How to Overanalyze a Video Game Trailer

[Godamus]

I am a very punctual person.

Usually whenever I setup an appointment, you can bank on the fact that I'll show up on time.

(Although I do constantly ask myself why I keep showing up to my dental appointments on time when my fucking lazy ass dentist always has me waiting 30+ minutes every fucking time I show up. I mean wtf? Is his time really that much more important than mine? And... well... I better shut up before I go completely off topic).

Getting back on topic... punctuality.

There is one reoccurring occasion however, that I find myself constantly being late at: going to the movies.

If a movie started at say... 9pm, I can guarantee I won't be inside the theater until 9:10pm. Over time I have come to the conclusion that this aberration in behavior is subconscious and mainly due to one word: trailers.

Everyone knows what I'm talking about. If you buy tickets for a movie that starts at X o'clock, the actual movie you paid to see won't start until a good 5-10 minutes later. And this is all due to the 5-10 minutes of advertising they force feed into your brain. That is what trailers are after all, carefully designed visual advertising to arouse interest in an upcoming movie. (No, I did not rip this definition off a dictionary!)

If the trailer is for an upcoming comedy, you might see snippets of punchlines, if it is for an action movie, you'll probably see explosions left and right, and finally, if the movie is trying to sell you on sexual appeal (what movie these days aren't?) you'll probably see some half-naked chick walking around in what appears to be compromising positions.

And there in lies my point. A trailer is undoubtedly a carefully designed ad, but it can also elude to what the movie will focus on and what it's ultimately about. So is it a far stretch to assume that video game trailers are created under the same premise? Perhaps careful analysis (or over-analysis) of a video game trailer can not only showcase an ad, but also what the game will be about.



So let's begin by looking at an upcoming title due to be released on October 31st, 2007: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures


High-Resolution Trailer Download Link
Low-Resolution Trailer Download Link

After watching the trailer, one word keeps popping up in my mind: brutal. I don't think alot of video games (especially ones that want to target a more "youthful" audience) will be so graphic in their depiction of combat. Decapitations, limb removal, swords gorging through bodies, blood flying everywhere etc. are clearly aimed at a more mature and older audience.

I like it! Fuck the 10 year old kiddy gamers that cry and whine at every opportunity. I think seeing someone's head get cut off before you even have a chance to play the game is an implicit understanding that you're about to play in a harsh and brutal environment, and thus, lose all right to complain/moan about getting PK'd.

I like harsh, and I really like brutal.

But to remain objective and impartial, I have to say I'm also a little scared by this trailer. Harsh and brutal combat is one thing, but will the developers go overboard and create a harsh and brutal character advancement system as well? Will the gameplay generally be harsh and brutal?

I find grinding for 5 billion levels a very harsh and brutal undertaking. If the "harshness and brutality" of the combat is also instilled into other aspects of the game... I'm kinda scared.

I can easily name a handful of past MMO titles that have taken the "harsh environment" mantra overboard and created what would have been a very entertaining game into something that was very tedious.

So the ultimate question remains: What are the developers trying to tell us? That combat will be harsh and brutal? Or will the environment/game be harsh and brutal?



The next title that we're going to look at is due to be released in early 2008: Warhammer Online: The Age of Reckoning


WAR Cinematic Trailer (Flash 8 Required, which can be downloaded here.)

Before I comment on this trailer, I think I should point out that the studio that created this WAR trailer was also the same studio that created the AoC trailer above. Therefore the artistic and conceptual differences in both trailers clearly stem from what game developers/marketers wanted to showcase.

After watching the WAR trailer, you can immediately identify certain similarities and also starking contrast. Clearly, both wanted visual displays of combat, but I think the WAR trailer was a lot more light-hearted, playful, and catered to a more youthful crowd. (How else do you explain the complete lack of blood and the fact no characters were shown to be killed but merely implied?)

In any case, I think the orc getting catapulted into a wall as an opening scene was a brilliant idea. It demonstrated that the developers never lost sight of the "big picture" of "having fun." A clear difference from the Conan trailer that showcased brutal combat, but not necessary light-hearted humor or fun.

Obviously the flip side to this is that the game might become too neutered because it is quite clear it is aimed at a different (younger?) audience. (WoW clone?)

Only time will tell.



Finally, we take a look at a title that has been out for years (unlike the 2 beta MMO titles we just analyzed): EVE Online's most recent expansion: EVE: Revelations


EVE: Revelations Trailer

For a game that is no longer in development and has been out for nearly half a decade, you expect a certain level of refinement and polish. High expectations that I think the trailer aptly meets.

In my opinion, by far the best trailer out of the 3 because it captures the sense of excitement that we are all looking for when playing games.

I think it should be noted that while the other 2 trailers above were CG Cinematic trailers, the entire EVE trailer was created from in-game visual materials. What you see is what you get when you play.

So what does this trailer tell us? I think by comparing and contrasting this trailer with the above 2, you can clearly tell that EVE is no longer "in development" but clearly looking to entice a higher subscription rate. You don't get a CG clip that fuels your fantasy about what the game will be, but instead you get actual in-game footage that shows you what the game is. A clear difference that acts as a testament to what stage various games are in by what kind of trailers they put out.

[Xaj]

I think that these games that use the CG trailers to entice people to buy their games are pretty lame. If you can't make a trailer out of the game play that will show people how the game actually works then you shouldn't be false advertising about graphics or brutality. I havn't seen one MMO where you could actually chop off the arm of a MOB or other player. I dont care if its funny that an orc got catapulted into a wall, if I cant actually catapult Gob into a wall then what type of fucking fun am i expected to have in this game????

Show me actual game mechanics, tell me why your game is better and will offer more to me for my $15 a month than these other 50 MMO titles. If you cant do it with actual game mechanics it must not be that great of a game. People understand that in MMO's the graphics aren't going to be like a FPS. We dont expect to see awesome graphics. But dont challenge our intelligence with your CG bullshit. Im only going to be sold on what the game actually is.....Good (with plenty of improvements everyone can find on a daily basis) or just plain SHIT.

[Fats]

Harsh and brutal combat is one thing, but will the developers go overboard and create a harsh and brutal character advancement system as well?

Over analyzing indeed.

Companies release CG trailers because their games are still in development and graphically not up to par. As Gob said it is essentially a preview of the game to entice players and if it is not looking its best they will be turned off. It is also a somewhat long-term advertisement that can have a lasting impact on the perception toward the game.

Maybe this means companies shouldn't be putting out any trailers at all if it does not consist of gameplay footage, or maybe as a viewer you can just watch them to be entertained and take it all in with a grain of salt. I lean toward the latter

[Jackal]

Marketing groups have shifted from appealing to the leaders in our society to the masses. Previously, the prevailing idea behind an ad was to appeal to trend setters and leaders in a community. When appealing to more complex minds you have to showcase your product in a way that people respect and want to buy. Over the last 10 years I've noticed a shift. It seems like ads now only appeal to the average pop culture idiot who only cares about seeing shiny (or in other words doesn't care about content). I would estimate that only one out of five ads actually says anything about the product anymore. I think this idea can generally apply to everything, including video games.

This News Post is more of a "what has happened to the gaming industry (or business in general) over the last five years" post than a comparison between new trailers.

See Gob mesmerized by Shiny!
See Gob jump to buy Shiny!!

Just look at WoW's marketing. My biggest fear is that everyone will copy them and really, how can you blame them? WoW is pushing 10,000,000...their next closest competitor is pushing 100,000...

[Malachi]

But.. but..WOW has a new expansion! YAY!

[Godamus]

I resent the personal attacks.

They hurt.

:cryin:

[SuperCow]

Don't know much about AoC.

About analyzing the Warhammer trailer: I don't think the game is necessairly kiddie based, although graphically it does resemble WoW. The trailer is indeed more light hearted. This, however, does not imply that the game is kiddie if you have a knowledge of the Warhammer lore/gamestyle (i'm a nerd so I do). The Warhammer universe is very dark and war abounds throughout. Games-Workshop (The company who makes Warhammer and has the rights to Warhammer intellectual property) is pretty anal about licensing their property around and are always very involved when the Warhammer franchise us used in videogame/book/whatever. Because of this I would imagine Games-workshop would insist the game be somewhat dark and brutal, that’s how the warhammer universe is…at least in terms of game play. As for the orc crashing into the wall, orcs are in many ways the comical relief of the warhammer universe. Yes they are brutal, but they often get killed in humorous ways. For example, in the tabletop warhammer game orcs have stuff like goblin catapults where they have the option of firing a special shot that is a goblin holding dynamite or something. They also have stuff like super fast moving vehicles that have the potential to explode or wreck which throws off all the passenger orcs resulting in their deaths. Basically, they are sort of silly. The orc hitting the wall shows not only a light hearted side of the game, but is also just being in line with how the warhammer universe is. The other races are more serious. The game play will definitely be a little more light hearted than VG for example, and so will the look of the game. That does not mean the game won’t be a ton of fun though and offer lots of good pvp. I’m sure a ton of people will play this game. It has bit of a WoW air to it (I thought WoW was a pretty decent and fun game in a lot of ways) and has the warhammer tag (which if fairly big). That’s a big playerbase potential. Also, the majority of warhammer players are older, at least 20 years old with a lot of people in their thirties and onward. This means the probably not everyone playing will be kiddies.

The EVE trailer does indeed make the game look exciting. I downloaded it and got a trial. We'll see how it is.

[Gardak]

yeah i have to say at the moment VG is rather lacking s far as a MMO goes so many problems not enough fixes. EVE online looks pretty sweet and i am for sure playing warhammer. any official word on OPP's next official game?