Tag: handheld games

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 22

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 22

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. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Atari print ads

I could not forget the first time I saw this print ad while reading a comic book.
This ad showed the Atari 2600 controller.

Even during its early years under George Lucas, the Star Wars entertainment franchise made its way into video games due to its massive popularity and Parker Brothers really made moves to cash in. This resulted in the Atari 2600 video game adaptation (1982) of The Empire Strikes Back which focused mainly on the memorable Hoth battles between Rebel fighters and the Empire’s AT-AT walkers. Parker Brothers came up with two print ads and each had a different visual concept: one had nicely drawn art along with two screenshots shown while the other had painted art of the AT-AT while showing the Atari joystick. These old print ads still look great and exciting.

2. Double Dragon Japanese and North American arcade flyers

If you read manga (Japanese comics) in Japan, then the art style of this arcade flyer should look familiar to you.
The character designs seem inspired by 1980s Hollywood action cinema.

Released in 1987, Double Dragon became a huge hit in the arcades of Japan, America and Europe resulting in financial gains for developer Technōs Japan and publisher Taito. What I find intriguing was the fact that the Double Dragon arcade flyers for Japan and North America had drastically different art styles used to promote it. The Japanese flyer had art style that is more common with manga while the North American had artwork that seemed inspired by Hollywood action movies (as well as the rise of martial arts films in America during the 1980s). The American flyer even had the two characters identified as Hammer and Spike and they both looked American. This is a classic example of using different approaches to promote a game in each market.

3. Universal Soldier print ad

The people who made this print ad made sure to use the names of the stars to help sell the game.

Even though its worldwide ticket sales did not reach $100 million, the 1992 movie Universal Soldier still caught a lot of attention from moviegoers simply because it had Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as the stars. Unsurprisingly, the movie had a video game adaptation and because publisher Accolade wanted to cash-in on the film’s hype, they made some deceptive moves by rebranding one of its games (already development) as a tie-in. Advertised as an official adaptation, Universal Soldier was actually a rushed conversion of Turrican II: The Final Fight. This print ad – which even showed the stars’ names – is a reminder of the deception Accolade pulled off.

4. Sega CD print ad

Do you find this Sega CD print ad hilarious?

When Sega was making waves with its Sega Genesis (Sega Mega Drive in Japan), the company was quick to react to the growing use of the compact disc (CD) format as a useful storage medium for video games. The Sega CD (Mega CD in Japan) was released as an add-on device to work with the Genesis console and Sega’s American team came up with a series of promotions. This print ad is just one of the promotions and ad makers came up with a “crazed” or “electrified” gamer dominating one page while showing the Genesis, the Sega CD and screenshots of games (running on CD) on the other page. By today’s standards, the Sega CD print ad is funny and catchy to look at.

5. Snatcher for Sega CD print ad

I find this Snatch print ad looking odd. The ad makers could have done more to focus on the game itself.

First released in Japan in 1988, Snatcher was a cyberpunk visual adventure game that was one of the early works of the famous Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series). Due to its design and approach on visuals to tell a story, it was not surprising that a Sega CD version of it got released in 1994. To promote the game to the growing number of North American Sega CD gamers at the time, Konami came up with this rather unusual print ad showing the face of a smiling lady dominating the space leaving little room to show the screenshots and the game’s cover. The visual concept is engaging but it takes effort to notice it was promoting the Sega CD version of the video game. This old ad would have worked better had the ad makers increased the sizes of the screenshots and the game cover.

6. Jurassic Park for Sega CD print ad

Does the T. Rex look scary to you?

As part of its drive to add more games to the Sega CD add-on and help it sell more units, Sega acquired the Jurassic Park license and went on to produce an adaptation utilizing the technological features of the Sega CD. To aggressively promote the game, Sega came up with this print ad that had a Tyrannosaurs Rex (looking through spaces) on one page and then several screenshots plus text descriptions on the other. For a click-and-point Jurassic Park game, this ad was really exciting and intriguing to look at.  

7. Atari Jaguar print ad

This was indeed an eye-catching ad.

In the early 1990s, Atari made an aggressive move to compete in the arena of video game consoles which they used to dominate from the late 1970s until 1983. This time around, they came up with the Jaguar console which had some pretty advanced technologies for the time. As part of their North American marketing campaign, Atari unleashed an ad showing game screenshots on the first page and huge artwork of a jaguar coming after Sonic, Mario and Yoshi (mascots of Sega and Nintendo respectively) symbolizing that the Atari Jaguar had more power and better technology than the Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNS). While it was engaging to look at early on, this print ad is now an embarrassment as the Jaguar console failed terribly. Lastly, the marketing of the Jaguar as a 64-bit machine was never real.

8. George Foreman, The Simpsons and Spider-Man Game Gear print ad

This ad appeared in a lot of comic books in the 1990s.

In the early 1990s, Sega released the Game Gear handheld gaming device which instantly placed them in competition with Nintendo’s Game Boy. Through its Flying Edge label, Acclaim Entertainment promoted George Foreman’s KO Boxing, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants, and Spider-Man for the Game Gear hoping to sell well. This 3-game print ad highlighted the popular figures who had a lot of space for attracting attention. The ad maker managed to insert two screenshots per game, the game covers and a text description to inform consumers what they were being offered. A good ad to look at.   

9. Time Gal for Sega CD print ad

The presentation here looks nice but Time Gal herself looked like she was drawn by a different artist.

Originally released in the arcades in Japan in 1985, Time Gal made its way to the Sega CD add-on in the early 1990s. It was a highly unusual video game as it was an interactive movie (with lots of anime footage) made with the use of Laserdisc technology for its arcade version. It played lots of anime scenes and players must choose the on-screen options to execute the character’s next action in order to progress. For the Sega CD version for North America, this print was made to capture the attention of consumers using the protagonist’s sex appeal on the cover art with four screenshots placed on the sides to show what to expect. I noticed that Time Gal on the cover art looked different from how she appeared in the anime sequences. At least the ad makers tried hard to sell the game.

10. Mortal Kombat print ad

Still an effective ad to promote a blockbuster game and make people informed it was coming to multiple platforms.

Considering how successful it was in the arcades, the 1993 release of Mortal Kombat for game consoles and handhelds was unsurprisingly highly anticipated and publisher acclaim came up with this single-page ad. The presentation involved the use of a photographic background of many spectators (to emphasize excitement and popularity), media quotes and screenshots to effectively promote the game.

11. Equinox print ad

Take a close look. Tell me if you find it funny.

I never played Equinox but I heard the loud buzz about its design as a 3D isometric game that had elements of exploration, platform play and puzzle solving. The people responsible for this print ad emphasized the concept that the game is so addicting to play, players will still play it as they get older. This ad has a subtle yet effective approach with humor.

12. James Bond 007: The Duel print ad

Timothy Dalton’s image as James Bond was sourced from Licence to Kill for this game’s ad.

Here is another decades-old James Bond video game print ad I found. Released a few years after Licence to Kill, James Bond 007: The Duel was notable not for its gameplay nor game design but for the fact that it used the image of Timothy Dalton as 007 for its print ad and the opening scenes in the game itself. Dalton’s Bond image here was never new nor originally taken for the game as it came directly from Licence to Kill’s publicity library. Each time I saw this ad, I was only reminded of the 1989 movie which I still enjoy watching.

13. Neo Geo AES console print ad

Do you find this ad both sexy and funny?

Decades ago, SNK made a huge splash in the arcades with lots of really fun games released with their Neo Geo (stylized as NEO GEO) hardware. In 1990, they released the cartridge-based Neo Geo AES console in Japan and America and it carried the same technology as the arcade hardware. To promote the console in North America (note: the Neo Geo console and its games were very expensive), SNK came up with this catchy and funny print ad showing a sexy woman feeling annoyed that her man spends more time with Neo Geo gaming than with her. This was a clever way of emphasizing the arcade-perfect experience in the comfort of home, and it was funny to look at.

