Nobody likes ads these days, but Sony’s amazing commercials did a great job of sel??lin?g me on the original PlayStation way back then.

They really did bring us to a completely diff?erent place �sometimes to the point of not feeling like ads at all. Luckily, Sony even inspired the competition to also make spectacularly weird commercials. So, let's look at some of the few ads in history to have artistic value?? and thank video games for their existence.

Mental Wealth (PS1)

The most disturbing piece of PlayStation advertisement ?is likely this very simple interview with a teenage girl from Scotland. The Chris Cunningham-directed ad ??just shows a girl going on what's either a nonsensical tirade or a visionary speech about mental wealth.

There's something really unsettling about this girl. Maybe she seems a little alien, probably due to her Scottish accent, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Whatever it is, please watch until the end, bec??ause her laughter is the stu?ff of legends.

No one born in the '00s will ever be able to?? understand what it was to have this popping on your TV back in '95. Great times.

This is the ad that convinced none ot?her than David Lynch to direct the PS2 ad?? below.

Welcome to the third space (PS2)

You'd think that, to David Lynch, the PlayStation's strangest ad would be yet another normal thing he'd be nonplussed about. You'd be wrong. ??Even Lynch loved these ads, so he decided ??to make his own.

I can't draw one single connection between "Welcome To The Third Space" and video games, but they showed Sony's unwavering confidence. This company was flexi??ng on every competitor by putting out the most random-seeming ads and still managing to sell dozens of millions of PS2 consoles.

Genesis does what Nintendon't (Sega Genesis)

The classic ad began by boasting about the Genesis' "blast processing", a feature that the Super Nintendo sorely lacked. This was true, but only if we're referring to the ads themselves, which contained instances of the words "blast" and "processing"? �because "blast processing" was made up tech jargon meant to fool you.

It's not cool to begin your ad with ??a straight up lie, but that's the spirit you expect from a crazy commercial aimed more at hurting your opponent than at really promoting your own product.

This isn't one of the greatest ads of all time because of ??its cool aesthetics or direction. It's because it proves the existence? of an early version of Sega vicious enough to do whatever it took to win �and because it Nintendidn't.

It only does Everything (PS3)

Sony would go on to riff on the "Nintendon't" ads with the equally excellent �and actually ho??nest �"It Only Does Everything" ads.

These showed Kevin Butler, a totally real PlayStation exec, explaining some of the PS3's awesome features and also take a few hilarious digs at the competition. ?These ads began rolling out with the release of the PS3 slim, meaning that they must've played an important role on the console's comebac??k.

Segata Sanshiro’s ads (Sega Saturn)

To promote the Saturn, Sega came up with a live action mascot by the name of Segata Sanshiro. Segata was a martial arts master who'd show up in various Saturn ads just to kick ass and sell Saturn consoles. The result was always hilar?ity.

While most other video game ads will bring joy to your life for no longer than one minute, there's over 10 minutes of Segata hilarity out there. It's hard to pick one single favorite Segata commercial, but I'm partial to t??he one where beats up a bunch of kids seemingly for preferring real life sports over video games.

I like the "N?intendon't" ads from the Genesis because I like to see a multimillion multinational behaving like the brats it's trying to sell games to, but Sanshiro was on a whole oth??er level, and he'll be overlooked no more.

Standoff (Xbox 360)

The Xbox 360's "Jump In" motto ?couldn't have found a better vessel than "Standoff". It shows a game of finger guns that grows from a thing between friends into a city-wide thing. There are no special effects, just one hell of a lot of people coordinated to bring you an incredible set piece.

"Standoff" became a t?hing of myth because it ended up never airing on TV, maybe because of the inevitable association with actual guns, though the ad is obviously about ??the power of connection and make believe.

We do??n't real??ly know why Microsoft decided to shelf "Standoff", but we're showing it out of respect for the great work from everyone involved.

Baby (PS3)

The PS3 went through a rough first couple of years because it rested too much on the laurels of consoles past. Sony just thought it could do no wrong at this point. That's evident with the ??"Baby" commercial, which just shows a baby doll looking at a PS3, crying, then swallowing its tears.

Looking back, this is easily the emptiest ad in the history of Sony's consoles, but its inherent creepiness didn't f?ail to make quite an impression among fans and very confused bystanders.

Mountain (PS2)

Sony made "Mountain" to promote the Ps2's online capabilities, so it shows a bunch of people climbing on top of each other to form a human mountain of incredible proportions. There's no gore, no one being crushed, just people having fun like in the time before cellphones, I assume. Even 20 years later, "mountain" remains a sp?ectacular thing to watch.

"Mountain" was also prescient. It came out in '03, a time when the PS2 was starting to show sig?ns of the gargantuan monster it would ultimately end up becomi??ng.

