Viewing Single Post From: Promotional VHS tapes (picture heavy)

Viewing Single Post From: Promotional VHS tapes (picture heavy)
Franklint	Mar 19 2009, 04:53 AM
Paper Mario in disguise Posts: 125 Group: Member Member #56 Joined: January 8, 2007	The Nintendo 64 era was extremely right in the middle of the VHS era. Nintendo and other third-party companies took advantage of this, and ended up creating quite the spread of Nintendo 64-related VHS tapes. The most common of these are the Nintendo Power set, which were sent out to subscribers of the magazine. These tapes contained what were basically ten-minute commercials. There was one for the Super Nintendo, that took the viewer behind the scenes of the creation of Donkey Kong Country, and four(?) for the Nintendo 64. After finding a Buy It Now listing on eBay five of them, as well as the Donkey Kong Country tape, I decided to write up this guide to assist those trying to track them down to add to their collection. Without further ado, let's take a look at the Nintendo Power tapes! 1. Banjo-Kazooie: The Adventure Begins June 29, 1998 (sent out in March-June, 1998) This is, perhaps, the most common tape in circulation, and you can easily find it to purchase on the Internet without too much trouble. Sent out by Nintendo, it shows a 10-minute overview of the game (created to make it look as appealing as possible) and features commentary by famous comedian Jon Lovitz. The video explains the plotline, before going into details of each level. It is, in all, quite an entertaining and humorous package, and I'm sure it would make me want the game if I hadn't already finished it. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://64dd.net/content/vhs/bk_promo_tape/bk_promo_tape.avi, courtesy of 64DD.net. I am looking to re-buy a copy of this, as mine has a taped-up rip in it. Does this originally ship with a subscription slip in the box? Mine didn't come with one. The box: The tape: Other box shots here: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0908.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0909.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0910.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0911.jpg 2. Diddy Kong Racing: A Wild Racing Adventure! (sent out in September-November, 1997) Also very common, although not quite so much as the Banjo-Kazooie tape, comes this publicity video for the then up-and-coming game Diddy Kong Racing. Unfortunately, this one lacks the charm of the Banjo-Kazooie one and, although it tries hard, it just comes off as cheesy with poor acting. It is presented in the manner of a current affairs-type program, supposedly broadcasting a story of a reporter attempting to shoot a report on Diddy Kong's latest adventure, getting incredibly injured, and the news team trying to get to the bottom of the game. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://64dd.net/content/vhs/dkr_promo_tape/dkr_promo_tape.avi, courtesy of 64DD.net. This tape originally shipped with a small slip in the box containing subscription details and a special deal to get a discount on said subscription as well as a free copy of an official Diddy Kong Racing strategy guide. If you're only after complete versions of these, you might want to check that any tape you're considering buying comes with this slip. The box: The tape: The subscription slip: Other box shots here: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0926.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0927.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0928.jpg 3. Rayman's Dream Team This is easily my favourite video of the lot, both because of its rarity and the content. Like the BK one, this features gameplay footage and commentary by some unknown speaker who has quite a segmented voice. It is split up into three large portions and a fourth, smaller, one. Each of the first three promotes either Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Tonic Trouble or Rocket: Robot on Wheels, and the last is a small preview of Rayman: The Animated Series. It is more blatantly a commercial than the first one, and the speaker concentrates more on discussing all the awesome stuff than what actually happens during the adventures. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEPLVhMpoyc, courtesy of RandomAccessMemories and YouTube. This one comes with two slips of paper this time. One is a special three-for-the-price-of-two deal for the games advertisted, including mail order options, which I was lucky enough to find pristine and not filled out in my copy. The other is a small piece of glossy paper advertising Rayman: The Animated Series, as seen in the recording. The box: The tape: The buy-two-get-one-free slip: The Rayman: The Animated Series slip: Other box shots here: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0916.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0917.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0918.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0919.jpg 4. Star Fox 64: Launch Date June 30, 1997 (sent out in March-June, 1997) This film is presented in the same way as the DKR one, and is similarly poorly-made. I still prefer it to the DKR one however. It tells the tale of a poor Nintendo employee who gets kidnapped by Sega and Sony employees and forced to reveal details of Nintendo's latest project, Star Fox 64. While being initally resistant, the employee (naturally) ends up telling them way more about it than they initially asked for. Later on, some professor guy who seems to have a fair bit of knowledge about the game gets kidnapped also, and they all end up having an awesome four-player battle. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://64dd.net/content/vhs/starfox_promo_tape/starfox_promo_tape.avi, courtesy of 64DD.net. This tape comes with a very similar subscription slip to that of Diddy Kong Racing, the only differences being the images and the title of the strategy guide offered. The box: The tape: The subscription slip: Other box shots here: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0932.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0933.