What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 46

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 topics and the related videos I found.

American shopping malls could solve the nation’s housing problems? – It is no secret that there is a shortage on housing in the United States. In recent times, there is a trend that sounds unbelievable at first but it is indeed happening – the conversion of certain shopping malls into new residential places. You have to watch the CNBC video below to find out more. Perhaps you want to check if the failing shopping mall near you is being converted into new housing for your community.

Japanese RPGs with mature stories – Role-playing games made by Japanese game developers always have stories to tell regardless of the types of game design and gameplay features that were made. There are JRPGs with fantasy tales that were inspired by other works of the genre while other tales were made to be original by their respective game developers. From time to time, developers come up with stories that can be described as mature. To find out what I mean, I encourage you to watch the video by Gaming Broductions below.

Slope’s Game Room examines the legacy of Paperboy – Among all the arcade games I played inside Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas in 1989, Paperboy was the one that stood as the most memorable. The game was a lot of fun and its presentation was also humorous in a cartoony way. Then there was also the bicycle handle the arcade machine had for controlling my character. By today’s standards, it is unlikely you will find an existing and working machine of Paperboy in your local arcade. If you are a newcomer and you want to learn more about the origin and impact of the Paperboy game franchise, watch the video by Slope’s Game Room.

A look back at 2001’s Swordfish  – Hollywood today keeps on making sub-par action movies because a lot of filmmakers as well as production teams are obsessed with identity politics and woke garbage. Not only are there woke and Leftist activists among Hollywood’s workers, there are private investors funding film projects with DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). That being said, it is more entertaining to watch action movies from the pre-woke era of Hollywood and among them is Swordfish (2001) which starred John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Don Cheadle and Halle Berry. The film is not exactly a gigantic blockbuster nor was it an action genre classic. In fact, it is flawed and does not require much thinking from viewers. But the mere fact that it is NOT WOKE makes it much more entertaining to watch than any of the action movies made by woke Hollywood people over the past several years. To get to discover Swordfish, watch GoodBadFlicks’ exploratory video and TBR Schmitt’s movie reaction video below.

You, Me and the Movies’ Cliffhanger reaction video – Way back in 1993 here in the Philippines, there was a short period when both Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger played simultaneously in the cinemas which resulted in a huge amount of moviegoers lining up for tickets. While Jurassic Park is iconic, Cliffhanger has a more intriguing pre-production and production history. Even though Carolco had major financial problems and Stallone had a fear of heights, the film was eventually made and became a big hit worldwide. To find out if Cliffhanger is still entertaining, watch You, Me and the Movies’ reaction video.

A look back at Die Hard with a Vengeance – I still remember way back in the middle of 1995 how disruptive Die Hard with a Vengeance was as soon as it opened in cinemas here in the Philippines. People left and right suddenly started making plans to watch the film and find out what kind of opposition John McClane (Bruce Willis) would face. While I found the 1995 movie inferior to the classic Die Hard of 1988, it still was enjoyable. For some reason, the film was released in Philippine cinemas as “Die Hard 3” and on local TV as “Die Hard 3: With a Vengeance.” If you have seen the movie and you want to revisit it, watch the follow videos I selected.

Die Hard Arcade documentary by PatmanQC – Decades ago, there was a Sega-produced video game that had a notable movie license – Die Hard Arcade. I had friends who enjoyed that game so much in the local arcades and later on Sega Saturn. A few of them even were convinced to replay Die Hard (1988) on home video. You might be wondering if Sega and 20th Century Fox collaborated to make Die Hard Arcade for many people to enjoy. Actually, it’s more complicated than that and to find out why, I encourage you to watch PatmanQC’s Die Hard Arcade documentary now.

8. Woke Disney’s Snow White movie massively rejected online – Even if there were no controversies at all, I really have no intention to watch the 2025 Snow White movie of woke Disney. Even until now, a lot of members of the public have been rejecting it online and no matter what Disney does, they just keep on failing to salvage the film. Watch and learn from the video of RK Outpost below.

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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 athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

DTI executive says Philippines is unlikely to be hit by Trump’s planned tariff hikes

Based on available details and key factors, an executive of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) stated that the Philippines is unlikely to be hit by the planned tariff hikes of the returning United States President Donald Trump whose administration will formally start on January 20, 2025, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the Philippines won’t be hit by Trump’s planned tariff hikes? Are you hoping that under a Trump presidency, the Philippines and America will be able to have a free trade agreement?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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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 athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 45

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 topics and the related videos I found.

A look back at Tobal No. 1 – The 1990s will always be remembered as the decade when fighting games became wildly popular. While franchises like Tekken, Virtua Fighter, Street Fighter and The King of Fighters literally flooded the arcades and consoles, game developers at DreamFactory (a subsidiary of Square) were dissatisfied with the state of fighting games at the time and this eventually led to the creation of Tobal No. 1, one of the most unique games of its genre ever made. To learn more about it, watch the video below.  

Assorted videos of Air Force One (1997) – Watching Air Force One (starring Harrison Ford) on the big screen in 1997 was a fun experience for me. It was one of the many so-called Die Hard clones of the 1990s which featured one brave, vulnerable hero fighting terrorists while confined in a place where escape is not option. For your enjoyment, I selected one trivia video and a few reaction videos of Air Force One. As it is a great film, I encourage you to watch it first in case you have not seen it. Otherwise, go watch the selected videos below.

Slope’s Game Room’s look back at the Choplifter series – I first played Choplifter on the Family Computer back in the late-1980s and it really was both unique and fun to play. It was a side-scrolling adventure game with military action but it was not an all-offense experience. In fact, the game gives you opportunities to rescue hostages and the game development history is pretty interesting to discover. As such, I encourage you to watch Slope’s Game Room’s retrospective of Choplifter.

The games of Square in the 1990s remembered  – If you know your video game history, Square Enix was established in 2003 as a result of a merger between Square (AKA SquareSoft) and Enix. When Square was still an independent, standalone company it released a lot of memorable games on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the PlayStation in the 1990s. If you love retro gaming and if you are interested to discover (or rediscover) what Square released back in the 1990s, then this video is for you.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives response from returning US President Donald Trump regarding new tariffs – Justin Trudeau – the super woke and out-of-touch Canadian Prime Minister – told the returning US President Donald Trump that new tariffs would kill the economy of Canada. The result is a memorable response from Trump. To see what happened and how the public reacted, watch this Sky News Australia video. Lastly, never ever trust Trudeau. You will regret it believing in him as he is a very bad leader.

Kamala Harris being hit by her donors and her fellow Democrats for reckless campaign spending – The defeated Commie Kamala Harris is now the target of her US presidential campaign donors and even her fellow Democrats. You see, her campaign team raised at least $1.5 billion and ended up with a debt of at least $20 million due to reckless spending and irresponsible handling of money. Apart from literally BUYING the support of celebrities and Hollywood Communists, the Harris campaign spent excessively on online ads, private jets and others. The donors are very furious and a lot of Democrats realized that the laughing hyena Kamala Harris severely damaged the political party. That being said, Kamala Harris would be delusional enough to actually run for US President again in 2028. Watch and learn from Sky News Australia’s video.

You, Me and the Movies react to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan – Years I ago, I posted my retro review of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. The 1989 Friday The 13th sequel was so sloppy and bad with its presentation, it sometimes could be funny to see and it’s okay to ridicule it. If you want to discover Jason Takes Manhattan without spending too much time, you should watch the reaction video of You, Me and the Movies.

8. The collapse of the Assad dictatorship in Syria – In case you missed the news, a new chapter in the history of Syria has officially started as the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad officially ended with the Islamist rebels taking over the country. Assad and his family are now in Russia. While there is euphoria going on in Syria, you should not allow yourselves to be deceived because the civil war in Syria was never a case of “good versus evil”. Assad was allied with Russia and terrorist state Iran. Meanwhile, the Syrian rebels are allied with the Islamist Turkish forces, Jihadists, terrorists and they have Al-Qaeda members in their ranks. Syria now has a new beginning but where will it go? Watch the videos I selected for your viewing and learning.

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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 athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Muntinlupa City wins two Digital Democracy Awards

The City Government of Muntinlupa has new additions to its growing list of achievements as it won two awards at the Digital Democracy Awards, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, are you very happy to see the city get recognized again with new awards?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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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

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 40

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 topics and the related videos I found.