S.A.P.S (Society Against PlayStation) (PS1)

The brilliance of the "S.A.P.S" commercial lies with how it's perceived by people ??of different ages. If you're an adult, you'll easily notice that the guy dressed in a suit is trying to mean business, but is clearly coded as an uptight nerd hellbent on keeping you away from the fun new thing. If you're a kid, however �like I was when I first saw it �you'll see a serious man trying to prevent you from playing a console that turns players into chimps.

Yes, this was a console that wanted to appe??al to kids but still warned them that playing it would turn them into animals. This was not an ad made at the peak of Sony's power when any ad would've worked so long as the company showed signs of life. S.A.P.S might as well have been an anti-PlayStation ad by Sega �and you know they'd do it �but Sony did it itself. Sony just knew it had one hell of an amazing product worth getting Chimp-ified for.

Champagne "Life Is Short" (Xbox)

Now that the veterans from the great first Sony-Microsoft-Nintendo war have all died, ?we can agree that the original Xbox had better graphics, sound, and extra functionalities than its competitors. Still the people at Microsoft knew that they absolutely had to stick the landing of the Xbox if they were going to have a serious go at the already massively popular PS2. They did just that with "Champagne". The bizarre name for an ad starts to make sense as you see a baby being shot out of her mother, then flying over the country as he grows into an adult who crash lands into his very own grave as an old corpse. Life sure is short and cool.

Much like a classic PS1 ad, nothing about "c?hampagne" tells you that playing the Xbox is fun �or even safe �really. Still, it filled prospective ??players with the need to engage with something they didn't quite understand �and should not miss.

PlayStation used game instructional video (PS4)

While I'm a fan of the '90s aesthetics and big-budget directing present in some of the original PS1 ads, some??times an incredible amount of shade will do just as well. That's what Sony did in its PS4 days when it made a video explaining the new console's revolutionary new system of sharing games with friends. Then it showed Shuhei Yoshida, one of Sony's top execs just handing a game to Adam Boyes, an??other top Sony exec.

Even if you don't know the context, that's already hilariously in line with PlayStation's most bonkers ads, but it's even better when you're in the know. That's Sony's response to the Xbox One's originally-intended business model where one game was bound to ?one console forever, not allowing you to even borrow it to a friend.??

No, Sony didn't make their direct rival backpedal on thei??r dumb idea with an ad that probably cost?? the company less than a game would, but this video will forever mark a big victory in a stupid easy battle for Sony.

The post 11 best classic console ads appeared first on Destructoid.

The Umbrella Academy meets Gekkoukan High. With Persona 3 Reload launching next week, Atlus West's YouTube released an out-of-the-blue live-action commercial w??ith Aidan Gallagher.

Persona 3 Reload is an RPG/life sim where you take on the role of Makoto Yuki, a recent transfer to Gekkoukan High. He then becomes a member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S) and takes on the many levels of Tartarus during the elusive Dark Hour at m??idnight.

The almost minute-and-a-half-long trailer, titled "Seal Your Fate", features The Umbrella Academy actor casually taking a stroll through the halls of Gekkoukan High and Tartarus and, of course, monologuing about time. Aidan becomes an in-game character ?at some points, ending off with slaying a Sha??dow himself. It's a weird mix and a pretty odd presentation, but seeing it go mainstream is cool, to say the least.

School Days

To be honest, Aiden doesn't strike me as protagonist Makoto, but weirdly Tatsuya of Persona 2 fame. I'm not the only one who thinks so, as YouTube comments repeat the protagonist's name due to his long brown hair and demeanor. Maybe when they adapt Persona into a live-action film, Aidan will take on the role. Though, Atlus would need to acknowledge the original Personas to do that, so who knows?

As I mentioned before, the commercial is a bit weird. It's just Aiden walking in a straight line talking about life. I know that time is linear but maybe the ad shouldn't have been? Still, as a fan of the franchise, it's exciting to see it fee?l a bit more mainstream.

Celebrities in video game ads aren't new. Just recently, Succession star Brian Cox talked about complicated family lore for Tekken 8. Last year, The Office's Rainn Wilson did a spin on the classic sitcom for Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. While simplistic, I do like that Persona can join those ranks. Perhaps they'll do this again for other Atlus titles? Maybe Kit Harrington for Unicorn Overlord? Or Timothee Chalamet for Metaphor: ReFantazio? Too much?

Persona 3 Reload launches on February 2 to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass. If you're interested, check out our latest preview of the game.

The post Persona 3 Reload g?oes live-action with odd new trailer starring Aidan Gallagher appeared first on Destructoid.

Hyrulin' the Box

Game marketing has sure changed in the post-internet world. And while we can be grateful for the abandonment of those weird "lad's mag" years, there's definitely something of a yearning for the well (and not-so-well)-conceived commercials of the 1980s and 1990s. This was a time when context was absolutely necessary, where no answers ??or information could be found via a quick wander through the information superhighway.

The commercial had to do all the selling. No live streams, no banner ads, no YouTube previews, and no E3 visits for Johnny Public. You have 30 seco?nds to tell people to spe??nd $50. Make them count.

