Tag: games

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 45

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 45

carlocarrasco

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. Tron Arcade Flyer

The front.
The rear. The details were clearly written for arcade operators.

Remember how dazzling the 1982 movie Tron was when you first saw it? That film had groundbreaking computer-generated graphics and the filmmakers worked very hard to tell a story covering both the real and digital worlds. Along the way, the movie had strong video game vibes which resonated with gamers at a time when arcade gaming was wildly popular in America. Believe it or not, an official arcade game of Tron was released the same year as the movie and it was a massive success. The arcade flyer perfectly captured the vibe and look from the movie and the machine itself had a control stick the same with what was shown to viewers. This old flyer is still great to look at.

2. Green Beret Japanese Arcade Flyer

This is a very stylish flyer.

Konami was a highly prolific game publisher in the 1980s and it had lots of games that became huge blockbusters. During the decade, their game developers were strongly influenced by both Hollywood action movies and the Cold War. In 1985, Konami released the militaristic game Green Beret in Japanese arcades and to promote it, they created an arcade flyer featuring a very stylish artwork highlighting military images of soldiers (including a guy smoking) and warfare. This ad still looks great and it was not surprising it helped the game achieve huge commercial success. Green Beret was released in America as Rush’n Attack.

3. Darius Japanese And North American Arcade Flyers

The Japanese flyer.
The North American flyer.

Released in arcades worldwide in 1987, Darius is a 2D side-scrolling shooter game from Taito which had a science fiction concept of the starship Silver Hawk (piloted by players) which sets on a mission to destroy an evil empire before it could destroy the world called Darius. The game was successful, most notably in Japan and it eventually led to sequels being released later. What I find intriguing is how the arcade game was promoted in Japan and in North America. The Japanese arcade flyer had this intriguing artwork that reflected a blend of sci-fi with a touch of horror. The North American flyer had a strong sci-fi touch with a male and female model wearing costumes (that made them look futuristic) standing beside the Darius machine. Which flyer looks more appealing to you?

4. Data East’s Arcade Alley Print Ad

Fun and excitement emphasized in this print ad.

There is nothing like porting arcade hits to computer systems for gamers to enjoy. In 1988 there in Europe, U.S. Gold released Data East’s Arcade Alley for computer systems and it included ports of popular Data East games like Kung Fu Master, Express Raider, Breakthru, Tag Team Wrestling, Last Mission and Karate Champ. U.S. Gold’s print ad showed a guy in the middle of a video arcade looking on both sides to pick which game to play which strongly emphasized the essence of the game collection (offered in cassettes and disk). This old ad is still amusing to look at.

5. Blasteroids European Print Ad

Blasteroids for the Europeans.

Blasteroids, the third entry in Atari’s popular Asteroids games series, was released in European arcades by Image Works and eventually landed on computer systems there. For Europe, the ad makers came up with artwork showing a creepy, green space monster surrounded by a few spaceships to emphasize the game’s concept. The said monster eventually appeared on the game covers of the computer ports of Blasteroids later. This ad shows creative adjustments taken to promote games in different parts of the world.

6. Dream Team USA Japanese Print Ad

The legends of the NBA in the Japanese version of EA’s Team USA Basketball. Retitling the game as Dream Team USA made more sense because “Dream Team” was a much more popular reference than “Team USA Basketball”.

Remember how wildly popular the Dream Team (Team USA in Olympic basketball) was in 1992? With NBA legends Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton and more representing America in the basketball tournament of the Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain, the Dream Team (a media-led reference for the team) was easily the main attraction not only for basketball fans worldwide but also those who craved for excitement in international sports events. That said, Electronic Arts secured the license to make an official video game about the Dream Team and actually released the game Team USA Basketball within 1992 for the Sega Genesis. As basketball is popular also in Japan, EA released the game there titled as Dream Team USA and came up with a Japanese print ad to seriously capture gamers’ attention. This ad is still effective in delighting both basketball and video game enthusiasts.

7. Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back And Return Of The Jedi Print Ad

No screenshots of games used. Just the official images from the posters of the two movies.

Back in the 1990s, there was a resurgence of the original Star Wars trilogy across different forms of media. Apart from the VHS re-releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, there was a slew of video games of Star Wars released during the decade and the fans had new stuff to entertain themselves with. Along the way, the company THQ secured the rights to Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi for re-release to coincide with the 1997 “Special Edition” theatrical releases of their respective movies. THQ’s print ad simply used official images of Return of the Jedi and inserted a tiny bit of The Empire Strikes Back, and they did not show any screenshots that could have been helpful for Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Game Boy users. Still, it was smart for THQ to print two excerpts of game reviews to sell the games.

8. Super Mario RPG North American Print Ad

A mesmerizing ad for the acclaimed Super Mario RPG.

Remember back in the 1990s when Nintendo and role-playing game giant SquareSoft had a very healthy business relationship that proved successful? Before their eventual breakup (related to Square signing with Sony for PlayStation development), the two companies joined forces to make a fully featured role-playing game for the SNES featuring Super Mario and related characters…Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. To promote the game, Nintendo (the publisher) created a mesmerizing 2-page print ad highlighting their characters while emphasizing the role-playing and fantasy aspects of the game. At the time of its release, Super Mario was often identified with platform games and the Super Mario RPG print ad was a serious attempt to lure fans into RPGs which the SNES was already rich with. This ad, which I first saw in gaming magazines in 1996, still looks great.

9. NBA Shootout ’97 Print Ad

Did you play this on PlayStation in 1997?

If there is anything I miss about 1990s console gaming, it is the fact that there were a lot of NBA-licensed video games that were offered to players with different tastes in basketball gaming. Sony had its own exclusive NBA games series called NBA Shootout and they were pretty aggressive selling its own basketball games along with the PlayStation going up against the likes of Electronic Arts (NBA Live), Sega and others. This is reflected in this 2-page print ad of NBA Shootout ’97 which was a PlayStation-exclusive release. They featured a photograph of Lakers’ Eddie Jones about to dunk and showed screenshots as well as the descriptive text written with excitement. Since it first started, NBA Shootout was basketball in full 3D polygonal graphics backed with motion-captured moves and dunks that players could enjoy only PlayStation. This ad is a reminder that Sony used to make official NBA games and there is a lack of variety and players’ choice of NBA gaming in today’s world.

10. Legend of Legaia North American Print Ad

Perhaps someone at Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) thought Legend of Legaia was a horror video game.

