Misleading Call of Duty Commercials

[Joker T]

Many of you have seen the commercials for Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Xbox, PS2) The ads don't show the actual gameplay but pre-rendered footage. This isn't the first game commercial that has done this but...it is the first one that was to be taken off the air by a British consumer watchdog group from its present form because it was "misleading"

I for one don't like that game companies try to make games look better than they are. It makes it seem like the company isn't even proud of what the game looks like, which is especially odd for Call of Duty 2 on 360 that game looks amazing. We may see alot more ads of actual gameplay soon.

On the other hand I find it odd that the watchdog group would go through so much trouble, I haven't seen one of the commercials for either games since fall.

The IGN Article:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/690/690615p1.html

The Games Industry.Biz Article
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=14891

[Zubiac666]

Many of you have seen the commercials for Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Xbox, PS2) The ads don't show the actual gameplay but pre-rendered footage.

yeah this sucks.
Like it sucks that ppl always seem to forget that there is also a GameCube version.Argh....yes this game is also out for GC.
oh and they rather should punish EA for misleading ads...

[unbroken]

It's not really that big of a deal. I, for one, actually liked those commercials and it would be sad to think that anyone would actually watch that commericial and believe what was real game footage.

[s1lence]

It's not really that big of a deal. I, for one, actually liked those commercials and it would be sad to think that anyone would actually watch that commericial and believe what was real game footage.

Kinda like all the footage of the "next gen" games that we have been seeing.

[Tan]

i see their point though, you could put prerendered footage for a ps2 game out there and it could give a serious beating to a 360 game's in-game footage, it's unfair to the consumer but also unfair to any company who doesn't have the resources to make such a flashy presentation.

[Daltone]

I remember when there were adverts for Harry Potter games everywhere and there wasn't a second of in-game footage anywhere. In the bottom right hand corner of the screen there was a tiny disclaimer for a few seconds, but all the same I sat there thinking that some kid was going to be very disappointed.

Personally, I'm not a fan of all this over-using pre-rendered footage in game adverts as you don't get to see what the game is really like. Show a few choice cut scenes and you can make a 100 hour plus RPG look like a thrilling action game.

However, I should imagine that as most gamers don't live in a cave and have seen screenshots in magazines or screenshots and movies online this really this isn't a problem as they know what they're going to be buying. Maybe the younger audience won't really care that the game they have doesn't look much like the one they saw on TV.

[Oobgarm]

I always thought that nothing was ever assumed to be gameplay footage unless it was noted as 'ACTUAL FOOTAGE' or something like that.

I mean, I don't understand how anyone who even has a mild interest in gaming could think that CoD Big Red One gameplay looked that good on PS2, or Xbox for that matter.

*shrug*

[jajaja]

I remember this with GBA too. At the screenshots back on the boxes, the games looked so bright and everything. I bought a GBA and got home, wasnt nearly as good as the screenshots.

[heybtbm]

This is nothing new. If you remember (way back in '97) the commercials for Final Fantasy VII contained no in-game footage...only the CGI scenes.

[Push Upstairs]

Didnt older (Atari era) games sometimes have screenshots on the back of boxes that were from other, better looking games?

[Joker T]

This is nothing new. If you remember (way back in '97) the commercials for Final Fantasy VII contained no in-game footage...only the CGI scenes.

but it is the first time that it has been taking off the air because of it.

[diskoboy]

Yeah, thanks alot UK.

Now I can guarantee the US version of the commercial will have one of those annoying as hell little pop-ups that appear in pretty much every god damn commercial nowadays, saying *not actual gameplay footage*. I mean try watching a car commercial for christs sake...

I mean really people, how brain dead do you have to be to know that is not real gameplay footage?

[Push Upstairs]

Yeah those car commercial warnings are pretty dumb.

Was it not obvious that the commercial for COD wasn't actual gameplay? Did some of the ignorance from the U.S transplant itself in the UK? :roll:

[Joker T]

It is ridiculous that anyone would think otherwise..

