A look back at "Play it Loud!"

Before the mid 90’s, Nintendo of America had always been known as a company that was extremely family friendly. Often going by a strict set of guidelines as to what was allowed to be put into any game. The strict ruling led for such omissions from gaming including any religious material (most Japanese games would have to be altered because of this, and this was also the reason the game “Devil World” never saw a release in North America), blood, and death.

This was all well and good, until the 90’s really started to roll on in, and the gamers that grew up with Nintendo were now getting older. It was still very apparent early into the Super Nintendo’s life cycle that Nintendo was still very strict in their censorship of games, and it was starting to drive some people away.

But the biggest mistake Nintendo would pull would be in 1993 with their handling of the controversial fighting title Mortal Kombat. A game that was already under fire from not only angry parental groups, but also congress. It was one of several games that birthed the ESRB ratings. Nintendo, still the very kiddy company it was, figured that it would be smart to not include the blood, or the violent fatalities. It proved to be a massive disappointment to many, and actually helped boost sales of their competitor, the Sega Genesis, who offered fatalities and blood through use of an in-game code.

Nintendo wouldn’t take this defeat  lying down, and in 1994 would finally start changing their mentality to the pre-teen/teen crowd with an ad campaign known as “Play it Loud”. This ad was a mid-90’s wet dream wrapped in a flannel shirt. So, let’s take a look at some of these ads. I’ve chosen a few from the ad campaign that really came out the most memorable in my opinion. So let’s start with

#1. "Give the World a Wedgie"

The initial Play It Loud ad is almost the very epitome of everything the 90’s represented in terms of extreme and awesome. Filled with kids doing awesome stuff like skateboarding, BMX riding, and partying. Everything is edited fast with lots of cuts to many Super Nintendo games. These games included the likes of Super Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat II, Super Punch-Out, Adventures of Batman and Robin, and The Itchy and Scratchy game. Accompanying the commercial is the song “Who Was in My Room Last Night?” By Butthole Surfers. Yes, the same Nintendo that once was strict on everything, now has a commercial with music from a band named Butthole Surfers.

This ad is such a 90’s nostalgia trip for me. Has it aged perfectly? Probably not. But for it’s time, it was definitely an ad that worked. It said full force that Nintendo was taking a stand and changing the perception that people had on them, and it definitely worked as soon enough the 16-bit war was starting to return to their favor.

#2. "Killer Instinct"

Killer Instinct was Nintendo and Rare’s answer to the power duo in the fighting genre known as Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II. And what they brought to the table was a surprisingly deep and intuitive fighting title filled with intense action, amazing graphics for the time, and those incredible combos. I guess all you could really say was holy #%#!!

And Nintendo know that’s all that needed to be said, as their ad for the Super Nintendo port of the title had kids swearing as they marvelled over this new title. It had the same $#$@# graphics, same $##%@## moves as the #%(#%#% arcade game. But you better be a bit careful with your potty mouth, as we see in this ad where one kid gets his mouth washed out with soap.

Another fine example of edgy Nintendo. Again, the company that was once so protective of its family friendly nature now going with an ad that pretty much says “yeah, we know you all cuss. And we’re going to have some fun with that”. And it does sell the game well too.  Which is good, because Killer Instinct is totally #(%#@$$%* awesome!

#3. "Yoshi's Island"

For as brilliant as the Play it Loud ad campaign was, one commercial sticks out like a rather disgusting thumb. And that was the ad for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Now, before I even get to the ad itself, I will say that I consider Yoshi’s Island to be one of the greatest games of all time. A darn near perfect combination of gameplay, graphics, level design, and challenge. And years later, I can still pop this one in, and have a great time.

But that doesn’t excuse this ad. The ad involves this really fat guy stuffing his face with everything from spaghetti, jello, cake, and other stuff. All while the advertiser sells Yoshi’s Island for its graphics, gameplay, and the gimmick known as “Morphmation”. The fat guy eats one more bite, and a’la Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, he then swells up and vomits everywhere, as his slimy vomit entrails leaves the words “Play it Loud” splattered on the wall. So, just like Cybermorph, the biggest selling point is puke.

Nintendo and gross-out humor just don’t mix well. Not only was this a prime example, but lest we forget the print ad campaign Nintendo used for Earthbound. if I can segue for just one second.

Instead of trying to sell a genuinely solid RPG with quirky characters, a great story, and some great humour, Nintendo tried to go the more “Nickelodeon” route with references to fart, belch, and puke jokes. Not to mention smelly scratch and sniff cards. It just doesn’t mesh well, since Earthbound was never really about any of that kind of humour. And it’s no wonder the game unfortunately bombed in the US. Just one example of some things in the 90’s that are thankfully passed their expiry date, and immature gross out jokes are definitely one of them.

And here we are with the main event. The thriller goriller. The game that really pushed Nintendo over Sega once and for all. Donkey Kong Country was a masterpiece. One of the finest games Rare had ever put out. And Nintendo knew they had a hit on their hands. They did everything they could to ram it into the heads of kids everywhere that this was a big deal. There was a promotional video, tons of news about it in every kids magazine out there (I remember first seeing info for it in an issue of Disney Adventures).

They also made sure to mention that this was indeed a Super Nintendo title. You weren’t going to find a game this beautiful looking on any other system. Not even 32x adaptors, or anything Sega was bringing to the table. Yes, it was an example of Nintendo being extremely bragadocious about their product. But in this case, it was definitely worth it. And this ad worked for certain. It boosted interest in the main monkey and the SNES, and was a work of pure gaming art.

Play It Loud will always be among my favorite video game ad campaigns for so many reasons, despite its cheesiness nowadays. Mainly it takes me back to the nostalgic times of the 90’s. Yeah, it feels corny nowadays with the Xtreme and grungy style to it, but dammit, it was still my childhood, and I loved every minute of it. It also makes me glad to be part of such an energetic era in gaming and advertising. One that you really don’t see anymore, and that’s a shame.  I miss the feeling of fun in the gaming world, and that’s been going further away from me for a long time now. And as someone who will gladly bust out his SNES any time he pleases, I’m definitely a person who will always play it loud.