Bang! Untelevised Xbox 360 ad hits the web

by Dan Choi { Nov 23rd 2005 at 9:28PM }

The untelevised Zero Hour ad for the 360 has been spread on the web, and you can now check it out via mirror and torrent thanks to our good friends at AdJab. (Dedicated Microsoft/IE users used to be able to view the original video on MSN here, but it's gone now.)

Since our Xbox360fanboy buddies covered the ad, we figured that we should cover it, too. (Okay, that's not the best reason, but it's a good excuse.) Now that server/torrent issues have been remedied, everyone can get their game on and jump in, whether at the train station or out on the streets.

The playful background tune for the commercial was apparently covered by one Joe Jackson. [Thanks, Dmnkly!] Just note that the video seems to look a little better at half its current size, but feel free to skip that zoom-out if you prefer the bigger-screen version.

[Thanks, Tom, Shizzle, and Kiel]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Zachary @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

That was the stupidest thing i've ever seen.....in my entire life......

yardstick @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Wow. Thats bad. Good thing it didn't air.

vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

This is a superfun commercial. It's really clever. I can see why they didn't televise it though: people might be spooked by the ideas of a massive gunfight in grand central station.

Really cool ad. Which agency did it?

CHEEtoes @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

It started out interesting and then belly flopped into utter gayness.

Watership @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

The grenade part was a hit at my workplace. :)

vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Guys -- enjoy the high-concept ads while they last. Pretty soon we'll just be subject to the same-old game advertising that we've always seen.

There's a small launch window during which ads like this work. These same ads wouldn't fly after the console's been out for a couple years.

I'm really liking the Jump In campaign. It's fresh, it's memorable, and it's really in tune with the core value of games: fun.

I hope that there are more on the way.

Joel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

This is all a work by Microsoft. This ad was intended from the start never to air...to be "too controversal for TV." They planned this out from the start. And it looks like it's working, too. Joystiq fell for it. Look at how much free press/advertising they are getting from this. Here on Joystiq, it's like a banner ad Microsoft doesn't have to pay for!

Brilliant!

CHEEtoes @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

To take joels theory a step further, they even have people willing to host the bandwidth for it at no expense to MS. That is pretty smart. Too bad the commercial was not-so-high concept shart.

Einhanderkiller @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

http://smashedxbox.ytmnd.com/

Repsode @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

The best high concept ads ever, In my opinion were the UK's Third Place campaign for PS2. the david lynch teaser was talked about for ages! However the "I am the wolfman" one was really good. That campaign lasted a good year and a half before the currrent "fun, anyone?" campaign, which is a lot more pedestrian ( although we have some weird ones currently, last year's safari ads and the weird stop motion with real people one thats on at the moment. Google "video games tv ads" and click on the first link to see all of these and more. Check out the Xbox 1 Uk launch ads including the banned ad, life is short. People in the uk know which one that is.

Sagan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

This reminds me of Olde English:
http://www.oldeenglish.org/
Download the Gym Class video from the very top.

Charlie @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

I think this is a WICKED ad (the main guy in it is FIT AS F**K)and it really should be shown on TV after the 9pm watershed.
People that are offended by this have no sense of humour and take life way too seriously, i was in Kings Cross when the bombs went off and i'm not offended. It's a GAME and we all have pretended to play cowboys and indians in our time! Also it was never intended not to be aired on the TV, it was always meant for TV and Cinema, it's just Microsoft being cr*p.

Vladimir Cole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Check out the AdJab commenters on this ad. They're in love with it.

http://www.adjab.com/2005/11/22/the-xbox-360-ad-youve-been-waiting-for/

Jeffler @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

And...WHY WAS THIS NOT THE REAL AD?

This is a brilliant game ad. This is miles better then the jump rope one.

jc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Seems people who like ads go to adjab, and people who like videogames go to joystiq.

I like videogames, but I don't really care for commercials... spend that extra product marketing money into the actual product development and I will be happy. Just don't put the ads in the actual games.

I guess one of the reasons I don't really care for this commercial is because I want games to take me away from the everyday transit B.S., not trap me in it. This commercial didn't make me want to play video games, it made me want to move to the country.

Charlie @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Yep, they absolutely love it and who can blame them, does anyone think that it will ever go on TV??

Charlie @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

But you have to appreciate a good ad??? it's showing that everyone can play and it's FUN!!!! you can still escape reality but it's nice to know they're aiming for a wider market insted of just stuffing game ads down your throat.

Willb3rg @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Awesome advert! I can't see how this is AT ALL too contraversial for TV, though. Some people are way over-sensitive.

jc, man! Injecting fun into everyday things is an awesome alternative to escapism.

Also, to the person about 'high concept' ads. The High Concept is a term given to the method Hollywood uses to create a movie. It is a set of 10 points that (although not mandatory) are oft-adhered to. Things like basing movies on sequels, remakes and public-domain books, detatchment of stars, self concious image of media, etc. So you might not wanna call adverts with a little spark of extra, 'high concept'. Not a flame - I'm just a media student and thought you'd like to know :-)

Larry @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Definetly not been banned, it's intended for the UK, and British censors are far more relaxed than their US counterparts.

Look at the ad for the original Xbox "Champagne" one of the best ads ever, never would be shown in the US.

Abby @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

This ad was seen on TV last night in LA in the adverts for Court TV on Fox...so look out for it as it's on TV.

Dmnkly @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Just a little anal fact-correction.

The song in the background, Tiger Rag, was definitely NOT written by Joe Jackson.

It's an exceedingly old Dixieland tune. Seven or eight different people have at ome time or another claimed authorship, but it goes back at LEAST to 1918, when the first known recording of it was published by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.

My personal favorite version is performed by the Mills Brothers :-)

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:37PM

Yeah, it looks like there's quite a long and convoluted history behind that song, Dmnkly. I'll change that word "written" to "covered." Anal fact-correction's all right with me. =) A bit more on that history here, as well as an archive of Joe Jackson's covered songs:

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/5135/Tiger.html
http://www.jj-archive.net/covers/cov_byjj.html