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F.E.A.R. 2 To Be Advertised On Cats In London

arcticstoat writes "Warner Bros has revealed that it plans to advertise its forthcoming shooter, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, via a clowder of black cats roaming the streets of London on the game's launch day on Friday 13th. Branded a 'cat-vertising campaign', the scheme will see the specially trained black moggies sporting F.E.A.R. 2 cat clothing. The idea, according to Warner Bros, is that the creepy kitties will 'capture the attention of superstitious passers-by,' as Friday 13th is famous for its supposed bad luck and a black cat crossing your path was listed at number 5 in a recent survey of Britain's superstitions and signs of bad luck."

73 comments

  1. Why didn't they... by ThisIsAnonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hire a bunch of creepy little girls?

    1. Re:Why didn't they... by duckInferno · · Score: 1

      I'm fairly sure that even the creepiest IRL girl isn't
      a) dead
      b) supernatural

      So hiring sub-par creepy girls would break the suspense of disbelief that the game cultures. Going with cats is like a way of adknowledging that this is about as creepy as real-life gets, and people should instead buy FEAR2 to get their dose of argh's.

      --
      Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
    2. Re:Why didn't they... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Going with cats is like a way of adknowledging that this is about as creepy as real-life gets

      Wow, your range of experience is limited...

    3. Re:Why didn't they... by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      I dunno, I have seen some very creepy girls...

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    4. Re:Why didn't they... by duckInferno · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yes, my experience only reaches as far as your mum.

      --
      Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
    5. Re:Why didn't they... by LingNoi · · Score: 2, Funny

      Please, if you want to flight with your brother do it IRL, not via slashdot.

    6. Re:Why didn't they... by duckInferno · · Score: 1

      Why not virtually? Does MS Flight Sim support network play?

      --
      Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it -- I'm huge!
    7. Re:Why didn't they... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But that was Bioshock...

    8. Re:Why didn't they... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i'd hit 'er in the shitter if you know what i'm sayin. anal surprise.

  2. So they could figure out how to use the #5 one? by HoppyChris · · Score: 1

    They should also put up a bunch of ladders that people have to walk under and then sneak into people's houses and break their mirrors.

    1. Re:So they could figure out how to use the #5 one? by Rui+del-Negro · · Score: 1

      And then kill them with a chainsaw and use their blood to write "666" on the walls.

      That would definitely freak out superstitious people.

  3. You learn something new every day by Locke2005 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Yes, a group of adult cats is actually called a "clowder". I'd never heard the term before!

    If these black cats are anything like the cats I've known, they are going to spend the whole day hiding in a hole somewhere desperately trying to claw these "cat clothes" off of their backs -- in other words, I don't think this campaign will be too successful because nobody is actually going to see these black cats! I've also added "cat dresser" to the list of jobs I'm glad I don't have. Sure, that feline is just going to stand their quietly whilst you strap this on their back...

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    1. Re:You learn something new every day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Clowder. Rhymes with chowder. Coincidence?

    2. Re:You learn something new every day by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Perhaps you misunderstood your big brother when he was bragging about all the pussy he has eaten...

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    3. Re:You learn something new every day by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      Clowder. Rhymes with chowder. Coincidence?

      I would only have thought it was significant if it rhymed with "Chow Mein"

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    4. Re:You learn something new every day by camperdave · · Score: 1

      I'd not heard the word
      before either... but then,
      neither have I seen cats
      group together (apart
      from at the feeding bowl).

      P.S. When is Slashdot
      going to fix the flipping
      comment box?

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    5. Re:You learn something new every day by Locke2005 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Or as my father used to say "Isn't it strange how many Mexican Restaurants are located right next door to Pet Hospitals?" The frightening thing is, when you drive around looking for it, there does actually seem to be a strong correlation!

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    6. Re:You learn something new every day by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      P.S. When is Slashdot
      going to fix the flipping
      comment box?

      When are you going to stop posting in plain text and hitting return at the end of each line? Maybe you should come into the 1990s and get a web browser with word wrap in textareas.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:You learn something new every day by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

      He's refering to a
      problem with the idle
      stylesheet which
      causes the textbox
      area to be only as wide
      as these lines.

      Of course, ignoring this and typing normally works and results in expected behaviour, but it's yet another thing that is wrong with idle. I usually solve this by avoiding this section, but in this case I wanted to see if there are any opinions on the game itself.

