10 Worst Video Game Marketing Campaigns Ever

Nintendo have always been protective of their properties, not just to maintain their branding, but to ensure their products don't upset potential consumers.

Although the Japanese company takes precautions with renowned franchises like Super Mario and Pokemon, they are extra careful while handling The Legend of Zelda. When it was pointed out that several elements in the games had religious connotations, Nintendo had them scrubbed out upon the re-releases to avoid offending anyone of faith.

Now, because The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was touted as Nintendo 64's crowning title, even before it was released, you'd assume Nintendo would ensure the promotions were handled delicately.

Instead, commercials for the sequel concluded with the tagline, "Wilst thou get the girl... or play like one?" With that one single line, the promoters basically mocked half the planet! 72 complains were made to the Independent Television Commission in the hopes the ad would be pulled (which proved unsuccessful).

The negativity towards the commercial didn't seem to affect sales, since Ocarina of Time became the best-selling title of 1998. Nevertheless, it was foolish to use such a juvenile slogan to advertise the N64's most prominent game.