Sony Playstation. In between, Roger painted dozens of game illustrations, creating box art for the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and nearly every other console or handheld, working frequently with Liquitex acrylic paint. Below is a wide but limited list of Roger’s work, with one example from each of the many platforms on which his art has appeared: Gunslinger (Datasoft, Commodore 64, 1987) Project Neptune (Epyx, Atari ST, 1988) Battle Chess II (Interplay, MS-DOS, 1990) Fire Shark (DreamWorks, Sega Genesis, 1990) S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team (Natsume, NES, 1991) Crystal Warriors (Sega, Game Gear, 1991) Captain Commando (Capcom, SNES, 1991) Turbo Sub (Atari Corporation, Atari Lynx, 1991) Fables & Fiends: The Legend of Kyrandia - Book One (Virgin Games, Amiga, 1992) Metal Masters (Electro Brain, Game Boy, 1993) Silpheed (Sega, Sega CD, 1993) Battlezone: Battle Grounds (Macmillian, Windows, 1998) Roger’s work for the SNES are among his most recognizable: Jim Power: The Lost Dimension in 3-D (1993), Vortex (1994), and Suzuka 8 Hours (Namco, 1994). His Genesis catalog includes additional notable examples: Bio-Hazard Battle (1992), Target Earth (1990), and Todd’s Adventures In Slime World (1992). More than two decades after his last box, mobile game developer Embraceware tapped Roger to bring his classic art of the 16-bit era to upcoming title Sentinel Attack, expected out in 2023. A deeper look at Roger’s Sentinel Attack artwork can be found here: https://embraceware.com/en-GB/news/2022/05/painting-sentinel-attack/ Roger Loveless participated in the 2019 documentary from Rob McCallum “Video Game Box Art: The Stories Behind the Covers,” where in Episode 2 he discusses his style and process alongside examples of his work. The documentary is available to rent or buy via Amazon; Amazon Prime members can watch the series free via Freevee. Beyond his work for video games, Roger illustrated the “GI Joe” 1997 Classic Collection for Hasbro and has said he created 17 works for TSR/Dungeons & Dragons. His Dungeons & Dragons work includes Vale of the Mage (1989), Legends & Lore (1990), Castles (1990), Tome of Magic (1991), Slayers of Lankhmar (1992), Cities of Bone (1994), Player's Option: Combat & Tactics (1995), and Warlock of the Stonecrowns (1995).
  15. OVGA Database
    Julie Bell is a world-renowned fantasy artist and an award winning wildlife painter. Moving frequently over a handful of years, she studied art at six colleges/universities and worked briefly in children's book illustrations. Julie was a nationally ranked competitive bodybuilder for over five years. Julie continued to draw, and at this point in her life, would create life drawings using her knowledge of human anatomy and movement. In 1989, Julie was introduced to Boris Vallejo and started modeling for him. Shortly after forming a bond with Boris, Julie was inspired to paint again. Her ability to bring larger-than-life heroic figures into fantasy art proved very popular, all the while doing so in a feminine approach, in contrast to Boris' masculine style. Her illustrations have been featured in varied industries, such as video games, comics, advertising, trading cards, book covers, and music. She was the first woman to illustrate Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics. Julie's first video game box art illustration was Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe in 1991. Of her time illustrating in the video game industry, Julie says that she was proud to be illustrating video game box art as her kids were young back in the early 1990s and playing video games. It was exciting for her to paint something they could play. Julie and Boris married in 1994 and have collaborated on many illustrations together. Julie would sometimes pose for her own paintings, having Boris photograph her or set a timer and run and get into position. OVGA has included below Julie Bell’s full known video game box art catalog: Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe (Sega | Game Gear | 1991) Mike Ditka Ultimate Football/Power Football (Accolade/Ballistic | Genesis | 1991) - box signed by Boris but later credited to Julie Bell Turrican (Accolade/Ballistic | Genesis, Game Boy, Turbografx-16 | 1991) - box signed by Boris but later credited to Julie Bell HardBall! (Accolade/Ballistic | Genesis | 1991) - box signed by Boris but later credited to Julie Bell Super Valis IV (Atlus | SNES | 1992) Warrior of Rome II (Micronet | Genesis | 1992) Defenders of Oasis (Sega | Game Gear | 1992) Wolfenstein 3D (Apogee Software | DOS, Game Boy Advance | 1992) Journey from Darkness: Strider Returns (U.S. Gold | Genesis, Game Gear, Master System | 1992) Run Saber (Atlus | SNES | 1993) Splatterhouse 3 (Namco | Genesis | 1993) Eternal Champions (Sega | Genesis | 1993) The King of Dragons (Capcom | SNES | 1994) Natsume Championship Wrestling (Natsume | SNES | 1994) Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls(Tradewest | Genesis, SNES | 1994) Demon's Crest (Capcom | SNES | 1994) A Fork in the Tale (Any River Entertainment | Windows | 1997) RYL: Path of the Emperor (Planetwide Games | Windows | 2005) - signed by and credited to both Julie and Boris Julie Bell has also illustrated video game box art images that were ultimately not used, including unused images for Turrican and Doom II, as well as for Arcus Odyssey, a planned SNES release from Renovation that was cancelled following Sega's acquisition of the company. Among additional, non-box art game work, in 2009, Boris and Julie also painted an image for Bioshock 2 as part of 2K Games’ “Artist Series” in which they hired artists to imagine Bioshock’s world in different ways. These images promoted the game online and may not have had traditional print publication. Note: OVGA has included Mike Ditka Ultimate Football/Power Football, Turrican, and Hardball! in the box art catalogs for both Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell. At the time, these works were represented as works by Boris, as evidenced by his signature present on the published boxes. Julie and Boris have subsequently explained that Julie had just started her career and accepted the commission for these game boxes in place of Boris, whose schedule did not allow him to take the job. Following an apparent disagreement with the art director concerning attribution, the paintings were sent in unsigned and Boris’ signature was reportedly added digitally to the published box art.
  16. OVGA Database
    Paul Faris is an illustrator and art director that has worked on arcade, pinball, and video games. Paul is best known for his pinball work for Bally and his arcade and home console work for Taito. In 1975, Bally started a new in-house art department; Paul joined Bally shortly afterward. He was promoted to art director at Bally in 1977. At Bally, Paul’s artwork appeared on many of their popular games, including Evel Knievel, Eight Ball, Playboy (Bally), Paragon, Xenon, and Centaur. In 1985, Paul left Bally and started Paragon Studios, Inc., a small art gallery and studio in Wheaton, Illinois just outside of Chicago where he remained active in the development of gaming artwork, expanding beyond Bally to work with Game Plan, Data East, Taito, and Sega Pinball. With an American division based in the Chicago, Illinois area, Taito frequently hired local firms and artists. Paul’s relationship with Taito appears to have begun with arcade art for Double Dragon in 1987. This timing appears to have coincided with Taito transition from pinball machines into arcade and video games, with Taito's last pinball machine possibly having been in 1984. Paul's arcade work for Taito then crossed into creating video game box art for the company. OVGA has included Paul Faris’s full known box art catalog below, all of which was for Taito: Toki (Taito | NES | 1991) Panic Restaurant (Taito | NES | 1992) Power Blade 2 (Taito | NES | 1992) Cadash (Taito | Genesis | 1992) World Beach Volley: 1992 GB Cup (Taito | Game Boy-EUR | 1992) Sonic Blast Man (Taito | SNES | 1993) Super Chase H.Q. (Taito | SNES | 1993) Beyond the above box art, Paul did numerous additional illustrations for Taito arcade flyers and full page ads for console games for which he often did not illustrate the box art. Paul commonly included his signature in these ads, aiding in the identification of his extensive Taito catalog. Pinside includes a full list for all of the pinball machines for which Paul was a member of the design team. In 2006, Paul Faris was inducted into the Pinball Expo Hall of Fame. In 2018, at the age of 71, Paul was inducted into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA), following 36 years as a wrestling coach. Paul and his wife, Jan, have lived in the same house in Wheaton, Illinois for over 40 years. They have 3 children and 9 grandchildren.
  17. OVGA Database
    Description: Year: 1994 Medium: Oil Image Area: Image Source: Online Condition:
  18. OVGA Database
    Marc William Ericksen is a California-based American illustrator responsible for creating the art for over 90 video game boxes. Following high school, Marc was drafted into the Army and served six years active duty, including two 12-month combat tours in Vietnam; he left the service with the rank of Captain. While in the Army, Marc worked on a sketch portfolio, which gained him an advanced placement and scholarship into the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration, with honors; Marc began freelancing in 1976. Over his accomplished career Marc would illustrate for some of the biggest names in the gaming industry, including Atari, Broderbund, Capcom, Data East, Hudson Soft, Koei, Sega, and Tengen. Notable titles in Marc’s extensive box art catalog include: Choplifter! (1982), Galaga (1986), Mega Man 2 (1988), Thunder Force II (1989), Herzog Zwei (1989), Tetris (Tengen, 1989), Mechanized Attack (1990), and Bonk 3: Bonk’s Big Adventure (1993). In addition to his box art, Marc illustrated the cover art for the first four issues of GamePro magazine (as well as issues 11 and 14). Marc served as the President of the San Francisco Society of Illustrators from 1982–1985. Marc’s least known NES box art? Monster Truck Rally from INTV Corp. In 2019, ChexMix commissioned Marc Ericksen to reimagine the cover art for Chex Quest. A video interview accompanying the project discusses Marc’s art process and showcases many of the game boxes Marc illustrated as well as some of his original illustrations and preliminary designs. Marc Ericksen on the illustration medium for his box art: Via RetroVideoGamer.co.uk: I worked in airbrush, using gouache, which is an opaque watercolor. Most of my contemporaries worked in acrylic, which required patience, and many layers of paint to create a piece. Once finished an acrylic painting is pretty bullet proof. You could eat off of an illustration and it wouldn’t be affected. Gouache, however, would cover opaquely in a single sweep of the brush, so it gave me the luxury of saving a great deal of time. The downside was that the art surface was very delicate. … Direct light will degrade the colors of both types of paintings, so I keep the … [paintings] safe and away from light, with protective tissue under foam core covers in protective flat files. They look as rich today as the day they were painted. Marc worked on medium-weight, cold press illustration board, mounted on a foam core base with double stick tape. Marc Ericksen explaining the process for creating airbrushed illustration: Via RetroVideoGamer.co.uk: Following the review and approval of the color rough, I was released to create the airbrushed art, which in my own process, was generally on a 20”x30” piece of cold press (meaning it had ‘tooth’ i.e.: paper ‘texture’). I mounted this illustration board on a piece of ¼ inch thick white foam core board for rigidity. I would carefully draw down the agreed upon image lightly in pencil (4–5 H hardness). Following that I would place frisket, a very thin, lightly tacky-on-one-side, plastic sheet. Then I would painstakingly cut along the drawn lines, so there was a series of given shapes that I could lift away from the surface, allowing me to airbrush the area only, with all the surrounding areas protected from the overspray. I continued in this vein until the entire piece was airbrushed, then I went in to clean up edges with various small pointed brushes. OVGA has included below Marc Ericksen's full known video game box art catalog: David’s Midnight Magic (Broderbund, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 | Dec. 1981) Bermuda