Random Coolest Live Action Video Game Commercials (36 items)

• 

  (#33) Kirby's Adventure

  • 1993

  Back in the 90s, when guys still had to prove how tough they were to be valued as "guys" and not just have to be able to restore someone's PC to do so, masculinity was valued in the form of pure brawn.

  Kirby isn't currently marketed as this tough powerhouse who can do anything physical. Why? Because we all know who he is, know he's adorable and just a little bit chibi, and respect the hell out of his abilities.

  This live-action commercial provided a perfect balance of making Kirby incredibly cute, relatable as well as tough as nails. The fact that he was taking on, and being juxtaposed with, real tough dudes from the real world brought the character into a place where he feels more like a superhero and less like a little blob that you can control in a game where your protagonist is pink.
• 

  (#17) Darksiders II

  • 2012

  James Cosmo of Braveheart fame plays a priest in the live action trailer, while operating as narrator in the game itself. This trailer really brings out the fantastical elements, where your character is literal Death. 

  Hey, you're actual Death. That's pretty cool. Darksiders II's open world hack-and-slash game was pretty well set up for a live action trailer, and they nailed it, here. 
• 

  (#24) Disney's Aladdin

  • 1993

  Disney's Aladdin was one of those surprisingly-good games that kind of caught us all off guard. To top it all off this commercial was made where a kid who keeps his television outdoors is telling his highly skeptical friends about a new game. They immediately disregard his review of the game and then the kid uses two wishes to turn his friends into a dog and a fire hydrant.

  What makes this commercial so awesome?

  It's not the annoying, denim-jacket-wearing kids. Oh ho ho, no. It's the fact that the kid is out of wishes. His friends are stuck that way forever.

  Brutal. And Awesome.
• 

  (#2) Halo 3: ODST

  • 2009

  HALO: ODST tried to do something a little different, putting you in for the first time among characters who weren't Master Chief. But the shock troops of the UNSC aren't weaklings - they're considered the best of the best (that humanity knows about), dropping behind enemy lines to attack the enemy from behind. 

  So the trailer certainly tries to, in live action form, give you the feeling that these characters are a dangerous position. Were they effective? Probably not - with you holding onto the controls, anyone that isn't you immediately gets owned. 
• 

  (#11) Resident Evil 5

  • 2009

  Something people don't really consider about survival horror games is that the survivors don't get achievements or go out to get some Taco Bell with their friends after they're all done. They remember everything and it follows them for the rest of their lives (or well into the game sequels).

  Chris Redfield has been through so much that it's insane that he's not more, well, insane.

  This video not only does this, and therefore adds some artfully frightening depth to a trailer that could have just been a bunch of zombies, but introduces the main character of the upcoming game in a way that most film trailers try to.

  It's an inspiring insight to the psychology behind the experiences your characters endure, fleshing out their personality. 

  Greatest line: "It's amazing how far you can get in life by destroying the lives of others."
• 

  (#8) Metro: Last Light

  • 2013

  When you're talking the end of the world, trailers have to sell the human cost and impact to get any sort of response these days. Enter the Metro: Last Light trailer. In attempting to reintroduce Metro as a title people had to get, it got 4 million views on YouTube the day it dropped. 

  Really, the apocalypse is supposed to look frightening, and this trailer nails it while also making it look like it should be a game that you should play. 

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking