Highlight Discs or VHS?

[Enetirnel]

I was just wondering as to the frequency that a company may put out a highlight disc and/or VHS following or to be released alongside a game in general?

I was looking over the old feedback postcards with the Clock Tower games and noticed something in particular that I haven't personally seen (or found online or any particular information regarding online) and was wondering as to the general frequency these things are with other games around the 90s timeframe.

Specifically, this card was in with Clock Tower 2 (Second) SLPS-00657 NTSC-J.

"Clock Tower 2 Highlight CD-ROM" 3000 ¥, I know it isn't a PC version either or the little PS1 disc which is a trial (containing a rather early version of Clock Tower 2) as the PC version of the original game cost 6800 ¥ and the factor that the snippet on the postcard specifically says "Highlight" in Katakana.

It's got "Now Printing" for the example image, but it's shown with another item I've picked up already (a phonecard) and that I know there are also some Clock Tower & Clock Tower 2 VHS floating around on top of promotional VHS.

As for what I'm talking about in regards to Clock Tower 2, it's not in this photo as I just went and dug them out to take a photo...


[Top - Clock Tower 2 Drama CD, Bottom Left - Clock Tower 2 Personal Experience Edition, Bottom Right - Clock Tower 2 (Second)]

[Branden_Lucero]

i got a promotional VHS tape that shows commentary and footage of Donkey Kong 64 and Jet Force Gemini (and some other stuff) before the two games ever released. found it at my grandmas house in 1999. don't know how she ended up with it, but she said i could have it.

[Pikminister]

I remember that during the N64 era that there were some promotional VHS tapes around. Such as:

[Enetirnel]

Nice, that helps a bit.

I've seen a couple of promotional Clock Tower VHS ones that contained commercials that were a set for those to be shown on air or to be looped at stores.

The ones I know of are -

Clock Tower - The First Fear - PlayStation promotional VHS which has an ad that combines the ad on the Phenomena Integral Hard Full VHS and also links in the newly released items - Clock Tower 2 Drama Album, Clock Tower 2 Adventure Novel - Jennifer's Part (first novel) and then shows the Burrough's Mansion.

There's also live action ads of a kid dressed up as Bobby (Scissorman) chasing around girls representing Laura, Ann and Jennifer. Another part to the ad includes Bobby going to cut one of the girl's hair with his huge shears. The third ad has Bobby cleaning his sets of shears and being asked to trim a tree by Nolan from Clock Tower 2.

I know this one is from 1997 as in the final part of one of the ads there's a dated copyright mark at the bottom during the fadeout.

There's a Clock Tower 2 one dated at 1995 in the same way as the other one, but the content is nearly the same as to what was released on the "Clock Tower 2 Personal Experience Edition" trial - which is on the bottom-left in my photo. Some of the Clock Tower 2 ones are also dated at 1996 closer to the actual release date.

There's also an old ad that was on the old official Sony of Japan website that should also be on a press VHS but I haven't seen it around.

And there's a North American commericial on a VHS that seems to be floating around, for Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within with an early logo for it but it's lacking a date.

But all of those are promotional ones, the one on the feedback card is an actual cd-rom that could be purchased for 3000 yen.

It's not the Personal Experience Edition as that one is marked fairly clearly as a Not For Sale promotional one which also contains some beta content too.

Does anyone know of any other companies that have done something like this in the 90s? I can really only think of Capcom's bonus Making of Biohazard VHS going off the top of my head for non-promo stuff.

[Anders]

Does anyone know of any other companies that have done something like this in the 90s? I can really only think of Capcom's bonus Making of Biohazard VHS going off the top of my head for non-promo stuff.