Fortunately for Nintendo's premier fantasy franchise, The Legend of Zelda, its universe and characters exemplified magic, mystery, excitement, and adventure. Marketers had a literal ?universe of brave heroes, beautiful princesses, vicious monsters, grim castles, and haunted woods at their disposal, advertising Link's newest adventure to eager youth �pockets bursting with d??ollar bills, due to the fact that the only subscription anybody had back then was a subscription to Nintendo Power.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches on Nintendo Switch later this week, riding on the crest of a commercial that, according to social media, left some fans literally crying with emotion. For sure, there is an art to making a modern game trailer, especially with a release as epic as TOTK. But still, one canno??t help but wistfully recollect those carefree Saturday mornings, when a show that you remember being better than it actually was would eventually cut to commercial ??�And it was in this arena that The Big N would do its very best to compel you and your friends to the Land of Hyrule...

...Armed, more often tha??n n??ot, with the power of Rap.

?//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZv30buf-U&ab_channel=RadUniverse

The Legend of Zelda (US, 1986)

With the flash dominance of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo quickly established a series of ads that were mostly based around the players themselves, huddled together in the lounge to enjoy a bout of Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! or to break R.O.B. with an accidental trip. With the launch of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo once again chose not to focus on the game, but on two "Video Game Fans", including one that has stepped straight out of garbage 1984 flick Revenge of the Nerds.

In order to remind you how cool game fans are, the duo start an abominable rap, not only giving school bullies validation in the hatred of gaming culture but also consigning The Legend of Zelda to a bizarre pattern of hip-hop-related advertising. Beatbox??ing like The Fat Boys included. Still, fair play for reaching out and crossing that Nerd-Jock divide.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=D??xICMGKuT1s&ab_channel=V??GLegacy

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (JPN, 1987)

This delightful commercial sees a young girl excitedly run into her Grandma's (?) video game store and declare her love for Link's second adventure. The back of the store then parts, revealing Hyrule itself awaiting adventure. Adorably, the child becomes Link, while Grandma becomes Impa. The gender themes here are interesting, as this represents one of the first instances of Link's androgynous nature, which often sees him portrayed by women and?? girls in marketing, fanart, and cosplay.

The commercial ends?? with Zelda and Impa imploring us never to give up, while the Famicom disk system asks ??us to "Go as Far as We Can". More consoles should offer life-affirming lessons.

//www.youtube.c?om/watch?v=nYF6r-RluJg&ab_channel=M1nt

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (US, 1993)

Were you down wi' Zelda from the very start? Because this lad was, and he's telling us all about it in this commercial for one of the finest releases (as well as the most played) in the entire series, LoZ: Link's Awakening. It's 1993, and everyone has a Game Boy. Everyone. Mine had pink and black fur glued to it. I had?? a lot of growing up to do.

Anyway, even folks who had never touched a Zelda title in their life dove into Link's amnesia-fueled handheld adventure, while this commercial continues Nintendo's desire to push Zelda away from its unfair "nerdy role-playing game" reputation and into something altogether cooler. The irony is, video game fan??s didn't care, we were already d-d-down with the inhabitants of Hyrule.

"C??reeping through with an overhead view" is going to be the title of my auto??biography.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoZwW9rh6cY&ab_channel=ZeldaDense??tsu

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (US/UK, 2013)

This ad for Nintendo 3DS release A Link Between Worlds might have screened in 2013, but it most certainly features the "Put the kid in the action" mentality of the '80s/'90s advertising. In the short TV spot, we see a kid who kind of looks like dollar store Frankie Muniz navigate a Zelda-style dungeon, utilizing A Link Between Worlds' ingenious wall-merging abilities in order to conquer an array of obstacles, before ult?imately escaping the dungeon and capturing the fated Master Sword.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_jdwTkb9xY&a??b_channel=VHSVideovault

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (UK, 1993)

British comedian Rik Mayall grew out of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s �an entire comedic movement mostly established as a full-throated assault against the Tory government and its "Iron Lady" leader. Mayall became one of the most successful stars of the scene, appearing in shows such as The Young Ones, Yes, Prime Minister, and Bottom, while Americans might know him best in the titular role of the 1991 film Drop Dead Fred.

When the SNES hit it big in the UK, Mayall starred in a series of commercials for many Nintendo releases, including Star Fox, Street Fighter II, Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. This short spot sees him sending up his more successful modern image and features little of the actual game itself. It was a very successful ad, intrinsically linked with the game by British Zelda fans. Notably, the ads reflect a time when Nintendo was c??hiller about its image. The idea of them giving up their biggest franchises to ads this dopey, and c??elebrities this subversive, is wild.

Maya??ll would pass away suddenly in 2014, leaving behind a legacy of riotous work.

