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[#1]

It sure seems like Namco Bandai had some fun with their Tekken 6 viral marketing campaign What Will You Fight For?  The first promotional video was released on September 30, 2009 and did not contain a single second of in-game footage.  Makes sense considering it was a viral video and by nature these type tend to be humourous, if not downright facetious.  And so it's not surprising that the first WWYFF viral ad fits the mold to a tee. 

The video starts with a pensive, middle-age man with a clearly visible eyebrow bandaid staring introspectively through a window as it solemnly drips rain outside.  You get the sense that this man was wronged by someone and he's meticulously plotting his revenge.  Despite these desires, his flat affect and uneasy words casts a shadow of doubt that he possesses the ability to accomplish the retribution that haunts his mind.  The mood is really quite over-the-top and I'm not sure if I should launch into a state of deep meditation or laugh.  After watching the video a few times I have to admit I started doing a lot more of the latter.

The entire monologue is in Japanese with English subtitles, here is the translation:

"Every morning I stand tall in the face of sorrow and misery

I remain strong despite your mockery

Ghosts of missed opportunities too great

The price of conscious lies in wait

I may shed a tear but I will not stand down

I will not let you bring me down"

And here is the viral video:

Yeah, that video is undeniably daft.  What's with the s-s-slow motion and the classical music?  My guess is to help convey the raw emotions these combatants are experiencing during the heat of battle.  All I know is that when I play fighting games I'm calm as the sea at night. There's no need to get testy, it's a game after all.

Then two weeks later Namco Bandai was at it again.  They released the second viral clip on October 14, 2009 and it was colloquially dubbed the "hot girls in bikinis" video.  I only wish I made that up.  The second video is loosely based on the Tekken 6 world as it contains the reimagining of popular characters Nina Williams & Anna Williams (Scene 1), Christie Monteiro (Scene 2), and Ling Xiaoyou (Scene 3).

Unlike the original viral video, this one is all visuals with no text.  Scene 1 presents two women in their undergarments fighting over red shoes, Scene 2 depicts two bikini-clad women having a tug-of-war over a hair straightener, and Scene 3 shows two women grappling over a handheld device (was that an iPhone?)  There's really not much more I can say about this clip, it is what it is.  Take a look:

Despite how bizarre these two viral videos are, they served to keep Tekken 6 fresh in the public eye in the lead-up to the October 30, 2009 launch date.  If the early shipped number of 2.5 million copies is an indication of sales, then the game must be selling at a good pace.  I'm not really that surprised considering that this is the first Tekken game of this generation and the game looks great.  I had a chance to play the Versus Mode and the Scenario Campaign Mode a few weeks ago at the Playstation Canada Holiday Event.  I thought the campaign mode was okay, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying as the core versus mode.  

For more information on Tekken 6, check out the official website here.  If you're interested in visiting the What Will You Fight For viral website, click here.

Tekken 6 was developed by Namco Bandai and released in North America on October 30, 2009.

Message Edited by PaulH on 11-07-2009 10:50 PM