Tourism in Vietnam continues to boom as the nation attracted more than twelve million foreign tourists in the first half of this year, according to a news report by VnExpress.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of VnExpress. Some parts in boldface…
Vietnam received 12.3 million international visitors in the first six months of the year, a 14.9% increase from the same period last year, fueled by the country’s reputation as a safe destination amid global geopolitical uncertainty.
In the second quarter alone, the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam reached 5.49 million, up 18.2% year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.
Mainland China remained the largest source of visitors so far this year with 2.69 million, followed by South Korea with 2.1 million. The rest of the top 10 were Russia, Taiwan, the U.S., Cambodia, India, Japan, the Phillippines and Australia.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism attributed the strong growth to the country’s reputation as a safe and stable destination amid global political uncertainty.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? What do you think makes Vietnam very attractive to visitors from around the world? Have you thought about visiting Vietnam soon?
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In response to the official request of Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, Israel has agreed to extend earthquake aid in the South American nation by an additional two weeks, according to a news report by The Jerusalem Post.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the report of The Jerusalem Post. Some parts in boldface.
The Israeli aid delegation’s earthquake relief work in Venezuela will continue for an additional two weeks after interim president Delcy Rodriguez met with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to request the extension, the Foreign Ministry and the IDF announced on Wednesday.
The decision was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
With a small delegation of only 30 people, Israeli presence in Venezuela has been focused on designing a national reconstruction plan, which Rodriguez hopes to begin implementing.
As part of the plan, the IDF began mapping and categorizing approximately 1,300 buildings on Monday, classifying them as either to be demolished or potentially salvageable despite damage.
Additionally, IDF Brig.-Gen. Elad Edri said that the IDF engineers have provided guidance to Venezuela on handling debris from damaged buildings.
‘Out of the box thinking’ as earthquake death toll rises – The multi-year plan is a major accomplishment of the Israeli delegation, and Venezuela approved it within days, rather than the weeks or months it would normally take to develop.
Edri said the severity of the disaster warranted rapid, out-of-the-box thinking.
Following the June 24 earthquake, the IDF delegation flew out of Israel on June 30 and landed in Venezuela on July 1 after multiple complex stopovers, Edri said.
He explained that, given the current chaos, other delegations who wanted to assist with the disaster have needed four to five days of travel and waiting to reach disaster-stricken sites.
Even the IDF could not fly directly into Caracas; they flew into Valencia instead and then traveled domestically to Caracas.
On Sunday, the Venezuelan Information Ministry announced that the death toll had risen to 3,342. The new tally also puts the number of injured at 16,470, while the number of homeless has risen to 17,345.
To all my readers, I encourage you to thank the Lord for this breakthrough of cooperation between Israel and Venezuela. Not so long ago during the rule of the dictator Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela was hostile towards Israel and took sides with the Palestinians. With Maduro gone (thanks to the United States under President Donald Trump’s leadership), Venezuela now has a new leader and there has been a series of changes that happened since.
As such, I encourage you all to pray to the Lord for Israel and Venezuela to become allies and willing diplomatic partners in this chaotic world we live in. Pray also to Him for the continued recovery of Venezuela whose people suffered so much not only from the recent earthquake but also from the decades-long economic deterioration under their dictators.
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 Street Fighter III: New Generation Revisited – Way back in 1994, I had a blast of fun playing Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) plus other Street Fighter II games in the arcades. Naturally, I had a personal anticipation for Street Fighter III. However, Capcom released Street Fighter Alpha (Street Fighter Zero) and follow-up games over the next few years. In the 1st quarter of 1997, I saw Street Fighter III: New Generation in the local arcade and quickly inserted tokens to play it. I was very impressed with its super-smooth animation and enjoyed it. Still, something about the game felt hollow and weird as well which is related to the fact that Ryu and Ken were the only established Street Fighter characters who returned. Indeed, there was something odd that happened behind the scenes at Capcom when Street Fighter III: New Generation was made. Watch and learn from the videos below.
#2 EOM Reacts’ Saving Private Ryan Video – Twenty-eight years ago, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was released in cinemas and eventually achieved both critical and commercial success. While its story was not true to life nor a solid record of World War II history, its presentation of the extreme violence of the era and American brotherhood captivated a lot of moviegoers. To find out how much impact the movie has on anyone who views it, watch EOM React’s reaction video below.
