Video game trailers set the stage for what to expect from some of our most anticipated titles. Whether or not they actually live up to the hype is another thing entirely, but a great video game trailer at least gives people hope.
Before E3 2019 arrives and we’re hit with an onslaught of new video game trailers, let’s look back at the best ones from 2019 so far.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Reveal Trailer
With how dire and desperate the Star Wars video game franchise has felt in recent years, many fans have started to lose faith that EA is able to do the license justice. The jury is still out on that.
Finally though EA is delivering what fans have been asking about for a while now: a single-player story-driven Star Wars experience. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s reveal trailer set the stage for what everyone is hoping is a return to form for the series which has been in disarray for a while now.
The cherry on top is putting Respawn Entertainment in charge, a group that is arguably now EA’s most trustworthy and talented team. On the surface at least, this is a game that appears to be coming together in a way that inspires confidence for a change and its excellent reveal trailer punctuates that.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Launch Trailer
The launch of Kingdom Hearts 3, whether it turned out to be everything you hoped and dreamed of or not, was an event for long-time fans of the series.
This was a game that was years and years in the making and it finally arriving was something of a religious experience. As close to you can get to one in gaming anyway.
The launch trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 didn’t go heavy on gameplay, or story, or really anything that you would usually find in such a trailer.
It mostly was designed to tug at those heartstrings, to remind fans of the charm that got them into the series to begin with, and invites them to rekindle that magic.
Borderlands 3 Reveal Trailer
Borderlands 3 was one of the worst kept secrets in all of gaming up until it was finally revealed back at PAX East earlier this year. Still, even though everyone knew it was coming eventually, fans were still nervous about what it would look and play like.
The Borderlands 3 reveal trailer doesn’t really show anything overly innovative but that’s kind of the point. It acted more as a reassurance to fans not sure how years in between releases would affect the product. It sets the tone that Borderlands 3 is going to be more of what fans have loved from the previous games in the series. At least, that’s what we’re pulling for.
Mortal Kombat 11 Launch Trailer
I’ll be honest with you reader. NetherRealm could have put almost anything to the tune of the Test Your Might Mortal Kombat theme and it probably would have made this list by default.
OK so yeah, it checked the box of including a remixed version of that awesome theme song, but in addition, it was still a solid trailer that weaved the most interesting tidbits of the game’s story.
It gives us a taste of the story’s most interesting moments (melding of timelines), a look at past and present versions of favorite characters, impressive looking cutscenes, and of course a smattering of gameplay all in a runtime of under two minutes. Toasty!
Stadia Reveal Trailer
You can argue whether or not the Stadia is a proper “console” release or not. It’s certainly going to be competing with the big three and traditional PC setups, that’s for sure.
Either way though, the Stadia put an impressive trailer together to pitch their product to gamers. It boasts seamless streaming play using Google’s powerful infrastructure and the reveal video to open up the conference that introduced Stadia the world does so in a way that screams “billion dollar 21st-century tech company trailer.”
Whether or not the Stadia actually lives up to its lofty promises remains to be seen, but for now, it at least looks like something that could be a game changer. That’s all you can really expect out of a trailer until the product is ready to roll.
Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the Necrodancer Reveal Trailer
Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the Necrodancer is probably the most surprising and shocking reveal trailer on this list. I don’t think anyone could have reasonably saw this one coming, but now that we know it exists, it’s hard to imagine our lives without this mashup being a thing.
Between The Legend of Zelda’s catchy tunes and Crypt of the Necrodancer’s similar core gameplay, it truly is a perfect match.
Nintendo must have really been sold on the pitch by Brace Yourself Games, to entrust a major IP to a small indie studio from Vancouver. Its trailer has us buying in too.
Astral Chain Reveal Trailer
Astral Chain was another surprising announcement from that jam-packed Nintendo Direct back in February. Developed by Platinum Games exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, Astral Chain puts you in direct control over two different characters with the idea being you can pull off sweet synergetic combos.
Little else is known about Astral Chain other than what was shown off in the trailer, however it’s enough to whet the appetite of Platinum Games fans, and hopefully, it will be yet another highly regarded action game for the team to add to their belt.
Persona 5 The Royal Reveal Trailer
Trailers for Atlus games, especially Persona games are always stylish, catchy, and hype-worthy. Persona 5 The Royal is no different. Even though the reveal was in Japanese, it’s still easy to get a sense of what to expect in this updated version of the critically acclaimed JRPG.
There’s going to be a new confidant character, music, cutscenes, locales, dungeon sections and more. The trailer from start to finish is filled with new content.
Persona 5 The Royal be a tough sell to players who already pumped 90+ hours into Persona 5 to basically do it all over again, but this trailer is doing the best that it can to pitch that to hardcore fans of the series and those that haven’t given it a try yet.
Super Mario Maker 2 Reveal Trailer
Like any good trailer, Super Mario Maker 2 doesn’t waste a ton of time beating around the bush. After a quick set up, it dives right into showing off all of the new features all set to a remixed medley of the classic Super Mario World tune.
There’s still a lot we need to learn about Super Mario Maker 2 before it releases in a few months. Some of the nuts and bolts for both creation and discovery are still a bit mysterious without getting some extensive hands-on time, but at least put up an impressive first showing.
Devil May Cry 5 Final Trailer
Most people had high hopes that Devil May Cry 5 would be a return to form. However, it wasn’t a given that the game could be considered a Game of the Year contender. That’s where we’re at though with DMC 5 following its launch and subsequent praise from both critics and fans.
Maybe it shouldn’t have come as such a shock though considering how much time the game’s trailers spent convincing you that this is indeed the dream next-gen DMC title that fans have been wanting for years. All of the marketing efforts culminated into this final trailer shortly before the game’s release.
Control Gameplay Trailer
Control has been a mysterious game since it was revealed. The premise, seemingly inspired by SCP Foundation creepypasta, is an intriguing one. The imagery that we’ve seen in both trailers and brief gameplay sessions has left us puzzled but yearning for more.
Finally this year, we got a clearer sense of some the nitty gritty details of Control’s gameplay in compact trailer form. In less than two minutes of footage we got to see more of the game’s combat which mixes paranormal abilities with gunplay, weapon customization, and its horrific looking enemies.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Reveal Trailer
Nintendo really killed it with that February direct huh? The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was right up there with Cadence of Hyrule as being the most unexpected reveal from that direct, but also being a game that we’re very happy exists now.
Remakes are always going to be a bit divisive as there’s always going to be a faction of people that don’t believe the original should be messed with and/or that another game shouldn’t have been chosen first.
That said, there’s little to no evidence to go off that would suggest that Link’s Awakening will be anything short of yet another stellar TLoZ game. The series has been on a roll for quite some time, so if you were hoping to get more of the portable style-Zelda gameplay, the reveal trailer should be everything you need to get hyped and then some.
Published: May 2, 2019 04:40 pm