[Hammy]

Didnt older (Atari era) games sometimes have screenshots on the back of boxes that were from other, better looking games?

yes, a lot of atari st and commodore amiga boxes had mix and match screenshots, some from each and a little disclamer at the bottom saying 'screenshots may be from another software version for another computer entertainment system'

[Ed Oscuro]

So did PC games, they'd often show the Amiga and Atari ST version screenshots as well...who knows why. Konami's PC and C64 version games did that.

[diskoboy]

Didnt older (Atari era) games sometimes have screenshots on the back of boxes that were from other, better looking games?

While they weren't from different games, Atari was guilty, too.... Especially when they started putting the 'screenshots' on the back of the VCS boxes. They looked obviously fake. Some even looked hand drawn.

Prime example - check out the back of the 2600 Defender box. Pretty bad, eh?

The one for Pac-Man was kinda funny, as well. All the characters leaned diagonally to one side.

[Push Upstairs]

Well i meant to say "from other ports of the game" but my point got across anyway.

So how are these COD commercials worse than the older games boxes having misleading "screenshots" on them?

I could dismiss a commercial as being just that, a commercial. Screenshots on a box are something different...if those are "faked" then there is a problem.

[Blitzwing256]

data east did it on the nes as well ,check out the box for karnov kid niki and karate champ.

karate champ is particularly bad, read the manual and it talks about stuff that just plain isn't in the game

I played that piece of crap for hours trying to find that damned bull stage :-(

[kedawa]

I can't believe the ignorance of some of the people in this thread.
Not only is the ad entirely CG, it's CG that isn't even in the game.
Is it so implausible that the average consumer might mistake what's shown in the ad for the actual game, especially when it's for a brand new console that's been hyped up with the promise of realistic graphics?
Most people have never seen an XBOX360 in action, and to be honest, I will be severely disappointed if games don't look at least that good within the next four years.

[Push Upstairs]

I shake my head at this whole ordeal because there wouldn't be any problems if people just asked questions and seeked answers.

I could understand a kid getting hyped about this and believing it, but adults? Doesn't anyone do research anymore?

[Berserker]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the X-Men Legends commercials. I found these more annoying than the Call of Duty commercials, as even though the CoD spots were obviously not real game footage, it at least attempted to indicate what the gameplay was like, i.e. a person, presumably you, firing projectile weapons from the first person perspective at other moving targets.

The X-Men Legends commercial on the other hand went something more like "...Hey! Here's some Cinematic CG footage of X-Men flying around doing some crazy mutant-type shit! It gives absolutely no indication of actual gameplay characteristics, but hey look! Magneto just did something supercool using magnetism. So please buy our game."

[Push Upstairs]

Years of scrubbing bubbles and Mr. Clean should teach people to not take an *ad* so seriously.

[Berserker]

Years of scrubbing bubbles and Mr. Clean should teach people to not take an *ad* so seriously.

Yeah, I think I understood your sentiments on this issue the other four times you said it in the thread. But anyway...

At what point did I say I took any ad seriously? I'm not some naive sponge that soaks up everything that spouts forth from my television set during commercial breaks, then gets pissed when I discover that *gasp* some of it isn't true!

Look. I'm not expecting 100% honesty from commercials. Or even 50%. Hell, I don't expect any honesty from any commercial. My point is this...

Give me at least the vaguest idea of what the gameplay of the game you're trying to sell me is. Really, that's all I'm asking for here. The Call of Duty commercials accomplished this sufficiently for me, the X-Men Legends commercials... no.

[Push Upstairs]

None of what i said was directed at you.

[DonMarco]

The X-Men Legends commercial on the other hand went something more like "...Hey! Here's some Cinematic CG footage of X-Men flying around doing some crazy mutant-type shit! It gives absolutely no indication of actual gameplay characteristics, but hey look! Magneto just did something supercool using magnetism. So please buy our game."
Fantasic Four was the same thing. A 30-second CG battle with all the heroes showing off their powers.

Can anyone else remember the Madagascar game commercial? I want to say it was all CG but I don't remember it all that well.

[Sothy]

Anyone notice in the big red one commercials the guy looks down for a second and hes wearing pink slippers?


Wtf

[segarocks30]

Anyone notice in the big red one commercials the guy looks down for a second and hes wearing pink slippers?


Wtf

:hmm: I have heard this before, maybe it's like an illusion...