View Full Version : Early Genesis Ads
alec006
04-29-2006, 06:42 PM
I was surfing the net for some old Sega Genesis articles and i found a pretty old one.Its from a promo poster from 1989 and includes the Genesis,Master System Convertor,Modem (not X-Band or Sega Channel) and Altered Beast. I thought i would post this becuase i dint know that the early phomos had the EXT Port modem in them. Also i noticed that it dosent say any thing about the modem,yet its still in the picture.Also notied the Altered Beast Cart looks different in the ad as well. Hmm Also another ad from a mag that has the modem with the Sega Genesis Lable,it does say something about it in this one.
Promo:
http://homepage.mac.com/greggillis/images/YWWNBTS.jpg
Due to the image size i linked it.Its 864K,so about 45-90 Seconds for Dial up users.
Ad:
http://homepage.mac.com/greggillis/images/goldenAxeAd.jpg
(656K)
Push Upstairs
04-30-2006, 03:09 AM
Dude, FORS YARD is a great site.
He needs to finish the 1993 section.
NeoSNightmarE
05-04-2006, 11:12 AM
thats pretty cool. still reading it over though...lot to read in the morning :p
Jibbajaba
05-04-2006, 11:26 AM
That's neat. The Altered Beat cart looks different because it is the MegaDrive version. Easy to spot because they have rounded tops.
Is this ad in the gallery here? If not it should definitely be added.
Thanks for posting it.
Chris
Bratwurst
05-04-2006, 12:25 PM
This style of advertising also appeared in a number of magazines in 1989, same photo of the rounded Altered Beast cart and TV setup.
The first generation of Genesis software is probably my favorite era of all. Perhaps the closest approximation of the arcade scene in the late 80s before it went Street Fighter.
Jibbajaba
05-04-2006, 12:37 PM
This style of advertising also appeared in a number of magazines in 1989, same photo of the rounded Altered Beast cart and TV setup.
The first generation of Genesis software is probably my favorite era of all. Perhaps the closest approximation of the arcade scene in the late 80s before it went Street Fighter.
I agree. The early grid-box Genny games are my favorite to collect. After that, the game selection started to get watered down by Tiny Toons bullshit.
Chris
Matt-El
05-04-2006, 02:57 PM
Kinda wicked that Revenge of Shinobi was going to be called "Super Shinobi".
Push Upstairs
05-04-2006, 03:53 PM
That is what it's called in Japan.
&
Shinobi 3 = Super Shinobi 2 in Japan.
aaronpetrosky
05-07-2006, 05:00 PM
Speaking of, does anyone have any old JC Penney's or Sears' christmas catalogs? they seemed to be dedicated to games during the SNES/Genesis Era
Anthony1
05-08-2006, 12:06 AM
Looking back at the selection of launch games for the Genny, they had alot of relatively decent arcade ports, but it wasn't exactly the best launch in History. Ghouls and Ghosts was probably the best launch title. Maybe Revenge of Shinobi or Truxton or Thunderforce 2. Definitely some good games for 1989/1990, but nothing super major. Not like the SNES launch. That launch had some heavy hitters.
TurboGenesis
05-08-2006, 08:25 AM
This style of advertising also appeared in a number of magazines in 1989, same photo of the rounded Altered Beast cart and TV setup.
The first generation of Genesis software is probably my favorite era of all. Perhaps the closest approximation of the arcade scene in the late 80s before it went Street Fighter.
I agree. The early grid-box Genny games are my favorite to collect. After that, the game selection started to get watered down by Tiny Toons bullshit.
Chris
I am also a fan of early Genesis games. I like to call it the Pre-Sonic era. This basically covers all games from launch to summer of 91. Many of these games have a unique feel that I cannot explain. I liked much of the newer games too but like I say those pre-sonic games had a special feel to them.
Bratwurst
05-08-2006, 10:15 AM
I am also a fan of early Genesis games. I like to call it the Pre-Sonic era. This basically covers all games from launch to summer of 91. Many of these games have a unique feel that I cannot explain. I liked much of the newer games too but like I say those pre-sonic games had a special feel to them.
That would be because Sega shifted from targeting teens and young adults to pre-teen and younger when they released Sonic. Arguably this was the majority of the NES demographic and they needed to take it from Nintendo.
Actually, it was the other way around. Sonic signalled the company's shift in focus to the older crowd, which is what it used to distinguish itself from Nintendo. This made the Genesis seem cool and hip, while the SNES was seen as a kiddy machine.
It worked too.
Jibbajaba
05-08-2006, 02:23 PM
Actually, it was the other way around. Sonic signalled the company's shift in focus to the older crowd, which is what it used to distinguish itself from Nintendo. This made the Genesis seem cool and hip, while the SNES was seen as a kiddy machine.
It worked too.
Can you explain that in more detail? It would seem to me that all of the early arcade ports would seem more teen and young adult-oriented, while Sonic would seem more aimed towards the youngins?
I'm not trying to start an arguemtn or anything, I just don't think I understand what you are saying.
Chris
After the Genesis was released, Sega began to focus more on who was actually buying it: teens and older gamers. It targeted that demographic in an effort to distinguish themselves from the competition. Sonic, with his attitude and blinding speed, was compared directly to Mario, who was portrayed as slow and simple - a game for children. Sega implemented the Sega Scream and went head on in their advertising against Nintendo (something Michael Katz did first, but Kalinske really stepped up).
The strategy was quite successful, although many sectors didn't accept it at first (there were few statistics at the time to back it up). At the 1993 Senate hearings on video game violence, Sega VP tried to show that games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap were geared towards the typical Sega gamer, who was older than those who supposedly played the SNES. White cited console and game registration cards, as well as internal surveys.
Steven Kent's Ultimate History of Video Games has a great chapter on the whole thing, and it really sheds a lot of light on what made the Genesis so successful.
Push Upstairs
05-08-2006, 03:16 PM
I love those "Sega Scream" commercials.
Damn Sega for not putting a collection of all thier ads together.
Bratwurst
05-08-2006, 03:27 PM
I shouldn't have worded my last post to sound like Sega left the older crowd entirely but I wouldn't entirely buy into Sega's own claims that they were primarily for grownups. There is another layer to marketing and advertising that under the surface is a grab for another demographic entirely.
The Genesis was pushed as a svelte black machine with implications that it was for grown ups, little kids ate it up because that was cool and they wanted to be in on it. I remember one Christmas most retailers reported that the Genny + Sonic 2 combo had outsold the SNES 2 to 1- at the very least Sega successfully broadened their audience appeal. Sonic was cartoonish, brightly colored and relatively non-violent, devoid of gore. Sonic toys, Sonic cartoons, Sonic happy meals? Then the candy striped red boxes.. ..I rest my case.
Merchandizing is something else entirely. It wasn't just Sega claiming to be targeting older audience and resulting in sales. It was Sega targeting older gamers because of the sales that age group was giving it. That's why it didn't censor MK1, that's why Sega focused on sports games, that's why it started the ratings system (because of the increase in older-themed games), that's why it directed its advertising in that direction.
The reason that Sonic 2 combo outsold the SNES was precisely because of the new attitude Sega was projecting. People bought into it. Sonic was cartoonish, but was fast, hip, and had attitude; something that was in direct contrast to kid-friendly Mario. 40% of Genesis sales came from the over 18 crowd.
This isn't just speculation. It's well documented in several books and backed up by dozens of industry insiders.