I was talking to a friend of mine regarding the advert for The Elder Scrolls Online recently and from there we began discussing other gaming adverts or trailers that really hit us where we live. I decided I would make a list of my top ten favourite trailers.
Let me be clear. This list is for the advert only and how good or bad the game turned out to be hasn’t been factored into this.
So here’s my list, I hope you enjoy it.
No. 10
Skyrim “Live Action” (aired in October 2011)
I was never a fan of the Elder Scrolls, I never really had the patience for it. That being said when I saw the live action trailer for Skyrim I admit to having some curiosity about the game. Personally, I think it was the music….. although the dragon probably helped.
No. 9
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine (aired in August 2011)
I love Warhammer and followed Space Marine from the leaked footage in 2008 all the way to a midnight launch. There was just something about this trailer that made me want to quote every single Warhammer game and book I could recall.
No. 8
Last of us “Live Action” trailer (aired in June 2013)
I don’t think anyone will argue that The Last of Us is a masterpiece of a game. This isn’t the first trailer I saw for the game, but it is the one that I like the most. Seeing the fairly standard looking man age years within seconds, watching that easy-going everyday man change to a survivor and a killer as the world decays around him, was incredibly well done with a touching voiceover that makes this the best Last of Us trailer I’ve seen.
No. 7
Modern warfare 3 (aired in October 2011)
This advert isn’t emotional or thought provoking but it is freaking awesome. To use ACDC is always a good choice. The evolution of the noob is brilliant and if we are honest, don’t we all want to be the badass?
No. 6
Dead Island (aired in February 2011)
I did follow the development of Dead Island for a while and when I stumbled across this trailer I was literally speechless. Seeing the events of a zombie outbreak in such a personal environment especially backwards left me feeling unsettled, sad and excited all at the same time.
No. 5
Gears of War (aired in October 2006)
I loved this ad when it first aired. I was still in my teens and was just finding my way into the life of a gamer. Everything about this trailer is amazing. The feeling it evokes when you see Marcus Fenix running away from a swarm of locust, to the music and the muzzle lit giant spider at the end. This advert is what made me buy a console with my own money for the first time, and I’ve never looked back.
No. 4
Resident Evil 6 “No Hope Left” (aired in January 2012)
I was a big resident evil fan and I bought a GameCube in an old second hand store so that I could play the remakes. I hadn’t heard anything about Resident Evil 6, so imagine my surprise when I’m sitting watching TV and all of a sudden I see this trailer. The hopelessness the ad conveys is hard hitting and I knew, this was a game I needed to play.
No. 3
Assassins Creed Revelations (aired in June 2011)
It took me three days of watching this advert to finally come to the decision that it wasn’t live action. At the time, I had never seen something so pretty. The music choice, old Ezio, the stunning flow of the combat, everything about this trailer made my gamer parts tingle.
No. 2
Halo 3 “Believe” (aired in September 2007)
Technically this isn’t one advert but more of a campaign. I love the halo games and I fondly remember sitting in front of my computer until stupid o’clock looking for details on Halo 3, before it was released. What I found was this. The documentary style of the campaign and the performances in the segments were amazing. As with most of the other trailers I have put on the list, it left me with a desire, no a need, to play the game.
No. 1
PlayStation “Double Life” advert (aired in 1999)
This is possibly my all-time favourite advert. I know it’s not technically for a game, however it was the first real advert I saw that made me take a beat and fully appreciate that gaming can make us feel something. I think this is a true masterpiece and it deserves my number 1 slot.