|
Alot of games come out every year, and while their quality and the talent behind them plays a huge part in their overall success, the trailer is one of the first tastes gamers get. If the trailer sucks or misrepresents the game its advertising that can hurt its commercial success, but if its good it can get gamers foaming at the mouth to get their hands on the game. Hype is important, whether or not a game is good if people think its good they'll check it out. So I've decided to gather ten game trailers that all got it right. If anything, these ten trailers can be a lesson to publishers about what works. Plus, some of these trailers are so good they deserve to be watched even if you're not terribly interested in the art of advertising or the game being advertised.
There are a lot of great trailers out there so it was fairly difficult choosing five that really got it right. For a trailer to be successful it has to truly represent the game, it has to grab our attention and not let go until its over, and I prefer it not to be terribly long (unless it's truly amazing). I also like to see something unique, the movie trailer narrator giving that all too familiar voice-over has been done before. Many times actually. I also give big props to games that include actual gameplay like my first choice, Heavy Rain.
#10. Heavy Rain
The first time I watched this trailer I was with a friend and you know it looks good when they ask what movie you're watching. You see this woman who looks like a reporter break into a house before being chased by some chubby dude armed with a knife. This game looks absolutely stunning, and I desperately hope it succeeds.
#9. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
This trailer would've been farther up on the list if it wasn't for the boring first 30 seconds of dialogue at the beginning. I know, I know, you have to get us caught up on what's going on, but I can only hear about elves, dwarves, dark lords, and a spreading evil so many times before I lose all interest. uninteresting intro aside, the rest of the trailer more than makes up for it as you're given a stylish introduction to the game's classes (my favorite being that icy witch lady). It's action packed, looks great, and doesn't look completely nerdy.
#8. Fallout 3
When this teaser released if you listened closely you could probably hear a million nerds cry out in joy. The music, desolated world, and the slow, dramatic head turn from that Brotherhood of Steel guy made for an excellent first look at the world most of us would end up exploring for many hours. War. War Never Changes. Well, neither does our undying love towards Bethesda for making such an excellent game.
#7. The Last Guardian
I'll admit I might be a bit biased towards this game since I'm a hardcore fan of Team Ico's other games, but this trailer is very successful at showing us exactly what the game will be like. It's beautiful, emotional, and unique; all words we'll probably be using to describe the game when it finally comes out.
#6. Dead Space
Alright, everyone knows I'm a horror freak so it's no surprise a survival horror game would make the list. Besides being one of my favorite games of the year, the Lullaby trailer represented the game's amazing visuals, creepy atmosphere, and in your face scares perfectly. It took a familiar children's song, twisted it, and laid it over some awesome scenes from the game. I'm not ashamed to say that even I got goosebumps watching it. Bravo EA, you've done it again.
#5. Duke Nukem Trilogy
Confused? Let me explain. We're halfway there so I thought I'd mix things up by including a trailer that did really everything wrong. I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of the Duke Nukem series, but this is one God-awful trailer. It's like a cheesy 80's action movie with complete with terrible special effects, giant text, and rockin music. I know they did this on purpose in a failed attempt at humor, but seriously? It's four minutes of bad editing, and it shows no gameplay. My four year-old cousin could make a better trailer than this.
#4. Mirror's Edge
Ahh, Mirror's Edge. Sometimes frustrating, always gorgeous, and what were they thinking with those awful Esurance inspired cut-scenes? Bad decisions aside, this game wasn't even on my radar (and like a true nerd I actually have an Excel spreadsheet detailing my most anticipated upcoming games. Yes, I am a dork.). This trailer changed all that: the first thing you see is the EA logo, which used to mean another sequel, licensed or sports game. Well, EA has changed, and Mirror's Edge was proof of that. The most amazing thing about the trailer was that it was all actual gameplay, and that game looks great. The catchy song by Lisa Miskovsky probably stuck in plenty of gamer's heads well after they saw it.
#3. Gears of War 2
This trailer has epic written all over it, and I had one thing going through my mind while I listened to Ian McKellen recite Alan Seeger's "I Have a Rendezvous with Death": I have to play this game. Dark, tense, and it featured one of the game's best new features: the Meat Shield. What more could you ask for?
#2. BioShock
A Man has a choice; I chose the impossible. That's the first things you hear Andrew Ryan say, and it's the first thing that gets you hooked on what this game could be and what it could offer. Gorgeous, unique, unfamiliar, and it questions your morality: something I don't think any other game trailer has done before. You don't quite understand what's going on: what's this underwater city, why is this man attacking that young girl, what the hell did he just do to his arm with that syringe, and more importantly: who is that badass in the ancient diving suit? But all questions were answered soon enough when gamers finally got to experience the underwater city of Rapture and all the chills and thrills it had to offer.
#1. StarCraft II
This one was tough. Not because I had another game competing for the number one spot, but because StarCraft II has had two amazing trailers. So because I'm a rebel I'm going to give both the top spot. The first is the Old Rivals trailer with Zeratul narrating the story while looking over some ancient glyphs. It's also full of win because it's the last time the true voice of Kerrigan lent her talents for the Queen of Blades.
The second is the first trailer that was shown for the game, which is by far the best teaser I've ever seen for a game. The best part about it was that I didn't have a clue what the game was until pretty far into the video, but even that didn't keep me from becoming completely entrenched in the gorgeous CGI. When the intercom said "All marines prepare to drop" I remember thinking, Wait. Is this what I think it is? All my hopes came true when the Zerg, Zaratul, and Kerrigan quickly flashed on screen. Oh, and when the marine's visor slid down I'm pretty sure I wet myself. A little.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 