    8. Re:You learn something new every day by camperdave · · Score: 1

      When are you going to stop posting in plain text and hitting return at the end of each line? Maybe you should come into the 1990s and get a web browser with word wrap in textareas.

      I post in "HTML Formatted" and I put <br>s in to demonstrate how broken the frelling textarea box is on the Idle section. It's not me that needs to come into the 1990's. It's the Sha gua who wrote the style sheet for Idle. It may be pants, but it doesn't have to be lederhosen.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    9. Re:You learn something new every day by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure that the funky idle stylesheet is intentional just to piss everyone off that comes here.

    10. Re:You learn something new every day by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 1

      And for some reason it doesn't happen with me here, using Vista Ultimate32 bits, Firefox 3.06
      So the people who have this problem should check elsewhere for the cause of the problem I think.

      --
      This is the sig that says NI (again)
    11. Re:You learn something new every day by camperdave · · Score: 1

      Ubuntu+Firefox:FAIL
      Ubuntu+Konqueror:FAIL
      Vista+IE:FAIL
      Vista+Firefox:FAIL
      Mint+Firefox:FAIL
      XPPro+Firefox:FAIL
      XPPro+IE:FAIL

      camperdave login:FAIL
      other account login:FAIL
      no login:FAIL

      I have tried different browsers on different machines with different usernames. Other people report the same issue. Every other Slashdot theme works. The problem is on Slashdot's end.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    12. Re:You learn something new every day by meadowsoft · · Score: 1

      I believe that it all depends on whether or not you are using whole cats.

    13. Re:You learn something new every day by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 1

      Heh sorry if I sounded glib about it, most people who have some sort of problem don't do anything to check, you obviously did.
      Weird problem though.
      One question, what is Mint?

      --
      This is the sig that says NI (again)
    14. Re:You learn something new every day by camperdave · · Score: 1

      One question, what is Mint?

      Linux Mint is a variant of Ubuntu, but with integrated media codecs, custom desktop and menus, and several unique configuration tools. It has a cleaner, more logical menu layout, and generally a crisper feel. Mind you, I could do without the custom Google page.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    15. Re:You learn something new every day by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 1

      Whoah that looks very cool, thanks for the link :)
      I'll bookmark it and maybe try it sometime :)

      --
      This is the sig that says NI (again)
    16. Re:You learn something new every day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot about Ubuntu+Wine+IE

  4. Black Cats by JustNiz · · Score: 3, Informative

    It seems to be a regional thing as to whether a black cat crossing your path is good or bad luck.

    Where I'm from in the UK (Dorset coast) its considered very good luck.

    1. Re:Black Cats by lz2pt · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It seems to be a regional thing as to whether a black cat crossing your path is good or bad luck.

      Where I'm from in the UK (Dorset coast) its considered very good luck.

      where I am in Scotland, black cats are considered to be lucky (in general, not just crossing your path) as well.

      I always assumed the unlucky black cat thing to be a mainly american variation of the superstition, as that's where I've mainly heard this one from, though ISTR reading in a book on superstitions many years ago that some central/eastern european countries have this slant on it as well.

      wrt the article, a case here maybe of the WB publicity drones and suits forgetting which country they're in ?

    2. Re:Black Cats by KlomDark · · Score: 1, Funny

      I've had a black cat since 1994. When I got it, I lived in a trailer house in the middle of Nebraska.

      Now I live in several multi-million dollar mansions scattered across the world and have three jets and a NASCAR racecar.

      For a living, I act sad about the "recession" (Oh haha, if you only knew...) and tell people how bad things are for me.

      Then I cruise out on my hyperdrive helicopter and back to my home planet.

      Silly rabbit, civilizations are not for humans.

    3. Re:Black Cats by Pictish+Prince · · Score: 1

      It seems to be a regional thing as to whether a black cat crossing your path is good or bad luck.

      Where I'm from in the UK (Dorset coast) its considered very good luck.

      where I am in Scotland, black cats are considered to be lucky (in general, not just crossing your path) as well.

      I always assumed the unlucky black cat thing to be a mainly american variation of the superstition, as that's where I've mainly heard this one from, though ISTR reading in a book on superstitions many years ago that some central/eastern european countries have this slant on it as well.

      wrt the article, a case here maybe of the WB publicity drones and suits forgetting which country they're in ?

      Yes, it all stems from the Salem witch trials where old women were tortured into "confessing" how they consorted with Satan. They came up with a bunch of fantastic shit, one piece of which was their "familiars", some kind of small animal, always black, usually a cat, who helped the witch accomplish her evil deeds.

