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Absolutely brutal banned PSP ad
This can not be real. PSP ads have been terrible for the most part, but this takes it one step further into the "what the f--- were they thinking?" category. The video is embeeded after the cut, but I'll have a FOX-like warning for you: Due to the violent nature of this advertisement, viewer discretion is advised.See also:ASA rules UK PSP ads inoffensive
Real-life Katamari in Travelers Insurance ad
A current Travelers Insurance TV commercial liberally borrows from Katamari Damacy, showing a ball of, well, stuff bouncing down San Francisco's hills. You could say Fallon, the ad agency behind the spot, ripped off Katamari, but we like the commercial enough to let that slide. We'll call it an homage, imitation being flattery and all.The commercial opens with a guy -- let's call him Everyman -- walking down the sidewalk. He's on a hill in the overcast outskirts of the city, maybe in the Avenues or closer to Twin Peaks. For no apparent reason, other than eventually trying to sell insurance, he trips, and begins rolling down the street. Like Katamari, he runs into some people and boxes, picking up size until the ball eventually gets big enough to gather cars and trees. The ball bounces through the city -- always downhill except once on even ground -- through Pacific Heights and the Fillmore, gathering motorcycles in Nob Hill, picking up a heterosexual marriage -- we have those sometimes -- in Delores Park or a similar green space, flying down California Street or an equally car-chase-laden road, and eventually crashing into a columned downtown building with a name we can't quite remember. We wish we could ride a katamari across the city; it's a record commute time.Is it a rip-off of Katamari, and do you care if your hobby becomes a commercial? Or did Fallon just have Katamari-of-the-mind? Immersive games have changed our way of looking at the world, like if we notice a drainpipe on the outside of a building and think of climbing it, Splinter Cell-style. Carmageddon also rewired our minds for a few weeks, urging us to crash the family truckster into a van. (We restrained). And Katamari has changed the way we think about space; we often imagine rolling up our surroundings. What, you don't?The full commercial is embedded after the break.See also: Roddick takes on Pong in ad[Thanks, Daniel Premo]
Ad shows danger of angering Tekken players
It seems like TV viewers across the pond always get cooler commercials than we do here in the States. For instance, take Namco's ad for Tekken: Dark Resurrection on the PSP which manages to be both memorable and funny, despite having less than two seconds of gameplay footage and only two words of dialogue: "You win!" Hopefully we can expect to see more ads like this one as Sony and Nintendo ramp up for their launch dates, and Microsoft throws something in the mix to keep up. Look for them this holiday season on a TV near you.Other notable game commercials:Xbox 360 "Jump In" promo wins AddyJapanese game commercials: you watched it, you can't unwatch itGrand Theft Auto: Coca-Cola CityPS-Peeing viral vid for Gangs of London [Via Digg]
PS-Peeing viral vid for Gangs of London [update 2]
Nintendo's not the only Japanese gaming company making tinkle jokes. Sony's latest "viral video" for Gangs of London, their upcoming crime-themed, action game (with turn-based strategy game mode, watch out GTA), decides to up the ante and do what Nintendo can only allude to (it's like, they didn't even spell it right, y'know?). Yup, that's a fella peeing on a car. But that's not it, there's plenty more peeing to be seen which is why, in addition to saying that this is probably NSFW, we'd also highly discourage anyone who might not be able to step out for the requisite bathroom break this clip inspires. That sound, it's like yawning. It's contagious.[Update: Embedded video got pulled by YouTube gremlins, so we've tracked down another one and embedded it after the break. Get it while it's hot ... err, rather ... we've also clarified gameplay style. For more, check out this hands-on.]
