Commercial Break – 2/9/13

Computer-generated imagery, circa 1984. And by “computer-generated,” I mean “I would joke that someone made this commercial in MS Paint, except the program didn’t even exist until the following year.”

Nintendo 3DS? 3D TV? How about SEGAScope 3D?

This is apparently the same sort of liquid-crystal shutter technology Nintendo used in their own Famicom 3D System in Japan, and the two are said to be more or less interchangeable. Not only that, but the 3D effect itself was supposed to be pretty good.

As it happens, Rad Racer for the NES was such a game to use the 3D System, but since it wasn’t released here, we wound up with a bizarre, headache-inducing version which used cheap plastic red/blue-lens glasses instead which didn’t even come close to approximating the effect.

Also: Mandatory “Square Enix needs to bring back Rad Racer comment.

I remember British Knights, though mostly for advertising on Nickelodeon constantly. Then again, the ads I remember there used a version of “Hammer Time” by M.C. Hammer that was rewritten to pitch the shoes in its lyrics.

Strangely enough, I never seem to hear about them these days despite still being around. But then, I’m not exactly a shoe aficionado, so that could probably be part of it.

And finally, we have the point where Nintendo finally had enough of SEGA’s trash-talking crap and injected their ad campaigns with pure 90’s attitude, giving us ads featuring the Butthole Surfers, lots of censored swearing, and a Yoshi’s Island commercial featuring a guy eating ’til he bursts… literally. And it all began here, if memory serves.

I’ll admit it: At the time, I was really into these ads, though it was more because I was tired of SEGA’s smack-talking and wanted to see Nintendo clobber them. While the ads make an interesting curio today, they apparently worked, though internal conflict between SEGA’s American and Japanese branches probably helped.

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.