Tag: Charles Barkley

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 31

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 31

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 – including arcade flyers – from the 1980s and 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 and 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. Operation Wolf American and Japanese arcade flyers

Operation Wolf for American arcades.
Operation Wolf for Japan.

In the late 1980s, Taito achieved massive success in arcades around the world with Operation Wolf. Released during the late stage of the Cold War and with many militaristic action movies already released by Hollywood, Operation Wolf attracted a lot of money from countless players as well as praise from game critics. For the American market, Taito came up with a colorful yet gritty looking arcade flyer that had nice hand-drawn artwork and enough details and screenshots to give readers a useful look at what to expect. The Japanese arcade flyer meanwhile has an even grittier looking original artwork that strongly emphasized war, guns and action. In retrospect, I look both arcade flyers a lot.  

2. Centipede Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 print ad

I played Centipede a lot on Atari 2600.

While I completely missed out on the arcade version of Centipede, I managed to play its Atari 2600 version a lot. Ultimately, the simple game design and unique challenges resulted in lots of fun-filled bouts in my experience. To promote the game’s versions on Atari 2600 and Atari 5200, the game giant came up with this particular print ad that had two near-identical artworks that reflect the concept of Centipede. The ad also has some catchy expressions in the text description. This old ad is still fun to look at.

3. Atari RealSports print ad

Long before EA sports video games, there was this.

Way back in 1982, Atari launched its RealSports line of sports video games mainly to revitalize sports gaming for their consoles. In fact, RealSports was the result of a critical and aggressive ad campaign by competitor Intellivision which had its Sports Network series of games. In this RealSports print ad, a large image of Atari’s baseball game was used probably to emphasize the scope of the field. The ad had screenshots of the volleyball and football games, while the text description reflected Atari’s aggressive response to Intellivision. This ad is an early example of competition between rival game console makers focused on sports gaming.

4. Lethal Enforcers Sega CD print ad

When was the last time you bought a video game with a hard copy and a peripheral bundled together?

Porting light gun games from the arcade to the console is very difficult and tricky to do. This is what Konami did in the early 1990s when they released a version of the arcade hit Lethal Enforcers on the Sega CD console and the package had a light gun with the game on disc. To promote the Sega CD version, Konami came up with a 2-page print ad with the catchy line “You won’t find a toy like this in any Cracker Jack box.” In addition, their ad had a few paragraphs of descriptive text to not only excite gamers but also gently inform them that Lethal Enforcers was also available on the Sega Genesis (note: this console is required for the Sega CD add-on to work) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Overall, this old ad has a strong visual approach and a clever marketing strategy.

5. Pitfall II: Lost Caverns Atari 2600 print ad

A very stylish layout to promote the game.

In 1982, Activision struck gold with the huge success of Pitfall! which became an influential model of designing platform games. Of course, the publisher (now owned by Microsoft) did not stop there as they went on to make the sequel Pitfall II: Lost Caverns to not only keep the success going but also to exceed the standard they set with the first game. Activision came up with a print ad that not only told gamers of Pitfall Harry’s next adventure but also express humor visually. In line with Activision’s policy of crediting its creators (note: Atari was notorious for refusing to credit its game makers during this era), game designer David Crane was acknowledged in the ad.

6. Team USA Basketball print ad

See your favorite NBA player from the 1990s?

In 1992, a lot of people were obsessed with the Dream Team Olympic basketball squad of the United States as its roster had NBA legends like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and David Robinson to name a few. In fact, the Dream Team became the most popular attraction among all teams in any sport of any country that participated in the summer Olympics in Barcelona. Knowing how popular the squad really was, Electronic Arts (EA) made the video game Team USA Basketball and released it on the Sega Genesis which was already a popular console for sports video games. EA came up with this eye-catching 2-page print ad that strongly emphasized the Dream Team, international basketball gaming, and the company’s tested design on 2D basketball video games. In retrospect, this print ad is still amusing and exciting to look at.

7. Jungle Hunt Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 print ad

Do you fine the parallel artworks amusing or disturbing?

Following the huge success of Jungle Hunt (previously titled as Jungle King), Atari saw potential Dollar signs and made a deal with Taito to publish ports under their own brand for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and 8-bit computers. As with the Atari console ads of Pitfall II: Lost Caverns and Phoenix, Atari came up with a print ad that featured two parallel artworks that look similar with each other as they promoted Jungle Hunt for Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. To their credit, the artworks used were detailed and eye-catching, and the descriptive line of words displayed carried a possible reference to 1975’s Jaws.

8. GameShark print ad

A James Bond-inspired way of promoting GameShark.

Remember GameShark? For the newcomers reading this, GameShark is the brand of a line of products released on different video game consoles and personal computers (Windows specifically) that gamers use to cheat in video games.  GameShark was popular at a time when not too many people had access to the Internet nor did gamers had the means to search for cheats online, and codes were needed to enable cheating. GameShark became so popular, more ambitious and stylish print ads were realized such as this James Bond-inspired 2-page ad. On face value, this ad looked like it was a promoting a particular game but ultimately it was about promoting GameShark with style, cool and some sexiness.