A strange French PS2 ad hits the web for July
You have to hand it to Sony. They're not afraid to try anything with their advertising. The above (NSFW) clip was produced by the French ad agency, TBWA-Paris, for the PlayStation France online gallery (Artcade). Though the ad may never see the television light of day, maybe the bald dude at the end is used to pay tribute to Zinedine "Headbutt" Zidane."It freaks me out, baby! Yeah..."[Thanks, Franck; via Artcade]
Japanese game commercials: you watched it, you can't unwatch it
Over at the wonderfully named Bits & Bytes & Pixels & Sprites, a set of Japanese video game commercials has been assembled for your entertainment and inevitable, irreparable and incredible psychological breakdown. Repeat viewing is not advised, though we suspect that for several of you, the lure of seeing grown men dressed as enormous microphones or Segata Sanshiro hurling human missiles about will be too great to resist. It certainly was for us.Our favorite commercial, one filled with painful foreign stereotypes and truly unnerving facial expressions, is embedded in the second part of the post. [Thanks Dan!]
TiVo Product Watch gives you commercials on your schedule
So, you thought the whole reason to own a DVR was so that you could skip commercials? Think again. Today TiVo is rolling out the Madison Avenue-friendly Product Watch service, which lets you watch commercials on demand. Whether anyone will actually demand to watch these ads remains to be seen, but TiVo has managed to sign up over 70 advertisers, who will provide the service with everything from 60-second spots to hour-long infomercials, which will, in the words of TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, "deliver real, relevant results for our advertising partners while at the same time enhancing the TV experience for subscribers." Ads will apparently include gems such as cooking tips for products such as Kraft's Tombstone pizza and Jell-O, and a Ford ad featuring Penn and Teller. As long as we can delete them from our hard drive, we'll live with the ads -- though we may just archive the Kraft spots to DVD; you never know when you'll need some tips on preparing Jell-O or nuking a frozen pizza.
Check out Apples newest commercials in HD
Good 'ol Apple commercials. Fanboy or not, got to love 'em. Apple's newest set involves a "PC" and "Mac." What are we doing? You must have seen them by now as they are everywhere during primetime; even on HD stations but for some odd reason, they are not in HD themselves. But Apple has you covered. They have the entire set up on their website in HD. Our favorite around the labs here is the Viruses one. We are sure you have already seen them live but not in HD so check 'em out.
TUAW Poll: The new Mac ads
We've all seen the ads by now, so it's time to ask the question: What do you think? Are the "Get a Mac" ads another example of Apple's quirky brilliance, or do the lack of specifics (OS, processor speeds, etc.) leave you wanting? Take our poll below, and check back tomorrow for the results. Like the new Apple ads? They're fantasic! Pretty funny Cute, but won't sell Macs Typically vague These are terrible Another poll = slow news day
Philips patent app would force you to watch commercials, both live and recorded
In a move that would surely delight advertisers but enrage consumers, Philips is trying to patent a method for flagging digital TV content to not only prevent viewers from changing the channel during commercials in live broadcasts, but to actually lock out fast-forwarding capabilities during ads in recorded programs as well. Even worse, the patent specifically applies to the already widely-deployed Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) middleware system standard, meaning that many Europeans' current TVs would be susceptible to these Orwellian controls. Since the US version of this platform, OCAP, is largely based on the MHP architecture, it's not a stretch to imagine such flagging being applied to American sets as well. Although we're certain that a workaround would be developed if Philips' evil plan ever actually materializes, just the thought of our DVRs going impotent is enough to fill us with fear and trepidation.Update 1: Reader Paul B, who also happened to chair the group that wrote the MHP PVR specification, writes to inform us that "there is no such flag as standard in the spec. Philips could add one as a Philips-specific flag but it wouldn't apply to the other manufacturers. Secondly, as currently specificed there is no way for an MHP application to take control of the channel switching function, so changing channels always works." There you have it folks; it seems that all your MHP-equipped gear is safe -- for now.Update 2: Royal Philips Electronics, ever mindful of their Engadget-reading customers, had this to say in a note to us: "(Philips) filed a patent application, as yet not granted, that enables watching a television movie without advertising. However, some people do want to see the ads. So, we developed a system where the viewer can choose, at the beginning of a movie, to either watch the movie without ads, or watch the movie with ads. It is up to the viewer to take this decision, and up to the broadcaster to offer the various services. Philips never had the intention to force viewers to watch ads against their will and does not use this technology in any current Philips products, nor do we have any plans to do so."[Via New Scientist]
