My Favorite Things

1st in a series of posts about things in life that I really enjoy. Nothing more than that, simply little (or big) things, whether they are food, or books, or moments, videos, people, anything that I've come across that is interesting or exciting that I'd like to share. With those mounds of people reading this.

This is what's known as "geeking out." Deal with it.

In this instance, the focus is an ad for a video game, Halo 3. Halo 3 came out to much fanfare in the U.S. in September, 2007, and as can probably be surmised by the sharpest amongst my many readers, it is the third in a series of games, often described as the "killer app" among XBox games, in that it is the game for the XBox, much as in the same way that the various Mario Bros. games have defined Nintendo. People buy an XBox to play Halo, as opposed to picking up Halo because you've already got an XBox.

Part of what defined the Halo series was the relatively unprecedented cinematic feel of the first two entries. Particularly rare in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, Halo revolved around a fully realized alien species, the Covenant, arriving to decimate Earth and the human race. Based around a complex religious hierarchy, the Covenant brought with them mysterious, enormous alien rings, the titular Halos, big enough to support their own ecosystems on the interior curved surface. Indeed, much of the action takes place on the surface of the rings themselves, complete with beautifully detailed mountains, waterfalls, wastelands, and caves.

To go into the plots further would take hours, but suffice it to say that the first two games contained myriad plot twists, character development, story arcs, heroes and anti-heroes, shifts of allegience and betrayal, alliances of convenience and necessity, a stirring, varied score, amazing scenerey, basically everything that goes into a good action movie. The 2nd game ended rather abruptly with a jarring cliffhanger, leaving players, in many instances, a little upset, particularly since playing Halo 3 and finishing the saga would entail purchasing an XBox 360, as well as the third game.

However, anticipation ran high for the third and presumably final entry in the series, as gamers anxiously awaited the conclusion to the story, much in the same way that fans had looked forward to Return of the King several years earlier. This wasn't merely the release of a video game, this was the climax of a story, the final third of an adventure. Bungie, the creators of Halo, well aware of the expectations for the final portion, went all out with their advertisements. The first was a stand-alone, fully animated spot that I believe first aired during the Super Bowl.

This was followed by a series of related ads, based around the premise that the war between the humans and the Covenant had ended at some point in the near future, with the human race the eventual victors. Perhaps the most well-known was a minute-long piece purportedly showing a surviving, aged veteran touring a fictional "Museum of Humanity," reminiscing about the climactic battle of the war. Until the end of the ad, it's difficult to tell what war the veteran is describing, and it's very reminiscent of testimonials offered by actual veterans and soliders, as he becomes choked up over those lost.

Another spot shows two more veterans in the same museum, discussing their roles in the conflict. On display during the tour of the fictional museum are models of the various weapons used throughout the games, both human and alien, and again the soldiers find it difficult to discuss what happened to them.

On display in the museum is a highly-detailed miniature model of the climactic battle, and this is the focus of the ad that has stuck with me. For those who haven't played the games, it's probably difficult to understand the impact of it, but even judged purely as a stand alone advertisement, it's hard to dispute the artistry of it. The minute and a half ad takes a slow tour through the scale model itself, and the figures that have been created, the scenes depicted, are amazing.

Halo 3 "Believe" ad - via YouTube

The features of the individuals are clearly seen, the emotions, the fear, the hatred, the pain and the aggresion are all visible on the faces of the soldiers depicted, and one gets a remarkably clear sense of the desperation in the battle. Human soldiers are wounded, dying, half-buried in mud and rubble, faces smeared with dirt and grime and smoke and blood, mouths are half-open in pain and anguish. Marines sit, exhausted, trying to find safety amidst the carnage, and the futility of the battle is echoed perfectly by Chopin's mournful, rhythmic, hauntingly beautiful "Raindrop Prelude."

Just as all seems lost, the music signals a brief respite, as the camera rests on a familiar (to fans of the game, at least) figure, that of the hero, the indomitable Master Chief. Throughout the series, he has functioned as the one last hope of humanity, constantly coming to the rescue of the embattled Marines, saving them, and the human race, from obliteration. However, in the climactic shot, he is gripped firmly by the scruff of his armor, held high in the grasp of a seemingly victorious Covenant warrior. All seems lost for the human race.

And then, the camera focuses on the object in the hand of the Master Chief. Instantly recognizable to fans, it is a plasma grenade. When armed, it emits a glow. It is glowing now, in the hand of the Master Chief, even though he appears dead, or at least unconscious. The camera moves to his constantly helmeted face. As the spot ends, the head raises, the first movement seen within the model. The screen fades to a single word, the tagline for the entire campaign. "Believe."

It's a great ad, breathtaking in the complexity and detail of the model, perfectly synched with Chopin's slowly building music, the persistent "raindrops" working together with the cuts from the various faces of the model soldiers, the Covenent forces, all culminating in the final shot of the Chief and his grenade, his seeming sacrifice the last hope for humanity...