It's probably important to note that you don't have to stick up for ALL games. That being said, I think all video game marketing is run by monkeys who are just discovering sexuality and movie trailers because that's what the marketing looks like. Seriously, compare some game trailers to some movie trailers. You won't notice very many differences, I guarantee you.
That costume was also designed by the character designer of Bayonetta. I will say this is at least brutally honest about itself unlike Ken Levine's bizarre criticism against people making comments about Elizabeth's cleavage in Bioshock Infinite. Kinda hard to not look like an idiot when your team designed her that way and you could have changed it at ANY time
I too don't see what the big deal is. The fact that this game exists, is about as harming to the gaming industry as that "Piranha 3D" movie was to the film industry, and you know it.
Just because a handful of games are blatantly sexualised (in the same way films and occasionally novels are), doesn't make it difficult to defend the medium.
The poster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has Rooney Mara's supposedly empowered female charater having her bare breasts barely covered by Daniel Craig.
Bob, weren't you just telling us the other episode (specifically the Other M episodes) that we were bad people for chalking the game's alleged misogyny up to it being from Japan?
And now here you are with what is essentially "Oh look, a horribly misogynist ad for a video game", and, oh lookie, it's from... Japan.
I hate to Benedict Arnold my own sex, but really this goes both ways. Go to any book store and look at the romance section--it is, literally, filled with shirtless men. I know, I have checked thoroughly, many times. Sometimes twice or more a day. The whole thrust (mmm) of romance novels is selling the book, horribly written as it may be, on the strength of the sexy guy on the front and the numerous sex scenes within. Again, trust me on this, that poster is a pair of pectoral muscles away from a Harlequin book cover.
At any rate, selling something by using sex is not, in and of itself, wrong. In a way it's rather honest because while most people will never admit it (due to societal stigma against sex in the West) sex and sexual urges govern a huge part of who we are as a species, so why not govern parts, NOT all, of our entertainment too? I mean God forbid we all just admit we like to have our sex and entertainment intertwined. I mean, then we couldn't have overly verbose vanity projects like Braid. And where would the industry be without Braid? I'll tell you where! It'd be...
Exactly where it is with Braid.
Wait...
Anyway, I consider it all a tradeoff. Full disclosure, I find my gender's tendency to "tisk tisk" others' sexual urges, while then channel surfing for some new show about shirtless vampires playing volleyball, quite dishonest. As I told my sister once, if we get to watch WWE's "The Two Hours of Shirtless John Cena Show" every Monday then surely men should also be able to play "DOA: Even Bigger Breast Implants Edition" and feel unashamed.
I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a self-parody of sorts too. Which may be somewhat odd, considering Soul Calibur always took itself way, way, way too seriously for a game about medieval-yet-strangely-post-apocalyptic superheroes fighting over a magical claymore. So I dunno, maybe someone finally looked at the game and said "yeah, we can't sell this as deep period dramas anymore, guys. I think the little Goth girl with the bladed hola hoop killed the theme. It's time to pull an Army of Darkness and just go balls to the Ivy to the wall".
There is a place for this besides porno games. In very silly games. In very self aware games. Hell, just games with a slightly wry attitude could work this kind of advertising. If the next Dead or Alive promotions were just a pair of buttocks shoved into the viewers face, if Team Fortress 2 ran a shirtless calender, or if a Tekken advert ran where it was just Lili and Asuka having a nine hour lesbian massage with each other, yeah, it'd be sexy, but also funny, amusing and cheeky, because those are the tongue-in-cheek games, or even just the more comedic characters in the Tekken example. Sexiness is not just how someone looks; it's a personality too. Catwoman's so sexy because she's quite playful as well as having an amazing body.
The problem with Soul Calibur is that, even with the ridiculous proportions of Ivy and co. it's still trying to be serious. Ivy isn't even presented in a very sexy manner, but is portrayed as just going through the motions of stabbing people. That's why, and a lot of people are going to call foul on this, I don't think that Ivy is that sexy at all. So, assuming that the series takes itself very serious, and therefore its audience and marketing seriously...
... then, yes, I'm insulted to be told that this is what Namco thinks I'll buy a product solely on the basis of tits. It would've flown with a more comedic series, or even if they just went full-on daft with the advert. In this case, go fuck yourselves.
Personally, I at least applaud Namco for being honest about it.
In fact, I kinda like to think this is them essentially saying 'Yes. We used sex to advertise, just like every product maker in the market. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Go step on a Lego Bob.'
Hey, someone correct me if I'm missing something, but where are her nipples? I mean, shouldn't we be able to SEE them--or at least an areola--with that much skin showing?
Unless her breasts don't HAVE nipples, but I can't imagine why anyone woul--
You think this was bad? Pay a visit to your local Gamestop, and see if they have the same MW3 poster mine did today. Of all the pretentious asinine things in Gamestop these days, that one took the damned cake.
Seriously, if anyone could get a picture of those things, I'd love to see it posted.
Thank you for that picture link, I'm going to have to file that away in the "sad but true" archives.
As Soul Edge has devolved further and further into a "going through the motions to sell units based on name recognition" cashgrab series, Namco has relied more and more heavily on tits to sell their games.
Sex may sell, but it's only used to sell when your product has no other redeeming qualities. It is the last resort of purveyors of shitty content to get someone, *anyone*, to buy their drek.
I mean yes it doesnt really push any industry forward and it really is marketing to those that will buy into the sex appeal of an item ,but is it really that evil of a thing to think "hey that character is hot. I want to buy this because this character is hot"
not only that but it goes both ways theres characters out there that are just as attactive to women then as to men and while it is changing most gamers are still men 18-30 i bet you if there is a major influx of girl gamers you would see this with a one of those pretty boy character you see in games
Don't tell us. Tell Namco. Daishi Odashima (the game's director) is on Twitter, and he's very active with it.
OK, maybe it's not his fault, since this is a marketing issue (although seeing how the series has gone ever since he started gaining power decision in the franchise, I doubt it. Too much coincidence), but if you want Namco to cut the crap, that's a place to start.
Hmm....this doesn't really bother me as much as it should.
Granted, as gamers, most of us want to see the medium be given the same respect as others and this is probably not helping our case at all.
But for this, I can let it slide. This is Soul Calibur. A game in which guys with swords the size of small cows swing blades at lizard men, time traveling grim reapers who kinda look like a younger Ving Rhames, florentine gimps, and busty amazonian wenches wearing miniskirts so short that if they were on TV you'd have to blur their entire lower body. And NO ONE DIES(at least not on screen). It's silly. It's a silly, sexy fighting game. It's been a silly, sexy fighting game for some time now.
It doesn't mean that this kinda thing should be the standard for silly, sexy fighting games but in a few months this ad and most others like it will be forgotten.
Plus, I've seen worse ads for movies, books, food, and other products.
I am going to say it ivy one of the worst dress until recent. She has sexy part covered but sexy what. Mai Shuruni is a sexy ninja, Cat woman is a sexy supper thief. She supposed be a lady of upper class lady that is highly intelligent that she study alchemy to make magical weapon to aide her in fights. That outfit would take magic to wear but no way a noble lady or an alchemist to wear. A sexy alchemist would wear something that is more showoff. When you count the other games her alternate outfits put her as one of the worst dress seen or not fitting for her. Her current outfit is more effective As for ad it supposed to be a fighting game with weapons so the ad fails. You selling sizzle but you make the customer hungry for that stake.
Honestly, I'm just waiting for the logical conclusion to the great Soul Calibur arc: Ivy deepthroating her own weapon while Cassandra and Sophitia competitively scissor each other in the foreground. Maybe Siegfried will get to hold up a makeshift sign that says "Soul Calibur 7" in the background, if they want to throw the guy a bone.
