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The following are hands down, the 11 finest game trailers from the year 2011. Some are for titles that have already come to pass, and succeeded in getting everyone in the proper mood, brilliantly in some cases. Even if the end result couldn’t live up to expectations, in one game’s case at least. And others are for titles yet to come. There are some favorites, a few surprises, plus glaring omissions (just because a game kicked ass doesn’t mean it had a trailer that was equally as excellent).
The trailer to Nathan Drake’s final PS3 outing did an amazing job of setting the tone, for a climatic conclusion to the trilogy that helped to define the system it was born on. Too bad it’s somewhat debatable if the final product lived up to expectations.
Meanwhile, there’s little doubt that the final product that bore the name Dead Island failed to deliver on the promises that its first taste proposed. But it got the job of catching people’s attention; it’s perhaps the one trailer that EVERYONE remembers from this year, its place on this list is a no-brainer.
There have been so many noteworthy releases in the past month and a half alone that many have no doubt forgotten that one of the hottest games of the year was actually released in the early part of 2011. Well, here’s your reminder.
When everyone heard that the Devil May Cry franchise was being rebooted, and that Dante was being retooled to reflect the current crop of vampires in pop culture (basically: Twilight), everyone wanted to burn down Capcom’s offices. And once footage was finally revealed, all was right in the world once again.
Sometimes it’s good to see developers do something new, but especially Insomniac. Hey, Resistance was great and all, but the premise had begun to get a bit old, especially with the ultra somber tone and dark colors. It was getting kinda depressing actually. So something of the polar opposite is just what the doctor ordered.
The latest from Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture is actually a somewhat grim and damning statement, concerning the current state of the Japanese game industry, one that seems somewhat lost in the woods to put it mildly. But those who could care less about something being creatively bankrupt are no doubt fans of zombies AND chainsaw wielding cheerleaders!
Without a doubt, Rising may prove to be one of the greatest comeback stories in all of gaming; the once cancelled title has gotten a new lease on life like no other, thanks to some assistance from veritable masters of the hack and slash genre. Too bad diehard Metal Gear fans are pissed that it hardly resembles a Metal Gear game, hence why so many are furious at the trailer above.
Fact: many indie game developers are becoming a tad bit lazy, with offerings that provide a trip down memory lane and absolutely nothing else. Fact: there’s no guarantee that Abobo’s Big Adventure will be all that different in the end. But at the very least, it appears to have more than enough NES references to keep one distracted and amused.
Sometimes there comes a trailer for a game that’s a staple of a particular genre that most have never cared much about. But it’s impressive enough to get a bunch of newbies interested, and that’s what Armored Core V’s is all about.
And finally, yet another example of Naughty Dog at their best. With the PS3 entering the homestretch, the makers of Uncharted not only have something totally fresh up their sleeves, but something that may provide the system with its finest hour yet. It’s also an excellent contrast to Dead Island’s trailer, on a number of levels; a totally different take on zombie games has been promised, but the footage above is the least bit suspect.
One of the most eagerly anticipated games of all time, to one of the most influential and groundbreaking games of the past decade, came with much pomp and circumstance. And absolutely did not disappoint.