A look at Donald Trump’s amazing comeback as US President  – I already blogged about the amazing comeback of Donald Trump who won the 2024 US Presidential Election decisively. While that blog post had lots of videos about the victory, I added some more below for your enlightenment.

The engineering of the F-117 Nighthawk – Do you still remember the F-117 Nighthawk? It was the sophisticated stealth fighter America used against Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. I personally could not forget the first time I ever saw it on TV (news broadcast of the 1991 war) as a teenager. The F-117 is no longer in use but its engineering and the history of its development should be seen in the video below. Watch and learn!

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s wokeness – It is a sad fact that very similar with Communist-filled Hollywood (Commiewood), wokeness and identity politics are ruining video games. Recently, EA released Dragon Age: The Veilguard which was the first new Dragon Age game they released in ten long years. The big problem here is that woke activists at BioWare inserted their poison into the game. Watch RK Outpost’s videos below.

The blunders of Kamala Harris, her allies and the Democrats – Kamala Harris, who has been US Vice President for almost four years now, lost the US Presidential Election to Donald Trump convincingly. She led a campaign that was dishonest, pretentious and even turned to hatred by comparing Trump with Adolf Hitler. No matter Kamala did, she and her woke allies failed miserably to connect with voters. Instead of discussing policies and plans to serve the people in the near future, Kamala emphasized identity politics and vibes. Is it any wonder why she lost and why are the Democrats so unpopular? Watch the selected videos to find out why and how she lost.

Kamala Harris supporters freaking out – Losing an election is always painful and embarrassing. So much so, there were supporters of Kamala Harris who could do nothing but record/stream themselves freaking out. Some supporters working in the media or in government just keep on spreading their distorted views and lies to as many people as possible. They also had trouble containing their emotions. I can only wonder if the Democrats themselves care to calm down their devastated supporters. Watch and learn from these videos.

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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 athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Donald Trump wins the US Presidential Election again!

In what is obviously the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican) once again won the Office of US President after crushing the woke Kamala Harris (Democrats) in the 2024 US Presidential election!

Trump (US President from 2017 to 2021), whose running mate is US Senator JD Vance, won 286 out of 538 electoral votes as of this writing, according to the official results. 270 electoral votes are required to win the Presidency. As of now, the election results of Michigan and Arizona have yet to be finalized but Trump is leading in both of them.

When it comes to the popular vote, Trump won 70,900,447 votes while Harris got 66,434,997 votes as of this writing. These results proved many polls wrong as they predicted Harris would win more votes nationally than Trump.

For the newcomers reading this, the election of the US President and Vice President are not determined by popular vote nationwide. Rather it is through the Electoral College that determines the winner of the US Presidential Election. By January 20, 2025, Trump and Vance will formally take office as President and Vice President of the United States. 

For insight, watch the selected YouTube videos below.

Below are the different YouTube livestreams that covered the elections.

To say that Donald Trump’s delayed re-election is significant is an understatement. He almost lost his life when someone tried to assassinate him. Before that happened, the Democrats and their allies abused government power to attack him and the Trump family. Questionable cases were filed against him in court. And then the Satanic Leftist mainstream news media became the Democrats’ attack dogs against him. Of course, Trump fought back hard and won this year’s Presidential Election decisively! Now that he won again, Trump as the incoming 47th President will tackle a lot of problems that affected America both domestically and overseas.

American families have been suffering from effects of rapid inflation and the reckless economic policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. American society is gradually being dismantled by the LGBTQ and transgender movements, Critical Race Theory extremists, Islamo-Leftists, illegal aliens and the woke mobs which are clearly connected with the Democrats. The cost of living in America has skyrocketed so much, there are individuals who had to work with two jobs just to make ends meet. The Biden-Harris economic plans and post-pandemic measures made life a lot worse for Americans and their families. Meanwhile, illegal immigrants have added a lot to criminal cases around the country.

Once in office, Trump will eventually reposition America to push back hard against terrorist state Iran, Russia and China. I should mention that the Republicans won back control of the US Senate and eventually they will retain the majority in the US House of Representatives which will be helpful for Trump to fulfill his agenda for the people. I anticipate that the first batch of new pieces of legislation in 2025 will be written with the economy, inflation, and illegal immigration in mind.

If there is anything spiritually significant about Trump’s 2024 Presidential victory, I share with you the bible verse below…

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the Lord.

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

I sincerely believe that the victory of Trump-Vance is a move made by God and this goes way beyond politics. While Kamala Harris mocked someone at her rally who claimed Jesus is the Lord, Vance acknowledged during a rally that Jesus is the king. It was inevitable for Harris and her party to be defeated in the elections.

The victories of Trump-Vance and the Republicans this year formed a powerful push back against the Satanic Left, corrupted people, illegal immigration and other wicked forces. The American people have spoken through voting and the 2024 elections will be remembered for a very long time. The people wanted Trump back and they clearly want to join him to make America great again.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: How did you react when you first learned about the re-election of Donald Trump? Did you let the Leftist mainstream news media fool you into believing Kamala Harris is best for America? Do you think life in America improved a lot under the Biden-Harris administration?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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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 athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 34

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 topics and the related videos I found.

Minty Comedic Arts’ trivia video about V: The Original Miniseries, V: The Final Battle and V TV series  – If you are a fan of the V sci-fi entertainment franchise that made big waves on television in the 1980s, then you must watch Minty Comedic Arts’ video which covers V: The Original Miniseries (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984) and the creative mess that was the V TV series. The video also includes the 2009 V TV series which makes it a complete package for all V fans. If you are a long-time V fan, now is a good time to test your knowledge by watching the video below.

Moneymaking locations in Red Dead Redemption 2 – If you have been struggling to make big money in the realm of the 2018 blockbuster video game Red Dead Redemption 2, then this video by YouTuber MrBossFTW must be seen. In RDR2 there are indeed places where you can find gold bars, sets of Dollar bills and other valuables that can sell in-game. There are indeed challenges to find the riches but they are worth doing.

Hezbollah terrorists and allies hit hard by as their communication devices blew up  – Recently several Hezbollah terrorists and some allies got hit hard because the pagers used turned out to be bombs which blew up and crippled their communication network. The initial attack even injured the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon himself got injured because he was also using the same pager that Hezbollah uses. The high-tech attacks not only happened in Lebanon but also in Syria where some Hezbollah terrorists were present. Unsurprisingly, the Islamic terrorists blamed Israel. Watch and learn from the videos below.

Wokeness of Dragon Age: The Veilgard exposed – I really don’t like when the woke activists working in entertainment deform video games, movies and comic books as they turned them into vehicles promoting their pathetic agenda. Simply put, whatever the Satanic Left touches, they ruin it. The same can be said about the upcoming video game Dragon Age: The Veilgard. Already it can be seen that there is indeed a lot of woke stuff in the new game and YouTuber Ryan Kinel – RK Outpost posted a video explaining what was found and why the gamers heavily rejected the new Dragon Age game. Watch and learn from the video below.

Kamala Harris’ dishonesty and lying – There is no doubt that the Democrats in American nominated a very dishonest candidate for US President with Kamala Harris. Harris is truly a Communist and she will do anything bad to gain power. That being said, her lying is clear and the corrupted mainstream news media just let her get away with poisoning people’s minds. Watch and learn from the videos below.

PS5 Pro reactions  – In recent times, Sony unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro) which is the upgraded version of the PS5. Apart from the flawed console presentation by Sony, PS5 Pro is overpriced at $699 for America and it does not even have an optical drive and no vertical stand is included. For your reference, posted below are selected videos about the reactions and analysis of the PS5 Pro. Things are not really looking good for the upgraded PS5.

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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 athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 17

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads – including arcade flyers – from the 1980s and 1990s.

For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.

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

1. Sega Dreamcast launch print ads

This cryptic Sega Dreamcast American launch print ad has an image that emphasized that gamers are being watched.
This one has an image emphasizing emotions, impulse and excitement.

By the time Sega launched their Dreamcast console in Japan in late 1998, the company was already bleeding from back-to-back years of financial losses. The Dreamcast was their big bet to regain the trust of consumers and business partners, to sell a lot of consoles and games, and somehow survive.

