tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24510495489763794412024-02-29T12:11:50.873-06:00Retro Gaming ArtA digital repository of awesome video game print. Over 100 vintage documents!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-24488601016921518232023-04-14T07:20:00.004-06:002023-04-14T07:20:19.527-06:00Prueba<p> Prueba</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-46863365528031931902022-08-10T19:15:00.026-05:002022-10-27T00:39:32.793-05:00Maximo: Ghost to Glory for PlayStation 2 (2001)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwCDH4UWS_VeY41zSk_wCss-Ka-kNt54zelt8aMAyB9OSJOZdPYyWKbYm1nRcsNQBUl4LsE30T5Sseu9DJEh4ozuDzcFTO-qSqSFS2d-gWToD2FZb7KUIqo-xBi--c0CuYeRNNP1sj1yWSbNPgNQEU5bIFqgrQX8fqvEcXb_3NceM0lnIkzZocvpwfw/s3493/Maximo_Capcom_Print_Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3493" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwCDH4UWS_VeY41zSk_wCss-Ka-kNt54zelt8aMAyB9OSJOZdPYyWKbYm1nRcsNQBUl4LsE30T5Sseu9DJEh4ozuDzcFTO-qSqSFS2d-gWToD2FZb7KUIqo-xBi--c0CuYeRNNP1sj1yWSbNPgNQEU5bIFqgrQX8fqvEcXb_3NceM0lnIkzZocvpwfw/w461-h640/Maximo_Capcom_Print_Ad.jpg" width="461" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cccccc;">Original ad featured in the April 2002 issue of EGM.<br />Press to view or download image at higher resolution.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table> <div><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">An average 3-D platformer with more marketing budget than originality.</span></b></p><p>A spiritual successor to 80s classics Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985) and Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1988), released on a multitude of consoles and computers, Maximo for PS2 was a run-of-the-mill action game in a 3-D environment.</p><a name='more'></a><p>Maximo: Ghost to Glory was developed and released by Capcom for the console that was just starting to gain traction with millions of gamers. Sony's PlayStation 2 behemoth had a banner year in 2001 with the stelar lineup of Metal Gear Solid 2, Grand Theft Auto III, Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo III, Klonoa 2, Final Fantasy X, Twisted Metal: Black, ICO, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, the yearly Madden, NCAA, FIFA, and NFL2K updates, as well as lesser known but still popular Silent Hill 2, Onimusha: Warlords, Soul Reaver 2, Burnout and Dark Cloud, just to name a few. No wonder 2001 is often called the best year in gaming ever.</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@ladaniiqurux/video/7156297448267304198" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7156297448267304198" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;"> <section></section></blockquote><p>Sadly, Capcom's 3-D plataformer fell of most gamer's radar after initial release, very late during December 2001 in Japan and February 2002 in America, an absolute giant of a holiday season. This was in spite of a massive marketing campaign that saw the titular hero grace the front cover of practically every gaming magazine of the day, including EGM. Maximo gained solid scores from these media outlets, but it was just too generic and hard, something that was not really entrenched in 3-D gaming pre-Dark Souls era. </p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t-PvoWe1cTg" title="YouTube video player" width="460"></iframe></div><p>Presentation was top-notch though. Graphics and music were above average for the era, but controls were floaty. Just like the original Ghosts 'n Goblins, you would lose your armor when hit, which left you with nothing but your heart-shaped trousers and your sword to fend for yourself. The gimmick ran dry quickly, though. Maybe Capcom expected Maximo to be something of a new mascot for the company and gave him some 'tude. In any case, the effort was in vain. Their game was rapidly placed in the bargain bin of video game stores.</p><p>The print advertisement you see here is something of a rarity. It's not common to separate a whole page on two distinct sections with a real-life picture at the top and an illustration at the bottom. Adding to this weird decision was the "cool" copy that was popular during this era of gaming. Everything had to be "edgy". But gamers were starting to get smarter (and older). A flashy ad would not be enough to convince buyers via word of mouth, not with the competition from the huge list of great games released just before Maximo.
<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/10/21/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-on-other-social-media-sites/ft_2022-10-21_tiktok_01/"><img src="https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ft_2022.10.21_tiktok_01.png?w=520"></a></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Ad Copy</span></b></p><p></p><p>Live Life to the Maximo</p><p>You're feeling pretty fly, hero. You've just killed hordes of the evil undead, kicked the butt of your girlfriend-stealing former best friend, rescued some Sorceress-hottie and saved the kingdom. You've sprung into the public eye as the star of the next epic adventure from Capcom. Maximo places you in the heart-print boxer shorts of the noble knight Maximo as you go medieval for hours on 20 huge levels. Can a knight save the day? When you're living life to the Maximo, anything's possible. </p></div>
<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107063/mexico-covid-19-cases-deaths/" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://www.statista.com/graphic/1/1107063/mexico-covid-19-cases-deaths.jpg" alt="Statistic: Cumulative number of confirmed cases and deaths of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Mexico from February 28, 2020 to October 20, 2022 | Statista" style="width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width:1000px;-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;"/></a><br />Find more statistics at <a href="https://www.statista.com" rel="nofollow">Statista</a>
<div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1666849092977' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='https://www.ciprodeni.org/tableau/ninez-y-adolescencia-migrante-de-centroamerica-y-mexico/'><img alt='NIÑEZ Y ADOLESCENCIA MIGRANTE DE C.A. Y MÉXICO ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Ni/NiezyadolescenciamigrantedeCentroamricayMxico/Niezmigrante/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='NiezyadolescenciamigrantedeCentroamricayMxico/Niezmigrante' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Ni/NiezyadolescenciamigrantedeCentroamricayMxico/Niezmigrante/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='es-ES' /></object></div> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1666849092977'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width='540px';vizElement.style.height='1607px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-63101579259808073842018-12-28T08:31:00.012-06:002022-09-29T12:46:53.010-05:00Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for GBA (2003)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnjAwvXzz7w79ZzegXvz6uj3w5m4c_UgraP-057_LCIxo_dJgAP1i281Rgd-nMKBe7sl0tQGJA7iu-TWEJCGyiIHLPZvyE60nXa5E1dxy4nnM8W5SR1gMHwIZ4I4SH9QFK6otKdWMCXWK/s1600/Castlevania_Aria_of_Sorrow-GBA.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1103" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnjAwvXzz7w79ZzegXvz6uj3w5m4c_UgraP-057_LCIxo_dJgAP1i281Rgd-nMKBe7sl0tQGJA7iu-TWEJCGyiIHLPZvyE60nXa5E1dxy4nnM8W5SR1gMHwIZ4I4SH9QFK6otKdWMCXWK/s640/Castlevania_Aria_of_Sorrow-GBA.JPG" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cccccc;">Original ad featured in the June 2003 issue of EGM (167).<br />Press to view or download image at higher resolution.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Vampire Hunter A+</span></b></h4>
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A beautiful game with superb publicity material.<br />
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<i>Aria of Sorrow </i>stands alongside <i>Castlevania: Circle of the Moon</i> and <i>Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance</i> as a fantastic trio of classic 2-D games. <i>Aria</i> was the last of the three, but all of them are uniformly excellent. And really difficult.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>All Metroid-Vania type games for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance had a second life when the company released its GBA Player for the GameCube. It was not perfect, but made playing these games a more satisfying experience. If fact, it made playing the original <i>Circle of the Moon</i> a completely different experience because the game was so dark and the screen of Nintendo's first release of the GBA so poor that you could barely see anything happening around you.<br /><br /><div>All of these game were of course compatible with the portable Nintendo DS, which also saw the release of fantastic 2-D Castlevania games in <i>Dawn of Sorrow</i>, <i>Portrait of Ruin</i> and <i>Order of Eclessia</i>. Serious gamers consider Nintendo's DS Lite and a cadre of the six games <i>Castlevania</i> games mentioned above the absolute pinnacle of gaming, since the series had a very tough tough time porting to 3-D on the PS2 and PS3 around the same period as these portable masterpieces were being sold.<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Aria</i> received a much deserved Game of the Month award from EGM in June of 2003. Today, you can find a cool GBA double-pack with this game and the lesser (but still very solid) <i>Harmony of Dissonance</i>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCZaj_mmqTQ" width="360"></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div>
Leave it to Konami to produce the finest video game artwork in the business. The publicity you see above has at least six layers of depth and stands alongside <i>Symphony of the Night </i>as the most aesthetic <i>Castlevania</i> promo piece ever. You have the obligatory castle in the far background and four intriguing characters in the foreground. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most notable is of course the hero, clad in complete white with a vampire on his shoulder, as well as other bats just behind him (in <i>Aria</i> you have the ability to absorb your enemies characteristics, not unlike what Konami would do in <i>Curse of Darkness</i> for the PS2 a couple of years later). Screen shots are tiny, but definitely what you'd expect from the series. The font is just right for this kind of game, enhancing the illusion for the possible buyer.<br />
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<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Ad copy</span></b></h4>
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In the malevolent dusk of a solar eclipse, Dracula's evil becomes imprisoned in shadow.<br />
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The prophecies of old foretell of its return, with the destined dawn of a future alignment.<br />
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Upon its release from the embrace of time, darkness stirs and shifts to resurrect the master.<br />
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Born into a soul of innocent blood, Dracula rages in wrath to consume the light.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-64573022697978723102018-12-27T21:43:00.002-06:002018-12-27T21:46:35.120-06:00Final Fantasy Origins for PlayStation (2003)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ol-RK5j-9yXVg3xti6-EESFjh_Rj22aByJKHmmYM1Q_fUEPpyiS80WVNm3A4LEQ6h5PPyD-p0NoBxgDOtST5LZN6hmJg0A06lNxY0bBPt2U6B6-Ln6ZOnMrX0ZQPetvhzbYA6M7oHAbJ/s1600/Final_Fantasy_Origins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1158" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ol-RK5j-9yXVg3xti6-EESFjh_Rj22aByJKHmmYM1Q_fUEPpyiS80WVNm3A4LEQ6h5PPyD-p0NoBxgDOtST5LZN6hmJg0A06lNxY0bBPt2U6B6-Ln6ZOnMrX0ZQPetvhzbYA6M7oHAbJ/s640/Final_Fantasy_Origins.JPG" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cccccc;">Original ad featured in the June 2003 issue of EGM (167).<br />Press to view or download image at higher resolution.</span></i></td></tr>
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<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Fantastic artwork for a relic of the past</span></b></h4>
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During the last days of Sony's original PlayStation, Japanese RPG giant Squaresoft published a series of Final Fantasy games on what was the world's most popular game console. Sadly, the games were not good at all.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This was king of a big thing back in the start of the naughts. This was the first time Squaresoft had released the original Final Fantasy games on a Sony console. Up until then, they had published major 3-D installment in FFVII, VIII and IX, all of them excellent. So everyone was expecting a huge upgrade for the previous 2-D Final Fantasy titles, only released on Nintendo consoles in the 80s and 90s. (As many of you know, Nintendo had a big fight with with Squaresoft during the dusk of the Super NES and the development of the ill-fated Nintendo CD add-on).<br />
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Unfortunately, hardcore JRPG fans were seriously disappointed with Square's 2-D efforts. For starters, the games retained all on the original FF (1987) and FFII's (1988) difficulty. No modernized tutorial for you. Worse yet, every time you loaded the menu screen, the system would take an eternity to load and exit. This broke the entire RPG experience. Graphics and music were upgraded to 16-bit quality assets, yes, and the inclusion of CG intermissions was a nice touch, but this was not a good gameplay experience at all. A shame really, since this was the first time FFII was brought over to America (not counting the Wonderswan release), basically 15 years after its original release in Japan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG_KJ2G8q_qwkgdLMRIFEOS-UeAGL96VecsqaHfFC63HTjQC0noYsDx2pQRPoNpnQLySUuSrMpyRPhzr9WcDreZ3GX7KmC6ATUxVHrfvX85cDeqUvDW5BkKWkEDPv3yu6CLPmitFDoxYz/s1600/Final_Fantasy_Origins_ScreenShot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="744" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG_KJ2G8q_qwkgdLMRIFEOS-UeAGL96VecsqaHfFC63HTjQC0noYsDx2pQRPoNpnQLySUuSrMpyRPhzr9WcDreZ3GX7KmC6ATUxVHrfvX85cDeqUvDW5BkKWkEDPv3yu6CLPmitFDoxYz/s400/Final_Fantasy_Origins_ScreenShot.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The printed ad for the double pack was incredible, though. The hand-drawn art was truly poster worthy and the screenshots were just what you would expect of a FF title. To the right- hand size of the page is a huge illustration of the antagonist that pops out of the page even when seen in a two-tone sepia. The artwork is Yoshitaka Amano's, as confirmed by the ad's fine print on the lower right. The font set is beautiful, minimal and clean. A remarkable piece.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Original ad copy</span></b><br />
