'Assassin's Creed' ads give cold, dead stare
To promote Assassin's Creed 2, video-game developer Ubisoft is running some of the most enigmatic and compelling pre-roll ads I've ever seen. OK, so they're actually the only enigmatic and compelling pre-roll ads I've ever seen. The 15-second spots, from agency Cutwater, feature little more than dead stares and the game's Web address. You can watch them all here. Sure, there's a lengthier version, complete with contract-killing hero and some slick gameplay footage. But I really prefer the pre-rolls spots, which operate under the premise that "gamers get it." For more from this campaign, check out Adland's writeup, too. —Posted by David Griner
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Published on November 12, 2009 | Permalink
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McCann's gamers highly stimulated by Xbox
The dude's enraptured look toward the end of this U.K. spot (posted below) by McCann Erickson for the Xbox 360 is, to cop a phrase from another McCann campaign, priceless. One might say even call it orgasmic. At any rate, he's clearly enjoying himself as he strums on his Guitar Hero mini-guitar. Note also, if you will, the position of said instrument. I'm not panning this approach or the spot by any means. On the contrary, such a take on gaming is more honest and compelling than most of the effects-crazed entries in the genre. Video games today are all about immersion. This guy, if nothing else, looks pretty darn immersed. His geeky pal off to the side playing DJ Hero seems awfully happy, too. You could interpret their looks as signs of near-euphoric digital satisfaction, which surely casts the product in a glowing light with much of its target audience. Casual gamers and those who don't indulge, of course, will smirk and assume the guys are just wasting time playing with themselves. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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Published on November 9, 2009 | Permalink
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'Modern Warfare 2' getting mixed bag of ads
Speaking of immersive video-game experiences, this co-branded promo by The Martin Agency for Walmart and Modern Warfare 2 relies on great performances and a well-scripted war of words to carry the day—until the end, when things get a bit too immersive for one of the gamers. Though a bit clichéd, these characters seem real, and their exchange of put-downs captures their passion for the game more convincingly than an arsenal of CGI explosions would. It's a lot better—or at least, less homophobic—than another Modern Warfare 2 spot, which has just been pulled from YouTube. That one was a faux PSA for a group called Fight Against Grenade Spam, urging players not to indiscriminately lob missiles in online multiplayer games. The acronym F.A.G.S. didn't sit well with the Internet. Oh, it also starred Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. Embarrassing all around. |
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Published on November 2, 2009 | Permalink
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Strap on your video game for extra pleasure
Hill, Holliday group creative director Tim Cawley describes gaming device Immerz this way: "The 'headphones' send low-frequency vibrations into your chest cavity ... and jangle your nervous system. Somehow, you actually 'feel' the game. The slope of the ground underfoot. Danger lurking just out of sight. Bullets whizzing overhead." Here's the thing: If I want my nerves jangled, I'll head to Starbucks. And if I'd like to get caught in a crossfire, I'll enlist. The Boston agency's launch video for the product features a typical violent gaming hero challenging users to feel what he feels during alien battles and such. Hey, tough guy, cork up that cake-hole, OK? Experiencing the terrifying intensity of combat is your job. Mine's reaping the glory of a high score. Plus, you just know someone will claim they got a heart attack using this thing. |
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Published on November 2, 2009 | Permalink
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'Tekken 6' ads rough you up nice and slowly
God knows it's impossible to make video games classy, but these teaser ads for Tekken 6 (tagline: "What will you fight for?") are determined to try anyway, with their super slow motion and choir music. And were it not for the women in their underpants fighting over shoes, they might have succeeded. There's also a Web site. The first of the two spots, posted below, is more subtle, although as Kotaku noticed, there's no actual gameplay footage shown. Which may be a good thing, since the graphics aren't a huge improvement over Tekken 4 or Tekken 5 anyway. If you're aching for a taste of gameplay imagery, here's someone fighting a giant panda. |
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Published on October 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Create a wrestler even you mother can love
The video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 is selling itself on the create-a-wrestler and create-a-move features it had last year, which is a bad sign that the gameplay is still as broken and unresponsive as ever. The wrestlers the kid created in the spot above are pretty accurate, though. Try playing online multiplayer sometime and counting the number of green-mohawked lunkheads you see. As for the kid's reluctance to get the CAWs out of the house, he'll probably burn the game in the yard once he sees his mom in John Cena's lap. Weird. |