So they want to sell a product without telling the consumer anything about the product other than "boobs here". If it weren't for Movie Bob naming the game I'd have no idea what I was looking at.
As a gamer I'd feel more insulted by this attempt to win our interest with such shallow methods but I'm too aware that such methods are tried and tested
hat-tip: ScrewAttack
42 comments:
That's not Ivy. You can tell because she is wearing way too much clothes.
Also, first?
So the guys who did the Evony ads still get business?
It's probably important to note that you don't have to stick up for ALL games. That being said, I think all video game marketing is run by monkeys who are just discovering sexuality and movie trailers because that's what the marketing looks like. Seriously, compare some game trailers to some movie trailers. You won't notice very many differences, I guarantee you.
That costume was also designed by the character designer of Bayonetta. I will say this is at least brutally honest about itself unlike Ken Levine's bizarre criticism against people making comments about Elizabeth's cleavage in Bioshock Infinite. Kinda hard to not look like an idiot when your team designed her that way and you could have changed it at ANY time
And to think we disagreed with Ebert...
From what I can see and understand with my lousy japanese, the blurb says something like "Next Spring, expectations will grow in your chest".
I'm actually thinking this is Mitsurugi. He often rocks the open-shirted look, and steroid use may have caught up with him.
My friend David fixed this.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_JGfOBwVth4/TwZijg-pbZI/AAAAAAAAAkI/anIv2Jy_7Mo/h301/ooky.jpg
Also - @graham - just because games CAN be citizen kane doesn't mean every game has to be.
the fact that there are movies sold with OMGBEWBZ doesn't discredit the medium, any more than it does with games.
HOWEVER - There could probably be better ways to sell a Soul Calibur game. seriously.
I don't see what the big deal is.
I too don't see what the big deal is.
The fact that this game exists, is about as harming to the gaming industry as that "Piranha 3D" movie was to the film industry, and you know it.
Just because a handful of games are blatantly sexualised (in the same way films and occasionally novels are), doesn't make it difficult to defend the medium.
What's the big deal?
This IS a "Soul Calibur" game after all.
*snort*
Wait, that's the pig-head in me talking. Lemme bring out the ethical advertiser in me.
*snort*
The poster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has Rooney Mara's supposedly empowered female charater having her bare breasts barely covered by Daniel Craig.
Just sayin'.
Bob, weren't you just telling us the other episode (specifically the Other M episodes) that we were bad people for chalking the game's alleged misogyny up to it being from Japan?
And now here you are with what is essentially "Oh look, a horribly misogynist ad for a video game", and, oh lookie, it's from... Japan.
There's an English version floating around the internet where the caption says "Go big or go home".
I really don't see what the problem is though.
im sorry but does this really bother you?!!!
really?
this is showing even less cleavage than the previous costumes she had.
personally i liked this.
its not really diferent from the almost naked chicks from peta with their delicious lettucce bikinis
Well...
I hate to Benedict Arnold my own sex, but really this goes both ways. Go to any book store and look at the romance section--it is, literally, filled with shirtless men. I know, I have checked thoroughly, many times. Sometimes twice or more a day. The whole thrust (mmm) of romance novels is selling the book, horribly written as it may be, on the strength of the sexy guy on the front and the numerous sex scenes within. Again, trust me on this, that poster is a pair of pectoral muscles away from a Harlequin book cover.
At any rate, selling something by using sex is not, in and of itself, wrong. In a way it's rather honest because while most people will never admit it (due to societal stigma against sex in the West) sex and sexual urges govern a huge part of who we are as a species, so why not govern parts, NOT all, of our entertainment too? I mean God forbid we all just admit we like to have our sex and entertainment intertwined. I mean, then we couldn't have overly verbose vanity projects like Braid. And where would the industry be without Braid? I'll tell you where! It'd be...
Exactly where it is with Braid.
Wait...