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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

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 8

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 8

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 and 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 and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related hardware.

With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…

1. Enemy Zero print ad

I should say Sega did a solid job by making this intriguing and eye-catching print ad for Enemy Zero.

The first time I saw this print ad of Enemy Zero in the late 1990s, I was intrigued by its visual concept and it got me interested to learning more about the game. Enemy Zero was a sci-fi video game developed by Warp and released as a console-exclusive on the Sega Saturn. Since I never owned a Saturn, I never got to play the game but I was inspired to learn more about Warp (which developed the hit game D). As it turns out, Enemy Zero started as a project for PlayStation but because of Sony’s failure to fulfill the pre-orders of D on PlayStation (100,000 copies ordered but less than 30,000 copies printed by Sony), Warp’s head Kenji Eno decided to make Enemy Zero exclusive to the Sega Saturn. Enemy Zero was published by Sega worldwide while Warp published it in Japan, and the game sold between 500,000 to 700,000 copies (based on Eno’s claim).

2. Bionic Commando print ad

For the American market, Capcom showed what the game box and front cover art would look like, then added the details and two screenshots for readers to examine.

Back in the late 1980s, I played Bionic Commando and managed to finish it after enduring lots of challenges along the way. It was a very unique adventure game as it used a highly unusual method of moving from one platform to the next by means of a futuristic grappling gun. This particular print ad showcased what the game’s actual box looked like (with cover artwork made for North America) and used two screenshots from the game. This ad hardly captures the excitement and intensity that awaited gamers and yet it manages to give people a clear look at the grappling concept. While the North American version of the game has certain content altered, it still had the same gory ending (and Adolf Hitler as the main villain) as the Japanese version.

3. RoboCop print ad

This served as an extension of the impact of the very violent 1987 movie.

RoboCop made huge impact on moviegoers as well as people who love science fiction and the R-rated action films Hollywood studios released in the 1980s. That being said, it was not surprising that a video game of RoboCop was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (Family Computer in Japan) by Data East and the print ad they came up with cleverly used imagery from the movie poster and the screenshots showed exactly what RoboCop fans expected to see such as the enemy robot ED-209 and thugs. This game strongly reflects the business trend of the 1980s when companies made merchandise and adaptations of R-rated blockbuster films to sell to kids and teenagers.

4. Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko print ads

This print ad for Europe had a James Bond vibe.
March 1998 Playmate of the Month on the hood of the car looking at Gex.
The 2-page print ad of Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko.

In 1999, Eidos Interactive – the company behind the wildly popular Tomb Raider games of the decade – became aggressive marketing Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko for PlayStation and Nintendo 64. They were so aggressive, they featured actress and Playboy’s Playmate of the Month (March 1998) Marliece Andrada alongside their star character Gex in the marketing which was not limited to America. For the newcomers reading this, a multimedia approach was implemented on the narrative of the game’s PlayStation version which explains why it has full-motion video sequences featuring Andrada as the character Agent Xtra. As seen in these print ads, Eidos Interactive had Andrada looking pretty and sexy to really sell the game.

5. Barkley Shut Up and Jam! print ad

Anyone here a Charles Barkley fan?

I remember the many types of basketball video games that were released on game consoles back in the 1990s. While there were NBA video games that had in-depth rosters of players with seasonal gaming in mind, there were other basketball-related video games that were not about the said league but featured an NBA star. In this print ad, publisher Accolade prominently featured NBA star Charles Barkley to promote the game Barkley Shut Up and Jam!, posted some words emphasizing sports intensity, and showed one screenshot to assure gamers that this is a basketball game. While the critical reception was mixed, the game must have sold enough to convince Accolade to release a sequel two years later with Barkley still the endorser.

6. The Death and Return of Superman print ad

This print ad clearly aimed for the fans of the comic books as well as gamers looking for an action-packed game to play.

Now this is one very eye-catching print ad that appeared in comic books and magazines in the 1990s. Anyone who knows comics would recognize the grey fist (with sharp bones protruding on the knuckles) belonging to Doomsday who killed Superman in Superman (1993), and the bloody presentation on the famous S was very aggressive for its time. The game itself was an adaptation of the two storylines (published in 1992 and 1993 respectively) that saw Superman’s death, his return and the appearances of new Supermen. While sales figures are not available, The Death and Return of Superman eventually attracted mixed reviews from the critics.

7. Dragon Force print ad

This was printed in magazines at a time when Working Designs had a strong business relationship with Sega.