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Remastered editions<br />
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Final Fantasy Origins<br />
Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II<br />
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Experience the first two games in the world-famous Final Fantasy series<br />
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Two complete, classic games in one exclusive package. Two amazing stories with dozens of hours of gameplay each, plus all-new enhanced graphics and bonus features. Two incredible adventures at one low price.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-47729914146875031082018-07-14T20:20:00.001-05:002018-07-15T09:21:56.478-05:00God of War for PS2 (2005) <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlkNhH79RrbbJIhY0Funx_YVIqFFrEVwbB_IXb2062x5kG1Frvkyvq9y2HlMvliRPDojBrHrXVA3pNEnOTfBy30NE9T-CvFzvbHw6ik1iyGjDz98ex7AZq8hy3j_TZAC8S24qPjz4kYaj/s1600/God_Of_War_OriginalPrint_Advertisement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1171" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlkNhH79RrbbJIhY0Funx_YVIqFFrEVwbB_IXb2062x5kG1Frvkyvq9y2HlMvliRPDojBrHrXVA3pNEnOTfBy30NE9T-CvFzvbHw6ik1iyGjDz98ex7AZq8hy3j_TZAC8S24qPjz4kYaj/s640/God_Of_War_OriginalPrint_Advertisement.jpg" width="468" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Original ad featured in the April 2005 issue of EGM (no. 190).</span></i></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><i style="font-size: 12px;">Press to view or download image in higher resolution</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
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<div>
<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">The best publicity is a good game</span></b></h4>
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<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b></div>
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The original Greek mythology action game featured some very solid advertising. Equally as good as the game, actually.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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As I wrote some time ago, 2005 was a fantastic year for gaming. Not only did we get <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2016/12/resident-evil-4-for-ps2-print-ad-2005.html">Resident Evil 4</a>, but also, just to name a few games: S<a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2017/08/shadow-of-colossus-for-ps2-print-ad-2005.html">hadow of the Colossus</a>, Psychonauts, <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2016/11/devil-may-cry-3-for-playstation-2-print.html">Devil May Cry 3</a>, The Warriors, We Love Katamari, Great Theft Auto: San Andreas, Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo 4, Fatal Frame III, Guitar Hero, Dragon Quest VIII, Jade Empire and Burnout Revenge. That's a superb list of franchises, most of the still going strong to this day. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Coincidentally, God of War has recently been revamped for the PS4. Critics agree it's great game, but it will never match the original in terms of innovation and all around technical solidity. Add a superb story, high production values, and a story deeply soaked in Greek mythology, and you have Game of the Year material. It's more Clash of the Titans and less Troy, and that boded well for the medium.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The God of War series is synonymous with tight gameplay. It started on the PS2, which at the time had some very good action games, like Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, but none of them featured the responsiveness Kratos demonstrated on Sony's black monolith of entertainment. The game was tough, but not unfair. It was a bit repetitive, though, but the great storyline made you grind through the monotony just so you could reveal the mystery behind your troubled hero's past. </div>
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Let's talk about the add itself. It's simple, yet effective. I like the ceramic-like texture (could be papyrus, since we saw this on a printed magazine) and the overall arrangement of the graphic elements. Notice the way the graphic designs created depth by punching some holes in the ceramic bricks. That's some nice 3-D effect right there. The in-game graphics are very well placed and faithful to the actual game, which at the time was breathtaking.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b> God of War print copy</b></span></h4>
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<br /></div>
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A new myth will be written in the blood of the old</div>
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Only on PlayStation</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
www.godofwar-thegame.com (link no longer works)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-85083787560211490132018-06-24T18:39:00.002-05:002018-07-14T19:33:45.903-05:00Shadow of the Ninja for NES (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56f7dEGRoam2Y_vbKhoj4PGe0ug4aA8TatuqhybjcA6RJZKWtVSaLFCMT1lDGMCJgduC9WGHQfq7xKu82ri0K5XREx5x8Vc5PyljawpJOUFYBKGC_9HatycLmn9MWeWGc4wnzevRNwJC2/s1600/ShadowOfTheNinja_NES_PrintAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1216" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56f7dEGRoam2Y_vbKhoj4PGe0ug4aA8TatuqhybjcA6RJZKWtVSaLFCMT1lDGMCJgduC9WGHQfq7xKu82ri0K5XREx5x8Vc5PyljawpJOUFYBKGC_9HatycLmn9MWeWGc4wnzevRNwJC2/s640/ShadowOfTheNinja_NES_PrintAd.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: white;">Original ad featured in the November 1990 issue of EGM (no. 16).</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: white;">Press to view or download image in higher resolution.</span></i></div>
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</tbody></table>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b>A true hidden gem for Nintendo's 8-bit machine</b></span></h4>
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Well-known publisher Natsume, of <i>Harvest Moon</i> fame, released what could be called the perfect cross of <i><a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2018/05/ninja-gaiden-ninja-gaiden-ii-1990.html" target="_blank">Ninja Gaiden</a> </i>and <i>Contra</i>. Sandy for them, no-one paid attention to their game during the begging of the 90s.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<i>Shadow of the Ninja</i> is basically the best two-player ninja game on the NES. That's saying a lot, mainly because the late 80s and beginning of the 90s popularized the stealthy Japanese assassin into pop culture across every type of medium. Everyone knows the best ninja game was, and still remains, Tecmo's creation. But a two-player man-woman ninja game? Now that's special.<br />
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The art you see above is not particularly bad, it's just a bit too "kiddy". As most advertisements of the era, the left-side copy is absolute trash and the color selection is interesting, to say the least. There are two tiny gameplay screens on the lower-right, but they are quite small and show nothing relevant. But the illustration is nice and probably should have occupied the whole length of the page. The drawing seems oil-based, something rarely seen in a video game magazine.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BM7hT4tKwOI" width="460"></iframe>
</div>
<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Shadow of the Ninja print ad copy</span></b></h4>
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The emperor's problems have just doubled<br />
<br />
The mad emperor Garuda rules the capital city. With his army of followers, he has constructed a fortress that has withstood all armed resistance. His forces have crushed all opposition. Yet, he is worried...<br />
<br />
Out from the shadows, two figures appear. Moving as silently as ghosts, they stalk the war zone. Garuda knows and fears these invaders, for they are Ninjas–the world's most dangerous warriors.<br />
<br />
Join the Ninjas on their mission to overthrow the evil emperor and destroy his empire from within.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Uncover hidden weapons to increase your power.</li>
<li>Master the hidden arts of Ninjitsu to defeat the enemy.</li>
<li>Two Ninjas, Two players, Too Much!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
1 or 2 players<br />
Free t-shirt offer! See details below<br />
To receive a free Natsume t-shirt, send 2 UPC labels from any Natsume product with $2.00 (for postage and handling) to: Natsume t-shirt offer 1243A Howard Ave. Burlingame, CA 94010.<br />
Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer good through 2-28-91 or while supplies last.<br />
<br />
Natsume is a trademark of Natsume Inc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-18874859372433625502018-06-19T18:25:00.002-05:002018-06-19T18:25:11.873-05:00Sinistron & Tricky Kick for TurboGrafx-16 (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01j9djDlUUpWqivYNOaLHifDkvsTMZZUNoNnYSm78ItGghJTeic3Iy08c5uW5edo8BG_G0AZGtMYZFWg2O64pEDliXKgHL9E-RN2xXsx4tcwEIhMWVuVZFOs8kfi6qcnLVFQS2upSvwpy/s1600/Sinistron-TG-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1197" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01j9djDlUUpWqivYNOaLHifDkvsTMZZUNoNnYSm78ItGghJTeic3Iy08c5uW5edo8BG_G0AZGtMYZFWg2O64pEDliXKgHL9E-RN2xXsx4tcwEIhMWVuVZFOs8kfi6qcnLVFQS2upSvwpy/s640/Sinistron-TG-16.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
<i><span style="color: white;">Original ad featured in the November 1990 issue of EGM (no. 16).</span></i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
<i><span style="color: white;">Press to view or download image in higher resolution.</span></i></div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Two for the price of a grey one</b><br />
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Two-game ads were the norm in the late 80s and the begging of the 90s. Unfortunately for these two games, both ads failed to capture the imagination of young readers.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This must be the ugliest publicity I have ever published in this blog. There is nothing in it to pique the interest of the average 12-year old boys, the main target of EGM during the 90s. Many Japanese companies followed this same advertising model during the heyday of the Nintendo era. They routinely advertised two games in the same page, always with at least one screenshot for each game.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V-1045Ik9cA" width="460"></iframe>
</div>
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Not here though, IGS decided it would be a great idea to let gamers know that two games for NECs nascent machine would be out in the coming months. Ok, great. Now where are my screenshots? Why is everything so grey and unappealing? Both of these games are colorful, even kiddy-like in the case of Tricky Kick, but that didn't seem to matter to the artists of this ad.<br />
<br />
If you're collecting for TG16/PC Engine, both of these games will be hard to get. Sinistron has aged well, as mot side-scrolling shooters of the era. Tricky Kick is just an average puzzle game with insufferable music. Prices vary wildly, so be advised.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MYo-_CNU7LQ" width="460"></iframe>
</div>
<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Sinistron & Tricky Kick for TurboGrafx-16 print ad copy</span></b></h4>
Sinistron. From the creators of Cybercore<br />
<br />
Coming January 1991 for TurboGrafx-16<br />
Tricky Kick<br />
<br />
80 South Lake Ave. Suite 526, Pasadena, CA 91101 (818) 440-0626<br />
IGS is a trademark of Information Global Services, Inc (IGS).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-54480353453684479792018-06-10T13:42:00.007-05:002022-10-12T20:03:43.538-05:00Mario Golf for N64 (1999)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cmKkbt4ECVJLXN2zrsiFnkIvSGiJoXaNkb-I4N8t2evf7zkKoc9W3AlSKCIWVvrojneOli2WU66wbYFRSzlo6ppOHUNL5AnwL45-i80zPh-nbcdl6ISsZKoR2Uj-1q9_1ryo-Rc8B9zC/s1600/MarioGolf-Advertisement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cmKkbt4ECVJLXN2zrsiFnkIvSGiJoXaNkb-I4N8t2evf7zkKoc9W3AlSKCIWVvrojneOli2WU66wbYFRSzlo6ppOHUNL5AnwL45-i80zPh-nbcdl6ISsZKoR2Uj-1q9_1ryo-Rc8B9zC/s400/MarioGolf-Advertisement.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"><i><b>Original ad published in Tips & Tricks, issue of August 1999, no. 18</b></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>Download an HD version of the image by right-clicking with your mouse.</i></b></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
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<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: orange;">Simple and clean, just like Nintendo</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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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. </div>
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<iframe src='https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1x1y59E_wUsOdXa9VmpFS6bdQ0CfMB891yoiObXuPpYE&font=Default&lang=en&initial_zoom=2&height=950' width='100%' height='950' webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen frameborder='0'></iframe>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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. </div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hBGhJa7YwmM" width="460"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Mario Golf for N64 printed ad copy</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Oh good, now they'll let anyone play.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Tee it up with 17 golfers on 6 courses.</span></li>
<li><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Taunt your opponents in mid-swing.</span></li>
<li><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Golf etiquette? Yeah, right.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);"><br /></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-24695891673012309992018-06-03T19:40:00.003-05:002018-06-03T19:41:45.492-05:00Granada X for Genesis (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iuC7cDwWE5oWiw8D014OKM7U6xrnVgnxlRdRCootgCnJWyWY9V68pEUJELlsaPUtEJKnTLMaRE4irP_TvoSwvhzIXoUSGstTStSLFK64N37Ioq6DOoM46LHAawjdfuyjeYQHVYdnZH4b/s1600/GranadaX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iuC7cDwWE5oWiw8D014OKM7U6xrnVgnxlRdRCootgCnJWyWY9V68pEUJELlsaPUtEJKnTLMaRE4irP_TvoSwvhzIXoUSGstTStSLFK64N37Ioq6DOoM46LHAawjdfuyjeYQHVYdnZH4b/s640/GranadaX.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>Original ad published in the </i><i style="font-size: 12.4999990463257px;">December 1990 edition of EGM (no. 17)</i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Press to view or download image in higher resolution. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b>An atypical shooter for Sega's 16-bit monster </b></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
One of the earlier shooters for Genesis/Megadrive has a surprisingly cool advertisement that is probably 10 times more interesting than the actual game.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>If you're into top-down shooters this game if for you. There's really not a lot to say, save for the better than average music and fast-paced action. For a Genesis game in the early 90s, that would have been enough. But not this time, specially when Strider, Super Monaco GP, Madden and Sol-Deace where being released around the same time. So Granda just basically faded into obscurity.<br />
<br />
That's not to say, it's a bad game, it's just too obscure to have a really big retro-following, despite the very good artwork plastered in video game magazines of the time. It's in the same vein of quality of other games shipped to America under the <i>Renovation</i> badge that we've talked about before, mainly <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2015/02/road-avenger-for-sega-cd-print-ad-1993.html">Road Avenger</a>, <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2015/02/time-gal-for-sega-cd-print-ad-1993.html">Time Gal</a>, <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2015/01/beast-wrestler-for-genesis.html">Beast Wrestler,</a> and the aforementioned <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2014/12/sol-deace-for-genesis.html">Sol-Deace</a>.<br />
<br />
The actual printed material is really good. There's a very nice tank you control in the game, some random enemies shooting at you and a big defense tower watching over you. The tank is shooting back, which you also do in the game. At least the main selling concept is clear, if basic. I like the earthy tones that make for a good aesthetic with the blue, red and brown. Rarely, if ever, you see that kind of color selection in a kids magazine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eccW3vqRKbwgCxeNf1t1KKXEG6eUZYtNB5w0d8em15SVpDP2Pyds-qcfoJuy2SCoJqmLF3sU79etdkntYdi_qxHkoMAY9SUxEl6a4S1OkKo9N2fE73ybazsI_AKKRjhyphenhyphen1AwNU35BkiVY/s1600/GranadaX-Gameplay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eccW3vqRKbwgCxeNf1t1KKXEG6eUZYtNB5w0d8em15SVpDP2Pyds-qcfoJuy2SCoJqmLF3sU79etdkntYdi_qxHkoMAY9SUxEl6a4S1OkKo9N2fE73ybazsI_AKKRjhyphenhyphen1AwNU35BkiVY/s400/GranadaX-Gameplay.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Granada X print copy</b></span></h4>
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The Super Strategic Defense Initiative of the 1990's banned inter-continental ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. Now the year is 2016. Weapons today are limited to super strategic mobile weapons.<br />
<br />
Enter Granada. Hypertek-Cannon Tank. (HCT)<br />
<br />
Firepower as we know it today is all but abandoned with Granada. Granada uses shields and radar to create its defense mechanism. Offensive firepower is provided by the most awesome array of weaponry ever assembled on a battlefield. These include multi-directional interceptors, long-range homing missiles, and a device designed to totally obliterate all opposing forces.<br />
<br />
You will command Granada through the peaceful streets of Tobora. Battle the giant flying battleship Astarsha, and Valsic, another HCT.<br />
<br />
If you enjoy fast paced action-packed thrills...you'll love the feel and sound of Granada.<br />
<br />
Renovation Products Inc, 987 University Avenue, Suite 10, Los Gatos, CA 95030, Phone (408) 395-8375. Fax (408) 395-8377.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-87569948479998989092018-05-25T12:33:00.001-05:002018-05-25T12:33:15.224-05:00Ninja Gaiden & Ninja Gaiden II (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7kz2TDSj7ma_g_PMJVA3QrgRcaLUltE7drI62_dpnV4yI4PKPyPMHzA6nHDWcJYl6DOJVfnSZDaeboUPYnJYHP4IiJj9n7xLOfFNpVw_7os7CXn-qyOHjEJRe1GBLxBfF-AMcRppIkMB/s1600/NinjaGaiden-Advertisement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1233" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7kz2TDSj7ma_g_PMJVA3QrgRcaLUltE7drI62_dpnV4yI4PKPyPMHzA6nHDWcJYl6DOJVfnSZDaeboUPYnJYHP4IiJj9n7xLOfFNpVw_7os7CXn-qyOHjEJRe1GBLxBfF-AMcRppIkMB/s640/NinjaGaiden-Advertisement.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>O</i><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">riginal ad published in the September 1990 issue </i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i><i>of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 14).</i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.</span></i></div>
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<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b>No frills advertisement for hard-as-nails series</b></span></h4>
<br />
A game this good needs no supplementary material to extol its virtues. Word-of-mouth built the notoriety of its legendary level of difficulty before gamers repeating "git gud" were even born. Oh, and both NES games were actually fun.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The original <i>Ninja Gaiden</i> for NES (1989) is considered an absolute classic for Nintendo's Entertainment System. And it whole-heartedly deserves that recognition. But many fans of the series would be surprised that the sequel, <i>Ninja Gaiden II. The Dark Sword of Chao</i>s, is equally good. Both are of course incredibly difficult. So much that I have never met an actual human being that has actually finished one of those games. I dare you to do the same. Sure, YouTube has lots of videos showing people actually finishing the game, but beware that most of those demonstrations are played over emulators.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_O-QlfmX0vyaTIOvq0LwApa-twSyQwAuw8LIJ6GM-Ic-fdTox-qNQT9YG0FU9ADD2BW8C9T_Ru6BOJRWi90WI9v86l0WfUlCNbhOOXp_0g8XKTeTXzDfv43h9eMvaAlXsE8yTaqsQ7fc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-05-25+at+12.24.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_O-QlfmX0vyaTIOvq0LwApa-twSyQwAuw8LIJ6GM-Ic-fdTox-qNQT9YG0FU9ADD2BW8C9T_Ru6BOJRWi90WI9v86l0WfUlCNbhOOXp_0g8XKTeTXzDfv43h9eMvaAlXsE8yTaqsQ7fc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-05-25+at+12.24.28+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A screenshot of Ninja Gaiden II, mostly similar to the original NES game.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you ever need a clear reference to a side-scrolling action game this is it. The gold standard for 2-D games, make no mistake about it. Gameplay is precise, millimetrically precise, down to the pixel level. One mistake and you're either knocked-out, knocked-back or obliterated by a constant barrage of enemies. It's not for the easily frustrated. Arguably, it's harder than either <i>Dark Souls</i>, <i>Demons Souls</i> or <i>BloodBorne</i>, all of them <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2016/11/kings-field-ii-for-playstation-print-ad.html">hailing back to King's Field</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJmFjq4sPlHhvDrcKQUlD00dwSj5g4sbHx-QjSiD16Cwbt7WU1BUG3ZLCKSjjEr936SVxgtRsTm1CbvSVPmcFn-aTmrL7ZGJong0TpshdP4IWnPSBwLU7JTxC-hanMpmi5uaweTyXvW0d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-05-25+at+12.31.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="605" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJmFjq4sPlHhvDrcKQUlD00dwSj5g4sbHx-QjSiD16Cwbt7WU1BUG3ZLCKSjjEr936SVxgtRsTm1CbvSVPmcFn-aTmrL7ZGJong0TpshdP4IWnPSBwLU7JTxC-hanMpmi5uaweTyXvW0d/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-05-25+at+12.31.37+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>But a radical departure from the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Curiously enough, the original arcade version of the game has nothing to do with high-speed slashing of the original console games. Gameplay if floaty and incredible hard to nail down. Graphics are awesome, though. Trivia: Atari's Lynx was the only console to receive a port of the arcade game back in the day.<br />
<br />
Now the actual printed material we saw in EGM or GamePro was functional, but nothing extraordinary. As I said above, these games were entirely built upon word-of-mouth recognition. So the advertisements were spartan. Classy, but no-frills. Basically just two images of both boxes of the games you would see displayed for you to buy. And those are awesome enough.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Ninja Gaiden & Ninja Gaiden II printed advertisement copy</span></b></h4>
<br />
The Epic Ninja Quest<br />
<br />
The adventure begins<br />
Biggest Arcade Hit<br />
A Strategic Encounter<br />
<br />
Sequel to Ninja Gaiden, the arcade and Nintendo best seller!!<br />
<br />
Tecmo Games....Hard to Beat (TM)<br />
<br />
18005 S. Adria Maru Lane, Carson, CA 90746<br />
(213) 329-5880<br />
Fax (213) 329-6134<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-87459593178982127242018-05-20T14:57:00.004-05:002018-05-20T21:22:34.656-05:00TurboGrafx-16 System (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92aN-Qyg0_TA7g3B7wKf4z429mjwRwf85FvTNbwrqraN_ixrVMuPt3V-Bv-YcO2m8sZCc1fkIgLfgCkFa0pHMC4v1ubndS_mrG1bBAmZJYKkuSk7N_oNbMb06tIEL-auTJJR9lZwb2nMW/s1600/TurboGrafx16-SystemAdvertisement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1183" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92aN-Qyg0_TA7g3B7wKf4z429mjwRwf85FvTNbwrqraN_ixrVMuPt3V-Bv-YcO2m8sZCc1fkIgLfgCkFa0pHMC4v1ubndS_mrG1bBAmZJYKkuSk7N_oNbMb06tIEL-auTJJR9lZwb2nMW/s640/TurboGrafx16-SystemAdvertisement.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>O</i><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">riginal ad published in the June 1990 issue </i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i><i>of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (VG&CE).</i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.</span></i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">An ad only a hardcore gamer would love</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
NEC's ill-fated TurboGrafx-16 received a lot of publicity during the late 80's and the beginning of the 90s. It was a drastic sales flop for the Japanese electronics giant, but not for the lack of trying.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
I've featured a good amount of TurboGrafx advertisements in this blog. All of them are awesome. I'm talking about the heavily promoted and<a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2015/01/turbografx-16-print-ad.html"> heavily discounted console ad of 1992</a>, with a bunch of free games, the <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2017/02/turbo-express-print-ad-1992.html">beautiful and expensive Turbo Express</a>, and of course the<a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2015/01/turbo-duo-print-ad-1993.html"> mind-boggling TurboDuo</a>, probably the greatest system to never have succeeded in North America. The original console was the best selling of those, shipping about 10 millions units, almost 40% of that total coming from Japan, where it was named PC Engine and is still very popular. The failure was another one of those weird communication and cultural wars lived between Japanese companies NEC and Hudson and American corporations managing sales and marketing on this side of the Pacific. <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php?print=1" target="_blank">You can read all the details here. </a>It's not a heart-warming story.<br />
<br />
One of the main problems in the American market came from the name itself. A kid would assume TurboGrafx-16 featured 16-bit graphics, just like Sega's Genesis and Nintendo's SNES. But the reality was that innards of the system were not 16-bit at all, more like 8-bit trickery. We of course knew this decades later, but the results were immediately apparent upon switching the console on. Kids talked about how those other consoles were much better, both graphically and sonically. So word of mouth ended NEC's luck. You could of course upgrade and buy the CDROM add-on, but that would cost a pretty penny. Most families simply could not pay the $399.99 asking price. So playing 16-bit games on NEC's system actually cost more than on a comparable Sega or Nintendo console.<br />
<br />
Now the ad you see here is not exactly earth-shattering. It's from the middle of the 90s and tries oh-so-hard to convince buyers that this is a solid console to invest in. Those 43 games sure sound exciting! Screens look solid, and the overall copy is not grating. It's more of a rational message than an emotional one, unlike many other advertisements I've published in this blog. This top letters do look great though, so much that they unconsciously inspired the header RetroGamingArt :]<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_Q2spNUuSA" width="460"></iframe>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">TurboGrafx-16 System print advertisement copy</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
And more. The hottest video games. Only on the TurboGrafx-16 system<br />
<br />
