Mega-CD – Author Carlo Carrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 39 (RPG Special)

February 2, 2026January 29, 2026carlocarrasco

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, particularly 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. Phantasie North American and Japanese Print Ads

Released by Strategic Simulations in the mid-1980s, Phantasie was a fantasy role-playing game that became a huge commercial success paving the way for not only ports on other computer systems of the time but also sequels later. The ad they came up with for the North American market had strong fantasy vibes and the screenshots gave readers the impression that it looked playable or user friendly. For the Japanese market, Phantasie was ported to the MSX system and they came up with an ad using radically different art work that had a horror vibe.

2. Phantasy Star Japanese Print Ad

*Phantasy Star in the Japanese print ad sharing the spotlight with After Burner.*

In the 1980s, role-playing games started gaining popularity with Japanese console gamers and there were game developers who were inspired by established RPGs from the West. Enix released two Dragon Quest games and each of them sold a lot of copies on Nintendo’s Family Computer (Famicom). At the time, Sega already had the Master System (called the SG-1000 and its variants with revisions) in the console market and they were way behind Nintendo on hardware sales. Knowing there is a market for console RPGs, Sega went on to make their exclusive RPG Phantasy Star. In 1987, a print ad was released showing Phantasy Star sharing the spotlight with Sega’s blockbuster game After Burner in the background. While the ad felt a bit disorienting to see, the game achieved much-needed success for Sega which in turn brought the game to the Master System in America in 1988. The game sold more and eventually led to sequels in the years that followed.

3. Ultima III Japanese Print Ad

*Remember the old days when anime or comic book-style artwork was used to promote games in the Japanese print media?*

Released in Japan under the title Ultima: Kyoufu no Exodus, Ultima III: Exodus was a breakthrough for the series as the Famicom version marked the first console release for Japanese gamers (note: the game was also offered for MSX and other computer systems in the country). The anime-style artwork used for the print ad is the same virtually the same with the front cover of Famicom version. Very notably, the art on the covers of the PC-88 and PC-98 versions were different.

4. Lunar: The Silver Star Japanese Print Ad

*Game Arts’ Lunar: The Silver Star as advertized in Japanese magazines.*

By the 1990s, console RPGs were very popular as franchises like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy each released sequels that sold a lot of copies. The company Game Arts decided to make a role-playing game which can tell stories better using animation with voiceovers and music while being very playable and enjoyable. They came up with Lunar: The Silver Star and released it on the Mega-CD add-on (connected with the Mega Drive console of Sega) in 1992. As such, it was not surprising to see the print ad having anime-style artwork as the game itself had several minutes of anime cutscenes complete with audio. As most Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) did not have playable anime cutscenes for storytelling, Lunar: The Silver Star really stood out. Sometime later, the small American company Working Designs would handle the game’s English version and start a healthy business relationship with Game Arts.

5. Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun North American Print Ad

*A print ad that strongly appealed to both Sega Genesis gamers as well as fans of Dungeons & Dragons.*

By the year 1992, the fantasy games franchise Dungeons & Dragons was wildly popular as players around the world kept enjoying the tabletop RPG modules (using dice, pen paper) as well as many computer and video games already available. Sega acquired a D&D license and eventually released Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun exclusively on their Genesis console in 1992. To promote it, Sega produced a 2-page print ad that had one half showing the game’s box placed with jewelry while using the other half to show the screenshots, descriptive text and other details. The way it was presented, the print ad was cleverly structured to attract the attention of Sega Genesis gamers as well as Dungeons & Dragons fans. The game ended up as the first and only official D&D product for the console.

6. Shadow Sorcerer North American Print Ad

*This is one of many Dungeons & Dragons computer games released. The use of painted art for marketing was done many times.*

In the history of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise and electronic gaming, it was on computers where the more ambitious and more intricate licensed games were played by many fans. In 1991, the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) electronic game Shadow Sorcerer was released on MS-DOS PC, Amiga and the Atari ST. The painted artwork used on the print ad was virtually the same as that on the box covers of the MS-DOS and Amiga versions. I can only guess that the ad markers must have paid a lot of money on the painted art and decided to use it for both marketing and packaging since it looked so detailed.

