Taito – Author Carlo Carrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 37

December 1, 2025November 26, 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. 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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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 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.

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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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 35

October 1, 2025September 24, 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.

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

1. Intellivision print ad

*Were you able to play a game on the Intellivision long ago?*

In 1979, Mattel launched their Intellivision game console in America which instantly placed them in competition with Atari’s 2600 console. In a bid to convince gain market share, Mattel daringly came up with a competitive print ad like the one above showing two TV sets (with an Atari 2600 baseball game and a similar game on Intellivision), descriptive text that explained why the intellivision and its games are better, and even mentioned Atari by name several times. Obviously the tactic did not lead Mattel to ultimate market victory but the above print ad showed it was okay for a newcomer to mention their competitor and aggressively attack it to gain customers (both newcomers and active gamers).

2. Popeye Japanese arcade flyer

In 1982, Nintendo released the Popeye arcade game which was incidentally the result of the success of their original Donkey Kong arcade game. To promote the game, Nintendo came up with an arcade flyer that had a very lively front (note: the characters were instantly recognizable thanks to the great art used) and the rear having easy-to-read instructions on how to play the game, what levels to expect and what must be done when playing. Popeye was an arcade hit in Japan, but an even bigger hit in America. This old arcade flyer still looks nice.

3. Time Gal arcade flyer

*On face value, this one looks more like an anime promo since gameplay elements were missing.*

Released in Japanese arcades in 1985, Time Gal is one of those games that used the expensive LaserDisc technology to stream pre-recorded animation (made by Toei) and challenged gamers to react quickly (using the joystick and button for commands) in order to progress in real-time. The arcade flyer has a very lively visual design making it clear to players and arcade operators that a lot of anime awaits those who play Time Gal. Technically, players watch anime cutscenes happen and react using the controls. Time Gal was an arcade hit and it made its way outside of Japan by getting ported for the Sega CD.

4. 3DO print ad

*If you bought a 3DO long ago, was it for gaming or for home entertainment purposes?*

Remember the 3DO? Developed by the 3DO Company and launched in 1993, the 3DO was designed to not only play video games but also function with multimedia features. In fact, the 3DO was initially marketed as a machine that allows users to watch videos, play music, browse digital photographs, and even immerse themselves with software focused on different topics. This is exactly what the above 3DO print ad emphasized. In retrospect, it was so odd for me to see the print ad inside video gaming magazines I read.

5. Atari Jaguar print ad

*The strong focus on gaming was clear with Atari for the Jaguar.*

Over a month after the launch of the 3DO, Atari launched its Jaguar console with a strong focus on video gaming. As console sales slowly grew in 1994, Atari came up with the above print ad – showing lots of games for the Jaguar – to lure in customers aggressively. If you look closely at the descriptive text of the ad, it mentions the Atari Jaguar as 64-bit system emphasizing that it is more powerful than other video game machines of the time. The bit count controversy harmed Atari and eventually the Jaguar failed.

6. NBA Action ’94 print ad

*Remember when Sega made NBA basketball video games that were exclusive to the Genesis console?*

Remember when there were a lot of basketball video games licensed by the NBA in the 1990s? Through its own sports games brand – Sega Sports – Sega was dedicated to making exclusive sports video games for its customers and their NBA games were under the NBA Action brand. In 1994, they released NBA Action ’94 for the Genesis console and this two-page print ad they came up with had a catchy visual design (a supposed basketball player showing his palm and message to the camera on one side of the ad). Looking closely at the descriptive text, the ad mentions “most realistic 16-bit pro basketball”, “digitized players” and having all 27 NBA teams and star players. Sega Sports is no more but it’s legacy still lives on among Sega fans.

7. X-Men Sega Game Gear print ad

Similar to its approach with the Sega Sports brand, Sega developed exclusive games for the Game Gear. The company secured from Marvel the license to make an original X-Men game and to promote it, this 2-page print ad showcased original art of the established X-Men characters of the time while using the remaining spaces for the screenshots and descriptive text. This old print ad still looks attractive and will easily resonate with X-Men fans as well as 1990s superhero comics enthusiasts.

8. Liberty or Death print ad

*American history is the core concept of this strategy game by Koei.*

If there is anything notable about the Japanese company Koei, it is the fact that it released strategy and simulation games that tackled varied topics while making each game distinct and playable regardless of platform. In my experience, I had a lot of fun playing their business simulation Aerobiz Supersonic on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). In 1993, Koei released their turn-based strategy game Liberty or Death which tackled American history for its setting (note: Koei already established itself with historical simulations). To sell the game, Koei came up with a print ad that had a very eye-catching historical art (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin among the figures), a few selected screenshots and descriptive text that emphasized the essence of the game. This print ad is a reminder that no video game company today would make a historical simulation due to geopolitics (note: there are a lot of woke activists among video game employees today) and for business reasons.

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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 34

September 1, 2025August 24, 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.

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

1. North American Pac-Mania arcade flyer

Released in 1987, Pac-Mania became a big hit among critics, fans and casual arcade gamers which added a lot to the enduring popularity of the Pac-Man game franchise. As it featured a new game design with an oblique perspective and a more 3D feel, Pac-Mania was a very serious attempt on reinventing the Pac-Man formula. For the American market, Namco licensed the game to Atari which in turn came up with the above arcade flyer that had a pretty eye-catching front cover artwork showcasing the iconic Pac-Man jumping out from a maze with the line “I’m back,…and bouncing.” The arcade cabinet was also shown and a clear message about the 3D feature of the game was shown. The other side of the flyer showed screenshots and details that are worth reading. This arcade flyer still looks attractive and informative by today’s standards.

2. Japanese Missile Command arcade flyer

*Cocktail arcade tables were popular in Japan and Taito brought Missile Command with the format.*

Missile Command is a true arcade classic which I always enjoy replaying (read my retro review by clicking here). It was an instant hit in arcades in America and after Atari licensed the game to Sega and Taito for the arcades of Japan, it also achieved huge success there. Along the way, Taito released Missile Command with an cocktail arcade table format which is common in Japan. The arcade flyer Taito came up with had a very simplistic presentation of details, an image of the cocktail arcade table and one screenshot of the game. The Japanese arcade flyer clearly lacks excitement but at least it gave gamers and arcade operators a clear idea of what to expect with Missile Command.

3. Atari 2600 print ad

When the Atari 2600 was first launched in 1977, it was officially called the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS). The Atari company really aimed high to sell a lot of consoles to as many households as possible and they came up with a print ad like this one from 1978. While the Atari 2600 and its games were displayed, the image of a father, mother and daughter showed that the company not only targeted American families but also want to change home entertainment to be more interactive. This old ad is truly an inspired piece of work.

4. Kool-Aid Man video game print ad

*I never played the Kool-Aid Man video game.*

There was a time when Kool-Aid was such a popular drink, the character Kool-Aid Man debuted in 1974 after initially starting as the Pitcher Man. A short time later, merchandising featuring the character followed and in 1983 the official Kool-Aid Man video game was released on the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. This particular print ad appeared in some comic books I read a very long time ago and it offered customers the opportunity to get the game free by sending 125 proof-of-purchase points to the company by mail. This old ad was visually striking and was a creative way to boost sales of the drink.

5. Spider-Man Atari 2600 game print ad

*Spider-Man and Green Goblin with the Atari 2600 and the TV.*

Even though the controls were rough and the game’s difficulty really went high with each new session, my friends and I still enjoyed playing the Spider-Man video game on Atari 2600 from Parker Brothers. Apart from the comic book-style print ads they came up with to promote the game, Parker Brothers went on to make this particular ad featuring Spider-Man and the Green Goblin with a TV set, the game and the Atari 2600 together all presented with a totally different art style. This is still a fun ad to look at.

6. Phoenix game print ad

After playing shooter-type games like Space Invaders and Centipede on the Atari 2600, my friends and I experienced something familiar yet fresh with Phoenix. Atari secured from Taito the rights to make the Atari 2600 port of the game, and they came up with a dark print ad that showcased the official painted art work, a portion of the video game’s box and the line “Arm Your Missiles…Charge Up Your Shields! Phoenix is coming!” Having played the game many times, those highlighted words really captured the essence of Phoenix gameplay.

7. Sunset Riders North American arcade flyer

Released in arcades in 1991, Sunset Riders was a critical and commercial hit raking in more success to Konami. For the American arcades, Konami came up with this print ad showing a creepy looking cowboy carrying a bag of money (related to the “strike it rich” line) with his donkey with him. The rear of the ad shows another photograph of 3 cowboys on their horses, the four screenshots and the creative text description. Too bad we don’t see flyers like this anymore.

8. Parker Brothers’ 6-game print ad

Quite arguably, Parker Brothers was the 2^nd most prominent publisher of video games on the Atari 2600 console next to Atari itself. Out of the six games presented in this old print ad, I only played Spider-Man and Super Cobra. Each game’s box had a unique art style and collectively they made this ad look exciting. Times were really different back in the 1980s.

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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 33

August 1, 2025July 30, 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 1980s and 1990s.

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

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Atari 2600 print ad

*If you have seen Steven Spielberg’s 1982 movie, were you able to play the Atari 2600 video game? I did!*

Atari invested a lot on its video game based on Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as the film was a massive box office success. In addition to their Atari 2600 video game print ad showing E.T. with Elliot, they ran another print ad with a concept of the sci-fi character needing people’s help. They came up with original artwork showing E.T. holding a box of the Atari 2600 E.T. video game, then posted details about how to acquire a copy of the game (with prices for regular customers and club members) and posted a toll-free 1-800 phone number. They also offered a $5 discount for those who order the E.T. or Raider of the Lost Ark video game and another cartridge. This old ad had commerce written all over it.

2. Bulls vs. Lakers and the NBA Playoffs Sega Genesis print ad

*Before NBA Live, there was this old NBA video games series by Electronic Arts.*

Based on the 1990-91 NBA season and the NBA finals match-up between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, Bulls vs. Lakers and the NBA Playoffs was Electronic Arts’ exciting game for the Sega Genesis which already had lots of sports-loving gamers. They made a 2-page print ad that was cleverly designed to make both gamers and NBA fans excited. It is not an accident that the ad showed comparative images (in-game footage and real-life basketball photos) of NBA superstars like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley on the right. With the strong visual presentation, emphasis on popular NBA players and other details posted, this old ad is still fun and exciting to look at.

3. Japanese Smash T.V. print ad

Yes, it is true! The console port of the arcade classic Smash T.V. was released on the Super Family Computer (Super Famicom) in Japan back in the 1990s. While I cannot understand the Japanese text shown on the ad above, it still looks exciting as the official artwork plus a screenshot of the game were displayed. The revealed retail price of 7,800 Yen is alone eye-catching as there were many games in Japan launched below that price in the next console generation. I can only wonder how many gamers in Japan bought and enjoyed Smash T.V.

4. U.S. Championship V’Ball arcade flyers

*The very colorful and striking arcade flyer for the Japanese market.*

In 1988, Technos – the company behind the Double Dragon video games – released U.S. Championship V’Ball in video arcades in Japan and in America. The way it was promoted in Japan, Technos came up with an arcade flyer that had a comic-inspired hand-drawn artwork that easily gave viewers a strong American beach volleyball vibe. For the American arcade market, Taito (licensed by Technos) used different artwork showing two men in action. If you ask me, the Japanese arcade flyer is more dynamic to look at. Regardless of art style and presentation, both arcade flyers emphasized beach volleyball to gamers clearly.

5. Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle print ad

*The 2-page print ad of Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle.*

When Activision decide to make a new Pitfall video game with polygonal graphics and with 3D platform gameplay, it was not surprising at all as this was the trend that defined 1990s gaming. In 1998, Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle was released for the PlayStation and it received a divisive reception from the critics. If you look closely at the print ad, the words “Next Generation Adventure” was written in the lower-right part and it was clear the game’s quality did not justify them.

6. Atari 2600 and games print ads

*Our household had an Atari 2600 console and many games.*

*Atari’s promotion of its console, the games and interactive entertainment with the TV.*

For a number of years decades ago, Atari dominated the video game console market in America with the Atari 2600 sold in the millions. While Atari today is no longer the video game giant it used to be, there is no denying the fact that they really changed the way people enjoyed the use of their television sets in American homes by offering them lots of video games for the Atari 2600 console. By looking at the above print ads, you can see that the company was not only aggressive with their marketing but also made interactive electronic entertainment more acceptable to countless families.

7. Burning Rangers North American print ad

*I remember this ad from video game magazines I read in 1998.*

Released in 1998 for the Sega Saturn, Burning Rangers was a high-quality exclusive game. To promote it in America, Sega came up with the print ad showing a few screenshots and a dominating image of a fire fighter cooling down on a kid’s personal pool. The image emphasized the element of fire in the game even though it lacked the more sci-fi elements used on the characters and setting. It should be noted that by 1998, the Sega Saturn was no longer in high demand in America as gamers overwhelmingly chose PlayStation and Nintendo 64 (N64) consoles and games. In retrospect, this was one of Sega’s final hard marketing moves done with a Saturn game.

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Elevator Action Returns is still a lot of fun to play again!

July 30, 2025July 25, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back Xbox fans, geeks, retro gaming fans and other gamers!

If you are disappointed with modern console gaming and if you don’t like what the console makers are doing, retro gaming will restore the fun and help you forget about the disappointment.

I recently purchased a copy of Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute for my Xbox Series X because I wanted to play Elevator Action Returns again but in the comfort of home. For the newcomers reading this, Elevator Action Returns (also titled as Elevation Action II in some markets overseas) was first released in Japanese arcades in 1994.

*The Japanese arcade flyer of Elevator Action Returns.*

In my experience here in the Philippines, I played the original Elevator Action on the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) in 1986 and I played its sequel for the first time at the arcade of X-Site Amusement Center inside Festival Mall in Alabang in 1998. Upon playing Elevator Action Returns arcade version, I was instantly hooked as it was pretty playable, exciting and fun to play. To the best of my memory, I replayed Elevator Action Returns a number of times at X-Site Amusement Center until early 2001. Today, the game is no longer available in X-Site’s arcade selection which is a bummer.

In recent times, I’ve been replaying Elevator Action Returns and the original Elevator Action on my Xbox Series X thanks to the Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute digital copy I purchased. What I am writing here is not a game review but more of an observation about the mid-1990s game in general and how it played using the Xbox controller.

Game design and gameplay

Developed by Taito, Elevator Action Returns was built up on the foundation it inherited from its 1980s predecessor. The game has a 2D visual design and with more detailed sprites and artistic elements of the time. The game was designed with a joystick and two action buttons (one for shooting and the other for jumping) arcade control set up in mind.

*The first level is a creative remake of what was presented in the original Elevator Action game. Only this time, the action is more intense, faster and more explosive.*

Players will have to make their way through the floors in each level (six in total), shooting the enemies (the in-game terrorist group), entering all the red-colored door to retrieve something essential, survive and then making your way to the exit point of the level. As the game has a designated health meter or life bar for the player, this allows players to keep enduring the challenges without worrying about any one-hit deaths.

As players make their way through each level, they can pick up new weapons like machine guns or launchers. Players can also enter doors to pick up not only new weapons but also health boosters or points.

*The 2D sprite work and animation are fantastic to look at. The artistic details in the background and foreground added visual dept.*

*You can pick one of three characters to play as.*

When compared to the original Elevator Action, the sequel comes with good variety per level prepared. The first level was traditional in design like the previous game as players have to move down a tall building by floors, accomplish with the red door and conclude the level at the ground floor. The other levels are more horizontal in design and players will definitely be moving more sideward fighting the terrorists while avoiding environmental hazards. There also will be times when players will have to climb up one floor to the next by escalator or by elevator depending on the level designed.

When it comes to the constant opposition, the terrorists are many and players should be aware of them appearing when they are least expected. What it noticeable is that the terrorists become more aggressive and relentless the longer players take to finish a level. I promise you readers, you will do a lot of shooting, jumping, and even melee attacks when fighting the bad guys.

*Levels like this one allowed for more sideway movement as well as opportunities to climb up or down a floor in order to accomplish your objective.*

*With a health meter implemented, you can endure more damage as you fight the bad guys and make your way through. Beware of environmental hazards along the way.*

As for the controls, the arcade control set-up of a single joystick and two buttons remains the best way to play it. Elevator Action Returns is playable enough with the Xbox controller. While the left analog stick of the Xbox controller works well in moving the character, I ended up using the directional pad (D-pad) a lot more because it works much better and allows me to make more precise moves. This game can be played in single-player or in 2-player co-op.

A sequel released at the right time

*I like the artwork the game developers prepared highlighting your mission accomplishment and survival. A lot of effort was invested on making the artwork displayed here.*

Being a mid-1990s game made with more advanced visual elements, better hardware and a modern approach to gameplay, the action in Elevator Action Returns is unsurprisingly faster, more action-packed and more explosive than its predecessor. Indeed, this is a high-quality sequel and a true evolution of the classic Elevator Action formula. As Islamic terrorism became a major problem in global affairs in the 1990s, the terrorism theme of the game’s story was timely and fitting as the fictional terrorist group is obsessed with causing destruction and death worldwide. As such, the game allows players to pick one of three character of a counter-terrorism unit, and each character has differences with regards to speed, armor, firing speed, health and sub-weapons. The levels are plentiful and the same can be said about the varied action which makes the game worth replaying from start to finish. I should state that the 2D sprite work is great and timeless to look at.

Elevator Action Returns is a classic and it ensures a lot of fun for anyone who loves retro gaming and the Elevator Action series in general. This is one of the best arcade games of the 1990s now available for playing on modern consoles.

If you are an Xbox gamer who is interested in Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute or if you have decided already to acquire it only, click https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/elevator-action-returns-s-tribute/9p2r96pgmstr

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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 31

June 2, 2025May 27, 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 1980s and 1990s.

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

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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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 78

May 26, 2025May 22, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace revisited – Remember way back in 1999 when Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released with a massive amount of hype and anticipation? I first saw that George Lucas-directed movie at the cinema in Festival Mall which was full of people. As the years passed by, The Phantom Menace did not age well as it had serious pacing issues, lots of childish elements (mainly because of a certain very annoying character) and it ended up inferior compared with its sequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But let’s be honest here…while The Phantom Menace is indeed the weakest film of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, is it truly terrible and unwatchable? Now is a good time to revisit the 1999 movie through retrospective videos posted below.

#2 You, Me and the Movies react to Cape Fear (1991) – In recent times, YouTuber You, Me and the Movies posted their reaction video of the 1991 version of Cape Fear starring Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte. For the newcomers reading this, Cape Fear of 1991 is pretty hard core with its violence and, more notably, it carries elements that would terrify both viewers and their respective families. It is the kind of movie that will make you think about your family and how to protect them from cunning and violent criminals. Watch and learn how the movie impacts You, Me and the Movies.

#3 PatmanQC examines the history of Operation Wolf – Now for some retro gaming fun! I remember back in the late 1980s, Operation Wolf was popular in arcades here in the Philippines. As that game was released during the late stages of the Cold War, it was not surprising that it was both socially relevant and enjoyable for gamers. If you are wondering who created the game and what inspired them to produce Operation Wolf, watch the in-depth video by PatmanQC below.

#4 King’s Quest revisited – Still with retro gaming, I want to share with you all that in the late 1980s, I was fortunate to have played King’s Quest on PC (DOS specifically) which was an intriguing and challenging gaming experience for me. I never finished the adventure game from Sierra On-Line but I enjoyed its game design, its groundbreaking visuals and its fantasy world. I recently saw Space Quest Historian’s retrospective on King’s Quest and it had a nice mix of comedy and attention to details. Watch it now.

#5 Pedro Pascal’s wokeness exposed and explained – I really hate it when entertainment gets poisoned by the woke mob from the movie studios down to the performers and creators. I also despise the trend in which woke forces in Communist-filled Hollywood (Commiewood) make movies and shows that promote their Satanic Leftist agenda, and then the woke stars propagate their toxic beliefs in multiple ways. Recently Ranting for Vengeance posted new videos exposing the woke toxicity of actor Pedro Pascal and explaining in detail what happened. I can say this early you should stay away from Pascal’s projects such as the new woke Fantastic Four movie. As for Warner Bros., I don’t like James Gunn’s Superman. Watch and learn from the video below.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 56

February 12, 2025February 8, 2025carlocarrasco

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 Saving Private Ryan reaction videos – I still remember the day I saw Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in the local cinema in 1998. It was a mesmerizing war movie experience. Considering its acclaimed status, commercial success and impact on pop culture, it is not surprising that the movie is the subject of many movie reaction videos on YouTube. That being said, I spotted a few must-see videos. If you have not seen the movie yet, watch it first. Otherwise, enjoy the videos below.

#2 Woke game companies panic as gamers reject their games – There is no doubt that the woke virus and the pathetic DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) have infected a lot of video game companies, most notably Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. This explains why several video games ended up as creative promotions of identity politics, woke concepts and feminist garbage done at the expense of quality and fun. That being said, a lot of gamers collectively rejected the woke games by not buying them, as well as avoiding future woke releases. Be aware of the latest trends in video games by watching Adam Post’s analytical video below.

#3 US President Trump’s plan for the American takeover of the Gaza Strip – I can clearly say that US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a plan for America to take over the Gaza Strip (which is physically located within Israel and borders Egypt in the southwest) to redevelop it was both totally surprising and very ambitious. For decades now, Gaza has been a hot spot of Islamic terrorists – notably Palestinian terrorist group Hamas – who were able to arm themselves heavily, launched countless attacks against Israel, and even enriched themselves by abusing the countless humanitarian donations they received. That being said, Trump’s plan makes a lot of sense and if implemented (only after Israel concludes its war against the terrorists), it could change the tone of the Middle East. Watch and learn the details from the video below.

#4 Democrats keep getting dumber and dumber – Ever since Donald Trump returned as President of the United States, the remaining Democrats in power only turned more chaotic and dumber. In his show, Ben Shapiro explains in detail why the Democrats have gotten dumber. Watch the video below.

#5 Trump’s ban and the trans hysteria – In case you missed the news, US President Trump signed an executive order that banned men from participating in women’s sports events. In short, men who identify as women (read: transgender) are not allowed to compete with the real women in their sports activities. Since then, the transgendered mob and LGBTQ have turned chaotic. Very clearly, the Satanic Leftists do NOT care about fairness in sports, do NOT care about the protection of women, and they do NOT care about common sense! Watch and learn from the videos below.

#6 VKunia reacts to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Remember back in 2011 when Tom Cruise had a successful return with Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol? Since then, the Hollywood superstar kept coming back as Ethan Hunt in more sequels and the Mission: Impossible film franchise still remains essential for both Cruise and Paramount. Witness how the 2011 MI movie impacts VKunia in her reaction video below.

#7 PatmanQC examines the history of the Superman arcade game – Back in 1989, I played the Superman arcade game developed by Taito. Even though it was repetitive and had generic villains to fight with, it was still a fun experience for me. Looking back at it, it was one of the early Superman-related video games that was made with fun and quality in mind. It even came with the iconic theme from the movie. To learn more about the history of the Superman arcade game, watch PatmanQC’s video.

#8 GoodBadFlicks examines The Cannonball Run – Released in 1981, The Cannonball Run is a action-comedy movie inspired by a real-life cross-country outlaw road race. The film had a huge cast that includes Roger Moore, Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan and others. To learn more about what made the movie fun to watch and what else inspired its creation, watch GoodBadFlicks’ video below.

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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 23

December 2, 2024November 13, 2024carlocarrasco

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.

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

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark game print ads

*The print ad with strong Indiana Jones imagery.*

*The print ad with the movie theater exterior image and the small image of the Atari 2600 console.*

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of the best adventure movies ever made as well as the start of the iconic character Indiana Jones. Given its huge commercial success, an official video game adaptation for the Atari 2600 was released in 1982 and game designer Howard Scott Warshaw even met with Spielberg during the game’s development.

To promote the game, Atari released two print ads – one ad had a movie theater exterior visual concept to emphasize they have the official video game adaptation based on the movie while the other ad showed the game’s official artwork and game box cover while emphasizing a savings offer. Atari really did what they could to sell a game while riding on the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

2. Phoenix print ad

*Even without any screenshots, this print ad’s art still gives viewers a clear idea of what to expect.*

Similar to what they did with Galaxian and Joust, Atari made this print ad promoting Phoenix which was a 2D sci-fi shooting game that was similar with Space Invaders in design. Colorized, hand-drawn artwork resembling the 2D sprites of the game was done to capture the attention of people. The art is so good, it made up for the lack screenshots of the game.

3. Moon Patrol arcade flyer

Moon Patrol was a 2D sci-fi side-scrolling adventure game first released in the arcades in 1982. To sell the game to arcade operators, publisher Williams created the North American arcade flyer that heavily used hand-drawn comic book-style artworks on both sides while using available space on the other side for the descriptive text, contact details and the image of an arcade machine. What is very clear is that no screenshots of the game were shown to stand out which explains why a lot of hand-drawn art was used. The picture of the machine showing a screen of Moon Patrol was the closest thing to see a screenshot on this flyer. Personally, I really like the style and quality of the hand-drawn artwork as it made the flyer look lively.

4. Paperboy arcade flyers

*The arcade flyer showing the Paperboy machine and screenshots. The hand-drawn art is nice.*

*This one uses comedy showing a grown man riding a bike as a paper delivery “boy”.*

*I really like the stronger emphasis on the in-game graphics of Paperboy which dominates the space. What you see is what you get in the arcade.*

The first time I ever played the classic Paperboy was in the arcade inside a Las Vegas hotel way back in 1989, and it sure was a challenging yet fun experience. Before its arcade debut in 1985, the developers took a lot of risks making the game which includes coming up with a bicycle handle bar for each machine to have. To promote the game, Atari made at least three arcade flyers that creatively emphasized what the game’s concept was about, how did it play, why does the machine have bicycle handlebars and why players can expect fun. Atari’s promotional efforts paid off as Paperboy became a huge hit in the arcades not only in America but also in Japan.

5. Frogger multi-platform print ad

*This print ad is still amusing to look at.*

After Frogger became a hit in the arcades, Parker Brothers secured the rights to port the game on Atari consoles, the Intellivision, TI-99/4A, vic-20, the Commodore computers and ColecoVision. To promote their Frogger ports, the single-page print ad was made showing a player in the foreground playing in front of screens that each showed what the game looked like on each platform. Parker Brothers found tremendous success selling 4 million copies of Atari 2600 version of Frogger at a time when there were only 13 million units of Atari 2600 in existence. By the year 2005, video game sales of Frogger reached 20 million worldwide across different platforms.

6. Predator 2 print ad

*This is one very edgy print ad as used an official image from the movie.*

If there is anything memorable about the 1990 film Predator 2, it is the fact that it had the story and the alien hunter itself within a metropolitan setting. That being said, the Sega Genesis Predator 2 video game had a suitable design of shooting and adventuring within the urban settings. This video game ad really captured the vibe of the movie (even showing the reddish human skull with spine on the Predator’s left hand) and clearly showed what gamers could expect. This old ad is still captivating to look at and its edgy approach is still intact.

7. Atari Jaguar print ad

*Did you ever own an Atari Jaguar console?*

When I was reading video game magazines back in the 1990s, I always found print ads of the Atari Jaguar intriguing to look at. I was very young when I first played the Atari 2600 and its games at home, and later played some Atari games in the arcade. To me, seeing Atari Jaguar print ads like this one gave me moments of nostalgia and it made me wonder if Atari knew what it was doing with their so-called 64-bit game console. They did what they could to promote their console and the games within this 2-page print ad.

8. Vs. print ad

*This print ad easily reminds me of the 1990s.*

By 1997, both the arcades and the video game console market were filled with lots of 2D and 3D polygonal fighting games. Japan was the hot spot of the production of 3D polygon fighting games and the developer Polygon Magic (based in Japan) made Fighters’ Impact which Taito released in Japanese arcades and the PlayStation. The said game was picked up by THQ for a late-1997 release on the PlayStation in America under the title Vs. I never played this game but I heard that the game’s development included gang-oriented characters designed by Marvel Comics artist Kurtis Fujita. This Vs. ad is a lively reminder about the hip-hop fashion that made its way into video games.

9. GoldStar/LG Electronics 3DO print ad

*This is a very weird way to market a video game machine.*

Back in the 1990s, the South Korean electronics company GoldStar (which was part of the umbrella of LG Electronics) had the license to produce 3DO game consoles with its own style. In some ways, the GoldStar 3DO console looked like a premium console on the outside. Unfortunately, the GoldStar 3DO print ad here had a very sloppy presentation as the ad makers used very weird art of a brain-with-eyes holding a 3DO controller leaving little space left to promote the console and games (without any screenshots). The text description was sloppily done. This is a bad example of promoting video game hardware and games.

10. Pandemonium 2 print ad

*I saw this ad but never played the game.*

Looking back at 1997, I find it strange that I never got to play Pandemonium 2 on the PlayStation even though I saw its print ad in magazines. I had a lot of fun playing Pandemonium! on the console in 1996 but somehow missed out on its sequel. Looking back at the Pandemonium 2 print ad, I was surprised with how the game developers redesigned the two playable protagonists, especially Nikki who was clearly made to look very sexy. The word “libido” (meaning sexual drive) was deliberately placed above Nikki. The ad also had a hypnotizing mix of colors which I believe was also deliberately done by the ad makers. I can only wonder how the game played.

11. Mission: Impossible print ad

In 1990, Ultra Games (a label of Konami) released the Mission: Impossible video game on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in America. Developed by Konami, the game was an adaptation of the 1988 TV series and it had an ambitious design with regards to level design and gameplay. To promote the game, the ad makers came up with a visual design showing the game’s box (which had a nice painted art on the cover) on the foreground and several screenshots resembling TV monitors on the background. Even by today’s standards, this print ad still looks good and captivating even if you are not too familiar with Mission: Impossible on TV.

12. The Lawnmower Man Sega CD and Genesis print ad

*Are you fan of The Lawnmower Man movie?*

Back in 1992, there was a lot of buzz generated by the movie The Lawnmower Man as it had a disturbing concept that involved virtual reality and, more notably, author Stephen King sued the filmmakers to remove his name from the title because the film differed so much from the source material. Of course, those developments did not stop the production of video game adaptations of the movie. This print ad promoting the Sega CD and Sega Genesis versions of the game heavily used the images of CyberJobe which were among the most memorable images from the film. Looking at the ad, the ad makers could have made the screenshots look a little larger to really sell the games.

13. Ground Zero: Texas print ad

*The shotguns really made this ad eye-catching.*

I never played the Sega CD video game Ground Zero: Texas but I knew that it was one of those games that heavily relied on video footage while giving players moments to interact. Back in 1993, there was an increase in the number of video games that carried lots of live action footage to drive the narrative and players were given options in order to progress. What is very notable about the game is not the game design but the very 2-page ad used to promote it. The image showing four people pointing their shotguns towards the viewer was easily the most captivating part of the ad. Even though there was vacant space in between, the screenshots of the game were displayed to be really small.

14. Alien vs. Predator for SNES and Game Boy print ad

*This ad caught the attention of a lot of people back then.*

Back in 1990, Dark Horse Comics launched the 4-issue mini-series of Aliens vs. Predator which turned out to be a very intriguing and engaging crossover comic book tale featuring two iconic sci-fi species of monsters. The success of the comic books led to the production of many video games which delighted both fans of Predator and Aliens. In 1993, Activision released Alien vs. Predator on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the single-page print ad they came up with was engaging to look at. The SNES game box with the fine looking painted art was the main visual highlight leaving just enough space for the descriptive text, the Game Boy cover and two screenshots. Believe it or not, this video game was not related at all with the Alien vs. Predator arcade game and Atari Jaguar console game.

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