For the North American Dreamcast launch, Sega of America organized an intriguing series of ads emphasizing the September 9, 1999 launch date in very stylized and cryptic ways. As seen in the two selected ads above, the Dreamcast name was not even mentioned but the console’s trademark swirl was present. Anyone who was obsessed with video games – even if one was not a Sega fan – could tell that the print ads made clear that the Dreamcast was going to launch in America. Ultimately, Sega sold roughly $98 million worth of Dreamcast consoles, games and peripherals in the first 24 hours in America.

2. Point Blank 2 print ad

This ad appeared in comic books and magazines.

When Namco released the first Point Blank game, it was commercial successful in both arcades and on the PlayStation console in different parts of the world. To keep on succeeding, Namco made the sequel Point Blank 2 and their confidence in it was made clear with the above PlayStation version print ad that promised it to be multiplayer-oriented and ensure enough content to give players sufficient bouts of fun whichever game mode they pick. The ad’s image of the lady with a gun (Namco’s Guncon peripheral) and the animal trophies were done with humor in mind.

3. Pac-Man arcade flyers

This ad showed that arcade operators can choose which type of machine of Pac-Man they could order.
Midway issued this flyer when Pac-Man was already successful.

In 1980, Namco released Pac-Man in Japanese arcades and it became a big hit in a short span of time. This prompted them to bring the game overseas, especially in America which already had a growing arcade market. In November that year, Namco brought Pac-Man and their other arcade game Rally-X game to a tradeshow and only got mild attention from attendees and distributors. After being turned down by Atari, Namco signed a contract with Midway to distribute Pac-Man and Rally-X in America, and they were formally released the following month.

Upon release, Pac-Man became a strong attraction in American arcades with weekly sales surpassing $8 million per week. When it comes to the presentation, Midway’s arcade flyers above gave arcade operators and gamers a clear view that Pac-Man is fun and available in three physical units (emphasized in the first flyer) and that it made a positive commercial impact (emphasized in the 2nd flyer). Ultimately, Midway went on to sell over 100,000 Pac-Man arcade units resulting in a massive gross of over $1 billion in quarters (coins of twenty-five cents in American currency).

4. Silent Hill print ad

A clear atmosphere of psychological horror in this ad.

Made by a certain team within Konami, Silent Hill on PlayStation turned out to be a surprising and intriguing hit game in 1999. It was a polygonal survival horror game that drew a few comparisons with Capcom’s Resident Evil but ultimately stood out with its gameplay features and psychological horror concept.

The people at Konami must have anticipated that gamers in America would be attracted by the game so they came up with the creepy print ad above which promoted the game with a clear touch of psychological horror. If you look closely, the 2nd screenshot (in the middle) even showed blood in digital form. This Silent Hill print ad was clearly aimed at adult gamers and PlayStation gamers who craved for more horror gaming.

5. Tomorrow Never Dies game print ad

The use of the image of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in this print ad was the right move to inform readers that the 1997 movie’s video game was coming out.

Believe it or not, there was indeed a video game adaptation of Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and the weird thing was that it was released for PlayStation in November 1999. In fact, the game was released eight days after the American premiere of the James Bond film The World is Not Enough (1999). The game development was unusually long and the release was delayed several times going into 1999.

To really capture the attention of James Bond fans and gamers, MGM Interactive and Electronic Arts (the co-publishers of the game) came up with a Tomorrow Never Dies game print ad showcasing Pierce Brosnan as the iconic Agent 007 in a dominant fashion leaving a minor space for the text description, two screenshots and other details displayed. While some people might look at the ad as an act of desperation to sell the long-delayed game, I find it eye-catching and engaging to look at. It also was a lively reminder back then that Brosnan was James Bond of the 1990s.

6. Wipeout 64 print ad

This is still cool and sleek to look at.

Wipeout, the series best known for its very futuristic portrayal of high-speed anti-gravity racing, showcase of dynamic visuals and the use electronic dance music, made its way to the Nintendo 64 console with Wipeout 64. This 1998 release was significant because at that time developer Psygnosis was already owned by Sony and most Wipeout games of the decade were released on PlayStation. Wipeout 64 was released before the PlayStation-exclusive Wipeout 3 came out.

