/vr/ - Retro Games

you know it was intentional right?

for much the same reason that the conductor for the children's choir for the mother vocal album instructed them to sing "lie, lie, lie"

>>2809946

>implying that a magazine designs the ads it prints

you aren't the brightest light on the xmas tree are you?

>>2809953
>the conductor for the children's choir for the mother vocal album instructed them to sing "lie, lie, lie"
wat

>>2809953
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDURMpYSLXE
When the fuck do they sing that?

how were they supposed to promote a shitty le quirky rpg like earthbound?

>>2809959
skip to 41:50

>>2809963
That's La La La you deaf retard.

>>2809962
This. Even in Japan it was only ever successful because it was advertised as MEDIA PERSONALITY ITOI WACKY ADVENTURES. Hell, the ad motto is literally "muh feelz". Since nobody gives a fuck about Itoi in America and appeal to feelings was rightfully seen as an idiotic way to advertise a video game, the closest they could get was proto ironic shitposting.

>>2809946
You have to remember that, in the mid 90's, ALL advertising was snarky or sarcastic in some way. I had actually forgotten all about it, until I found an old cassette tape I recorded in '95 of a radio broadcast with commercials. Most of the commercials were either sarcastic or featured a woman sounding like Daria shilling various products. I don't know how anybody sold anything back then.

No one wanted an RPG with a shitty battle mode that forced you to listen to the TEQUILA song a million times... The game didn't sell well because there were better games coming out for the system at the time. It didn't catch on until SNES enthusiasts literally started running out of shit to play.

>>2809946
Remind this is how they advertised Yoshi's Island in United Kekolds of Clapkhstan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPJJQHF4tTo

Earthbound sold 140,000 copies, which is actually quite a bit. One of the many reasons it's the most common rare game.

>>2809946
You're forgetting the scratch and sniff ads.
They weren't satisfied with associating ugliness with the game, but disgusting smells as well.
It certainly was a terrible ad campaign.

earthbound's best advertising was having a bigger box than any other game on the shelves

>>2810250
Those were included with the game

>2809962
>2809968
Pure shitposting. No (You)s for that.

>>2809946
Mid to late 90s advertising was just nasty in general. For over a decade I couldn't even remember which game this ad was advertising but I sure as hell remembered the disfigured hand.

>>2809983
Holy shit! Just reached into some deep subconscious memories. I always remembered this commercial as a kid, but don't remember it being related to SMW2. Thanks anon, this took me back to some good times.

>>2809983
I will never not be mad about them disgracing my favorite game of all time like this (as far as ads go)

I'm glad it did as well as it did but I was so pissed after seeing this. Luckily even I missed it as a kid, as did a lot of friends, but still.

>>2809946

I remember this, and the smell vividly.

I say smell because they did smell the same, and just like stale rose-water.

When the issue was fresh enough however, the smell of the zine pages were strong enough to over power the scratchers.

TL;DR -- marketing failed.

>>2809946
>This was probably the reason it sold like shit in America

Ah, good old lies that fanbases tell themselves. Ever thought that maybe just the game wasn't appealing to mainstream consumers?

Occam's razor?

>>2810605
Shut the hell up /v/ermin.

>>2810605
It was a JRPG on SNES. The only reason it didn't sell well is because it was too unique.

>>2810642
I'd sooner blame the NES-esque graphics that were being kicked all over the place by everything else.

>>2810642
JRPGS on SNES sold like shit on the US

>DUDE GNARLY I NEED TO GET MY HANDS ON THAT GAME WEEKEEWEEKEEWEE

>>2810250
WTF what is the obsession with bad smells,i dont get what that has to do with earthbound.

>>2809983
I remember this and I'm not even British. Was it a Nintendo Europe thing?

>>2810725
The EU didn't even get Earthbound, why would they run adverts for it?

>>2810737
But the video I was quoting isn't an Earthbound advert

>>2810742
I've been awake so long and didn't see the quote, sorry.

>>2810258
This. It's the same type of stunt that Jim Davis pulled to make his Garfield books standout in stores.

>>2810695
ur mom sold like shit in the us

>>2809946
I remember this ad from EGM, and having literally zero interest in the game.

When I did finally get around to plying it about a decade later, still had about zero interest.

>>2811083
Don't fucking act like you're me you fucking shithead

>>2810695
Really? I was under the impression they were relatively popular, until the PS1 came along.

>>2811097
that's what ur mum said last night

Earthbound is a great game. Calm down James.

>>2811092
Yes. this was my experience with it as well.

I honestly still don't see why people think this game is so special, it's just Dragon Warrior without the dragons.

>>2811137
Guess how many people in the West played Earthbound before Dragon Quest though, after RPGs really took off?

Myself included.

>>2811145
Considering how many people got Dragon Warrior for free, I'd still say Dragon Warrior was a more popular franchise in the west than Earthbound.

The sorts of people you're referring to are the same sort of people who don't remember or don't know what life was like before internet.

>>2810258
>implying you saw the box at all before purchase