Bad enough that software ads on TV use pre-rendered sequences that claim to be “representative of gameplay” (*cough* - Tomb Raider: Underworld), but using footage from a completely different version of the game than one supposedly being advertised is a new kind of new sin altogether…

So when an Electronic Arts’ ad for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 showed Tiger himself happily swinging the Wiimote whilst the Xbox 360 version played on-screen the Advertising Standards Authority smelled a rat and, rightly, took action.

Well, we say action, but the ASA has only ruled that the offending advert “must not be broadcast again in its current form” - hardly the rollocking that’s really in order. Meanwhile the EA excuse-making machine claims that there was no intention to mislead and that they were actually demonstrating in-game action that was possible on all formats, including the Wii. Furthermore - and this is a belter - Wii footage was not used because the agency behind the ad did not think it was of broadcast quality.

It all smells a bit suspect to us and it'd be all too easy to assume that Woods was playing the Wii game in spite of any multiformat messaging contained in the ad. Also the Wii's visuals may not be up to the spec of its next-gen counterparts but when have such concerns ever thwarted the successful marketing of all sort of Wii games - including some that really are ropey! Ach, whatever - here are a couple of Woods 09 screens from different formats. See if you can tell which is which.