The above print ad had this very sleek display of two anti-gravity racers moving at high speed and on the side are five screenshots showing what the game looked like on the N64. If you look very closely, one of them shows the 4-player split-screen mode identified with the Nintendo 64’s capabilities. Overall, the Wipeout 64 print ad captured the vibe of the Wipeout series and remains very cool to look at.

7. Ehrgeiz print ad

You want a 3D polygonal fighting game that has Final Fantasy 7 characters in it? Ehrgeiz was the answer.

In 1999, the landscape of gaming really changed. More gamers played 3D polygonal fighting games over the 2D fighting games, and demand for Final Fantasy and Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) were in high demand in the West arguably because of the massive commercial success of Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation. That being said, Squaresoft released their own 3D polygonal fighting game that had Final Fantasy VII characters in it – Ehrgeiz.

After achieving success in the arcades, Squaresoft brought Ehrgeiz to PlayStation in America in 1999. Unsurprisingly, the print ad had Final Fantasy VII protagonist Cloud and his signature sword in a prominent position which was obviously done to attract the millions of FFVII for potential sales. The screenshots on the ad were presented not for showing off but to give readers a clear view of what kind of gaming experiences they could expect. Ehrgeiz on console even had a standalone RPG mode.

8. Driver print ad

The art used for the muscle car and the police car was a tribute to the car chases of movies from long ago.

Even before it was released on PlayStation and PC in 1999, publisher GT Interactive knew they had something big for gamers to engage with. That game was Driver and developer Reflections Interactive made it with a lot of inspiration taken from cinematic car chases. This particular ad emphasized car chases, the exploration of four real-life cities in digital form, and engaging in a variety of missions. As it successfully delivered what it promised, Driver went on to become a big commercial success on PlayStation and PC, and spawned sequels in the years that followed.  

9. Eidos Interactive games print ad

From the time when Eidos Interactive was at the top of its game and Lara Croft was its most popular character.

By the end of the 1990s, Eidos Interactive became a major game publisher which is the result of the massive success they achieved with the Tomb Raider games which collective sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Along the way, they acquired developer Crystal Dynamics which was already a prolific team with many games released and new projects in development. Under Eidos’ banner, Crystal Dynamics went on to release Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver in 1999. That being said, this print ad shows the ambitious offers Eidos Interactive had with the Tomb Raider, Gex and Legacy of Kain franchises. It is a reflection about success and confidence about the future of video games.

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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

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 27

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 topics and the related videos I found.

John List true crime documentaries – In America, the late John List is one of the most notorious criminals ever in their history. At a very desperate point in his life, List murdered his own family members in 1971 and it took some time for the local authorities to find out what he left behind in their huge home. Having left his home and investigators behind, List traveled across the nation, came up with a fake identity and lived away from the law for almost twenty years. How the law enforcers tracked him down (involving America’s Most Wanted TV show) and arrested him is a great story to follow. All of these are documented in the two videos below.

The Stepfather explanatory video by GoodBadFlicks  – Believe it or not, the story of John List inspired the creation of the 1987 psychological horror film The Stepfather. This video by YouTuber GoodBadFlicks is a must-see.

The assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump – I really cannot ignore the assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump which resulted in the injury on his right ear, the death of a campaign rally attendee and one other person getting injured. Whatever your political views are, this is a tragedy and it clearly was not staged. It was indeed an attempt to kill and already the Satanic Leftist mainstream news media are distorting the facts and lying to you. To get clear insight on what happened and who the suspect (a very young guy who was a registered Republican voter who also donated money to support Democrats and far-left movement), watch the selected videos below.  

HolyLandSite’s Mount of Olives video – Recently, the YouTube channel HolyLandSite published their newest video featuring the Mount of Olives in Israel. I personally visited some of the sites at the Mount of Olives featured in this video and in my experience, I witnessed the Holy Bible come to life and gained insight on what the place was like during the time of Lord Jesus. Mount of Olives was where Lord Jesus last stepped on before ascending into Heaven and He will arrive there sometime in the future. Watch the video below.

Capcom’s failed case against Data East over Fighter’s History – Remember how popular Street Fighter II was in the arcades in the 1990s? Capcom made tons of profit from SFII which led to the production of sequels, spin-offs and other 2D fighting games that followed. Of course, as the fighting game genre became tremendously popular, there were other fighting games that competed with Capcom’s creations. Believe it or not, Capcom sued Data East alleging that their competitor’s game Fighter’s History infringed the copyright of Street Fighter II. To find out what happened, watch the video from Top Hat Gaming Man below.

6. Donald Trump nominated again by Republicans for President of the United States By the time you are reading this, the 2024 Republican National Convention has concluded a few days ago. Donald Trump has been nominated again for US President by the party, only this time the Republicans are very united and they were reinvigorated arguably because of the failed assassination attempt on their candidate. The Democrats meanwhile are divided and already their powerful members stopped supporting the re-election campaign of Joe Biden. The contrasts between the two parties are so great during the last week. If you want to see all the Republican speeches and the nomination acceptance speech of Trump (whose running mate is US Senator J.D. Vance), watch the Republican National Convention (night 4) below.

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A Look Back at Amazing Spider-Man #262 (1985)

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1980s arts and culture enthusiasts, Marvel Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the year 1985 to examine a small part of the Marvel Comics universe through a tale of the Amazing Spider-Man monthly series.

For this particular review, the Amazing Spider-Man comic book does not involve Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. Instead, we will see the creative contribution of Bob Layton who already established himself within Marvel Comics on the Iron Man monthly series. Layton is the same guy who co-founded Valiant Comics with former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Amazing Spider-Man , published in 1985 by Marvel Comics with a story written and illustrated by Bob Layton.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins as Spider-Man arrives at the Newark International Airport in New Jersey distracting a few air traffic control operators. As he makes his way into a deserted baggage room, Peter Parker intends to change clothes as he has a journalistic assignment from the Daily Bugle to photograph President Ronald Reagan who is set to arrive soon. For Peter Parker, the assignment is crucial as he needs to earn money.

Elsewhere within the airport, the sleazy tabloid news photographer D.J. Jones makes his way through and he intends to photograph something unusual or embarrassing about Reagan. He accidentally bumps into a lady whose items fall down. Jones pretends to be kind to her as he secretly takes her wallet while helping her collect her belongings.

As Jones decides to take the lady’s money, he goes into one of the baggage rooms to get rid of the wallet. Inside, he accidentally spots Peter Parker (still wearing the upper half of his Spider-Man costume) changing clothes and quickly photographs him. Jones starts to run away compelling Parker to chase him knowing that his secret identity will get exposed if he fails…

Quality

This is what happens when you carry very valuable information with you which the mob wants.

I really like this Spider-Man tale crafted by Bob Layton. For one thing, it tackles the concept of having your secret identity being discovered by someone who has a record of unethical behavior as well as the opportunity of using the acquired confidential information (the secret identity) for financial gain (at the expense of the affected person). Layton’s story also reconnected Spider-Man to a significant part of his legacy (the death of his Uncle Ben and the identity of the man who killed him) which opens up moral and ethical challenges on his part.

Character development of Spider-Man in this story is short yet substantial to read. As he recalls the painful lesson he learned about his uncle’s death, he remembers how guilt (by previously allowing a crook to get away who later turns out to be the same person responsible for the death of Uncle Ben) overwhelmed his early desire for revenge and this compels him to re-evaluate the responsibility he carries with his superhuman abilities.

Instead of utilizing a super villain, Layton presented D.J. Jones as the antagonist that Spider-Man has to overcome somehow. Jones is not exactly evil, he’s just unethical and sleazy. As a human being, Jones is a turn-off but he is not murderer nor a bank robber. The sleazy photographer is an ordinary man who, like Peter Parker, is trying to survive with his occupation which in turn makes him determined to get the big scoop to rise high.  

Conclusion

Spider-Man ended up having to save the lives of many innocent people resulting in losing track of the man he was chasing.

Amazing Spider-Man (1985) is a very inspired work by Bob Layton who clearly researched the history of Spider-Man and tackled the crucial themes (note: power, responsibility, morality and ethics) through the story. The plot is simple yet engaging to follow and the character development is really solid. This is great writing by Layton and his approach on superhero spectacle (the action scenes) works well within the narrative.

Overall, Amazing Spider-Man (1985) is highly recommended.

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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