MASUKOMI is usually seen as a katakana term...

 

Masukomi is a Japanese-invented term I learned recently. It's a shorter version of the English phrase Mass Communication, which refers to the media; TV, news, etc. Japanese do stuff like this all the time. Combine Costume (kos) with Play (purei) and you get Cosplay (kospurei), or Familiy (famirii) with Computer (konpyuta) for Famicom (famicon). In this case, Mass (masu) and Communication (komyunikeshon) for Masukomi.

Anyway, basically, the point of this radical new section is to give you a glimpse into the past of how the CastleVania games were advertised or approached by the media, in the forms of magazine coverage, as well as Konami's own warped advertisements. Who knows what you'll find? Continue on...

These were all scanned using a CanoScan N650U 42-bit scanner at 300dpi, and reduced to 200dpi and saved as JPGs. They're mostly gigantic images you have to scroll around to see, but huge to preserve detail.

NOTE: While I'm not the one who owns the rights to the printed materials which neither Konami nor (Nintendo Power/ GamePro, etc.) gave directly to YOU (like I just did), I however did spend the 20 or so minutes scanning and arranging these, so if you plan to use these scans for your site, please notify and accredit me. Thanks.

After all, when was the last time Konami shoved an ancient ad in your face to post on your CastleVania site?

These super rarities of scans are for free use and distribution or some junk. Thanks.

--Eric!

Ancient ads and other super-rare Konami propaganda!

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Chibi-Kurt Kalata scales the walls in his room, pasting his new Rush n' Attack poster right next to his CastleVania and gradius posters. Heh, just kidding. Yeah, so as far as I can deduce, Konami had one of those special offers where you could send away for some posters of box art. I recently saw a photo of some kid posing with his NUCV2 Legend of Darkess poster, but I can tell you, that poster doesn't have HALF the value of one of these jammies. Act now and you can also get posters for Gradius, Stinger (TwinBee!), and more!
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Here's an advertisement for The CastleVania Adventure, coupling with one for Motocross Maniacs, which I've always done terribly at. Motocross Maniacs was distributed under the ULTRA label, by the way. Dig Drac's chubby mug. You might also want to notice that it indeed advertises a SIMON BELMONT, which is why I was majorly confused when I picked up Nintendo Power's October '91 issue and read about Christopher Belmont, the same Christopher Belmont who was in THE CASTLEVANIA ADVENTURE.
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I remember seeing the commercial for CastleVania III Dracula's Curse. It talked about ghost pirates and had lots of fuzzy imagery and some game footage. Sypha didn't look like a woman, but like a shadowy guy. Then it said you could win a trip to Drac's hometown! Anyway, thanks to Kurt Kalata at The CastleVania Dungeon for letting me see this for the first time ever, in 1999.
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For whatever reason, Konami submitted to Game Player's Nintendo Guide, an early version of their Super CastleVania IV package artwork for their late 1991 reviews in Volume 4, number 13. The differences? A constipated Simon Belmont swings on a leather whip, with a Skeleton peeking from behind a column in the background. The final version shows a relieved Simon Belmont swinging on a chain whip, with a Sir Grakul-looking knight plotting by the column.
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This early ad/poster for Konami's SNES launch titles was packaged with Super CastleVania IV, Gradius III, and as I assume their other early SNES games. The highlight of this scan is that the sample screens are all from an early Japanese version! The statue in one of the screens is nude, whereas in our version it's covered.

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The smaller text and screens are a bit mottled; blame the presses. So as Super CastleVania IV flourished with rave reviews well into 1992, Konami came out with this adverstisement, ...using the artwork they gave to Game Player's magazine for the boxshot?! Look real close. Wait a minute... I'm reading the little sidebar text on this package...
"Assemble your weaponry and then launch headlong into enemy infested darkness for a challenge like you've never experienced!"
? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! THAT'S GRADIUS III'S TAG LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE BLATT IS GOING ON?!?!

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An ad the size of an SNES cart, printed on the front and back with same front and back of SNES cart (only tailored to Konami's ad needs), came with my copy of Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose in 1993. For WHATEVER reason in 1995, I took a pair of scissors to it and pasted the Super CastleVania IV ad into a video game collage along with Super Metroid's Samus and a tubby Kraid. During the recent rush of scanning, I went straight to that tall white book on the shelf above me and exumed the page to scan this essential piece. Well, they got the package art right this time, and can you guess who Konami featured in their representative screenshot?
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Found this on a sidebar of a slashed up EGM magazine (number 17) I have stowed away. "Only on Super NES", huh? Only time would tell Konami's dirtiest secret. When I sent a smaller version of this ad to Kurt for his site, he said over AOL IM that Konami didn't put effort into anything that was related to the SNES Dracula X. That IM popped up the instant I said to him, "They put as much effort into this ad as they did the WHOLE GAME." Great minds think alike.

Coming later... classic CastleVania coverage as seen in Nintendo Power,
Game Pro, Gamefan Magazine, and Expert Gamers! Starring... Dracula X Rondo!

"Can it be that it was all so simple?" --Wu Tang
Back to DCTP.
For the greater diffusion of Konami's CastleVania across the world. Dracula's Curse THE PAGE!!!
Last Edited 1-11-2002