7. Estopolis Denki Japanese Print Ad

*The 2-page Japanese print ad of Estopolis Denki.*

In 1993, a brand-new Japanese developer called Neverland was established and its first project was the fantasy role-playing game Estopolis Denki for the Super Family Computer (Super Famicom). That same year, publisher Taito released the game and they promoted it with a 2-page print ad that featured a whimsical looking hand-drawn art work on one half and utilized the other half with details, screenshots and part of the art that was used on the game’s Super Famicom box cover. While Japanese game sales are not available, it seems Estopolis Denki sold enough to convince the publisher to release the game in North America as Lufia & The Fortress of Doom.

8. Lufia & The Fortress of Doom North American Print Ad

*If you were able to play Lufia & The Fortress of Doom on the SNES, were you able to see this ad in a comic book or in a magazine?*

Upon release in America in late 1993, Taito scored gold as Lufia & The Fortress of Doom on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES or Super NES) became a critical and commercial success. In fact, it literally gained steam during the early months of availability and ended up as the top-selling SNES game in America for the month of February of 1994. Take note that at this particular point of time, RPGs on game consoles in America were not yet in high demand as gamers’ tastes were different. When it comes to the marketing, Taito came up with a single-page print ad showing fantasy artwork, the game’s box cover and the published quotes from game critics who gave the game positive reviews. This is smart marketing on the part of Taito.

9. Record of Lodoss War Japanese Print Ad

*The Japanese print ad of Record of Lodoss War for Super Famicom.*

Have you ever heard of the Record of Lodoss War fantasy franchise? That one started as a series of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno who previously worked on an RPG project. Record of Lodoss War was eventually adapted into comics, anime and video games. One of those games was released on the Super Famicom in December 1995 published by Kadokawa Shoten which in turn made the one-page print ad for the Japanese market. Using established art from the anime OVA (original video animation) series was a strategic move by the publisher as millions of Japanese people viewed it. Unsurprisingly, the art on the ad is almost the same as the one displayed on the game box cover.

10. Fallout North American Print Ad

*A gritty looking print ad of the original Fallout PC game.*

In my gaming life, I played Fallout 3, Fallout 4 and Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox consoles. When the first-ever Fallout game was released in 1997, I did not notice it as I was more into console gaming than PC gaming. The above print ad appeared is several PC gaming magazines and it clearly shows what it offered which gamers eventually ended up enjoying a lot. The mechanical helmet – protection for the user during battles and from radiation in the nuclear wasteland – on the left side of the ad became a key symbol of the Fallout franchise as further games also featured mechanical helmets. Fallout was highly acclaimed for featuring open-ended gameplay and its immersive post-apocalyptic setting. It sold enough copies to convince publisher Interplay to proceed with a sequel and the rest was history.

11. Xenogears Japanese and North American Print Ad

*This North American print ad of Xenogears clearly showed the main character, a robot, the sci-fi setting and the visual style of the game.*

Xenogears was a sci-fi JRPG I played on the PlayStation in 1998 but I was unable to finish it. Before it was released in America, there was speculation that Squaresoft would not be able to produce an English version for international release due to its religious content. The game was highly challenging to translate into English due to religious themes and psychological elements. Regardless, the game achieved successes commercially and critically in both Japan and America. Xenogears has since been considered by many as a classic JRPG and to play it today is pretty challenging as an existing PlayStation One, PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita is required as well as the physical PlayStation disc itself (note: digital copy of Xenogears for PS Vita). Square Enix – which previously remastered Chrono Cross and several Final Fantasy games for modern gaming platforms – has yet to remaster Xenogears for those with modern game consoles, mobile devices and the PC.

12. Final Fantasy Anthology Print Ad

*I remember seeing this 2-page print ad in many gaming magazines I read.*

By the year 1999, Squaresoft established itself as the best role-playing game company as they achieved critical and commercial success with Final Fantasy VII in 1997, Brave Fencer Musashi, Parasite Eve and Xenogears in 1998. For 1999, Squaresoft decided to bring ports Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI – both games were released in cartridge format on Super Famicom/Super NES some years prior – to their fans who owned PlayStation consoles by releasing the collection called Final Fantasy Anthology. For the North American market, Squaresoft aggressively promoted the 2-game collection with the above 2-page print ad on several video game publications. One half featured exquisite artwork by Yoshitaka Amano and the other half showed the screenshots, descriptions and details. Clearly the ad was made with Final Fantasy fans in mind and it was also clever with the use of nostalgia.