#3 Farm-Raised Eels Launched In Japan – In Japanese cuisine, eels are a popular delicacy and they make a great choice of meat to consume with rice. Due to the sharp decline of eels at sea, farms that spent a lot of time and resources of breeding eels provided the alternative for Japanese demand. That said, farm-raised eels were commercially launched recently for public consumption and you can learn so much more about them in the Nippon TV video below.
#4 Shenmue Retrospective – Shenmue, the most defining game ever released on the short-lived Sega Dreamcast, has long been featured in countless articles and retrospective videos over the past twenty-six years. Under the leadership and design of the legendary Yu Suzuki, Shenmue turned out to be a very groundbreaking video game when it comes to exploration, adventuring and interactions with characters (including non-playable characters or NPCs) and items. Now is a good time to look back at Shenmue with the in-depth retrospective video below. Viewing it felt like an adventure.
#5 You, Me And The Movies React To The Philadelphia Story – When was the last time you saw a romantic comedy film released in the 1940s? The 1940 movie The Philadelphia Story is notable not only because it was nominated for several Academy Awards (it won two) but also because it was the successful comeback of actress Katharine Hepburn who had several failures. To find out if The Philadelphia Story is truly impactful and worthy of preservation in the United States National Film Registry, go watch You, Me and the Movies’ reaction video below.
#6 Ashleigh Burton Reacts To Lethal Weapon 4 – What is there to say about 1998’s Lethal Weapon 4? It is the one film that has Asian superstar Jet Li as the action-packed villain. In addition, it marked significant changes in the respective lives of Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) when it comes to family matters and getting old as law enforcers. I can hardly believe it has been twenty-eight years since I first saw this movie in the local cinema and it was indeed a thrilling viewing experience. To see if it still has any entertainment value and impact, watch and learn from Ashleigh Burton’s reaction video below.
#7 The 2003 California Recall Election Revisited – Decades after former actor Ronald Reagan led the state of California as its governor, another actor got elected to the same position via a recall election…Arnold Schwarzenegger! Back in 2003, the incumbent governor Gray Davis was very unpopular and a lot of Californians got fed up with the many problems that affected them. When the move to recall Davis grew tremendously, several people filed their candidacies for Governor of California but it was Schwarzenegger who outmaneuvered them. Given the fact that he starred in three Terminator movies – all of which were filmed in California – he would later be called as “the Governator” after taking office. To find out what really happened and what the factors were behind his recall election victory, watch the in-depth video below.
#8 The Remake Trend Of Video Games – Like Hollywood, the video game industry has an obsession with remaking video games. The difference is this…the obsession on remaking video games is pretty strong as video game publishers need something “new” to sell to gamers while their other game projects could not be completed fast enough. Still, there is something twisted or intriguing behind the game companies’ focus on remaking games and you can find out more by watching the video below.
Following the disturbing ballistic missile launch of Communist China into the Pacific Ocean, the United States reaffirmed its support for the Philippines, according to a news report by the Manila Bulletin. Symbolically, the new US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton issued an official statement.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to the Philippines after China test-launched an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile from a submarine into the southern Pacific Ocean.
In a statement on Tuesday, July 7, US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton said the launch underscored concerns over Beijing’s nuclear weapons buildup and its implications for regional peace and stability.
“The ironclad US-Philippine Alliance has been a tremendous and transparent source of regional peace and stability for over seven decades,” Lipton said.
“Beijing’s provocative missile launch yesterday is further evidence of its rapid and secretive nuclear weapons development program, which runs counter to regional stability and is inconsistent with the pursuit of meaningful arms control discussions,” he added.
Lipton said the United States shares the Philippines’ concerns over the missile launch and remains committed to its “oldest security ally in the region.”
The statement followed a July 6 statement by US State Department spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, who said the United States had monitored China’s test launch of an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile from a submarine.
According to Pigott, the missile landed in the southern Pacific Ocean.
“At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite,” Pigott said.
He said China’s “rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup” remains a major concern for countries in the region and the international community.
The United States also urged China to participate in meaningful arms control talks and establish a regular notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches.