There was a time when Sony produced Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) exclusive for PlayStation consoles. One of them was Legend of Legaia which had a combat system that emphasized martial arts and it had an interesting fantasy concept. For its 1999 North American release, Sony came up with a very bizarre 2-page print ad that had digital artwork with a very strong horror vibe and the visual designs within the three screenshots shown were clearly not related with it. How this ad was made remains unclear. This is easily one of the most misguided gaming ads of the 1990s.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 44

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 44

carlocarrasco

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 early 2000s.

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. Berzerk Arcade Flyer

The front.
The rear.

Could you imagine being trapped deep within a maze surrounded by dangerous robots (plus one other unstoppable enemy) capable firing laser blasts at you? This was the concept behind the design of Berzerk, an arcade game released by Stern Electronics in 1980. Released at a time when science fiction became wildly popular in American entertainment, Berzerk was immersive for gamers and the multidirectional gameplay feature was captivating for many. To promote the game, Stern Electronics came up with a customized visual design that blended 2D sprite elements with a photograph of two people and some hand-drawn art pieces. The front of the flyer emphasized accurate the core concept of the game while the rear explained the technical details. They even played with their company name with the line “Stern goes berzerk!”

2. Rush’n Attack North American Arcade Flyer

The arcade flyer for North America

During the late stages of the Cold War, Konami made a lot of military-themed video games which resonated not only with those who were already aware about the global conflict but also with gamers who craved for action and excitement. One of those games was Rush’n Attack (alternative title: Green Beret) which was released in American arcades in late-1985. Konami came up with an arcade flyer showing four people (looking like an American family) having a good time in front of an arcade cabinet, and three screenshots of the game were displayed on the lower half. Rush’n Attack – which was deliberately titled to resemble the phrase “Russian attack” due to its obvious Cold War setting – went on to succeed commercially and critically. One notable game review compared Rush’n Attack favorably with the movie Rambo: First Blood Part II.

3. Turbo Out Run North American Arcade Flyer

The flyer.

Following the massive success Sega achieved with Out Run in 1986, the company went on to release the follow-up Turbo OutRun three years later. As seen in their North American flyer, Sega emphasized the in-game locations, the look of the machine with the driver’s seat and steering wheel, and the excitement they can expect. Turbo OutRun went on to become successful in the arcades worldwide and it got ported to a variety of consoles and computer systems in the years that followed. On its own, the arcade flyer sparked excitement for gamers.

4. Air Duel Japanese Arcade Flyer

The artwork here is captivating to look at.

Released in Japanese arcades in 1990, Air Duel from Irem is an intense and fast-paced 2D sprite vertically scrolling shooter that attracted a lot of players. It had a war theme and its aesthetic has a mix of military and somewhat futuristic science fiction elements. The game’s arcade flyer featured a very intriguing artwork by Takashi Yamasaki showing two aircrafts flying over a city heading towards a massively large enemy in the distance. In my opinion, the artwork alone is pretty engaging to see and it’s more than enough to make me think about playing the game.

5. Spellbound Adaptor Print Ad

The Spellbound Adaptor print ad in Europe. UK design and manufacturing emphasized.

Remember back in the old days when there were hardware lockouts on game consoles that prevented users from playing games imported from different regions? In Europe, a special cheat and regional bypass cartridge called the Spellbound Adaptor was released and it allowed Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) users to bypass the lockouts and play games from overseas. The Spellbound Adaptor was notably advertised in European print media showing two sexy ladies posing with the adaptor itself (on the SNES), the television and many SNES games. The ad even includes a promo of buying the adaptor with a game of choice for only £69.95. The ad is still impactful to look at.

6. Contra III: The Alien Wars North American Print Ad

Konami’s made a huge impression visually with this 2-page print ad promoting Contra III: The Alien Wars.

By the time the SNES was launched in America in 1991, a lot of gamers who enjoyed Contra games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) have been craving for a sequel on the newer console. Their dreams finally came through in early 1992 when Konami released Contra III: The Alien Wars on the SNES, and it was a lot more than visual upgrade as it had groundbreaking features connected with the game developers’ clever use of the console’s technology. Konami was already aware of Contra’s huge following in America, so they came up with an aggressive looking print ad promoting Contra III: The Alien Wars. With a red-and-black background, the ad had a variety of screenshots that were tilted to look 3D (showing what the game offered) and used a minor space for the descriptive text and image of the game box. This old print ad is one of the finest ways to promote a sequel while also emphasizing the next-generation experience fans can enjoy. This ad is a classic!

7. Apocalypse Print Ads

With Bruce Willis’ face, this 2-page Apocalypse print ad captured the attention of readers.
The more action-oriented 2-page print ad of Apocalypse. Bruce Willis is more visible here.

Believe it or not, Hollywood legend Bruce Willis actually starred in the ambitious video game titled Apocalypse. Before its 1998 released on PlayStation, Apocalypse started with the player character having an AI-controlled partner named Trey Kincaid to be played by Willis. Publisher Activision signed a multi-million Dollar deal with Bruce Willis to use his likeness and voice for the Trey character. Eventually the Trey Kincaid role was modified to be the playable character. Given the huge deal signed with the super star and the additional costs that came with game design revisions, Activision launched an aggressive marketing campaign for Apocalypse and they heavily used Bruce Willis’s name and imagery. Ultimately the game sold less than one million copies and yet Activision was satisfied with the sales which convinced them to go back to Apocalypse developer Neversoft for a new project.

8. R-Type Delta North American Print Ad

R-Type Delta was the 4th game of the R-Type series and also the first to be made with 3D polygons.

R-Type, the long-running series of 2D side-scrolling shooters by Irem, fully embraced 3D polygons with R-Type Delta on PlayStation in 1998. To promote the game in North America, Irem and their partner Agetec went all-in emphasizing their series shift into 3D polygonal graphics while promising new in-game weapons. Very smartly, they included positive quotes from Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), PlayStation Magazine (PSM) and Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) to show credibility. In recent times, an enhanced version of R-Type Delta (R-Type Delta: HD Boosted) was released on modern game console and PC.

9. Racing Lagoon Japanese Print Ad

Have you ever played this game from SquareSoft?

Released in 1999 for PlayStation only in Japan, Racing Lagoon was one of many games SquareSoft made for a genre other than role-playing games (RPGs). Released at a time when the PlayStation already had lots of racing games available from around the world, Racing Lagoon was a racing game that had role-playing elements mixed in. To promote it, SquareSoft made a print ad that had a night-time city vibe and they showed some screenshots with a unique visual style. The in-game story was influenced by the illegal street racing trend that happened in Japan during the 1980s.

10. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica North America Print Ads

Truly a next-generation Resident Evil experience first launched on the Sega Dreamcast! I know some people who bought the console just to play Resident Evil – Code: Veronica.
The 2-page print ad of RE – Code: Veronica.

When Resident Evil – Code: Veronica was released on the Sega Dreamcast in Japan in February 2000, it delivered a next-generation survival horror experience to die-hard RE fans and it was easily one of the must-have games for Dreamcast owners of the time. Along the way, RE fans and Dreamcast owners in America were already anticipating the game. Capcom had an aggressive ad campaign for the game with US gamers in mind and this particular single-page print ad showed the fan-favorite characters Claire and Chris Redfield on one corner, six selected screenshots and quotes from the published game reviews of Game Informer, Next Generation and the Official Dreamcast Magazine. The 2-page print ad had the same elements but had the Redfield siblings on the 2nd page. I remember seeing these ads on a few gaming magazines and they made me think about buying a Dreamcast just to play RE – Code: Veronica. These old ads emphasized the strong business trust between Capcom and Sega (which itself lost a lot of money and credibility with the Sega Saturn consoles and many add-on devices released years prior).  

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 43

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 43

carlocarrasco

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. Taito’s 4-in-1 Print Ad

I remember seeing this ad in some comic books I read back in the 1980s.

There is nothing like taking the clever approach of promoting multiple video games using only one single print ad in the size of a single page. Taito did exactly that in the 1980s when it promoted Elevator Action, The Legend of Kage, Arkanoid and Renegade for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) promising excitement as the mentioned games were making the jump from arcade to console. What is very notable in Taito’s single-page print ad was that it did not show any screenshots of the games. Instead, they used hand-drawn artwork to emphasize each game’s theme or setting, and leave it up to the viewers’ imagination as to how those games would look like on NES. This old ad is intriguing and amusing at the same time.  

2. Chase H.Q. II: Special Criminal Investigation Print Ad

Cars and high-speed action emphasized in this ad.

Following the huge success of the original Chase H.Q. on both arcade and consoles in the late-1980s, the sequel Special Crime Investigation was released in the arcades in 1989 and ported to game consoles and computers in the early 1990s under the title Chase H.Q. II: Special Criminal Investigation. To promote Chase H.Q. II: Special Criminal Investigation for home computers, game publisher Ocean came up with a colorful print ad showcasing a few cars, a city background and elements of gun-related action presented in nice art. The ad has an image of the original arcade machine to remind gamers that they are playing the sequel to Chase H.Q.

3. Dancing Eyes Japanese Arcade Flyer

The front.
The rear.

Released by Namco in Japan in 1996, Dancing Eyes is a puzzle arcade game that became notorious due to its overtly sexual nature. With the way it was designed, players control a small monkey called Urusu-San and crawl along a 3D grid mapped over characters (mostly ladies) or various objects. If the 3D grid is mapped over a young lady, any tile of the grid destroyed by the player exposes the lady’s underwear or skin. Such sexuality is reflected in the arcade flyer of Dancing Eyes which has a suggestive hand-drawn art on the front while the game’s mechanics are explained in the rear. Even the rear of the flyer shows sexual nature of the game with screenshots. While the game was officially released only in Japan, Dancing Eyes actually was made available for gamers to play at the arcade of X-Site amusement center inside Festival Mall in Alabang during the early 2000s and it attracted a lot of guys. I bet Namco did not know about that.

4. Sega Saturn North American Print Ad

This print ad always caught people’s attention.

When the Sega launched the Saturn console in America roughly four months ahead of schedule in 1995, the company suffered as the sales were disappointing, ties with business partners were strained and the available Saturn games were very few. By the fourth quarter of that year, more games became available for the Saturn and this gave Sega the opportunity to aggressively market the console as the one that gamers should get for their enjoyment. To promote the Saturn, Sega came up with a two-page print ad that had a dominant image of a naked woman whose private parts were cleverly covered by screenshots of the available games. Since most gamers were predominantly male from teenagers to adults, it made sense for Sega to come up with an eye-catching sexy ad to promote their console and the video games (including those from other companies). This old ad is considered by the woke and rabid feminists as very offensive today.

5. Blockbuster Video Print Ad

If you won the grand prize and wanted a lot of entertainment, you would not want to leave your home.

Back in the late 20th century, Blockbuster Video was the dominant retailer that offered customers movies in home video format for sale and for rent. Along the way, the company offered video game rentals and attracted millions of gamers around the nation. Given the tremendous growth of video gaming in America in the 1990s, Blockbuster got itself more involved by launching the Games of Summer Sweepstakes in 1996. Utilizing print ads, the sweepstakes offered the Ultimate Game Rooms – composed of a 41-inch big-screen TV, Surround Sound speakers, hi-fi VCR, NBA Jame Extreme arcade game, the Sega Saturn, the PlayStation, a gaming chair, Acclaim games for Saturn and PlayStation, and a 1-year free Blockbuster Video game rentals privilege – as the grand prizes. Do you know anyone who won in Blockbuster’s sweepstakes?

6. Independence Day (ID4) Print Ad

A nice looking ad for a game that was actually mediocre.

Remember how big a blockbuster Independence Day (ID4) was in cinemas in 1996? The film grossed over $800 million worldwide and it revived the disaster movie genre using modern filmmaking techniques and the latest technologies of the decade. Given the massive success of the movie, it was not surprising that an official video game adaptation was released in 1997. To promote the game, Fox Interactive (the video game company of the movie studio behind the film) came up with a 2-page print ad using official artwork from the movie showcasing the alien spaceship being attacked by a military fighter plane. The ad showed only 3 screenshots and the descriptive text was written to make gamers feel like they have the role to lead Earth’s fight against the aliens. While the art looks good, it can only go so far to hide the mediocrity of the game itself.

7. GoldenEye 007 Print Ad

Bond, James Bond.

When GoldenEye achieved both critical and financial success in movies, it revived the James Bond movie franchise big-time and Pierce Brosnan was easily accepted by the public as the newest Agent 007. Several months before the movie was even released, an official video game adaptation started development. After much revisions and hard adjustments, the project evolved into a first-person shooting game for the Nintendo 64 console titled GoldenEye 007. To promote the game, Nintendo came up with a 2-page print ad that cleverly showed Brosnan as James Bond on the left and displayed the screenshots and other details on the right. This ad was easily eye-catching and it made lots of gamers excited. As history showed, GoldenEye 007 got released in 1997 and became a huge critical and commercial success while also proving that first-person shooters on game consoles can be a lot of fun.

