Another day, a release of yet another video war game that blurs the line between reality and make-believe. This time its Call of Duty: Black Ops. The TV commercial they released for the game is brilliant yet simple. One of those ideas where everyone thinks, “Oh, why didn’t I think of that!”
(Many gamers seem to be ‘discovering’ the classic sounds of Rolling Stones, after Gimme Shelter was used in this ad.)
I instantly liked this ad for the real-yet-not-real vibe that it gives off from the start – a nattily dressed woman walking amidst rubble and taking potshots. Cleverly chosen characters such as concierge picking up a phone call behind shelter, the slender girl kicking a door down, a surgeon lobbing a flashbang, the flustered guy with ‘proud n00b’ plastered on his RPG launcher who causes a big – and ineffective – bang, all get the point that this is a game that lets you live your fantasies accurately. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better they throw in this motherfucker into the mix. 😀
Update: This ad was created by TBWA/Chiat/Day, the same ad agency that handles Apple’s ad account. More on the making of this ad on AdAge.