Gears of War – ‘Mad World’
It has been more than ten years since this incredible trailer first dropped. Without forgetting to show how the player would act in the game, the combination of visuals and music in the commercial perfectly captures the tone Microsoft was going for in the original Gears of War. The crumbling city, the dark, rain-soaked setting, and the lyrics of Gary Jules’ cover of the Tears for Fears song emphasizes the idea that the player will be struggling to survive in a harsh world.
Removing the in-game sounds ensures the viewer focuses on the music, making the message of the trailer even stronger. However, this doesn’t remove the horror aspect of the game. The way the locust enemy lurks in the darkness in the final moments, as Marcus Fenix cowers, shows the terror in the game that comes from somewhere other than the game’s theme and setting. It is an incredibly powerful trailer that undoubtedly had much to do with they game’s popularity in 2006.