Kotaku
So what the hell was going on with the video we just posted below? It's all part of Microsoft's new "A Hero Must Rise. Believe" campaign to promote Halo 3.
The campaign experience does not focus on "Halo 3's" graphics or gameplay, but instead looks at the themes that lie at the heart of the tale that spans the entire "Halo" trilogy: duty, sacrifice, and most importantly, heroism.The spot from today is called "Museum," and is a teaser for the upcoming "Diorama" in which a major scene from the Halo 3 trilogy was modeled by famous designer Stan Winston—to scale—in a massive 1200 square foot setup reaching 12 feet into the air. All the smoke and mirrors are almost enough to make you forget Halo 3 is just another notable FPS. Almost.
Full press release after the jump.
A HERO MUST RISE. BELIEVE.Landmark "Halo 3" Marketing Campaign Debuts; Ushers in Game's Launch on September 25
Every so often individuals are called upon to rise above themselves and act in a selfless manner - to help, to protect, to defend those in need. We call these people, who rise up in the face of great adversity, heroes. One such individual's story is about to be told worldwide. On Sept. 25, "Halo 3's" epic hero Master Chief will rise once again - he'll face seemingly insurmountable odds with the entire fate of the galaxy riding on his shoulders.
In memory of this hero, and helping build to what promises to be the largest entertainment launch in history on Sept. 25, a series of dramatic and evocative communications elements, created by McCann San Francisco, T.A.G., AKQA, and Microsoft Global Marketing will offer a stirring look at the "Halo" universe and Master Chief.
The first of the films, entitled "Museum," premieres today on http://games.yahoo.com and provides consumers everywhere with a reason to "Believe" in the amazing stories and action within the Halo experience, bringing the epic battles to life in the style of a museum "diorama."
Certain to catch the imagination of audiences around the globe, the ads are unlike any video game advertising ever created, and offer a powerful look at the world of "Halo". Uniquely, the campaign experience does not focus on "Halo 3's" graphics or gameplay, but instead looks at the themes that lie at the heart of the tale that spans the entire "Halo" trilogy: duty, sacrifice, and most importantly, heroism.
Through the eyes of celebrated Hollywood creature designer Stan Winston, known for his landmark work on Aliens and Jurassic Park;, as well as New Deal Studios, model creators for Spiderman 3, 300 and Superman Returns, and acclaimed director Rupert Sanders, people will experience a dramatic and moving look at mankind's struggle against our future enemy, the fierce warrior force known as the Covenant.
The central element that much of the integrated marketing campaign centers on is a painstakingly accurate replication of a key moment from a climactic battle set in the "Halo" universe. At over 1200 square feet, reaching a height over 12 feet above the ground and with each handcrafted human and Covenant figure standing eight to twelve inches high, the diorama was large enough to fill an entire studio.
Filming the Experience
Shooting the campaign took several days as the individual soldier's stories were told, and as the camera spanned the landscape, finally resting on the mountain top where Master Chief appears to have been conquered by the Covenant enemy...or so it would seem. Viewers quickly realize that there is much more of the story that's yet to be told - and the game will tell all.
The story of the diorama and the battle that day has been told through films that will be shown in 27 countries around the world on television, in cinema and on the web. But the Halo 3 experience is much larger than that, with future testimonial films depicting soldiers' third-party accounts of their experience in the battles, and with the hero that is Master Chief.
As part of the integrated campaign, an innovative web experience has been created that enables consumers to interact with and explore every part of the climactic battle in minute detail. Beyond the TV, cinema and print efforts, the site is also supported by an online advertising campaign that starts the conversation with the consumer and a branded channel on YouTube that helps to position Master Chief as the biggest hero in history. All digital components were created by AKQA San Francisco.
Viewers get a sneak peek at "Diorama" on http://games.yahoo.com Friday Sept. 14 at 9 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. EST, as well as a feature on the making of the diorama, entitled, "Ammo". The "Diorama" work will make its TV debut during NFL Football on CBS Sunday Sept. 16. This, and the full series of web films, which honor the heroism of Master Chief, will also be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and http:www.halo3.com/believe starting September 14.
Comments
If they will produce more commercials like the one we just saw, I welcome this marketing approach.
Sweet tapdancing Jesus...
So much hype, good lord.
Wow. Wilson is really getting off on his Halo hate today it seems.
@argh: No one is forcing you to buy it. You dont like the ads? Easy, dont watch it. Problem solved.
I wonder what will happen to that diorama once all the marketing push is done and the game's in the hands of customers for months. I for one would like to have it. Yes, I would.
@MBCpeanut: He hates LOTR books too. Calls them 'overrated'.
I welcome it. Its good to see ads that focus on emotion then flash these days. We all know what the game looks like... give me drama.
