Original ad published in the April 1992 edition of EGM (no. 31) Press to view or download image in higher resolution. |
A traditional representation of 90s advertising
Taking a page from the 80s, the early 90s maintained the tradition of text heavy publicity that made a weak effort to convince you of their awesome game. Such one company was HAL, now Hal Laboratory, famous for splattering four adverts in a row in the same magazine, such as the one you see above. This was before that developer made it big with Nintendo, with whom they have cooperated in Earthbound, Super Smash Bros and a slate of Pokemon games, just to name a few.
Anyhow, Vegas Dream was a regular casino game but with an adult twist. As you played one of the four games you would be approached by different people asking you to lend them money, enter specific game-centered challenges, dating, drinking cocktails. You could even get married if your persevered long enough with either your male o female avatar. One other notable feature in the game was the option to continue your game via a password system. The game ended when you reached 10 million dollars in earnings. The music was divisive.
Strangely enough, the game was released in Japan in 1988, but landed in America in 1990 and was advertised all the way until 1992! Somewhere along the was Sony CBS handled some part of the game along the way until HAL America finally brought it to New World territory. A convoluted story to say the least.
Now the actual printed advertisement is very bland. You see a huge fluff piece on the game and only a very few actual screenshots in the right-handed side of the page. This was the norm with most video games of the era, just in this case it makes a “serious” game even more boring.
Now the actual printed advertisement is very bland. You see a huge fluff piece on the game and only a very few actual screenshots in the right-handed side of the page. This was the norm with most video games of the era, just in this case it makes a “serious” game even more boring.
Vegas Dream for NES print ad copy
Bring the Strip to your neighborhood–and the casino of your choice home to your living room. Set off with your friends to that magical oasis where dreams come true, and fortunes are made and lost. Combining for of the most popular casino games into one exciting package, VEGAS DREAM lets up to four players compete in the Hal Palace Hotel casino. Side bets, sub-plots and a cast of fascinating characters assure non-stop action. Try your hand at Blackjack or Roulette, spin the Slot Machines in denominations from $1 to $100, then take a little break in the action and play a few games of Keno. Loan money back and forth, change to a different game at any time, or save your bankroll to use next time. Take a chance on VEGAS DREAM–odds are you're going to love it. Available April, 1990.
HAL AMERICA INC
The Funatic Specialists
7873 S.W. Cirrus Drive, Building 25F, Beaverton, OR 97005
Tel 503/644-4117
Fax 503/641-5119