I remember when TV ads for video games used to be good, or at the very least memorable. Who could forget "Genesis does what Nintendon't"? Or the Zelda rap? Or the amazing ad for Super Mario 3? Not every old video game ad was great, but it seemed like most were at least trying to be as creative, unique and catchy as possible. During the 16-bit era in particular, a new ad from Sega or Nintendo was an event.
No longer. I can't remember the last time I saw a truly memorable video game TV spot. I spend hours every damn day playing, writing about and obsessing over video games -- I can get excited over the tiniest scrap of gaming info, and yet I mostly just tune today's TV ads out. Why? Because they're all the same.
These days game publishers are either incapable, or too scared to make TV ads that don't fit into one of five or six strictly defined templates. If the video game industry ever wants me to pay attention to one of their TV spots again, these are the ads that have to go...
The Call of Duty
This is by far the most common style of video game TV ad right now, which isn't surprising considering everyone wants their game to be the next Call of Duty.
These ads are made up of quick-cut snippets of in-game footage featuring dudes shooting, kicking, punching and flying through the air. Also, lots of stuff blowing up. The ad usually starts with a deep/sinister voiced narrator, saying something ominous or badass, yet largely meaningless. You know, stuff like this...
"War isn't won by following the rules. Our job is to win by any means necessary. When you're outnumbered, fighting fair just isn't an option."
Heeeeavy man. Once the badass/bad guy platitudes are done, the quick-cut footage ramps up even faster while rap/metal or generic action movie music plays. One final big explosion, cut to black, then we get the logo.
It's not just shootery war games that use this template either -- these type of ads have been used for everything from Batman: Arkham City to Uncharted 3.
The Gears of War Pretension Overload
If there's one style of video game TV ad that really pushes the bile to the edge of my throat, it's this one. Of course it all started with this ad for the original Gears of War featuring Marcus Fenix wandering around a post-apocalyptic landscape to the strains of "Mad World"...
Oh man, so artsy. The original commercial was, honestly, pretty cheesy, but at least it was a unique idea. If it had ended there, I'd have no beef, but unfortunately for the past six years the Gears of War commercial has been imitated time and time again to diminishing returns. The worst offenders have been the makers of Gears of War themselves. Whatever effectiveness that original Gears of War commercial had is completely missing from the ads for Gears of War 3.
Aren't Our Cutscenes Pretty?
Many games today have some very pretty cutscenes -- as good, or better looking than many of the big budget animated films in theatres. So hey, why even bother showing any gameplay? Let's just throw together a minute of cutscenes and call it a day!
Of course this has been going on forever -- Square-Enix has been trying to fool people with ads made of nothing but cutscenes since the Playstation era. I dunno, I guess I just figured with gaming becoming so mainstream publishers would stop trying to pull such an obvious bait-and-switch. Silly me, assuming the video game industry actually has a sense of shame.
Here Are Some People Using Motion Controls!
Multi-ethnic groups of people ranging from age 9 to 99 smile intensely as they really, really enjoy the wonder of motion controls. High kicks, arm flailing, big loopy motions -- these people are expending about 20-times more effort in than they have to, and they're lovin' it!
A couple half-second shots of the TV screen are shown to remind the viewer that these people are in fact, playing a video game and not merely stricken with a frightening case of mass hysteria.
Bland People Enjoying Things in a White Room
This describes around 90% of Nintendo's advertising from the past half-decade or more. Blandly attractive people derive moderate enjoyment from Nintendo products in an antiseptic white room, we see a few seconds of gameplay footage, the end.
I actually have some hope Nintendo might retire this style of ad soon -- I mean, once you've done one about how f--kable Mario looks in his tanooki suit, where else is there to go?
Video Games? Nooo, We're a Movie!
This is the latest trend -- forget gameplay footage or even in-game cutscenes, do a live-action ad that looks like a movie trailer! Because looking like a cheesy, low-budget movie is still preferable to being some lame-ass video game. Ugh.
Make sure everything is really grim with lots of people running, dying and crying because that's what good movies are all about. Maybe put some religious imagery in there too, and make sure everything's all desaturated and gritty looking. Yeah, this'll make Roger Ebert love us!
