I have been silent that past few days, but my fingers are now itching to write something. That is the problem though, what should I write about. I have not been following E3 this year due to the fact that life has been super busy, and also because we are going to have a big show at the end highlighting all the real big news. So shockingly enough the article that is written during E3 will have nothing to do with anything specific from E3.
I wanted to write about game trailers and what makes a good one. I am sure you have all watched game trailers before, if you haven’t well, the door is over there. Please use it. Anyways, now that those guys are gone lets get down to business.
I can still remember the first time I watched the trailer for Dead Island. I sat in suspense as I watched a little girl falling up-wards. Then sat as sadness filled me as I watched her running from the zombies with such fear in her eyes. We all knew what would happen but wanted so much to believe she would be ok. I sat in anger but also understanding as her father lifted her onto his shoulder after she had been bitten. I mind screamed at him, “You can’t do that idiot! She is bitten. It isn’t her anymore. She will kill you now.” However, I understood the emotions going through the father at that time. He wanted to be able to take care of his daughter. He wanted to be able to tell her everything was going to be alright. When we all know it wasn’t
This trailer had no gameplay in it whatsoever. After watching it the viewer would not be able to see what the game would be like. You would not have been able to see that this zombie game would be a crazy melee fest that keeps the gamer on their toes, or that there would be tons of customizing of weapons available to the gamer,letting you choose between burning zombies or frying them to a crisp. You see the team behind the Dead Island trailer went for an emotional connection. They wanted to entice the gamer with the idea behind the game, not just the game itself. They did this very well. If I remember correctly they won several short film awards around the globe.
Tugging on emotions is not the only way to get gamers excited with an upcoming game. Another huge trailer that I still love watching is the trailer for Gears of War 3. I think it is pretty funny that I like watching this trailer so much because if you know me I can’t stand the game. If you have seen this trailer you know that it uses some very emotional music while having a very adrenaline filled video behind it. As you watch the Dom tearing through hordes of bad guys the somber feel of the music gives the viewer a feeling that the world is lost, that any effort to save the world is in vain.
The trailer touches the gamer at two different levels. As the gamer watches hordes of aliens blown up the adrenaline start pumping. They get excited and remember all the awesome moments in the previous 2 games. As the gamers adrenaline starts to pump the somber music reminds them how desperate the situation is and makes a very poignant moment. As the gamer looks on he feels very excited to see one of his favorite action games again, however at the same time this is different than the rest. The upbeat music is gone. The playfull cheering and jokes are gone. mournful music is all that remains. What could this mean for this game. This makes the gamer excited and apprehensive for the game. The mix of adrenaline and emotions draws the gamer closer to the storyline of the game and closer to the characters.
These are just two of my favorite trailers that do a great job of making me want to play the game. These are not the only ones, but they are just the recent ones that I remember off the top of my head. I am sure there are others, however my fingers hurt and I have written enough so it is up to you to let me know other great trailers and why they are great. Feel free to post your favorites below.