8. North American Sega Saturn Games Promo Print Ad

There definitely was something fun offered to gamers. Who could go wrong with titles like Tomb Raider, Nights into Dreams, Virtual On and Virtua Cop 2?

As mentioned earlier, the Sega Saturn had a bad launch in America in 1995 which caused a lot of problems for the company. In 1996, Sega of America went on the offensive to really capture gamers’ attention by launching their Saturn games promo. The message of this 2-page print ad was very clear…Sega offered one free first-party game (limited to four specific games including Nights into Dreams) to those who bought two games (from a lineup of twelve specific titles). It should be noted that the Christmas season of 1996 was the most successful sales period of the Sega Saturn in America as gamers really responded to the promo. Even though some called this promo an act of desperation, nothing changes the fact that Sega succeeded during the most critical sales season of 1996.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 42

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 42

carlocarrasco

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

The front.
The rear.

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

Did you experience watching arcade gameplay footage displayed on an overhead monitor?

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

Did this 1989 ad convince you to buy a Sega Genesis console?

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

Fact: The Punisher started as an assassin in the comic books in 1974 before being turned into an anti-criminal killer.

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

Did you enjoy this Lethal Enforcers sequel?

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

This is an ad and not an article.

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

The team behind the popular Sonic platform games on the Sega Genesis made Nights into Dreams.

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

This one was simple, clean and yet memorable.

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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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #3 (1996)

A Look Back at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #3 (1996)

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Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back science fiction enthusiasts, 20th century pop culture enthusiasts, Star Wars fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the year 1996 to examine the 3rd chapter of a very notable Star Wars storyline that took place between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi…Shadows of the Empire!  

With the first two issues of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire released (click here and here), the overall concept of the storyline has firmly been set and with sub-plots moving. This includes characters and developments that were not reflected nor referenced at in Return of the Jedi. At this stage, there is both excitement and suspense to look forward to.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #3, published in 1996 by Dark Horse Comics with a story written by John Wagner and drawn by Kilian Plunkett. This is the 3rd chapter of the 6-issue mini-series.  

The cover.

Early story

The story begins with the gang of Gizman – including the newcomer Jix – who visit Jabba The Hutt in his palace for an important meeting. After expressing doubt about Jix, Jabba tells the gang that he is aware of Luke Skywalker’s presence in Tatooine and he has been signed near the former dwelling of Ben Kenobi. Jabba finds Skywalker more valuable to him dead. A short time later, Jix asked why does Jabba want Skywalker dead when Darth Vader will on pay for him to be living. This causes a bit of tension within the gang.

With R2D2 present with him at Obi-Wan’s old place, Luke Skywalker completed his brand-new lightsaber. Suddenly a laser blast almost hits them both and Luke realizes that the gang (which just met Jabba) is fast approaching them. The laser blast came from Jix who was told to hold his fire. Moments later, Luke takes down the first gang member who arrived using his new lightsaber…

Quality

Having the frozen Han Solo makes Boba Fett a target of those who want the prize.

Like issue #2, the intrigue and twists kept on happening as the pay-offs to the previous issue’s build-up got executed. Indeed, the story here moved Shadows of the Empire’s concept forward gradually and what was shown is both entertaining and engaging.

You will see here Luke Skywalker’s first-ever use of his then new green-colored lightsaber (the same one in Return of the Jedi) as he becomes a target of Jabba The Hutt who has a violent gang targeting him. Dash Rendar, arguably a creative stand-in for Han Solo in this storyline and also the playable protagonist in the Nintendo 64 video game, becomes even more important as he took the risk of involving himself with Luke as the gang attacked. The interaction between Dash and Luke here is believable to follow and makes a lot of sense within the context of this storyline.

What I found captivating here was the scene in which Darth Vader actually (and bravely) objected to Emperor Palpatine’s plan. The scene was pretty short but it was a powerful display of tension and even division between them. Along the way, Prince Xizor remains relevant with regards to the potential events waiting to happen while more of Boba Fett’s struggle being targeted (as the frozen body of Han Solo is a very valuable prize for other bounty hunters) by others was dramatized nicely.

Conclusion

Luke Skywalker, Dash Rendar and R2D2.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #3 (1996) succeeded in moving the story developments forward while ending up being entertaining enough. The speed bike chase in Beggar’s Canyon along was exhilarating to see and the dramatic moments of the sub-plots had impact. Right now, I am convinced to keep on reading more of Shadows of the Empire.

Overall, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #3 (1996) is recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #4 (1998)

A Look Back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #4 (1998)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, video game enthusiasts and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the late-1990s to examine another issue of the magazine-sized comic book series titled Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine.

Having read the first three issues of the RE comic book magazine series, I can say that the quality has been mixed. While issue #2 had pretty bad Resident Evil 2 illustrated adaptation, issue #3 had a short story that functioned as a sequel to Resident Evil (1996) in the form of a polished fan fiction. There were other short stories that turned out serviceable to intriguing and surprisingly entertaining to read. How much creative freedom WildStorm had in its publishing deal with Capcom remains unclear.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #4, published by WildStorm/Image Comics in 1998 with short stories written by Ted Adams, Marc Mostman and Kris Oprisko, and drawn by Rafael Kayanan, Ryan Odagawa and Norman Felchie.

The cover.

Early stories

Night Stalkers – In a sleepy town in the southwestern part of America, two men suddenly got abducted by humanoid bats (referred to as “zombie bats” by the publisher) and were brought to a secret facility of Umbrella. The scientists of Umbrella have the technology to control the bats and they have already abducted many people who became helpless subjects of a transmutation process. Back in the sleepy town, the community is panicking and the son of the sheriff was rescued from a group of humanoid bats. In response to the town’s call for help, the United States government sends agent Leon Kennedy to solve their problem.

Special Delivery – Two helicopter operators working for Umbrella are tasked to lift special containers of their company’s bio-weapons. Their goal is to drop specific containers at different sites within and outside of Raccoon City. One by one, the monsters of Umbrella are dropped in some very unsuspecting laps from above.

