E3 2012: Top 10 Pre-E3 Trailers
And so it begins…
by David Hilton
©2012 David Hilton
We have seen a few confirmations of new titles (Dead Space 3, third person shooter Star Wars 1313) and rumours of others (Gears of War: Judgement and Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation).
We have also seen some new exciting game trailers revealed prior to the show.
Here are the best of the trailers, in one neat page. Vote for your favourite below.
1. Dishonored
This game already had our attention with its great atmosphere and mix of Thief, Assassin’s Creed, and Half Life-like gameplay.
Check out this spooky trailer to see why it is the best of the pre-E3 2012 trailers.
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2. Far Cry 3
This game is one I can’t totally put my finger on. It looks like Far Cry 2 on a tropical island (and on steroids), but clearly is going for a lot more diversity of gameplay.
The whole “definition of insanity” theme is also interesting, with the crazy antagonist who freaks me out just speaking through the screen at me (watch him get excited about his bobble head figure in the Limited Edition trailer…before killing you).
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3. Skyrim Dawnguard
Skyrim is already a huge hit. Now some DLC that expands on its universe is shown in a preview trailer that has gone all….Twilight.
Okay, so there isn’t any love story that I can detect, but there sure is a vampire feel. I would usually cynical as hell, but this looks really different and exciting at the same time.
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4. Metro: Last Light
Metro was a surprise hit that put a heavy focus on tense atmosphere but wasn’t exactly a shooter with many shades of colour…mostly black and grey.
The upcoming game looks to have a more vibrant colour palate above ground, and now includes weather effects. It’s looking pretty good actually.
The great music and flashy images adds to the feel of this trailer in a catchy way, to make it one of the best so far.
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5. Tomb Raider
Some have labelled this video ‘torture porn’ and while it does seem to really show a lot of abuse of Lara and sounds of her grunting in pain, it still shows off a very different Lara Croft game.
The in-game footage really does look good, and very different to other previous Tomb Raider games.
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6. Spec Ops: The Line
I enjoyed the demo of this title enough to wonder if this game version of The Heart of Darkness would portray the emotional impact of conflict in a truly mature way, without relying on big dramatic explosions or controversial killings of civilians in an airport (uhhm Modern Warfare 2…).
The game could get repetitive though, if it doesn’t truly advance besides just shooting through waves of rogue soldiers and dissidents.
The trailer is good though.
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7. Defiance
I really have to be honest and say I don’t know much about this apocalyptic online game, but it looks like a shooter with a lot of vehicle action.
It also seems to have Australia’s Grant Bowler as its protagonist model, who is going to be starring in some sort of Defiance TV cross-media project.
The E3 crew will report back to us, so I’m sure we’ll learn more in good time. The trailer in the meantime will keep me intrigued.
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8. Spy Hunter
I played the original Spy Hunter when I was a kid. I loved it then, and this reboot looks like it will once again be an exciting blend of racing and James Bond-like car shooting.
Watch this trailer and tell me it doesn’t look cool!
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9. Metal Gear Rising Revengence
I wasn’t at all excited by this game myself, which looked like some sort of Bayonetta hack ‘n slash and not really a Metal Gear game at all.
But this trailer does a great job of showing how fluid and action-packed the game will be, and that often translates into a lot of fun.
The game will probably turn out to be really good, but Raiden’s heels and the title really do suck.
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10. Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2
Castlevania is a classic franchise that has recaptured its former glory with Lords of Shadow.
This trailer shows a lot of blue-filtered drama and violence, but not much actual gameplay, which is why it is number 10.
Despite the lack of gameplay, it still succeeds in making me wonder what the game will entail. See if it does for you too.
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Other trailers that didn’t quite make it:
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Hitman: Absolution
This trailer has attracted a lot of criticism for its sexy but sexist killing of a horde of assassin ’nuns’ wearing tight leather outfits.
It doesn’t show much of the gameplay and is clearly aimed at getting attention. The music and style are cool, but Hitman Absolution‘s past trailers were better.
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Lego Lord of the Rings
This is going to be a fun game. The Lego people actually talk. But it really is very basic and only shows the mines of Moria. Not as great as it should have been.
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Guardians of Middle Earth
This one actually looks really cool. It didn’t make the list because it is so cinematic that it doesn’t really reflect true gameplay at all.
That makes it a nice video, but not much else so far until we see the game.
Castlevania may have also been more cinematic, but of the two I prefer that one.
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Which is your favourite Pre-E3 Game Trailer?
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©2012 David Hilton
Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, E3 2012, Events, Game Impressions, Game Industry News, Gaming Videos, New Game Information, New Xbox 360 Games, PC News, Press Release, PS3 News, Software News & Updates, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Game Previews, Xbox 3rd party exclusives Tagged: | Castlevania, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dead Space (series), Defiance, Dishonored, electronic entertainment expo, Far Cry 3, games, GEars Of War, Guardians of Middle Earth, half-life, Hitman Absolution, Lego Lord of the Rings, Metal Gear Rising Revengence, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Metro Last Light, Skyrim Dawnguard, Spec Ops The Line, Square Enix, Star Wars, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Tomb Raider, Video game
