Showing posts with label 90s Video Game Print Ads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 90s Video Game Print Ads. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo for PlayStation (1997)

Original ad published in the February 1997 issue of EGM (no. 91).
Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.
An addictive puzzler that calls for some brainpower

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was built on the foundations of the excellent Baku Baku Animal, but added some astute gaming elements from the previous generation of puzzlers, namely Super Puyo Puyo ("Kirby's Avalanche" in America) and Tetris Attack!, both released for SNES. 

Capcom's game was released in 1996 for the arcades, followed by releases on the PlayStation and Sega's Saturn the following year. But unlike the games mentioned above--classics, most would agree--Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo added a fair degree of arbitrary conditions to its basic gameplay.


For example, different characters from the DarkStalkers and Street Fighter universes affect the behaviour of the gems you receive. Your goal is to gather four gems of the same color, something seen before in other games of the genre. One of the game's twists, however, come in the shape of a "crash gem" that breaks the four gems you previously arranged, as well as everything touching them. This made the game easy for experienced veterans and highly arbitrary for newcomers. Excellent music and graphics made most gamers forget those noticeable flaws.

Today, you can buy the game in both PlayStation and MicroSoft's on-line services. Oh, and by the way: here is no first chapter of the game. This is not a sequel. It's just Capcom being clever with their marketing and clinging unto their most lucrative franchise ever. 



The printed ad for the game is better than average. A primary figure of a cranium is highlighted with by a cobalt blue x-ray effect. The gems are inside the brain. To the right sits the advert's copy. Since the background is black, the overall contrast of the image is very eye-catching. These primary elements hit a basic grid of thirds, yet also draws a big "X" where your eyes should naturally fall. The first is the upper-left tip of the "Z" of the game's title. The second part of the "X" places your vision at the beginning of the ad's copy ("Symptoms"). The main action of the scene leaves the eye of the cranium straight in the middle of the X, just a few centimetres away from the eye cavity and smack in the middle of the gems. Nice!


Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo print ad copy

[Diagnosis > Mind Block]

Symptoms:

  • Uncontrollable compulsion to play Super Puzzle Fighter
  • Obsession with color patterns and fallings gems
  • Victory induced Euphoria

[Warning: highly contagious]

Rx:

  • Continue regimen of frequent game playing
  • Defeat friends repeatedly to relieve anxiety

Capcom

"Ferociously competitive, unfairly addicting...a fantastic puzzle game...you won't be able to stop." **** (four stars) Next Generation Oct. '96

Monday, April 13, 2015

Final Fantasy VII for Windows 95 Programmer’s Job Notice (1997)

Original Final Fantasy VII for Windows 95 programmer’s job notice 
published in the January 1997 edition of Next Generation magazine.

A master class in video game design


What can be said about Final Fantasy VII that hasn’t been said before? This is the game that set the new standard for practically every RPG published since 1997. To this day, internet fora are filled with petitions where fans ardently demand a reimagined version of the game for the new, more powerful, systems Square-Enix has yet to deliver. You’ll find it mentioned in every Top 100 list of best video games ever and in every Top 10 list of the best console RPGs. Some say it’s the best electronic entertainment product ever sold.

Having been released for Sony’s PlaysStation after the almost perfect Final Fantasy VI for the SNES (or Final Fantasy III as it was originally released in North America), the seventh itineration of the game blasted the JRPG genre from obscurity to mass media phenomenon. Final Fantasy VII coincided with the very early advent of the internet, which potentially expanded its reach due to very same nature of the game, where exploration and minutea rewarded hard-core gamers.

The game was also ported to Windows 95 and later Windows systems. Unfortunately, the Eidos badged product was not a very good version of the game. It had technical difficulties that rendered the PlayStation version a much more entertaining adventure. The details of the failure are downright absurd. Yet, the ad where SquareSoft solicited talented programmers for such endeavor can be seen above. It's an interesting document when you take into account that it saw the light of day before the actual game, sold in North America at the end of January. This was before game-trailers saturated the web months or years before the game itself, so this high res depiction of Midgar was delicious eye-candy for anyone in the know.  Can you imagine the same ad today? Square-Enix’s servers would overload in minutes. Such is the power of the Final Fantasy brand, much of which was created worldwide with the one single game I’m talking about here.

But what makes Final Fantasy VII the best RPG ever created? Are there intrinsic characteristics within its pixel-DNA that make it stand above the rest of the hundreds of games that have tried to imitate it? What makes it even better than other Final Fantasy games?

Since I can’t say anything new about the game which hasn’t been said before (other than it is indeed a very addictive RPG with a memorable storyline), I compiled a list of 10 characteristics every game creator must take into account when designing his product. This list was published in the same edition of Next Generation where the ad you see above was included. By the way, this is one of the best editions of that already superb publication. If you are interested in editorial layout or video games or indeed want to learn anything about print publishing, I strongly recommend you scour for the cool retro magazine. I’ve placed the cover in this post so you can identify it more easily.

Here’s the list created by video game and data guru John Eaton. I’ll add my comments as related to Final Fantasy VII after his thoughts. 

Ten things to do to ensure a more playable game
1. The only significant actions are those that affect the player’s ability to perform future actions. Everything else is bells and whistles.
Check. Most RPGs are filled with important player decisions from the outset. Every path the player takes and every weapon or enemy he decides to fight or not will have immediate repercussions. Final Fantasy VII handles this subject elegantly within its first hour, which also serves as a tutorial. I'm talking about the very first mission up to the point where you're left to explore Midgar. Modern FF releases like FF XIII have forgotten about this principle. It's only very late in the game when you can finally explore as you please.
2. Make a list of all the actions that the player can perform in the game, take a cold hard look at it and decide if it sounds like fun to you. If the list is boring, the game probably will be too.
Most battles in Final Fantasy VII offer some degree of strategic planning. This is particularly true in the beginning of the game. One incorrect menu selection and you're done. Combined with the exploring factor mentioned above, you have a robust experience from the very first hours of gameplay.
3. In each situation ask yourself: What are the possible actions the player can take? If there are only two, it’s weak. If there’s only one, it’s not even action. If a non-interactive sequence shows the player’s character sneak into the compound, clobber a guard and put on his uniform, the player’s action is “Watch non-interactive sequence”. Giving the player one chance to click to clobber the guard or die isn’t much better. 
Again, very related to the menu-driven battle system described above. You start the game with three basic options (fight, item and some sort of magic ability) and go on from there to hundreds of different fighting and healing possibilities. The materia magic system, while often criticized, is built upon the same principle.
4. Design a clear and simple interface. The primary task of the interface is to present the player with a choice of the available actions at each moment and to provide instant feedback when the player makes a choice.
This is clear for practically every FF game and to larger extent, for every JRPG ever created. If you can read, chances are you can play this type of game. Combine such simple play mechanics with a compelling storyline and you have a winner.
5. The player needs a goal at all times, even if it is a mistaken one. If there is nothing he wishes to accomplish, he will soon get bored, even if the game is rich with graphics and sound.
Grinding for experience points offers the player direct rewards. Again, every JRPG ever sold lets you wander around and accumulate experience if the player so decides, even if this is not what the quest has asked of the player. Every player wishes to get stronger in every RPG, so the faster you offer him that option, the better.
6. The more the player feels that the events of the game are being caused by his or her own actions, the better—even when it is an illusion.
Heavy story-driven games empower the player through the main characters of the story. It's a powerful illusion that has been used for millenia in other forms of media and oral traditions where the recipient's imagination is the most powerful tool the creator of the story must take into account.
7. Analyze the events of the story in terms of their effect on the player’s goals. Anything that moves him closer to or further away from a goal, or gives him a new goal, is part of the game.
Pretty clear in Final Fantasy VII and every released of the saga. Later games have forgotten about this point and as a result the franchise has suffered.
8. The longer the player plays without a break, the more we build up his sense of the reality of the world. Any time he dies or has to restart from a saved game, the spell is broken. Alternative paths, recoverable errors, multiple solutions to the same problem, missed opportunities that can be made up later, are all good.
Save points are a precious commodity in Final Fantasy VII. It's not a hard game per se, but the gamer must always be weary of its surroundings. Dungeons and caves augment the player's sense of fantasy because of this very principle. As every RPG player knows, inside this locations save points are peppered far and between crucial areas of the game, so all of the player's attention is focused on the task at hand. It's a risk-reward proposition left to the players volition.
9. Don’t introduce gratuitous obstacles just to create a puzzle. All plot twists should mean something for the story. If the game requires the player to drive somewhere, don’t also requiere him to fill up his tank with gas first—unless maybe the tank was deliberately drained by an opponent…
If you're using "fetch quests" they should have a meaning. Don't introduce these weak elements in the game if they don't offer a grand build-up to a higher goal. Again, latter FF games have abused the "fetch quest" logic where "C must be obtained before B and A" to the extent that large texts are introduced in the main menus in the game just to let the player know what exactly was his quest in the first place!
10. As the player moves through the game, he should always have the feeling that he is potentially passing up potentially interesting avenues of exploration. The perfect outcome is for him to win the game having done 95% of what there is to do, but left with the feeling that there must be another 50%  he missed.
Yep, that unbeatable monster you encountered by mistake, that extra powerful sword or magic spell, that tiny area of the map that you skipped is included in this point. Final Fantasy VII delivers big-time with hidden summons, chocobos, weapons, bosses, etc.



Final Fantasy VII for Windows 95 programmer’s job notice print ad copy (1997)

It’s a career day in Midgar.

