Mario Golf for N64 (1999)

Original ad published in Tips & Tricks, issue of August 1999, no. 18

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Simple and clean, just like Nintendo

A fun game for the N64, Mario Golf used a distinctive style for its publicity, neither too garish nor too loud, just like you would expect from the Big N.

There's little to say about Mario Golf. Like most sports game released for Nintendo's 64-bit console, it is better played with four or more people. Otherwise, it quickly devolves into a generic golf game, which isn't the most dynamic outdoor activity. 

But the publicity is completely another matter. It clearly has sanded the test of time. For starters, this is a two-page advertisement at the very end of a magazine. It has very little text and just a few screenshots of the game to the right of the second page. They are in red, which will immediately call the attention of any reader. After you see the screenshots, you'll naturally flow to the N64 logo peaking from the very bottom of the paper, like a faux-sticker.

But the really cool part is the golf store setup to the left. It's filled with accessories every golfer knows well, but also has a neat detail only perceived when the reader looks at the page with some attention. Glance and you'll miss it. I'm talking of course about Mario's gloves with the legend "100% Animated Leather" and "Cadet X-Huge". These tiny details make this ad a true Nintendo quality product. Well done. 

Mario Golf for N64 printed ad copy

Oh good, now they'll let anyone play.

• Tee it up with 17 golfers on 6 courses.
• Taunt your opponents in mid-swing.
• Golf etiquette? Yeah, right.