Triangle (Data Age | Atari 2600 | 1982) Choplifter! (Broderbund | Apple II, Commodore 64 | 1982) Galactic Blitz a.k.a. Space Phreaks (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1982) Gridrunner (HesWare | Commodore 64, Vic-20 | 1982) Kid Grid (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1982) Labyrinth (Broderbund | Apple II, Atari 8-bit | 1982) Protector (HesWare | Vic-20 | 1982) Retro Ball (HesWare | Commodore 64 | 1982) Scorpion (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1982) Shark Trap (Broderbund | Vic-20 | 1982) Sidewinder (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1982) Star Blazer (Broderbund | Apple II, Atari 8-bit | 1982) Stellar Shuttle (Broderbund | Atari 8-bit | 1982 Swarm! (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1982) Track Attack! (Broderbund | Apple II, Atari 8-bit | 1982) Crash Dive (20th Century Fox Games | Atari 2600 | 1983) Deadly Skies (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1983) Drol (Broderbund | Apple II, Commodore 64, PC-88 (Japan) | 1983) Gold Fever! (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1983) Juice! (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1983) Matchboxes (Broderbund | Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 | 1983) Minnesota Fats' Pool Challenge (HesWare | Commodore 64 | 1983) Operation Whirlwind (Broderbund | Atari 8-Bit, Commodore 64 | 1983) Seafox (Broderbund | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 | 1983) Spare Change (Broderbund | Apple II, Atari 8-bit | 1983) Spellicopter (DesignWare | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 | 1983) Suicide Strike (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1983) Tri-Math (HesWare | Commodore 64 | 1983) Turtle Toyland Jr. (HesWare | Commodore 64 | 1983) Waterline (Tronix | Vic-20 | 1983) Galaga (Atari Corporation | Atari 7800 | 1986) Midnight Magic (Broderbund | Atari 2600 | Nov. 1986) Same art as David's Midnight Magic Delta Patrol (Electronic Arts | Commodore 64 | 1987) Chop N' Drop (Activision | Commodore 64 | 1988) First Over Germany (Strategic Simulations | Commodore 64, DOS | 1988) Guerrilla War (SNK | NES | 1988) Mega Man 2 (Capcom | NES | 1988) Ocean Ranger (Activision | Commodore 64, DOS | 1988) Typhoon of Steel (Strategic Simulations, Amiga, Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS | 1988) Vigilante (Data East | Commodore 64 | 1988) After Burner (Tengen | NES | 1989) Blasteroids (Tengen | Commodore 64 | 1989) Harrier 7 (Advantage | Commodore 64 | 1989) Heavy Barrel (Data East | NES | 1989) Herzog Zwei (Sega | Genesis | 1989) Laser Force (Britannica | Apple II | 1989) Red Lightning (Strategic Simulations | Amiga, Atari ST, DOS | 1989) Storm Across Europe (Strategic Simulations | Amiga, Commodore 64, DOS | 1989) Tetris (Tengen | NES | 1989) Thunder Force II (Sega | Genesis | 1989) Vindicators (Tengen | NES | 1989) Das Boot: German U-Boat Simulation (360 Pacific | Amiga, DOS | 1990) Ikari III The Rescue (SNK | Commodore 64, DOS | 1990) Not the NES art Lock n' Chase (Data East | Game Boy | 1990) Mechanized Attack (SNK | NES | 1990) Overrun! (Strategic Simulations | Amiga, Commodore 64 | 1990) P.O.W.: Prisoners of War (SNK | NES | 1990) G-Loc: Air Battle (Sega | Genesis | 1991) James Pond 2: Codename: RoboCod (Electronic Arts | Genesis (US/EU), Game Gear (US) | 1991) Monster Truck Rally (INTV Corp | NES | 1991) Operation Neptune (The Learning Company | DOS, Macintosh | 1991) Space Harrier (Sega | 32X, Game Gear | 1991) V for Victory: Battleset 1 - D-Day Utah Beach - 1944 (360 Pacific | DOS, Macintosh | 1991) Xybots (Atari Corporation | Atari Lynx | 1991) Chelnov: Atomic Runner (Data East | Genesis | 1992) Hockey (Atari Corporation | Atari Lynx | 1992) Hydra (Atari Corporation | Atari Lynx | 1992) Megafortress (360 Pacific | Amiga, DOS | 1992) Steel Empire (Flying Edge | Genesis | 1992) Steel Talons (Atari Corporation | Atari Lynx | 1992) Strike Gunner S.T.G. (NTV International Corporation | SNES | 1992) The Incredible Crash Dummies (LJN | Game Boy | 1992) V for Victory: Velikiye Luki (360 Pacific | DOS, Macintosh | 1992) Aerobiz Supersonic II (KOEI | Genesis, SNES | 1993) B.O.B. (Electronic Arts | Genesis, SNES | 1993) Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure (Turbo Technologies, Inc. | TurboGrafx-16 | 1993) Harley's Humongous Adventure (Hi-Tech Expressions | SNES | 1993) Racing Aces (Sega | Sega CD | 1993) Super Baseball 2020 (Electronic Arts | Super Baseball 2020 | 1993) The Incredible Crash Dummies (Flying Edge | Game Gear, Master System | 1993) The Incredible Crash Dummies (LJN, Flying Edge | Amiga, Genesis, SNES | 1993) Repeat image V for Victory: Gold-Juno-Sword (360 Pacific | DOS, Macintosh | 1993) V for Victory: Market Garden (360 Pacific | DOS, Macintosh | 1993) Air Combat Classics (LucasArts | DOS | 1994) Evasive Action (Software Toolworks | DOS | 1994) Operation Crusader (Avalon Hills | DOS, Macintosh | 1994) The Incredible Crash Dummies (LJN | NES | 1994) Repeat image Tempo Jr. (Sega | Game Gear (US/EU) | 1995) World at War: Volume II - Stalingrad (Avalon Hills | DOS, Macintosh | 1995) Full Tilt! Pinball (Maxis | Macintosh, Windows | 1996) Operation Blockade (Infogrames | Windows | 2002) 1503 A.D: The New World (Electronic Arts | Windows | 2003) Note 1: David’s Midnight Magic (1983) and Midnight Magic (1986) are each individually included, though they feature the same artwork. Similarly, Marc illustrated two images for The Incredible Crash Dummies, but the game appears four times in the above list: once for the Game Boy release, which has a unique image, and then separately for the NES, Game Gear/Sega Master, and Genesis/SNES releases, which while each featuring the same, second Crash Dummies image are all separate games. Note 2: Many of Marc’s early home computer game illustrations were released for multiple platforms. OVGA has captured all of the known titles Marc illustrated; however, some titles may have been released for platforms not included above, while some included platforms may be in error. Release year information may not be precise for all titles.
  19. OVGA Database
    Description: Year: 1992 Medium: Oil Image Area: Image Source: Online Condition:
  20. OVGA Database
    Adapted from BOX=ART Robert "Bob" Wakelin was a British illustrator best known for his extensive catalog of box art for UK publisher Ocean Software (and related label Imagine Software) as well as his work for Marvel UK. American gamers will recognize Bob's work on the box for the NES release of Contra, originally titled Gryzor for its home computer release in Europe where it first carried Bob's art. Growing up in the 60s in North Wales, Bob dreamed of a career working in comics. After completing a local graphic design course at Deeside College in North Wales, then known as Flintshire College of Technology, Bob relocated to Liverpool and joined a studio which specialized in artwork for the entertainment industry. During this period, Bob did many commissions for rock bands, producing artwork for album covers before becoming a freelancer in 1978 and doing comic work for Marvel UK. By 1983—after a stint in the band Modern Eon—Bob returned to freelancing and talked friend Blair Wilkins into sharing a studio space. Blair had already done a couple of early game boxes for Ocean (founded as Spectrum Games) and brought Bob to a meeting with David Ward and Jon Woods. Impressed with Bob's sample pieces, they offered him work. Blair and Bob worked jointly at first before Bob eventually took over all art duties. Working alongside art director Steve Blower, Bob was soon producing art for so many boxes at once that he was unsure which might have been his first, naming Caterpilla, Road Frog, and Moon Alert among his earliest. Although neither Steve nor Bob were responsible for designing Ocean’s original logo—that piece of gaming history is likely lost —Bob is credited for jazzing it up. Originally a flat, blue on white image, Bob added a few flourishes, including a subtle blend of blue shades and some effective shadowing, transforming it into the gleaming one fans instantly recognize today; both logos would be used interchangeably until the Ocean name was dissolved in the late 1990s. Bob was exceptionally versatile and over the course of a decade is said to have produced almost 100 illustrations for Ocean/Imagine, surely helping cement the company’s place as a premier software house in Europe. As Ocean took on a broad spectrum of licensed properties based on movies and comics and struck deals with Japanese software houses Data East, Taito, and Konami to convert arcade classics beginning in 1986, they called upon Bob’s talents to produce images in a wide range of styles. To illustrate that range, many write-ups on Bob’s work point to his realistic rendering for a title like Cabal and draw a sharp contrast with his handling and imitation of Japanese box art such as his art for The NewZealand Story or Rainbow Islands. But those extremes hardly do justice to even his diversity from title to title within a single year. A sampling of his 1986 works include Comic Bakery, Galivan, The Great Escape, and Green Beret: four incredibly different boxes yet all from Bob’s hand. Mag Max and Super Bowl from that same year would only further demonstrate the depth of Bob’s technique and execution. While OVGA includes a full list of Bob’s works below with hover images, the variety of his box art catalog is on full display in this YouTube tribute video. For much of Bob’s box art career he worked with little more than a description of the game, its title, and a brief demo. The graphically basic games couldn’t be relied on for inspiration, instead leaving Bob’s imagination to fill in the gaps. Bob’s vibrant artwork bridged that divide by helping communicate the image that programmers wanted gamers to have in their mind while playing—and on occasion compensating for a game the company thought was mediocre. Calling himself a big kid at heart, his bold and colorful characters gave children something to imagine in ways the games could not. He credits knowing how to appeal to children as one of the reasons for his success. Later, with the more powerful home computers of the late 80s and the early 90s, his box paintings became richer and more complex, producing some of his best works in this period such as Ivanhoe (1990), Epic (1992), and Sleepwalker (1993). In a contemporaneous interview in Crash magazine (July 1985), Bob noted that Ocean Software had grown and expanded so quickly that he was doing nearly half his work for just the one client. He explained that it would take him four or five days from start to finish to complete a painting for Ocean, elaborating on his illustration medium and technique: “I spend a day referencing it, and then three or four days completing the artwork. I start off by doing a very tight drawing in pencils, filling in all the detail and then airbrush over so that some of the pencil lines come through the colour. I don’t like the tubular, plastic look of most airbrush work and find that the pencil technique avoids that... I generally finish the painting off, adding tiny details in gouache or felt pen.” Bob's final work before parting from Ocean was the 1994 DOS game Central Intelligence, after which he would return to freelancing for Marvel UK. Though Bob branched out into magazine and comic covers during his decade with Ocean, he rarely, if ever, produced art for rival software houses, deeming loyalty to Ocean an important facet of their relationship. Bob did lend art to a number of Imagine Software titles, though in practice Imagine had become a sub-label of Ocean, following Ocean's purchase of the company’s name and branding in October 1984. Bob spoke to ExoticA Wiki back in 2006/2007 and provided comments on several of his video game artworks. In a 2009 interview with the BBC, Bob revealed that much of the art in his possession almost never made it past the mid-90s when Ocean moved offices. As Bob told it: “They had a warehouse they were going to empty and the art director at the time phoned me and said, 'Bob, your artwork’s going in the skip'. I had a mate with a van so we immediately drove over and I rescued most of it, probably about 90 percent of the work I've done." Bob passed away on January 20, 2018. His family sells official A3 size posters of his work on Etsy: BobWakelinArtwork. OVGA has included below Bob Wakelin's full known video game box art catalog: Caterpilla (Ocean | VIC-20, ZX Spectrum | 1983) Chinese Juggler (Ocean | Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1983) Digger Dan (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1983) Hunchback (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, DOS, Oric, VIC-20, ZX Spectrum | 1983) Island of Death (Ocean | Oric | 1983) Pogo (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1983) Road Frog (Ocean | Oric, ZX Spectrum | 1983) Royal Birkdale Championship Golf (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1983) Cavelon (Ocean | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) Daley Thompson’s Decathlon (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) The Dam Busters (U.S. Gold | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64-EUR, MSX | 1984) Eskimo Eddie (Ocean | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) Gift from the Gods (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1984) Gilligan’s Gold (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) Highnoon (Ocean | Commodore 64 | 1984) Hunchback II: Quasimodo's Revenge (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) Jonny and the Jimpys (Ocean | Commodore 64 | 1984) Kong Strikes Back! (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) Match Day (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1984) Moon Alert (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1984) Pud Pud in Weird World (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1984) Stunt Bike (Ocean | Commodore 64 | 1984) Cosmic Wartoad (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1985) Daley Thompson’s Super Test (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Hyper Sports (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Roland's Ratrace (Ocean | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1985) World Series Baseball a.k.a. The Slugger (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16, Plus/4, Commodore 64, PC Booter, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Super Huey UH-IX (U.S. Gold | Apple II, Atari 400-800, Atari 7800, Commodore 64 | 1985) The Transformers (Ocean | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Whirlinurd (U.S. Gold | Atari 400-800, Commodore 64 | 1985) Wizadore (Imagine | BBC Micro | 1985) World Series Basketball (Imagine | ZX Spectrum | 1985) Batman (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Comic Bakery (Imagine | Commodore 64 | 1986) Fight Night (U.S. Gold | Atari 400-800, Commodore 64 | 1986) Galivan (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) The Great Escape (Ocean Software | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum 1986) Green Beret (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Highlander (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Hunchback: The Adventure (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) It's a Knockout (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Legend of Kage (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Mag Max (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Mikie (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Electron, ZX Spectrum | 1986) MOVIE (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum | 1986) N.O.M.A.D. (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Nightmare Rally (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1986) Parallax (Ocean | Commodore 64-EUR | 1986) Super Bowl (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum 1986) Super Soccer (Ocean | ZX spectrum | 1986) Tennis a.k.a. Konami’s Tennis (Imagine | ZX Spectrum | 1986) Terra Cresta (Imagine | ZX Spectrum | 1986) Athena (Imagine | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Gryzor a.k.a. Contra (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Flashpoint (Ocean | ZX Spectrum | 1987) Head Over Heels (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64-EUR, MSX, ZX Spectrum 1987) Match Day II (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Mutants (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Renegade (Imagine | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Slap Fight a.k.a. A.L.C.O.N. (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Tai-Pan (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Tank (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) When Time Stood Still (Ocean | Atari, DOS, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Batman: The Caped Crusader (Ocean | Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Daley Thompson’s Olympic Challenge (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum | 1988) G.U.T.Z. (Ocean | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Operational Wolf (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64-EUR, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Phantom Club (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Psycho Soldier (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Rastan (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Target: Renegade (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, NES, ZX Spectrum | 1988) The Vindicator: Green Beret II (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 65, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Wizball (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Beach Volley (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Cabal (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Chase H.Q. (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Lost Patrol (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, DOS | 1989) The NewZealand Story (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Renegade III: The Final Chapter (Imagine | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Sly Spy (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Voyager (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST | 1989) title/female robot logo in background painted by Gary McNamara Adidas Championship Football (Ocean | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Hollywood Collection a.k.a. Les Stars d'Hollywood (Ocean | Atari ST, Amiga, DOS, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Ivanhoe (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST | 1990) Midnight Resistance (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) NARC (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Operational Thunderbolt (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Pang (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Plotting (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Rainbow Islands (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Shadow Warriors a.k.a. Ninja Gaiden (Ocean | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1990) Billy the Kid (Ocean | Amiga, DOS | 1991) Elf (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, DOS-EUR | 1991) Epic (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, DOS | 1992) Parasol Stars (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, Game Boy, NES | 1992) Space Gun (Ocean | Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1992) Striker (Rage Software | Amiga, Amiga CD32,Atari ST, SNES |1992) Super Hunchback Starring Quasimodo (Ocean | Game Boy | 1992) Repeat image The Games '92 - España (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, DOS | 1992) Wizkid (Ocean | Amiga, Atari ST, DOS | 1992) International Open Golf Championship (Ocean | Amiga, Amiga CD32, DOS | 1993) Sleepwalker (Ocean | Amiga, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS | 1993) Alien Olympics (Ocean | Game Boy | 1994) Central Intelligence (Ocean | DOS | 1994) Choplifter III: Rescue Survive (Ocean | Game Boy-EUR, SNES-EUR | 1994) Bob has also illustrated covers for UK magazines, including CV&G. In addition to the above, published box art, Bob created other game paintings that were ultimately unused, whether because they were rejected (Miami Vice), there were changes to the game (Kid Vicious becoming Kid Chaos—the latter of which doesn't appear to be Bob's work), or for other reasons. OVGA has not captured such material in the above box art catalog but may instead include that information as comments below.
