retro gaming ads | early marvel

Early video game ads didn't have the hot-shot graphics that we have today. Advertising for these games was nothing short of a marketing swindle with artwork that really had nothing to do with the game in question. None more-so-than early Marvel titles for the Atari, Gameboy and NES. Making use of some of the hottest comic talents around these ads steered the young consumer hearts straight to the stores; but when we got home that cover art was no where to be found in-game.

Even still, some the artwork produced for these games was fantastic; others are close to laughable. Take a gander of some of these early Marvel video game print ads from various comic books of the time. Presenting the return of the Retro Gaming Ads...

1982 | Spider-Man for Atari 2600

1985 | Marvel Adventures featuring The Incredible Hulk on PC Rom

1990 | Silver Surfer for NES

1990 | Silver Surfer for NES, high score contest

1990 | X-Men for NES

1991 | The Punisher for NES

1991 | The Punisher for Nintendo Gameboy

1992 | Spider-Man Arcade's Revenge for NES

1993 | Captain America and the Avengers for Sega Genesis & sNES

1994 | The Incredible Hulk for sNES

1995 | Marvel Super Heroes War of the Gems for sNES

1997 | Marvel Super Heroes for PS1 & Sega Saturn

2000 | Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 for Dreamcast

Got a favorite I missed here? Let me know.