Zombies Aboard – Inside the airplane, Chris Redfield, his sister Claire and Barry Burton realize the there is nobody left to pilot the aircraft. Using the flight training he had with S.T.A.R.S., Chris takes control of the airplane.

Quality

When Umbrella’s helicopter drops its biological weapons, chaos happens.

This early, I can say that I was entertained by this Resident Evil comic book.

The first short story Night Stalkers is WildStorm’s next attempt of making a sequel to Resident Evil following Leon Kennedy on his mission to take on Umbrella and the town it affected. There are no zombies but Umbrella’s scientists and the project leader are using man-sized bats to spread the G-virus and their methods clearly caused human rights violations on the victims. This short story, which was well written and had a good structure, is actually prophetic because it portrayed Leon Kennedy as an agent of the US government and this comic book was released many years before Resident Evil 4 (2005) came out. For context, Leon Kennedy in RE4 worked for the US government and his mission was to rescue the American President’s daughter. In the short story and in the said video game, both versions of Leon Kennedy showed him being very proficient with action and he has no fear going up against multiple enemies. One has to wonder if RE creator and RE4 game director Shinji Mikami ever read Night Stalkers for inspiration. Night Stalkers is entertaining.

The brave and dynamic Leon Kennedy springs into action against Umbrella.

The second short story Special Delivery is a really intriguing look at the personnel who operated the helicopter to transport Umbrella’s monsters. This is in reference to what happened in Resident Evil 2 as Mr. X got dropped down. There are no established characters here but that’s not a problem because the story made a lot of sense and fit in nicely with the Resident Evil universe. It also shows how unethical, cold-hearted and evil Umbrella really is not only towards its business rivals but also against humanity. This one is surprisingly entertaining.

The final short story Zombies Aboard follows Chris, Jill and Barry Burton on their high-risk mission to find Umbrella in Europe and stop them from causing danger on the world. This is the continuation of Dead Air in issue #3 and it was a serious attempt by WildStorm creators to function as a sequel to the RE games of the time. With regards to its quality, the short story was structured with action and horror in mind. While the three established RE characters search for Umbrella, the story lacked depth as there is way too little detective elements in it. Instead, you will see the S.T.A.R.S. members firing or stabbing or slashing zombies they encountered from England to Germany (the story never showed the authorities reacting to the collateral damage caused by the three), and it is at the very end of the tale when the suspense and horror came in. This short story is clearly less engaging compared to its predecessor. At least the art work is good and the artist did not hold back on the violence.

Conclusion

Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Barry Burton search for Umbrella in Europe.

With the three stories featured, Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #4 (1998) is just as entertaining as issue #3. For me, the only letdown was the final short story. The highlight was actually the first short story as it turned out to be very prophetic as to how Leon Kennedy would eventually turn out in video games – the brave and dynamic action hero millions of fans and gamers today enjoy.

Overall, Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #4 (1998) is recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 41 (Jurassic Park Special)

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 41 (Jurassic Park Special)

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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 related to the 1993 blockbuster film Jurassic Park. As part of the business strategy of the film directed by Steven Spielberg, several video games were licensed to make movies based on the movie. Unsurprisingly, the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in 1997 and it also had its own video games. This is the Jurassic Park Special.

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. Jurassic Park SNES Game Print Ad

I saw this 2-page print ad in video game magazines in 1993.

Just a few months after the release of the movie, the official Jurassic Park video game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was released by Ocean and the company came up with a 2-page print ad to showcase a few screenshots and creative text emphasizing an adventure experience with a touch of “3-D”. The ad makers cleverly showed two first-person view sequence screenshots that showed the SNES was strong enough to deliver the so-called 3D experience. I remember seeing this ad while reading a video game magazine in 1993 and it easily caught my attention.

2. Jurassic Park PC Game Print Ad

This Jurassic Park game I never had a chance to play.

For the Jurassic Park personal computer (PC) game, Ocean came up with a single-page print ad that uses a live-action image from the film’s production. Not only was the image of Tyrannosaurus Rex head (with its sharp teeth visible) touching the vehicle very engaging to see, it is also a reminder that practical effects and other physical stuff were heavily used to do it resulting in a high level of realism that computer-generated imagery (CGI) cannot match.

3. Jurassic Park Sega Genesis North American Print Ad

The most visually striking 2-page print ad of the JP game for Sega Genesis.

Sega acquired licenses to make Jurassic Park games for its existing consoles plus the arcade game. To promote the Sega Genesis JP game, Sega came up with this 2-page print ad with a great visual design. While there were only few screenshots from the video game, the rest of the ad was filled with lots of eye candy such as dinosaur fossils, illustrations, science-based details and more. Very clearly, this print ad strongly emphasized the dinosaurs, adventure and intrigue. The game eventually sold a lot of copies and added to the overall commercial success Sega had in North America in 1993.

4. Jurassic Park Japanese Arcade Flyer

I played this Jurassic Park game in arcades here in the Philippines.

In 1994, Sega released the ambitious Jurassic Park arcade game which was a rail shooter game that had a sophisticated physical design that includes seats for two people. Developed by Sega’s AM3 team, the player(s) equipped with the joystick(s) has to shoot the dinosaurs that appeared on-screen from start to finish. To immerse gamers into the Jurassic Park environment, the game has a fine blend of 2D sprits and 3D polygons which resulted in the feel of 3D surroundings. For its part, Sega had to excite players and arcade operators while also explaining the technical details using the arcade flyer. The arcade game was a commercial success.

5. Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues Print Ad

This surprise sequel excited many gamers who were into the 1993 movie and 2D side-scrolling adventure games.

While it is a fact that the sequel to Jurassic Park did not come out in book format (1995) and in the cinemas (1997), Ocean went ahead with its very own sequel titles Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues. They even had an original tale about the established character Dr. Alan Grant returning to Jurassic Park to stop a rival corporation from taking over the place. To promote the SNES version of the game, the company came up with a single-page print ad that had an “under new management” sign above while showing a Velociraptor and a few screenshots from the game. As it was released in 1994, the game strongly appealed to the fans as well as gamers who enjoyed 2D side-scrolling adventure games on the SNES.

6. The Lost World: Jurassic Park Print Ad

DreamWorks Interactive made the official console games of The Lost World: Jurassic Park and they had EA and Sega publish it.

Like its blockbuster predecessor, The Lost World: Jurassic Park had its own video game adaptations. The Lost World: Jurassic Park games for PlayStation and Sega Saturn were developed by a video game company which was under DreamWorks SKG (note: Steven Spielberg was one of the founders), and they had Electronic Arts (EA) and Sega publishing each game per specific console. To market the game, a 2-page print ad was made which featured a dinosaur skull dominating the image leaving some space for screenshots and the descriptive text. Having seen the movie and having played the game, I can say that the dark aesthetic of this print ad reflected the dark and gritty tone of the Spielberg-directed movie.

7. The Lost World: Jurassic Park North American Sega GameWorks Arcade Flyer

The front.
The rear.

For me, the best game based on The Lost World: Jurassic Park has always been the official arcade game developed and distributed by Sega. It was a sophisticated rail shooter made by the same team behind the 1994 Jurassic Park arcade game. The arcade flyer clearly mentions the Model 3 which was a highly advanced arcade hardware of Sega that made highly detailed 3D polygonal graphics and smooth animation possible. The flyer also boasted the use of a 50-inch medium resolution Mitsubishi monitor and the 4-speaker Surround Sound system that made the arcade experience intense. Even by today’s standards, this 1997 arcade game still looks great and remains enjoyable to play. This arcade flyer really promoted what was real for gamers to experience in the arcade. Are you aware that Steven Spielberg himself received The Lost World: Jurassic Park arcade cabinet as a gift from Sega?

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3 (1998)

A Look Back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3 (1998)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, video game enthusiasts and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the late-1990s to examine another issue of the magazine-sized comic book series titled Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine.

By the time WildStorm Productions released the 3rd issue in 1998, many millions of gamers around the world played Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation. The Resident Evil fanbase expanded dramatically and many of them completed the game’s multiple scenarios. At the same time, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield became popular characters in gaming.

The 2nd issue I reviewed had a very bad adaptation of Resident Evil 2’s story. What prevented the comic book from ending up as a complete disaster were the two other short stories which were surprisingly entertaining to read. Still, I wonder if Shinji Mikami and the game developers ever saw the abysmal Resident Evil 2 adaptation in the 2nd issue.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3, published by WildStorm/Image Comics in 1998 with short stories written by Ted Adams and Kris Oprisko, and drawn by Ryan Odagawa, Carlos D’Anda and Lee Bermejo.

The cover with art by Jim Lee.

Early stories

Wolf Hunt – At Raccoon City College, a few students talk about someone who got killed at school and her body was all torn up. They aware that the authorities are keeping the story out of the papers to avoid causing a panic. In the evening, of the students got harmed by a ferocious monster. The next day at S.T.A.R.S. headquarters, Albert Wesker, Jill Valentine and Barry Burton discuss the killings that happened at the city college. They were asked by the local police to investigate what happened. Jill takes the assignment of going undercover as a student.

Danger Island – A man and a woman arrive at Isla Bonale in Caribbean for a vacation. The island is so exclusive, they only let ten couples on it at a time. After having a romantic night of dinner and dancing, they decide to go snorkeling and rent a boat. Just as they start snorkeling, a plane crashes on the island.

Dead Air – Following the events of Resident Evil (1996) and Resident Evil 2, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Barry Burton start traveling to Europe with the goal of ending Umbrella’s current progress on a new variation of the T-virus even though they have to go undercover. They have the support of a top-secret international agency which already has someone in place to help them. Meanwhile, Umbrella has a spy watching on the three.

Quality

Imagine being surrounded by the deadly Lickers of Umbrella on an island wearing only swimwear and having no useful pieces of equipment to protect yourself with.

Similar to issue #2, this comic book has three short stories and some extras.

The short story Wolf Hunt, which took place before the events of the original Resident Evil game of 1996, has the odd concept of having werewolves existing within the RE universe. Werewolves are often super natural and such monsters don’t align with the sci-fi and biological aspects of the Resident Evil games. In fairness, the creative team had this interesting concept of having Jill Valentine going undercover as a student in the city college to find answers and solve the problem. I should state that the artwork by Ryan Odagawa is good overall although his take on Jill Valentine is cartoonish. This story is pretty short and lacked a solid conclusion. It’s really a glorified piece of fan fiction that should interest fans of the 1996 game.

Danger Island, the 2nd short story, is easily the gem of this comic book. This is a completely original tale that has brand-new lead characters – the couple Stan and Leslie – and an island as the setting. Without spoiling the plot, this is a suspense story with a moderate pace, some dynamic visuals and a good implementation of elements from the lore of Resident Evil. The creative team behind this tale emphasized that as long as Umbrella and is biological experiments exist, danger and death will creep up on people regardless of location. A notable monster species from Resident Evil 2 is included here and the effects the G-virus has on creatures on the island are cleverly presented complete with nice artwork by Lee Bermejo.

Through the couple, readers will feel the danger, desperation and anxiety as the story went on. How the story ended is a must-see and I am confident it will encourage you to revisit Resident Evil 2.  

The final tale Dead Air is a daring attempt by WildStorm’s creators to make a sequel to the first two games. As mentioned above, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Barry Burton are together on a high-risk mission to find and stop Umbrella in Europe. The main setting is inside a commercial flight where a zombie outbreak happens. Without their weapons, Chris, Jill and Barry are compelled to use alternative items and ways to overcome the zombies.

While this tale is packed with action and the violence is uncompromised, something is off with the way Jill Valentine is portrayed. She is more violent with action and even expressed sarcasm. This tale is pretty short as the comic book made it clear that the continuation will happen in the next issue. Considering what was told in Resident Evil: Code Veronica (released in 2000 with Chris and Claire Redfield included), Dead Air is clearly a non-canon Resident Evil tale and it is at best a polished piece of fan fiction by WildStorm.  

When it comes to the extras, you will find the Readers Art gallery and The Resident Evil Files (featuring Chris Redfield and his sister Claire). The most notable extra stuff here, however, is another interview with Resident Evil creator/producer Shinji Mikami and you will even see a few pictures of not just him but also Hideki Kamiya (the game director of Resident Evil 2 who went on to produce lots of highly entertaining games through the decades) and members of the team behind the RE games of the time. Enjoy the pages of the interview below.

The members of the development team of Resident Evil games of the time.
Very notable details shared by Shinji Mikami.
Shinji Mikami with Hideki Kamiya. Mikami directed the original Resident Evil game of 1996 while Kamiya directed Resident Evil 2. The two are still prolific makers of video games today.
Shinji Mikami played Space Invaders when he was young.

Conclusion

Remember Jill Valentine’s extra costume in the original game of 1996?

