This new ad for Star Fox Zero almost is enough to renew my interest in the Star Fox series

Sorry, I'm wasn't trying to be a dick when I came up with the headline above. The fact is, though, I haven't been all that interested in Star Fox series since I played through its Nintendo 64 installment.

I've wanted to be interested in it, though, I swear. I even contemplated picking up the DS iteration before hearing it wasn't worth the price of admission.



Does that mean I'd buy a copy of Star Fox Zero if it intrigued me more than it currently does? Probably not, but that's mainly because I don't own a Wii U system at the moment.

How about all of you? Do any of you find this upcoming release appealing enough to want to add it to your collection? If so, what is it about the game that has you feeling this way?

Seven ways you can celebrate the 27th anniversary of the PC Engine's release

In a perfect world, this post would include 27 ways to celebrate the 27th anniversary of the PC Engine's Japanese launch day, which occurred on Oct. 30, 1987. Instead, it includes just seven.

Still, that should be more than enough to allow all who are interested in honoring the release of what I consider to be the coolest-looking console ever to see the light of day to do their thing.

1. Play one of the two games that launched alongside the diminutive system in Japan--That would mean playing either Bikkuriman World or Shanghai. Personally, I'd go for the former, which is an ancient, but still immensely fun, side-scrolling platformer.



2. Pick up one of the handful of PC Engine titles that can be found on the PlayStation Store--My suggestions, especially for folks who have little experience with this console and its catalog of games: Bomberman '94, Galaga '88 or PC Genjin 2 (Bonk's Revenge in North America).

3. Buy one of the PC Engine games that are available on the Wii eShop--The previously Japan-only Battle Lode Runner is my top choice here, although Akumajou Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is a worthwhile option, too.



4. Ogle some photos of the original system and its packaging--A good number of them can be found on my Flickr photostream. (Sadly, I no longer own the white PC Engine that is showcased throughout.)

5. Read a couple of the "Second Chances" posts I've written about PC Engine games--If you're not sure where to start, I'd recommend the ones devoted to Gokuraku! Chuka Taisen, Hana Tāka Daka!? and Jigoku Meguri.



6. Virtually flip through a few of the instruction manuals made for its games--My personal favorites: Don Doko Don, Mizubaku Daibouken, The New Zealand Story and PC Genjin 2.

7. Watch one of these wacky Japanese TV commercials--This one, for PC Genjin 2, probably is the best of the bunch, although this one (for Kato-chan & Ken-chan) and this one (for The Kung Fu) also are a lot of fun.

See also: 'Five TurboGrafx-16 memories in honor of the system's 25th anniversary'

Like seemingly everyone else on the planet, I'm completely smitten with Nintendo of Japan's latest TV commercial (for the new 3DS)

I actually have a lot to say about the wacky TV spot that can be enjoyed below (and here), but all of it was rather eloquently summed up by NeoGAF user Oersted when he/she said the following earlier today: "Pretty much the Nintendo I want. No acting tough and serious. We are colourful, suck it."



Will this commercial prompt hundreds of thousands--or more--of Japanese citizens to race out and pick up one of the new 3DS systems that will hit store shelves in that region in just over a week (on Oct. 11, to be exact)? I have no idea, but it certainly has me contemplating buying one ASAP.

Impossibly, I'd never seen this crazy Japanese TV commercial for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past before yesterday

Now that I've seen it, I'd really like to know how TV viewers at the time received it. Did they consider it corny or cheesy, as most of us surely would today, or did they consider it kind of cool?

Or maybe the target audience simply reacted to it with awe, which is how I probably would have reacted to it. It did, after all, herald the coming of a new entry in the Legend of Zelda series.



You know what? Now I'm thinking Nintendo of Japan should've made a sequel to this commercial in order to promote last year's A Link Between Worlds. Doing so certainly couldn't have hurt.

See also: 'The Great Gaymathon Review #64: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)'

Square Enix's curious Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call commercial

If I told you Square Enix just released a minute-long TV commercial for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call that features only 14 seconds of gameplay footage, would you be shocked?

Oh, and those 14 seconds of gameplay footage don't show up until the end of said ad, with the first 46 seconds consisting of famous scenes and music pulled from every Final Fantasy title that's seen the light of day so far, including a few spin-offs.



Not that I'm complaining. I actually really like the spot--although I can't help but wonder how effective it'll be at prompting sales of the 3DS game it's supposed to promote.