Such an arrangement, Pigott said, would be consistent with commitments made by the other members of the P5, or the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
“The United States remains steadfast in our defense commitments to our allies and partners,” Pigott said.
The latest US statements come amid continuing concerns over China’s expanding military capabilities and increasingly assertive activities in the Indo-Pacific, including in the West Philippine Sea.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you concerned that China could someday attack the Philippines with ballistic missiles? Do you think this destabilizing move by China could spark the US to send more naval vessels into the Asian region? How do you think US President Donald Trump will react if ever China launches even more ballistic missiles?
The United States of America (USA) celebrated its 250th anniversary and during his 4th of July speech at the National Mall, US President Donald Trump honored the American heroes as well as the Founding Fathers of the nation, according to a news report by Newsmax.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the report of Newsmax. Some parts in boldface…
President Donald Trump celebrated America’s 250th anniversary in a rousing speech on the Fourth of July at the National Mall on Saturday night.
Trump delivered his remarks after 11 p.m. ET, after being delayed by over an hour due to lightning and heavy rains. But Trump said he would not be deterred in celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
“If we have to speak in front of one person at four in the morning I’m going to be here,” Trump said in a speech streamed live on Newsmax. “There’s no way we can be deterred.”
“Tonight we come together for one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time,” Trump added. “For two and a half centuries, our American Republic has stood as the crowning achievement of human history.
“This country is the home of freedom. This is the land of liberty. And this is a flag that’s the banner of the most extraordinary, most exceptional, most incredible nation ever to exist on the face of the Earth.”
The president said the American people have shown more courage, done more good, righted more injustice and achieved more greatness than anyone else.
“For 250 years, the United States of America has been the hope, the promise, the light and the glory among all of the nations of the world, all over the world, they try and be like us,” Trump said.
“Nobody can be like us, and with God’s help, we will always be this,” Trump added. “Or even better. We’re going to be better.”
Trump used his speech to honor numerous veterans who fought in American wars, bringing them on stage to salute the flag while telling their tales of heroism.
Among those honored were 104-year-old Ken Schrubing, who was just 19 years old when he survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and 101-year-old Don Graves, who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
“These are the fighters and the banners of the Greatest Generation,” Trump said. “They are the greatest generation. They saved the world and they made America very, very proud. We’re very proud of you, heroes all.“
Marine Corporal Pat Finn and Private First Class Rudy Meekins, who fought in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, were also honored, along with astronaut Jack Schmitt, the last American to walk on the moon, and the Artemis II flight crew.
Eleven Gold Star families were also presented with flags during Trump’s speech.
Speaking in front of the first American flags produced, Trump praised the Founding Fathers and the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
“Those 56 patriots put everything at risk, stepped onto the stage of destiny, and seized a victory for the ages,” Trump said.
Trump said the Founding Fathers have allowed America to thrive for 250 years.
“Our cause was just. Our people are brave, our culture is exceptional, and our destiny is written by God,” Trump said.
“And as we can see here tonight, after 250 years, the spirit of 1776 still lives within us all,” Trump added.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted with the way America’s 250th anniversary was celebrated this year? Are you thankful to America’s Founding Fathers, war veterans and other brave heroes who kept the US a shining light on the world? Do you think the unpatriotic Americans will eventually realize they are wrong with their current beliefs and make a drastic change to love the United States again?
Several business executives and investors from the United States are set to visit the Philippines next week to explore investment opportunities in the nation’s infrastructure sector, energy sector, and more, according to a news report by the Manila Bulletin. The American investors will engage with their Filipino counterparts during the planned 5-day trade mission.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
More than 25 American business executives and investors will visit the country next week for a business mission as the United States (US) seeks to deepen its economic ties with the Philippines, which recently secured upper-middle-income status.
In a statement, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the US business delegation would mount a five-day trade mission across major economic areas in the Philippines from July 6 to 10.
The delegation includes business leaders and investors from the Northeast and Midwest regions of the US. The mission is organized by the DTI’s Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in New York and the Philippine Consulates General in New York and Chicago.
The DTI said the business mission aims to strengthen economic ties between the two longtime trade partners while also encouraging US companies to invest more in the country’s growing economy.
Based on the latest country income classifications of the World Bank, the Philippines has moved up from lower-middle-income to upper-middle-income status. This was based on the country’s gross national income (GNI) per capita estimate for 2025, which reached a record $4,850.
The DTI noted that the upcoming visit also comes at a time when the Philippines is actively positioning itself as a key partner for US companies looking to expand in Asia.
During the business mission, the US delegation will meet with Philippine government leaders and local business owners to explore business, tourism, and investment opportunities.
The US business leaders will also attend business meetings, informational briefings, and tours of key economic areas in Manila, Clark, Subic, and Corregidor.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you see a promising future between the United States and the Philippines when it comes to economics and investment under the leadership of US President Donald Trump? Are you convinced the corruption within the Philippines is no longer a turn-off for American investors?
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 CinePals React To Scary Movie (2000) – In my honest opinion, Scary Movie (2000) is still the best film parody Hollywood has released in the 21st century. The film is loaded with jokes, pop culture references and fine acts by Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans and Shannon Elizabeth to name a few. In relation to the 2026 movie Scary Movie, the original film was featured in new reaction videos from YouTubers and I enjoyed watching CinePals’ reaction video of it. I encourage you to watch it now.
#2 Xbox Sports Network (XSN) Revisited – When Microsoft entered the competitive video game console industry with the original Xbox in 2001, they really invested a lot of money to make first-party games as they could not yet form strong business relationships with game companies that had been doing business with PlayStation and Nintendo. Along the way, Team Xbox established its very own lineup of exclusive, first-party sports video games with licenses of professional sports leagues or associations. That was the Xbox Sports Network (XSN or XSN Sports) and it had Xbox-exclusive games of the NBA, NFL, NHL and alternative sports. Sadly, XSN lasted only a few years and you can learn much more by watching the retrospective videos below.
#3 Ranting For Vengeance Exposes Racist And Woke Agenda Behind Matt Reeves’ Batman – If you actually enjoyed Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022, did you even notice the wickedness of wokeness behind it all? Matt Reeves is still pushing with the woke agenda on the cinematic Batman which is very unfortunate. To learn more, I urge you to watch the video of Ranting For Vengeance who explains a lot of things in great details. At the same time, be aware that there are lots of woke nuts, modern-day Commies, socialists and reckless social justice warriors (SJWs) who are operating as fake fans obsessed with hijacking established entertainment to turn it all into their own. Ranting For Vengeance has a huge wake-up call for Batman fans, comic readers and superhero fans in general.
#4 Retro Alleyway In Tokyo – I have been to Tokyo in Japan a long time ago. Sadly, I was unable to visit the retro alleyway district where there are lots of small shops and food joints to visit. Such a place keeps on attracting both locals and foreign tourists as there is so much to discover and experience there. Watch and learn from the in-depth video of Nippon TV below.
#5 Einhänder Revisited – Released on PlayStation in the late 1990s, Einhänder was an ambitious 3D polygonal side-scrolling shooter game that created a lot buzz and won the admiration of many as a lot of gamers enjoyed it. Einhänder was arguably a serious attempt by SquareSoft – already famous for role-playing games (RPGs) – to offer gamers something new, engaging and cinematic in the genre of 2D side-scrolling shooters. Behind the scenes, SquareSoft had Tatsuo Fujii as the game director and his experience working on Gradius II and Xexex with Konami was evident in Einhänder’s design. To learn more about the history of the game, watch the video below.
#6 CineBinge And You, Me And The Movies React To Child’s Play 2 – In 1991, my friends and I saw Child’s Play 2 and Child’s Play 3 on home video. Having seen both films, most of us enjoyed Child’s Play 2 over its follow-up. A classmate of mine who saw all three Child’s Play movies pointed to Child’s Play 2 as the very best and the most replayable one. Still, one has to wonder if Child’s Play 2 aged well after more than three decades. To see if the old movie has any impact on YouTubers, watch the reaction videos of CineBinge and You, Me and the Movies below.
#7 Jodi Huisentruit Still Missing – Since late-June of 1995, American television news anchor Jodi Huisentruit has been missing. No matter how much time and effort were invested to solve the case, her disappearance was never solved. In 2001, she was declared legally dead. There were theories about how she disappeared but no breakthroughs happened. The website FindJodi.com is dedicated to solving the mystery and remains active. As such, now is the ideal time to revisit Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance and learn the crucial details by watching the videos below. Do you personally know someone who went missing without a trace?
#8 Ashleigh Burton Reacts To Steven Spielberg’s Hook – Way back in 1991, Steven Spielberg’s movie Hook was heavily promoted here in the Philippines complete with trailers and print ads. While the film was released in North American theaters during the Christmas season, it opened in Philippine cinemas on February 8, 1992. Hook is a cinematic take on the classic Peter Pan story but with the concept of Peter being a grown man and a father of two children. The film was not universally admired by the movie critics but it still made over $300 million worldwide. Behind it all, Spielberg described himself being a victim of the Peter Pan syndrome and he worked on making Hook with a lot of heart. To find out if Hook has any real emotional impact, watch Ashleigh Burton’s reaction video below.
There is no denying the fact that fraud and other forms of crime went up in the United States whenever illegal aliens get involved. Recently an illegal alien was sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement in an $89 fraudulent payroll scheme that saw illegal alien construction workers and their employers evade taxes, according to a news report by Breitbart. The convicted illegal alien criminal is from Honduras.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the report of Breitbart. Some parts in boldface…
An illegal alien has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his involvement in an $89 million fraudulent payroll scheme that saw illegal alien construction workers and their employers evade taxes.
“Today, we held an illegal alien from Honduras accountable for a brazen scheme that stole more than $38 million from American taxpayers to facilitate the employment of illegal aliens,” Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said.
“This case exposes how unchecked illegal immigration fuels widespread payroll tax fraud and underground economies that harm American workers and taxpayers,” McDonald said. “This sentence sends a strong message: Those who exploit our open borders, cheat the U.S. Treasury, and violate federal laws will face justice.”
Department of Justice (DOJ) officials detailed how the illegal alien helped operate the payroll scheme through several maneuvers to ensure that illegal construction workers were kept off the books:
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2015 to 2022, Mario Flores, of Honduras, an illegal alien, conspired with others to create a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business. These shell companies cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry, charging them a percentage of the dollar amount of the checks they cashed as a fee for this service. Through this scheme, construction contractors and subcontractors paid their workers in cash without withholding and paying required payroll taxes, allowing them to operate without regard to the workers’ legal authority to work in the United States. Flores also caused the filing of false tax documents with the IRS to conceal the scheme.
…
In addition, Flores and his conspirators defrauded workers’ compensation insurance companies by leasing their certificates of insurance to contractors and by providing false and fraudulent information to the insurers about, among other things, the number of workers covered by the insurance and the amount workers were paid.
“Homeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting the integrity of our financial system and enforcing our nation’s laws,” HSI’s John Condon said. “Those who orchestrate large-scale payroll tax fraud and facilitate the illegal employment of unauthorized workers will be held accountable.”
Flores pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think America still has a lot more illegal aliens working in construction and committing fraud to this day? Do you think illegal aliens are obsessed committing fraud and harming American workers and taxpayers?
There is a surging global demand for ube (purple yam) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the Philippines is missing out on it as its ube production declined a lot in 2025, according to a news report by the Manila Bulletin.
Ube has long been produced here in the Philippines and it has been consumed in its standalone form and also has been used as a key ingredient in making other delicacies. The strong international demand for ube of recent times is new. The purple yam is also used in certain flavors of ice cream.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
The Philippines is well-positioned to meet the surging international demand for ube (purple yam), but persistent gaps in domestic production are limiting its ability to capitalize on this export potential, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In a market brief dated June 26, the USDA noted that the country’s ube production has significant room for expansion given its growing global appeal, driven by consumers who increasingly favor novel flavors and plant-based products.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the USDA reported that the country produced only 12,483 metric tons (MT) of ube in 2025, a 6.7 percent decline from the 13,382 MT recorded the previous year.
The limited output was attributed to several constraints, including scarce planting materials, fragmented smallholder production, and insufficient processing capacity.
According to the USDA, these chronic gaps keep the ube sector underdeveloped relative to its massive market potential.
“Strengthening the ube value chain—from input supply and farm production to processing and market linkages—presents significant opportunities for increasing farmer incomes, expanding rural employment, and growing agricultural exports,” the report read.
