Top 10: Video Game Trailers

They say a trailer can make a difference between sales and ignorance, that big blockbuster advertising campaign that makes all the difference to your bottom line. The following ten trailers made one hell of an impact when they first appeared, teasing big things (though sometimes failing to reach the same mark once the game finally arrived.)

10. Fallout 3

One of the coolest teaser trailers, Fallout 3 didn’t reveal itself until the very last moments. Up until then, all we had to go on was an eery jazz soundtrack coupled with an equally dark and gritty landscape that slowly panned out. Once the penny dropped, Fallout fans couldn’t help but be elated, and rightly so, as the game itself went on to be a massive success for Bethesda. And it all started here.

9. Halo 3

Halo has had its fair share of big budget trailers, even some live action ones, but this intriguing Halo 3 tease originally seen back in 2007 left us with plenty of questions. What’s with those kids at the start? What was that shield grenade thing? Will we finally see Chief without his helmet on? Well, no, we didn’t, but this was pretty kick ass back in the day.

8. Mass Effect 3

What was most surprising about Mass Effect 3’s first trailer was the severe lack of our loving hero, the man we’d followed over two previous battles. Instead, we had a stranger explaining the war to come on Earth, panning out to reveal a massive assault on London whilst our sniper friend camps out above. Quick reveal of Shep and bam, instant impact.

7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Whilst the recent Smash Bros. has been exciting and its reveal trailers entertaining, one of the earliest reveal trailers for the previously released Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a much more surprising reaction, largely because it came completely out of left field. Of course, it’s the announcement of a certain Metal Gear Solid franchise player joining the ranks, cardboard box in tow.

6. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Many consider Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood to be the cooler teaser trailer, but Revelations contains a more telling story that raps up fan favourite Ezio’s story. That and it has one of the coolest musical scores to go along with it (and an even cooler comedy skit based on it thanks to YouTuber Tobuscus, which I’ve kindly also linked below for your enjoyment.)

5. Destiny

Live action trailers are as common as DLC and day one patches these days, but then Destiny came along and we were all like ‘this is awesome’! And you know what, it still is. Say what you want about the game (I still enjoy it), but this live action trailer combines plenty of well designed CGI, an awesome music track choice, a good idea of what it’s like to play with friends through the many Strikes and possibly even a few teasers for what lies ahead. Remember when we all realised there wasn’t a giant hole to fall down into when the game first came out? Yup, it’s right there at the start of Crota’s End … okay maybe that’s pushing a little, but the trailer was still awesome!

4. Bioshock Infinite

What a tease. Thinking we’re watching a sequel to Bioshock, we’re suddenly thrown out from our loving underwater world into an equally strange, but far more colourful, world in the sky. Infinite surprised us upon launch with its terrific gameplay that bettered its predecessor in many ways, and this teaser perfectly helped to reveal this new and very different place. Whether it’s the last time we get a chance to explore it is a question for another day, but for now we can all agree the Bioshock series is still one of the very best.

3. Gears of War

Gears of War helped to build up the Xbox momentum across its trilogy, but for many of us our first introduction to the 3rd person gritty shooter was this music only teaser video and depicted the many dangers that lay ahead. Our lone protagonist seemingly fighting an un-winnable battle in a ‘mad world’ set the scene for what would be a big seller, plus it reminded us how good that song is (even if it’s a cover).

2. DC Universe Online

The trailer to DC Universe Online pulls all the right notes. Massive battles, surprising reveals, only to suddenly shift tack towards the end to announce that we, the player, can change that future. But forget all that, did you see Superman’s rage? Or the climatic deaths of some of our favourite heroes? Even though the trailer opens with a clearly defined ‘not in game footage’, the epic nature of this near 6 minute tease left us gasping … and wanting a movie based on it. Still waiting on that, but hey, at least we got some kick-ass fights out of it.

1. Dead Island

What an impact this trailer made. Coming almost out of the blue, this certainly left us gasping in many ways, from the slow motion in reverse trickery to the tear jerking story being told. It’s unfortunate that the final product just didn’t reach the massive expectations at launch, but then again its mild success did lead to Dying Light, so it isn’t all that bad. In the end though, there’s no denying the success of this campaign in not only grabbing our attention but having everyone in the gaming community talking about it.

What do you think? Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below.