Legend of Heroes (2000, Limenko)

LEAVE YOUR MARK ON HISTORY OF LEGENDARY HEROES!

Hmm. Standard fighting game, from the looks of it. Eastern martial arts combat, featuring a variety of characters of both genders, ranging from big to small, and each having a very distinct look to them. There's the shadow of a bad guy in the background.  I don't see anything really wrong with this poster...

...oh, wait. There it is.

vs. Star Luster (1985, Namco)

HERE TOMORROW.

I would like to argue that this statement should be changed to

HERE FROM A LONG TIME AGO

and a galaxy far far away

My reasoning is such.

Ikari Warriors (1986, SNK)

They sent him on a mission and set him up to fail. But they made one mistake.

They forgot they were dealing with Rambo Ikari Warriors.

Ten Spot (1982, Thomas Automatics)

LIGHTNING HOT!

TEN SPOT

What, exactly, is this woman advertising?

Atomic Punk (1991, Irem America Corp via Hudson Soft)

For whatever reason that anime didn't get mainstream attention in the 1980s, there seemed to be an associated fear that youth wouldn't purchase a foreign product unless an American artist was instructed to Americanize a Japanese design. Sometimes that tactic works, and sometimes it doesn't.

I would consider the flyer for Atomic Punk to be a success art-wise, but a failure in gameplay instructability.

It's like the artist saw nothing except for a few screenshots while composing this image. The grid on the floor, a multi-coloured rogues gallery, a laughing demon sun, and an evil-looking wizard. Yet all of these pale in comparison to one key element of this design.

The children.