My Top 10 Best
(and Top 5 Worst) Trailers from E3 2017
Well, another E3 has come and gone,
and with that it’s time to count down my favourite and least favourite trailers
from the conference. As always, my rules are that the trailers have to be
included in one of the six press conferences (so, for example, I can’t include Metroid: Samus Returns because it wasn’t
revealed until later). I also like to end the show on a high note, so we’ll be
going through the worst first.
(Disclaimer: Blogger won't let me put most of the actual trailers in this article, so I had to include links to them instead. I tried to include as many as possible, but for whatever reason I can't put most of the major ones in the article without using links. Sorry!)
Top 5 Worst
Trailers from E3 2017
5. The Crew 2
(Ubisoft)
As good as Ubisoft’s conference was
this year, they weren’t exactly squeaky-clean. This trailer served as a
reminder of sorts of the company’s past, and was one of the most overlong and
drawn out trailers of the conference.
I’ve never really been the type of guy
interested in realistic driving games. If I’m going to play a racing game, at
least give me one where I can use items to try to get ahead or play on wacky
and creative courses. I can see why they have an audience though.
The big problem with this trailer
compared to the Forza and Need for Speed trailers we saw at other
conferences is that it neither looked interesting nor showed any actual
gameplay. It’s mostly just glamour shots of various vehicles while an
uncomfortable silence lingers over the whole thing. Maybe there were Sony-esque
sound issues and the music was lost by accident? If so, whoops.
4. State of Decay
2 (Microsoft)
Now what we have here is a failure to
communicate.
Trailers are a great way to quickly
explain what sort of feel you’re aiming for with your new game. Is it going to
be silly or serious? Colorful or grim? Maybe a bit of both?
I think the developers of State of Decay 2 are aiming for the bit
of both, but this trailer was a complete mishmash of themes that it felt really
disjointed. On one hand you have this edgy voiceover talking about how the
zombie apocalypse is awful and how they can barely survive and the tough
decisions they have to make…accompanied by imagery of incredibly goofy looking
zombies that explode into green slime. Doesn’t exactly go together.
Couple that with the fact that I think
we as gamers are really past post-apocalypse zombie games. Unless one really
does something new with the formula (Days
Gone for example looks like it has potential), I personally am really tired
of wandering through these brown and barren wastelands.
3. The
PlayStation VR segment (Sony)
Sony really dropped the ball this
year. After crowning themselves as the kings of E3 for several years now, they
made several mistakes with this conference that ultimately led to many viewers
feeling pretty darn unfulfilled.
One of the major problems they had
this year was that they slammed on the breaks right smack in the middle of the
conference to talk about what tech demos are coming to PlayStation VR next. I
was hoping that Sony was going to give the expensive peripheral a quiet and
dignified death now that the VR fad is coming to a close, but no! Instead we
got seven minutes straight of games nobody
is going to play.
That’s not to say that some of the
games shown here didn’t look somewhat interesting. Moss and Starchild both
look pretty unique. But those were compounded with stuff like yet another
first-person horror game, a Final Fantasy
fishing simulator, and even Skyrim VR,
telling me that Bethesda is still not ready to let that game die and make an Elder Scrolls VI even after six years.
The biggest problem with Sony’s
conference was that they didn’t really show us anything new or exciting outside
of the Horizon: Zero Dawn DLC and Monster Hunter World, and I think the
giant chunk of time lost to messing around with a peripheral people have
already lost interest in really hurt them more than it helped.
2. EA Sports…just,
like, all of it (EA)
Someone please tell EA to stop with
the sports. Every year they inject more and more of these games into their
conferences, and every year they become more and more unwatchable as a result.
This year saw half the conference lost
to sports, sports and more sports. I wouldn’t mind so much except that I know
these games will be identical to the ones that came out last year, and the year
before that, and the year before that. I know they have to be there for the
investors, but why do they need to take up half the conference!? Microsoft and
Ubisoft always do a good job at getting stuff like Forza and Just Dance out
of the way either early on or quickly, because they know that’s not really the
type of game people watching E3 are going to buy. Why does EA have to drown us
in sports every year?
With Ubisoft looking like there’s a
chance they might be following in Microsoft’s footprints and redeeming
themselves (either that or I’m just way too naïve), EA needs a new partner.
Someone to continue gaming’s most infamous Dastardly Duo with them. What
company would be perfect to take Ubi’s place at EA’s side…?
1. Creation Club
(Bethesda)
Oh yeah, these guys.
I suppose congratulations
are in order. Bethesda now holds the notorious record at being ranked #1 on
both my 2016 and 2017 versions of this list. Last year saw them at the top spot
for their laughably awful Elder Scrolls
Legends trailer. This year sees them winning the unwanted prize for
announcing one of the slimiest things E3’s seen since Activision got Jamie
Kennedy to host for them.
I don’t know why
Bethesda’s suddenly begun to fall down the slippery slope towards video game
infamy. It started last year when they introduced their offensively bad review
policy, and with the announcement of their Creation Club they’ve officially
joined companies like EA, Ubisoft, Konami and Activision at the absolute bottom
of the barrel.
If you missed it,
Creation Club is just another way Bethesda’s trying to get money out of your
wallet. Bethesda games are normally a modder’s paradise, allowing fans to add
everything from lightsabers to Thomas the Tank Engine into their games. Knowing
this, Bethesda has now decided to create a service where they can charge money
for stuff other people made and have all that green go to them instead of the
creators. If that sounds like a complete joke to you, you’re not wrong,
especially when mods are generally released for absolutely no cost basically
every day on the Steam Workshop.
Bethesda, who hurt you?
How did the respected developer of stuff like Skyrim and Fallout 3 end
up as yet another scum sucker? I said this to you last year, and I’ll say it
again. Shame on you, Bethesda.
Top 10 Best Trailers
from E3 2017
10. Metroid Prime 4
(Nintendo)
This trailer is just a logo floating
in space, but c’mon. It’s Metroid Prime 4.
I’m not even a Metroid fan and this
got my hyped.
This trailer existing
really shows that while at times Nintendo can be one of the most frustrating
companies to be a fan of, at the end of the day they truly listen to their
fans. This year marks a decade since the release of the last game in the Prime subseries (as well as many would
argue the last actually good Metroid game),
and fans have been begging for some new content from Samus and company. While I
think Nintendo should’ve delivered on that plea sooner, it’s nice to have Metroid fans finally been thrown a bone.
9. Star Wars
Battlefront II (EA)
I’ve made my intense
dislike of 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront very
clear in the past. It opened quite a few doors I was not eager to see other
companies go through, including basically needing to buy the game twice just so
you could get 75% of the content. Needless to say as a huge Star Wars fan I was very unhappy with
the final product, and I am more than thankful past-me was smart enough not to
fall for the Season Pass trick.
While my better judgement
is telling me that I shouldn’t be interested in Battlefront II, the way EA presented it was just about the only
thing they did right at E3 this year. They’ve done nothing but apologize for
the stunts they pulled with the first game, and having them admit they listened
to all the criticism while making this game really makes me happy.
This trailer showed off
quite a bit of gameplay over the course of all the available eras in game, and
it looks to be a lot of fun, even though most of it looks to be CGI nonsense.
What I like significantly more is the promises coming with the game. Not only
will we be getting an actual singleplayer campaign, but they’ve also said that Battlefront II will be getting the Splatoon treatment, with all the
characters, weapons and maps will release absolutely free. So long as you have
the game, you get everything they make.
While my personal belief
is that this should be the industry standard, only time will tell if EA sticks
to this promise. Here’s hoping.
