Image via Complex Original
In such a crowded and competitive market like video games, a good commercial is something that could give a title a much needed edge above the rest. Throughout the years, we've seen so many but only a few really stand out. Here are 10 that remain branded into our memory.
10. The Legend of Zelda
For such a huge game, the commercial for The Legend of Zelda was incredibly small. A weird guy dressed in all black freaking out must have been a real hoot at the pitch meeting. Then again, who's to say that one even happened? This ad played so often that you'd think Drake was in it.
9. Midnight Club 2
Rockstar Games second release in their popular racing series got us all pumped up with DJ Darkzone's "Infinity in Your Hands." Dope commercial and great game to boot.
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 "The Vet and The N00b
Jonah Hill plays the "N00b" that we've all been guilty of being. Rushing in shooting all willy nilly, drawing attention and getting snuffed out in seconds. Activision tapped into the days that are all too familiar to FPS fans.
7. Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!
As one of Nintendo's most successful games ever, it's a wonder if they even needed Mike Tyson (who was at the top of the boxing food chain at the time) to be in the commercial. Either way, Tyson's appearance worked and we begged for a copy in hopes of putting the champ on the mat.
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops "There's A Soldier In All Of Us"
There were no punches pulled when it came to using star power for the first in the Black Ops series. Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel could be seen wielding weapons and all though Kobe came under fire for his part in the ad, the shock of seeing a star athlete in a commercial for an FPS was shock enough to get the job done.
5. Grand Theft Auto III
To use Gianni Schicchi's "O mio babbino caro" while the game's anti-hero Claude carjacks civilians and guns down enemies was quite the bold statement. The best part was the ending where Claude's car makes an insane jump and lands perfectly to the song's soft harp and violins.Doesn't that make you want dust off your old GTA III copy?
4. Hockey for Atari 2600
The ad for Atari's Hockey gets our nod just for the late comedian Phil Hartman's spaz-out scene. Cheesy? Yes. Over the top for no reasaon at all? Absolutely. That doesn't stop it from being one of our all time favorites.
3. Halo 3 "Believe"
This incredible commercial proves that you don't always have to have fancy special effects to get the point across. Halo 3's ad showed a fierce battle of Spartans and Covenant soldiers through posed action figures. Genius.
2. Gameboy Advance 4 "Who Are You?"
Artsy with out going overboard Nintendo's commercial for the Gameboy Advance 4 first made you wonder where they were going with army of kids floating through the air and running through underground tunnels. It all came together once we saw the the owner of the video games store turn around to an army of "Marios." So many of us ran to find and download Mayumi Kojima's "Hatsukoi," she could've gone platinum just from that commercial alone.
1. Gears of War 2 "Mad World"
There was no guitar shredding, screaming or rapping. Only the soft crooning of Gary Jules' "Mad World" as we saw Marcus Fenix in the heat of battle. This commercial not only showed how incredible Gears of War was but it also connected on an emotional level when we saw Marcus go up against what looked like an impossible boss fight. Damn you Cliffy B, shut up and take our money!