http://www.defunctgames.com The latest The Cover Critic episodes from Defunct Games http://www.defunctgames.com/covercritic/85 This week brings action fans Doom: The Dark Ages, the newest first-person shooter in a series that dates all the way back to 1993. In that time, we’ve seen good, bad and absolutely wild magazine covers featuring the long-running franchise on publications like Electronic Gaming Monthly, Hyper and Game Informer. These are just a few of the magazines we’re going to be looking at today when we rank the Best & Worst Doom Magazine Covers! Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/covercritic/84 April 1990 was the month when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dominated at the box office, Sinead O’Connor went straight to number 1 with a cover of Nothing Compares 2 U, David Lynch changed television forever with the debut of Twin Peaks and issues of GamePro, Zzap and Nintendo Power took over the newsstand. These are just three of the magazines we’re going to be looking at today when we rank the Best & Worst Magazine Covers of April 1990. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/covercritic/83 Join Cyril Lachel and Lorne Riseley (The Halcyon Show) as they dig through the biggest games from the first half of 2019 and review their box art. That's right, they're reviewing the covers and NOT the games. What did they think of Anthem, Sekiro, Days Gone, Mortal Kombat 11, Crackdown 3, Rage 2 and Resident Evil 2? Find out now when you watch the debut episode of Cover Critic! Fri, 19 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/covercritic/82 They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But since I've never heard that expression used against video games, I figure that it's open season on the box art you see every day. This week we're taking a look at designs for Doom, Far Cry Primal, Street Fighter V and the Amiga classic, Road Raider. Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/covercritic/81 Although everybody agreed that Mega Man was a great game, nobody seemed sure how to draw the guy. This was true in both the United States and Europe, where Capcom tried a number of different art styles before settling on one that worked. To help celebrate Mega Man Week over at Review Crew, we've decided to compare the first five installments to see what country comes out on top. It's America vs. Europe in the Mega Maniest episode of Cover Critic yet. Thu, 11 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-80 The Cover Critic is back for another month of box art reviews! In this episode we look at some of 2012's biggest games. Of course I'm talking about Blades of Time and Defenders of Ardania. And just for good measure, we've decided to look at Mass Effect 3, Unit 13 and yet another Mario Party game. Find out why the Cover Critic hates March. Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-79 The Cover Critic (Ep. 79) - The Cover Critic is back for another month of new releases. This week he takes a look at a great big PlayStation Vita title, the wrath of Asura, unlimited outdoorsy fun and something called Binary Domain. And if that's not enough, Sega has yet against screwed up a Crush box. All this can be yours when you tune into another exciting episode of The Cover Critic! Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-78 The Cover Critic (Ep. 78) - The Cover Critic is back with a lot of negative comments about your favorite games! In this episode we take a look at the big releases of January 2011. We'll take a trip back to Silent Hill, get CHALLENGED by National Geographic, go on a date with Final Fantasy XIII-2, ever die in Never Dead and say something clever about SoulCalibur V. With so many big releases on the way, let's jump right in and see what I have to say about January 2011. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-77 The Cover Critic (Ep. 77) - In this episode we take a very special look at Mortal Kombat. With the brand new refresh coming out next week, we thought it would be fun to throw a bunch of artwork at the Cover Critic and see what he says. GET OVER HERE ... and join us as we look at all nine of the main entries in the Mortal Kombat universe. FINISH HIM! Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-76 The Cover Critic (Ep. 76) - It's been a full year since we checked in with The Cover Critic, but I hear he has an opinion or two about the recent launch of the Nintendo 3DS. Will he be impressed with games like Ridge Racer 3D, Dead or Alive Dimensions and Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition? Find out now when you discover The Cover Critic, the 3DS and the Headache! Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-75 The Cover Critic (Ep. 75) Having gotten his fill of Heavy Rain, the Cover Critic is back to his vacation of reviewing classic video game covers. In this episode we take a look at Video Games & Computer Entertainment, a magazine that few gamers still remember. This long-running magazine had an interesting art style, one that the Cover Critic is having a hard time getting used to. Will our trusty Cover Critic like any magazines covers he likes? Find out when you read episode 75 of The Cover Critic! Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-74 Even though he is normally mean and in a bad mood, the Cover Critic can't help but get wrapped up in the excitement surrounding Heavy Rain. He watched us play the game all week and now he's in love. So in this very special episode of The Cover Critic he is giving back by looking at all of the Heavy Rain box art. He's also throwing in the Indigo Prophecy cover art for good measure. Find out which artwork wins out when you read about how The Cover Critic Gets Caught in Heavy Rain! Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-73 The Cover Critic (Ep. 73) - The Cover Critic welcomes the new year with a brand new batch of mean spirited jabs. This week he looks through his extensive collection of Electronic Gaming Monthly, picking out five early magazines at random. Is it love ... or something much, much worse? Find out now when he digs through Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and even Primal Rage. Oh, and watch out for a cameo from Mr. Bruce Willis! You heard me. That's the kind of thing that happens when The Cover Critic Collects Old EGM! Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-72 The Cover Critic (Ep. 72) - The Cover Critic is taking a break from reviewing some of the worst box art the world has ever seen. But just because he's on vacation that doesn't mean he's not going to look at some covers. Join him as he reviews some of our favorite magazine's first issues. From EGM to NEXT Generation, every video game magazine has to start somewhere and the Cover Critic is there to make fun of it! Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-71 The Cover Critic (Ep. 71) - For years he's tackled some of the worst video game box art imaginable. But the Cover Critic needs a break. So for the next few months he's going to be taking a look at different eras of video game magazines. We begin our fantastic adventure with GamePro in the early 1990s. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-70 The Cover Critic (Ep. 70) - The Cover Critic is back with yet another batch of terrible box art. This week he takes a look back at five of the worst covers of the year. Does it surprise you that all of the worst covers were for Wii games? It shouldn't, because these days 99% of the Wii games are total trash. Even the most hardcore Nintendo fanboy will agree that these five games have to go, especially with cover art like this! Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-69 The Cover Critic (Ep. 69) - It's time once again for The Cover Critic, the show where we look at the worst video game box art of all time. Think we're done scouring the bottom of the barrel for bad Amiga covers? Think again, because this week we're back with five more examples of terrible box art. In the 69th episode of The Cover Critic we discover that Dracula is a polygamist, that turtles aren't supposed to play table tennis, that vehicles hate little kids and that the Road Raider looks a lot like The Road Warrior. Find out if it's just me when you tune in to another exciting episode of The Cover Critic! Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-68 It's time once again for The Cover Critic, the original show dedicated to gaming's worst box art. This week we take a look at four old school Amiga games. Oh sure, not a lot of American gamers played with the Amiga, but that shouldn't keep us from looking at some of its worst covers. Oh, and when you're done looking at Volleyball Simulator and Shadow Dancer, you should check out our exclusive review of Soul Calibur IV. It's really worth your time. All this and more can be yours when you check out our newest episode of The Cover Critic! Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-67 The Cover Critic (Ep. 67) - The Cover Critic returns with five terrible covers and a redesigned page. But don't worry; this week's episode is about more than just remodeling, it's also about exposing some of the worst covers in video game history. In this week's episode we take a look at good games (The Orange Box), bad games (King of Clubs), disturbing games (Cheggers Party Quiz) and those games that just don't fit into any category (Frog Master). It's a crazy week that spans several generations of consoles, from the Commodore 64 to the Xbox 360. So buckle up and get ready for another exciting episode of The Cover Critic! Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=covercritic-66 The Cover Critic (Ep. 66) - Do you hear that sound? That's the sound of The Cover Critic returning to review another batch of terrible box covers! In this episode we take a look at five of the worst covers of all time ... and they all come from either the Commodore 64 or the Amiga. Don't think these covers are as bad as what we put up with on the NES, Genesis and TurboGrafx-16? Think again. Just wait until you witness the horror of Steg the Slug, Mad TV, Lure of the Temptress and Tower of Babel! We have some truly horrific covers for you, so get relaxed and prepared to be put off of gaming all together when you witness these atrocities against nature! Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800