  21. OVGA Database
    John Zeleznik is a Los Angeles, California-based illustrator and artist with a popular following for his long-running work for the Rifts series of role-playing games from publisher Palladium Books. John Zeleznik created several illustrations for Tengen in 1989 and 1990: Fantasy Zone (NES) Rolling Thunder (NES) Alien Syndrome (NES) Shinobi (NES) Hard Drivin’ (Sega Genesis | 1990) All Points Bulletin/APB (home computer; art unused but included in Tengen ad) Xybots (NES unreleased; included in Tengen ad) Skull & Crossbones (NES; art unused but included in Tengen ad) While John’s catalog for Tengen comprises his best known game work, an April 1989 cover for Video Games & Computer Entertainment (issue 3) was likely John’s first game illustration. Home computer box paintings in mid-1989 for Dark Side for Spotlight Software and Sword of Aragon for Strategic Simulations, Inc. also slightly predate John’s Tengen work. While lesser known, John illustrated the boxing game World Champ for NES in 1991. 1993 saw John illustrate a Shinobi cover for issue 44 of GamePro magazine and poster art for Data East’s Super Nintendo release of Shadowrun. John returned to game work in 1997 and illustrated the box art for MicroProse’s X-Com: Apocalypse. Another decade later in 2007, John’s digital art graced the box of Drawn to Life for the Nintendo DS. John is also celebrated for his work for Magic the Gathering, Wacky Packages, and Garbage Pail Kids.
  22. OVGA Database
    Adapted from BOX=ART | Interviewed by Adam Gidney in October 2013 David John Rowe (often signing his pieces “DJR”) is a British illustrator and an early pioneer in the UK and Europe’s box art scene in the early 80s, continuing through the mid-90s. David would become one of Europe’s most prolific and enduring box artists of his generation, illustrating over 70 box arts. David began his freelance career in 1975 after graduating Brighton Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design. During this period and before he made his name as a box artist, David illustrated catalogues and brochures on commission, did acrylic portraits of people’s pets, and lectured life drawing at Southhampton College of Art, where David himself had once taken a foundational course before Brighton. It was then in returning to Southhampton, through a chance meeting with Quicksilva co-founder Nick Lambert, that David got his start in games. Founded in 1981, Quicksilva would soon become one of the UK game industry’s first big companies, where David—along with artists Steinar Lund and Rich Shenfield—would pioneer the use of quality artwork for computer games from 1982. At this time, with the exception of the occasional box art re-used from the United States, there was little in the way of box art in Europe. Still finding its feet, the UK game industry was a modest enterprise and box art in general was either non-existent or crudely implemented. David Rowe’s first box art for Quicksilva would be The Chess Player in 1982. He would follow it up with several boxes in 1983, including the classic Ant Attack. Sandy White’s isometric adventure would be well complimented by David’s 50s B-horror movie style box art, so much so that David would also illustrate the Ant Attack’s 1984 sequel Zombie Zombie. David’s box art would remain exclusive to Quicksilva until about 1985, when he began to expand to other publishers, beginning with Electric Dreams and Melbourne House. As David tells it, attending game fairs in London with the team from Quicksilva, he was able to show his portfolio to other exhibitors, resulting in companies other than Quicksilva commissioning David’s work, not just for game boxes but also computer book and magazine cover illustrations. He would enjoy this new artistic expression facilitated by the games industry, stating it almost demanded the art be fun and whimsical. David’s early box arts were a mix of airbrushed liquid acrylics, and coloured pencil. To cap off the 1980's, David would create his most widely known cover, Populous (1989). This box art was used across the globe and was published on no less than three Japanese systems - quite the feat for a western artist's work in the 1980’s. David would come up with the design after having rare early access to the game at developer Bullfrog’s head quarters. The artist remembers that the finished piece took some at Electronic Arts a little time to warm to - it being mocked as a painting of a golf divot! However, Populous' wild success soon appeased even its fiercest box art critic... With the advent of the 1990’s, David was a busy and sought after box artist, being in demand from big name publishers such as Electronic Arts, Domark and Core Design. His work in this period, such the fantasy laced Risky Woods (1992) and the cartooned hijinks of The Super Aquatic Games (1992) showcased a broad range of ability and artistic creativity. Artworks were also becoming more detailed and elaborate, with the somewhat functional covers of 1980's covers such as The Way of the Exploding Fist (1985) giving way to creatively rich designs such as Shadow of the Beast III (1992). This final "Beast" box art would see David take the reigns from fantasy painter Roger Dean who had painted the first two. It would be one of David's more complex pieces and one the artist looks back upon fondly. The lettering would retain Roger Dean’s font. As packaging, advertising and promotion was contracted to large design and PR firms, David shifted to other areas of game art, including in-game graphics for platform hit Alfred Chicken (1993). David was also responsible for producing many magazine covers for Emap, Europress and Future Publishing. Not one to let any media left untapped, he would work within television with his greatest contribution being the interior perspective paintings for the popular ITV children's program Knightmare. On his website, David sells high-quality giclée prints of his 80s and 90s artwork for computer games, magazines, books, and television. OVGA has included below David John Rowe's full known video game box art catalogue: The Chess Player (Quicksilva | ZX Spectrum | 1982) Ant Attack (Quicksilva | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1983) Frenzy (Quicksilva | ZX Spectrum | 1983) Skyhawk (Quicksilva | VIC-20 | 1983) Ultisynth 64 (Quicksilva | Commodore 64 | 1983) Wild West Hero (Timescape Software | ZX Spectrum | 1983) Fred | Quicksilva | ZX Spectrum | 1984) Sting 64 (Quicksilva | Commodore 64 | 1984) Zombie Zombie (Quicksilva | ZX Spectrum | 1984) Black Thunder (Quicksilva | Commodore 64 | 1985) Death Wake (Quicksilva | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Glass (Quicksilva | ZX Spectrum | 1985) The Way of the Exploding Fist (Melbourne House | Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, Commodore 64, Electron, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Winter Sports (Electric Dreams Software | Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum | 1985) Bounces (Beyond | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Chameleon (Electric Dreams Software | Commodore 64 | 1986) Dandy (Electric Dreams Software | Amstrad CPC-EUR, Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Dante’s Inferno (Beyond | Commodore 64 | 1986) Fist II (Melbourne House | Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Infodroid (Beyond | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 | 1986) Off the Hook (Electric Dreams Software | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Prodigy (Electric Dreams Software | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) R.M.S. Titanic (Electric Dreams Software | Commodore 64 | 1986) The Sentinel (Firebird Software | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Spindizzy (Electric Dreams Software | Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Xarq: The Zimmerman Trenches (Electric Dreams Software | Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Xeno (Bug Byte | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1986) Deathscape (Ariolasoft | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Delta (Thalamus | Commodore 64-EUR, SAM Coupé, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Dogfight 2187 (Ariolasoft | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Enterprise (Mastetronic Plus | ZX Spectrum | 1987) Flying Shark | Firebird Software | Amiga-EUR, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST-EUR, Commodore 64-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Hybrid (Ariolasoft | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) I Ball II (Firebird Software | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Mean City (Quicksilva | Commodore 64 | 1987) River Raid (Firebird Software | ZX Spectrum | 1987) Tempest (Electric Dreams Software | Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Throne of Fire (Melbourne House | Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum | 1987) Chubby Gristle (Grandslam Entertainments Ltd. | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Crosswize (Firebird Software | ZX Spectrum | 1988) IO (Firebird Software | Commodore 64 | 1988) Monkey Nuts (Bug Byte | BBC Micro, Electron | 1988) Pandora (Firebird Software | Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 | 1988) Peter Beardsley’s international Football (Grandslam Entertainment | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Speedball (Image Works | Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Master System, DOS | 1988) Tetris (Mirrorsoft | Amstrad CPC-EUR, Commodore 64-EUR, MSX-EUR, ZX Spectrum | 1988) Xarax (Firebird Software | ZX Spectrum | 1988) 3D-Pinball (Mastertronic plus | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Chambers of Shaolin (Grandslam Entertainments | Amiga, Amiga 32CD, Atari ST, Commodore 64 | 1989) Continental Circus (Virgin Mastertronic | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Cygnus XI (Atari | Atari 8-bit | 1989) Friday the 13th (Bug Byte | ZX Spectrum | 1989) Kelly X (Virgin Mastertronic | Amiga, Atari ST | 1989) Micro Mouse (Mastertronic | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Populous (Electronic Arts | Acorn 32-bit, Amiga-EUR, Atari ST, DOS-EUR, Genesis, Master System, PC-98, SNES-EUR/JPN, X68000 | 1989) Tank Attack (CDS Software Ltd. | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Electron, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Tetris (Virgin Mastertronic Ltd. | Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | 1989) Mastertronic re-release; different art from Mirrorsoft release Will Harvey’s Zany Golf (Electronic Arts | Amiga-EUR, DOS-EUR | 1989) F-16 Fighting Falcon (Virgin Mastertronic | ZX Spectrum | 1990) Flood (Electronic Arts | Amiga, Atari ST | 1990) Hunter Killer (Mastertronic | Amiga | 1990) John Madden Football (Electronic Arts | Genesis-EUR | 1990) Pyramax (Atari Corp. | Amiga, Atari ST | 1990) Yes, Prime Minister (Mastertronic plus | ZX Spectrum | 1990) Budokan: The Martial Spirit (Electronic Arts | Amiga-EUR, Commodore 64-EUR, DOS-EUR, Genesis-EUR | 1991) James Pond II: Codename Robocod (Millennium Interactive | Amiga-EUR, Atari ST-EUR, Commodore 64-EUR, DOS-EUR | 1991) Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods (Electronic Arts | Amiga-EUR, Atari ST-EUR | 1991) Silkworm (Mastertronic plus | Commodore 64 | 1991) Bill’s Tomato Game (Psygnosis | Amiga | 1992) Risky Woods (Electronic Arts | Genesis | 1992) Shadow of the Beast III (Psygnosis | Amiga | 1992) The Aquatic Games Starring James Pond and the Aquabats a.k.a. The Super Aquatic Games Starring the Aquabats a.k.a James Pond's Crazy Sports (Electronic Arts | Amiga, Genesis, SNES-EUR | 1992) The Clue! (Kompart UK, Ltd. | Amiga, Amiga CD32, DOS | 1994) Dark Universe (Max Design GmbH & Co. | DOS | 1995)
  23. OVGA Database
    Description: This art for the Sega game Castle of Illusion was sold by Heritage Auctions on June 12, 2016. Heritage's description notes that art "was originally sold in 2000/2001 by 'The Art of Disney Storybooks/Disney Publishing' through Disney eBay. The gouache on board image measures 10" x 10.5", which Mickey standing 5" tall and the castle is 7" tall." The original auction page can be viewed here: https://comics.ha.com/itm/animation-art/mickey-mouse-and-castle-illustration-original-art-walt-disney-c-1990s-/a/7142-97220.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515 Year: 1991 Medium: Gouache on board Image Area: 10" x 10.5" Image Source: Heritage Auctions Condition: Fine
  24. OVGA Database
    Description: Golden Axe II Sega Genesis Box Art Year: 1991 Medium: Oil on canvas Image Area: 20" x 23.5" Image Source: Online Condition: Excellent
  25. OVGA Database
    Interviewed by Adam Gidney in July 2016 Tom duBois (dew-BOYSS; not the French pronunciation d-OO-b-w-aa) is an American illustrator responsible for nearly all of Konami’s advertising and box art between 1988 and 1994. Tom worked on some of the biggest franchises in the industry, including Castlevania, Contra, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Tom was prolific, carried a bold, dynamic style, and is widely regarded as one of the premier illustrators for home console video game box artwork. Tom’s unique style made his body of work perhaps the most recognizable of any video game illustrator. In addition to working largely for one critically acclaimed publisher (see: The Man Who Drew Konami, ahem, 'painted'), Tom painted with far more traditional brush work than featured in most contemporary box art and injected into his characters an unmistakable edge and verve. Tom's version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles didn't look like the fun-loving cartoon turtles, they looked like the original, edgier turtles from the early comics with the dial 'turned up to 11.' Those enjoying the games at their release would not have known who Tom was, but they appreciated his work. Observant gamers, or later art enthusiasts, might have sensed many of Konami's boxes were by the same hand, perhaps similar to how readers of Dell/Disney comic books in the 1940s and 1950s appreciated the unique and wonderful but uncredited work of Carl Barks and simply identified him as “the good duck artist." Among gamers and art fans that noted Tom’s over-the-top facial expressions, his wild and versatile yet almost pastel palette, and the repetition in renderings across many of the prime Konami covers, such as for serpents, trains, and horses, Tom was, perhaps, “the good Konami artist” before his identity became publicly known. Some of the incredible box artwork for which Tom is known includes: Castlevania 3 (NES), Super Castlevania IV (SNES), Castlevania 2 (Game Boy), Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis), Super C (NES), Contra Force (NES), Contra 3 (SNES), Operation C (Game Boy), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Game Boy), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, Sunset Riders (Genesis and SNES), Blades of Steel (NES), Pirates (NES), Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES), and others too numerous to mention here. His impact on the look and feel of the Konami game boxes and promotional artwork for that era cannot be overstated. Tom more or less stumbled into video game illustration by being a Chicago native at the time when Konami’s US head office was still in Chicago. His cousin Dave led him to a contact at Konami and the rest was history. Tom’s first assignment for Konami featured a Jeep bursting through an arcade monitor and advertised arcade games getting home computer releases. Tom has variably referred to Blades of Steel and A-Jax as his first box art for Konami, though Blades of Steel is the more infamous of the two; the illustration paid well but turned into a net loss for Tom. He had used a reference photo of Wayne Gretzky and Tomas Jonsson for the principal figures in the illustration and Konami was sued by the photographer. Tom had to make Konami whole to continue working with them, and as a result, I'm not sure there is any artist that used less direct reference going forward! The story is told wonderfully in Episode 4 of "Box Art - A Gaming Documentary" and in "Tom Dubois - the Man Who Drew Konami.” Fun Fact: Although Tom’s work and Konami came to be nearly synonymous, his one non-Konami game illustration from the era was for the 1990 Jaleco release Metal Mech for the NES. Since 2019, Tom has worked with Limited Run Games and other publishers to produce box art for new projects! The foundation of Tom’s new works are highly detailed pencil sketches on translucent paper that allow him to arrange and compose them before scanning and manipulating digitally, adding color and the copious detail that has become a Tom Dubois hallmark. See https://retrographicbooks.com/about-tomdubois for more details. Tom’s YouTube channel TDart includes video of his recent work, including work-in-progress shots of his pencil sketching as well as his digital process. A note on misattribution: Some collections of video game work attributed to Tom Dubois include images of TMNT II: The Arcade Game / TMNT: The Coin-Op; these images are the work of Steve Lavigne and are not Tom's work. Tom on the illustration medium for his box art: Via Puckjunk.com: [For Blades of Steel, I worked with] a paint called alkyds, which is an oil-based paint. But it has an additive in it called liquin, which makes the oil paint dry very quickly. So, it basically dries overnight. Since I painted on illustration board, it soaks right in, so I was able to have my work dry pretty quick. Alkyds has the same characteristics of oil paint. You can move the colors around. Acrylic paints are a little harder to work with, because you have to work wet, and you have to work in a lot of layers to build up different tones. It’s hard to get good contrast right away. So, I like the alkyds and get some interesting effects that I couldn’t get with acrylic paints. Via Box=Art: Early box art, "Super C" and the Metal Gear poster I remember using Designers Colors. I can tell by the way I lifted off the light areas in that skeleton in the far background. I stopped using the DC's because they were very susceptible to water stains. Back then the art physically moved around a lot. First to the agency, then to the photographer and then who knows where else. Rarely did I ever get to see any of the art again after it left my studio, but when I did it was ALWAYS a mess even after I tissue & flapped the art before I delivered it. I found the Acrylics or Alkyds could take the most abuse so that's why I changed. I would also use airbrush ink at times such as on Silent Service, Snake’s Revenge and Mystical Ninja. I mainly painted on 20 x 30 illustration board.
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