//www.you?tube.?com/watch?v=krwkNZtM5Sc&ab_channel=NintenderoMasked

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (US, 2009)

The beautifully composed ad sees a young man taking his regular subway commute, with a journey that becomes not only a commercial for the hit Nintendo DS release LoZ: Spirit Tracks, but is also a wonderful metaphor for the magic and mystery of The Legend of Zelda itself, which has the ability to pull its fans out of the humdrum cycle of everyday? life and deposit them into an amazing and eng??aging world. An escape from the woes of the nine-to-five, the frustrations of modern living, and the often-drab commitment to routine. An enjoyable transposing of reality as old as gaming itself.

The visual marrying of themes here works splendidly, from the use of a train for, obviously, Spirit Tracks, to the mobile nature of playing the? Nin??tendo DS itself, with a metropolitan horror aesthetic giving way to the colorful splendor of The World of Hyrule. Commercials such as these represent something of a last hurrah for the medium, soon to be replaced by the far more commonplace "Gameplay Trailer".

As such, it's good?? that so ??many of the ad makers saw that their respective franchises went out on a high.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYsgeAmsNHc&ab_channe??l=83Chrisaaron

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (JPN, 1998)

Actor and singer Kyoko Fukada plays LoZ: Ocarina of Time and makes reactive noises.

There's your ad. I'm okay with it.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=??L2Eo9dh?3xgQ&ab_channel=Carnivol

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (JPN, 1993)

We welcome back the art of Rad Rappin', only now with added puppetry, as Nintendo Japan chose to market Link's Awakening with this very cute, very fun piece that features marionette versions of Link, Marin, Tarin, The Owl, and The Skeleton Knight, regaling you with the backstory of just how our boy washed up on Koho??lint Island. A bouncy chorus leads us into our obligatory rhyme-spittin' breakdown, ending on a shot of the island and its mysterious Wind Fish Egg.

This would not be the last appearance of puppetry in The Legend of Zelda marketing. Be sure to check out this insanely cute short for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. Proof, if proof be need be, that puppets make every gaming franchise better, no matter how horrific the source material.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=09wBn4ux3N0&ab_channel=ZeldaU?niverse

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (US, 2011)

I'm sure that everyone reading this piece remembers Robin Williams, and I'm sure that you're also aware that the comedian and actor named his daughter Zelda, after no less than the princess herself. In 2011, Nintendo would work with the father and daughter on several commercials, which included ads for LoZ: Skyward Sword, LoZ: Four Swords, and LoZ: Ocarina of Time 3D, and see the duo enjoying the new titles, while occasionally offering insights on their relationship with gaming in general and The Legend of Zelda

Of course, this series of commercials have gathered a whole new emotional weight following Robin's sad passing in 2014, a reminder of the quieter real-life nature of a personality who built a career on manic performances and wild, character-based comedic roles. Zelda Williams works in the entertainment industry as a writer, voice actor, and philanthropist, occasionally having fun with her namesake via public appearances at The Legend of Zelda concerts, and cosplaying Link for Hallowee??n? in 2019.

//www.youtube.com/w?atch?v=m2TBHppHX1o&ab_channel=Z?eldaUniverse

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (JPN, 1991)

We have to go out on the highest of highs, and whether you've seen it a thousand times before, or you're seeing it for the very first time, there's no denying the unbridled joy and unabashed wholesomeness of the Japanese commercial for LoZ: A Link to the Past. Backed by the ultra-catchy beat of Japanese rap group Scha Dara Parr, the one-minute spot sees a full cast of costumed characters bust out ?a funkadelic dance routine, set against the backdrop of a cutely theatrical dungeon set.

Our he??ro Link, once again played by a woman, fends off several memorable enemies from the game, before rescuing the beautiful (and black-haired) Princess Zelda. This is just the beginning of the duo's troubles, as they are then besieged by a giant puppet of the evil Ganon. Don't sweat it, a handy two-step will see pig boy outta town. GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!

It's just so much fun, everyone looks great, the translated lyrics are amusing, the track is a real earworm, and the dancing is awesome. It's a real celebration of Link, Zelda, Ganon, and Hyrule itself. I don't know why Nintendo hasn't dug the master out for the HD treatment... Maybe it no longer exists. As I said at the top of the piece, the physical creativity that went into commercials such as this is sorely missed in a post-internet world, but at least that very same technology has allowed us to archive it �in all of its glory �for generations of Zelda fans.

I wonder if Nintendo still has that Ganon puppet?

The post Let’s flashback to some of the greatest Legend of Zelda TV ads appeared first on Destructoid.

Give me your best side

Shutterbugs waiting on the return of Pokemon Snap might enjoy this blink-and-you'll-miss-it TV commer?cial for the upcoming Nintendo Switch release, which has started airing on Japanese television.

The typically enthusiastic short stars young actor Kokoro Tarada and YouTuber Fuwa-Chan as the duo prepare to enter the world of "Pokemon Ecology", both dressed to the nines as old-school explorers and ready to get snap-happy on the wide variety of Pokemon that await within. Brief gameplay footage then gives us a s?neak peek at all our favorite characters, including Pikachu... Apple Burner... LongBeak... and... Butterfly.

