10. Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo had no idea the kind of success it was going to have on its hands with the Super Smash Bros. franchise. The company known for its guarded, kid-friendly stance on games sure surprised us when it decided to make a game that brought several its most famous characters together to beat the crap out of each other, and that sentiment couldn't have been more perfectly demonstrated than in this commercial for the N64 original.
9. Sega Saturn - Segata Sanshiro
The Sega Saturn was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 10 million units its lifetime. In fact, you probably wouldn't be wrong in suggesting that the Saturn's failure played a key role in driving Sega out of the hardware business. Regardless, after watching this ad campaign starring some sort of Saturn-obsessed superhero Judo master though (Japanese Chuck Norris?), I think we can all agree that the console's failure to move consoles could have had nothing to do with Sega's marketing techniques in Japan.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time pretty much marketed itself, you know being one of greatest video games ever created and all. Its fitting then that the game had one of the coolest commercials ever to accompany its release, showing off many of the game's coolest moments to an epic musical score and even taunting viewers in Ye Olde English. It's no surprise that Nintendo used the commercial again 13 years later for the release of Ocarina of Time 3D in 2011.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Speaking of Zelda on the N64, Majora's Mask is known for being the darkest and most serious entry in the series, and this commercial evokes the atmosphere of the game perfectly. The bead of sweat dripping off the player's eyebrow probably exemplifies the kind of stress and intensity a lot of players felt as they struggled to fit all their actions into that looming 3-day window. Watching this ad again just intensifies our hope that the game makes it onto the 3DS soon too!
6. Halo: Reach - "Deliver Hope"
While Halo fans wait patiently (or not so patiently) for the Hollywood movie adaptation that will probably never happen, Bungie has been teasing them with some top-notch live-action ads that began with Halo 3: ODST and culminated in this awesome commercial for Halo: Reach. The short minute-long sequence manages to effectively tell a story that is a microcosm of the emotional ride that players would experience in Bungie's excellent final Halo game, no small feat for a brief TV spot.
5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Maybe it's because the Zelda series is so highly regarded that its marketing team feels it can step outside the box to deliver some really unique advertisements, demonstrating the fact that this is the third Zelda commercial on our list. Wind Waker was endlessly scrutinized and even criticized for its new cartoony visual style, but even critics of the cel-shaded graphics couldn't help but be impressed by this darker narrated commercial that demonstrated that the series had not lost its sense of story during the transition and that the gameplay would be as epic as ever.
4. Gears of War - "Mad World"
If you've played Gears of War, you know by now that at no point during the game is the fear and emotion conveyed by this famous commercial ever demonstrated within the story. That doesn't make the advertisement any less effective though, evidenced by the fact that the "Mad World" song played in the commercial instantly became a hit again in 2006 when it first aired, and the emotional tone and music became a staple for numerous trailers for Gears 2 and 3 as well thanks to the popularity of the original.
3. Metroid: Other M
We can sit here and argue all day about why we feel Other M was a success or a failure, and we probably would if you got us started (so don't get us started). Be that as it may, few would argue the awesomeness of this commercial for the game, a beautiful combination of music, live-action, CG, and gameplay that conveys the game's plot perhaps more effectively than the game itself.
2. PlayStation 3 - "Michael"
After the Kevin Butler series of PlayStation 3 ads ran its course, Sony's marketing team had to come up with a worthy follow-up campaign. Enter the "Long Live Play" moniker and this unforgettable commercial that is an homage to hardcore gamers everywhere. Even the most avid observer would have to watch this ad repeatedly to pick out all the game references, culminating in your favourite game characters raising their glasses to toast you, Mr. PS3 owner. Casual gamers may not see the appeal of the commercial quite the same, but this is fan service at its absolute best.
1. Halo 3 - "Believe"
As if Halo 3 needed much of a marketing effort. The fact that the game was the first entry in one of the industry's most popular franchises on the Xbox 360 would have been enough to make it one of the biggest game launches in history on its own. Leave it to Bungie though to still come up with this incredibly unique and artistic ad for the game that, Halo fan or not, had to give you goosebumps. There isn't one second of gameplay or storytelling in this commercial, so the fact that it tops our list is testament to how well-made and memorable it is. The average non-gamer wouldn't have a clue of what the game is like, but even they would have to be intrigued after watching this video.
Written by: Mike Glubish
0 comments:
Post a Comment