The TurboGrafx-16 game system from NEC. Video Game of the Year. First video games on CR-ROM. And the largest 16-bit library with more to come.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Valis II. Wield the magical sword against demonic forces! 6-level action/adventure, spectacular CD quality (CD)</li>
<li>YS Book I & II. Destroy Evil in this role-playing epic! Incredible CD sound, depth and intensity (CD)</li>
<li>CD Innovation. Supplement the system with CD intensity! superior Cd graphics, incredible CD stereo sound (TurboGrafx-CD sold separately)</li>
</ul>
<br />
The Library<br />
<br />
Arcade<br />
<br />
Vigilante<br />
Dragon Spirit<br />
R-Type<br />
Galaga '90<br />
Space Harrier<br />
Final Lap Twin<br />
Bloody Wolf<br />
<br />
Sports<br />
<br />
Power Golf<br />
World Class Baseball<br />
World Court Tennis<br />
Takin' It to the Hoop<br />
<br />
Adventure<br />
<br />
The Legendary Axe<br />
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones<br />
Bonk's Adventure<br />
<br />
Action<br />
<br />
China Warrior<br />
Alien Crush<br />
Pac-Land<br />
Cratermaze<br />
JJ and Jeff<br />
<br />
Shooting<br />
<br />
Blazing Lazers<br />
Fantasy Zone<br />
Ordyne<br />
Deep Blue<br />
Cybercore<br />
<br />
Driving<br />
<br />
Moto Roader<br />
Victory Run<br />
<br />
Role-Playing<br />
<br />
Dungeon Explorer<br />
Neutopia<br />
Double Dungeons<br />
<br />
Strategy<br />
<br />
Military Madness<br />
<br />
CD Games<br />
<br />
Fighting Street<br />
Monster Lair<br />
Ys Book I & II<br />
Valis II<br />
<br />
Coming soon!<br />
<br />
Splatterhouse<br />
TV Sports Football<br />
Super Volleyball<br />
King of Casino<br />
Legendary Axe II<br />
<br />
CD Games:<br />
<br />
Red Alert<br />
Lords of the Rising Sun<br />
Final Zone II<br />
Magical Dinosaur Tour<br />
<br />
Valis II is a trademark of Talent Japan. 1990 Sin Nihon Laser Soft.<br />
Ys Book I & II is a trademark NECT, Inc. 1987, 88 Falcom, 1989 Hudson Soft.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-59535269558831351382018-05-13T16:07:00.003-05:002018-05-13T16:10:34.853-05:00Heiankyo Alien for Nintendo Game Boy (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3X26YoESy5Qwy4vqAWwvQCK6uB3ej3C1Tu1VM4xgxt6T9OFpYiN65M9F6UDCGC1n1jt9NcIHIoCAIM1TuCHHeCyvZBK0b78_-JZKy312e1EBSgVhXo4AicCsEuDt3G5l4UWMFYa9I3fj/s1600/HeiankyAlien-Print_Ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3X26YoESy5Qwy4vqAWwvQCK6uB3ej3C1Tu1VM4xgxt6T9OFpYiN65M9F6UDCGC1n1jt9NcIHIoCAIM1TuCHHeCyvZBK0b78_-JZKy312e1EBSgVhXo4AicCsEuDt3G5l4UWMFYa9I3fj/s640/HeiankyAlien-Print_Ad.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>O</i><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">riginal ad published in the June 1990 issue </i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i><i>of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (VG&CE).</i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.</span></i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Awesome art, terrible writing</b></span><br />
<br />
Another puzzle game that comes from a long line of classic PC and arcade versions. The printed material shown here is probably the best I've come across for Nintendo's Game Boy.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Heiankyo Alien was first released in Japan for the PC-8001 in 1979 and was then ported to arcade machines. It's basically a puzzler/action game that rewards both quick reflexes and strategic thinking. Not exactly Pac-Man, but a clear inspiration for<a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2018/05/hyper-lode-runner-for-nintendo-game-boy.html"> Hyper Lode Runner which I featured last week</a>, coincidentally. If you're really into this game, I strongly recommend checking out the Super Famicon version, released in 1995. The sound on that one is superb, as you can see below and the graphics are unique, to say the least. The Game Boy version is pretty basic, in comparison.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXPf9ShKh1jHSL7iSRGgGhJ4dWe55G4eUmAOlYsfwxPL9JNoW-wuKq-XNHXLer2_fJww9PyGfdVzDLz1btQgXdG65aCFeqbFiP71o_xdCxfwopiRuEhzla8pF8YVdgq8Kw_ltEyM42OCe/s1600/HeiankyAlien-GamePlay-ScreenShot-GameBoy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1182" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXPf9ShKh1jHSL7iSRGgGhJ4dWe55G4eUmAOlYsfwxPL9JNoW-wuKq-XNHXLer2_fJww9PyGfdVzDLz1btQgXdG65aCFeqbFiP71o_xdCxfwopiRuEhzla8pF8YVdgq8Kw_ltEyM42OCe/s320/HeiankyAlien-GamePlay-ScreenShot-GameBoy.png" width="320" /></a>The artwork featured in both the box of the game and the material they distributed in some magazines is quite striking. There's a monotone background with red lettering that really jumps from the printed page. The drawing is hand-sketched, very ukiyo-e like, that makes the tiny screens on the Game Boy look absolutely pathetic. This was a common tactic during the 80s and 90s. Apparently, Meldac handled the port. Meldac was a Japanese music and video game company, according to Wikipedia. They also had a subsidiary in America called Meldac of America before it became defunct in the 1990s. Honestly, I had never heard of them before making this post. They did some other games, but nothing that strikes me as particularly collectible (Zombie Nation, Mercenary Force).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQ3jHhexHNweynRlDePqIkLJhCth5-0TA7BGsSQPzB385aSuVZ9AsMw-a4n000KA3aRj2GndU_Nls0msqj-tB3I0rPz4vReuOTeENLgcBEx1cyob8-ypC3Dvn3eCeLFan_M2aKWL1Kou6/s1600/HeiankyAlien-GamePlay-ScreenShot-SuperFamicon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1253" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQ3jHhexHNweynRlDePqIkLJhCth5-0TA7BGsSQPzB385aSuVZ9AsMw-a4n000KA3aRj2GndU_Nls0msqj-tB3I0rPz4vReuOTeENLgcBEx1cyob8-ypC3Dvn3eCeLFan_M2aKWL1Kou6/s320/HeiankyAlien-GamePlay-ScreenShot-SuperFamicon.png" width="320" /></a>There's another interesting detail here. The alien featured in the ad bears a clear resemblance to the No-Face (Kaonashi) monster of <i>Spirited Away</i>, the very popular Miyasaki movie of 2001. Must be a Japanese thing.<br />
<br />
But the copy of the ad is the worst I have ever seen. It's a probably a direct translation from a Japanese ad, full of gramatical and spelling mistakes. No one review this before being published. It's a shame, though, because the type is very cool, as well as the overall editorial design of the red lettering. It's also very difficult to read (not that it matters though, the "story" here is best ignored, like most video games from the Atari era. Ill keep it short: you have to dig so the enemies fall into your holes. Then you cover them up. That's it. Of course speed and number of aliens on screen can make this simple task really hard, yet addicting).<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Heiankyo Alien for Nintendo Game Boy print copy</span></h4>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Japanese masterpiece<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vY3qVBkIu74" width="460"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
1,000 years ago, an army of malicious Aliens invaded the peaceful city of Kyoto forcing the villagers into an endless battle with the unwelcome visitors. This is the much talked about video game that took Japan by a storm 10 years ago un Japan [<i>sic</i>]. The sound quality of this game uses the latest in high technology called Multi Matrix Sound System (MMSS). With the new Heiankyo Alien game made for Game Boy, you'll be able to enjoy 2 different versions–the ultimate fun in New and endless fun in Old [<i>sic</i>]. This added bonus of 2 games in 1 will make your playing more enjoyable. In addition, a new feature available only on Game Boy software is the 2 player, opponent mode. By connecting the 2 Game Boys, 2 players con now enjoy playing this highly sophisticated game. Heiankyo Alien is a game everyone can enjoy.<br />
<br />
Meldac of America, Inc<br />
Phone (213) 286 7040<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmXYzj0OVVi23n1lBkmDNnFdu65-W8ScmuTz0yHvD_n8Dxjmk3y135eZIyWm5NrKLcU1tS_8UAlYrDCG_-Ntl_Zo0JnVK3mf78eX1JnutKb-YDVzGgYmfDa2M7fa1x1qRjnpRtMakDSCo/s1600/Kaonashi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="479" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmXYzj0OVVi23n1lBkmDNnFdu65-W8ScmuTz0yHvD_n8Dxjmk3y135eZIyWm5NrKLcU1tS_8UAlYrDCG_-Ntl_Zo0JnVK3mf78eX1JnutKb-YDVzGgYmfDa2M7fa1x1qRjnpRtMakDSCo/s400/Kaonashi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<h4>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-5798441878548827452018-05-06T16:09:00.002-05:002018-05-06T16:12:03.702-05:00Hyper Lode Runner for Nintendo Game Boy (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2egNWyJrGiJ6IVwm1WuUgsZrUeD_5Av1u4q8TUo32_9UzormSIFCocXLjjo5DdZ2uxJTfK5_fXQTpIOwhUBgMWQjWtR2gaPNPqgyi6eEaFCsCHh-VkSfpEqTP-sZ0w2z-ESN4dZZKGBj/s1600/HyperLodeRunner-1990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2egNWyJrGiJ6IVwm1WuUgsZrUeD_5Av1u4q8TUo32_9UzormSIFCocXLjjo5DdZ2uxJTfK5_fXQTpIOwhUBgMWQjWtR2gaPNPqgyi6eEaFCsCHh-VkSfpEqTP-sZ0w2z-ESN4dZZKGBj/s640/HyperLodeRunner-1990.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>O</i><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">riginal ad published in the September 1990 issue </i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><br /></i><i>of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 14).</i></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.</span></i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Strange artwork for an all-time classic</b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Released at least on 28 different consoles, the original Lode Runner was a 1983 game developed firstly for Apple, Atari, Commodore, VIC-20 and PC systems. It then spread absolutely everywhere. The artwork for the Game Boy version remains curious, to say the least.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Both NES and Game Boy versions of this game feature "kiddy" graphics, as you see below. Same goes for the SNES version. Other versions are quite different and play really fast. Not here, though. You'll have to plan your way ahead in this hybrid of arcade-type gameplay and puzzle solving headaches. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQevJwXWY7Q">Here's a clip comparing LR on a bunch of different systems.</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The printed ad falls under a different category. Bandai surely knew the actual game screens were the weak point in their advertising. So they decided to omit them completely from their publicity. But the artwork is also incredibly different from the actual feel of the game. It has nothing to do with it, in fact. It's a bit like Ghosts 'n Goblins, with a fantasy heavy vibe. I suppose Bandai tried to appeal to the younger audience with this Game Boy product, leaving the PC crowd with the more mature version of the game. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another grating point about the ad: read the copy. You'd think it was the sequel to MadMax or some other dystopian future. However, once you boot the game, you're greeted with a bouncy and catchy theme that plays along every level. But that was a secondary consideration for the distribution team, the important thing being LR had to be pushed on the mega-popular Nintendo hand-held.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6aPor5YnMbI" width="460"></iframe>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnxPSEOxKCsz7V3-y9LMb1xjc6gvTrCDiK_XAkUhgw-iWursqtuUGGWJopq2IvLVeaqOLkL1ATdrMffV24avncP5f7oUSM-k28d-nXQ5RMrSJuPVrqFgFMAFjr4T-O8pPH4q1NqLaI5Jh/s1600/HyperLodeRunner-1990-Screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="739" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnxPSEOxKCsz7V3-y9LMb1xjc6gvTrCDiK_XAkUhgw-iWursqtuUGGWJopq2IvLVeaqOLkL1ATdrMffV24avncP5f7oUSM-k28d-nXQ5RMrSJuPVrqFgFMAFjr4T-O8pPH4q1NqLaI5Jh/s400/HyperLodeRunner-1990-Screenshot.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Hyper Lode Runner print ad copy</span></b></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Labyrinth of Doom</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Earthdate 2264. These are troubled times for the planet. After centuries of peace, the renegade Red Lord of Darkness has led his cyborg fanatics in a bloody revolution that has overthrown the United World Government. Millions of political prisoners are being tortured in his infamous Labyrinth of Doom far beneath the surface of the planets. Very little is known about this subterranean mazo of brick-walled catacombs. Just vague rumors about the hidden millions in stolen gold guarded by a ruthless army of mutant cyborg zombies commanded by the merciless General Zod, governor of the Red Lord's death camps. Only one thing is sure...none of your predecessors have ever come out of this dreaded place alive. But, you must find a way out with a lode of gold big enough to launch the counterrevolution. You are the last hope: the last of the great Lode Runners.</div>
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Bandai is a registered trademark of Bandai America, Inc.</div>
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Lode Runner is a trademark of Broderbund Inc.</div>
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1983 Doug Smith </div>
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1989 Bandai America, Inc.</div>
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Official Game Boy video line game pak</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-87163405093591729332018-05-01T10:38:00.003-05:002018-05-06T14:14:31.162-05:00Bill Lambeer's Combat Basketball for Super NES (1992)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0y9wF4lProOwCtr4wnhjElYd5pAz8qftjTo5BRA1kBSBuEK-q91prz7-69yiVVZdeEE88NxwsytrU7Pp6xvwD6c8S-wfGVSJCEzUBlNiCa5V-eqs4ebMCAPUA3dMmfa7krS3mmJ1xmNi2/s1600/Prueba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1128" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0y9wF4lProOwCtr4wnhjElYd5pAz8qftjTo5BRA1kBSBuEK-q91prz7-69yiVVZdeEE88NxwsytrU7Pp6xvwD6c8S-wfGVSJCEzUBlNiCa5V-eqs4ebMCAPUA3dMmfa7krS3mmJ1xmNi2/s640/Prueba.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i>
<i>Original ad published in the April 1992 edition of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 31)</i><br />
<i>Press to view or download image in higher resolution.</i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Crap game, pragmatic advertising</span></b></h4>