14. Gradius II Japanese arcade flyer

Great looking painted art was used for this 1988 arcade game.

Since the original Gradius was a big hit in arcades in Japan in 1985, it was not surprising that Konami released Gradius II three years later. With regards to the use of painted art, the artist showed the game’s spaceship in a dominating position emphasizing high-speed travel and excitement. The image, which also looks more colorful, is a complete reversal of the painted art used in the flyer of the previous which showed the rear of the spaceship as it moves towards a larger spaceship (the opposition). This arcade flyer art still looks great as it has a timeless charm.

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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

Retro Gaming Ads Blast

carlocarrasco

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

Today I am launching a brand-new series of articles titled Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) which will explore the many print ads and promotions of video games, computer games, arcade games and handheld games that were published through the decades.

For the newcomers reading this, print ads of games were widely popular and heavily relied on by gamers/players long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and online videos even started. Back in the old days, print media was the most common method for companies to market their games while also helping hardware (machines which played the games) reach potential buyers. Such ads appeared in magazines, comic books and newspapers. Not only that, there were several print ads of games that were made to look creative, compelling and even intriguing.

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

1. Parker Brothers’ Spider-Man-led print ad

Does this ad look amusing?

Remember Parker Brothers? That was a company that started way back in 1883 founded with a strong focus on the enjoyment of games in the form of board games, cards and toys. In the late 1970s, Parker Brothers started making electronic versions of their popular board games and engaged in the video game development and publishing. They also went on to make home ports of popular arcade games in the early 1980 for several gaming platforms.

Parker Brothers was very active with making games for the Atari 2600 console which became the dominant machine for home gaming in North America in 1982. In the above print ad, their marketing heavily emphasize the Spider-Man video game for Atari 2600 and added two others games they also published – Tutankham and Amidar – which was a clever move to market multiple games. The ad’s focus on Spider-Man was amusing and even without showing a single screenshot of the game, it was enough to entice people to watch out for it. Be aware that the Spider-Man game’s development was done by Laura Nikolich who was hired by Parker Brothers at a job fair. Nikolich had full creative control on making the game and had no contact whatsoever with Marvel Comics.

2. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain print ad

An ad like this was strong enough to motivate gamers’ imagination and interest.

Back in 1982, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain was released on the Intellivision game console and I was fortunate enough to watch my next-door neighbor play it repeatedly. The above print ad – which simply referred to the game as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons – only had a few words which directly pointed to the main objective of the game…the golden crown. While only one screenshot of the game was displayed, the advertisers heavily relied on hand-drawn, comic book-style fantasy art work to sell the game.

For those who were born long after the 1980s, let me share with you that ads like these were really impressive for their time. It was common for advertisers to use art works (even though they may not accurately reflect the gameplay or game design) and post at least one screenshot to catch the viewer’s attention with the hope that it would even encourage him/her to anticipate the game. It should be noted that ads like these were strong enough to make gamers’ imagination or curiosity grow stronger.  

3. Konami’s collective military video games advertising

Print ad of four games for IBM, Amiga and Commodore.
Print ad of Jackal and Contra for the NES.

Konami, the Japanese company that has long been known for Metal Gear, Suikoden and the controversial sacking of famous game designer Hideo Kojima, was aggressive in the gaming business in the 1980s and arguably the aggressiveness was reflected in their publishing of several games that emphasized militarism during the late stages of the Cold War. In short, they made the military look cool and their activities fun to do in digital form.

While Konami has always been identified with console gaming, they actually released Rush’n Attack, Contra, Jackal and Boot Camp on IBM, Amiga and Commodore computers (as seen in the first print ad above) which were popular in the 1980s. The said ad also have a very amusing visual concept emphasizing the excitement and fun of military action games coming to gamers at home for their computers.

The 2nd print ad above – Jackal and Contra for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – was very intriguing to see. It was very clear back in the 1980s that the NES always had a wholesome audience (note: a lot of buyers were parents who wanted to entertain their kids at home) and that includes a lot of very young players. To see the collective ad of Jackal and Contra (for the NES platform) having battle-hardened men in military gear holding guns was openly aggressive to perceive and instantly reminded people about the Cold War (and the menace of Communists, socialists, Marxists and terrorists) and the cultural impact of the mega blockbuster film Rambo: First Blood Part II. This is the kind of ad that would drive today’s woke-minded people crazy and even cause them to panic and pretend to be victims of militarism and patriotism. If you look at the ad closely, you will realize there is simply no room for the garbage of political correctness and wokeness.

Lastly, I myself had played Contra and Jackal with my friends on the Nintendo Family Computer (the Japanese counterpart of the NES) and both military games were a lot of fun to play from start to finish!

4. Batman Returns SNES game ad

This print ad appeared in some comic books I read in the early 1990s.

Way back in 1992, Batman Returns (the sequel to the mega blockbuster Batman movie of 1989) was released in cinemas with intense marketing and merchandising reflecting Warner Bros. intention to replicate the commercial success they had in 1989. Along the way, there were several video game adaptations of Batman Returns that were released on different platforms. Among those many video games was the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game of Batman Returns which was developed and published by Konami in 1993 the form of a side-scrolling beat-them-up game.

The above ad was visually appealing with hand-drawn, comic book-style art dominating the spaces while leaving room for some screenshots and a written description of the game. Having seen this ad on multiple comic books I read back then, I can say that the ad was entertaining to see and was effective in making me interested in the game. I played Batman Returns on the SNES but never got to finish it. Oh yes, the game’s audio were really good and there were also digitized images from the movie for the in-game narrative.

5. Flashy Sonic the Hedgehog Japanese print ad

A dazzling approach by Sega on selling Sonic the Hedgehog.

1991 will always be remembered as the year of Sonic who eventually became not only Sega’s most defining mascot but also a video game industry icon. That same year, Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis (referred to as Sega Megadrive in other parts of the world) console and it became a massive success with consumers and the game critics.

In the above Japanese print ad, a very captivating display of light and energy rays dominated the space leaving a minority share left for Sega’s console, screenshots and even a UFO Catcher arcade machine picture. While I could not understand the Japanese text, it seems to me that the flashy visual concept of the ad reflected Sega’s high ambitions with Sonic. How many gamers in Japan bought a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog because of this ad remains undetermined.

6. Japanese Super Star Wars print ad

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Before Nintendo released its 16-bit game console (referred to as Super Nintendo Entertainment System in America, and Super Famicom in Japan), there were lots of Star Wars video games released on varied platforms and the arcade.

With Nintendo’s 16-bit gaming platform realized, lots of game designers and business partners saw opportunities to make new games with gameplay concepts and designs using the technological advantages of the time. For LucasArts and its partners, taking Star Wars gaming into the next level was inevitable and they made it all come true in 1992’s Super Star Wars video game.

Published in Japan by JVC Musical Industries for the Super Famicom, Super Star Wars was a major leap forward in game design, visuals, sound and enjoyment. Apart from the 2D side-scrolling run-and-gun gameplay, gamers were deeply immersed into Star Wars’ universe with the Mode 7 landspeeder and X-Wing fighter sequences, as well as the first-person trench run sequence.

The Japanese print ad above cleverly presented screenshots from the game while using official imagery from the Star Wars movie poster of 1977 (look at how young Harrison Ford, Mark Hammill and the late Carrie Fisher were back then). The ad is a fine example of combining the greatness of the classic George Lucas-directed film with the highly enjoyable design of Super Star Wars. Lastly, these should remind you that there was a time when Star Wars was not yet tainted by wokeness and the garbage values of the Satanic Leftists (read: woke Disney).   

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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