I've said this before... lots of games have great gameplay and graphics. Those things don't impress me anymore.
Give me a reason to play the game- to invest my money and time into it other then flash.
@qbix: I agree this is an awesome step for advertising. Same with the Bravia commercials were you just want to watch them again and again.
@MBCpeanut: Good, I thought I was the only one who sensed negativity from his commentary.
Why do companies spend so much money marketing the products that need it the least? Halo 3 doesn't need this big of ad campaign behind it.
Man...lots of hate coming from Mark Wilson today. Maybe you should go for a drive and cool off? I'd actually like to see some somewhat unbiased news without personal commentary interspersed throughout because I think we've all gotten the idea you don't like Halo 3...
Interesting commercial, i'm seeing these more on the web than TV, although I don't watch much TV. I think I seen the Mountain Dew & Gamestop ones each once.
So much money put in for some lego diorama? I bet 90% of it went into the director's pockets.
But god forbid I would point out "it's just another Final Fantasy" or "it's just another RTS" or "it's just another stealth game".
Stop treating FPS gamers like neanderthals just cause you are too snooty to play American shooters.
Halo and LOTR *are* overrated. So is Star Wars. Many people love them, but it is not like they are the greatest stories/games ever. These are what is currently popular. Give it a hundred years, and I bet they will be more or less forgotten, replaced by other "better" things. It is the essence of "popular culture".
*runs away before the rain of fire*
@Yuki: There's no way of knowing what Halo's impact will be in twenty or thirty years, but to say LOTR and Star Wars are over rated? C'mon, the fact that a fantasy series managed to captivate a nation for 3+ years 70 or so years after it was written (correct me if I'm wrong about that, I thought they were written in the 30s) is hardly "over rated." Same with Star Wars, it's the basic story of a nobody becoming a hero and who here wouldn't want that?
Yeah, I really like this approach that MS and Bungie are taking... I always thought that Master Chief was a very generic action hero, but the way his history is told, easily gets him out of that ghetto. Sure, like every series it has some lowdowns, but overall... it end up as a great epic history and this little marketing details are the icing in the cake, they sure look pretty.
@Yuki: But the thing is, if those people love those games, they aren't overrated to them. They're only overrated to people who don't like them, and would rather something they loved be more popular. It's all subjective, but I'm really tired of the term overrated being thrown around all the time now.
"The campaign experience does not focus on "Halo 3's" graphics or gameplay..."
Wait, Halo 3 has graphics AND gameplay? Now I'm excited!
@Yuki: I'm sorry. I didn't give you absolute authority to use the verbs "is" or "are". Who are you? What are your credentials, beyond a huge ego? Where is your humility as a reviewer that makes me want to think you are unbiased?
They could replace the Halo 3 gamedvd with a greasy turd and people would still give it 10/10 for it's texture and awesome features. IT IS THAT FCKN HYPED!
@Yuki: Well I dunno, Star Wars has managed 1/3 of that time and has only grown in popularity. The LotR books were published in the mid-50's and were important and regarded enough to spawn a massively expensive (and massively successful) movie version fully half a century later. Of those, only Halo's really a youth, and it's certainly one of the better-known and more important games of the last decade, regardless of whether or not you like it.
@ethic: One reason is that they want to keep the IP fresh in everyones' minds even after Halo 3 comes out. And not just gamers minds, but EVERYONES'. I am sure they still want to make a movie (but make it on their terms). So these sorts of ads are not just directed on selling Halo 3 but to sell the Halo IP to studios (and anyone else who might listen). By giving it a more serious, detailed feel, giving it a sense of weight, they might be taken more seriously.
Also Halo 3 is going to be the corner stone MS's holiday console war. By the time November rolls around, they want people who have never owned a console and are finally getting around to buying on to say "Okay, which machine can I play that Halo thingy on. Those old soldier ads I saw during football intrigued me."
Yes!!! More of the same 3D character sprites, and the same hallways only in reverse this time!!!!
Gah...I'm glad I'm a X360 hater...
People overrate and overuse the word overrated.
@MBCpeanut:
You would hate Halo too if you played better FPS games on PC for a while, but then see the Halo craze spin out of control. I get that it's easier for slower players. it's on a console, more accessible, etc. That doesn't change the fact that all the hype is very annoying.
@rKarhu:
And they could update the graphics on Ocarina of Time and get 10/10 for innovation and deep stories. Oh wait.....
Don't knock Halo cause it popular. Its a solid game that pretty much does everything you can do in a FPS right.
"but instead looks at the themes that lie at the heart of the tale that spans the entire "Halo" trilogy: duty, sacrifice, and most importantly, heroism."
Don't they know that all the buffoons who play Halo are in it for the blood and gore?