See also: my 'Great Gaymathon' review of the first Theatrhythm Final Fantasy title

In case you're wondering, the text in this Japanese TV ad translates to: 'Bryan, get off your lazy ass and play Contact for Nintendo DS'

While writing up this blog post earlier in the week, I came across the following commercial for the Japanese release of Grasshopper Manufacture's dual-screened RPG, Contact.

For all sorts of reasons--the first glimpse of "the Professor," the Mother-esque graphics, the music--it got my heart pumping.



It also prompted me to slap myself--solidly and repeatedly--for failing to even pop the cart into my trusty DS Lite (true story: I don't like to play DS games on my 3DS) despite the fact that I've owned a copy of the Euro release since January.

I'm going to do my best to change that soon (possibly as part of my "Baby Got Back(log)" series), though, as I have a feeling it's going to blow me away just like another long-overlooked DS title, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, did a few months ago.

I really hope Sony promotes the North American release of Tokyo Jungle with an ad like this

The folks at Sony recently prepped a special TV commercial to celebrate the fact that Japanese sales of their crazy-survival-action-game-starring-a-bunch-of-animals, Tokyo Jungle, have topped the 200,000 mark.

Will the game move that many copies after it lands on our shores? It wouldn't surprise me in the least given the amount of interest it's garnered since it was announced in 2010.

What would surprise me: Sony's North American arm promoting the localized release of Tokyo Jungle with an ad like the one below. Or promoting it at all.



That's not a jab at Sony, by the way. I just see this as being a game the company tries to sell via word of mouth.

Regardless, I hope we hear more about the Western release of Tokyo Jungle soon, as all we know at the moment is that it's on its way (but when?) and that it'll likely be released digitally.

(Via andriasang.com)

The world's greatest tennis player is now promoting Wii Sports

No, I'm not talking about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or even Serena Williams. I'm talking about the peerless--and often ponytailed--winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, Steffi Graf.

Admittedly, the blond, leggy German stopped playing the sport more than a decade ago, but I'm a firm believer that if she re-entered the pro game today she'd quickly return to the top of the rankings--despite being 42.


Stefanie Graf on WhoSay

That's all well and good, but you'd probably like to know how Graf is, as this post's headline suggests, promoting Wii Sports, right? Well, she's doing so in a series of TV ads--including the one above--that will be aired inter- nationally (which I'm guessing means throughout Europe and not in the US), according to a recent post on her official website.

Although I think it's a pretty by-the-numbers Wii commercial, I can't help but like the smile and wink the mother of two--and wife of Andre Agassi--aims at viewers in the ad's waning seconds.

China Warrior + Takahashi Meijin + toy turtles = one awesome PC Engine commercial

True story: I've never played Hudson's oft-criticized, PC Engine-based fighter, China Warrior (known as The Kung Fu in Japan).

I'm actually planning to right that wrong soon, but until that day arrives I'll content myself by watching and re-watching the following commercial, which features, at one point, Takahashi Meijin and a quartet of toy turtles.



Hopefully it's made clear to folks who understand Japanese why the "16 shots per second" star is shown, in a commercial that was supposed to prompt gamers to run out and buy a side-scrolling brawler, sitting atop a pile of said reptiles?

Note: This post originally appeared on my other gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.

Japan's crazy Super Mario 3D Land commercial

Super Mario 3D Land will hit the streets in the Land of the Rising Sun in just a few weeks (on Nov. 3, to be exact). As such, Nintendo's Japanese arm is revving its promotional engines in the hopes of piquing the public's interest in their mustachioed plumber's first 3DS-based adventure.

I don't know if the following commercial will catch the attention of Japanese consumers, but it's certainly caught the attention of this consumer.



Here's a far more conventional commercial for Super Mario 3D Land, if that's what you're after.



Super Mario 3D Land will be released in North America on Nov. 13, by the way. (It'll follow suit throughout Europe on Nov. 18 and in Australia on Nov. 24.) Pre-order it here.

Famicommercials

I've rarely met a Japanese gaming commercial I didn't like. Retro ones, especially. I think it's because so many of them are equal parts earnest and, well, bat-shit crazy.

The one below, for the Famicom Disk System version of Metroid, is a good example, although it's definitely more serious than silly.



This ad was nabbed from the recently launched tumblog known as FC.CM ("a collection of commercials relating to the Nintendo Famicom"), by the way.

If you decide to pay it a visit (and I sincerely hope you will), be sure to check out the commercial for the Korean version of the Famicom/NES (called the Hyundai Comboy).

Hasta la vista, Google AdSense

As I'm sure you could tell as soon as you visited today, this is once again an ad-free blog.

I promised when I added Google AdSense to the site that if the ads didn't help me earn enough to buy an extra game or two a month I'd get rid of them.

Well, not only didn't the ads earn me enough to buy a game in the last month, they didn't earn me enough to buy a pack of gum! So, away they go.

Although I'll likely give them a second chance at some point in the future, for the time being this blog will be free of those oh-so-helpful ads that try to get you to buy heartburn meds or invest in retirement homes.  

'Adventure is on the horizon!'

You've just got to love this "classic" Game & Watch commercial.

I mean, it features the Mary-oh brothers (I've always gotten a kick out of that pronunciation), twins dressed in matching outfits and a reminder that the multi- and wide-screened systems can be used to tell time. (I guess that's where the "watch" part of Game & Watch comes into play, huh?)



See also: 'The Great Gaymathon Review #31: Game & Watch Collection (DS)'

Robin Williams' beard, daughter star in adorable Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D ad

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will hit store shelves around North America in just a few days--on June 19, to be exact (pre-order it here)--and the folks at Nintendo want everyone who's ever watched and enjoyed Mrs. Doubtfire to know about it. At least, that's the impression I had after watching the following commercial:



All kidding aside, I think the commercial is pretty darn cute. Sure, Robin Williams looks kind of like a hobo, but his obvious affection for both his daughter and The Legend of Zelda make it easy to overlook that fact.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

The Gay Gamer x Tiny Cartridge, take one

The first of four posts written by yours truly has been published over at Tiny Cartridge. (Here's a direct link to it.)

It's a quippy little post about how I think the folks at Nintendo may want to reconsider how they're marketing the 3DS--with a quirky ad for the GameBoy Camera (aka Pocket Camera) serving as a somewhat-tongue-in-cheek example of the direction they could take things in the future.

If you think that sounds like a fun read, head over to tinycartidge.com when you have a chance.

Would this ad have prompted more Americans to purchase a TurboDuo?

Probably not, but it couldn’t have hurt.



The folks at NEC (or TTI) would have had to redo the commercial’s song, though, since I can’t make out most of what’s being said in the current version.

I can hear, “let’s spend the night together!” at the beginning, for instance, and then the next thing I can make out is, “together having fun”--which comes just before the oh-so-cheerful chorus. The only other part I understand is the last line: “Look on the bright side of your life!”

All that said, I’ve watched the darn thing about 10 times now, so clearly it can be enjoyed quite a bit despite the language difficulties.

The world's sexiest tennis player, eh?

When I first saw the following commercial--which seemingly is being used to promote the Move-enabled PS3 version of Top Spin 4--I thought it was cheesy and tasteless.



Then I realized I would have reacted quite differently if it had featured, say, a shirtless Rafael Nadal or Fernando Verdasco rather than a Spandex-clad Serena Williams.

Dear Harmonix: Please make a Lady Gaga version of this Dance Central ad for the US

Actually, I can't imagine enjoying a Lady Gaga version of the following ad even half as much as I enjoy the current, Kylie-fronted iteration, but Ms. Minogue probably isn't popular enough here in the States to make such an extravagant commercial worthwhile to the folks at Harmonix.



I'd ask for a Madonna version, but you know she'd never agree to such a thing. Even if she did, though, the folks behind the commercial surely would have to change up the story a bit, as La Ciccone would never allow herself to be locked in her dressing room like that.

(Via towleroad.com by way of joemygod.blogspot.com)

This ain't your Mother's game ad

This rather epic, if a bit corny, commercial was used to promote Shigesato Itoi's Mother (aka EarthBound Zero) prior to its Japanese release in 1989.



After spending some quality time with the game over the last week, I can't help but think about how it would have fared in the US--had it been released in, say, 1990 or 1991.

Given its all-American hero, setting and story--not to mention its humor--I have a feeling it would have sold better than Nintendo of America's marketing execs believed at the time.

I wonder if Nintendo will promote The Last Story this way in the States?

That's assuming, of course, this Mistwalker-developed RPG is released in North America at some point.

Even if it is (and, sadly, that's a big if), I highly doubt the marketing folks at Nintendo of America will promote it using a commercial that's anything like the third one in the clip below (skip to the one-minute mark)--although I'd love to be proven wrong.



(Via superpunch.blogspot.com)