Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!
In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads from the 1980s to the 1990s.
For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s to the 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.
With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…
1. Space Duel Arcade Flyer
When the 1979 arcade classic Asteroids achieved massive success for Atari, the company went on to make ports of it on different platforms as well as follow-ups in the arcades. The first follow-up Asteroids Deluxe had a positive reception but never reached the huge impact of its predecessor. Since Asteroids Deluxe was well regarded for improved visuals and higher level of challenge, Atari went on to make the 1982 follow-up Space Duel. To promote the game, Atari’s artists made fascinating original artworks for both the arcade cabinet and the arcade flyer itself. Apart from looking great, I noticed the spaceships of Space Duel’s art looks similar with those of Xevious (a Namco arcade game distributed by Atari in America) and I can only speculate that the same artist made those.
2. Midway Auxiliary Show Monitor Print Ad
As video arcades in America became massively popular with people and became a major economic sector, it was not surprising that crowding became a trend especially whenever a very popular game attracted both players (waiting in line) as well as onlookers. Midway, which was an arcade giant in the 1980s, came up with their own concept of a specialized secondary display called the Midway Auxiliary Show Monitor designed to let onlookers watch a video of ongoing gameplay without physically standing by the player. As the print ad above shows precisely the use of the monitors, those were used at trade shows or in arcades with a setup to make turn the single-player experience into a makeshift show for the people nearby. Back in the 1980s, there was indeed a spectator approach to the arcade experience but players had to deal with the disturbance of many onlookers standing near to see the on-screen action. At the very least, Midway’s concept and hardware was a bold attempt to solve overcrowding.
3. Sega Genesis North American Print Ad
While the Sega Genesis has always been identified with 1990s console gaming in America, the console was officially launched there in August 1989. At the time, Sega of America was not too creative nor aggressive when it comes to marketing the Genesis. The above 1989 print ad showed a lot of screenshots to promote the games, showed the console with a TV and a few peripherals and a text description that emphasized the Genesis as the so-called ultimate dimension in game play. Considering how dynamic and aggressive Sega’s marketing of the Genesis and games became a few years later when Tom Kalinske became the CEO, it is not surprising that this old ad has been forgotten.
4. The Punisher NES Print Ad
By the year 1990, The Punisher became one of Marvel Comics’ most popular figures and the character had two monthly series published. As such, an actual video game featuring the character was made for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and to promote it, three screenshots were shown, a brick wall with stylized short messages was shown and a hand-drawn art of the Punisher was displayed. As seen in the screenshots, elements from The Punisher comic books were displayed such as shooting and fighting the criminals. Considering how wholesome the NES audience was at the time, this print promotion of The Punisher game looks odd although it is a fact that entertainment products featuring violent entertainment properties or characters were made and marketed towards children less than 12-years-old. Remember the Rambo animated series and video games of the 1980s?
5. Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters Arcade Flyer
After achieving both critical and big-time commercial arcade success with Lethal Enforcers in 1992, Konami proceeded with the sequel Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters which was released in arcades two years later. While the 1994 game used 2D sprites and digitized photographs like its predecessor, Konami used the 19th century Old West as the setting making it totally different from the 1992 original. To promote the game and emphasize the Old West setting, Konami came up with this arcade flyer that showed actors in cowboy costumes with a background that looks like a cowboy movie set. Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters went on to become successful in the arcades and it later got ported to game consoles.
6. Wipeout XL Print Ad
1996 was a tremendous year for console gaming. As Nintendo launched their highly anticipated Nintendo 64 console (N64) that year, game publishers came up with new games that further utilized the features of both Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Wipeout XL was a sequel sci-fi racing game exclusive to the PlayStation and developer/publisher Psygnosis went all-in promoting the game with a lot of creativity and energy. They came up with this 2-page print ad to make gamers excited while creatively informing them what features, rave music and fun gameplay it has. On face value, this print ad looked more like a dazzling article.
7. Nights into Dreams Print Ad
If there is anything notable about the history of the Sega Saturn, it is the fact that there were no new dedicated platform games of Sonic The Hedgehog released for it which is very odd as the Sonic platform games on Sega Genesis were big sellers, critically acclaimed and even made their mark on pop culture. During the mid-1990s, Sonic Team (which had Sonic game creators like Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima) were laser-focused on making Nights into Dreams (stylized as NiGHTS into Dreams) which was an all-new intellectual property that allowed them to utilize the 3D capabilities of the Saturn while making room for their creativity. Sega knew Nights into Dreams was special so they came up with this 2-page print ad which had an eye-catching display of screenshots of the game on the left (with the Saturn in the middle) while using the other half for descriptive text and explanations (with the special Saturn controller in the middle) to grab people’s attention. This old ad from 1996 is a mixed bag for me as the left side was captivating to see while the description on the right side requires some effort to read properly due to the small size of the text.
8. Super Mario 64 Print Ad
What is arguably the most memorable video game released in 1996 was Super Mario 64 which was not only a fully featured launch game of the Nintendo 64 console, but also the first-ever Super Mario platform game made with 3D polygons complete with a large 3D environment that can be explored a lot. There was a huge anticipation for this game by both gamers and the media, and whenever it was previewed before release, it drew lots of crowds and many ended up being very impressed and wanting more. Nintendo knew they had some very special under the production and direction of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. As such, Nintendo had an ambitious marketing campaign that includes print media, video advertising on MTV, Fox and Nickelodeon and even sending video tapes to thousands of Nintendo Power magazine subscribers. This 2-page print ad was part of the campaign and it had a fine visual design that strongly emphasized the iconic Mario in polygonal form in most spaces, leaving the screenshots in the bottom. This old ad from 1996 never looks outdated and its clean approach is really effective in helping people understand that something great would be launched along with the N64. Both the console and this game sold a lot of copies ultimately and it remains one of Nintendo’s biggest achievements ever.
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