Flojomojo Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Interesting choice for a protagonist -- a 40-something balding, bespectacled man in a teal/pink polo shirt. Bob Balaban in a dungeon, hunting treasure. Tan socks, sensible shoes. I'm not saying it's a WRONG choice, as it's probably smarter to go after adults with money than the "cool kids" who can't pay forty bucks for a VCS game. This dude looks more like a "gamer" than the usual Boris Vallejo oiled-up bodybuilder types. He seems happy enough. Props to Old Video Game Magazines tumblr for posting this. I always liked the game but never saw this ad before. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Never liked this game and after seeing this ad, like it even less now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Lol, I was actually sucked in by this very ad! Maybe not the protagonist, but the fact that it explained the concept of the game in that cartoon and made it sound interesting (for a 83/84 era game) Unlike most game ads of that era which just showed some screen shots and some gimmicks, rarely explaining why you'd actually want the game. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambouis de l'Atari Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Hey, is it the 8bit Guy on that ad ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ever2600 Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I remember it all to well as it was plastered all over the classic game mags back in the day. I remembered as a kid thinking, way to go douche bag, you go on an adventure and forget your backpack to hold all those diamonds? Lol. Look he is still struggling with them on like the 8th frame and then loses the crown... loser! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Mountain King showed up in this listicle about open world games. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Mountain King showed up in this listicle about open world games. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ Wow! I never would have thought of that as an open world game. I guess it does give a rather large area to explore for the time, but I can think of better examples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Not only better, but earlier examples too. Adventure, E.T., Raiders and Superman to name just a few. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 Atari Superman is so amazing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 This ad is amazing! Before I saw it I would play video games with my eyes closed, and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting any better at them. I then tried covering my ears with my hands and looking at the screen, but couldn't get my player to move. Ears AND eyes? Revolutionary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMaddog Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 The guy's bald from the damn bats constantly grabbing his crown off his head... Anyway, CBS Electronics had a nicer two page ad that actually explain all the stuff you need to do to play the game. At the time I thought it was something I wanted to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Here are some other ads from that same era. None of these would make me want to buy the games they are advertising. What sold me on "Gateway to Apshai" was that it was the only RPG-style game available in cart form, but nothing in the ad left me with that impression. I only learned that from reading a review. And was it really wise for these ads to use up to 80% of their space with kinda- pointless artwork or photograph, and just a tiny blurb on the games themselves? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambouis de l'Atari Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 And was it really wise for these ads to use up to 80% of their space with kinda- pointless artwork or photograph, and just a tiny blurb on the games themselves? That's the principle of advertising, get your attention. And at that time where a game was not just about graphics, a nice artwork is more catchy. I love the Infocom's one ! Even more obvious for them as they mostly don't have graphics to show 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 That's the principle of advertising, get your attention. And at that time where a game was not just about graphics, a nice artwork is more catchy. I love the Infocom's one ! Even more obvious for them as they mostly don't have graphics to show Yeah but look at the Epyx one in particular. Sure I'll remember seeing the ad, but I won't remember who it was for. The pic tells me nothing about the game. Epyx in tiny type at the bottome. A small blurb about gameplay. The Datamost one? Can't even remember what games they are pushing except Mr. Robot. Same with the First Star one.. Four new exciting games! Wait, what games are they again? I saw all these ads back in the day. The Mountain King one is the only one that actually sold me on a game. I eventually did own Gateway to Apshai and several Infocom titles, but it was in spite of these ads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emulator Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Never saw the TV commercial for this game until now Best regards, Emulator 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokidchser Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 I got this game back in the day, and would spend more time exploring the "hidden area" than i would actually trying to win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 The character in the advertisement reminds me of the Tourist class in NetHack, who enters the dungeon wearing a Hawaii shirt, carrying some food, a camera, a credit card and lots of money. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 The 8-bit version of this game is A list stuff. The VCS port was just ok. I love the old, weird magazine ads though. You just don't get that level of strangeness nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dk-vVlJ7Rw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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