Great Trailers for Terrible/Not So Great Games

[soren7550]

So as I was letting my mind wander while in the bathroom (you know, as you do), and eventually it went to the disparity between the quality found in the trailer for Dead Island and the game itself.


While the trailer was universally praised (and is likely the only reason the game sold as many copies as it did), the game itself got an 'eh' at best.

So now I come to you fellow Escapists; what are some amazing trailers that the games they were made for far exceed their games in quality?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The Sonic Boom trailer was kinda cool. The game, not so much.

 

[Elijin]

Do ads count?

I have no interest in what I think Clash of Clans is (I havent played it, so I cant say for sure). But those youtube ads? They're cute amusing little skits, which are well made and pretty consistent in tone across their incarnations. I acknowledge the power of that advertising when each time I watch one of those ads, I not only watch it instead of skipping, but I briefly considering installing clash of clans.

Whoever does their marketing deserves a raise. And a web series to showcase if it worked in a mini-show format.

 

[happyninja42]

Destiny. Oh my dear sweet god, Destiny.

Also literally everything that festering penis Molyneux has ever touched.

Yeah, I dug the hell out of that one commercial with The Dentist (I forget the actors name, but I know him from the Dentist trailer for Payday 2, which is awesome by the way, if you haven't seen it)

The commercial where it's the father telling a bedtime story to his child about "The Pack". Damn I loved that trailer, his voice was so captivating, and I personally have a soft spot for stories about humanity working together to accomplish things greater than we could alone.

OT: Let's see, I really enjoyed the trailer for Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, mostly because of the song in it, and how it was woven into the imagery. The game, is one of the few games I ever purposefully put down because it sucked so much.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

HOLY CRAP, DID YOU SEE THAT?! YOU GET TO PULL A STAR DESTROYER OUT OF THE FREAKING SKY!? DID YOU SEE HOW AWESOME IT WAS WHEN ALL THAT STUFF BROKE!? DID YOU SEE HOW THOSE STORM-TROOPERS WERE ESSENTIALLY RAG DOLLS!? THAT'S GOING TO BE THE BEST STAR WARS GAME, HANDS-DOWN, BAR NONE, BY FAR. THIS IS IT, EVERYTHING ELSE CAN GO HOME, GAMING IS DONE AND THIS IS OUR CITIZEN KANE!

...

Yeah, the punchline is, that Star Destroyer section was the most tedious part of what turned out to be a good (if mostly mediocre) game...unless you got the abysmal Wii version.

 

[Metalmacher]

At the time when I was a kid, I thought this trailer was the best thing ever...

lol.

 

[Zaltys]

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. Can it even be called a trailer if it doesn't show anything of the game itself?

 

[Neverhoodian]

I remember being excited for Advent Rising back in the day, mostly due to its kickass trailer. It promised to be Mass Effect long before Mass Effect was even a thing:

Too bad the actual game turned out to be an awkward, buggy mess (at least according to most reviews I've read. I never played it due to the avalanche of lukewarm/negative feedback). It absolutely bombed at retail, torpedoing any hopes for a sequel, let alone an epic trilogy.

Having said that, a part of me still wants to try the game out sometime. It's gained a bit of a cult following over the years, it's only $6 on GOG nowadays.

 

[Xeros]

Watch_Dogs. The very last thing I will ever give in to the hype for. The trailers could not have had me more pumped to play it. I was so ecstatic to play it on release; huge, childish grin sweeping across my face. 6 hours later I uninstalled it in disgust and never touched it again.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Killzone 2's E3 trailer. I don't even care that the graphics weren't anywhere near that. I cared about the action. That trailer looked like it was finally going to give me what I wanted: war. I wanted a game where I was part of an army, storming areas with dozens of allies, while other soldiers were dropping around him. I wanted to feel like I was in the heat of battle, and not this one man killing machine, or part of a small squad of soldiers who get everything done. I mean, look at this:


Sadly, the game turned into the same thing as before. One or two good levels like that, and then surprise, surprise, you're by yourself or part of a small team of unkillable friends.

 

[FPLOON]

Is it weird that this was the first trailer I thought of?

Spoiler: Those transitions...

Other than that, would this count?

Spoiler: It's cinematic...

 

[FPLOON]

Is it weird that this was the first trailer I thought of?

Spoiler: Those transitions...

Other than that, would this count?

Spoiler: It's cinematic...

That second one should be a crime. A LITERAL FUCKING CRIME.

Yep... While it sings "Hello My Baby, Hello My Honey" all the way to the void of nonexistence...

 

[The Madman]

Surprised no one remembers this gem:


Amazing advertising campaign. Crappy game. Shame, it had one hell of an awesome premise and really had the potential to be something great.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

I remember being excited for Advent Rising back in the day, mostly due to its kickass trailer. It promised to be Mass Effect long before Mass Effect was even a thing.

Too bad the actual game turned out to be an awkward, buggy mess (at least according to most reviews I've read. I never played it due to the avalanche of lukewarm/negative feedback). It absolutely bombed at retail, torpedoing any hopes for a sequel, let alone an epic trilogy.

Having said that, a part of me still wants to try the game out sometime. It's gained a bit of a cult following over the years, it's only $6 on GOG nowadays.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again.

This game could've been great. Should've been great. This game could've been Mass Effect before it was even a twinkle in Bioware's eye, especially with Orson Scott Card writing the story.

But then Majesco decided to give the game to a rookie studio that had never done anything besides cinematic videos and artwork for other games. All things considered, they did a fantastic job with what they had, but this game never got the development talent and time that it needed...and so it was released unfinished.

Advent Rising is, in my opinion, one of the saddest stories in video games. So much potential, just wasted.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Umm, pick a game? They never live up to the trailers.
But a big one for me was Silent Hill Homecoming

Now I actually like the game, but its not a very good game. First time through it actually scared me, but now its a little bit of a chore.

 

[FakeSympathy]

Destiny
Dragon Age 2
Fable 3
Halo ODST
Battlefield 4 (Considering launch)
Elder Scrolls Online
Duke Nukem Forever
Batman: Arkham Knight
Call of duty: Ghosts (Masked Warrior trailer)
Resident Evil 6

 

[masticina]

Remember Evony. That freaking game online.

I never played it but they got hilariously bad. Evony is some kind of kingdom simulator. So what do we do to attract attention of the gamers? Or people who play those gamers. We put a hot babe half undressed out there saying things like "My Liege"

Yeah. It might not be a trailer but it is hilarious!

A History of Evony Ads [http://www.lazygamer.net/general-news/a-history-of-evony-ads-the-insanity-continues/]

You think trailers are lying? You have seen nothing like this yet!

But yes trailers lie! As you say Dead Island is pretty much one of the biggest. Though Alien Colonial Marines is a good one to. Oooh lovely ligthing effect... oh not in the game.