Anyway, I consider it all a tradeoff. Full disclosure, I find my gender's tendency to "tisk tisk" others' sexual urges, while then channel surfing for some new show about shirtless vampires playing volleyball, quite dishonest. As I told my sister once, if we get to watch WWE's "The Two Hours of Shirtless John Cena Show" every Monday then surely men should also be able to play "DOA: Even Bigger Breast Implants Edition" and feel unashamed.
Now the Guy Game...
P.S.
I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a self-parody of sorts too. Which may be somewhat odd, considering Soul Calibur always took itself way, way, way too seriously for a game about medieval-yet-strangely-post-apocalyptic superheroes fighting over a magical claymore. So I dunno, maybe someone finally looked at the game and said "yeah, we can't sell this as deep period dramas anymore, guys. I think the little Goth girl with the bladed hola hoop killed the theme. It's time to pull an Army of Darkness and just go balls to the Ivy to the wall".
In which case, tentative yay?
There is a place for this besides porno games. In very silly games. In very self aware games. Hell, just games with a slightly wry attitude could work this kind of advertising. If the next Dead or Alive promotions were just a pair of buttocks shoved into the viewers face, if Team Fortress 2 ran a shirtless calender, or if a Tekken advert ran where it was just Lili and Asuka having a nine hour lesbian massage with each other, yeah, it'd be sexy, but also funny, amusing and cheeky, because those are the tongue-in-cheek games, or even just the more comedic characters in the Tekken example. Sexiness is not just how someone looks; it's a personality too. Catwoman's so sexy because she's quite playful as well as having an amazing body.
The problem with Soul Calibur is that, even with the ridiculous proportions of Ivy and co. it's still trying to be serious. Ivy isn't even presented in a very sexy manner, but is portrayed as just going through the motions of stabbing people. That's why, and a lot of people are going to call foul on this, I don't think that Ivy is that sexy at all. So, assuming that the series takes itself very serious, and therefore its audience and marketing seriously...
... then, yes, I'm insulted to be told that this is what Namco thinks I'll buy a product solely on the basis of tits. It would've flown with a more comedic series, or even if they just went full-on daft with the advert. In this case, go fuck yourselves.
Personally, I at least applaud Namco for being honest about it.
In fact, I kinda like to think this is them essentially saying 'Yes. We used sex to advertise, just like every product maker in the market. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Go step on a Lego Bob.'
Hey, someone correct me if I'm missing something, but where are her nipples? I mean, shouldn't we be able to SEE them--or at least an areola--with that much skin showing?
Unless her breasts don't HAVE nipples, but I can't imagine why anyone woul--
Oh.
Well.
As a wise Boomstick once said, "Props to you Japan, I never saw THAT coming"
Hey Bob, watch this picture and see the evolving of brests: http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/soul-calibur.jpg
To all you guys "waking up" to the nicely rendered cleavage up there: if that is Ivy, SHE'S PUSHING SIXTY AT THIS POINT IN THE SERIES.
Well, Japan is Japan. As long as the U.S. version isn't like that we shouldn't have a problem.
@Antonio
Though she is physically in her early thirties due to homunculus body shenanigans.
Also, she'd be pushing 50, not 60.
I have to agree with Jannie.
Look at the large number of visual media outlets that use the image of a semi-naked MAN, waxed hard-body or ultra ripped alpha male.
You'll find that it goes much further than you think and is used far wider than we give it credit.
Besides... The subject itself is not for kids; so why should we expect a kid friendly cover?
It's a JAPANESE ad. Be grateful those tits aren't on a ten year old.
Hey Bob.
You think this was bad? Pay a visit to your local Gamestop, and see if they have the same MW3 poster mine did today. Of all the pretentious asinine things in Gamestop these days, that one took the damned cake.
Seriously, if anyone could get a picture of those things, I'd love to see it posted.
@Erlend
Thank you for that picture link, I'm going to have to file that away in the "sad but true" archives.
As Soul Edge has devolved further and further into a "going through the motions to sell units based on name recognition" cashgrab series, Namco has relied more and more heavily on tits to sell their games.
