Today’s Massive Poll has been suggested by philbert8. He is unaware that he suggested it, but his comment here gave me the idea.
Concept trailers, pre-rendered trailers and teaser trailers are popping up on TSA more frequently than ever before. As part of the TSA news team I’ve posted quite a few of these videos and I’m beginning to wonder if we should be posting them at all.
The Dead Island teaser trailer contained no game-play footage at all, but went viral thanks in part to hundreds of gaming websites posting it. Overnight, the title went from being almost unknown to a must have pre-order.
The trailer was a fantastic two minute movie and went on to win the Gold prize for Internet Film at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Since the teaser was released it has become clear that the game is more about smashing zombies with a chainsaw – heart wrenching scenes of children being bitten are few and far between. Alex previewed the game and said ‘What it’s not, for good and bad, is anything like that teaser trailer. ‘
I appreciate that publishers need to build hype for their games, it’s a tough market and bad sales can close down an entire development team, but do these teaser trailers serve any purpose other advertising the game? Obviously all trailers are adverts – to a degree – but most include game-play footage, which allows you to judge the title. We certainly see a decent amount of activity on most of the teaser trailers we post, suggesting a good level of interest in them. But is that just aimless curiosity or an actual desire for information on the game being shown?
So dear readers, my question today is, are you actually interested in these teasers? Are they big adverts that publishers are sneaking in to gaming websites under the guise of a trailer or do you like watching them to get the ‘feel’ of the new game?
DrNate86
I have said I like them, but it definitely depends on how well done the teaser is. Dead Island was excellent, and I enjoyed the Kane and Lynch, Prey 2 and the Deus Ex ones as they were all very cinematic and entertaining to watch, even though they revealed little of what the game was actually like to play.
Modern Warfare on the other hand, with those stupid static filled teasers where you stare at a green wobbling line for 2 and a half minutes, are pointless.
fattyuk
hmmm deus ex was fantastic I thought!
TSBonyman
I especially like the live action trailers (also The Getaway had one). As you say DrNate86, not always representative of gameplay but entertaining and they can really work well to set the scene like in the Deus Ex one. I would favour those types of trailer/teasers but everything should be posted, regardless of appeal. Essentially, it’s all gaming news and it would be remiss of TSA not to post them imo :)
Foxhound_Solid
I like them too, they help explain the story…..
the bottler
I do like them, but they don’t change my interest in a game – something nice to watch nothing more.
The one thing that really puts me off a game (if I don’t already know much about it) is when they use CGI trailers to advertise on TV when the game is just days from release!! If it can’t show gameplay of the final product then it must be bad!!
fattyuk
good question!
I like them and I don’t lol so can’t vote. Dead island is a perfect exampe of why, as you noted, It looked like it was going to be a serious the walking dead kind of game which I was hoping for obv it ended up being completely diffrent! Although I do like the game it was abit of teaser trailer of what your not going to get.
I’m interested to see what the Max Payne trailer is going to be like thinking about it I would like in game footage and not some pre rendered footage of what the game isn’t going to be like.
ignore the first line I voted no do want to see gameplay lol
scavenga
Hard to vote a definite yes or no… But I’d rather have just gameplay footage, unless the teaser can make a solid statement about an interesting plot or a new interesting concept.
Still, I’d prefer an announcement teaser just to let you know that something is coming, with a lenghty wait for gameplay footage, rather than regular doses of boring CGI storyline trailers.
teflon
To be honest, I’ve not really watched many trailers this year. I’ve not watched a single Uncharted 3 video, caught just a single Resistance 3 video, and so on. They just hold no interest for me, when I’m already rather hyped about those titles.
Having said that, I’ve been gleefully snapping up teasers from Battlefield 3. I’ve not taken in many details beyond the first main video from it, other than that it’s bloody gorgeous.
cam the man
There have been some good concept trailers but I much prefer dev dairies to any other vids, then I would say actual gameplay.
Crocadillian
Would developers and publishers stop using the same promotional video format, backing track and camera angles? Its as if they have some software that standardises promotional video. Dead Island, despite its irrelevancy actually made a good teaser trailer because it was different.
I don’t have anything against teaser trailers, but because of the thoughtless way many developers and publishers make them I have come to despise them :l
Ferrick
I think Deus Ex is quite perfect for this discussion because, despite being a brilliant game, the beautiful cinematic trailers that were used leading up to it’s release weren’t even present in the final game. Which, for me, was quite disappointing.
It’s a tough one, but I’m going to say ‘Yes’, just because I do enjoy them, and they do get me excited for release. Even if the final product doesn’t live up to the expectations.
gazzagb
I like them. I’d much rather see an action packed teaser to get me interested in a game, rather than some gameplay from a very early build of the game. If we never saw teaser trailers, we wouldn’t actually see anything representative of the game right up until before release.
grannyscroggins
I love them. I know they don’t represent gameplay in any way but they work from an advertising perspective. I know for a fact the original gears of war teaser set to the mad world song is the single reason I bought an xbox 360. I know I’m a sucker for all that Shit bit still can’t help myself.
XisTG
i like them. but then again, like any advertising, it only matters if it’s good.