10 of the best live action video game commercials

Hearing the words “live action” and “video games” in the same sentence evokes a series of odd memories for me. It was 1996 and a group of special forces agents ran through the hills evading a pack of vicious and mutated dogs. That was Resident Evil and this is now. The legendarily hammy acting that accompanied the opening cut-scene to the first Resident Evil has since given way to some fantastic live action commercials that have promoted some of this decade’s finest games. This is a tribute to the best from this generation and some of the most unbelievable from previous decades.

10. Game Genie

Remember those days before the internet when you had to pay for help with games? Whether it was Nintendo Power magazine, an overpriced help line or your standard cheat cartridge, none of them had as good an advert as the Game Genie. Complete with epic Bill and Ted/Wayne’s World rip-offs and every possible 90’s cliché imaginable, this is one commercial that will make you laugh, cry and then laugh again.

9. Resident Evil 5

As far as live action commercials go, this one has some fairly creative directing. With camera jumps and sketchy graphics use, the ad brings to life a psychological shell shock effect that has been left untouched by the actual game series. Why a Resident Evil game hasn’t yet gone psych-horror and focused on the traumatic aftermath of the T-virus outbreak I’ll never know. Until Capcom realise they’re missing a serious trick, enjoy the commercial.

8. Super Princess Peach

There’s a series of adverts for Haribo that have been airing in the UK for the past year or so that annoy the shit out of me. It depicts kids acting in adult professions in the most embarrassing and frustrating ways possible. A sample is depicted above for your viewing pleasure. Now compare it to the commercial below. See the difference? The Super Princess Peach ad takes the concept into new levels of the ridiculous that make it, both a humorous and, effective commercial. It sure as hell makes me want to be a princess.