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Released around the same time as Base Wars (NES, 1990), Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl (Genesis, 1992) and Mutant Football League (Genesis, 1993), <i>Bill Lambeer's Combat Basketball</i> for Super NES was shoved for Nintendo's 16-bit juggernaut in late 1991. It was the first b-ball game for the SNES, but other than that, it retains no other distinction. Some have called it one of the worst game released for that great console, while others routinely place it the list of most violent video games. Before hitting North America, it was called <i>Future Basketball </i>(Amiga and Atari ST, 1990).<br />
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For those who did not live during the 80's, Bill Lambeer was a well known player for the Detroit Pistons, the team that he played for from 1982 to 1993. He played aggressively and was not afraid to use his physical prowess on the court. That's all you need to know. In the game he is commissioned to start a basketball league, but quickly fires the referees. After that, all rules go out the window.<br />
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Now the ad itself captures the spirit of the game with detail. Hudson Soft knew the game's graphics would not hold up, so they placed there very small screenshot to the right and made Lambeer's illustration the main visual point of the ad, very much in the same vein as <a href="http://www.retrogamingart.com/2015/02/super-bomberman-party-pak-for-super-nes.html">Super Bomberman's advertisement</a>. </div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Bill Lambeer's Combat Basketball for Super NES Print Ad Copy</span></b></h4>
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What foul?!<br />
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No personal fouls and plenty of excitement highlight this bone-crunching futuristic basketball title! Dodge missiles, saw blades and more as you pound your way through the most intense contact sport ever created.<br />
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<li>Fast one-on-one action! Play against the computer or a friend (1 or 2 players).</li>
<li>Super League Mode! Make your own team by buying and selling players. Up to eight people can play in the same league!</li>
<li>Battery back-up lets you save your league for future grudge matches!</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-81688486502963149562018-04-26T09:47:00.001-05:002018-05-06T14:14:40.721-05:00Retro Atari Classics for Nintendo DS (2005)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CH5o8tA1i_i6A17lZ044duwQ1Hr6bKRrQuYxgTTZ5CSrOp6EN3gIkSM-tERGceItt72qlbbDI0ZK4ZXMyrwi_DaWlpr5pdfgZk0rESSHp_z452rYfYKU6TVk0Q8pP09-fqAqIfjDtv59/s1600/DSCF8245-OK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1167" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CH5o8tA1i_i6A17lZ044duwQ1Hr6bKRrQuYxgTTZ5CSrOp6EN3gIkSM-tERGceItt72qlbbDI0ZK4ZXMyrwi_DaWlpr5pdfgZk0rESSHp_z452rYfYKU6TVk0Q8pP09-fqAqIfjDtv59/s640/DSCF8245-OK.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
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<i>Original ad featured in the April 2005 issue of EGM (no. 190).</i></div>
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<i>Press to view or download image in higher resolution.</i></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Great artwork, terrible performance</span></b></h4>
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It took me 13 years to pay attention to this advertisement, prominently featured in the inner part of the back-cover. It's incredibly gaudy, but someone at Atari thought it would be cool to display this type of artwork to the masses. The end result was unique but falls way short of the intended objetive.<br />
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It didn't help that the adaptation of the classic games featured here was hit or miss. Retro Atari Classics includes the following collection: Pong, Breakout, Asteroids, Centipede, Gravitar, Lunar Lander, Missile Command, Sprint, Tempest and Warlords. From the reviews and videos I've gathered the worst, by far, are Missile Command and Tempest. That's because Atari forced buyers to use the touchscreen on the DS to actually play these games.<br />
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I don't blame them. Halfway through the 2000s everyone was obsessed with touchscreen and online functionality. Reviewers would deduct points if the game did not include some kind of gimmick related to either of the two. Obviously, the idea did not work every time. This game was a clear example of it. But again, I don't actually blame Atari and the developer Taniko for this.<br />
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Nintendo's DS was a huge hit. To this day the little machine has sold an astounding 154 million units, practically tied with the PS2 for all-time most units sold of a video game console. Atari had to place some kind of product on that fantastic little handheld.<br />
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The market for DS retro games included some of the best shooters and retro games ever: Space Invaders Extreme I and II, as well the superb Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Nervous Brickdown, and of course Namco Museum DS. All of the were clearly superior to Atari's effort, even if they tried to "remix" their classics with a coat of fresh paint by asking some graffiti dudes to help them out with newer graphics.<br />
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One last thing: when you think of Atari, you think of paddle controls and joysticks. Try substituting those for touch and D-pad controls. Not cool, man.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Retro Atari Classics for Nintendo DS print ad copy</b></span><br />
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Play original classics and ten fresh remixes<br />
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Asteroids, Pong, Breakout, Centipede, Gravitar, Lunar Lander, Missile Command, Sprint, Tempest and Warlords.<br />
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Grafitti legends tag 10 Atari Classics. (Reas, Obey)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-78860962902321768162018-04-14T11:42:00.001-05:002018-05-06T14:14:53.638-05:00Virtua Cop 2 for Sega Saturn (1997)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisA9CgUDgZQC7H8Hr09vsgkqA9e6ugiG4FD5oIyy6Fo8fSNn717uDG7EiiM_J94u2ekglJhAETC3Qo75nR2Mt97GXHuSiHJdm8P2KPcqishzOqNHkN5iOtfTXsrKtdXa4JmBOSwB7WgKPs/s1600/Virtua_Cop_2-Advertisement-1997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisA9CgUDgZQC7H8Hr09vsgkqA9e6ugiG4FD5oIyy6Fo8fSNn717uDG7EiiM_J94u2ekglJhAETC3Qo75nR2Mt97GXHuSiHJdm8P2KPcqishzOqNHkN5iOtfTXsrKtdXa4JmBOSwB7WgKPs/s640/Virtua_Cop_2-Advertisement-1997.jpg" width="417" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Original add featured in the January 1997 issue of Ultra Game Players magazine (no. 93).</i><br />
<i>Press to view or download image in higher resolution. </i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Arcade quality action right in your living room</span></b></h4>
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If you ever visited an arcade hall during the 90's you remember Virtua Cop fondly. It was one of Sega's most well-known brands and an absolute quarter-muncher. Graphics were very impressive for the time, thanks to the brightly colored polygons that gave the shooter a very futuristic feel. The same could be said about the sound and the overall feel of the game. It just encompassed Sega arcade quality and made for a memorable visit right next to other arcade classics like Daytona USA and Sega Virtua Racing.<br />
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Now imagine replicating that experience in the confort of your living-room, without the obnoxious cigar haze, twenty-somethings in leather jackets, beer spills and sticky flooring of the average mall arcade (this could be a good thing if you liked to live dangerously). In 1996, VC2 delivered the goods with a solid port to the cooler than cool–and expensive–Sega Saturn. If there ever was a fun two-player game this was it. It was short, yes, but incredibly intense. You and your buddy should be coordinated if you wished to have any success at all ("I'll take the right-side of the screen, you take the left!"). Also, the reloading mechanic of the included stunner gun, when bought as a kit, made you're interaction with the Saturn a deeper experience: just like the arcade, you had to tilt the barrel of the stunner a full 90 degrees upwards to refill your six-bullet virtual gun. <br />
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One last thing for all you collectors out there: this game was designed during the golden era of CRT screens. The bigger your TV, the better experience you had with rail-shooter type games. Aiming and locking on to your target was made much easier on a larger displays. You can forget about replicating the experience of this particular franchise on modern HD screens, a real bonus for hard-core gamers who want to play VC2 "as it should be".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHtqRTJq9YJaD0zLRQc0fDyXS92d3TjOi_zXdQzBWA4ub26Sn1JYnqDtHdphm9mOcIYDHRKY8goOkrn9NVIxKWVtWNC4HjXRjZV2nvPyOWQKNiFlyGfmBhhLotxCbDKFEQ4iCD92BOq8P/s1600/Virtua_Cop_2-ScreenShot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="578" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHtqRTJq9YJaD0zLRQc0fDyXS92d3TjOi_zXdQzBWA4ub26Sn1JYnqDtHdphm9mOcIYDHRKY8goOkrn9NVIxKWVtWNC4HjXRjZV2nvPyOWQKNiFlyGfmBhhLotxCbDKFEQ4iCD92BOq8P/s400/Virtua_Cop_2-ScreenShot.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The overall design of the printed ad if very Sega. There's some bold contrast with the reds and the greens over a monochrome background. Those two layers make the page feel less "flat". The letter type if is a nice serif, although the VC2 logo remains faithful to the brand. There's some good detail on the very center of the frame where your eyes naturally flow thanks to the blood-red eyes of the ciber-policeman. Upon closer inspection, though, you can actually see he has some kind of measuring mechanism over his face. A very nice touch, since your vision will naturally flow downwards once you've seen enough of the policeman's face.<br />
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Unfortunately, the copy is very difficult to read. The grainy detail of the picture renders the type unintelligible in the right-hand side of the advertisement. On second thought, maybe this was done on purpose, since the real purpose of any kind of advertisement is actually making the potential buyer aware of the product before making a purchasing decision. <br />
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One last interesting aspect of the copy. Although it's basically fluff just like 99% of all video game ads, this one is specially violent. Reread the first three lines of the page. That's some violent stuff right there. And even though Mortal Kombat was the main lightning-rod in the video game violence debate, it would difficult to see a popular light-gun game ad with this type of language after the Columbine massacre.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Virtua Cop 2 print ad copy</span></b></h4>
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Virtua Cop 2. Twice as lethal.<br />
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There's shooting, And then there's slaughter. Virtua Cop 2 is faster, deeper, more challenging, and more fatally engaging than its predecessor. And, like its predecessor, it was an arcade hit before being brought faithfully translated to the powerful multi-processor Saturn.<br />
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For the full arcade experience and maximum mayhem, don't pack anything less than the optional arcade gun. It's just what your trigger finger itches for.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-85024911862105634192017-10-30T15:10:00.000-06:002018-05-06T14:15:04.188-05:00NIGHTS into dreams...for Sega Saturn (1996)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJ9M7wPZsLHa89SgUv2IRO-m3htWGfdw4-L9ulOvi5uNkjWM6yFaP5JEQy8uv6iAVgMH2YZq-lMrnUuVEjEGJ3p8dEy9qDdidkH-dWhMgb6yB1B5mScxnVwLgabdsHdYYATtUYlRPfrNZ/s1600/Sega-NightsIntoDreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1214" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJ9M7wPZsLHa89SgUv2IRO-m3htWGfdw4-L9ulOvi5uNkjWM6yFaP5JEQy8uv6iAVgMH2YZq-lMrnUuVEjEGJ3p8dEy9qDdidkH-dWhMgb6yB1B5mScxnVwLgabdsHdYYATtUYlRPfrNZ/s640/Sega-NightsIntoDreams.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Original printed ad featured in volume 4 issue 9 of Gamefan magazine.</i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">The best 3D game that does not a feature a Mario character</span></b></h4>
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Few games have been so well-received as “NIGHTS”, released by Sega for the Saturn in 1996, just when 3D was starting to dominate the video game market. Nintendo had of course <b>Mario 64</b> and Sony’s Playstation was starting to gain ground with the 3D crowd, but the majority of titles that featured this graphical style were horrible. NIGHTS changed that forever. Of course 2D was still very popular and the SNES was still going strong (<b>Yoshi’s Island</b> was released in 1995; <b>Super Mario RPG</b> in 1996).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvFXr5m2OgXEv7gJ2OmF6nF7DjW494rVSC35KBQaLQsDBA4WWsnt68s9W15ky6c8pscvaRhBSc9n4C6wCbMaDhwF3FIJA9PoQOP_p-yCKFvtRpD221RyaZeCo85ySk0Rg4fMkInJuAhF5/s1600/NIGHTS-gameplay-+shot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvFXr5m2OgXEv7gJ2OmF6nF7DjW494rVSC35KBQaLQsDBA4WWsnt68s9W15ky6c8pscvaRhBSc9n4C6wCbMaDhwF3FIJA9PoQOP_p-yCKFvtRpD221RyaZeCo85ySk0Rg4fMkInJuAhF5/s1600/NIGHTS-gameplay-+shot.png" /></a></div>