8. Anthem
(Microsoft)
BioWare’s been put into an interesting situation, to say
the least. If rumours are to be believed, the failings of Mass Effect: Andromeda might’ve killed their golden goose franchise
for the time being, so when EA announced we’d be seeing what the legendary
sci-fi developer was up to next at Microsoft’s conference, I was both excited
and a little skeptical.
While this trailer didn’t
show too much, it was enough to really pique my interest. Flying around in a
jungle environment, shooting up monsters and robots, exploring and discovering
secrets, getting new gear and completing quests? Yes, please.
This trailer does lose
points for employing Ubisoft’s old trick of having voice actors talk over the
trailer pretending to be gamers, however. It worries me because Ubisoft so
often used that trick to try and make dull and lifeless games feel much more
alive. Remember how often we saw trailers for The Division with the fake mic chatter over them only to find the
game was far less exciting when we actually had it in our hands?
Despite that, this game
looks like a lot of fun. I really hope they don’t screw this one up.
7. Beyond Good and
Evil 2 (Ubisoft)
(NSFW
Warning: This trailer has a lot of swears!)
I’ve never played the
first Beyond Good and Evil, so I’m
not nearly as excited for this game as most other people are. But I won’t deny
an awesome trailer its well-deserved spot on its list.
While the lack of
gameplay is a bit frustrating (and makes me feel like we’re not actually going
to get this game for another two years at least), this trailer is a lot of fun.
The characters are entertaining and the animations on them look great. If the
actual game looks like this, we’ll be in for a treat.
I do have to say that I’m
on the side of the people who find the swearing a little bit out of place and
even a bit juvenile. Like, it gets to the point where they drop enough f-bombs
that you wonder if a sixth-grader had a hand in writing the dialogue. It’s not
a huge problem, just something I’d like them to tone back on a bit, especially
since I’ve heard the first game wasn’t really that kind of game.
Despite that, I’m glad
that fans of the first game are finally getting the sequel they’ve been
promised for years now. Between this and Metroid,
this E3 had a lot of companies making good on old promises.
6. God of War (Sony)
Another game from a franchise I’ve never touched (I’ve
gotta work on my backlog), we saw this new take on God of War for the first time last year. This trailer further
pushed the point that this is a whole new chapter in Kratos’ adventures.
Leaving his Greek past
behind and now venturing to fight Norse mythology, a lot of the game looks like
it’s going to be focused on Kratos’ relationship with his son, as they go on
many father/son bonding adventures, like watching dad rip frost giants apart
with his bare hands.
One thing I love about
this trailer is how much gameplay and combat it shows, while also showing off
cutscenes. So often nowadays we either get one or the other in a trailer, so
it’s nice seeing that these mixup trailers aren’t a thing of the past. Also,
having the trailer end with the two of them encountering Nidhogg the world
snake is just epic.
5. Skull and Bones
(Ubisoft)
It’s weird to think that
after all these years there still isn’t really a definitive gaming pirate
experience. Yes, there’s Assassin’s
Creed: Black Flag, but I’ve personally always wanted a full-on pirate
adventure that stands alone, not being tied to another franchise.
Skull and Bones looks like it might be just the game I needed.
While we saw very little
of the game (it’s not due until fall of next year), I was very impressed by it.
The trailer is awesome, teasing epic multiplayer pirate ship showdowns not
dissimilar to the stuff you see in Guns
of Icarus. They also teased sea monsters will be in the game as well, and
it’s impossible to hate a game that involves the Kraken in some way.
4. Assassin’s Creed
Origins (Microsoft)
How on Earth did an Assassin’s Creed game make the list!? I
thought these games were the same thing recycled year after year?
Well, they are, but even
if this game turns out to be just another brick in the Assassin’s Creed wall, Microsoft did a great job at showing it off.
Right off the bat you can see that this game looks to be a departure from the
series norm. Instead of being in a historical city, this game is set all the
way back in the time of pharaohs and sphinxes. There are animals like hippos
and hyenas all over the map. And, perhaps the coolest addition, the end of the
trailer sees our intrepid hero squaring off against a giant snake. Bosses will
supposedly feature heavily in this game, a first for the franchise.
The fact that this game
really interests me makes me feel that taking last year off was the right thing
for the franchise to do. Assassin’s Creed
has grown insanely exhausted as Ubisoft attempted to put out a game a year,
and now that it’s back after taking a break, I really think there’s a chance
for it to bounce back.
3. Sea of Thieves
(Microsoft)
It’s weird to think that after all
these years there still isn’t really a definitive gaming pirate experience.
Yes, there’s Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag,
but I’ve personally always wanted a full-on pirate adventure that stands alone,
not being tied to another franchise.
Sea of Thieves looks like it might be just the game I needed.
Wait, hang on a second.
Yes, this is the other
pirate game we saw at E3 this year, and to be honest, as cool as Skull and Bones looks this one was more
appealing to me. Maybe it’s the more colourful art design or the apparent focus
on treasure hunting and exploration over ship combat (although they have some
of that too).
This trailer was a huge
improvement over the one we saw last year, which was so bad it actually made my
worst trailers list. This trailer had a lot of Rare’s trademark wit, utilized a
much more Pirates of the Caribbean inspired
take on piracy than we’re used to seeing in gaming. I think this game could be
a lot of fun either alone or with a group of friends, and Rare is a company
long overdue for a comeback.
2. Super Mario
Odyssey (Nintendo)
As internationally
beloved Mario is, for me his 3D games haven’t been the best ever since the Galaxy games came to a close. 3D Land was a fun platforming adventure,
albeit an unmemorable one, and I found 3D
World extremely boring. I wanted more than anything for his next adventure
to be more like 64, Sunshine or the Galaxy games instead of just another rehash
of the 3D game formula.
Knowing this, I had high
hopes for Super Mario Odyssey, and
the first trailer really had my fingers crossed. This trailer really
exemplifies everything that made the 3D Mario
games of the past so great, while also showing off some new tricks I can’t
wait to try out.
From first glance I’d say
Mario Odyssey looks to be a successor
to Mario Sunshine above all else.
Similar to your F.L.U.D.D pack in Sunshine,
this game sees Mario’s hat become a tool he can use to complete levels and
gather collectibles. The coolest new ability Mario has in his arsenal is the
ability to take control of various enemies and objects, using their abilities
for himself. It’s awesome, yet at the same time unsettling. Does this mean
Mario’s very soul is tied to his hat?
This game looks like it’s
going to be yet another must-have for Nintendo Switch owners, and I can’t wait
to go on this odyssey with gaming’s number one man.
And, finally, my
favourite game of E3 2017 is…
1. Spider-Man (Sony)
I’ve wanted an awesome Spider-Man game not based off of any of
the movies for years now. The Arkham games
did a great job of creating a fantastic Batman experience, so much so that
basically that any combat system similar to the one it created is still called
“Arkham style” to this day. Why
couldn’t Marvel do the same for its most famous hero?
First teased last year,
I’ve wanted to see more of this game ever since that all-too-brief teaser
ended. And boy, did Sony ever deliver. This trailer basically single-handedly
took a mediocre conference and turned it into a good one.
This game seems to wear
its Arkham inspirations on its sleeve
in the combat, while still creating a perfect Spidey experience while swinging
through New York. The controls on Spider-Man look to be not too tight, but not
too lose either, allowing for a lot of awesome third-person parkour
possibilities. I also like that the developers seem to be taking inspiration
from newer Spidey material, utilizing lesser known characters and villains like
Miles Morales and Mr. Negative.
Honestly, the only thing
I didn’t like about this trailer is that I have to wait until 2018 to play the
game.
So another E3 under the
belt, and while this one was overall pretty even, it did a great job of getting
me excited for what’s to come next from the gaming industry. I’m already
looking forward to 2018!
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