To unlock the sector’s full potential, the USDA suggested that the government explore coordinated investment programs to address these production bottlenecks in a unified manner. One such initiative is the USDA’s Food for Progress (FFPr) program, which has identified the Philippine ube value chain as a priority sector.
In a formal notice, the USDA announced plans to award $34.12 million in funding to an eligible organization to implement a field-based project aimed at boosting ube output in both Luzon and the Visayas.
This private-sector partner will be tasked with developing a strategy aligned with existing government and donor programs to tackle key challenges, particularly where access to high-quality inputs remains limited.
Other planned interventions include training farmers on good agricultural practices and financial readiness, strengthening farmer groups and cooperatives, upgrading postharvest systems and processing quality, and promoting the adoption of sustainable technologies.
Erlier, the Department of Agriculture (DA) proposed establishing a steering committee and a technical working group to streamline government coordination and harness the ube sector’s growth trajectory.
The body would define the official scope of ube, standardize raw and processed products, and harmonize quality requirements across agencies and exporters.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you consider the UDSA’s assessment on Philippine ube as a serious wake-up call? What delicacies involving purple yam have you eaten lately? What do you think are the main factors as to why ube production in the Philippines declined a lot in 2025?
Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!
In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s to the 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.
With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…
1. Berzerk Arcade Flyer
The front.
The rear.
Could you imagine being trapped deep within a maze surrounded by dangerous robots (plus one other unstoppable enemy) capable firing laser blasts at you? This was the concept behind the design of Berzerk, an arcade game released by Stern Electronics in 1980. Released at a time when science fiction became wildly popular in American entertainment, Berzerk was immersive for gamers and the multidirectional gameplay feature was captivating for many. To promote the game, Stern Electronics came up with a customized visual design that blended 2D sprite elements with a photograph of two people and some hand-drawn art pieces. The front of the flyer emphasized accurate the core concept of the game while the rear explained the technical details. They even played with their company name with the line “Stern goes berzerk!”
2. Rush’n Attack North American Arcade Flyer
The arcade flyer for North America
During the late stages of the Cold War, Konami made a lot of military-themed video games which resonated not only with those who were already aware about the global conflict but also with gamers who craved for action and excitement. One of those games was Rush’n Attack (alternative title: Green Beret) which was released in American arcades in late-1985. Konami came up with an arcade flyer showing four people (looking like an American family) having a good time in front of an arcade cabinet, and three screenshots of the game were displayed on the lower half. Rush’n Attack – which was deliberately titled to resemble the phrase “Russian attack” due to its obvious Cold War setting – went on to succeed commercially and critically. One notable game review compared Rush’n Attack favorably with the movie Rambo: First Blood Part II.
3. Turbo Out Run North American Arcade Flyer
The flyer.
Following the massive success Sega achieved with Out Run in 1986, the company went on to release the follow-up Turbo OutRun three years later. As seen in their North American flyer, Sega emphasized the in-game locations, the look of the machine with the driver’s seat and steering wheel, and the excitement they can expect. Turbo OutRun went on to become successful in the arcades worldwide and it got ported to a variety of consoles and computer systems in the years that followed. On its own, the arcade flyer sparked excitement for gamers.
4. Air Duel Japanese Arcade Flyer
The artwork here is captivating to look at.
Released in Japanese arcades in 1990, Air Duel from Irem is an intense and fast-paced 2D sprite vertically scrolling shooter that attracted a lot of players. It had a war theme and its aesthetic has a mix of military and somewhat futuristic science fiction elements. The game’s arcade flyer featured a very intriguing artwork by Takashi Yamasaki showing two aircrafts flying over a city heading towards a massively large enemy in the distance. In my opinion, the artwork alone is pretty engaging to see and it’s more than enough to make me think about playing the game.
5. Spellbound Adaptor Print Ad
The Spellbound Adaptor print ad in Europe. UK design and manufacturing emphasized.
Remember back in the old days when there were hardware lockouts on game consoles that prevented users from playing games imported from different regions? In Europe, a special cheat and regional bypass cartridge called the Spellbound Adaptor was released and it allowed Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) users to bypass the lockouts and play games from overseas. The Spellbound Adaptor was notably advertised in European print media showing two sexy ladies posing with the adaptor itself (on the SNES), the television and many SNES games. The ad even includes a promo of buying the adaptor with a game of choice for only £69.95. The ad is still impactful to look at.