So, am I just an old crank who hates everything? Have there been no recent video game ads I've liked at all? Not quite. I dug this one...
How about you guys? Any recent video game TV spots you've actually enjoyed? By all means, point me towards 'em and help instill in me renewed hope for the video game industry. Or, you know, just make your own grumpy comments about the current state of video game advertising, and tell me how right I am. Either will do.
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R.E.M?
I think you meant Gary Jules. And I feel as if the same argument has been made about movie trailers. There is only so much creativity to go around. As long as the game is good (which is itself a gamble) who cares how lame the trailer is?
I care because I have to watch said boring ads.
While i *DID/DO* dig the Gears of War trailers (How do you not like Gary Jules, DeVotchka, & Mazzy Star), especially the extended versions, the thing that’s been driving me fkn BONKERS lately is the use of songs from Johnny Cash’s American IV album played over pretty much anything and everything. Zombie movies started the trend initially a few years ago, but now its being played over EVERYTHING.
What about the whole “kids or traditional song”? That’s a burgeoning trend. “Dishonored” used “Drunken Sailor”, “Dead Space” used “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Bioshock Infinite” used “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
Dude, now the video game TV ads USED to be good? whats next? “video game covers are not as good as once where”? maybe the ads doesn’t fell like an event anymore because erhm, we have youtube? and we are not 15? and I don’t know, they are just TV ads and thats it?
Yes, they did. They were unique — it usually felt like they tried to come up with an idea specific to the game they were advertising as opposed to just cutting together another Call of Duty special. It doesn’t happen too often anymore, but believe it or not commercials can be well-produced and memorable.
Also, who told you about my upcoming “Video Game Covers Aren’t As Good As They Once Were” article?
for some reason now I want to read said post
The new Halo 4 ad was awful. “What is this, a cheap ripoff of Battlestar Gal–oh there’s Master Chief.”
The live action trailer thing is starting to get irritating.
Eh, I’m okay with the more cinematic game commercials because if you drop $60 on a game without researching it you deserve to get ripped off.
And the Super Mario Bros. 3 commercial was pretty good, but I did find it to be a bit long (come on, a 100 minutes?) and would have used another child actor besides Fred Savage.
What’s the demographic for that Cattrall catastrophe supposed to be?
If it wasn’t for Chun-Li in the other one I would really have to reevaluate my opinion towards Nintendo.
The GTA 5 trailer is different, then again it’s not really an ad and it is GTA.
“I am William Shatner, and I am a shaman. I am a CONDUIT! For the mystical forces of nature.” That WoW campaign is the only particularly memorable one I can think of from recent years. Oh, and “Your mom hates Dead Space 2″ was kinda neat, despite being kinda stupid. And that one with Robin and Zelda Williams was mildly amusing. And you gotta love Portal 2′s, with Atlas and P-Body. Mirror’s Edge had a great commercial. Deus Ex Human Revolution’s was pretty good, and Borderlands’ was at least memorable for its music.
Anyway, 5 and 6 are the only ones that really annoy me (although the recent 3DS ones with groups of young people manage to be enjoyable anyway). And the live-action thing is getting old fast. But these other trends aren’t so bad. At worst, they’re merely reflective of the sameness of the games they represent.
I agree with the WoW commericals, Chuck Norris’s bit was always my favorite.
Most Memorable: Halo 3”s Believe and Starry Night ads.
Say what you want, but that Skyrim commercial still gets me pumped.
The first Gears of War one with “Mad World” was one of the best game commercials ever. I see games like Prototype biting that style and combining it with live action now. It makes sense for the Gears marketing to keep with the same theme since the first was so popular.
Here is one of my favorites from Gears 2. No song, just a kick ass poem.
[www.youtube.com]
What this guy said in the first part.
Also revisiting the Mad World song in the third instalment was mad epic in a game that really didn’t have a ton of emotional involvement. Ripping off Gears’ marketing approach is what needs to go.
One of the best ads is that reverse Dead Island commercial.
Fantastic trailer, but I don’t think that was ever a TV ad, was it? Not as a regular commercial, anyway; it was 3 minutes long.
I felt Batman A.C’s tv ad was particulary awesome, I know you disagree but overall I thought the dark undertones of the trailer really sold the ad and represented the game well.