You can check out the commercial below, courtesy of NintendoEverything.

New Pokemon Snap launches on Nintendo Switch April 30. Pith helmet no?t required.

The post New Pokemon Snap debuts Japanese TV commercial appeared first on Destructoid.

Everybody's favorite

People who frequent this blog probably already know how they feel about Cyberpunk 2077. Many of you have been excited for years. Some of you likely aren't on-board with the recent revelation that CD Projekt employees are subjected to "mandatory crunch" until the game ??ships. Regardless where you fall, you probably have an opinion.

But for people who have no idea about Cyberpunk 2077, this new Keanu Reeves-led advertisement is going to sell a lot more copies. This commercial aired during the NBA Finals last night, and it just feels cool, flashy, and badass in all the right ways. It has mass appeal, and that's even before you co??nsider the inclusion of global sweetheart Keanu ?Reeves.

This game is gonna ?sell ?so many goddamn copies it's gonna be stupid.

The post This Keanu Reeves commercial is gonna sell so many more copies of Cyberpu??nk 2077 appeared first on Destructoid.

Sinful

Here is a Doom Eternal advertisement that does exactly nothing to capture why people are so enraptured by Doom. For a marketing effort whose sole purpose is to sell the game, this commercial manages to make Doom Eternal look far ??more bland and watered-down than it is.

And maybe that's because it has to reall?y rein in the violence for tel?evision approval, a tough feat for a game that is aggressively violent. Not a single gun is fired (although maybe there's a shotgun blast at the 20-second mark, but it doesn't seem to kick at all). It's mostly just the Doom Slayer standing around, synced to an ill-fitting soundtrack.

Weird misstep but far from damning. Everything else about Doom Eternal has been promising and exciting. It'll take more than a misguided commercial? to kill that momentum ahead of its March 20 launch.

The post This Doom Eternal TV ad misses the mark entirely appeared first on Destructoid.

You're in for a frosty of trouble

I guess Wendy's couldn't let KFC get the upper hand in the gaming world. After we were graced with the magnificent presence of I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger-Lickin' Good Dating Simulator, Wen??dy's has now released a tabletop RPG where players will take on the forces of McDonald's (known here as the "United Clown Nation"). The future of corporate branding trying to take on life has officially begun.

Called Feast of Legends, a free PDF rulebook is available on the Wendy's website that will teach you how to play the game. There's nothing you need to buy or any special physical edition, but this is more a throwback to old-school Dungeons & Dragons?? wher??e you imagination saw you battling monsters and leveling up. It's a pretty bold move in 2019, especially since a lot of people are likely to write this off as a gigantic advertisement.

I'm not sure I'd ever play this, but ?I can appreciate Wendy's poki?ng fun at itself and its competition. I do wonder if a digital game version will ever be made available, though.

Feast of Legends: A Tabletop RPG presented by Wendy's [Wendy's via YouTube]

The post Wendy’s has created a tabletop RPG where you battle the forces of McDonald’s appeared first on Destructoid.

Can't hear you over the rumble of this big hog

Only thing I like more than? chopping up zombies is the roar of my chopper. VROOM VROOM. Love to hit the open road with Freakers flanking me from all sides. VROOM VROOM. Ain't nothing quite like the smell of asphalt, burning rubber, and the viscera of the living dead. VROOM VROOM??.

Did you know there's a motorcycle in Days Gone?

The post Vroom Vroom VROOOOMMMM g??oes the Days Gone motorcycle appeared first on Destructoid.

Plus, there ain't nothin' wrong with driving a minivan

It's always an accomplishment when marketing teams are able to fit in so much stupid in just around 30 seconds, but this new commercial for Venom and ESPN might just take the proverbial cake. Depicting ESPN personalities Charles Woodson and Randy Moss recruiting ??Eddie Brock (a green-screened Tom Hardy) as a potential Oakland Raiders mascot, there isn't a second of sanity in this advertisement.

Why did these ESPN dudes pull this disheveled dude to be a new mascot? Judging from their absolutely terrified reactions, they had no clue that Tom Hardy was about to transform into a freak of nature that looks like its made out of tainted Silly Putty. And what, this awful CGI glob decided to eat these poor sports fans? I guess it's funny because people are d??ead. Not even a drop of b?lood, just a couple of spilled cups of water—and that "yes, yes!" line at the end might be more unsettling than anything else in the video.

I truly have no idea why I spent way more than 30 seconds airing my grievances about a dumb advertisement that was just clearly ESPN having fun. It's probably because I hate fun. Venom is out on theaters super soon, by the way, on October 5. You can check out the latest trailer, which has a better look at Venom's tongue, right here.

The post This Venom-ESPN commercial is completely idiotic appeared first on Destructoid.

Genesis Does

I love when the marketing team behind retro games dig deep for nostalgic references. Sega's latest trailer for Sonic Mania Plus basically recreates the old "Sonic vs. Mario" ad from 1991 and it is pure nostalgic bliss. As an added bonus, it features the world's biggest Neo Geo fanatic, Nathan Barnatt? (aka Keith Apicary) as the sleazy salesman trying to peddle the "??hotter" game.

As a reminder, Sonic Mania Plus retails for $29.99, but the "Encore" DLC is going for $4.99. "Encore" is all the extra features for people that have previously purchased Mania and just want to upgrade.

The post Sonic Mania Plus’ retro styled commercial is ’90s nostalgia overload appeared first on Destructoid.

True love is couch co-op

Atlus' revamped edition of their heavy-hitting adventure title Dragon's Crown is now available on PS4. A new commercial, released by the publisher, shows that true love can bloom, even on the battlefield.

It basically sees a happy-go-lucky couple explaining the ups and downs of a modern-day relationship, in??terspersed with their dungeon-crawling antics as Wizard and Elf (Two ranged characters? You're kidding me, right?)

It's a fun, silly couple of minutes, but does feature an awesome and creepy "Gazer," one of Dragon's Crown's more terrifying creatures, as well as confronting the relationship issues that can arise? from simply having too much loot.

Dragon's Crown Pro is available now on PS4. It features new 4K visuals, a fully re-orchestrated score, and cross-play with the original ??PS3 and PS Vita editions, released back in 2013.

The post Fun Dragon’s Crown Pro advert brings heroes and monsters to life appeared first on Destructoid.

No exploding heads though...

PlayStation Japan's spokesdude Takayuki Yamada is back being a loon in another TV commercial. This time, Yamada-san is channeling his inner-Kenshiro in preparation for the release of Team Yakuza's Hokuto Ga Gotoku.

I'm not gonna do the tired YouTube-esque trope of spelling out the skit you've just w??atched/are about to watch, but I will add that the shirt featured in the 60-second ad is fantastic.

Hokuto Ga Gotoku launches in Japan on PS4 M??arch 8. Sa??dly there has been no announcement of a Western release thus far.

The post Takayuki Yamada s???hapes up for Fist of the North Star in TV ad appeared first on Destructoid.

What's your January purchase?

Sony Japan have released a very amusing advert featuring actor Takayuki Yamada, ?who has been appearing in PlayStation 4 adverts in the East for some years now.

In the forty-second short, ?Yamada, looking dapper af (as the kids say), kindly gifts three of his friends some cash to celebrate New Year. However, things take a turn for the worst when his friends reveal their plans for the money.

Yamada doesn't give you cash for some damn watch. In his mind, it's for one thing and one thing on??ly...

The post If Takayuki Yamada has a gift for you, you’d better use it for the right reason… appeared first on Destructoid.

Is that AC/DC?

As if cross-over commercials with Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears wasn't strange enough, now Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is promoted through the use of sniper bu??nnies, getaway driver bunnies, and cowardly night bunnies.

To be fair ??this game is d?eveloped and published by Ubisoft who always has a screw loose.

The post Mario + Rabbids K??ingdom Battle live action trailers not as we?ird as bears appeared first on Destructoid.

Have a break... Have a summons

Atari have filed suit against food-makers Nestle over a 2016 KitKat commercial that featured a concept similar to the 1976 arcade classic Breakout.

The UK-based advertisement (which itself is ??titled "Breakout") features a group of people at a train station taking time out by enjoying a video game similar to the Nolan Bushnell-classic, except with KitKat fingers replacing the game's wall of coloured bricks.

Atari have taken issue with the "plain and blatant" infringement, stating that Nestle exploited "the special place (Breakout) holds among nostalgic baby boomers, Generation X, and even today's millennial and post-millennial gamers." The lawsuit was filed this week in a San Franci?sco court.

A Nestle spokesperson responded that "This is a UK TV advert that r??an in 2016. The ad no longer runs and we have no current plans to re-run it," adding that they "will defend ourselves strongly against these allegations."

Nestle and the KitKat brand are no stra??ngers to the courts. Earlier this year the manufacturer lost a long-running battle with Cadbury whilst try??ing to trademark the KitKat's "four-finger bar" design.

In related news, I want some chocolate.

The post Atari files lawsuit against Nestle for KitKat ‘Breakout’ advert appeared first on Destructoid.

Redefines backseat gaming

Are you excited for Dragon Quest XI? Japan sure is. As you know commercials over here are completely 100% normal, and the latest "CMs" for the blockbuster franchise are no different. A dad and son are shopping for and playing DQXI, with a bit of role reversal.

The dad is throwing a tantrum on the floor in the middle of an electronics store begging to get the game, On the other hand, the son acts as th??e calm and collect?ed one, eventually giving in to buy it which excites dad. Excites him until the next commercial, that is, when he impatiently watches his son play before leaping in to play together.

If dad wants the Switch version and doesn't own the console, he's going to need to keep hydrated for a quite some time if he plans on continuing to cry while waiting f?or the Switch to actually be purchasable.