      --
      Only his tendency toward a dazed stupor prevented him from screaming aloud.
    4. Re:Black Cats by MadUndergrad · · Score: 1

      I guess Brown Jenkins is the exception that proves the familiar rule, then.

    5. Re:Black Cats by qubicpotato · · Score: 1

      Unless you trip on it. I doubt it's considered to be good luck then......

    6. Re:Black Cats by Pictish+Prince · · Score: 1

      Great obscure reference, but Lovecraft post-dates the witch trials by a couple hundred years.

      --
      Only his tendency toward a dazed stupor prevented him from screaming aloud.
  5. We just lost... by ideonode · · Score: 1

    Before you say how silly this PR is, consider that it's made it to frontpage of slashdot (yeah, yeah, idle I know, but it still counts)...

  6. Won't they ever learn? by RabidMoose · · Score: 4, Funny

    There is no such thing as a trained cat.

    It's a law of nature that if you want a cat to do something, it will do anything else.

    1. Re:Won't they ever learn? by ChinggisK · · Score: 1

      Sea world begs to differ.

    2. Re:Won't they ever learn? by spun · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I saw a Russian fellow with some very well trained cats at the state fair a couple years back. His cats would walk tightropes, ride around on dogs, balance on balls, jump through flaming hoops, and tons of other crazy stunts. Most impressive animal show I've ever seen.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    3. Re:Won't they ever learn? by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

      Well, you can get a cat to do something for the immediate reward of food. Most humans don't have the patience to train a cat to accept delayed gratification.

      They should use cats that have learned to tolerate walking on leashes. The cats will still determine where they want to go, but their handlers can still restrain them from going too far and keep them in the public eye. (My cat gets excited whenever he sees me reach for his leash; he knows it's the only way he gets to walk outside for an extended period.)

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
    4. Re:Won't they ever learn? by theredshoes · · Score: 1

      I actually don't believe that. Some cats are receptive to training. Some cats can be toilet trained, trained to use a leash, jump through hoops. I think the younger the cat is the more of a chance you have to train them with treats to do these things, but it depends on the personality of the cat. I didn't know in Scotland that black cats were considered lucky, I have had two all black cats so far and they make really nice pets. They love to hunt and leave their carnage on your back steps or patios, at least the two black cats I had. I had a nice fenced in garden for one of them to roam in, so he spent a lot of time outdoors, so I was lucky he didn't leave my yard, but he killed a lot of birds and moles, even sometimes small rabbits etc. Moggies are beautiful, I think the PR thing is a little silly, but it would probably make the people passing by remember the game. This article makes me miss my cats.

    5. Re:Won't they ever learn? by Per+Wigren · · Score: 1

      There is no such thing as a trained cat.

      Are you sure about that?

      --
      My other account has a 3-digit UID.
    6. Re:Won't they ever learn? by Abreu · · Score: 1

      Also, certain breeds of cats tend to be more receptive to training.

      We once had a siamese (one of those heavyset, muscular siamese, not the thin, "evil cat" types) that could fetch keys and walk in a leash

      --
      No sig for the moment.
    7. Re:Won't they ever learn? by Cyberax · · Score: 2, Informative

      The famous http://www.kuklachev.ru/ theatre.

    8. Re:Won't they ever learn? by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

      In soviet Russia, even the cats are obedient.

    9. Re:Won't they ever learn? by jbeaupre · · Score: 1

      Our family has always trained our pet cats. Strays or kittens, they learn to sit, fetch, jump, come when called, stay off furniture, and so on. And usually for nothing more than praise and being pet. Not sure what the secret is or we'd try to bottle it.

      --
      The world is made by those who show up for the job.
    10. Re:Won't they ever learn? by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      In soviet Russia, even the cats are obedient.

      No, no. You're doing it all wrong. Here:
      In Soviet Russia, cats obey You!

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    11. Re:Won't they ever learn? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      If it wasn't the same guy, Gregory Popovich has a long-running show in Vegas which uses trained cats.

      As an aside, all his cats come from the Humane Society or shelters. To quote Bob Barker, "Remember to spay and neuter your pets."

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  7. A word on impact by Captain+Spam · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unfortunately, if I were to see one of these cats outside when the ad campaign is live, the entire spooky/creepy effect would be lost on me and I'd assume many others like me, as I'd immediately associate cats with messages on them with "o hai! u can haz feer 2?"

