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Giant Bomb Video Game News
Video Game News, Stories and Updates for the PS3, XBOX 360, PC, PSP, Wii, and DS
Added by Ryan Davis on Nov. 17, 2008
With its barrage of inscrutable This is Living vignettes and thumb-penis imagery, Sony Europe has been the undisputed cham-peen of unsettling and obfuscatory video-game advertisement for the past few years, but it looks like we may have a new contender. Microsoft has really been bringing it this holiday season, starting off with those (presumably) unintentionally disturbing ads featuring what appears to be the result of putting a shotgun in your mouth while playing Xbox games. If you don't know what I'm talking about, and you've already given up on that whole feeling-alive-inside thing, here's one of the commercials in question.
Brr! When it turns from her blankly pleasant expression to reveal her hollowed-out head full of tiny video-game people, I can't help but think there's a subtext here about being lobotomized by your Xbox. Keeping up the pace, there's a new ad for Microsoft's upcoming karaoke game Lips that makes you wonder what left-field ad agency pitch Microsoft might not green-light.
It's a memorable spot, so I guess it's effective, though only if Microsoft's desire was to instill a deep irrational fear of ambulatory mouths, tiny finger-feet, A-Ha, parties, and ever going to sleep again.
Brr! When it turns from her blankly pleasant expression to reveal her hollowed-out head full of tiny video-game people, I can't help but think there's a subtext here about being lobotomized by your Xbox. Keeping up the pace, there's a new ad for Microsoft's upcoming karaoke game Lips that makes you wonder what left-field ad agency pitch Microsoft might not green-light.
It's a memorable spot, so I guess it's effective, though only if Microsoft's desire was to instill a deep irrational fear of ambulatory mouths, tiny finger-feet, A-Ha, parties, and ever going to sleep again.
Filed under :
Lips
36 Comments
The new ads do kinda suck, but I must say the PS3 ads are *much* worse. These at least, yanno, promote something.
Heh, I kinda like this Lips one. I don't think they could have chose a better song to promote the game with.
AARGGGHHH.... did you have to post the thumb penis. hmmm do you think the disembodied mouth is a thumb-sucker? AARRRRRGGGHHH... ugly dirty thoughts.... why.... why did you post this!?!?!
The Rock Band 2 one is just bad, but the Lips one is so awesome that I might just have to buy the game.
Microsoft should have put out that ad with everybody doing handgun motions. Last year's PS3 ad with the Saliva song was probably the coolest console ad so far this generation.
I actually liked the 2nd ad...Now that ad has me humming "Take On Me".
I thought both were brilliant. I always get lobotomized by good games and it would be really cool to have a little lip-dude walking around on my shoulder singing me songs.
I don't know. I think the Lips ad is pretty great. It's not as creepy as people claim it is. (I guess it's funnier to call it creepy than to compliment it.)
I don't see it as any creepier than, say, the Pillsbury Dough-Boy or the Hamburger Helper hand thing.
In fact, I find that little mouth guy positively adorable.
I don't see it as any creepier than, say, the Pillsbury Dough-Boy or the Hamburger Helper hand thing.
In fact, I find that little mouth guy positively adorable.
HeHe I thought the little lips guy was cute in a kermit the frog kinda sense.
Yeah those xbox ad's on tv kinda piss me off, no real reason, they just do!
And man, do you know where i can get a A-Ha singing mouth? that would be awesome.
Man that reminds me of the time where You and Homer sang Take On Me on your former gig. man that was comedy. In Fact, whenever that song is played i automatically replace the real tuning with yours!
And man, do you know where i can get a A-Ha singing mouth? that would be awesome.
Man that reminds me of the time where You and Homer sang Take On Me on your former gig. man that was comedy. In Fact, whenever that song is played i automatically replace the real tuning with yours!
Don't make the lips angry... just pretend you're OK with it when its cold, soft feet pad their way up your arm. No sudden movements. If it's singing a song, go along with it. Just tell yourself: the song will end, the song will end.
Whatever you do, no sudden movements. No harsh words, no loudness unless the song calls for it.
If you startle it, your only hope is to run. If you're forced to run do NOT look back, just keep moving until you can vault over something that will take a while for it to negotiate. Keep moving, and maybe, eventually, it will just start singing again and forget about you.
If it bites you... If it bites you... We all have to perform according to our personal philosophies. I am not saying that ending your life is required, but please, if you choose to live through the hours of agony that follow, when the bumps begin to rise on your face and abdomen that you will put yourself in a place where the lips that burst from your writhing body will not be able to climb with their cold, soft feet.
Whatever you do, no sudden movements. No harsh words, no loudness unless the song calls for it.
If you startle it, your only hope is to run. If you're forced to run do NOT look back, just keep moving until you can vault over something that will take a while for it to negotiate. Keep moving, and maybe, eventually, it will just start singing again and forget about you.
If it bites you... If it bites you... We all have to perform according to our personal philosophies. I am not saying that ending your life is required, but please, if you choose to live through the hours of agony that follow, when the bumps begin to rise on your face and abdomen that you will put yourself in a place where the lips that burst from your writhing body will not be able to climb with their cold, soft feet.
Damn, I was so waiting to see the mouth thingy getting crushed by something. Not a bad ad despite the anticlimatic ending, heh.
I thought the moth was going to be run over. That was a surprisingly awesome advert.
The Rock Band 2 ad definitely has an air of creepiness about it. The Lips ad not so much, but that may be due to the fact that the dominating thought in my head is "It's not as bad as the Lips' print ad campaign". I've only seen the ad in November's issue of EGM, but I'm assuming the same ad was used in a gang of other non-gaming publications, and it's brutal.
Still, I think the PS3 launch TV ads hold onto the crown for creepy video game advertisement. The Rock Band 2 one is really weird and no doubt there's probably 100s of more effective ways to market it, but at least there's some sort of context in the commercial connecting it to games, the PS3 commercials are just abstract with the branding tact on.
But in general, I am of the opinion that the advertisement industry douche bags who are constantly patting each other on the back and crying out "Genius!" for the ideas that turn into dumb commercials like these. For every great and entertaining commercial, there are many more that only the ad agency and marketing people can love.
Still, I think the PS3 launch TV ads hold onto the crown for creepy video game advertisement. The Rock Band 2 one is really weird and no doubt there's probably 100s of more effective ways to market it, but at least there's some sort of context in the commercial connecting it to games, the PS3 commercials are just abstract with the branding tact on.
But in general, I am of the opinion that the advertisement industry douche bags who are constantly patting each other on the back and crying out "Genius!" for the ideas that turn into dumb commercials like these. For every great and entertaining commercial, there are many more that only the ad agency and marketing people can love.
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