The 8 Best Video Game Commercials of All Time

To Michael! (Playstation 3)

We Are ODST (Halo 3: ODST)

Halo 3: ODST was a gamble by Bungie. As their first Halo game to not include the Master Chief and bring people back to health packs, weakened attacks, and the streets of New Mobassa for Halo 2, they had to get people hyped. Enter the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, a special forces group that are literally dropped from a ship in orbit and into the thick of the action. Starting with a funeral, we see young Tarkov molded into an ODST over the course of a few years. From basic training to a moment in battle reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan to a funeral for one of his fallen, the trailer inspires some amount of bravado for its players and terror in the knowledge that Master Chief won’t be around to pull a last minute save.

Deliver Hope (Halo Reach)

In the Halo games, Reach is a planet where the Human-Covenant war went from bad to worse. It was where heroes made their last stand and hope was lost. Playing as one of the Spartans on the planet during its final days, you’re a replacement for one who died earlier, and the “Deliver Hope” trailer shows how that went down. Soft music juxtaposes nicely with the imagery of war as Kat runs through gunfire armed with a fusion bomb to take out a Covenant battlecruiser before getting critically injured. With the device armed, Thom grabs it and flies up to deliver the payload. He isn’t lucky enough to get out before it detonates, and his sacrifice has made the remaining members of Noble Team very wary of you. Like Carter says at the start of the game, the lone wolf stuff stays behind.

OG Settling It in Smash (Super Smash Bros.)

There’s nothing more fun than hanging out with your friends on a nice, summer day. Go to the park, skip rope, play a game like hide and go seek or hopscotch, some tag. Maybe have a little picnic. And then when you’re done, beat each other up and with weapons from Legend of Zelda or Mario–wait, what?

Smack Talkin’ Bandicoot (Crash Team Racing)

There was once was a game named Crash Bandicoot. For reasons lost to game historians, Sony decided that the best way to market the orange marsupial was to put a guy in a costume and have him be as obnoxious as possible. Seriously, that was basically his entire shtick. It was as if someone blended together the worst parts of Daniel Tosh and Carrot Top and put them into a furry costume you couldn’t even fit in a suitcase. The worst part is that he was being mean to old ladies, of all people! Old. Ladies. Admittedly, there’s nothing like challenging Grandma and showing her your sweet drift skills, but still Crash, at least give her a 10 second head start. That’s just common courtesy.

Weapons Testing (Ratchet & Clank)

Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank games are known primarily for their wacky weapons. Lava gun? Check. Whip made entirely of plasma? Check. Disco ball that forces all enemies to dance and distracts them from your attacks? Check. The lineup changes with each game, and the ttwo heroes have gotten quite an arsenal over the past decade. But what if some of the weapons from the game made it into the real world? From the far, old days of 2004 comes video footage of teenagers that have mysteriously acquired some of Ratchet’s weapons. They aren’t really handy with them, which is probably good that none of these weapons actually exist.

Choices, Choices, Choices (Mass Effect)

Choices in life are never easy. There’s too many unknown variables, too many things that could happen that could make your decision be worth it all or a massive failure. No one knows this like Commander Shepard does. As the commercial for the original game shows, Mass Effect doesn’t offer you easy decisions to make. With the fate of the entire galaxy bearing down on their choices, they have to make the tough calls few people do and even less people would want. Ignoring Noveria’s cries for help and setting a course for Caleston isn’t an easy call to make, and Shepard knows that it’s one they’ll have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Mad World (Gears of War)

Who could forget this one? This commercial is more than likely the reason the original Gears game was such a success, and with good reason. You can say what you want about how representative it is of the actual game, and yes, it’s been lampooned really well, but you have to admit it’s pretty damn good. It perfectly nails the “destroyed beauty” thing the series has always aimed for, and it makes the prospect of fighting off the Locust feel like a daunting task. In some ways, the song is more of an icon for the series than the trademark logo or its chainsaw gun.

About the author

Justin Carter

Sometimes a writer, always a dork. When he isn't staring in front of a screen for hours, he's probably reading comics or eating Hot Pockets. So many of them.