Final Fantasy III DS, the TV commercial

[Crossblades]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrzgJCC-pbs

[Lilliputian Hitcher]

I hate commercials that only show FMV footage for games. Kind of false advertising really, especially since FFIII supposedly has very few FMVs anyway (although it makes me wonder where all this footage is coming from…).

[Angi-Kaiser]

It has one FMV, and lots of cutscense scattered throught it. The Full motion Video is played at the very begining (I think).

[Sefie1999AD]

I hate commercials that only show FMV footage for games. Kind of false advertising really, especially since FFIII supposedly has very few FMVs anyway (although it makes me wonder where all this footage is coming from…).

I agree. Showing pieces of the opening FMV, which is the only FMV in the game, doesn't show you really anything about the game, especially when its normal in-game graphics aren't like that.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Square has always downplayed actual gameplay footage while playing up the fanciest visuals they can muster. Even before cut scenes and FMV existed, they created original CG just for their commercials, including the advertisement for the original version of FFIII. You've got to expect it.

[KoShiatar]

Square has always downplayed actual gameplay footage while playing up the fanciest visuals they can muster. Even before cut scenes and FMV existed, they created original CG just for their commercials, including the advertisement for the original version of FFIII. You've got to expect it.

Can that be seen anywhere?

[Vyk]

Good grief. Why even show it on a screen or cut it up. They could have just showed the whole opening full-screen :]

[Lexy]

I don't mind them showing just the fmv- with games where the graphics are not amazing, especially with handheld systems, its very common to not show in-game footage (thats obvious). And I think that makes sense- seeing crappy graphics isn't going to make anyone want to buy a game, but a sweet fmv might! I don't think it's being deceptive, because if anyone buys the game without looking into it more and is suprised when they see the real game play, then thats just idiotic. Also I kind of like the commercial. The camera slowly zooming in makes me feel like the ds is about to explode or something cool.

[Rogue]

>.>that cm looks kinda stupid lol

[Evastio]

The music is so awesome. :D

The FMV's are also good.

[DJZen]

Square has always downplayed actual gameplay footage while playing up the fanciest visuals they can muster. Even before cut scenes and FMV existed, they created original CG just for their commercials, including the advertisement for the original version of FFIII. You've got to expect it.

As an amusing note, that commercial actually showed quite a bit of gameplay footage.

http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=3995

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

More than later commercials would, sure, but still not a portion of particular weight.
I don't mind them showing just the fmv- with games where the graphics are not amazing, especially with handheld systems, its very common to not show in-game footage (thats obvious). And I think that makes sense- seeing crappy graphics isn't going to make anyone want to buy a game, but a sweet fmv might!That would make good sense if FFIII's in-game graphics weren't absolutely lovely, but they are.

[DJZen]

Ummm... It's pretty much par for the course as far as Famicom commercials of the period go. There's a full 10 seconds out of the whole 30 second ad, and the gameplay footage is clearly the central focus point, being put on a neat revolving cube that flies directly toward the viewer. Not sure how you can call that "not a portion of particular weight".

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Two thirds of a commercial being dedicated to extraneous computer graphics that have nothing to do with anything is just not satisfactory to me, Zen.

[DJZen]

*sigh*

Okay, let's break it down...

0:00 - 0:03 the setup, a bunch of strange rock structures are shown. I should point out that these structures don't look very CG, especially since the "fog" at the bottom looks more like the product of a cheap smoke machine than a supercomputer.

0:03 - 0:04 TV screens start to appear on the rock structures for no apparent reason.

0:04 - 0:07 Cheaply animated cartoon lightning begins to strike.

0:07 - 0:11 A very non CG crystal appears in the background and crackles with purple electricity.

0:11 - 0:13 The crystal becomes dark and starts to form a CG cube.

0:13 - 0:15 The crystal disappears and the cube moves toward the camera.

0:15 - 0:25 The cube displays gameplay footage as it rotates.

0:25 - 0:27 The screen fades to white and then displays the box art for the game.

0:27 - 0:29 The box art fades out and the Square logo is displayed.

The ONLY thing that strikes me as being CG in this commercial is the rotating cube which displays the gameplay footage itself. Further, the last five seconds of the ad are just logos and not computer graphics and are, in fact, QUITE relevant to the product being advertised. Finally, the crystal that appears for six seconds near the beginning of the ad is also pertinent to the game, because, if you'll recall, this game has quite a lot to do with crystals.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I'll see your semantics argument and raise you two meandering rhetorics.

[DJZen]

I'll raise you irrefutible proof... Oh wait, already put that one in the pot...