Anyone remember the "Bang" commercial from Xbox that never aired on TV? this is almost as coolas that one.
Halo is obviously more than a shooter, as the past year has shown. Seriuosly, it may have the features of a normal shhoter, but underneath that lies a fervant fanbase, which, no matter how many people accuse Halo of "unoriginal story" or "being overrated," will love every minute of the trilogy. Halo has achieved something all developers dream of - a name which has become as well known and ubiquitous as Mario or Pong, a game which stands out as a leader of it's genre. Diss it all you want, call it a normal shooter, but you will never impact we who love our game.
@jihadjoe343: Starwars was written in the late 60s, but the theme an characters barrow heavily from classic mythology an literature, which is one of the reasons why its so majorly popular an has lasted as long as it has.
I'm all for more ads like the one posted earlier. Really interesting and very different. Sort of like the GoW one with Mad World as the soundtrack, but taking it even further and including no game content whatsoever.
Keep up the good work, MS Marketing Dept.
@MC2009: Uh...not all Halo fans are buffoons. Generalizations FTL.
@belo: I know, I used it many times in school where we compared that to The Odyssey and other epic poems.
Hype: When CONSUMERS are screaming a product is aweseome.
Marketing: When the company that owns the product is screaming their product is awesome.
Really. Halo is being hyped up (and for good reason(See, more hype!)), but this crap is all marketing.
That ad was one of the best video game ads I've ever seen.
I did seem odd for an older man to use the word "ammo" though.
I'm betting that MC is actually GWB.
Halo is under-rated and under-hyped.
Thats funny. The Indianapolis Colts slogan is "Believe".
@MBCpeanut:
Actually, we see eye to eye. Never will I say to someone "this is the best movie/book/game ever". I know that there are probably others that will surpass it in some aspect and that the other person has different tastes. I am simply pointing out that this constant flow is the essence of "pop culture".
In response to others:
Speaking of LOTR, I read "The Hobbit" which was fine, but when I tried to read LOTR I simply said, "oh, it is the same thing over again, but spread across...too many books". Impressive that the story has endured, but until the movies were released it was never really mainstream. Most likely, it will eventually fall to the wayside of mainstream thought. Of course, there will probably be an underground following for much longer.
As for Star Wars being a story about a nobody becoming a hero, well, that is the premise of many of the games, movies, and books that are released. Perhaps that could be a source of their popularity.
By the way, Edge of Blade, I do not see how I am touting my ego in any way, simply stating my opinion and looking at things from a historical perspective. Look at what was popular in terms of lifestyles, clothing, and pastimes earlier in the century and even the centuries before it. More relevantly, look at the stories that have endured. Most are much more simple, and the important factor is the underlying theme. Just as there is a chance that these stories may endure, there is also a strong chance that they will be lost, thrown in the gutter in favor of another story that approaches the same themes in a more accessible way.
In that way, I would say I'm approaching this in a cold, calculating sense ((the sense of perspective is rather creepy and unnatural like this!), not in some hot-blooded, emotional way. I never said I was unbiased. There is no such thing as an unbiased person or review, as we all have our opinions.
The overrated hype for overrated Halo 3 of the overrated Halo Trilogy from the overrated media is itself totally overrated, and generally speaking overrated.
Overrated overratedness of the overrated overrated.
The Halo series will most likely be remembered as the games that elevated Video Games even higher into the mainstream of our modern culture. One Billion Man Hours logged into live for Halo 2 MP and the fact that sales of Halo 2 on Day 1 broke all records for any entertainment medium are two records that are in no way small. All these things have also made this marketing campaign unlike anything we have ever seen before. I mean you can pre-order Halo 3 at 7-11 when you drink your Halo 3 Slurpee and buy your case of Halo 3 Mountain Dew and then go over to Burger King and get a meal covered in Halo 3 advertising and then go to your local movie-plex to see the newest movie and in the trailers for the big Fall movies you see one for Halo 3.
I'll admit the halo games are good, but their not good enough to justify this level of hype. I don't know if any game is. If every halo-level game got as much hype as halo 3 is, the world would probably explode.
@Mongoosekun:
Halo's strength lies in the simplicity an fluidity of its design. Its nothing groundbreaking in the genre, sure, but it plays smooth an the controls are very good for a console fps, which up till that point were woefully subpar compared to the keyboard/mouse.
People just have to hate on things that are popular.
@Mongoosekun:
Console shooters are fun. If you prefer the PC controls and pace, then obviously you will prefer PC. If you prefer console pacing and local multiplayer, then that is the ticket.
Either way, as long as you have one or the other you are just fine. Halo is popular because of how well it did local co-op and multiplayer. I guarantee 90% of current Halo fans learned about the game by playing it at someone else's place and having a blast.