Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2

Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2
Format: VHS
Studio: St. Michel Productions
Publisher: Howard Johnson's
Running time: 13:21
Release Date RRP Code US 1995 $3.993.99

Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2 is a promotional VHS produced by St. Michel Productions and published by Howard Johnson's for the Sega of America-sponsored American hotel promotion Kids Go HoJo with Sega. Containing both general gameplay tips for the campaign's available Sega Game Gear games, and an infamously-high energy and shockingly-adult advertisement where a hotel spokesperson repeatedly harasses a guest until he tries Sega's portable game system, the video has since become a small viral sensation and strongly-associated with the name Howard Johnson's.

Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2 was preceded by Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 1, containing the same main advertisement but with a different selection of game tips.

Content

Tips

The tips sections of each tape provide gameplay tips for a selection of games available for rent, and have been noted as being exceedingly obvious, to the point of becoming more instruction than hint. For example, one tip for Ecco: The Tides of Time reminds players that Ecco must breathe air.

List of tips

	Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales
	"To rescue the first hostage, go down the third hole and head right until you see a blue key. Grab the blue key, then head right to the hostage. Remember, you need to rescue the hostage before you can exit the level." Coverage of the 1995 action platform game Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales.
	Phantom 2040
	"In the Jungle Level, make sure you find the bullet power-ups underground. You'll also need the Power of Invisibility to survive ! The Spider Biot is waiting to destroy you so save your armor-piercing bullets to defeat it." Coverage of the 1995 action platform game Phantom 2040.
	Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
	"To do the characters' special moves, do the following: press toward the enemy and push both buttons at the same time. This works for each character, including the Zords !" Coverage of the 1994 fighting game Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
	The Lion King
	"Level select: As the Sega logo fades, press , , , , , , , , and wait for the sound." Coverage of the 1994 action platform game The Lion King.
	Taz in Escape From Mars
	"To get the green gates to open in Part 2, stand next to them and spin into them by pressing Button . Keep spinning to avoid being hit by the green enemies behind the gates. You'll need to go through a series of these gates to find the exit." Coverage of the 1994 action platform game Taz in Escape From Mars.
	World Series Baseball '95
	"To intentionally walk a batter, place your catcher to the far left or right and press the D-Pad in the same direction while pressing the pitch button." Coverage of the 1994 baseball game World Series Baseball '95.
	Phantom 2040
	"Don't go too fast as you cruise on your hypercycle and be careful not to crash while you pick up health power-ups. You'll need to destroy the Biots on the roofs if you want to survive this level" Coverage of the 1995 action platform game Phantom 2040.
	Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales
	"To defeat the first Sylvester Boss, pick up the dynamite by standing next to it and pressing on the D-Pad. Then, throw it at Sylvester by pressing Button . Once you throw the dynamite, move a little so it hits him. It's tricky, but with a little practice, he's a goner !" Coverage of the 1995 action platform game Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales.
	Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
	"Level select: Hold the D-Pad before turning on the system. In the introduction where Knuckles picks up the gems, press  START  as he picks up the third gem. If you do this correctly, you'll hear a sound. Select your character, and after that screen, the level select screen will come up." Coverage of the 1994 action platform game Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble.
	Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
	"Green Ranger is a pretty tough boss ! Stay as close to him as possible and kick and punch. When he jumps away, jump at him and kick. Using this technique, you should be able to defeat him !" Coverage of the 1994 fighting game Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
	Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
	"There are several 1-ups hidden in the first couple of rounds. To find the one in Great Turquoise Act 2, jump from the ledge and hold on the D-pad. You'll go behind the wall and find a hidden 1-up. If you bounce on the spring, just head back to the left and try again !" Coverage of the 1994 action platform game Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble.
	The Lion King
	"In the Elephant Graveyard, jump and catch the bones to get across the huge gap. It can be challenging so keep practicing." Coverage of the 1994 action platform game The Lion King.
	World Series Baseball '95
	"Don't be afraid to take a few pitches when playing the computer. The more you wear the pitcher down, the better your chances of getting hits will be !" Coverage of the 1994 baseball game World Series Baseball '95.
	Taz in Escape From Mars
	"To find the exit for the first round, find Daffy, then head all the way to the left, through the pipes." Coverage of the 1994 action platform game Taz in Escape From Mars.
	The Lion King
	"To defeat the first boss, run under him when he jumps. Eventually, he will get tired. When he does, jump on and hit him. Three hits will do him in when playing in the Lion Cub mode." Coverage of the 1994 action platform game The Lion King.
	World Series Baseball '95
	"When first learning how to play, put the fielders on "Auto". That way you don't have to worry about where your players are. When you get better, play on "Manual"." Coverage of the 1994 baseball game World Series Baseball '95.