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0935.jpg The Nintendo Power tapes were certainly not the only ones available, although they were the only ones available publicly, and by far the most common. In addition to these, Nintendo was responsible for a few promo tapes typically played in retail outlets, one or two tutorial tapes for using developer tools, and even a few included with special releases of the console. Some of these are outlined below (please note that the information is far from complete, and community efforts to expand the knowledge of this sub-niche of video game collectiong will be essential). 5. Top Gear Rally As of yet, I have not managed to watch this tape. No online version is so far available as far as I can find. As VCRs are region-locked, I'm getting an American friend who moved down here to digitalise the footage. His stuff's arriving in a week or two, so I'll be able to get a rip of the tape up then, and put a link on my website ;). Externally, the cassette is adorned with a full-size sticker proclaiming "Watch this NOW! (Because you won't get a clear view when your windshield's under 4" of mud.)". It is possible that this was a Nintendo Power-distributed tape, although I see no indicative evidence. Did this tape come with any kind of slip in the box? Mine didn't. The box: The tape: Other box shots here: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0940.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0941.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/t_IMG_0942.jpg 6. Hot Newz 64 This is one of several promo tapes that I do not currently own. It seems to be reasonably rare, but I have seen a few different sales and mentions of people owning it. It is one of the better and more professional-looking videos, and is filmed like a news presentation, with a presenter talking about Jet Force Gemini and Donkey Kong 64. He does a good job, and managed to crack a smile on my face at one point. After a spiel about the game, we jump to an amalgamation of in-game footage. We then go back to the desk, where the presenter introduces a different game expert from Team Nintendo who provides more information, and finally watch some more footage of the game with commentary from the presenter and the expert. The film is punctuated with segments of "Ask Dan", a so-called insider who has come out and revealed tips about a few games. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://au.gamespot.com/users/justjason/video_player?id=IiQ6nmT_5bgEvTE, courtesy of justjason and GameSpot. The box (courtesy of themadhatter222 on eBay): 7. Change the System (sent out prior to the N64's US launch) I know very little about this particular VHS, and it seems about the same rarity, if not a bit rarer, as the Hot Newz one. I'm actively pursuing it and will hopefully own a copy soon. It tells the tale of three of the USA's best gamers being invited by Nintendo to come and test out the system. They are told about, and play, Super Mario 64, Pilot Wings 64 and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, and enjoy the experience greatly. It's awesome to watch Ken Lobb talk about the amazing revolutions in video gaming introduced by the N64, and is generally a pretty well-made tape, despite the rather abrupt ending. This is the only recording I've seen that contains explicit footage of unreleased and prototype games, including Kirby's Air Ride and "Mario Kart R". This tape also features a slideshow of gameplay footage at the end. This may also have been a Nintendo Power release, although I have no real proof either way. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://64dd.net/content/vhs/change_the_system/change_the_system.avi, courtesy of 64DD.net. The box (courtesy of 64dd.net): 8. Nintendo 64 Introduces Three New Ways to Bring it This tape was also a free mail-out from Nintendo Power. It features long previews of Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr., 1080� Snowboarding and Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside. Presented quite well, it doesn't rely on goofy "news team" gimmicks, and sells the games effectively. Worth a watch (especially now, when the presenter goes on about the awesome graphics that aren't really awesome anymore ;)). You can find a digital version of the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K2cA_KHdkw, courtesy of RandomAccessMemories and YouTube. The box: The tape: Other box shots here: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/IMG_1296.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/IMG_1297.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/IMG_1298.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/Franklint/IMG_1299.jpg 9. Conker's Bad Fur Day promo tape This VHS came in a special pack for retailers, and was designed to be displayed in stores to promote the game. This one is quite rare, and I know only of one collector who possesses a copy. The box: The tape: The tape in its original retail box: Many thanks to Mop_it_up for the images (please tell me if you don't want them hotlinked in my post, or used at all). 10. Nintendo's "Funtastic" console series store loop This particular VHS doesn't really have a title. Indeed, it was never meant to get into the hands of consumers. As far as I am aware, there is only one copy of this tape in public circulation, and I own it. I'm just that awesome. Presented in a lovely red case, this tape was played in retail outlets stocking N64 goods. It alternates between a montage of Funtastic console shots and gameplay videos, with a voiceover, and more in-depth previews of upcoming games. After three loops of montage/preview couples, the entire video loops. This cycle continues for one hour, after which time the tape must be rewound and played from the beginning again. This was going to be a real bargain, but unfortunately it was featured on a gaming collection website I frequent, meaning that I was forced to pay my maximum bid of USD$40. I thought I should eternalise the footage by making a digital rip, and decided to share it with the community. You can find a digital version of the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owJM591rilA, courtesy of myself and YouTube. The box: The tape: I would ask that this thread not be locked, as I'll be working on this guide for a good while to come now. If anyone has any input, post in here, in the general Guides thread or PM me. I hope this helps some people out, and happy collecting!. Cheers, Franklint Edited by Franklint, Oct 16 2009, 07:02 AM.
	My have/want/trade lists: http://www.franklint.co.nr/page1/page1.html

Promotional VHS tapes (picture heavy) · Nintendo 64 Guides and FAQs