Memorable Video Game Trailers Without Gameplay Footage
I recently watched the trailers for upcoming games, Sleeping Dogs and Far Cry 3 (see below). Despite the fact neither of the trailers feature any in-game footage I was still interested in the game. They were so well produced I wanted to create a list of similar trailers.
When a new game is announced there’s always some inevitable debate among gamers and industry folk when the revealing trailer lacks any real gameplay footage. The most popular argument for those opposing the concept being that it doesn’t accurately represent the final product.
Perhaps the most famous example of this in recent times comes from Deep Silver’s 2011 game, Dead Island. The critically acclaimed reveal trailer took the internet by storm and within hours of being announced a previously unknown game was now steaming up gamer radars everywhere. Just over six months later and the game was released to a poor to average reception from reviewers. Perhaps the best analysis of the Trailer Hotness : Game Hotness ratio is demonstrated by this YouTube commenter:
Personally I enjoy CGI trailers. I’m of the opinion that as long as you’re open-minded enough to dissasociate the trailer from the actual gameplay then you can appreciate it for the mise-en-scène of the game it’s trying to promote. They can be so technically well-produced and visually stunning that you can appreciate them as artistic creations in their own right. Let’s not forget that reveal trailers are designed to generate awareness of the game and in the case of Dead Island the trailer fulfilled that job perfectly.
With that in mind, (in no particular order) here is my list of top game trailers from recent years that don’t actually show any of the game: