How Painkiller Should Have Been Advertised

Seemingly moments after The Escapist released this week's Zero Punctuation video featuring 2004's horror FPS Painkiller, Steam's home page got an updated advertisement for the Gold Edition of the game, utilizing Yahtzee's astute insight into the biggest selling point of the title. More »

Metallic Rose DS Gets Superstar Launch

As is always the case, mere weeks after I pick up a new DS, Nintendo goes and releases a new color. The metallic rose DS, originally sold as part of a holiday Nintendogs bundle, will be hitting stores later this month in stand-alone form, and Nintendo has recruited Ugly Betty star America Ferrera and American Idol-born country singer Carrie Underwood to appear in ads promoting the new shade. The commercials will begin airing on Monday, May 19th. Along with those two, Liv Tyler will also be appearing in commercials hawking the crimson and black variant. More »

Halo 3 Keeps Winning (Advertising) Awards

Say what you will about Bungie's Halo 3 from a gameplay or plot standpoint, there is one aspect of the game that was excellent from start to finish - the ad campaign. Created by the McCann Worldgroup and T.A.G., the Halo 3 "Believe" ad campaign featured no gameplay footage, instead creating a mood using strong imagery that stirred the audience in a way simply looking at a video game could not. Last night the campaign received best in show at The One Show, an annual worldwide advertising awards show that celebrates great ideas in marketing.

"The 'Believe' campaign catapulted Halo 3 from an ordinary video game into a worldwide cultural phenomenon due to its ability to build an emotional rapport with the audience," said Mary Warlick, CEO of The One Club. "The innovative stream of interactive TV, Web and cinema advertisements was an inspired approach that successfully attracted an audience beyond the typical gamer."

Just last week the campaign walked away with the Grandy, the top honor at the 2008 International Andy Awards. Halo 3 shall truly go down in history as one of the best (advertised) video games of all time. More »