From fish-eye lenses to Big Dog-style one-liners, 1990s video game ads had it all. And by “had it all” I mean “were absolutely ridiculous and almost hurt to look back on today.”
This gallery of ’90s ads, put together by Flickr user jonathantaylorthomasfan and passed along to us by a couple of anonymous tipsters last night, is one hell of a nostalgia trip. We’ve got Dragon Ball Z ads that would never be approved after 9/11, some casual Tomb Raider objectification, and plenty of wonderful zingers that just can’t be matched in 2015. Don’t you wish today’s video game publishers had slogans like “WHAT NINTENDON’T”?
I’ve picked out some highlights here, but if you wanna take a trip back to the ’90s with all 4000+ ads, head over to the Flickr gallery.
Comments
14 responses to “’90s Video Game Ads Were All That And A Bag Of Chips”
Great, now I feel old.
Good times. Back in the day there was basically no way of marketing games apart from designing flashy box art or putting glossy ads in enthusiast mags. They were simpler, and dare I say, better, days. Being screwed over with downgrades like Aliens Colonial Marines simply didn’t happen, because no-one had any idea of how a game looked or played apart from maybe a screen shot or two on the back of the box or in the magazine. I remember buying games simply by looking at their titles in Gamesmen catalogues that got sent to me in the mail (yes, I’m old too).
Don’t feel old, feel privileged!
I’m glad that I got to live through that era, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I loved reading all those gaming magazines as a pre-teen, showing sneak peeks of oncoming titles, articles containing hints and cheats, sometimes holding competitions where you send in a drawing of your favourite game character and be in the chance to win “the all new” gameboy pocket.
These are so goddamn 10/10. I remember an alarming number of them, too. I remember my brother having the Shut Up and Jam! ad on his wall.
My favourite video game/system ad was the one for the original GameBoy with the quote “GameBoy. More fun than a ferret down your trousers” and an accompanying visual.
umm. wheres my biker mice from mars?
Damn…I remember so many of these games. Makes me feel super old.
Meanwhile…..how about that sausage one. Whats that all about?
Be a hot dog
…pretty sure thats wrong. Pretty sure it meant “Be a sausage” …yep, makes more sense.
Be a weiner?
How times have changed. Some of those ads wouldn’t fly in today’s society.
I love the old Sega Genesis ads. “You can’t do this on Nintendo!” If only the knew what the 32x would eventually do to them. Now you can do this on Nintendo.
JohnathanTaylorThomasFan is an amazing username.
God, reminds me of my old Nintendo Magazine System copies… I had dozens and dozens of those things. Pored over them with such fascination, so often, that some of the covers were actually torn away from the staples.
Also, game ads in comic books. Those were the worst/best.