The best video game advertisements of all time!

[Skeletonpatch]

For University I recently did an assignment about advertising rhetoric, the specifics of the assignment itself are boring so I'm not going to talk about it...

 

Anyway, for this assignment I chose and then analyzed two commercials from ~20 years apart that both advertise a specific Video Game Console. Naturally, as I analyzed them I needed to watch them over and over. I absolutely fell in love with these two commercials, and thought of the question... What are the best advertisements for a Video Game Console of all time?

 

Then I thought, why not ask the wonderful people of Doomworld!

 

I encourage you to share extremely memorable and/or effective video game advertisements (can be console ads or individual game trailers) that for whatever reason just stuck in your mind. Be it because the ad was hilarious, bizarre, nonsensical or any other quality!

 

Please place all videos into spoilers so that they don't slow down peoples' browsers when they load this thread.

 

Originally, this thread only included advertisements for video game consoles, but I have since then decided to expand the topic to include all types of video game advertising! Feel free to post anything as long as it advertises something video game related!

 

Here are the two ads that inspired this topic:

Spoiler

"Blast Processing":

 

"Perfect Day":

 

 

Also, I don't need any flame wars about "which console is better" or "which franchise is better" erupting. You may discuss the tactics employed in the ads on an objective level (the extensive use of visual metaphor in Sega's Blast Processing ad, for instance), but no "this console that I grew up with and have blind nostalgia for is better than any other shit anyone else grew up with" debates.

 

^{Besides, the PS2 wins by that one default, because that's the console I grew up with, so it really isn't a fair fight anyway.}

Edited December 14, 2017 by Skeletonpatch

[[McD] James]

 

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2017 by Ajora

[Skeletonpatch]

This first part of the post is from before I expanded the topic, and can be ignored:

Spoiler

On 12/11/2017 at 7:00 PM, Skeletonpatch said:

This thread is strictly for sharing advertisements that advertise Video Game Consoles, do not share previews for individual video games in this thread please.

 

Apparently this wasn't clear enough. As awesome as the Final Fantasy and Mario Bros. ads are, I ask that only ads specifically meant for consoles themselves be shared please. If we were to include all video game ads then this thread wouldn't have any focus.

 

You have reminded me of the pure magic that is Segata Sanshiro!

 

 

I couldn't find a decent-quality video with subtitles, but at the end before the missile explodes Segata is saying: "Play Sega Saturn! PLAY SEGA SATURN!", and the final line of the ad is "Segata will live on... in our hearts"

Edited December 13, 2017 by Skeletonpatch

[SilverIce]

 

[reflex17]

SEGEE

 

 

[[McD] James]

I might be mistaken, but I think you edited the thread's title. I remember reading it as "The best video game commercials of all time". 

[Skeletonpatch]

On 12/11/2017 at 9:10 PM, Ajora said:

I might be mistaken, but I think you edited the thread's title. I remember reading it as "The best video game commercials of all time". 

I never edited the thread's title, so you must have misread it. I have edited the original post a few times after noticing some grammar mistakes.

 

EDIT: I have edited the title since this was originally posted...

Edited December 13, 2017 by Skeletonpatch

[[McD] James]

My bad, then. I've edited my post to something more appropriate. 

[VGamingJunkie]

 

[Impie]

 

[Skeletonpatch]

The post that was here originally is now irrelevant.

 

Original post:

Spoiler

Please do not link to trailers for individual games, I'm asking for commercials that advertise the consoles themselves. Meaning, ads that focus on the little plastic box that you plugs into your TV that plays the games.

 

Of course, most console ads do showcase the games that will be available for them; but the games themselves are not the focus of the ads, the consoles are.

 

While there are many amazing trailers for many games, I created this thread for the console ads.

 

If only there were a way to communicate that in a way that was less confusing...

Edited December 13, 2017 by Skeletonpatch : This post is no longer relevant

[Ichor]

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snapshot]

This dumb commercial
 

 

[lazygecko]

 

Yes, that is Toby Maguire making ecstatic exertions from the bathroom.

[Chow Yun Thin]

Some Sega ads from the UK made me go WTF (forgive me for the Kotaku article).

[Skeletonpatch]

I have decided to expand the topic to include ALL video game advertising! So feel free to post all the game trailers you want in addition to console ads!

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

And yes, @Ajora, you are now free to repost the Mario Bros. and Final Fantasy trailers that you removed after I initially corrected you!

Edited December 14, 2017 by Skeletonpatch

[Ichor]

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. Freeze]

 

[129thVisplane]

Vinesauce Joel once showed this commercial on a stream and it had, so to say, left skidmarks on my soul.

 

 

[fraggle]

[[McD] James]

 

[geo]

I read a post mortem on a game that tried to get a video game commercial on TV. They had the money, but the TV stations rejected it as there was too much gameplay and if people saw that for 30 seconds straight they'd turn the channel. So they had to splice it with live action and humans. So 30 seconds of gameplay turned into 7. They didn't realize they should have had humans playing the game to fit in more gameplay.

[Skeletonpatch]

27 minutes ago, geo said:

I read a post mortem on a game that tried to get a video game commercial on TV. They had the money, but the TV stations rejected it as there was too much gameplay and if people saw that for 30 seconds straight they'd turn the channel. So they had to splice it with live action and humans. So 30 seconds of gameplay turned into 7. They didn't realize they should have had humans playing the game to fit in more gameplay.

What game was that for? And is it possible to link the trailer?

 

Also, I'd appreciate it if from now on everyone embed trailers inside of spoilers, please. Trying to reload this page just now took way too freaking long. And almost crashed my browser. It would also be nice if the people who have already posted trailers would please edit their posts and put their videos inside spoilers.

 

Anyway, here's another one of my all-time favourite trailers; after I saw it I HAD to play this game:

Spoiler

 

 

[PizzaGuy]

 

[CARRiON]

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING will ever top this one for me.

 

 

When I saw this shit, I had tears rolling down my cheeks and my gut hurt I was laughing so hard. It was the kind of laugh that makes you think "this is how I die isn't it?" because I just couldn't breathe. Even now it makes me laugh (though not that hard anymore).

 

A close second would be this one.

 

 

It's the music.

 

WILD! WILD! WILD!

[VGamingJunkie]

Just for something a bit different, this has to be the worst video game commercial I've ever seen:

 

Spoiler

 

How to make a good video game commercial, don't make it like that. Now, for something good:

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Bauul]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned David Lynch's incredible Wolfman advert for the PlayStation 2. The PS2 had some properly insane adverts, but this one was by the far the most memorable:

 

 

Edit: I'm on my phone so couldn't get the video into a Spoiler tag I'm afraid. Although I believe it doesn't make any difference, the page seems to load them all anyway.

[lazygecko]

On 2017-12-21 at 3:16 PM, CARRiON said:

 

A close second would be this one.

 

There's an ad for some racing game (with dinosaurs?) on either the DS or 3DS that is equally ridiculous.

[[McD] James]

@MetroidJunkie Yikes, that commercial really is awful. Absolutely nothing about that makes me want to play Metroid Prime 2.

[VGamingJunkie]

Yeah, whoever thought it was a good idea to make their video game commercial in the format of a Drug PSA needed to be fired. Thankfully, the US Commercial is vastly better.

 

Spoiler