Video game advertising has had a strange and tumultuous history. Game consoles were advertised as fun machines for the whole family when they were first introduced. However, following the Western games crash of 1983, Nintendo of America focused all of its marketing attention on boys.

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This eventually culminated in a period of video game advertising that was generally crass, offensive, and downright embarrassing. Thankfully, many of these attitudes were phased out over time as the industry wised up to the fact that gaming is for everyone. Unfortunately, however, a terrible ad will still slip through the cracks now and then.

Mention of assault ahead concerning an incredibly problematic advertising campaign. Proceed with caution.

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There was once a time when execs constantly used rap to try to appeal to kids. However, the use of the genre in The Legend of Zelda's North American commercial is hilariously incongruous with the tone of the fantasy franchise.

What's amazing is that this ad isn't even the only time anachronistic music was used for advertising a Zelda title as a Japanese Link to the Past ad features rap and a full-blown dance number with Link showcasing his sick moves alongside the cast of the game. Both commercials are ridiculous, but strangely endearing.

9 Many Mascot Characters Failed To Make Mario Move Over

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Mario opened the floodgates for several cartoon mascot platformers that tried to take the throne from Nintendo's portly plumber. While Characters like Crash Bandicoot, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Ratchet & Clank have managed to stay alive by doing their own thing, many of these would-be mascots faded into obscurity.

What makes these fates even funnier is that many print and TV ads depicted thinly disguised expires of these platforming giants getting beaten or even eaten by a character being pushed as the next big thing. Yet, despite all this bravado, Mario is still around while Croc, Ty the Tazmanian Tiger, and Bubsy are a thing of the past.

8 Dead Space 2's Attempts At Controversy Were Hopelessly Quaint

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In a campaign that felt like something out of the 90s, viral commercials for Dead Space 2 consisted of several mothers watching visceral scenes from the M-rated horror title and responding with sheer disapproval. In the past, controversy from moral guardians caused titles like Night Trap and Mortal Kombat to fly off the shelves, but hardly anyone over the age of 17 would care about buying a violent game to stick it to their parents.

Even sillier is that studies show more adult women play video games than teenage boys, meaning more moms were likely playing Dead Space 2 than the teens these ads were trying to court.

7 Blur Couldn't Keep Up With The Big Boys

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In an ill-conceived ad that likely contributed to the game's financial failure, a character from a Mario Kart parody looks forlornly beyond a gate to see realistic cars racing. The commercial concludes with a voiceover proclaiming, "race like a big boy." There's no gameplay footage to be seen, and it very likely alienated racing fans who would have supported it by throwing shade at the big N.

Ironically, after the game flopped and Bizarre Creations was shuttered, Gareth Wilson joined Sumo Digital - developer of the Sonic All-Stars Racing titles that took more than a few cues from Mario Kart.

6 Yoshi's Island Indulges In Something Completely Different

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When gamers mention Yoshi's Island for the Super Nintendo, some choice descriptors might be "whimsical," "lighthearted," and "magical." Unfortunately, these words cannot be used to describe the Mr. Creosote sketch from the 1983 film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life which depicts a man who overeats while retching, eventually exploding after accepting a "wafer-thin mint."

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It's famously the only scene in film history that made provocative filmmaker Quentin Tarantino queasy. For reasons beyond understanding, Nintendo thought that the perfect way to advertise the storybook-like Yoshi's Island would be with an homage to this very sketch.

5 So Many Ads Subscribed To The Adage: Sex Sells

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It can't be overstated how many video game ads tried to use sex to sell their products during the 90s to 2000s. North American Neo Geo ads were infamous for this, with one example featuring a woman in lingerie with a pouty face as her husband is playing in the background with the caption "I Remember when he couldn't keep his hands off of me!" Many of these were outright harmful, with the Sudeki ad depicting its heroine and a caption telling players to "Pray for a full-frontal assault."

There was even one time when Sega of America signed off on a print ad that featured a naked woman with screenshots of Saturn titles covering her body.

4 Mighty No 9 Is A Masterclass In Bad Marketing

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Despite an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign, Mighty No. 9 faced a troubled and protracted development. A gameplay trailer titled Masterclass was released to appease backers, but it only served to exacerbate their dread. In addition, the game's visual shortcomings, such as the lousy textures, low poly models, and explosion effects that looked like pizza, were heavily lampooned on social media.

Fans also didn't take kindly to the narrator, who spouted terrible jokes throughout the whole thing. The most commonly quoted witticism was the much-maligned promise to "make the bad guys cry like an anime fan on prom night."

3 The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time's Ad Is Held Back By Some Sexism

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Ironically, the commercial for The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is executed very well at first. Game footage is featured prominently, set to Basil Poledouris' majestic score to Conan the Barbarian, and does a phenomenal job presenting the game as a fantasy epic that no gamer should miss.

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Unfortunately, all of this is undone with the final lines of text, which asks, "Willst thou get the girl, or play like one?" It's exclusionary, unfunny, and it ruins almost all the goodwill the ad had built up to that point.

2 Dead Or Alive Beach Volleyball Gives Up The Pretense Entirely

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Much like Mortal Kombat, Dead or Alive used deliberately provocative imagery to stand out from the competition. However, Tecmo's stock-in-trade was a hefty dose of cheesecake instead of violence. Many have rightfully criticized the DoA3 commercial that features the now immortal "She kicks high" quote.

However, as crass as it is, there's at least a sense of self-awareness with the two guys comically trying to rationalize their enjoyment of the game out of their love for a good fight. On the other hand, Extreme Beach Volleyball gives up the pretense entirely to show a bunch of dudes leering at the cast, mouth agape and smiling all the while.

1 Daikatana Promised That Players Would Rhyme With Witch

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With his newly formed studio and a reputation of FPS classics under his belt, John Romero had everything to lose during the making of Daikatana. Unfortunately, development wasn't proceeding smoothly, and gamers were getting anxious. In a mistake that'll likely haunt Romero for the rest of his days, Ion Storm reluctantly signed off on a print ad that showcased no screenshots or promo art whatsoever.

All it featured was a red background with text that read, "JOHN ROMERO'S ABOUT TO MAKE YOU HIS B****," with the Eidos and Ion Storm logos on the bottom accompanied by the tagline "Suck It Down," which is trademarked, incidentally.

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