Mad world
I know this ad is being played up and down on TV and cinema but it should be mentioned here anyways.
Microsoft, after about a decade of failed attempts, finally figured out how to properly advertise a computer game. No longer is the most professional part about a game ad the last scene: “Rated M for Mature” .
The mistake, or so it seems now, was that advertisers tried to convoy either the gameplay or the graphical prowess in the 30 second segments which both leave most people bewildered. Good modern games are a form of story telling however; They establish a fictive setting which you uncover as the story goes on, not unlike popular fiction books.
“Mad world” manages to combine a graphical showcase with a hint of gameplay and, more importantly, it tells you about the setting of the game. You know that this is a hostile planet. That a war is being fought. Everything is destroyed. One side does not look human. The situation is obviously hopeless. The mood and grim.
Marcus Fenix, the protagonist, however seems to be on top of things. He has a legitimate claim on the title of most bad ass digital action hero ever. As it turns out this title has to be attributed to Coal Train, a character who joins your squad in the second act of Gears of war.
You basically want to run to the closest EB games and pick it up to see how things go by yourself.
It definitely helps that Gears is clearly one of the best games ever made. Its always a lot easier to advertise a good product.