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Published on October 15, 2009 | Permalink
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'Bioshock 2' marketing is dystopian's dream
Bioshock 2, the next chapter in 2k Games' first-person shooter/meditation on Ayn Rand, has been pushed back until February, but that hasn't stopped the marketing. They've extended the fiction of the game with creative personal touches that pay attention to all the details. In the sequel, you're returning to the undersea ruins of Rapture 10 years later. By now, the winery must have caved in, because hundreds of wine bottles, filled with promotional game posters, have been washing up on beaches around the world. The bottles soon turned up on eBay, prompting another round of blogger coverage. The marketing team also sent packages to bloggers with hand-singed crayon one-offs of the Big Sister, and bike telegrams by "Speedy Brothers Telegram" to a bunch of Bioshock 2 Web community members. Then, everyone who received a telegram got a package from the Speedy Brothers with his or her own splicer mask. (A splicer is basically a gene mutation junkie who spends the game trying to kill you.) Amazingly, the masks vary in design, showing just how much effort was put in. Of course, the usual fictional conspiracy site is up at SomethingInTheSea.com. But the excitement here is in the offline efforts. It wasn't enough to send a package; they thought of every detail, down to the delivery man's uniform. Now, if they push the release date back again, I'm going to cry. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on October 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Italian car fights space-invader oil creatures
Continuing today's somewhat unintentional Columbus Day theme of ads from Italy (the birthplace of the man himself, whose achievements we cannot otherwise celebrate because we are working), here's a spot from agency Saffirio Tortelli Vigoriti for the Alfa Romeo MiTo, an automobile that performs at its best when battling vicious oil drums and gas pumps advancing in Space Invaders formation on the tops of skyscrapers. It's impressively shot, and the laser-cannon headlamps certainly are a nice product feature. It's recommended that you purchase two MiTos and drive them side by side, for increased firepower during the bonus round. |
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Published on October 12, 2009 | Permalink
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EA gets a 12-year-old to write latest TV spot
EA Games has gotten a 12-year-old British boy to script its newest ad for the game Spore Hero. See the commercial here. I thought 6-year-olds made all video-game ads, but cheap shots are my thing, so I feel better after saying that. The lad (do they still call them that in England?) is named Blake Simons, and he tells Brand Republic: "It was great fun bringing the advert to life, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it on TV." Frankly, that's better than half the quotes I read from fully grown adults in ad-industry press releases. Simons continues: "I'd definitely like to do more directing." He's not old enough to drive, and he already wants to direct! That brat will go far in this business, for sure. |
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Published on October 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Shooter-game ad channels zombie musicals
A gritty, graphic video-game promo with freshly deceased corpses espousing undying love for their curvaceous executioner? And it's a musical? Must be Bethesda Softworks playing the "outrageous" card again. Having freaked out D.C. with its Fallout 3 ads, the company this time is touting its ultraviolent acrobatic shooter game Wet. The promo has been around for a few weeks, though it's only gotten so-so traction on YouTube and elsewhere, perhaps because it seems to be trying a bit too hard to be shocking and "wacky." The gore/musical genre (Better Off Undead, Z: The Zombie Musical) has always been an acquired taste, much like the human brains that the reanimated so ravenously crave. And the ad doesn't exactly whet the appetite. It drags on for almost three minutes, and the butchered victims are nauseating, not because of their gaping wounds so much as their outsized self-pity. Sure, that chick was hot, and she shot your guts out, but now it's time to meet some nice dead girls and move on. |
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Published on October 5, 2009 | Permalink
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If only this boob-tattoo game weren't so fun
Just when I got my panties unbunched from Electronic Arts putting a bounty on booth babes at E3, along comes this "Dirty Tats" site for the Codemasters game Dirt 2. Yes, it lets you tattoo some ginormous digital boobs. I don't think I need to point out that this has nothing to do with Dirt 2, which is a car-racing game. Dirt 2 itself is rated T for teens, but you have to be over 19 to play the advergame. Now, here's the part of the post where I should get upset, but the thing is: The advergame is actually a lot of fun. It works similarly to the tat creator for Rock Band, and the sound bites are hilarious, particularly when the woman starts to insult you if you don't tattoo her instantly ("I'm waiting!" "And you win races?"). There's a lot of sass mixed in with the purring come-ons like, "That's just the right size!" and "I like the personal touch." If you try to go off her chest, she snaps: "What's wrong? They're not big enough for you?" And if you turn off her voice, she gets seriously pissed. All in all, I have to say it's a fantastic execution. Now, if only we could do something about all that misogyny. |
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Published on September 11, 2009 | Permalink
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Playmates give Hefner a 'Guitar Hero' show
Here's the new Guitar Hero 5 spot from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, in which 10 Playmates put on an air-guitar show for Hugh Hefner in the Playboy Mansion. "What? I like variety," Hef says at the end. Actually, the campaign could use more variety. This is the fifth spot in the Risky Business series. See the earlier ones here, with Heidi Klum, the pro athletes (A-Rod, Phelps, Bryant, Tony Hawk), the college-basketball coaches (Knight, Pitino, Williams, Krzyzewski) and the guys from Metallica. For the next spot, maybe let Pitino into the Playboy Mansion and see what happens. |
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Published on September 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Live-action 'Halo' trailer delivers ass-kicking
Last year, when Blizzard came out with its Lich King expansion, I pointed out that video games now need two trailers—one to capture the essence of the experience, and one to show the actual gameplay. Bungie Software and Microsoft have been releasing gameplay trailers for the Halo 3: Orbital Drop Ship Troopers prequel at the conventions (here's E3's) throughout the year, but now that ODST is dropping on Sept. 22, they've released the cinematic live-action trailer above, which truly brings the fiction of ODST into reality. The trailer, courtesy of T.A.G. in San Francisco, comes complete with a timeless musical selection, multinational story line (it gets a little tiresome when only Americans kick ass) and impressive attention to detail, like authentic Halo assault rifles in the 21-gun salute (yes, I noticed). Once you've watched it through, you'll feel like you just mainlined gamer crack, and you'll understand why fans have already started calling for a Halo movie (there'll supposedly be one in 2012). —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on September 9, 2009 | Permalink
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Why are Sam & Max always near Stuckey's?
Fans of Sam & Max (read: people with taste) have noticed that the pair's adventures frequently take them near a Stuckey's (or the derivative Snuckey's) roadside store. The Stuckey's people have caught on to this, and they interviewed Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell last month to ask why. Turns out back when Steve was a kid, Stuckey's was a "recurring oasis on the horizon" during road trips, so he built the experience of nagging his father to stop there into the game. Makes sense, given that many of the characters' quirks come from Purcell's childhood. Hopefully the iconic home of pecan logs will make it into future Sam & Max games, and it would be nice if Stuckey's returned the favor by selling stuffed jackalopes in their stores. —Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on September 3, 2009 | Permalink
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Activision keeping DJ AM in 'DJ Hero' spots
It hasn't been the easiest week for Activision. After outraging some Kurt Cobain fans by resurrecting the long-dead Nirvana frontman for Guitar Hero 5, the gaming company now says it's going to keep DJ AM, who died over the weekend, front and center in marketing materials for its upcoming DJ Hero game. AM apparently remixed some tracks for the game and shot various promos for it, including the one above. Clearly, Activision invested a lot in this guy, and doesn't want it all going to waste. So, trying to sound tasteful, it says it's keeping him in the ads as a "tribute." The Activision statement reads: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of DJ AM, who was a tremendous talent, a trusted partner and friend to DJ Hero. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. AM was instrumental in the making of DJ Hero and we hope that his work on the game will be a fitting tribute to his creative spirit and musical talent." |
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Published on September 2, 2009 | Permalink
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Kurt Cobain back on stage in 'Guitar Hero 5'
Fred Astaire danced with one Dirt Devil, and before you knew it, marketing folks were reanimating corpses faster that you could say "Herbert West." Now, it's Gen X's turn to cry foul, as Activision announces that Kurt Cobain will be a playable character in Guitar Hero 5. If you watch the video below, you'll see it's really not as weird as it sounds, but you can't blame fans who feel it's an awkward fit for such an icon of anti-consumerism. Some would argue Activision long since crossed this bridge by including Jimi Hendrix in Guitar Hero, but there's a big difference between reviving an epic showman like Hendrix and trotting out a moody introvert who devoted much of his suicide note to his disinterest in performing: "The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I'm having 100% fun. Sometimes I feel as if I should have a punch-in time clock before I walk out on stage." His fears of music as a mindless job might not have been far off, since he'll now have to end every show with a performance review. UPDATE: Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, is apparently alleging breach of contract over this and plans to sue Activision. |
