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Burger King's Disturbing Games
Gamespot reports on Burger King's disturbing foray into gaming. From the article: "Finally, Sneak King takes the stealth action genre and puts it to a friendlier use than usual. Instead of tiptoeing behind enemy guards to silently snap their necks, players will sneak up on hungry people to surprise them with offerings of Burger King food. Gamers will have to sneak up on people in a logging yard, a construction site, downtown, and the suburbs, and they will be graded on their performance 'based on how elaborate the delivery is executed.' This is not the King's first visit to the world of gaming. The genuinely off-putting monarch of meat appeared in Electronic Arts' Fight Night Round 3 as an unlockable manager character to accompany your boxer to the ring. " Some screenshots will assist you in understanding how deeply distressing these games are.
360 users can get new pop-cap, low-end games (and some pretty good ones, too) for free or pay $4 for full versions on Live. These games, however, aren't good enough to give BK three Michellin stars ('worth a special trip') - they should give the games for free on XBL Marketplace to boost brand.
> Thank God GTA doesn't have any questionable material like giving food to hungry people.
Have you seen any Burger King commercials? I'll take ultraviolence over depraved food wanker w/ supersized frozen visage any day of the week.
The main issue with the commercials is how the face design is so disturbing at medium-close range. In the ultra hated, disturbing commercial where a guy wakes up with The King next to him, hes literally roughly 2 feet away from him. With the same exact grin. Its extremely disturbing since The King was obviously designed to be looked at from a distance or in a logo sized image. Not, "I'm about to kiss you" range.
I like Burger King. The meat is ginormous! I'm gonna walk the mile or so to get me a value meal and a copy of the sneaking game even though I don't own an Xbox. Even if you hate the food, it's a steal for such an awesome piece of memoribilia.
SRSLY.
I believe, in time, the advertising will become less annoying. If a game took place in the modern day, I wouldn't mind seeing an ad for an upcoming movie or a popular band on a billboard. I could also see it being something like the Gap selling clothes for your avatar, and advertising the in-game store on in-game media - in the end, it would still create brand awareness. Some games, great games, will be like Tarantino films which avoid any and all advertisements in them and you'll love them more for it.
...or at least their ad agency does. The running theme in all their PR material is "we don't take ourselves seriously." The King's vacuum-formed head. The Whopperettes. The tray liners which currently have NFL-like referee calls for various dining-related fouls. The Subservient Chicken. None of these try to be real; they are all laughably NOT real.
McDonald's could instantly get a lot more street cred if they did the same thing with Mayor McCheese. Or had a big "What in God's Name is Grimace?" campaign. Or had the Hamburgler hanging out with mafiosi, committing white-collar crimes or something. Except now they'd just be copying BK. And really, they take themselves too seriously anyway.
Good grief, it's after midnight and I'm posting on slashdot about fast food advertising. I think I'm going to go to bed.
Sam! If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.