Some time ago I've started working on an article (for Polish website - Adventurescope/Przygodoskop) about adventure game ads. Currently the second part is available on-line, so I think this is a good moment to share it with the English speaking part of the world. Yeah, I know. It's in Polish. But fortunately you don't need to understand the language to click through the ads. So, if you're interested in this kind of material, I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.

Link to part one:
http://www.przygodoskop.pl/rzutokiem/11-03-06.htm

Link to part two:
http://www.przygodoskop.pl/rzutokiem/11-04-05.htm

Part three should be available in the next couple of weeks... or months.

Thanks Elum.

Opera tells you that the page appears to be in Polish and gives you the option to translate. Did a pretty good job, too. (I'll admit that sometimes it's told me that a page in English appears to be in Norwegian. Bad grammar, maybe? <g>)

Very interesting, Elum! I especially liked the ad for Hell. "Sinned Lately?" Lol! When I have a little more time, I'll go back and take a longer look.

Btw, the translator couldn't cope with this: przegadanej. Any idea what it means?

Gil.

These ads bring back great gaming memories from the 90's.

I actually owned a Philips CD-i player (with the DV cartridge), and I think I still have it somewhere amongst all the old stuff.

It was nice to see the ad for Burn:Cycle. That was one of the best games on CD-i, and way better than many games on other consoles at that time.

Noticed your work before, and considered it quite a nice idea, esp. for collectors and those who
are interested in the history of games (would be nice if sources/dates are added). Very nice to see the difference between the ads, some are quite good, some a bit easy (Leather Goddesses). I thought I had heard the idea behind the last one (the toilet seat/sound) before... Myst? but memory may not serve me. Nice too see the Obsidian ad too, I see now they are the same as the postcards they made (Indeed, like you say, sad it went this way with the game in spite of all the exposure. It's an unique game in terms of puzzle design). Timelapse is a great ad too. Looking forward to the third edition!

I'm not sure but I think "przegadanej" can be translated as "verbose". In other words, Hell in my opinion has the most boring/uninteresting dialogues in the history of adventure gaming.


Really? You've visited Przygodoskop before? But you're not from Poland?

As for the sources - If I remember correctly almost all of the ads were taken from Computer Gaming World. Only one of the Discworld II ads and Master of Dimensions came from PC Gamer.

Adding dates - that's also a good idea, but unfortunately right now it will be hard for me to find them all.

Thanks, Elum !!

Enjoyed those selections immensely

No not from Poland, but another "land," and I wouldn't swear that it was "Przygodoskop" (;-) but I saved the url when I found the page when I was looking for info about some game (don't remember which one it was).
Yes, that's the positive side of Google, you can find almost anything. About adding the dates of the ads etc.: it is just that I think that we should try to preserve as much as possible. E.g. other people visit the pages, think that are nice trivia for xxxx etc...

PS It was Myst after all, the guys from the ad must have used it. Just found this quote in another forum (didn't check the Making of Myst, though I have the video somewhere):
"Some of the sounds in the original Myst soundtrack were made by blowing bubbles in a toilet with a plastic tube stuck down in the trap. Not kidding, I saw the "making of Myst" years ago when I got the game version with the extra "making of" movies."


edit: misspelled something ;-)

Elum. Very good.

That was fun Elum, thanks!

PS I am 1/2 Polish from my Dad's side of the family but have never learned to speak the language. I've always wanted to learn though, this kind of thing makes me even more interested.

dzienkuje!

Tracy

If You're interested, part three of the article is now finished. You can find it RIGHT HERE.

Thanks Elum -- more memories! And regrets -- Star Trek Vulcan Fury!

I wonder how many people here have actually completed Of Light and Darkness.

Fantastic, Elum! I loved the one for The Last Express and the ads for Mask (The Mask?) are terrific! But did you notice that the last one for Mask has the text reversed? I assume that wasn't intentional. Or was it?

Gil.

Boy, that brought back memories! I haven't thought about The Dark Eye for quite some time. A very different, but also quite good, game. I'm still trying to remember if I played Of Light and Goodness; it sounds so familiar to me.

I recognize the box art on some of them.
I never saw any of those advertised in a store other than displaying the box though. were some of those posters for the game? Or ads in game magazines?


There's a playthrough on Youtube if you want to refresh your memory. The first installment of the playthrough is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW-kypctBuE

I have Of Light and Darkness for many years, but never played it. This is an inspiration to do so.

Elum thanks for sharing. That is really neat!

Once again, thanks for all Your nice comments.


If you look at the bottom of that advertisement You'll see that the website adress isn't reversed.


These are all advertisements found in magazines (mostly in Computer Gaming World and PC Gamer).

Thanks for the link, Jenny. I did NOT play the game (would have remembered that!), but I do have the game hanging around somewhere since I found it on my master game list.

Thank you Elum


Very strange different Ads for Riven in part 3