This week we rate five of the latest game ads, including ones for Kiss: Psycho Circus and Homeworld: Cataclysm.

Dark Reign 2
From Pandemic Studios and Activision

View the ad: Page 1 or Page 2

It’s never easy to describe an intricate 3D real-time strategy interface to players, but Activision’s latest Dark Reign 2 ad effectively gives you a sense of the game’s depth and breadth.  Using a large screenshot in a two-page spread is always a sure-fire way to garner interest, and the screenshot here features lots of interesting terrain (a waterfall), along with tons of in-game combat.  The ad also smartly places Pop-Up-Video-esque blurbs throughout to describe unique features.

It’s undeniable that the ad makes an impression, but it also feels a bit too busy – as if all these different camera perspectives and options will overwhelm the player. It doesn’t help that the storyline of the game is completely missing from the ad, sub for one small mention of two factions, the JDA and Spawlers, in 10-point text that most readers would miss in a first glance.

Dark Reign 2’s ad is an impressive effort given the complex nature of the game, but at the same time it lacks any of the emotion that could be evoked from playing up the plotline and characters.

Grade: B