13. Final Fantasy VII North American Print Ad

While it did not show any of the characters, this 2-page print ad of Final Fantasy VII appeared in many gaming magazines and ultimately made the public aware of the game which went on to sell millions.

There is no denying that Final Fantasy VII is the most defining Japanese RPG of the 1990s. Given its huge pre-release promotions, the critical acclaim and the tremendous sales achieved in North America and Europe, the game arguably made the JRPG sub-genre more popular among gamers and game publishers while also making the original PlayStation console the must-have machine for video gaming. The above print ad is one of several released through print media and even though it did not show any characters, the image of a futuristic looking city caught the attention of not just gamers but also others who loved entertainment.

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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 37

December 1, 2025December 29, 2025carlocarrasco

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 1970s 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 1970s 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. Cabal Japanese arcade flyer/poster

*Can you feel the action and intensity here?*

When it was first released in video arcades in Japan in late 1988, Cabal was another game inspired by military action movies of Hollywood which explains the art work done for the arcade flyer and poster shown above. The Vietnam War was still fresh in people’s minds and the concept of having one or two players firing their weapons against enemy soldiers resonated with gamers who saw Hollywood’s military action flicks. That said, it is not surprising that Cabal became a huge hit in Japan before getting released in arcades around the world.

2. Willows Japanese arcade flyer

Remember the 1988 high fantasy adventure film Willow? That film was produced by George Lucas and was a bold new production of Lucasfilm shifting away from Star Wars. Believe it or not, an official arcade game adaptation of Willow was made by Capcom and they promoted it by having images of Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis on the front of the arcade flyer (opposite the illustrated versions of their characters). The game, which was a side-scrolling platform game with run-and-gun elements, went on to be an arcade hit in Japan and eventually pleased gamers worldwide.

3. Super Punch-Out!! North American print ad

Historically, Nintendo’s Punch-Out!! series started in the arcade in 1984 and the first game was the result of the company’s effort to make a new game using arcade cabinets with two screens. The 2^nd game – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! – became a huge critical and commercial hit (over 2 million copies sold in 1988) on console and it made great business sense for Nintendo for release another Punch-Out!! for its console gamers to enjoy in the comfort of home. In 1994, Super Punch-Out!! was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in America and to promote it, the company came up with a hilarious 2-page ad that showed fictional high school graduates with boxing-related injuries. The imagery creatively connected with the words “biggest Punch-Out ever” and “Graduating Class of ‘94”.

4. EA Sports 3-in-1 SNES games print ad

In 1994, Electronic Arts (EA) released their sports games NBA Live 95, NHL 95 and Madden NFL 95 for consoles at the time. Even though the Sega Genesis sold better than Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in America at the time, EA went on to aggressively market their 3 sports video games on Nintendo’s console using a 3-in-1 games print ad. In retrospect, the SNES for the most part had better graphics and sounds than the Genesis which is reflected clearly on EA Sports games of the time. This print ad still looks fun and exciting.

5. Atari Jaguar CD print ad

*Were you able to play any game on the Atari Jaguar with the CD add-on included?*

Apart from the obvious advances of technology that impacted video games, the 1990s is also known for the rise of CD-ROM as a medium for gaming. In an effort to boost sales of the Atari Jaguar console (launched in America in 1993 for around $250) and capitalize on the trust of the fans and console owners, Atari launched a CD-ROM add-on device for about $150 in 1995. To promote it, the company went aggressive with the 2-page ad showing the add-on fully connected on top of the main console, showing off some games and posting a text description emphasizing hardware power and the advantages that come with the CD technology. Even in the captured image, the Atari Jaguar CD still resembled a toilet. This is an aggressive ad campaign that failed as less than 20,000 Atari Jaguar CD units were sold by the time it was discontinued in 1996.

6. 3DO print ad

*While it lacks intensity, this 3DO ad emphasized the games.*

Without showing any hardware, the 3DO Company came up with this 2-page print ad that had a slightly adulterated tone (look at the left page) and aggressively marketed the 3DO console games available at the time. Games like Demolition Man, Shock Wave, Road Rash and Super Street Fighter II Turbo were the standout titles which clearly showed the company made the effort to emphasize gaming more than multimedia features. This 1990s ad tackled the generations with a touch of humor.

7. Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters Sega Genesis print ad

When Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters was released in the arcades in 1994, it became a commercial success for Konami which went on to announce it would port the game to consoles of Nintendo and Sega at the time. While the port for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was never released, Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters made its way to the Sega Genesis and Sega CD. The print ad of the Sega Genesis version (Sega CD mentioned in small text) had an inspired design emphasizing the Old West, shooting and the conflict between cowboys and Indians. The screenshots gave people the clear idea that Old West was the setting (versus modern day in the previous game). This is still fun to look at.

8. Syphon Filter

*Syphon Filter went on to become a surprise hit game in 1999.*

In 1999, Sony’s 989 Studios released Syphon Filter exclusively on the PlayStation console. This single-page print ad showed a few screenshots on the bottom and several action snippets with a night vision touch ultimately emphasizing the stealth aspect within the gameplay. The marketing proved to be effective as the game sold a lot at retail and went on to establish a new game franchise exclusive to PlayStation consoles.

9. Parasite Eve II Japanese print ad

*Were you a big fan of Aya Brea and the Parasite Eve franchise in the late 1990s?*

Following the critical and commercial success of Parasite Eve in 1998, SquareSoft proceeded with Parasite Eve II and the production (note: initially for a spin-off game before becoming a sequel) did not even involve the main creators of the first game. Instead the company had a different team of developers – including those who previously worked on Resident Evil games for Capcom – in Osaka to make the sequel. This explains why Parasite Eve II had stronger survival horror gameplay resembling a Resident Evil game. As major changes were made during the production, it was decided that Aya Brea would become the main protagonist and already the character was already popular with gamers. That being said, the marketing of Parasite Eve II for the Japanese market heavily featured Aya Brea with subtle sexiness, beauty and action in mind. The marketing intensified leading to its eventual December 16, 1999 release in Japan.

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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 36

November 3, 2025October 29, 2025carlocarrasco

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 1970s 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 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. Super Contra North American arcade flyer

*Have you seen many Hollywood action movies of the 1980s? Does this arcade flyer remind you of something?*

After Konami struck gold with Contra in 1987, it was inevitable that sequels and spin-offs will be made. In 1988, they released the follow-up Super Contra in the arcades and to promote it in America, the company came up with artwork that easily gave gamers the impression they are seeing Sylvester Stallone as a fantasized Rambo and another armed guy who might remind them of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Commando or Dutch in Predator. To capitalize on the movie references even more, the American arcade flyer had the line “He’s not human. He’s not alien. He’s the predator!!” As it was the 1980s, this creative approach to promotion was not surprising as Konami and its game makers were influenced by Hollywood movies.

2. Double Dragon II: The Revenge North American arcade flyer

*The artwork used in this arcade flyer remains intriguing to look at.*

I never played Double Dragon II: The Revenge in the arcade, but I played it on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). That being said, I was surprised to see how this old North American arcade flyer has the same hand-drawn artwork used on the cover of the NES version. Take note that the arcade game was released in 1988 while the NES port was released in early 1990. I can only guess that Technos decided to use the same artwork not only for convenience but to have a definitive image emphasizing Double Dragon II to gamers wherever they are.

3. Devastators North American arcade flyer

Devastators is another Konami arcade game that had a strong war theme and it was influenced by Hollywood action films of the 1980s. This particular arcade flyer for the North American market is almost identical with the Japanese arcade flyer as both have the same artwork on the front and almost the same visual layout on the rear. The most obvious difference is the use of English text for the North American flyer.

4. Assault North American arcade flyer

Released in American arcades by Atari, Assault is a multi-directional shooter that had a twin-stick control layout (similar with the classic Battlezone) and players experienced intense battles as well as immersive visual effects such as sprite scaling and environment rotation of up to 360 degrees. To promote the game (this originated in Japan by Namco), Atari came up with this arcade flyer that had selected screenshots and descriptive text on both the front and the rear (which showed the arcade cabinet). Assault was a hit with gamers at the arcades and it was not released on consoles until 2009.

5. Sega CD print ad

*Having a socially relevant message can be catchy but it leaves little room for excitement.*

As the Sega Genesis console became a huge commercial success in North America, Sega itself became ambitious about what CD-ROM technology would do for video games. Sega in Japan tasked its Consumer Products Research and Development Labs to create a CD-ROM add-on which resulted in the Sega CD (Mega-CD in other parts of the world) which launched in America in 1992. To promote the add-on towards existing Genesis console owners as well as potential new customers, Sega of America came up with the above 2-page print ad that had a social message on the right and an image of a man standing in front of large monitors (showing Sega CD game footage) on the left. While it looked like an odd way of promoting video game hardware, it still remains catchy to see.

6. Panasonic 3DO print ad

*Panasonic knows how to promote entertainment hardware for people’s homes.*

Still in the field of CD-ROM gaming, Panasonic had competitive presence in video gaming when its Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (with technology licensed by The 3DO Company) was launched in America in 1993. If you look at the print ad closely, you will notice that the descriptive text emphasized the multimedia entertainment aspect more than video gaming. The dominating artwork used does not come from a particular video game as it was made to emphasize home entertainment in general. It’s not surprising that the Panasonic 3DO and other 3DO machines from other manufacturers failed commercially.

7. Shaq Fu print ad

*The close-up of Shaquille O’Neal’s face on the left made him looked less recognizable.*

Yes, it is true! There was indeed a video game endorsed by Shaquille O’Neal and it was not a basketball game. Shaq Fu is a 1994 2D fighting game with adventure elements and a story in which gamers play O’Neal as martial artist (note: O’Neal himself participated in the game’s production). To promote the game, Electronic Arts came up with a 2-page print ad that had a very odd black-and-white close-up image of O’Neal’s face on the left leaving small screenshots and hard-to-read text on the right (even though there was some vacant space remaining. I remember seeing this ad while reading a video game magazine and the ad ended up looking more like a promotion of O’Neal (already an NBA superstar) than the game itself. By today’s standards, this print ad is an example of a marketing misfire.

8. Kasumi Ninja print ad

*Do you even remember seeing this print ad in magazines?*

Remember the 1990s video game trends of digitized human images and disturbingly violent 2D fighting games sparked by Mortal Kombat? The Atari Jaguar-exclusive game Kasumi Ninja was made to capitalize on those trends and it failed badly. Apart from the low sales of the Jaguar console, Atari as publisher came up with the above 2-page print ad that was not appealing to gamers’ eyes and it had almost no excitement overall. This is another marketing misfire.

9. Parasite Eve North American and Japanese print ads

*Following the successful release of Final Fantasy VII, this ad excited PlayStation gamers and JRPG enthusiasts for Parasite Eve’s 1998 release in America.*

*A stronger horror presentation in this print ad for the Japanese market. There were already a lot of people in Japan who enjoyed horror.*

Starting in the mid-1990s, Squaresoft (now Square Enix) really became aggressive with video game creativity and experimentation as they launched several new projects that eventually got released on PlayStation in the late 1990s until 2000. One of those daring new projects was Parasite Eve which was a role-playing game (RPG) that had visual elements – particularly pre-rendered backgrounds – and a style of exploration that reminded gamers of Resident Evil. The game was a sequel to the Japanese science fiction horror novel of the same name and it involved the creativity of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi (credited as producer). To promote the game, the 2-page North American print ad had protagonist Aya Brea on the right and the enemy on the left with a cryptic line placed strategically between them. The North American ad clearly stated that the game is a cinematic RPG. By comparison, the Japanese print ad of Parasite Eve has a strong horror vibe which is not surprising because of the novel’s horror elements and the fact that Squaresoft was capitalizing on the popularity of horror-related entertainment in Japan. By today’s standards, Parasite Eve is truly a product of the late-1990s and it has a dedicated fanbase.

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