While working on my latest blog, which should be done in about a week or so and is also a list, I decided to also put together another list of things I also have a passion for: Video game commercials!
The following are what I consider the 5 best video game ads that were ever televised. Now in order to better narrow the list, I am going for a more artistic approach. I'm leaving out the humor commercials and banned ones we all love (So don't ask me where the Legend of Zelda dance is, or the breast feeding zombie of RE4 fame), and instead am going to focus on the ones that try to convey a feeling towards the game that makes us want to play them!
Note: Most of these are next-gen/newer games, and I only considered US ads. I may expand this list in the future, but for right now I threw it together based on all ads that I have personally seen.
5. Kingdom Hearts (Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru)
Just a great short commercial that we'd all see and go "That looks fun! Disney! Yay!" plus it uses Utada Hikaru's Simple and Clean, which is the theme song for the actual game. The spot for Kingdom Hearts II is essentially the same thing but with Utada Hikaru's Sanctuary (Passion) playing, so technically that could also be considered, but this was the first one we fans probably remember the most.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJLuQRDm5vM&feature=related
4. Gears Of War (Mad World by Gary Jules)
We all expect metal or some sort of rock/techno when we see ads for new shooters, but this was an ad that actually caught our attention and created a sense of sadness and hopelessness, which in turn made us wonder what exactly the game was about other than killing alien invaders. This ad was released signifigantly earlier than the game was, so it only helped pump us all up for something that was at the time (And kind of still is) the most gorgeous game we had seen. It only got better when we actually played the game and realized it was as badass as this commercial. Like Kingdom Hearts, the commercial for Gears Of War 2 which features Deovtchka is also fantastic, but I tried to single it down to one commercial per series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccWrbGEFgI8
3. Prince of Persia (Saeglopur by Sigur Ros)
AH! Good ol' Sigur Ros, the band every film trailer editor loves to use. And theres a reason for it. Not only does it create help a sense of peacefulness in this ad, but also has that gorgeous sound to match the gorgeous graphics of the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtdkTu8tunU&feature=related
2. Tomb Raider Underworld (Gorecki by Lamb)
This one wasn't shown a lot on television, and the game didn't really impress the critics because of its short length, but this ad is still fantastic. Like most of these there is a shorter version that is also just as good as the long version. The transitions through each scene are what makes this so good, great blend of cutscenes with structured game play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_RggngL2eg
1. Lost Odyssey (White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane )
It's amazing that Lost Odyssey didn't sell better just based on this ad. Even without it, it should have. Highly overlooked game with great mature themes and characters not often seen in RPG's, Lost Odyssey is going to be a cult favorite when we look back years from now. Probably the most random pairing of a game and music, but it works so incredibly well that no one really cares. I remember being surprised that they showed the full thing on television, because it is lengthy, but you can't help but be compelled to watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTicI3dcnys&feature=fvw
Note: I am linking to youtube but you guys can also find these on http://gameads.gamepressure.com/ if you can't watch.
Thanks for reading, keep playing!
-UnsaidWarning