There's that, and the one which was sold with the G-Type figure. Biohazard 2 Making of TV-CM was bundled with V-Jump magazine, but it was also available for rental.
All those are shown here: https://www.crimson-ceremony.net/los...ostv/video.php

Capcom also had a fan club which sent out tapes every third month, for a subscription fee. The ones with Biohazard can be found here:

https://www.crimson-ceremony.net/lostreleases/redemo/resamp-vid.php

Maybe there's some Clock Tower junk on those... (Uuuh, forgot that the first Clock Towers weren't published by Capcom. The last tape was December 2000, so probably no CT3, neither...)

Other companies? No idea.

[Enetirnel]

There's that, and the one which was sold with the G-Type figure. Biohazard 2 Making of TV-CM was bundled with V-Jump magazine, but it was also available for rental.
All those are shown here: https://www.crimson-ceremony.net/los...ostv/video.php

Capcom also had a fan club which sent out tapes every third month, for a subscription fee. The ones with Biohazard can be found here:

https://www.crimson-ceremony.net/lostreleases/redemo/resamp-vid.php

Maybe there's some Clock Tower junk on those... (Uuuh, forgot that the first Clock Towers weren't published by Capcom. The last tape was December 2000, so probably no CT3, neither...)

Other companies? No idea.

Ah, I forgot about that TV-CM one for 2.

Well, the earliest Clock Tower 3 stuff would be with either Sunsoft or Capcom due to the joint development of the game. Human folded in 1999 so essentially the earliest possible bits would be from 2000-2002. Stuff from 2002 were at E3 of that year which also had some t-shirts, watches given out too.

Anything about CD-Roms?

It seems the Personal Experience Edition for Clock Tower 2 has the same opening footage as one of the Clock Tower 2 promotional VHS somewhere around but that the PS1 disc one has higher quality than the VHS, but it's lacking the commercials.

I don't really know anything about this Highlights CD-Rom, but it's before Human folded so it wouldn't have been canceled considering the marketing effort they went to with Clock Tower 2. Nothing shown on any of the postcards during this early timeframe has been canceled and I've been able to find more or less everything else but this CD-Rom.

Anything around 1998-1999 such as the Clock Tower: Ghost Head "The Best" version and the European release were dated but eventually canceled due to the company folding.

It couldn't be the Personal Experience Edition, as that is dated for all of the files to have been added to the disc on 30/9/1996, Clock Tower 2 was released 13/12/1996 (despite the game discs being ready by the 14/11/1996 the game's release date was delayed so it could be released on a Friday the 13th).

That and it's also clearly marked as a not for sale item. So with the dates on it all, it looks like the Personal Experience Edition CT2 trial was originally to be shown at the first Tokyo Game Show but instead of that, they had a radio show going on and had a small brief spot on Clock Tower 2 coming.

I'll retranslate the postcards and see if I can find any further information... perhaps I'm missing something like another postcard with one of Human's other games?

But thank you for reminding me about V-Jump, I'll have a look and see if I can find anything.

Wish there was proper documentation about the early PlayStation Expo, early Tokyo Game Show events online for the overall of them...

[Zombie_X]

The only game VHS I have is "The Birth of BIO HAZARD" and it's in great condition. It's kinda cool to see how a game evolved. I much prefer how BIO HAZARD "Beta" played compared to how the final build is.

Maybe someday I should rip it? Heck my VHS deck has S-Video out so maybe..

I know on my Dino Crisis 2 PS1 disc that there is a hidden TGS trailer which can be accessed buy using the Playstation Media Converter.

I also have a copy of Gex that has a LoK: Soul Reaver demo that's from it's alpha/beta build.

I also have a old OPSM disc that has a trailer for RE2.

[Enetirnel]

Alright, so it seems for the most part it's promotional material of games.

I'm not sure as to what the Highlights CD-Rom is supposed to contain, but considering it's a for-sale item then it might be a making of or possibly an official cutscene disc or interactive guide?

[Mr. Spencer]

Speaking of those N64-era video tapes, I'm almost certain that I had one of those myself at some point. I remember watching gameplay footage of GoldenEye 64 and Lylat Wars on it.