Promotional Consideration: The Ads of War
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.
War is a terrible thing -- a malignant disease, as novelist Martha Gellhorn once put it -- but in our boyhood years, we reveled in anything that approximated the battles and bloodshed. When we weren't drafting our G.I. Joes into military service, we were conducting mock battles with our friends (pew pew) or drawing preposterous weapons with a wide array of arbitrary lasers, scopes, and barrels.
This week's edition of Promotional Consideration takes a look at several playful commercials for three war-themed Nintendo DS games. Though war can be hell, you wouldn't know it from how these titles are advertised! Grab your rifle and report for duty past the post break.
Glory Days 2
The good. The bad. The glory.
There are a number of things that we love about this commercial, but these are our favorite items:
Office Commando 1 has actually taken the time to fashion a bandolier out of red pens, likely wasting a whole day that would've been better spent putting together those sales projections that were due a few days ago. To complete the Rambo effect, he has cinched a tie around his head.
Holy crap, check out Office Commando 2's excitement as he grabs a DS Lite and turns around to meet his co-worker's challenge, arms shaking with intensity. His power level ... it's over 9000!
What's with Office Commando 2's smug expression while he watches his opponent struggle to rally his forces? Doesn't he look a lot like James Spader in Secretary in this shot? We think so!
Despite receiving above-average review scores from a few outlets, it's hard to imagine that this action/strategy title experienced any success in the states. Not many people picked up its GBA predecessor, Super Army War, and Glory Days 2 doesn't seem to have been advertised in the U.S. at all. Hopefully, the game will sell better in the UK where this commercial will be airing.
Worms: Open Warfare 2
Invertebrates. With uzis.
Though this 30-second spot for Worms: Open Warfare 2 is our least preferred of this week's batch, according to reports we've heard, the game is quite fantastic. Our primary complaint with the ad is that we would've liked to have seen more gameplay clips and less CG scenes. Regardless, it looks fun!
Famicom Wars DS: Battle for Omega Land (Advance Wars: Dual Strike)
White outfits. Big brooms. Neck massages.
As strange as this Japanese commercial might seem at first, it's much better than what Nintendo advertised the tactical RPG with in North America. It also makes a lot more sense if you've seen the commercials that've aired in Japan for previous Famicom Wars releases.
Famicom Wars and Game Boy Wars
Marching uniformly. Game Boys in hand.
If you're wondering why the actors and actresses in these commercials are predominantly American, despite chanting their cadence calls in Japanese, remember that Japan's military is currently restricted by its constitution, unable to declare war or maintain an army, navy, or air force. As a result, these ads are mostly based on Japan's view of the United States military.
