Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford, appears in a new Japanese advert for forthcoming action/adventure Playstation 3 title, Uncharted 3 – looking quite a bit older than last seen and sounding quite frustrated (or course via Japanese dubbing).
Uncharted 3 is released in Japan on November 1st, with the rest of the world the day after. The release follows two successful preceding titles for PS3 and puts the player in the boots of adventurer Nathan Drake, a decidedly Indiana Jones looking fellow who quests across uncharted Arabian settings in search of 16th century relics while battling bad guys, in the traditional third-person format.
If this was a movie in the 80s, Harrison Ford would clearly be in line for the lead. Having aged a little bit, and looking more like Leonard Nimoy than Rick Deckard these days Sony and the games publisher Naughty Dog have found a safer role for the former movie hero. Sitting in a large living room, Ford button bashes his way through a very briefly seen game of Uncharted 3 – the advert focuses on the expressions of Harrison as he becomes increasing frustrated at the games difficulty, as a native tone narrates. Ford finally gives up the game with a sigh – in that dubbed Japanese voiceover.
The sigh will most likely become symbolic and Harrison Ford’s Japanese ad appearance is probably one of those agreed on for a quick payday, and the actor’s compatibility with Uncharted 3’s theme is no doubt the reason for him appearing in the 30 second promo. We prefer when actors are really into the games they’re selling – like Robin Williams on those moving Legend of Zelda adverts. This guy loves fantasy gaming and even named his daughter after the Nintendo princess.
This will probably become one of those moments in advertising that the actors in question will wish never happened and many of those adverts surface Only in Japan!
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