More than just an early look at a game, the best video game trailers get people hyped. They push the agenda for a game that is more than the sum of it’s parts; story, action and atmosphere are all imperatives. But there are some trailers that go the extra mile. Chit Hot below presents our picks of the seven best video game trailers of all time.
Marketing is important. There are many games that live-and-die on their marketing efforts, and this is nothing new. Thinking way back to the 1990s, one of the first great examples of this would be Rise of the Robots. A game that was hyped to the nth degree with marketing, but ultimately failed to deliver anything compelling in terms of gameplay. However, this didn’t stop the game form being a huge commercial success.
In modern times, with high speed internet access readily available, it’s essential to have a trailer prepared to support your game launch. Or, as is often the case, several. But there are some trailers that stand above others. Some which will be remembered long after the game they are promoting has been-and-gone. And here, Chit Hot picks out our seven best video game trailers of all time.
The 7 Best Video Game Trailers of All Time
Gears of War
Kicking off with a classic, Gears of War‘s hype train was already running at an astonishing pace when Epic Games whipped out this stunner. Featuring Gary Jules’ cover of Tears for Fears’ Mad World, the trailer took on a dark depressing edge to the game’s ‘destroyed beauty’ thematic. There is little in the way of action, and what is there is subdued by a lack of sound effects. But there are plenty of hints as to what was to come in the Xbox 360 exclusive release.
Dead Island
The original Dead Island trailer caused such a stir upon release that, according to may reports, even Deep Silver’s marketing department weren’t expecting such a reaction. The high quality visual depiction of a world changed featured no actual gameplay, but it didn’t need to. The unique atmosphere and presentation was enough to build a level of hype that the game couldn’t possibly hope to match. Arguably, no game of the era could.
Mortal Kombat
This one’s a two-fer. The trailer for the console launches of the original Mortal Kombat way back in 1993 was an event. The oh-so-’90s style and soundtrack may seem passé today, but at the time the arrival of ‘Mortal Monday’ was an event. So much so, that the recently released Mortal Kombat 1 recreated this original trailer, with the help of some modern star power.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Another ’90s classic. At the launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the late great Rik Mayall delivered a number of deadpan commercials for Nintendo games. While many are classics, the finest amongst them has to be The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Featuring very little of the game itself, the commercial was more orientated around Mayall’s self-characterisation and comedy. It remains a brilliant taste of British humour; a far cry from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time‘s woeful ‘play like a girl’ episode.
Titanfall
Back in 2014, things looked a lot different in the games industry. The Xbox brand was riding high on the success of the Xbox 360, and despite a disastrous reveal for the Xbox One, expectation was that the console would still give the PlayStation 4 a run for it’s money. Numerous exclusives were promised for the console, and one of the earliest to arrive was Titanfall. Along with it came a fantastic live action trailer.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Another live action trailer, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had already benefitted from a great reception to its initial launch. However, the subsequent The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition was deemed a big enough deal to warrant yet another high budget trailer. The above live action trailer wouldn’t look out of place in Game of Thrones. Which, given the hype for the series at the time, may well have been the goal.
Star Wars Battlefront
2015’s Star Wars Battlefront reboot was a huge leap for the series. The game was well received by almost all who played it. Certainly, it ranks amongst the best Star Wars games ever made. Which is certainly more than could be said of the sequel. At launch, the game was supported by a live action trailer that firmly set it’s sights on the original Star Wars trilogy, which to this day are still considered the best Star Wars movies.
And special mention needs to go out to the Far Cry 3 webseries starring Michael Mondo as Vaas. Though not specifically a trailer, this series aptly depicted the twisted world that players would enter in the 2012 classic.
So that wraps up our picks for the seven best video game trailers of all time. Did we miss any? Let us know your favourites in the comments below!
