Probably one of the most iconic box art layouts in Nintendo history, the NES Black Box titles have grown to become synonymous with arcade games at home and all things retro. Released between 1985 and 1987, the series consists of 30 games including Certified Classics Such as hunt ducksAnd the Excitebike And the Donkey Kong Jr; However, after I watched the Nintendo CES set in the late 80s Tweet embed On Twitter, it appears that some of the most popular console titles were originally planned to be added to the series.
Lindell’s photo shows a page from the CES suite announcing five upcoming NES games: “Introducing four new sports and a princess named Zelda.” The games the title alludes to are volleyballAnd the meanderAnd the professional wrestlingand ‘Punch-Out’ (pre-Tyson) and ‘Legend of Zelda’ (pre-the), all presented with classic NES Black Box covers.
You may recognize the covers of Volleyball, Slalom, and Pro Wrestling as those the games received as part of the 1987 Black Box release, but the other two titles were not included as part of the series and received a different cover match.
Mike Tyson punch out!! (Or actually, Punch Out!!, after rebranding) You’ll add, you guessed it, an image of Mike Tyson on the cover instead of the image of Glass Joe that can be seen in the original design—a pretty huge fix, we can add. Even after Tyson’s contract with Nintendo expires, the game’s cover will have a similar cover focused on boxers (sorry, Glass Joe).
the legend of zelda, changing its title, too, will undergo a glow similar to the classic golden cover art we know and love today. However, the design of the Black Box definitely goes above and beyond to give an idea of what the game includes, and the inclusion of Gibdos and Keese makes everything look appropriately intimidating. Well, we say “scary,” but Link doesn’t seem too upset — look, he’s even smiling! Maybe the original design is a good poster version (HintNintendo).
Interestingly, the CES group is also quick to confirm that The Legend of Zelda will be the first entry in a series of adventure games – what ever happened. those plans wonder?? It sure shows that you know when you’re into something special.
What do you think of the original black box designs? Let us know in the comments below!
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