The post Dad goes absolutely berserk in Japanese Dragon Ques?t XI comm?ercials appeared first on Destructoid.

Or do it! I'm not the boss of you

There's a lot going on this Japanese television ad for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Too much, probably! You're not going to want to see it if you've held out this long and remained relatively spoiler-free. ??Stay strong, and also be careful on Nintendo of America's Twitter feed, as well.

I'm one of those maniacs who doe??sn't mind seeing cool things ahead of time that will almost certainly still seem cool to me once the game is out and I k??now the context of the situation. Weird, right?

If nothing else, try listening to the video in a?? separate tab -- the first 15ish seconds are totally safe, and the ensuing music will hit you like a jolt of energy. We're so close now!

The post Maybe don’t watch this spoilery Zelda: Breath of the Wild video appeared first on Destructoid.

At least these have kids in them

Last week, Nintendo released some advertisements for the Switch in its home country. Earlie??r today, some English language commercials for the Switch were released, and they'll no doubt be unavoidable if you have a kid with any sort of screen in your house.

The commercials focus on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Just Dance 2017 and the party game 1-2-Switch, and the latter reuses a little bit of the video we'd already seen in the Switch's Super Bowl spot. On the plus side, the new ads show how easy it is to move from onscreen to personal play. However, despite the upbeat music and multi-ethnic parties going on, these new ads thrill me less than the Japanese commercials did. Maybe it's because these these don't show off quite as much new g?ameplay footage. Still, there are only 18 days until the Switch launches worldwide, and I can't deny I'm more than a little excited. You can check out the new commercials below.

The post The North Americ??a?n Switch commercials are kind of bland appeared first on Destructoid.

These middle-aged men are really into Splatoon!

Nintendo has just released some commercials promoting the upcoming Switch console. The ads show off some gameplay from a few of the system's most heavily anticipated titles, including Splatoon 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. T??he commercials will air on Japanese television and streaming sites, b?ut you can watch them below.

I think it's interesting that Nintendo appears to be advertising to an older audience in these commercials; I don't think I saw anyon?e under 20 in any of them. We'll see if that's the case when English language commercials come out. They can't be far off, there's less than a month until the Switch releases on March 3.

The post Japanese Switch commercials show off Splatoon 2??, Zelda: BotW, and Mario Kart appeared first on Destructoid.

They had to pay a pretty penny for this

With Super Bowl LI only a few days away, you're going to see quite a few companies getting in on the time honored tradition of expensive, sometimes weird commercials. For the first time (considering the Pokémon 20th Anniversary ad was headed up by the Pokémon Company), Nintendo's also getting into the expensive fun with a new commercial for the Switch. As a guy who's watched tons of Super Bowl spots for sister site Flixist (keep an eye out there for new movie spots too!), I ca??n safely say thi?s spot is very effective. 

The commercial features The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild boss footage and will air during the game's fourth quarter. There's also an extended cut of the commercial below. It might be a bit weird to advertise to millions of people who probably won't be able to buy the Switch on March 3rd, but hey, ????at least it's a Nintendo commercial and not another terrible Doritos spot. 

The post Nintendo’s Switch Super Bowl commercial is pretty great appeared first on Destructoid.

Share the Joy!

Now that's just silly. But yes, it's real. Nintendo's latest German trailer for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe shows off various locations you can take your Switch to play on the go. Take it to class and hope you don't get caught (hey at least there's no more chance of awkwardly StreetPassing your teacher now!), or ?make use of its port-ability in a porta ??potty.

I can't read German but I'm sure there must be a disclaimer saying you can't sue Nintendo for losing feeling in your rump for sitting there too long. I recommend leaving the Joy-Con attached to the console, lest they go "Splatoon" and send you on your very own odyssey.

The post Nintendo: Play Switch while you poop appeared first on Destructoid.

Sir Isaac Mewton

Talk about going out of your way to make something cool to promote your game. SIE Japan released a four minute live action trailer about two Japanese sisters and th??eir pet cat. We view an everyday apartment from the first-person perspective of one of the girls who is writing a report about Newton's Law of Gravity. You know, that one law. Slowly, gravity starts to bend.

Obviously referencing the main character of the game, Kat, the trailer dubbed "Gravity Cat" uses the cat to first demonstrate that something is amiss with?? the gravity. Eventually they are shot ?out the window and smiling and laughing together, apparently ignorant that they're likely about to die. Oh well, we got a cute cat and we're flying! Hell yeah!

This well put-to-together and well acted commercial along with the claymation adverts for Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki are fun and make me want to see more ?uni?que trailers.

The post Live action Gravity Rush 2 trail?er featuring anti-gravit??y cat is wild appeared first on Destructoid.

We would like to clay

How could you possibly make Jibanyan cosplaying Indiana Jones even mo?re cute? Make it into a clay animation (or claymation) of course. These short but sweet TV spots kind of make me wish the whole game was a 3D clay-animated adventure. I'll accept a spin??-off title as well.

