Overwatch
Blizzard turned heads late last year at BlizzCon when they showed off Overwatch, their brand new “hero shooter” that’s equal parts League of Legends and Team Fortress 2. While their gameplay trailer contained the standard first look, it’s the CG trailer that caught everyone’s eyes. It quickly establishes the backstory for the game before just showing what it’s all about. Which is, of course, gorilla men with jetpacks fighting guys with Grim Reaper masks and teleporting British ladies. Sold.
Batman: Arkham Origins
Arkham Origins wasn’t as polished as its predecessors, but there’s no denying that the debut trailer was pretty awesome. The Dark Knight facing off against one of the deadliest assassins in the DC Universe? How could it be anything but. Fists flying, swords swing, heads butt, and even Deadshot gets in on the action a little bit. The cheery Christmas backdrop makes it even more jarring to watch Deathstroke go for the jugular. Now, if only the game had the assassins fight each other for the chance to kill the Bat…
Halo 3
Debuting on Monday Night Football a little over eight years ago, this trailer definitely got people pumped. It gave fans a look at a young Master Chief and his time as a child. It showed off the Mongoose and the Bubble Shield for the first time. And we got to see a Brute Chieftan wield a wicked Gravity Hammer. It continues to cement how much the UNSC is in need of the super soldier with two short words from the normally silent man: “Not yet.” With that, he runs into battle, hellbent on finishing a fight that began six years ago.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars and lightsaber action go together like ice cream and cake. The first trailer from Blur for Bioware’s MMO certainly contains that. If you thought watching one Jedi vs. Sith face off was epic, how about dozens of Jedi vs. Sith? It’s like watching Godzilla and King Kong duke it out while Transformers and a Power Rangers Megazord are fighting a few miles away. The Sacking of Coruscant has been shown in comics and mentioned in books before, but this is… dark. Jamie Oliver’s voice works perfectly for Darth Malgus, who makes his message clear as he walks away from the Jedi Temple in flames: the Jedi are gone, and the Sith are here to rule.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Four player co-op was the selling point for Assassin’s Creed Unity, and this trailer shows what happens when they work in tandem. Together, they get the bridge open for the working class to take their frustrations out on the rich. Lorde’s smoky rendition of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” fits as a perfect piece to start the anarchy, particularly at the final shot. The Assassins will rule the world not for themselves, but for the people. You’ll definitely make history with your friends… once the faces load properly, of course.
Mortal Kombat X
The rivalry between Scorpion and Subzero is one of the most iconic ones in gaming. Every time they meet, it’s bound to end with a head lobbed off, someone on fire, or someone frozen before smashing into ice particles. For Mortal Kombat X, NetherRealm got a studio to show how formidable these two are in lovely CG goodness. There are plenty of stellar shots here, like the trees freezing around Subzero while Scorpion’s environment is slowly burning, or that slow-mo moment when Subzero’s club smashes into pieces when coming into contact with Scorpion’s head. Using Wiz Khalifa? It’s hit or miss, depending on the viewer, but the fight is the highlight here. Add in Scorpion’s classic “Get over here!” line followed by him taking off Subzero’s head and sticking it on a tree with his sword, and you’ve got one brutal, bloody trailer.
Batman: Arkham Knight
“Gotham…this is your only warning. Abandon this city. Or I will unleash your greatest fears.”
The opening lines to the debut trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight lays Scarecrow’s intentions out perfectly. With the people of Gotham fleeing away in terror, it’s the perfect opportunity for villains like Penguin and Two-Face to thrive. Batman, on the other hand, is not going to let that happen. The narration of his dead father Thomas’ last will fits nicely with scenes of Harley taking down cops and the Dark Knight suiting up. This of course, leads to one of the best shots in the trailer, where Batman exits the Batmobile in midair, cape fully out while an explosion goes off behind him. The Caped Crusader then proceeds to do what he does best, and man if doesn’t look good.
Dead Island
Ah, who could forget this one? This practically wrote the book on misleading CG trailers. A lot of people were more than surprised when the trailer and the game ended up being completely different, and that’s fair. But you gotta admit this is great. The music works well, the slow motion is perfect, and man, that ending… it’s just sad seeing a family enjoy a nice vacation before zombies come and ruin it. But after the nasty bite that girl gave her dad, her vacation was probably going to be spent in the room while her parents went off to have some actual fun. Or get devoured by zombies, whichever came first.
Mass Effect 2
Something’s taking humans across the Terminus Systems, and Commander Shepard is the only person who can stop them. But it’ll require some of the best assassins, scientists, and mercenaries the galaxy has to offer. Not all of the Squad makes an appearance– Grunt and Thane take the spotlight, though Miranda, Jack and Garrus make small cameos. Thane proves himself a fantastic marksman and biotic, while Grunt is more than handy with a shotgun. The Illusive Man may have been lying about a lot of things, but he wasn’t when he said that Shepard needed the best and would have to gain their trust. And that certainly shows here.
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