    --
    Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
    1. Re:A word on impact by Dreen · · Score: 1, Redundant

      Im replying because I marked parent overrated. Sorry Im new to moderating. Parent is not overrated, I slipped my cursor. AFAIU this post will remove a mistake? Man, we should have an undo button.

      Anyway, sorry parent.

    2. Re:A word on impact by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How are you posting as your username if you moderated?

    3. Re:A word on impact by randyest · · Score: 1

      Easy. Just post. Having moderated in a thread doesn't prevent you from posting in it, but posting in a thread you moderated in does undo the moderation (and wastes the mod points.)

      --
      everything in moderation
  8. Wow... Did a double-take on the headline... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And it was right. I thought for sure I had misread it, and that it really said "car".

    But no, it does, indeed, say "cat".

    That's one of the oddest double-takes I have ever done.

  9. So how are they going to release these cats by mdarksbane · · Score: 1

    Without getting in massive trouble from animal rights advocacy groups? Announcing that you are releasing a bunch of cats into an area crowded with cars, feral cats, dogs, and mean people just seems like a lawsuit waiting to happening.

    1. Re:So how are they going to release these cats by uofitorn · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's common on /. for people not to RTFA, but you couldn't even be bothered to look at the posted picture! The cats are clearly leashed.

      --
      "What kind of music do pirates listen to?" -Paul Maud'dib
      "Yeeeaaarrrrr n' Bee!!" -Stilgar, Leader of Sietch Tabr
    2. Re:So how are they going to release these cats by rts008 · · Score: 1

      A catapult, silly!

      --
      Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
    3. Re:So how are they going to release these cats by hurfy · · Score: 1

      That would be the 'specially trained' part i suppose since it would tough to read the advert with the cat laying on it's back being dragged around :)

    4. Re:So how are they going to release these cats by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's ok,

      The next stunt is they will be throwing turkeys out of a helicopter.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    5. Re:So how are they going to release these cats by stimpy · · Score: 4, Funny

      I swear to GOD I thought they could fly...

  10. February 14th by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In 2 days:

    Warner Bros. is calling for any information about their cats that went missing in or around the area of chinatown.

  11. Anyone else see anything wrong with this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about making someone who is superstitious associate your game with bad luck? What about the number, no matter how small, of cats who are going to become road kill. Or the number that will be taken in by the local cat ladies? On the whole this just sounds like a horrible advertising campaign.

    1. Re:Anyone else see anything wrong with this? by randyest · · Score: 1

      While it is a bad idea, that's not for the reason you listed. No one cares about superstitious idiots.

      --
      everything in moderation
  12. Cat nature. by DrYak · · Score: 1

    The parent said :

    if you want a cat to do something, it will do anything else

    All that the Seaworld trainers has to do, is really deeply want that the cat remain still and sleep.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  13. PETA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...is waiting to complain about this until it in fact does occur....

  14. Fight back! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    This will be the one day in which it is morally defensible to fight back. When else can you delete an ad by running it over with your car or having your dog it eat? Experience with popups has trained me to "kill" them as soon as I see them, so when I see a cat with an ad on it, I'll just react, and kill the furry little bastard.

  15. Video footage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's some video footage of the cats in action

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIA2Y8xu_KY

  16. Hey Teacher by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey, teacher, leave them cats alone!

  17. cats on strings? by nnnich · · Score: 2, Funny

    will they be walking the cats on leashes, or will they be peeling them off the street with a spatula at the end of the day?

    --
    she was the daughter of a wealthy florentine pogen read em and weep was her adjustable slogan
  18. Fantastic by Grobbendonk · · Score: 1

    One of my little fuzzy sociopaths would fit the role perfectly. One dose of catnip and she goes off like an overcharged food mixer! Are they hiring?

  19. BAMN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Reminds me of the first Benjamin episode in Limmy's World of Glasgow :)

  20. Roaming /= Leashed by Web+Goddess · · Score: 1

    I did RTFA.

    The cats are leashed in the picture, but the statement is that they will be roaming the streets, not that they will be escorted leashed on the streets. The article does nothing to dissuade the notion that the cats will be released to roam freely. If they are, I worry about the safety of these "creepy black cats".

    1. Re:Roaming /= Leashed by mdarksbane · · Score: 1

      Not to mention that a cat on a leash is not particularly creepy.