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Published on August 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Foley 'fartist' emits talent for EA video game
A Foley artist is the person who creates the natural, everyday sound effects for films or commercials. A Foley "fartist," apparently, is someone who does so using only his ass. In this video from Wieden + Kennedy, one such fartist named Myron Lefkowitz (aka "a farteur, a flatulist, but above all ... a professional") records unlikely effects for the MySims Racing game from Electronics Arts. Gamers like farting, so this should be right up their alley. See also: |
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Published on August 28, 2009 | Permalink
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New ads say PlayStation 3 'does everything'Deutsch/LA is back with a new campaign for the Sony PlayStation 3, and it doesn't underpromise. The new tagline is: "It only does everything." There'll be nine spots altogether heading into the holiday season. Here are the first two, promoting the PS3's online capabilities and new $299 price point. They star one of our favorite actors, whale-noise maker Jerry Lambert, last seen brushing off a peeved Dustin Pedroia as "director of game accuracy" for MLB '09: The Show. Lambert is moving up through PlayStation's management food chain. Here, he serves as "director of rumor confirmation" and (a truly enviable position) "vp of enough is enough." |
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Published on August 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Wieden takes a closer look at gamers' faces
Wieden + Kennedy in Tokyo has rolled out a new Sony PlayStation 3 campaign called PlayFace, showing the facial contortions that gamers make while they're playing. It's all pretty stylish and exaggerated—the players also make lots of buzzing, beeping and cracking sound effects, which gives them a robotlike aspect. But despite all the bells and whistles, as AdFreak sister blog PDNPulse points out, there's been some grousing that the PlayFace work (the idea, if not the execution) is similar to some still photos that artist Phil Toledano did in 2002, also showing gamers' faces. Toledano tells the gaming blog Kotaku that Wieden "ripped me off," but that seems a bit excessive. Toledano's insight—that people let their guard down when they're focused intently on something (like gaming), and that you can see "a hidden part of their character" in those moments—itself wasn't so new. Philippe Halsman did similar stuff in the pre-video-game 1950s, when he began taking pictures of people while they were jumping—and had to focus on that, rather than on posing for the camera. (Halsman's work eventually inspired some cool ads for HBO's Six Feet Under.) PDN further points to some 2008 gamer portraits by Robbie Cooper, who had basically the same idea as Toledano. Seems like lots of people have been down this road. UPDATE: Compare Wieden's ad to Cooper's "Immersion" video below. |
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Published on August 21, 2009 | Permalink
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In-game ads can't support free 'Quake Live'
It was a valiant experiment, but in the end, a failed one. Quake Live was meant to be the first massively multiplayer video game supported entirely by in-game advertising, making it free for anyone to play. But Quake Live's chief developer, the game-design legend John Carmack, has announced that "the in-game advertising stuff has not been big business." Now, Carmack's id Software is developing a subscription model that awards perks to paying players while keeping the game free for everyone else. While surely a disappointment to Carmack, it's likely not a complete surprise. Since the game went public early this year, he's been openly skeptical about the odds that Quake Live would remain afloat solely on in-game advertising. "At least initially, it's going to be ad-supported only," he told MTV in February, "and there's no intention to make it anything but free for anyone that wants to jump in and play." See also: |
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Published on August 18, 2009 | Permalink
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Ubisoft ad easily hits quota for dead bodies
(Click here to see the full ad.) This memorable ad for Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, created in-house, hits all the highlights as far as I'm concerned. Violence? Check. A post-massacre shot of rye? Don't mind if I do. A fetching saloon girl? I repeat: Don't mind if I do! The details—a card stuck in whiskey spilled on an overturned table, the dead man's reflection in the mirror, the shadow of the kerosene lamp on the wallpaper—are exceptional. Of course, the violence is completely sanitized. We see only the bloodless aftermath. Which is perfect, because this is escapism—a macho fantasy, after all—and like all gamers, I'm too much of a wussy to stomach anything more realistic. Folks will be queuing up soon for that Beatles videogame, but why not give this one a try? It might not have John Lennon or Ringo Starr, but that could very well be Johnny Ringo slumped across the piano. |
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Published on August 14, 2009 | Permalink
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Disney's idea of a Persian prince? A Swede.
—Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on July 24, 2009 | Permalink
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Zombies and Skittles redefine advergaming
The marketing world is slowly warming up to "augmented reality," a surreal hybrid of real life and video. But the slick efforts for GE's Smart Grid and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 don't hold a candle to the experimental game shown above. Created by the Georgia Tech Augmented Environments Lab and the Savannah College of Art and Design (yes, that's our second SCAD reference today), ARhrrr is a zombie shooter that you play through an Nvidia mobile device. Will this game take off, boosting the sales of Skittles as highly prized explosives? Doubtful. But it sure is a cool peek into the future of braaaiiinnns…. er, I mean, branded gaming. Via C.C. Chapman. |
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Published on June 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Beatles reborn in exultant 'Rock Band' spotSeveral bands have gotten special treatment from the folks behind Rock Band and Guitar Hero, but no collaboration with AC/DC or Metallica could compete with the anticipation for The Beatles: Rock Band. Which is why it's a damn good thing that the video kicking off the game isn't just great; it's possibly the greatest opening cinematic of any game in history. (Click here to watch a high-definition version.) If you disagree, go back and watch the grating intros to Rock Band and Rock Band 2, which basically punish you for putting the game in the console. What's nice is that the video also gets across two major aspects of the game. First, as the players, you'll follow the Beatles' career path, unlocking songs and venues in chronological order. Second, the game actually does use "dreamscapes" as in-game visuals, especially for the band's later, more pharmaceutically enhanced work. For now, you'll have to content yourself with this video and a few blips of gameplay footage until The Beatles: Rock Band hits the shelves Sept. 9. UPDATE: The video was directed by Pete Candeland of Passion Pictures, director of the Gorillaz music videos. —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on June 9, 2009 | Permalink
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EA's Charm Girls Club isn't overly charming
Female gamers are an important segment for the game industry. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 40 percent of all gamers, like me, are women. So, understandably, Electronic Arts wants to tap that. However, their new attempt to woo female gamers features stereotypical, sparkle-blinged titles that harken back to the day when Nintendo failed miserably with Barbie, a game I wouldn't have been caught dead playing on my NES. Let me introduce you to the Charm Girls Club. EA will release four CGC titles this fall, including Charm Girls Club Pajama Party for the Wii and three titles for the Nintendo DS: My Perfect Prom, My Fashion Mall and My Fashion Show. Oooh! And guess what else? One of the Charm Girls is blonde, one's a brunette, one's a redhead, and one's a token black girl! According to Sarah Handley, senior director of marketing for EA Play Label, "Charm Girls Club celebrates everything that's fun about being a girl." Really? I mean, really? Fashion shows and slumber parties are everything that's fun about being a girl? Well, it's actually not everything. Girls can also compete to win shiny charms to put in their shiny charm boxes! Can somebody hand me a towel? I just puked in my mouth. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
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Published on June 8, 2009 | Permalink
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