The last major game to be done completely in this style was Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, where they purposely gimped the frame-rate to make it look like clay animation. Rainbow Curse along with ClayFighter and Skullmonkeys were all 2D games. I'd like to see full-scale, AAA 3D game done in claymation, but I do w??onder if I wouldn't get tired of it while playing. Particularly that part about low frame??-rate.

In any case they also uploaded a short v??ideo on the making of these commercials. It's really fascinating seeing the process behind such stuff. Granted these are short ads, but I would enjoy a more detailed look at the process.

The post Yo-Kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki cl?aymation ads are kawaii as hell appeared first on Destructoid.

And it's dodging in all directions

Indie sensation Undertale is getting some new figures court??esy of Fangamer, and to promote the launch, it has released a trailer. It reminds me of an '80s commercial with little boys playing a little too roughly with their toys. You can check it out below.

Once you hear the music in the trailer again, you'll probably want to hear the whole soundtrack. Got ya covered. Series one of the figures features Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, Toriel, and the Lesser Dog miniboss. The trailer shows off som??e of the figures' special features, such as Papyrus' endless appetite for pasta, and the extending neck on the Lesser Dog. It closes by teasing the second series, which will feature Undyne, Flowey, Alphys, Mettaton, and Temmie in her item shop.

The figures themselves seem well made, and strongly resemble amiibo. Well, it might be too late for that to happen officially, but I suppose it's not ??out of the question just yet.

The post Undertale ‘little buddies’ toy commercial has a lot of heart appeared first on Destructoid.

I don't mean that colloquially

This is...something. Non-English rap has always rung weird to me. It's like that hit Italian song that's meant to sound like hit American music, but the singer is just stringing together nonsense sounds. There's something uncanny about it. It can be good, though. I saw a Korean wo??man wh?ose rapping could be described as both "fire" and "lit."

This Miitomo ad, with a sung chorus and a backing Japanese shamisen... I think I?? need more time to process. I also need to figure out how to make the screeching "Miitomo" at 1:50 into my ringtone.

Anyways, happy Friday.

The post Japanese teens, um, rap about Miitomo appeared first on Destructoid.

Low points in gaming

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End serves as a weird hanger-on to the Uncharted trilogy housed on the PS3. We could've left it at that, even "that" was the disappointing Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception -- especially if Uncharted 4 is meant to serve as capstone to Nathan Drake's story (albeit, a??dmittedly, not the series as a whole).

I'm glad they didn't, mind. Uncharted 4 eschewed the droning, repetitive wave-based shoot 'em up that was Uncharted 3 while even managing to respect its backstory for Yung Drake. It was smartly paced, leaned into the interpersonal relationships of well-liked characters, and felt brisk and pulpy without being glib. It's a noticeable improvement all around; it kind of reminds me of what we're seeing in the next God of War. Aged developers with more life experience want to figure out how to have the big, climactic, bloody action game with some merit and a veneer of respectability. It's a good thing! Lethal fucking Weapon features family dinners AND toilet bombs. 

But what really served as the opposite of Uncharted 4's maturation and hammers home why Uncharted 3 was the nadir of the series and so unbel?ievably dispiriting was the fucking Nathan Drake Subway ad? campaign.

Subway is an insanely pervasive international food chain that sells a spongy tube product resembling sandwiches/Taylor Swift's vagina. And just five years ago Nathan Drake, the character, was once its "corporate whore," as Jim Sterling so eloquently?? put it ??at the time.

Look at this shit. It comes off as a dank meme, but it's ??legit. This happened. Look at Drake's disgustingly disjointed fingers as he holds a Subway cup. His hand looks like a god damn rake. Look at a Drake multiplayer avatar doing the hand gesture as a taunt -- just like from the commercials!!! Fuck to Subway and its trash sponge tubes and fuck to this disg?usting marketing campaign.

It's embarrassing and let's never forget it.

The post Remember ?when Uncharted 3 tried to ?sell you Subway? appeared first on Destructoid.

You can't make this shit up

Many fans missed hearing David Hayter as the English voice of Snake in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, and it's clear he's still bummed to this day to have been pushed aside in favor of actor Kiefer Sutherland. That whole beef between him and director Hideo Kojima only gets weirder today as Hayter shows up, in character, to chat with the Col?onel about the new Ford Focus.

When I first saw this video at a glance, I thought it was some fan-made thing and didn't even bother clicking play. Nope! Totally real! And there's a second advertisem??ent with Psycho Mantis.

Car manufactures love using video games to sell their wares as of late. It must be working.

Also, for the record, this is what that #snakemystery was about.

David Hayter [Twitter]

The post David Hayter is back as Snake and he’s… selling cars? appeared first on Destructoid.

Japanese commercial

Oh, I get to look at a cute cat and then walk through an elaborate pop up book? Dope. Sold.

The post Square only n??eed?s 15 seconds to sell Kingdom Hearts Unchained appeared first on Destructoid.