Showing posts with label X-Men for Genesis print ad (1993). Show all posts
Showing posts with label X-Men for Genesis print ad (1993). Show all posts

Thursday, February 12, 2015

X-Men for Genesis (1993)


Original ad published in "KC Joe Montana" issue of Sega Force 
(1993, a supplement to EGM).
Press to view or download image in higher resolution. 

Read below for the full HD version of the file.

Historical Background and Graphical Analysis


A ridiculously hard game for Sega’s Genesis, the original X-Men (1993) is best remembered for the awesome marketing material it produced. Check out the HD version of the ad below in full digital glory.

X-Men joined a long list of mediocre X-Men games titles for different consoles. The list reads like an evil recipe to milk every ounce of dignity from the Marvel franchises. 

Yet, it can’t go without saying that it’s very probable that these terrible video games played an important role in the formative years of today’s big shot Hollywood producers and directors. Just about every Marvel franchise worth mentioning has been translated to the big screen. Games like X-Men for Genesis are obvious culprits of this phenomenon. 

As far as Genesis titles go, this game is average to mediocre. The gameplay is terrible, the graphics muddy, and the difficulty level is ridiculous. The game is most remembered for a particular boss fight that prompts you to press the “reset” button of your system to defeat him. Problem is, that instruction worked only sometimes and if did not work, you were left right back at the begging of the game. Hideo Kojima is that you? Bleh!




The sequel, X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), would feature astounding graphics for a Genesis title. This game was released very late in the 16-bit life-cycle and remains an interesting historical footnote of Sega’s machine actual processing power. 

As I mentioned above, the ad for the original X-Men game is awesome. It could very well be a cool poster in any gamer’s room or basement. The actual stars of the game are right there: Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit and Nightcrawler, all in their heroic stances. 


The copy is adequate and the game screens look much better than the actual game itself. But, the overall impact of the two-page spread is high and surely netted Sega a considerable amount of sales just  because of the excepcional artistic qualities of the advertisement. 





X-Men for Genesis print ad copy


Hear the sound razor-sharp adamantium claws make as they extract revenge.

  • Juggernaut is one tough mutant, even against Wolverine’s fierce claws. Fire Gambit’s energised cards and introduce Juggernaut to Storm’s tornado force winds.

  • Sabretooth growls his defiance. Cyclops needs Archangels razor sharp blades to help Nightcrawler send him back to his maker.

  • Cyclops watches for Sentinel attacks as Gambit uses Iceman’s bridge to annihilate the hovering Sentinel. 

  • The final battle takes place on Asteroid M. Defeat Magneto’s Acolytes and the mAster of Magnetism appears…



Welcome to the next level.