SNES marketing.jpg
Image: elcalce.com

With the Super NES / SNES reaching its 25th Anniversary in North America on 23rd September, we've been reminiscing over the 16-bit powerhouse a lot, and let our minds drift to the advertising that Nintendo used for the system.

It was... quirky, though that is a comment admittedly made through a modern lens. After all, the '90s looks pretty goofy when viewed from 2016, even to the likes of this writer who grew up in the decade. Yet there was a fantastic mix of cockiness and weirdness that typified Nintendo's adverts / commercials from this period, regardless of region.

So let's look at some examples - one of the most famous commercials features Paul Rudd (who's aged well, to be fair) rocking it out with a SNES in an abandoned outdoor cinema, or something. Well, it impressed some kids watching from the fence.

Next up we have a compilation brought together by Jose Aleixo, which includes a mix of regions and game showcases - we particularly like the '24 Megs' obsession in Super Metroid ads; back then that was a big game, not a GIF file size.

Then we have a top 10 collection by Desthetic; a standout here is an impressive Super Mario Kart animated effort.

UK gamers in this era were treated to some particularly bonkers adverts courtesy of the late great Rik Mayall, who jokingly dubbed a house 'Nintendo Towers' as it was purchased with the extravagant fees he received for the work. It's anarchic British comedy with a bit of SNES or Game Boy thrown in; we dedicated a whole feature to these adverts, but one of our favourites is below.

Last but most definitely not least is a Japanese commercial for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, dug up by Zelda Dungeon. It is, in a word, amazing. A female Link (we're pretty sure, despite fuzzy video quality) busts out Michael Jackson's best moves to fight Ganon with the power of dance. That is actually what happens, check it out.

They don't make commercials like they used to, clearly. Let us know which one's your favourite in the comments!