6. Contra III: The Alien Wars North American Print Ad
Konami’s made a huge impression visually with this 2-page print ad promoting Contra III: The Alien Wars.
By the time the SNES was launched in America in 1991, a lot of gamers who enjoyed Contra games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) have been craving for a sequel on the newer console. Their dreams finally came through in early 1992 when Konami released Contra III: The Alien Wars on the SNES, and it was a lot more than visual upgrade as it had groundbreaking features connected with the game developers’ clever use of the console’s technology. Konami was already aware of Contra’s huge following in America, so they came up with an aggressive looking print ad promoting Contra III: The Alien Wars. With a red-and-black background, the ad had a variety of screenshots that were tilted to look 3D (showing what the game offered) and used a minor space for the descriptive text and image of the game box. This old print ad is one of the finest ways to promote a sequel while also emphasizing the next-generation experience fans can enjoy. This ad is a classic!
7. Apocalypse Print Ads
With Bruce Willis’ face, this 2-page Apocalypse print ad captured the attention of readers.
The more action-oriented 2-page print ad of Apocalypse. Bruce Willis is more visible here.
Believe it or not, Hollywood legend Bruce Willis actually starred in the ambitious video game titled Apocalypse. Before its 1998 released on PlayStation, Apocalypse started with the player character having an AI-controlled partner named Trey Kincaid to be played by Willis. Publisher Activision signed a multi-million Dollar deal with Bruce Willis to use his likeness and voice for the Trey character. Eventually the Trey Kincaid role was modified to be the playable character. Given the huge deal signed with the super star and the additional costs that came with game design revisions, Activision launched an aggressive marketing campaign for Apocalypse and they heavily used Bruce Willis’s name and imagery. Ultimately the game sold less than one million copies and yet Activision was satisfied with the sales which convinced them to go back to Apocalypse developer Neversoft for a new project.
8. R-Type Delta North American Print Ad
R-Type Delta was the 4th game of the R-Type series and also the first to be made with 3D polygons.
R-Type, the long-running series of 2D side-scrolling shooters by Irem, fully embraced 3D polygons with R-Type Delta on PlayStation in 1998. To promote the game in North America, Irem and their partner Agetec went all-in emphasizing their series shift into 3D polygonal graphics while promising new in-game weapons. Very smartly, they included positive quotes from Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), PlayStation Magazine (PSM) and Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) to show credibility. In recent times, an enhanced version of R-Type Delta (R-Type Delta: HD Boosted) was released on modern game console and PC.
9. Racing Lagoon Japanese Print Ad
Have you ever played this game from SquareSoft?
Released in 1999 for PlayStation only in Japan, Racing Lagoon was one of many games SquareSoft made for a genre other than role-playing games (RPGs). Released at a time when the PlayStation already had lots of racing games available from around the world, Racing Lagoon was a racing game that had role-playing elements mixed in. To promote it, SquareSoft made a print ad that had a night-time city vibe and they showed some screenshots with a unique visual style. The in-game story was influenced by the illegal street racing trend that happened in Japan during the 1980s.
10. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica North America Print Ads
Truly a next-generation Resident Evil experience first launched on the Sega Dreamcast! I know some people who bought the console just to play Resident Evil – Code: Veronica.
The 2-page print ad of RE – Code: Veronica.
When Resident Evil – Code: Veronica was released on the Sega Dreamcast in Japan in February 2000, it delivered a next-generation survival horror experience to die-hard RE fans and it was easily one of the must-have games for Dreamcast owners of the time. Along the way, RE fans and Dreamcast owners in America were already anticipating the game. Capcom had an aggressive ad campaign for the game with US gamers in mind and this particular single-page print ad showed the fan-favorite characters Claire and Chris Redfield on one corner, six selected screenshots and quotes from the published game reviews of Game Informer, Next Generation and the Official Dreamcast Magazine. The 2-page print ad had the same elements but had the Redfield siblings on the 2nd page. I remember seeing these ads on a few gaming magazines and they made me think about buying a Dreamcast just to play RE – Code: Veronica. These old ads emphasized the strong business trust between Capcom and Sega (which itself lost a lot of money and credibility with the Sega Saturn consoles and many add-on devices released years prior).
Author Carlo Carrasco 