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Feature

Four Video Game Commercials That Spoof Other Commercials

by Kyle Hilliard on Aug 09, 2014 at 02:10 PM

Commercials are hard to make, which is why sometimes the best answer is to look at other commercials and just do that – but slightly different. Collected below are some video game commercials that look to other commercials for... let's call it inspiration.

Bulletstorm

Probably the most obvious direct parody, this Bulletstorm commercial (seen above) is an undisguised spoof of Halo 3's popular Believe commercial, which you can see below.

Most of Bulletstorm's general promotion was designed to make fun of other games, but this commercial was the most direct among its many parodies.

Battletanx

Battletanx was an ultimately forgettable Nintendo 64 game (with an impressively named protagonist) whose commercial (seen above) sought to spoof a fabric softener commercial, something that has very little to do with video games.

The campaign must have been successful because not only was a Battletanx 2 released, but a follow-up commercial featured a pseudo-sequel to tale of the fabric softener pushing stuffed bear whose life was turned upside down by a tank. Above you will find what the bear's life was like before the tanks changed everything.

Blur

Less a direct parody of a specific commercial, and more of a spoof of kart racing games, this Blur commercial accomplished two feats: it made you interested in playing Blur, and it made you feel like a loser for enjoying Mario Kart.

It could really be a spoof of any commercial for any kart racing game, but I prefer the one above.

Steve Young Football

This commercial for Steve Young Football is different from the other games on this list for a few reasons. As far as I know, it never actually aired on TV, and it's the only game that doesn't start with a 'B'. The other thing about this parody is that it makes no sense – which is why I enjoy it so much.

The original My Buddy commercial (seen above) was about a toddler-sized doll that you could take everywhere because that's what the catchy song said you were supposed to do. The Steve Young Football commercial begins as near shot-for-shot remake of the original, but follows the exploits of an adult wearing overalls excitedly taking his iPad and Steve Young Football game everywhere. It's a strange mash-up, but one I will always appreciate.