Welcome to Midgar. City of crime, slums, brutality, toxic waste and job opportunities for programmers. Golden opportunities for golden programmers, to be exact. Because that’s what it takes to work on Final Fantasy VII for Windows 95. It’s the worlds hottest role-plating game. So we’re looking for top talent to keep that way. And maybe create a phenomenon or two of their own. Do you fit the description? If so, you could have a bright future in the grim city of Midgar. 
SquareSoft

Send your resume via e-mail to jobs@squaresoft.com or fax to (714) 438-1705




Friday, March 27, 2015

WipeOut XL for PlayStation (1996)


Original ad published in EGM's 1997 Video Game Buyer's Guide 
(late 1996).

Read bellow to download the full HD version of this ad

Great soundtrack, sorry ad


Better known for its electronic-centric soundtrack, the second version of WipeOut (1995) for the original PlayStation and Saturn systems is still one the best futuristic racing games around.

I'll keep it short: if you like arcade-type racing games, you'll love WipeOut XL (or WipeOut 2097 in Europe). This is basically MarioKart with spaceships running at 500 mph and blasting other players to pieces. It's right up there with F-Zero as the most iconic electro-racing game ever.

As I said before, WipeOut XL is very well appreciated for its fantastic soundtrack, which features The Future of Sound of London, Chemical Brothers, Orbital and the like. It is a very good listen.

Now the print ad itself is not so cool. I would call it childish and curt. It does not bode well with overall feel of the game, which is very stylized, modern and clean. This ad takes mayor step backward with the bodily secretion reference.

Frankly, it not very aesthetic at all. And as Roger Scruton notes in one his BBC documentaries, beauty does matter.  The ad is more animalistic than artful, which is a shame when you consider the importance of the WipeOut series in the history of gaming.

View or download the high res version of the original WipeOut XL print ad.





WipeOut XL for PlayStation print ad copy


Original WipeOut.
New WipeOut XL.

Presenting all-new WipeOut XL for the PlayStation game console— the definitive anti-gravity racing experience. Up to 15 futuristic ships race simultaneously a speeds 50% faster than the original. Weapons? Combat is now kill or be killed. Use your destructive arsenal to blast your way to victory or die trying. There’s all-new tracks and more racing classes with special hidden features for those skilled enough to find them. New WipeOut XL. Discover what it’s like to really go fast.

Get the WipeOut XL CD soundtrack now available on AstralWerks Records.

Psygnosis
www. psygnosis.com

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

F1 Challenge for Saturn (1996)

Original ad published in the September 1996 issue of EGM 2 (no. 27).

Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.

Arcade roots and driving fun to the Saturn


Sega has always had a strong sense of what constitutes an entertaining experience. Classic Sega racing arcade machines include Hang On, OutRun, Sega Rally, Virtua Racing and Daytona USA. They are enjoyable, high-adrenaline-pumping racing experiences that deserve mention as some of the best video games ever. 

One would be hard-pressed to call them “simulations”. They are games meant to disconnect oneself from the problems of every day life.  F1 Challenge (1996) falls clearly in the first group of games.

Gear-heads will know that there are basically just two types of racing games: simulations and arcade games. Neither is better than the other. Gran Turismo (1997) falls clearly in the simulation category, whilst F1 Challenge in the arcade experience brought to home consoles. Published by Sega and Virgin, it’s a solid attempt at mixing both genres but nodding slightly to the high pedigree of Sega arcade racing action. 

In this sense, the previous Super Monaco GP (1989) for Genesis retained a more simulated F1 experience. The same can be said for Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing (1993)A telling sign: F1 Challenge does not include a campaign mode.

As for the print ad itself, this another one of those cases where the printed marketing material is different from the box-art, as you see below. The reason is clear: Ferrari is still the biggest name in F1 racing. Michael Schumacher had just arrived to the Italian team and surely Sega thought it would be best to go with the beautiful red car in their print ad. A good choice, IMO. 








F1 Challenge for Saturn print ad copy


F1 Challenge

For you, the helmet is optional.

  • The most realistic racing experience yet for the Sega Saturn. Amazing 3-D graphics and tight control for gameplay so intense you can almost feel your head rattle.
  • Six action-packed tracks including Monte Carlo, Suzuka and Hockenheim and five top authentic Formula-1 racing teams featuring Ferrari, Benetton, and Williams.
  • Customizable player settings for grater control of your car’s performance including mid-race pit row changes.
  • “This new racing sim sets the pace for the rest of the field…The game’s 3-D graphics match or surpass Sega’s previous racing title…”- Cyber Sports


Virgin
Sega Saturn




Sunday, March 22, 2015

Super Mario RPG--Legend of the Seven Stars for Super NES (1996)


Original ad published in the September 1996 issue of EGM 2 (no. 27).

Read below for the full HD version of the file.

Your favorite plumber in an Advanced Computer Modelling graphics RPG


Super Mario RPG. Legend of the Seven Stars (1996) is notable for various things. First, this is best game ever made between two powerhouse companies—Square Soft and Nintendo— at the very pinnacle of their creative power. Second, in an already crowded room of superb RPGs for Nintendo’s 16-bit machine, this game is a standout. And lastly, it demonstrated that the script of any video game is the basis from which other elements should flow.

That’s not to say Super Mario RPG has bad graphics or sound. On the contrary, the cool ACM style first seen in Donkey Kong Country (1994) is beautifully rendered in a world that cleverly mixes Mario elements with Final Fantasy tropes. The result is mouth-watering eye-candy. The soundtrack is also very catchy, as you’d expect from any Nintendo game.

But Super Mario RPG is also quite unique in that it’s one the very first games that frequently pokes fun at itself. This was still rare in 1996, when Nintendo was synonymous with standoffishness. The big N would latter relax its attitude towards itself (see Wario Ware, for example). The game goes further as it frequently pokes fun at both Final Fantasy and Mario worlds and is not ashamed to deliver lots of fan service in the form of hidden characters or obscure references for only the most die-hard of both serie's fans.

Gamers received the excellent script as a fresh beginning against other denser RPGs. There is no particular gravitas en Super Mario RPG, it’s just fun all the way. That sense of entertainment is captured by Ted Woolsey’s awesome translation (this would be his last project at Square Soft. He now works at Microsoft, if you wondered). 

Also, gamers should realise this game came out very late in the life of the Super NES. In the same magazine where this game was promoted, Nintendo would market it’s bigger and newer 64-bit console. This left many gamers out of one of the best RPG experiences ever. 

You’ll find list after list where this game is mentioned as an absolute gem. And it should be.  I never played the cart version, by the way, I only knew about it when emulators started to hit big during the early 2000s. I strongly recommend checking the official re-release on Nintendo’s own Virtual Console store before paying an inordinate amount of cash for the original version. 

A good game like this deserves an equally good advertisement. Nintendo delivered a beautiful two-page spread where the most important elements of the games are bunched-up at the right and the boring text-elements on the left (nice typography, though). This is very un-Nintendo like. 

It’s more of a Final Fantasy neo-punk world, à la FF VII,  in which bad guys are equated to unscrupulous technological use. The towering castle looks menacing. If you look carefully, you see that even Bowser makes an appearance at the bottom right of the page! Clinching the win is the great use of ACM graphics and colourful screenshots from the actual game. Bravo!

Here's the full HD version of the Super Mario RPG.  Legend of the Seven Stars print ad you see above.





Super Mario RPG--Legend of the Seven Stars for Super NES print ad copy


You can’t just run away from your problems any more. From now on, you’ll have to think on your feet.

Jumping, ducking and dodging have always been a critical part of any button-mashing Mario adventure. But with Super Mario RPG you’ll also be pushing every brain cell you’ve got. 

That’s right. You and the world’s most heroic plumber will have to battle through all the twists, turns and thumb-numbing action of a classic Mario adventure. Plus, meet the mental challenge as the story unfolds in this fully-rendered role playing game!

It’s the best of both worlds. One minute you’re neck and neck at the Yoshi Races. The next you’re gambling the night away at the Grate Guy’s Casino. And, in between, you’ll have to test your brain and mind-mushing riddles and new action-puzzles. Of course you’ll find plenty of new friends who can help out. But they’ll need your help in return. Without you, Mallow will never find his true family. Gene will never become a real boy. And Booster will never find a bride.

You’ll also bump into all kinds of new baddies, plus classic goons from every Mario game in history. Only now, they’re rendered in ACM with a 3-D, three-quarter overhead view.

So get ready for all kinds of new Nintendo action and brain-bending Square Soft adventure. Remember, running and jumping is great start. But this time around you’ll also need plenty of brains to finish.

You’d never want to be on the bad side of your new pal Mallow. His thunderbolt Special Attack brings a blast of lightning down on any enemies in sight.

You want a new kind of Mario action? Try Yoshi Races. But here’s a tip. If you don’t hit the buttons to the beat, you’ll get beat.

Finding Frogfucious is a wise move if you want to know more about your future quest.

Whether you call it more action or more RPG, the fact is you’ll have to use every trick in both books to beat these bad guys.

Super Mario RPG
Legend of the Seven Stars 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Alien Trilogy for Saturn (1996)

Alien Trilogy advertisement

Original ad published in the September 1996 issue of EGM 2 (no. 27).

Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.

Basically Doom with xenomorphs. Which is a good thing!


One of the most successful and beloved Hollywood franchises ever has seen a slew of mediocre video games. Gamers frequently wondered how Alien, with such an action packed storyline, could tradition so poorly to pixels and game pads. That’s exactly the reason why Alien Trilogy for Saturn (1996) is such a rare breed.

Alien video games had been terrible up to this. Maybe Alien vs. Predator (1994), for the Atari Jaguar, had rescued the franchise. Just maybe, considering that exactly four people bought that console. Still, the game was neat and offered varied gameplay with solid visuals. So yes, AVP was the best Alien spinoff up to the released of Alien Trilogy for Saturn.

The game was published for Saturn and PlayStation by Acclaim, a not very reassuring proposition. They had become very famous during the NES days for mediocre ports of huge Hollywood movies (Rambo et al). But with Alien Trilogy they decided to play it safe. 

This is basically Doom with xenomorphs and fantastic music. The complete package lends a great atmospheric feel not unlike fans of the movies have cherished for so long. The story is not canon, so don’t expect to learn any new Alien lore here.  

The printed ad travels the same route as the game. It makes little effort to stray from the movies and delivers just what you’d expect: cool screen shots, a big-ass xeno on the top of the page and an elegant black background with neon green letters. Probably a good decision, considering the ad ran on the back cover of the EGM 2 issue referenced above.






Alien Trilogy for Saturn print ad copy


360º of Acid-Spitting Hell
Arrives on Saturn

“The graphics are awesome, the gameplay is dead-on”- Game Players

“Alien Trilogy is fantastic”- Video Games

“…a rare achievemente.”- Next Generation

“The 3-D engine is first rate.”- Next Generation

“…a real winner!”- EGM

For a sneak peek check out Alien Trilogy at
http://acclaimnation.com

Alien Trilogy

Friday, March 20, 2015

Alone in the Dark. One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge for Saturn (1996)


Original ad published in the September 1996 issue of EGM 2 (no. 27).

Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.

A crappy port of a decent PC game


Sensing Resident Evil’s impending success in the console realm, Infogrames decided to fight back and recapture their original survival horror panache by porting Alone in the Dark. One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge to both the Saturn and PlayStation systems. The move made no sense.

Alone in the Dark, released in 1992, will always be remembered as the truly first 3-D survival horror game for the PC. It’s sequel was released just one year after and was basically the same game in a different setting. Both were artificially hard because they were DOS games meant to be played with your keyboard. They instilled fear in any gamer because of these limitations. 

But Alone in the Dark. One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge was published for Sony’s and Sega’s machines in 1996! The terrible gameplay was taken verbatim from the PC game. This was of course unacceptable for the majority of gamers. And even though Resident Evil featured now ancient tank-like controls, they were worlds better than the aforementioned game. The graphics were outdated, as well. The music, in contrast, was atmospheric and quite good.

The print itself is another curiosity. It occupies two column’s width of the magazine and has a nice “piratey” motif. That’s interesting in itself, because the game made little connection with that idea. This is a case study in how NOT to bring a PC game to the console world.






Alone in the Dark. One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge for Saturn print ad copy


dangerously concealed in shrouds of darkness,
evil awaits you

and you’re all alone
alone
alone

Alone in the Dark
One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge

For PlayStation and Sega Saturn

Kokopeli Digital Studios
I Motion

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Super Mario 64 for Nintendo 64 (1996)

Super Mario 64 for Nintendo 64 advertisement


Original ad published in the October 1996 issue  

of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 87).

Read below for the full HD version of the file.


A 3-D revolution for the non-CD gaming masses


What can I possibly say about Super Mario 64? It’s only the most influential video game of all time, having spawned thousands of 3-D action-platforming clones between 1996 and the publishing date of this entry. It’s also, without any doubt, the best pack-in game for any console. Having said that, and hoping you can understand where I’m coming from, I must confess I’ve never really sunk my teeth into it. Let me explain.

You see, about 20 years ago I stopped playing video games. Different personal matters where involved in that decision, most importantly my lack of economic means to buy yet another console by Nintendo, a brand I had loved since the NES days. The attractive $199 launch price of the Nintendo 64 was not enough to rekindle my interest in the pixelated world. I had recently found other, less healthy hobbies and relations that where quite expensive. 

I’m sure everyone has passed through this phase one time or another. It’s the young adulthood stage of life, where nothing makes sense yet everything seems incredibly important lest you miss what everyone else is doing. The cool kids where obviously not playing video games. So I pushed my favourite hobby away. I also pushed some good friends and family members away.

Fortunately, I now find myself in a much calmer, more mature period in life. Maybe I’ll knock the dust off my little sisters Mario 64 cart and fire up the venerable grey machine. Maybe I’ll even play another game called “The Legend of Zelda. Ocarina of Time”. It also seems pretty good ;] , but, just as Mario’s foray into the third dimension, I’ve never had the time to play it as it deserves.




And we’re back…

Here’s a random list of superb Mario games I found on the net. I will obviously have the 64 chapter in the higher spots. Oh, and here’s a comprehensive Mario database of absolutely everything you ever wanted to know about the moustachioed Italian plumber. 

The ad you see above features impressive marksmanship from Nintendo. They were not kidding when they advertised their new Mario by calling it a revolution. It was featured in paged A2 and A3, just after the cover the magazine, slots reserved for the more expensive ads of practically every published material. 

The ad manages to capture you attention by making Mario move in positions you never had seen him up to 1996. This is a 3-D Mario, not the usual 2-D sprite you had burned into your retina for the last 10 years!

It also presents gamers with a completely new controller for the more powerful 64 bit console, an evolutionary leap from the conventional d-pad included with Nintendo’s 8 and 16 bit machines. Just check out those magnificent screen shots from the actual game at the bottom of the page (and Bowser's peek-a-boo stance at the top right). Typography is also standout, very identifiable.

The advertisement was intriguing, to say the least. And even though Nintendo’s non-CD system lost out to Sony’s PlayStation, the campaign leading up the launch to the Big N’s machine became a mouth-watering proposition.

Here's the full HD version of the Mario 64 print ad you see above.




Super Mario 64 for Nintendo 64 print ad copy


The way he moves now, you better have a double-jointed thumb.

Introducing Super Mario 64. A total revolution in more ways than one. Coming Sept. 30 to a screen near you.

Nintendo 64

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Shining Wisdom for Saturn (1996)

Shining Wisdom for Saturn advertisement

Original ad published in the August 1996 issue of EGM 2 (no. 26).

Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.

A controversial Zelda clone for Sega Saturn owners


Shining Wisdom (1996) is an interesting game in the long list of Shining games. It was sold for the Sega Saturn and developed by the Sonic team at Sega. More importantly, it was published in North America by Working Designs, a company that had released practically flawless game up to Wisdom’s arrival (Lunar, Vasteel and Dragon Force, to name a few). 

For Sega Saturn owners, Wisdom’s lack of quality was blatantly obvious. History and myth have long established that Wisdom was originally planned for the Sega Mega Drive and/or the Sega CD. But when Sega pushed for an earlier release date for the Saturn, plans were scrapped and the game was ported to Sega’s new system. Graphics stayed the same, which its to say, poor by Saturn standards, even for its early games. (The music, composed by series mainstay Motoaki Takenouchi, remains quite good). Animation seems very fluid and quaint, but that's debatable.

Today, Shining Wisdom is a rare game in a long list of no less than 37 Shining titles! I’ve place a picture of the logo of just the most important releases in the series so you can grasp the longevity and commercial abandon Sega has milked out of this franchise. You can read everything about said games at the excellent Shining Force Central.



Having said that, some of the games in the series are based on the early dungeon-crawling genre established in Wizardry (1981) for the PC and Sega’s own first Phantasy Star (1987) for consoles. In fact, the first game in the Shining series, Shining in the Darkness (1991) for the Genesis/Mega Drive follows that formula. The series mutated with Shining Force (1992), Shining Force II (1993) and Shining Force CD (1994) into a turn-based strategy RPG, all exclusive to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and its CD contraption. It then changed again into an action-RPG clone à la The Legend of Zelda in Shining Wisdom.

An apology is in order for inserting a very unflattering version of the print ad of the game that ran in magazines. This blog tries to capture the print art of video games just as they were published. I can’t mutilate the original magazine the ad ran in. This is important because in this particular case, Shining Wisdom’s advertisement was included right smack in the middle of a strategy guide published by EGM 2. The commercial implications of that editorial decision are obvious, but I’ll leave future researchers to delve on the matter. Let’s just wrap up by saying that Retro Gaming Art considers retro video game print material important historical artifacts that should never be mutilated. 

Oh and I won’t even touch on the matter of the girl’s cleavage prominently displayed in this ad. The water-brush and pencil technique is eye-catching, to say the least ;]







Shining Wisdom for Saturn print ad copy


Shining Wisdom

When Evil Ascends,
And Darkness Consumes,
Wisdom Will Light The Way,
And Bravery Will Make It Shine.

  • 10, 000 Frames of SGI Animation!
  • 40+ Hours of Intense Gameplay!
  • Cool Secret Zones and Items!


Win $10,000
Contest details inside package

Contest Co-Sponsors
EB Boutique
Electronic Gaming Monthly

Sega Saturn
Working Designs

Our games go to 11!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Lufia II-Rise of the Sinistrals for Super NES (1996)

Lufia II-Rise of the Sinistrals advertisement

Original ad published in the August 1996 issue 

of EGM 2 (no. 26).

Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.

A return to form by Taito


Lufia II. Rise of the Sinistrals (1996) is one of those rare games that is vastly superior to its predecessor in every way. It’ one of the better JRPGs for the Super NES, and that by itself is already saying something. It’s entertaining, features high production values and is of the purest experiences of traditional role playing games you can get for any system.

Developed by Natsume and released by Taito, Lufia II went unnoticed for most gamers in the mid 90s. This was the era of Nintendo’s 64, Sega’s Saturn and Sony’s Playstation.  As a gamer, you were either saving for one of those more powerful systems or forking over your precious dollars to buy the non plus ultra

This has made Lufia II a bit of a collectors piece. It arrived in North America at the very tail-end on Nintendo’s serviceable 16-bit console. The same ad you see above was promoted just a few pages after Nintendo’s 64-bitter, leaving gamers in a cash-strapped situation. As a consequence, Lufia II commands some high prices in the collector's market. 

The main difference between the first and the second Lufia was developer Natsume, which garnered some fans back in the Super NES days with Harvest Moon (1997), as well as Pocky and Rocky (1993), games that feature that same kawaii (cute) artwork. In retrospect, it was to be the foundation of the moe addiction in North America. It also includes a neat Pokemon-style monster developing engine, another trend that seems prescient today.



The artwork, just as the original Lufia (1994), is very attractive. A solid black background with colorful anime-inspired characters is always a good combination. Japanese popular culture had slowly carved a niche in North America by the time this game was launched. Taito wisely decided to differentiate Lufia II from other generic RPGs of the era by communicating a clear message to this growing niche. 



Lufia II-Rise of the Sinistrals for Super NES print ad copy


The Ultimate Role Playing Game!

Lufia II
Rise of the Sinistrals

This exciting sequel to the Lufian legend pits monsters hunter Maxim and six adventuring companions against the sinister Sinistrals. The story develops into a complex maze, challenging you with big battles, puzzles and loads of surprises. You can even grow your own monsters! You will enjoy countless hours on a fantastic journey in the world of Lufia!

Taito

Natsume

Monday, March 16, 2015

Resident Evil for PlayStation (1996)


Original ad published in the August 1996 issue 

of EGM 2 (no. 26).

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“What a horrible night to have a curse”


The first Resident Evil arrived to North America in 1996 to great acclaim and well-earned fanfare. It’s normally attributed to have created the survival horror genre in the console market. I can’t dispute that claim. It is an excellent game that featured impressive graphics for the era, a great atmospheric soundtrack and the worst spoken dialogue ever known to the gaming world.

Now if you talk about Resident Evil you’ll have to talk about Alone in the Dark (1992), the legendary PC game that established the gameplay basis and general creepy atmosphere we all learned to love from the Evil series. 

I used to play Alone in the Dark with a friend of mine on his monstrous IBM PC in mid 90s and it was by far the hardest game we had ever known. We were of course playing it the wrong way! Just as Resident Evil, the Alone in the Dark series forces you to be intelligent with your choices. You can’t expect to enter a room and blast every enemy in sight. 

You won’t make it very far with the precious little ammo and scarce healing items at your disposal. And to this day, that has been the survival horror formula, a nice combination of limited action sequences combined with some puzzle elements and, above all, superb atmospheric triggers that slowly lure you into the storyline.



Personally, I have always preferred Silent Hill over Resident Evil. The first game in Silent Hill series is vastly superior to the first Resident Evil game in almost every way. Konami’s survival horror offering, released in 1999, made a wise choice in dropping the player in a very open-ended setting right from the beginning of the game. 

It’s a stark contrast from the the first Resident Evil (and RE 2, also) where cramped corridors and brutal enemies make for high suspense. The terrible gameplay of the first RE game heightened the suspense, albeit artificially. The same can’t be said about the first SH. Controls were much, much tighter, as well as the voice acting of the cutscenes

I’m obviously in the minority here. Resident Evil was one the first big hits on the Playstation. Shinji Mikami made Capcom very happy. During the first years the system, the first RE and the Director’s Cut version had sold almost 9 million copies. A monster hit by any standard. The incredible amount of sequels and dino-spinoffs have only solidified that initial effort by Mikami and his team.

And following the overall quality of the first RE game, the printed ad you see here strafes accordingly to the game original box-art (below). The advertisement leaves the game with a curious sense of ambiguity. A blurry eye is the only thing that focuses the players attention. There are some screen shots at the bottom of the page, but they reveal little of the product. Maybe someone who had played the original Alone in Dark could have seen some resemblance to that game, but that’s highly improbable. No. This is more dramatic, more attention-grabbing. Just like the game itself.


Another printed ad for the game appeared the same year as the original, just after the first reviews of the game and just in time for the Christmas holiday season. This a horizontal two-page spread with great placement of the scary elements you encounter in the game. The copy is minimal and the really scary stuff is correctly placed at in the right-hand, where your eyes will naturally gravitate because of the white light source behind the creepy dude coming towards you. This is high quality marketing. Superb design. The complete atmosphere of the game is transmitted through the ad.

Yet another ad of the game was first featured in the May 1996 issues of various video game magazines. The copy stated "Answers are found in darkest corners of the estate cemetery, crumbling guest houses, and a mysterious tower".  Avid gamers noticed that none of these locations appeared in the final version of the game. 

According to the January 1997 issue of GamePro, this was a marketing faux pas: "Those locations are mentioned on the game box, too, not just in the ad. Actually, you have seen them in the game, though they're not exactly as described. A curstomer-service rep at Capcom told us that the company that created the ad wrote the ad copy about two months before the game was finished in order to meet magazine deadlines. Unfortunately, Residente Evil went through a lot of changes in the last month  before it was released on March 29, 1996, and among those sites changed were the cemetery, guest house, and tower. According to the rep, the game has no formal cemetery, but there is a single grave; the 'crumbling guest house' is the guard's house; and the tower mentioned in the ad became the lab. Capcom doesn't consider the ad a misrepresentation of Resident Evil because the sites mentioned in the ad do appear, just with different names, and the programmers were only making these last-minute changes in order to perfect the game." 

I suppose Capcom changed their ads after their own game designers noticed the changes. Countries like the USA institute harsh penalties against companies for false or misrepresented products through ads. So the ad change, although a footnote in video game history, most probably saved Capcom a fortune in lawsuits. 











Resident Evil for PlayStation print ad copy (vertical)


If the suspense doesn’t kill you, something else will.

From hyper-realistic 3D lighting to an ominous CD quality soundtrack, this twisted blood-bath’s terror and suspense builds with every new room you explore.

Resident Evil

Capcom



Resident Evil for PlayStation print ad copy (horizontal)

If these walls could talk, they'd scream.

  • Are you ready for a nightmare? Resident Evil brings and entirely new style of game where intrigue and fright plague the player from start to finish. It is a must have.- EGM
  • (Five Stars) Revolutionary. With liberal amounts of action, challenging gameplay smooth control, and plenty of gaming scores, this is one game nobody should be without.- NEXT Generation
  • This terrifying tale leaves you quaking in your shoes, and its breathtaking graphics and riveting gameplay will lure you back time after time.- GamePro

Resident Evil
Capcom

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Dragon Spirit for NES (1990)


Original ad published in the September 1990 issue 

of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 14).

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Mid air dragon slaying 


Dragon Spirit (1990) is a vertical shooter for the NES released by Bandai in the vein of  the 1942 and 1943 series of video games. It’s a remix of the 1987 cool arcade of the same name, a game that features much better graphics, sound and a notable original soundtrack.

Dragons were very popular during the 80s. Most of the best dragon movies were in factor produced during those years. Aside from Smaug, there were some very cool dragons produced with you know, actual elements of the physical world, not just pixels.

Bandai capitalised on the coolness factor with the rad blue dragon you see on the cover of the game and as the prominent feature of the print ad. That pretty much the best part of the print material. The red background was a nice touch to make the beast standout, as well as the neat typography. 




Dragon Spirit for NES print ad copy


Dragon Spirit
The New Legend

Bring arcade magic home to your Nintendo with the classic nonstop shooting adventure Dragon Spirit. The world is in chaos, the princess has been captured, and the fate of the kingdom of Midguld lies in your hands. Transform into the blue dragon and hang on for shooting action wild enough to put a blister on your finger. Blast your way through ten levels of super graphics as you acquire an arsenal of weapons big enough to challenge the darkest forces of evil. Eleven huge boss enemies will put your magic to the test and push your Nintendo skills to the limit as you battle for the life of the princess. The Spirit of the Dragon must triumph!

Bandai

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Dragon Force for Sega Saturn (1996)


Original ad published in the October 1996 issue 

of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 87).

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One of the best strategy RPGs of all time holds its ground


The year 1996 went down in history as a standout period for strategy RPGs. This was the time Suikoden was released for the PlayStation and the very solid Tactics Ogre made some waves on the Sega Saturn (it has previously been released for the Super NES). Final Fantasy Tactics for Sony’s juggernaut would close the tactical renaissance in 1997. Within that already superb field, Working Designs brought Dragon Force to America. It a word: it rocked! (and it still does!)

Hot on the heels of the notable Lunar. The Silver Star for Sega’s first CD system, as well as the obscure Vasteel for the Turbo-CD, Working Designs decided to up the ante with Force.

The gameplay is very unique indeed: you battle cute super deformed characters by giving them orders or manually interacting with them in a board-game type battle system. This is both very entertaining and incredibly intricate. As you would expect, graphics and sound are fantastic, making you really care about your main protagonists. As and added bonus, you can choose from eight different characters that produce eight different storylines.

Having said that, this strategy RPG is also highly sought after today. You'll pay a pretty penny for a new-in-box specimen, but loose copies are generally good deals. If you're a hard-core Saturn collector, this game is a must. It was named Saturn game of the year in 1996 by EGM, by the way.


Now in a curious marketing twist, the actual game advertisement that ran in popular magazines of the time is very different than the actual box-art of the title. You can see the latter just below. Both are very good, with detailed and stylized character design. Animes had finally broken into the American mainstream by this period of the 90s and Force took advantage of its Japanese pedigree. You can easily hand the ad you see in the top of the page in your playroom and score some credibility points. Well done Working Designs, well done.




Dragon Force for Sega Saturn print ad  copy


Dragon Force

When Magic Was Young,
And Swords Carved Laws of Blood,
Eight Warlords Forgotten to Time
Rose to Shape Orden From Chaos.


  • 8 Awesome Warlords!
  • 8 Different Storylines!
  • 150+ Playable Characters!
  • 60+ Hours of Gameplay!


Sega Saturn
Working Designs
Our games go to 11!