Advertisement

Produced in 1995 and released later that year as the second wave of the Kids Go HoJo with Sega advertising campaign, the videos mark a noted departure from the chain's previous advertising. Earlier commercials featured standard videography and editing, and were produced in a fairly normal style for the time. However, as Sega of America began to move towards more edge and attention-getting attitudes, many of its collaborations were influenced in a similar manner, and soon Howard Johnson's began to promote Kids Go HoJo with Sega in the same style of fast and flashy marketing.

While the tips sections of each tape are also fairly standard, they have been noted as being exceedingly obvious, to the point of becoming more instruction than hint. For example, one tip for Ecco: The Tides of Time reminds players that Ecco breathes air, and another for Taz in Escape From Mars instructs players how to open doors.

More infamous is the video's main advertisement, becoming a minor viral sensation for its over-the-top filmmaking style. Produced with a great deal of influence from Sega of America's attitude-filled marketing (particularly as the American marketing industry began migrating towards more high-energy youth advertising), the advertisement was created to be fast, flashy, and attention-getting, with quick cuts and a literal strobe light blinking intermittently in most scenes. Additionally, the premise was intentionally produced to feature the Howard Johnson's spokesperson repeatedly harassing and stalking a visibly-disturbed guest for the entirety of the advertisement, and at one point even gestures at beginning a sex scene between said guest and a hotel maid; concerningly adult for a product intended for young children.

Between its extended scenes of shakycam filmography, extreme close-ups, and manic editing style, the tone of Sega Game Gear Tips is notably demeaning to its target audience, then so misunderstood that marketers assumed the best way of advertising to the perceived short attention spans of young people was to fill their promotions with as many blinking lights and hyper-delivered marketing blurbs as possible.)

History

Produced by St. Michel Productions sometime in 1995, the advertisement stars an unknown actor as the Howard Johnson's spokesperson and Canadian actor Robert Brewster as the frustrated guest.

Available as a free rental to Howard Johnson's guests and their children, the tape was also available to purchase separately at a price of $3.99 (despite the front of the tape indicating a suggested $9.99 retail price.)

Reception

While contemporary reception to Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2 is difficult to locate, the video's modern reception has been much clearer, unanimously gaining a reputation as one of the single-worst pieces of corporate advertising the 1990s had to offer. Being described as "obnoxious" and "grating", its flashy tone and disregard for its audience's intelligence has seen the advertisement gain a small amount of viral notoriety in recent years.

“	Watching this video feels like dying. This is something that your brain does to inform your body that something has gone horribly wrong. The premise of the video is a lie in every way. The only “tips” it’s able to choke out are that video games exist, and you can play them while staying at a Howard Johnson hotel. It delivers this information to you through a close up of a man’s face screaming at you while strobe lights flicker.	„
— Lydia Bugg

Legacy

As Howard Johnson's faded in popularity, so did its name. With the maturing of the internet and the establishment of websites like YouTube, the promotional advertisement soon became associated with the now lesser-known company, and frequently to such a degree that some are only familiar with the hotel chain through this single unflattering video.

Video

Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2

File:SegaGameGearTipsVol2 VHS US.mp4

Physical scans

VHS, US
Cover
Cassette

External links

• Howard Johnson’s Sega Game Tips article by Lydia Bugg at 1900HOTDOG