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But NIGHTS also introduced a new controller to better overall gameplay. It was called the “3D control pad” and is basically the predecesor to the controller used with the Dreamcast. Arguably, the first one was better built and was much more comfortable. Collectors need be wary. The 3D pad was not compatible with every Sega Saturn game. An <a href="https://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?139503-Saturn-games-that-use-the-3D-analog-controller" target="_blank">extended list of compatible games can be seen here</a>, as well as a list of games that were created with 3D pad in mind.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKH5syyiCcw5C8kCtGimvnQ5viPL5zAX0UyC9PKjTgPyeG46gPGQgkwCFIIWObiqF8kVCK-wiZeyt9aF0LuMda-Wwcau4t1EhoLwoydVVfToWz9SoX1Yn7S_bbIvNA2ho1z-kYoh7pNfs/s1600/Saturn-Dreamcast-3D-controller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="622" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKH5syyiCcw5C8kCtGimvnQ5viPL5zAX0UyC9PKjTgPyeG46gPGQgkwCFIIWObiqF8kVCK-wiZeyt9aF0LuMda-Wwcau4t1EhoLwoydVVfToWz9SoX1Yn7S_bbIvNA2ho1z-kYoh7pNfs/s400/Saturn-Dreamcast-3D-controller.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The 3D controller featured an analog stick like the one used by Nintendo, which made NIGHTS a technical marvel and featured showcase for Sega’s machine. Even today, ported over to the PS2, PS3 and other consoles, it looks great and plays beautifully.</div>
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The story is interesting to say the least, combining the influences of Sigmund Freud’s and Carl Jung’s writings on the unconscious. But instead of taking the easy route and delving into a nightmarish world of violence, NIGHT lives in a colorful, dramatic and butter-smooth realm of constant flying and advancing in a rails-type shooter. It is certainly unique and blew everyone away when it was released to CRT tvs back in the 90s. Gamers had never seen something quite like this ever, not even in <b>Mario 64</b> or the <b>Pilot Wings</b> series. About this time, the closest game for Sony’s Playstation was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyQI10yfl1E" target="_blank">Jumping Flash! (1995)</a>, but the feel of that game was completely different to NIGHTS.</div>
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Now the printed material for the game was everywhere. So much so that I have delayed the posting of the material. I’ll update this entry from time to time, placing other printed ads in this same page. The game was heavily promoted in EGM, GamePro and of course Gamefan, as you can see here. Some had an enormous amount of text and lots of pictures, while others just one simple phrase and a white background. An elegant solution for such a radical game. </div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">NIGHTS into dreams...for Sega Saturn print ad copy</span></b></h4>
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Prepare to fly.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-2750641411475067962017-08-02T12:02:00.002-05:002018-05-06T14:15:15.056-05:00Shadow of the Colossus for PS2 (2005)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejPiOR0JuCLzv-z82CGYp94H5qJI2-haMhlF6fvYfJM45Zh44s5alfvQR5rF5VLsDK5xDlhtLZ2KIOb1XAp8UYB9OpRvBP7ChViyp6eMFMrp8BqF9eeCyIHRt0QJmUU3ba53-eQfQ5qZh/s1600/Shadow-of-the-+Colossus-for-PS2+print-Ad.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="633" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejPiOR0JuCLzv-z82CGYp94H5qJI2-haMhlF6fvYfJM45Zh44s5alfvQR5rF5VLsDK5xDlhtLZ2KIOb1XAp8UYB9OpRvBP7ChViyp6eMFMrp8BqF9eeCyIHRt0QJmUU3ba53-eQfQ5qZh/s640/Shadow-of-the-+Colossus-for-PS2+print-Ad.jpg.jpg" width="459" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>Original ad featured in the December 2005 issue of EGM (no. 198).</i></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>An unrivaled masterpiece</b></span></div>
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To say <i>Shadow of the Colossus </i>changed the way adventure games are played would be a huger understatement. More than 10 years after its original release, there's still nothing that matches the sheer beauty of the 2005 product. Seeing that <i>The Last Guardian</i> (2016), the true spiritual successor of "Colossus", got mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, Sony decided to produce a remastered version of the now classic for the PS4 which will be launched sometime in 2018. So how does the artwork for the original stand up today? </div>
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<a name='more'></a>Sony has milked the "Colossus" franchise in the past. Just in 2011 the electronic giant released the "The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection" for PS3, which is a fantastic way to play the original games for the PS2, which could suffer from technical limitations like stuttering, slowdown and dropped frames.<br />
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Back in 2005, however, "Colossus" was a revelation. Never had anything like this had been seen on any console. The formula has remained intact to this day: spend a lot of time just wandering around a fantastical, desolate land until you stumble upon a towering figure which you must kill. The developers struck gold with this twist. Why make the player pass through hoops and circles with lesser enemies when you can send him directly from boss to boss? There a little bit of puzzle solving here and there, but nothing that will make you go online to check a decades old game guide. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKxVc8Q6hbhERSXXV7OpoDd2lGEDdVrHw5F1KnRvSmsdg5VhH8PbvpKQGBYpP7oj3vuZKA6n4qPa-redGkHMEkSNk8FwlwD7pIGjIU6bCn17opFA5f2CWrB-pofxDCBhD7ktvAms8GPp3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-02+at+1.00.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="620" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKxVc8Q6hbhERSXXV7OpoDd2lGEDdVrHw5F1KnRvSmsdg5VhH8PbvpKQGBYpP7oj3vuZKA6n4qPa-redGkHMEkSNk8FwlwD7pIGjIU6bCn17opFA5f2CWrB-pofxDCBhD7ktvAms8GPp3/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-08-02+at+1.00.18+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The legacy of this game can be seen to this day in a multitude of games, from Castlevania to Zelda. That first well established franchise just aped "Colossus" with <i>Lords of Shadow</i> (2010), an actual good thing, since it was the last decent Castlevania game. Zelda has been even more obvious in Breath of the Wild (2017). But "Colossus" did it first and the hype surrounding the 2018 remake has actually reached comparable fanboism heights to that of the Nintendo behemoth.</div>
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Fortunately, the developers understood the relevancy of their game and convinced the executives at Sony that its beautiful art should be used to create compelling advertising. And they did. For once, the tiny copy on the printed page makes sense in relation to the actual image seen by would-be buyers. One neat detail: the sinous text is the exact way the player can climb atop the particular colossus that appears in the game.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Shadow of the Colossus for PS2 print ad copy</b></span></div>
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Begin here: a weary traveller on the most hazardous of journeys. Mile upon mile, you've ridden in search of the power to save your one true love. Yet now you find yourself here, standing in the shadow of a beast who will devastate the tiny, insignificant being who dared to disturb his lumber. Unless you arm yourself with the one weapon large enough to slay him. One he cannot see. Nor can you. Yet you must employ it with every move you have the courage to make. The weapon? Your mind. And should you use it wisely, you shall topple a creature whose size is comprable only to your valor. And end here: atop a mountain that cannot be scaled, but must be slain. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-86483548861477154562017-04-11T09:55:00.001-05:002018-05-06T14:15:24.234-05:00Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Vb8ufkn43HwbTIZKs-yc_0RrTcI4dn66FEFf6h2RWsSZWxpMWcZ-EuLGTB8cKOe1xO3nUBsizkdjElJwEdQskW443vYLqcCnWeLimSsBvKCJEjUZlWsAG6_f1Pq73Fl2YEy-P3QY4RvX/s1600/AdvancedDungeons%2526Dragons-HeroesOfTheLance-NES%25281990%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Vb8ufkn43HwbTIZKs-yc_0RrTcI4dn66FEFf6h2RWsSZWxpMWcZ-EuLGTB8cKOe1xO3nUBsizkdjElJwEdQskW443vYLqcCnWeLimSsBvKCJEjUZlWsAG6_f1Pq73Fl2YEy-P3QY4RvX/s640/AdvancedDungeons%2526Dragons-HeroesOfTheLance-NES%25281990%2529.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Original ad featured in the November 1990 issue of EGM (no. 16).</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Terrific artwork, terrible game</span></b><br />
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Heralded as one of the worst games ever for the NES, this side-scrolling action RPG featured terrible graphics and gameplay, yet decent music. It was a ported to various different systems, including DOS, but never gained any traction on Nintendo’s console. Having said that, the box art and publicity material was absolutely beautiful. <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance was developed by Natsume and <a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2014/12/fci-phone-counseling-hotline.html">published by Fujisankei Communications Group (FCI)</a> and U.S. Gold, who saw an opportunity to capitalize on the huge AD&D craze of the 80s. Sadly, they were also known for their mediocre NES games. This game was another one of those terrible PC ports, where the game was first released on 1988. The NES version saw daylight during the first months of 1991. <a href="http://www.flyingomelette.com/reviews/nes/hotl.html">Modern reviewers have not been kind to it.</a> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJOGHiofuedacO-FfudRJCKniwFzD8x1xKrDT_4Qo8CB3w-b96dywPcKNb5FkjGdnuq5dZP0ZZcos832KOBD-HGl0en7MitmBePqL1B1vyfLAebT5-hj0ZtXaSTO43YXNS0g6xdBI14PB/s1600/Advanced-Dungeons-%2526-Dragons-Heroes-of-+the-Lance-screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJOGHiofuedacO-FfudRJCKniwFzD8x1xKrDT_4Qo8CB3w-b96dywPcKNb5FkjGdnuq5dZP0ZZcos832KOBD-HGl0en7MitmBePqL1B1vyfLAebT5-hj0ZtXaSTO43YXNS0g6xdBI14PB/s320/Advanced-Dungeons-%2526-Dragons-Heroes-of-+the-Lance-screenshot.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now the printed artwork of the game is fantastic. There’s the huge dragon in the lower left of the frame being flown by a cool warrior with a huge lance. The really neat part of the illustration, obviously hand-made, is its depth. Take a look at the lower levels of the page. There are two dragons in the distance, mountains and lava. Even if the lower third of the page has some bland copy (which heavily emphasizes this is an official AD&D game, for some reason), the ad stands out. </span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><b>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance print ad copy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The biggest News in the History of Krynn!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Big news for AD&D gamers! Now you can play the first official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons action game made for the Nintendo Entertainment System! Heroes of the Lance is a challenging action-adventure game based on the popular Dragons of Despair DRAGONLANCE module. The player takes control of eight fighting fantasy characters, guiding the brave companions through exciting encounters with dragons and dwarves…magic and monsters, in their quest for the precious Disks of Mishakal. Decide the fate of the world of Krynn. Vanquish the ancient black dragon Khisanth or be doomed to failure! Look for the Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons trademark to be sure you’re getting the only authorized AD&D Nintendo products. Get Heroes of the Lance, the newest fast-action game from FCI. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Action-packed animation graphics</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Eight characters each with special skills</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fight giant spiders, Gully Dwarves, dragons and monstrous Draconians</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Defend yourself with magic and an arsenal of weapons</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">FCI</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not just kids stuff</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-53594980927304420222017-03-25T14:25:00.004-06:002018-05-06T14:15:33.011-05:00Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for GameCube (2005)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dgrEwZQig4FX_xhC8FcQttEyvuI9Id0EH6VIj6HWfVIlaUgD4ysI1ZWiqn-wP8FNkOL4_9TC_x1ijui2t06efRhsSe5NfQzHkJsubhqPC_qBDV0CrGtW19HJaGdA3UJrJgB_uaNLi0O0/s1600/FireEmblem-PathofRadiance-PrintAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dgrEwZQig4FX_xhC8FcQttEyvuI9Id0EH6VIj6HWfVIlaUgD4ysI1ZWiqn-wP8FNkOL4_9TC_x1ijui2t06efRhsSe5NfQzHkJsubhqPC_qBDV0CrGtW19HJaGdA3UJrJgB_uaNLi0O0/s640/FireEmblem-PathofRadiance-PrintAd.jpg" width="446" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>Original advertisement published in EGM no. 198 (December 2005)</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><i>Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance</i> for GameCube was released to critican acclaim in North America back in 2005. It’s a tactical RPG very much in the same style as the legendary <i>Final Fantasy Tactics</i> of the late 1990s. Solid game with equally solid artwork, as you can see above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><i>Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance </i>is still considered a<a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/gamecube/fire_emblem_path_of_radiance"> good game by any standard.</a> Gameplay is tight and the animations were above par even when released more than ten years ago. Gamers fondly remember the lovable cast, the most important element of any RPG and forgive its slightly bland graphics. It was the first entry of the long-standing series made in 3-D.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">But the game, at least during its initial run, did not garner the enormous hype the <i>Fire Emblem</i> franchise has today, with its <a href="https://serenesforest.net/general/history-of-fire-emblem/">convoluted storylines and timeline continuity</a>. The list <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fire_Emblem_video_games">keeps on growing</a>. The game you see here was released in very close s<a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2016/12/fire-emblem-sacred-stones-for-game-boy.html">uccession to the GBA <i>Sacred Stones</i> story</a>. The problem for <i>Path</i> was the fierce competition from other RPGs and games with some RPGs elements released for consoles or portables in North America during the same year or during the first months of 2006. Check out the list. A truly standout crowd. Today, we’b be fortunate to see even 10% of the RPGs you see below: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim, Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose, Romancing SaGa, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Jade Empire, Radiata Stories, Suikoden Tactics, Ys: The Oath un Felghana, Grandia III, Front Mission 5, Castlevania Curse of Darkness, Drakengard 2, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Tales of Legendia, Shadow Hearts: From the New World, Digital Devil Saga 2: Shin Megami Tensei, Shining Force Neo and juggernaut Kingdom Hearts 2 during the Spring of 2006.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjGgxqF4ukRdnSqAOp3RCZnZ9Px37FEaePFJsJDwv4k5BJUJk7S4aR6zNjRZDJyTgvaw3fHmw4AvFN0lmMHBLdfWg6-HiZ5t0nn9QGeBmCaSSCo5jODH5418w4cQnFC0WyvSpQqNk66K8/s1600/FireEmblem-PathofRadiace-ScreenShot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjGgxqF4ukRdnSqAOp3RCZnZ9Px37FEaePFJsJDwv4k5BJUJk7S4aR6zNjRZDJyTgvaw3fHmw4AvFN0lmMHBLdfWg6-HiZ5t0nn9QGeBmCaSSCo5jODH5418w4cQnFC0WyvSpQqNk66K8/s400/FireEmblem-PathofRadiace-ScreenShot.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">The printed material for the advertisement of the game is exactly what you’d expect for a high-fantasy/anime RPG. Character design is identical to what you actually get in the game’s cutscenes. There’s a nice three-dimensional effect going on in the background: the characters are breaking the traditional magazine page and shouting out to the player the awesomeness of the game. This is coherent to the entry being the first released in full 3-D. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">The material is not traditionally framed. Check out the posture of Ike, the game's central character. He's right in the middle of the page, yet the other elements of the page seem to balance out this non-aesthetic placement with a nice diagonal and triangle drawn by the character's cape, the man-lion above right and the girl below-left. Solid work all-around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for GameCube print ad copy</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">In a land of man and beast, your small band of mercenaries must now save the world from a reawakening evil force. You’ll make your fight on the 3D battlefields of Tellius, where strategy is essential and death is final. So sharpen your axe, draw your sword. It’s time to ignite the flames of war. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-65985204951916523262017-03-18T14:31:00.004-06:002018-05-06T14:15:45.401-05:00Mechanized Attack for NES (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3T0aurKeXEJS1reeuebb3r_sTpR3i37Y7k25Y5RH2gbQyZXJJGD1jSdrHSu8vcrHHkjbCD1mOXBLE4Gm9IH6FNmnkoh5AvWRHHHneQkI0T2odH_QnOccUGKeKQHtpvqQ7kEtUsFdQ2z4/s1600/MechanizedAttack-NES-PrintAd%25281990%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3T0aurKeXEJS1reeuebb3r_sTpR3i37Y7k25Y5RH2gbQyZXJJGD1jSdrHSu8vcrHHkjbCD1mOXBLE4Gm9IH6FNmnkoh5AvWRHHHneQkI0T2odH_QnOccUGKeKQHtpvqQ7kEtUsFdQ2z4/s640/MechanizedAttack-NES-PrintAd%25281990%2529.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>Original advertisement published in VG&CE (June 1990)</i></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><b>A ho-hum game with a decent ad</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Little can be said about the game you see above. It was a first person view mode shooter in the same vein as <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/12/operation-wolf-review">Operation Wolf</a>. Both of them were successful arcade games (they even had fake rifles to round out the experience), but lost quite a bit when ported to the NES.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even when used with Nintendo’s Zapper light gun, these shooters were a legue away from the awesome experience you’d get at the arcades. Consoles were a shell of the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVzf-WLQvlA"> arcade power displayed during the late eighties and the start of the 90s</a>. Graphics and sounds were poor and gameplay was incredibly difficult when you take into account the way you actually sat in front of the TV with you arm extended trying to aim at the screen. It all amounted to a not so fun experience. I assume lots of people just stuck the light gun just a few centimeters in front of the TV and zapped everything that moved. Other wise, it was impossible to advance the game in any way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkFz8F6VsgeEbQj82JMqG53Rf_LyC-UWlPXjQ0sBebqEpoRcQVW3pMNdC4YzkwF9EVyRE2j6w_Yf_QrNvboX-Zr4bvZE2gw2gZl2z2SosAaISDFaydjABfIQ3sKY4vcpxl-d2cYx8iIxU/s1600/MechanizedAttack-NES-Gameplay.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkFz8F6VsgeEbQj82JMqG53Rf_LyC-UWlPXjQ0sBebqEpoRcQVW3pMNdC4YzkwF9EVyRE2j6w_Yf_QrNvboX-Zr4bvZE2gw2gZl2z2SosAaISDFaydjABfIQ3sKY4vcpxl-d2cYx8iIxU/s320/MechanizedAttack-NES-Gameplay.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">MechaNized ATTack was one of the <a href="http://nesguide.com/publishers/snk">last games developed and published by SNK for the NES</a>, specifically in 1989. The company was very well known in the arcades for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekRo9ZCq_g">Ikari Warriors</a> and the sidescroller beat-em-up <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjiDo6YRNHs">P.O.W</a>. Sadly, all of those games would have very mediocre home console ports. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The printed material for the game wasn’t that interesting neither. It features a bunch of random war-related material and riffle protruding from the very bottom of the page. At least in that respect, it was honest, but not very aesthetic. The art-style is completely removed from what you’d see in the actual game. Not my thing, really. At least it had no lame ad copy.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mechanized Attack for NES print ad copy</span></b></div>
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Coming soon!</div>
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SNK Corporation of America</div>
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246 Sobrante Way</div>
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Sunnyvale, California, 94086</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-32856461446429882242017-03-16T09:31:00.000-06:002018-05-06T14:15:54.842-05:00Demon Sword for NES (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDZGDO3YXdvqbGQ__xE7r1i64r_Z8uymNKxqUv6XPZY3IIwAyuX_upHGux1NWQ9d2e3ONkvFiFNLJjguOPxokKSKrSKOv5nNqiaWf0aL9YvDHfDNUn4ftsW1psx7iv4VQ41lfp6kzjtpG/s1600/DemonSword-NES-PrintAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDZGDO3YXdvqbGQ__xE7r1i64r_Z8uymNKxqUv6XPZY3IIwAyuX_upHGux1NWQ9d2e3ONkvFiFNLJjguOPxokKSKrSKOv5nNqiaWf0aL9YvDHfDNUn4ftsW1psx7iv4VQ41lfp6kzjtpG/s640/DemonSword-NES-PrintAd.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>Original advertisement published in VG&CE (June 1990)</i></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Press to view or download image in higher resolution.</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Yellow and bland publicity</span></h4>
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<em>Demon Sword</em> for the NES, released in North American in 1990, was a typical side-scroller as so many other of the era. It featured floaty gameplay, repetitive stages and very little sense of control. Graphics and music were meh, as were the sounds. In consequence, the ad for the game was also mediocre.<br />
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Even though it was <a href="https://www.taito.com/corporate/history" target="_blank">released by Taito</a>, one of the big Japanese companies of the era, <em>Demon Sword</em> made no effort to differenciate itself from other games of the the same period. The game was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tose_(company)" target="_blank">developed by TOSE</a>, a famous 'ghost developer' of the NES years, which made not so great titles such as <a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2014/12/taxan-games-for-nes.html" target="_blank">Mappy Land</a>, which was published by Taxan, as I posted some time back. More recent proyects would see TOSE behind such games as <em>World of Final Fantasy</em> (2016) for the PS4, for example. <br />
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Knowing the comercial process behind the game, could you expect anything from Demon Sword? Not really. As such, the printed ad is basically the same. You see a huge amount of text in the middle of the page, with some screen shots at the very bottom and a big image of the actual boxart in the upper right with a man that mightly resembles Conan the Barbarian (possibly the best part of the game, but no-where near the sprites you saw when you fired-up the game for the first time). There's also a horrible yellow and black background combination. It all makes up for very aesthetically unpleasing image.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Demon Sword for NES print ad copy</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>M</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>aster the power </strong></span><br />
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In a land of impossible evils...<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">the classic struggle between good and evil comes to life. Mixed with magic and the latest computer technology, a spell-binding game for your Nintendo Entertainment System is born!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the hero warrior Victar, you will battle Wizards, Troglodytes, and Undead Souls. Master 7 levels and 3 worlds in your quest to conquer the demons of the Dark Lord. Traverse chasms of fire and mountains of doom to confront the fiendish Gatekeeper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Risk it all</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With cunning and skill you wield the ancient and broken Demon Sword. To defeat the evil forces ruling the land, you must recover the Sword's missing pieces and restore its mystical power. The journey is long and the way is hard. Gather your courage, grasp your blade, and release the power that is yours to control!</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Beware the wrath of the Old Wizard of Cedar Mountain.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brave the broken bridges and terrifyng chasms of Bamboo Forest.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The magic of the Phoenix can save your life!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Taito</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-41428381879523889202017-03-15T12:42:00.002-06:002018-05-06T14:17:02.289-05:00Golgo 13: The Mafat Conspiracy for NES (1990)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaf5jpjE7owqcT5fy01OGoLI0RaQrgwM5xGz34OeaNtU5v49Kkve9vwF68n3XHZXmNBzhbArtT6DmXUVA9uvh9FfDQ_YirJBEZFKZvcN6H1GbCcnA5QOXP2oY50D7K-dXat0KlYJkUSQR/s1600/Golgo13-PrintAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaf5jpjE7owqcT5fy01OGoLI0RaQrgwM5xGz34OeaNtU5v49Kkve9vwF68n3XHZXmNBzhbArtT6DmXUVA9uvh9FfDQ_YirJBEZFKZvcN6H1GbCcnA5QOXP2oY50D7K-dXat0KlYJkUSQR/s640/Golgo13-PrintAd.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>Original advertisement published in VG&CE (June 1990)</i></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><b>Adults-only game for your Nintendo with beautiful artwork</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Japanese and American gamers are well known for having different aesthetic values, specially in video games. Most of those differences were molded by Nintendo themselves, since they held a rigid censorship system for games sold in the Western world. But some games were able to pass the big N’s censors and left the original Japanese game practically unchanged. One such instance in <i>Golgo</i> <i>13</i> (1988) and its sequel, which you see here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A huge amount of text about <a href="http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.mx/2015/08/slipped-by-nes-censor.html">Nintendo’s censorship has been written on the Internet.</a> The more egregious instances were some instances of graphic violence were left unchanged include<i> </i><a href="http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2008/08/go_go_go_bionic.php"><i>Bionic Commando’s</i> exploding Hitler face</a>. <i>Castlevania </i>showed repeated <a href="http://kotaku.com/5761611/nintendos-war-on-blood-nazis-religion-and-puppy-dogs">religious references, as well as statue-nudity</a>. But the original <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/golgo-13-top-secret-episode/3030-7322/"><i>Golgo 13</i> featured all of them</a>, save for the religious stuff: graphic violence (headshots), nudity and sex, and even smoking. Somehow, the game was sold in North America without major changes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The sequel, subtitled T<i>he Mafat Conspiracy</i>, however, scaled back on every instance to please censors.<a href="http://venturebeat.com/community/2012/01/21/gruesome-unrated-video-games-kids-used-to-play/"> It did retain some graphic violence</a>. The game was also particular in that it mashed side-scrolling, driving, first-person shooter segments and Ninja Gaiden-like cutscenes. Why was the game some violent? The source material is a <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2012-03-01">very popular manga </a>were the protagonist is a secret assassin during the Cold War. It could not be any other way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uwA1IAjWL8kB3g1ZHE0YAI5quwi2WkwWHY3VoE3kP4gWCJPazNVXulR2-76QPiefUld1l9zENgGJkGoyapNhWFMEPkCv_MCqqGkkQAEgBBX8YAZ3_0SnuJUNgtwB0TgIn-yk0DbsjICt/s1600/Golgo13-MafatConspiracy-Gameplay-ScreenShot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uwA1IAjWL8kB3g1ZHE0YAI5quwi2WkwWHY3VoE3kP4gWCJPazNVXulR2-76QPiefUld1l9zENgGJkGoyapNhWFMEPkCv_MCqqGkkQAEgBBX8YAZ3_0SnuJUNgtwB0TgIn-yk0DbsjICt/s320/Golgo13-MafatConspiracy-Gameplay-ScreenShot.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The NES game was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokai_Communications">published and developed by Vic Toka</a>i, which made games for consoles and the PC from 1984 to 1998. It now concentrates on Japanese telecommunications. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Curiously enough, you would know nothing about those manga origins of <i>Golgo 13</i> by the artwork you see here, which was also used for the American box art. The illustration was made by Lawrence Fletcher and it is indeed superb: handmade, with various layers and judicious color implementation that forces the magazine reader to start from the right, were the whitest objects are drown) and slowly move to the left while reading the copy of the game. A classic for graphic illustrators wishing to learn how to correctly depict every aspect of a product in one image.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Golgo 13: The Mafat Conspiracy for NES print ad copy</span></b></div>
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An encore performance!</div>
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Golgo 13 is back in The Mafat Conspiracy! Top Secret Episode knocked the wind out of you; this one will blow you away!</div>
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Vic Tokai</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-31303427852564858462017-03-13T13:08:00.002-06:002018-05-06T14:17:13.432-05:00Technos company NES games (1990)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGAc8nzLtmvXh2K9HrAz7UdvJEc-UM0Douhw7KAkz5P0uf_xcK0xLrI2B1DFovwnjJrEHGYQiG1ZjkU64py4amTmI1bOsOop2x6pasge9lx_W38ogE0yfZ4IUA7gjfaTq013mb2PPbqlF/s1600/Tecnohs-PrintAd-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGAc8nzLtmvXh2K9HrAz7UdvJEc-UM0Douhw7KAkz5P0uf_xcK0xLrI2B1DFovwnjJrEHGYQiG1ZjkU64py4amTmI1bOsOop2x6pasge9lx_W38ogE0yfZ4IUA7gjfaTq013mb2PPbqlF/s640/Tecnohs-PrintAd-A.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yib5ODlgasC3iMmzIe2Ue8YrMtVrbZa1hZExNPyvHJSD0VSz54wFZ_2TRIjT5bEn9i5IT5p7ewORwULHIAF90oeO8uhjNXLOdb0Gi7oLmEdRZUsNAVksbLtFChgmF037S9aCgNotYtcu/s1600/Tecnohs-PrintAd-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yib5ODlgasC3iMmzIe2Ue8YrMtVrbZa1hZExNPyvHJSD0VSz54wFZ_2TRIjT5bEn9i5IT5p7ewORwULHIAF90oeO8uhjNXLOdb0Gi7oLmEdRZUsNAVksbLtFChgmF037S9aCgNotYtcu/s640/Tecnohs-PrintAd-B.jpg" width="470" /></a></div>
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<i>Original advertisement published in VG&CE (June 1990)</i></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Game developers can also make good print ads</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Technos was a prolific Japanese developer during the 80s and a better
part of the 90s. Now defunct, the company nevertheless left its mark on the
console and arcade fronts with such classics and <i>Double Dragon</i>, <a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2014/12/super-dodge-ball-for-nes.html"><i>Super DodgeBall</i></a> and <i>River City Ransom</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I digitized the ad you see above from a magazine called <i><a href="https://archive.org/stream/vgce_02#page/n3/mode/2up" target="_blank">Video Games andComputer Entertainment</a></i>, which, just like Technos, does not exist any more. It
ran during the late 80s until 1996, when it scaled back in its last days to
cover video games exclusively. It’s a good read, more serious in tone than your
average <i>GamePro </i>or <i>EGM </i>copy of the era, save for the editions of the later
years, where they focused exclusively on consoles, which have a more juvenile language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Back to the main point of this post. Technos was practically unknown for
most Westerners because they licensed some of their better games to other big
companies such as Nintendo (<i>Nintendo World Cup</i>), Taito (<i>Renegade</i>) and Tradewest (</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18px;"><i>Double Dragon</i>)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. They did publish some games for the NES with their American
branch, however, such as <i>River City Ransom</i>. Same goes for their arcade
offerings. It can all get very confusing very quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">During the mid 90s the developer released some titles for NEO-GEO,
Gameboy, the Super NES and even the PlayStation. Those games were far away from
the quality and ambition the company demonstrated in their late 80s Nintendo
run. To this day, you can’t make a “Best Nintendo games ever” list without
mentioning <i>Double Dragon</i>, at the very least. The intellectual property of their
games is now owned by Arc System Works, which have revived their more popular
titles for various virtual consoles of recent Nintendo and Sony systems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunio-kun" target="_blank">official mascot was Kunio</a>, the protagonist we first saw in <i>Renegade
</i>but later pop-up in another 20 games from Technos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Now the ad you see here was not uncommon during the heyday of 8-bit and
16-bit games. You would see these in the last pages of most industry magazines
as a means to communicate to American buyers the real authorship of their
favorite games. S<a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2015/02/seika-company-print-ad-1994.html">eika, as I wrote some time ago, also did the same thing</a>. I guess
Japanese corporations did not want to cede all of their power to American
holdings, licensers, or distributors, so they made sure gamers got acquainted
to them in the event they decided to launch a more aggressive business schemes
and circumvent American intermediaries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O81BF7IaM_U" width="460"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The printed advertisment you see here makes that point pretty clear.
This was a two-page spread, that emphasized the <i>River City Ransom</i> franchise,
which occupied the odd-numbered part of the page for maximum impact with
readers. It also featured a black and white backgrounds for added legibility
with the extended copy, written in a “we mean businness” serif typography. The
darker background was used with little-to-no text to make the game-box images
stand out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Lastly, it’s interesting to note that the copy of the ad makes it really
clear that by buying Technos games you’ll receive two-player. This was a strongpoint
of the company, since nota all arcade-to-NES conversions retained the
two-player capabilities of the original games. (The original <i>Double Dragon </i>for
the NES did not have simultaneous two-player co-op gameplay; but they fixed
that by th second installment, which was superb). A great job for the printed
page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">All of the Technos games you see here had extremely tight game-play.
They just “felt right” and provided hours upon hours of fun. Their sports games
retained that great gameplay and were particularly funny, with their super-deformed
heads and all. A true classic developer for Nintendo fans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Technos company NES games print ad (1990)</span></b></div>
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Quick!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Can you guess who’s behind these great Nintendo games?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Renegade, Dodge Ball, Super Spike V’ Ball, Double Dragon,
Double Dragon II<o:p></o:p></div>
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Technos!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now with the hottest 2-player action anywhere!<o:p></o:p></div>
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River City Ransom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s you and your buddy versus the meanest, baddest drug
lord in town. He’s holding the entire high school hostage, and only the two of
you can expel him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You’ll both go to battle against ghoulish gangs and depraved
dropouts. Along the way, you’ll gain extra power and strength. And you’ll need
all you can get. School’s out forever, unless you answer the call!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hurry. Head over to your nearest video game store. Ask for
River City Ransom. It’s your big chance to be a hometown hero.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And look for the American Technos label on many other Nintendo
games. We have more hot action coming your way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nintendo World Championship 1990<o:p></o:p></div>
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Technōs<o:p></o:p></div>
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American Technōs INC.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Suite SW3-372, 10080 N. Wolfe Road, Cupertino. C.A. 95014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Phone (408) 996-1887<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451049548976379441.post-57984435210449131002017-03-12T11:07:00.002-06:002018-05-06T14:17:24.121-05:00Gate of Thunder for Turbo Duo and TG-CD (1993)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F0RXnJp1UG5nbltVkkuWoWK_T2p8JmAzJ223nPY2TIQO6WNS-0enpCPiMi_Ji7r7ghOvWvA4OuOHuft6U55S3YOfk4XR1_hXqvBTppBxIklaNHUI-wnJk4PxAh1jdoJ5GmjcEiVyDyRz/s1600/GateOfThunder-PrintAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F0RXnJp1UG5nbltVkkuWoWK_T2p8JmAzJ223nPY2TIQO6WNS-0enpCPiMi_Ji7r7ghOvWvA4OuOHuft6U55S3YOfk4XR1_hXqvBTppBxIklaNHUI-wnJk4PxAh1jdoJ5GmjcEiVyDyRz/s1600/GateOfThunder-PrintAd.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<i>Original advertisement published in Turbo Force (January 1993), </i><br />
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<i>a pack-in magazine of Electronic Gaming Monthly.</i><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Press to view or download image in higher resolution.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><b>Possibly the best system-starter game ever</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">By 1993, NEC had tried and failed to establish the PC-Engine brand in North America. Their Turbo-Duo system would be their last effort to break Nintendo’s and Sega’s fierce control of the American video game market.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I wrote some time ago, NEC engaged in an <a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2015/01/turbo-duo-print-ad-1993.html">aggressive marketing campaign to sell the TurboDuo to Americans</a>. You could buy the system with a bunch of included CD and card-based games for about $ 250.00 dollars (once you cashed-in your original TurboGrafx-16). It was a good deal, by any standard. The <a href="http://retrogamingart.blogspot.mx/2015/01/turbografx-cd-super-system-card-print.html">system card was also heavily marketed</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the packed-in games was <i>Gate of Thunder, </i>developed by </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hudson Soft and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Red Entertainment<i>. </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a standard side-scrolling shooter that was only released on the PC-Engine CD (now it was been revived for various virtual consoles). Thanks to its CD nature it was built from the ground-up with an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH5LUTlTIBA">absolutely fantastic rockin’ soundtrack</a>. It also featured other slight mechanical innovations to the shooting gameplay that made it stand out from the competition. The game is still highly regarded to this day, just as its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps5keePzMno">Lords of Thunder sequels</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaA-ihNHehH4EvUJ0NKQBmp_BaR3zmy9IxqTYHHZwMURZW7w2_yOKIiwLfTLlOt07jYRxftFvRTbenE6JSYQPe9gJKRrdgEAyAcDnn8NGJ1w_C1Gf2YNjVXxcKBVGyHhno_qcKpHVtqQt/s1600/Gate-of-Thunder-screenshot-%25281993%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaA-ihNHehH4EvUJ0NKQBmp_BaR3zmy9IxqTYHHZwMURZW7w2_yOKIiwLfTLlOt07jYRxftFvRTbenE6JSYQPe9gJKRrdgEAyAcDnn8NGJ1w_C1Gf2YNjVXxcKBVGyHhno_qcKpHVtqQt/s400/Gate-of-Thunder-screenshot-%25281993%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When you consider that the game was released in 1992 as a pack-in, it’s difficult to argue that there was a better game out there during that time that let first-time users showcase their new electronic toy's capabilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now the artwork for the publicity itself is very bland. That’s because the ad you see here was published in <i>Turbo Force</i>, an included brand magazine or “insert”, as it is commonly called. The magazine was EGM. It’s very possible that the marketing department of the magazine itself would have created the ad you see here as part of the deal to include <i>Turbo Force</i> inside EGM. This is common practice in the editorial and publishing worlds, even to this day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As you can see, there’s a huge EGM seal stating that the game received high marks from its review crew. Thats should be enough to convince potential buyers of the awesomeness of the game. Other than that, you get two huge game screens with actual gameplay. That’s basically it. The mishmash of fonts are a bit garish, but the black background keeps the whole ad tight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One last notable feature: this is actually a one-page spread ad. You generally see two-page spread ads, but they chose to keep it simple here and make the reader actually turn the magazine clockwise to see the ad as it was originally meant to be viewed (you would see it as a vertical page ad in the original Turbo Force print material). </span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><b>Gate of Thunder print ad copy </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gate of Thunder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The winner of the EGM Editor’s Choice Gold Award</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Exclusive experience only on the new Turbo Duo multimedia video entertainment system and the TG-CD with Super CD System Card.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0