Considering the qualities of the three short stories and the extra stuff, Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3 (1998) is easily a huge improvement over issue #2. The quality and creativity of the short stories are better, the interview with Shinji Mikami was worth reading and the comic book itself is more entertaining. That said, I am convinced to move on to the next Resident Evil comic book.

Overall, Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3 (1998) is recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

A Look Back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #2 (1998)

A Look Back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #2 (1998)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, video game enthusiasts and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the late-1990s to examine another issue of the magazine-sized comic book series titled Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine.

The launch issue of Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine was surprisingly entertaining. That’s not to say it was excellent as it had some flaws here and there. It succeeded with creative stuff by WildStorm to give readers and RE fans a wider lore of Resident Evil by reconnecting them with the first video game and slowly connecting them to Resident Evil 2. The interview with RE creator and producer Shinji Mikami (still a prolific video games industry producer) was indeed a good bonus.

As many of us know, Resident Evil 2 was a huge critical and commercial hit in 1998. By the time WildStorm continued publishing another issue of the official comic book magazine, enthusiasm for Resident Evil was intensified and many new gamers who enjoy RE2 on PlayStation became fans.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #2, published by WildStorm/Image Comics in 1998 with short stories written by Ted Adams and Kris Oprisko, and drawn by  Carlos D’Anda and Lee Bermejo.

The cover.

Early stories

A New Chapter of Evil (Resident Evil 2 adaptation) – Inside a police car moving along the street in the middle of a zombie-fested Raccoon City, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield tried to figure out what has been happening around them. Leon notices an over-speeding truck is about to hit them from behind. The two managed to get out of the car before it got hit by the truck. From a distance, Leon tells Claire to make her way to the Raccoon City police station where they can meet again.     

Mutant Menagerie – After getting left behind by the armed men who shot him, chief researcher William Birkin clutches an overlooked vial of the G-virus and injects himself with it. He soon mutates into a large, deformed monster capable of killing anyone easily. Propelled by sheer willpower to save his life’s work, Birkin simply thinks about infecting many. The next day at the zoo of Raccoon City, a monstrous roar catches the attention of a security guard who rushes outside only to find his two colleagues dead and their bodies torn apart.

Lock Down – Barry Burton, who has been experiencing recurring nightmares since the disastrous mission at the Spencer mansion, visits a facility to seek the help of a psychiatrist. As he approaches the office of the psychiatrist, he noticed someone looking strange.

Quality

Barry Burton suddenly encounters a Tyrant!

In this 2nd issue, the WildStorm team prepared three short stories with the first one serving as the illustrated adaptation of Resident Evil 2’s story (specifically with Leon on Scenario A and Claire on Scenario B).

The RE2 adaptation titled A New Chapter of Evil is very sloppy and so poorly done. The assigned writer and artist forcibly crammed the entire Resident Evil 2 story into a limited number of pages. The result is a very rushed approach on storytelling and the noticeable lack of care on the presentation. Having played RE2 a number of times myself, I can easily say that the order of scenes from the game were sloppily chained together in illustrated format to unbelievably occur next to each other without any proper spacing. That also means leaving no space for the reader to slow down to be able to absorb the details and to understand what has been going on.

Since there were not enough pages allocated, the visual presentation also suffered. Each battle with a monster happened too fast and not enough panels could be made to emphasize clearly what happened. The same thing also happened in key scenes of the story.

In the scene in which Claire Redfield encountered the office of the corrupt chief of police (with the dead body of a blonde woman on his desk), the creative team showed the two having a really short talk quickly followed by Claire meeting Sherry for the first time (without even showing Claire moving out of the chief’s office) followed by showing them descending on a motorized lift and quickly encountering the chief (who somehow teleported ahead of them).

The cramming of scenes, dialogue and bad visualization happened all throughout this Resident Evil 2 adaptation. One has to wonder why WildStorm decided not to use the entire 2nd issue for the adaptation. This literary adaptation of RE2 is absolutely bad and it is clearly an embarrassing piece of work of WildStorm’s publishing.

The short story Mutant Menagerie is an attempt to connect to the lord of RE2 by having the mutated William Birkin as the monster with the zoo as the environment. The protagonist is the zoo security guard Patrick Brady who is unsurprisingly in a major disadvantage. Creatively, this tale provides readers an interesting look at what would happen had the G-virus infected the animals in the zoo which added a new element of danger in the zombie crisis within the Resident Evil universe. The story has some Rambo-vibes when it came to the protagonist taking extreme measures to deal with the infected zoo animals.

While Mutant Menagerie is clearly non-canon as the presence of Birkin in the zoo made no sense at all in relation to what was shown in Resident Evil 2 (Birkin’s presence was limited to the NEST facility underneath Raccoon City), this short story became more relevant as the Raccoon City Zoo officially appeared in Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 (released SIX YEARS after this comic book). This short story is an intriguing and satisfying piece of fan fiction.

The third tale Lock Down is a serious attempt to give RE fans a look at what happened to Barry Burton after the events of the 1996 game. This one has some Die Hard vibes as you will see Burton as a desperate action hero who happens to be present during a very unfortunate series of events. You will also see how he strives hard to solve problems without Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers to assist him. Artist Lee Bermejo did not compromise with the graphic violence and gore, and his approach on visual dynamism was nicely executed. His visualization of Burton is pretty good too.  

While the series of unfortunate events here makes the tale believable, there is something weird as the narrative went on. The building itself has secrets of its own and scenes such as Barry Burton suddenly encountering a Tyrant felt like a nightmare from nowhere. It is implied that the laboratory, the postal center, the smelly sub-basement and the penthouse could have all been established by Umbrella within the city. This short story is actually entertaining and surprising.

Conclusion

Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 adaptation.

The main feature story of Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #2 (1998) – the official adaptation of Resident Evil 2’s story – is clearly the failure and is an obvious waste of time. What prevented this comic book magazine from becoming a total disaster were the short stories Mutant Menagerie and Lock Down which were entertaining and surprising to read. That said, it is mind-boggling that WildStorm did not use this entire issue to properly tell the Resident Evil 2 story and give the creative team enough space to ensure a quality adaptation. I wonder how Capcom and the Resident Evil 2 developers reacted to this issue’s RE2 adaptation.

Overall, Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #2 (1998) is serviceable.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 40 (RPG Special)

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 40 (RPG Special)

carlocarrasco

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 focused mainly on role-playing games (RPGs) from the East and the West. This is the RPG Special!

