Sonic Advance (Gameboy Advance)

Sonic is back! He’s running around helping gamers find money, giving them a chance to look up a women’s skirt, and even saving a child from being hit by a car! Or is he saving an ant from being stepped on? Either way, Sonic is helping someone do something. While its not exactly clear what SEGA was trying to tell gamers Sonic would do for them if they bought Sonic Advance, it’s clear he did a few things that might not go over well in the US. While everyone likes finding money, helping a kid look up a women’s skirt may be a bit much for Sonic to do in America. Parents in the US may not think Sonic is “Magical!” if he helps hormonal boys look up women’s skirts, in fact they may be a bit upset. Cultural differences may play a larger role in how the content of commercials is perceived, as simple fun or as something inappropriate. Saving a child from being hit by a car is great! Accidentally saving a child while protecting an ant from being stepped on not so much, but the end result is the same so who cares! This Sonic Advance commercial raises some interesting questions and points out how some situations can be perceived differently from country to country. Weird commercial tip #29, costumes make people smile, smiling people buy video games.

Super Mario Bros. 2 & The Legend of Zelda (Famicom Disk System)

Yelling is another popular way to get attention for a commercial, especially if an argument can be taking place. Imagine sitting at home when voices start yelling from your TV about the wonders of Disk-kun. Disk-kun is a legendary figure in some video game circles, yet a lot of North American gamers don’t know his true history. The strategy in this commercial is being loud, sell games, period. Show a little footage here and there, but get their attention by being loud, then capture their imagination with some clips from the game. Both games were in no doubt need of little advertising as they had a cult following in Japan after the first games in their series came out on the Famicom. The Famicom Disk System is still one of the most interesting attachments for a video game system, and had some good games with exclusive content available on the disks. The man and the girl just seem to love yelling about how great the games are. Weird commercial tip #37, yelling gets attention, and attentive people buy video games.

Tetris Flash (Famicom)

Making a commercial stand out is how to sell products, having a person in a costume yelling is a great way to combine tried and true methods for success. Costumes make people smile and yelling gets attention so having both can’t hurt! Another great strategy is to keep repeating the name of the game for sale over and over; “Tet-er-risss Flasssssh” helps people remember the name of the game easily. It’s all about getting a lot of attention and trying to make your game look interesting. Add in the fact that the man’s costume changes from the letters “T’ and “F” when he says the game’s name and you’ve got commercial gold. While all gamers know that L block is the coolest video game character ever, this commercial does a good job of keeping a gamers attention for the whole thing. Weird commercial tip #128, make it memorable, make some profit.

While other countries have shown some promise, Japan definitely leads the way in weird video game commercials. Don’t forget to check out the other great commercials in parts 1, 2, and 3 of the Video Game Commercials Hall of Fame Series. Stay tuned for more wacky video game commercials from Japan and all over the world, here on the Pink Gorilla blog!

The Video Game Commercials Hall of Fame Articles:

Video Game Commercials Hall of Fame

Video Game Commercials Hall of Fame: Part Two: Have You Played Atari Today?

Video Game Commercials Hall of Fame: Part 3: International Edition