Sex may sell, but it's only used to sell when your product has no other redeeming qualities. It is the last resort of purveyors of shitty content to get someone, *anyone*, to buy their drek.
apparently Namco has pulled the ad. There, damage control 101
Is sex appeal really really that bad.
I mean yes it doesnt really push any industry forward and it really is marketing to those that will buy into the sex appeal of an item ,but is it really that evil of a thing to think "hey that character is hot. I want to buy this because this character is hot"
not only that but it goes both ways theres characters out there that are just as attactive to women then as to men and while it is changing most gamers are still men 18-30 i bet you if there is a major influx of girl gamers you would see this with a one of those pretty boy character you see in games
Don't tell us. Tell Namco. Daishi Odashima (the game's director) is on Twitter, and he's very active with it.
OK, maybe it's not his fault, since this is
If you want Namco to cut the crap, that's a place to start.
(FIXED COMMENT)
Don't tell us. Tell Namco. Daishi Odashima (the game's director) is on Twitter, and he's very active with it.
OK, maybe it's not his fault, since this is a marketing issue (although seeing how the series has gone ever since he started gaining power decision in the franchise, I doubt it. Too much coincidence), but if you want Namco to cut the crap, that's a place to start.
Fuck everyone in this thread, including you Bob. The alternate box art is Voldo's crotch. There's nothing to see here. Fuck the feminists.
Hmm....this doesn't really bother me as much as it should.
Granted, as gamers, most of us want to see the medium be given the same respect as others and this is probably not helping our case at all.
But for this, I can let it slide. This is Soul Calibur. A game in which guys with swords the size of small cows swing blades at lizard men, time traveling grim reapers who kinda look like a younger Ving Rhames, florentine gimps, and busty amazonian wenches wearing miniskirts so short that if they were on TV you'd have to blur their entire lower body. And NO ONE DIES(at least not on screen). It's silly. It's a silly, sexy fighting game. It's been a silly, sexy fighting game for some time now.
It doesn't mean that this kinda thing should be the standard for silly, sexy fighting games but in a few months this ad and most others like it will be forgotten.
Plus, I've seen worse ads for movies, books, food, and other products.
I am going to say it ivy one of the worst dress until recent. She has sexy part covered but sexy what. Mai Shuruni is a sexy ninja, Cat woman is a sexy supper thief. She supposed be a lady of upper class lady that is highly intelligent that she study alchemy to make magical weapon to aide her in fights. That outfit would take magic to wear but no way a noble lady or an alchemist to wear. A sexy alchemist would wear something that is more showoff. When you count the other games her alternate outfits put her as one of the worst dress seen or not fitting for her. Her current outfit is more effective
As for ad it supposed to be a fighting game with weapons so the ad fails. You selling sizzle but you make the customer hungry for that stake.
Subtle.
Honestly, I'm just waiting for the logical conclusion to the great Soul Calibur arc: Ivy deepthroating her own weapon while Cassandra and Sophitia competitively scissor each other in the foreground. Maybe Siegfried will get to hold up a makeshift sign that says "Soul Calibur 7" in the background, if they want to throw the guy a bone.
So they want to sell a product without telling the consumer anything about the product other than "boobs here". If it weren't for Movie Bob naming the game I'd have no idea what I was looking at.
As a gamer I'd feel more insulted by this attempt to win our interest with such shallow methods but I'm too aware that such methods are tried and tested
I also agree with @Jannie. For some discussion about what she mentions : http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/porn-vs-romance.html
Looks like the add was effective, since Namco goes for Round 2.
http://andriasang.com/comzst/scv_ad2/
("Round" indeed)
But seriosly, I insist. If this kind of advertising concerns you that much, let them know.
Reaching this guys is easier than ever these days. Just go to Odashima's Twitter acount and leave a message.
What a sexist cover is actually the most insulting thing I've ever seen in years!
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