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. Dragon Warrior II Print Ad

The art style used made this one looked similar with Dungeons & Dragons.

When Dragon Quest was released in America titled as Dragon Warrior, its sales there came nowhere close to what it sold in Japan. The game, however, sold enough copies to convince Enix to bring the sequel Dragon Warrior II (Japanese title: Dragon Quest II) to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in America and they came up with an ad that had obvious Western-style artwork to emphasize the fantasy elements. By comparison, the Japanese version of the game used the distinct art of Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z). Back in those days, there was this belief that Toriyama’s art style would not be effective in promoting the game in America.

2. Breath Of Fire Japanese Print Ad

This is how Breath of Fire looked like in Japanese print media.

In 1993, Capcom officially broke into the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) genre with Breath of Fire on the Super Family Computer (Super Famicom). The print ad they came up with for the Japanese market showed several characters – including Ryu and Nina who would later become recurring characters as sequels were released – with designs that had elements of anime and manga styles blended which contrasted the gritty and realistic approach of Western fantasy art. The ad made it clear to readers that new adventures in a fantastic world await them. The game achieved enough commercial success in Japan which convinced Capcom to make a sequel (plus more in the years that followed).

3. Phantasy Star II North American Print Ad

The 3-page ad showcasing Phantasy Star II and many other games.

After selling a good amount of copies of the original Phantasy Star worldwide on the Sega Master System, Sega knew they were on to something. They confidently produced the sequel Phantasy Star II for their brand-new Sega Genesis console in 1989 and aggressively promoted it in America with a daring 3-page print ad. If you look closely, majority of two of the pages were used to promote Phantasy Star II with screenshots (including a big one with a TV), the text description and the console. The spaces below allowed Sega to promote their many other games in convenient fashion. The result is huge success for Sega as more than 1.6 million copies of Phantasy Star II were sold worldwide. Sega would go on to make even more Phantasy Star games.

4. Estopolis Denki II Japanese Print Ad

Estopolis Denki II print ad in Japan.

When Estopolis Denki was released on the Super Famicom in Japan, sold enough copies to justify not only bringing the game to Western markets as Lufia & The Fortress of Doom but also the production of a follow-up titled Estopolis Denki II. To promote it, Taito made a Japanese print ad that had a captivating art style (with the characters looking more realistic and a floating land that had a gritty touch), some screenshots and the promise of fantastic adventures. While the game’s title sounded like a sequel, its story was actually set in the past. Estopolis Denki II would be released in the West as Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.

5. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals North American Print Ad

Clearly Natsume did not have any game critics quotes to use to promote Lufia II.

When the first Lufia RPG was released in America on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), it became a commercial hit finishing as the top SNES game in the February 1994 sales chart. The sequel Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals was published by Natsume in America in 1996 and they daringly called it “The Ultimate Role Playing Game!” in its print ad utilizing the official artwork of a major character, two screenshots and descriptive text giving readers an idea on what to expect. This ad strongly relied on the visual elements while the first game’s American print ad (made by Taito) emphasized the critical acclaim received.

6. Chrono Trigger North American Print Ad

A lot of Dragon Ball Z fans recognized the art style of Akira Toriyama here.

Chrono Trigger, the JRPG that had the dream team creators of Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy creator), Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest creator) and Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z creator) behind the production, was easily the most ambitious game SquareSoft released in 1995. As part of the marketing strategy for the North American market, Square came up with a 2-page ad that had Toriyama’s art as the dominant image while using the remaining space for screenshots, the description and the SNES box cover placed strategically. Such a creative visual design was eye-catching and even memorable. Chrono Trigger became a huge commercial and critical hit in the West and it has long been regarded as a classic JRPG.

7. Secret of Evermore North American Print Ad

The creepy red images overshadowed the promotion of Secret of Evermore in America. Some readers might have been scared away by this ad.

Still in 1995, Square released Secret of Evermore for the SNES. Unlike most of Square’s RPGs, Secret of Evermore was developed by an American team in Washington state which explains why the game has a very distinct tone and strongly Western art style (note: the gameplay was patterned after that of Secret of Mana). To promote the game, Square came up with a very odd-looking 2-page print ad that had two dominating red images – eyes of a man on top and the front of a dog below) that felt like a forced approach to emphasize the game’s concept of the hero (a teenager boy) and his loyal dog (a very capable fighter). They used the remaining space for screenshots (which made gamers believe it was a sequel to Secret of Mana), the game box cover and a not so helpful text description. In my view, this print ad was a marketing misfire and Square could have produced hand-drawn art of the hero and his dog instead of the creepy red pictures.

8. Star Ocean: The Second Story North American Print Ad

A really odd-looking print ad.

The Star Ocean JRPG franchise of Enix had its first game released in Japan only. That first game on Super Famicom sold a lot of copies which led to the production of the sequel Star Ocean: The Second Story. By the late 1990s, Enix itself had a partnership with developer tri-Ace on the Star Ocean games. Somewhere along the way, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) secured the publishing rights of Star Ocean: The Second Story for not only America but also in other parts of the world. For the American market, Sony came up with a very odd-looking 2-page print ad that had a mail service form on the left. The form emphasized the concept of being away for a long time (reflecting the science fiction and extensive fantasy adventuring of the game itself) which incidentally was the eye-catcher of the ad. The other half of the page showing the game’s title, screenshots and detailed text description got overshadowed. This is another marketing misfire.

9. The Legend of Dragoon North American Print Ad

The movie poster-inspired print ad is memorable to look at.

Given how success Sony was with selling PlayStation consoles worldwide and how massively successful the Final Fantasy RPG franchise of SquareSoft was, it was not surprising that they decided to make their very own big-budget and exclusive JRPG with the intention to succeed and possibly establish a franchise. The result was the PlayStation-exclusive game The Legend of Dragoon which was made with a budget of $16 million and lasted three years in development. The game was released in Japan in late-1999 and sold at least 280,000 copies (note: majority of that in its first week of sales). In preparation for the June 2000 launch in America, Sony produced a print ad that had a very strong movie poster vibe showing what looked like painted art of the characters with vivid colors in the background and the title on the lower part. If you look closely, the credits were deliberately stylized over the way movie posters showed credits. While the game was not the massive hit Sony hoped for, it went on to become a million-seller and a great majority of its sales were from America. By today’s standards, the movie poster-like ad used to promote The Legend of Dragoon is memorable and an inspired piece of marketing work.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco