In 1993, Nintendo UK gave out a Super Mario All-Stars promotional video in the form of a VHS. Despite how odd this might sound by modern standards, at the time it was a relatively normal way of marketing video games and various other forms of entertainment to younger audiences.
The low-budget and incredibly '90s production was hosted by Craig Charles - known around the same time for playing Dave Lister in the science-fiction comedy, Red Dwarf. This VHS has now been uploaded to YouTube in its entirety by fellow Nintendo Life contributor and video game journalist, Chris Scullion, as part of a preservation project.
In it, a young Craig Charles is hanging out on a giant Nintendo spaceship that can beam down its crew to meet members of the Nintendo hotline (a telephone line active during the 1990s that players could call to talk to Nintendo game experts). Of course, being a promotional video, the marketing wasn't exactly mild, and very much matches up with Craig Charles' own tone during this era.
The video consists of a series of favourable game reviews, a history lesson on Super Mario, interviews with the Nintendo hotline staff, a part about how games are made, and even a tips and tricks segment towards the end. It has basically everything you would want to see in a '90s production, from bad fashion to an over-the-top presenter.
Tell us in the comments if you remember the glory days of the SNES and Red Dwarf.
[source youtube.com, via ganymede.tv]
Comments 44
Lots of in-your-face 'tude in this. Definitely a legit 90's video.
Looks like this could have been filmed on the set of Red Dwarf, being all cheap looking and space themed.
Lol seriously this is the first time I've ever seen this video.
I would have loved it back in the day. I even enjoyed it now 😂
This video sums up everything amazing about early 90s marketing. The host was also in Robot Wars, which I would mindlessly watch to no end. Red Dearf made it over state-side in syndication at most PBS broadcast stations, but it came on about Midnight on a Saturday. I loved watching it as a kid, but most of it was over my head. Rewatching it as an adult, and actually understanding the jokes, made a lot of things click.
I have a copy of that tape. 😄😄
A few inaccuracies there, but I'll let them off.
Fun old-school video from the days of my childhood gaming.
This is like a Direct from the 90's lol
I believe an 'A-WOOGA!' is in order.
I still have this in my attic! This was during Craig Charles's glory days.
@GrailUK surely that's a big John fashanu gladiator thing
I have two copies of this myself.
“Known around the same time for playing lister”
He is still playing lister and Red Dwarf is still alive and kicking and whilst not as good arguably - it’s still one of the best things on TV.
I refuse to accept Craig Charles without dreadlocks.
I love Red Dwarf and this video.
@BigE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLuaqNoxjro
@Katelyn1223 Craig Charles should host the next Direct for sure.
Seriously though I love this. The 90s were a great time for the industry and marketing. These data everything is so clean and crisp and only Nintendo seem to put any energy/silliness in there marketing still.
I remember having a few back in the day. One was for donkey kong country and the other was basically a let's play of Street fighter 2 before let's plays were a thing
I think this may have at some point been a pack-in with the Mario All Stars SNES SKU but I could be mixing my memories.
Is this the guy from red darwf. if so then this is amazing
@RandomDave
I had the Donkey Kong Country VHS. This was prior to having internet and it hyped me to the max for the game.
Not VHS related, but my parents bought me a SNES for Christmas. Mario All Stars was like a mail in game. We got a package prior to Christmas and I asked my dad if I could open it. He said yes. Whoops.
I had this VHS along with the Donkey Kong Country one.
Ironically what I remembered about it was the animated red carpet scenes including Peach’s semi Jessica Rabbit dress and Bowser’s shades.
People should find the Star Fox 64 one as well. Classic!
@Adamapple That sounds pretty neat!
I think I might have to buy a VHS player for my retro gaming set up, just for, you know, nostalgia.
Can't unwatch that now. Even as a kid in the nineties I would have just found that to be cringe.
Methinks many of you need the nostalgia rubbing out of your eyes, cause that is just horrid!
Love how that lad refers to Jafar as jaffa! Hahaha 😂 Best part of the whole thing.
Awesome. I had Banjo Kazooie and DK64 promo tapes. Mailed off for them, kinda wish they still did this. I’d break out the VCR for it.
@Katelyn1223 So THAT was the Nintendo Direct rumored for today! Huh, I wonder why they didn’t announce anything about Smash Ultimate...
@RandomDave I had the same street fighter 2 tape and I still took an age to be able to beat Vega as a kid.
And the Rik Mayall Links Awakening ad was sublime. Nintendo really knew how to get the big guns of British sitcoms involved back in the day
I am glad it's getting preserved. I imagine most kids these days are only vaguely familiar with VHS, much like how my generation was only vaguely familiar with vinyl records and 8-Track tapes. I remember thinking how cool my cousin was, when she had her own 9 inch combo TV/VHS player in her room. I remember how awesome it was when my parents bought me a 13 inch color TV and gave me the old VHS play from the living room after the had bought a new one. I specify color because we still had a black and white TV in the basement. Ah middle school! Really incredible how technology has changed over my relatively short life. I am only 26 but looking at how much tech has chanced since I was 6, it's really mind blowing!
Ha ha, I watched most of that now and enjoyed that. I felt like the games were new again. Video is perfect for kids, that's for sure.
@EightBitMan Would love it if Nintendo Life handled review scores in the same way as the old UK magazines did, by giving individual aspects like graphics, sound, presentation, gameplay, and longevity individual scores.
Indie games would have a hard time with the score for graphics.
I used to look forward to the E3 videos that got attached to magazines with all the trailers.
WAY past cool!
I'm listening to Craig Charles on the 6 Music breakfast show right now. His bed music on the radio is considerably funkier...
Found a copy of this in a charity shop 9 years ago. So happy I kept it all this time.
Oh right, they don't call him Mario in the UK, they call him Mare-io. And they have some game called Starwing. xD
God I hated PAL games. They were slow, they sometimes had their names changed to something more lame, and they had that crap "Original" Nintendo Seal of Quality instead of the OFFICIAL Seal of Quality on the cover.
@GrailUK why?
@Crono1973 not really. Look at octopath traveller, very low tech but unbelievable design. It’s nkt all about graphical grunt, but art design too. By the same measure that monster hunter world is pushing a lot of polygons and textures, but looks boring and unimpressive
@KingSandyRavaghttps: Because it was his catch phrase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIwKKwtKpbs
(About 52 seconds in)
Craig did it so much better than that pretender John Fashanu!
@BigE Man john Fashanu ripped it off! (see above comment!)
I ordered for me from the british eBay, so one copy is in Hungary. Otherwise this video is totally insane.
Gonna check this out. 80's/90's were awesome for product advertising.
I had a Sega VHS around the time of the whole Sega 'Pirate TV' ad campaign for the Mega CD, guess that was around the same time this emerged. It worked on me, I bought the original Mega CD ( still don't like the look of the Mega CD 2, like a Panini press).
"Shigarow Maiamoto"
Good lord
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