One of the worst game covers of all time is now a Mega Man figure

The legacy of Mega Man isn’t confined purely to the world of console platformers.

The original 1987 platform release may have helped to revolutionise the then growing genre, but many remember it for its equally as fondly regarded US cover art.

Now Kotaku reports that the rotund, strained and altogether anatomically challenged cover star has been recreated in figure form, although it should be noted that the figure is based more on the homage of the representation included in Street Fighter X Tekken.

Here’s the European box art for Mega Man on the NES, which although still not especially loyal to the spirit of the series is a very decent bit of art in its own right:

And here’s what gamers in the US saw when they went to buy their copy:

Which despite being abysmal beyond words, is at the same time kind of incredible. And here’s the aforementioned figure:

While we’re at it, here’s the art for Mega Man 2, which is also a crime against humanity:

Not that Mega Man is the only offender, however. This much cherished NeoGaf thread has some real classics (although sadly many of the URLs have over time abandoned us). Our picks would perhaps include the undoubtedly brilliant Karnaaj Rally:

And this Street Fighter II Turbo cover design:

No cover art story would be compelte without mention of now defunct PS2 publisher Phoenix Games, of course. A quick Google search throws up a treasure trove of artistic vandalism, although we’ve chosen a few of our favourites below: