Believe it or not, there was a time when most video games were blind purchases. Well before Twitch streamers were doing full live playthroughs of unreleased titles — hell, before trial demos were even a thing — the decision to buy a game often came down to looking at the box. And more often than not, the real experience at home failed to live up to the slick illustrations promised on the sticker of a Sega Genesis cartridge.

How could they? In the eight- and 16-bit era, the key art used in a game’s pack-in manual was more intended to stir the imagination. Their detailed drawings and context said, sure, the game looks like pixel puke, but here’s what it’s intended to be.

Now, it’s reversed, with bland marketing materials barely scratching the surface of what a photorealistic, motion-

See Full Page