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A brief history of home consoles, as seen through tv ads

Posted: 2006-12-22 04:31pm
by Xisiqomelir
Picked this up on /., figured some of you would like it (espec for the 2600 commercial).

EDIT: Fixed link :P

Posted: 2006-12-22 08:19pm
by Arthur_Tuxedo
Good stuff. It really makes it clear how awful video game commercials were and still are. I'm not sure I've ever seen a competent video game commercial.

Posted: 2006-12-23 04:30am
by Bounty
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Good stuff. It really makes it clear how awful video game commercials were and still are. I'm not sure I've ever seen a competent video game commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W26dIkqHOU8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2WoP51iXHw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9hC6TirbmY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FFdC5QeqWQ

Posted: 2006-12-23 05:17pm
by Elaro
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Good stuff. It really makes it clear how awful video game commercials were and still are. I'm not sure I've ever seen a competent video game commercial.
I thought the Wii ads were quite competent.

Posted: 2006-12-23 07:43pm
by LordShaithis
Phil Hartman screaming at the Atari 2600 was pretty awesome.

EDIT: Most of these cheezy old commercials actually talk up... gasp... the system's features and games. That's a hell of a lot better than this PS3 "crying baby doll" horseshit.

Posted: 2006-12-23 08:41pm
by Covenant
I really liked the Gears of War TV commercial.

It was so quiet and the world seemed dead, and it seemed to stark. It seemed like there was this real despair about that gameworld, but I know that it's a shooter, which seemed to hit a perfect balance between showing me drop-dead-gorgeous action and giving me a world in which that kind of violence didn't seem out of place. Anyway, I thought it was a beautifully shot little ad!

Note, I really haaaate Donny Darko crap, so there was no nostalgia factor there. Ugh.

Posted: 2006-12-23 09:01pm
by LordShaithis
I've never played Gears of War or heard that song before, but the broken statue at the beginning and the choice of music were brilliant. Set that running around to generic sci-fi actioney music and it becomes totally forgettable.

Posted: 2006-12-24 02:21pm
by Arthur_Tuxedo
Elaro wrote:
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Good stuff. It really makes it clear how awful video game commercials were and still are. I'm not sure I've ever seen a competent video game commercial.
I thought the Wii ads were quite competent.
OK, so I exaggerated. But you have to admit that most game commercials to this day are headscratchers.

Posted: 2006-12-24 03:03pm
by Utah Jak
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:
Elaro wrote:
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Good stuff. It really makes it clear how awful video game commercials were and still are. I'm not sure I've ever seen a competent video game commercial.
I thought the Wii ads were quite competent.
OK, so I exaggerated. But you have to admit that most game commercials to this day are headscratchers.
Very true. The PS3's commercials generate an instant What the Fuck?! reaction every time I see one.

Posted: 2006-12-24 03:51pm
by 18-Till-I-Die
I remember every one of those commercials from the Nintendo 'Power Pad' one onward. Looking back i must have got my first game system around the time that came out, since that 'Power Pack' with the running pad and teh zapper was the one my mom got. Jesus i must have been one.

Now i feel old.

It's even worse that i remember clearly using words like "rad" in general conversation.

Now you're playing with POWER...Geriatric Power!

Posted: 2006-12-24 04:15pm
by Siege
I've always been a fan of David Lynch' PS2 add myself.

Also, that Golden Sun add rocked.