While the Sega Saturn was undeniably a huge commercial disappointment in North America, the console still had some great games that was widely praised by game critics and heavily bought by gamers. One of those outstanding games on the console was Dragon Force (developed by Sega and J-Force in Japan, localized in America by Working Designs) which received great critical acclaim and achieved commercial success both in Japan and in America. The popular magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly named Dragon Force as the Saturn Game of the Year as well as Strategy Game of the Year in 1996. As a Working Designs release, this print ad has an ambitious fantasy concept visually emphasized, detailed lines of descriptions and screenshots that strongly appealed to the gamers, anime enthusiasts and those who love fantasy. This ad is also a sad reminder that the business relationship between Sega and Working Designs went downhill afterwards (read: Bernie Stolar) and the sequel Dragon Force II was never released outside of Japan.

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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

Better than Streaming: Space Jam 4K Blu-ray combo now available!

Better than Streaming: Space Jam 4K Blu-ray combo now available!

carlocarrasco

Are you fond of 1990s Hollywood movies? Do you love Michael Jordan during his reign in the NBA? Have you ever seen the famous Bill Murray act with Jordan and Larry Bird? Have you always been a fan of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang?

Here is the news that could be big to you in relation to the above questions – the 1996 hit live-action/animated comedy movie Space Jam is now available on 4K Blu-ray (with digital copy and Blu-ray disc included) and you can order it now at Amazon!

Space Jam 4K Blu-ray combo.

Here are the details on what comes with Space Jam 4K Blu-ray sourced from Blu-ray.com…

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio

English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Danish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Swedish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Norwegian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Finnish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles

English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish


Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)

Extra stuff – Commentary with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and director Joe Pytka. Jammin’ with Bug Bunny and Michael Jordan featurette. Two music videos and the theatrical trailer.

For those who are not very aware about the legacy of Space Jam, it was a special project of Warner Bros.’ animation group and not only did it star Michael Jordan (who led the Chicago Bulls to its 4th NBA title in mid-1996), it involved big names like Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) as producer, comedy icon Bill Murray in a key supporting role and a whole lot of great voice talents such as Billy West (Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd), Dee Bradley Baker (Daffy Duck), and Frank Welker (best known for Transformers’ Megatron) to name a few.

Adding further zest to the cast lots of NBA personalities such as Hall of Famer Larry Bird, Mugsy Bogues, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson, plus cameo appearances of Danny Ainge, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr and A.C. Green to name a few.

Personally, I never saw Space Jam in the movie theater but I got to watch it in the airplane going to the United States in April 1997. I was not able to focus fully on its story as watching it on a small screen behind the passenger seat in front of me was never a comfortable experience. Still, the movie caught my attention when I saw Larry Bird (my favorite basketball player of all-time) act with Jordan and with the iconic Bill Murray. Of course, the quality of animation done by Warner Bros.’ creative teams was pretty good for its time. I should state that Elmer Fudd scoring a basket in basketball uniform was fun to watch.

Going back to the above specs and details about Space Jam 4K Blu-ray, it’s really nice to know that the visuals have been confirmed to be native 4K. Personally, I am interested to see how the 1996 mixed live-action/animation film would look like on the screen of our 4K smart TV at home.

In the official Blu-ray.com review for Space Jam 4K Blu-ray, the visuals were partially described as: Advertised as a new HDR-enhanced 4K master, Space Jam arrives on the format with a mostly pleasing 2160p transfer that corrects a few of the 2011 Blu-ray’s visual shortcomings but back-pedals elsewhere. For starters, it’s worth noting that portions of this film have always looked soft and very light on grain, such as Jordan’s arrival and stay in WB world, including the climactic basketball game; this was a necessary style choice to ensure that live-action elements didn’t stick too far out against the more smoothly-rendered animation. Other built-in source “defects” (for lack of a better word) include a bit of aliasing on specific CG backgrounds, such as a few sharp angles and edges on Moron Mountain and the baseline and free-throw paint on animated basketball courts; it’s easily spotted on screenshot , but again hardly distracting in-motion.

Space Jam 4K Blu-ray combo is now available and it should appeal to NBA fans, Looney Tunes fans and just about anyone who feels nostalgic about the 1990s. Take note that when Space Jam was released in cinemas in late 1996, Michael Jordan was on his way to a second three-peat of NBA championships and the movie was clearly part of the legacy of his basketball greatness which defined the NBA in the 1990s (note: Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won the NBA championship titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998). Space Jam was made at a time when Hollywood not yet dominated by the Satanic Left, those whiny socialists, the naked Communists and all those liberals who love to use movies as pieces to spread their poisonous propaganda. In short, Space Jam of 1996 was simply made to entertain without any political garbage.

For more entries of my Better than Streaming series of articles, check out my pieces on The Beastmaster 4K Blu-ray, The Transformers: The Movie 4K Blu-ray, Mortal Kombat 2021 4K Blu-ray, and V: The Original Miniseries Blu-ray disc of Warner Archive (read my retro review).  

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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. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com