As with cinema, game trailers are incredibly important. The right trailer can inspire you to play a game you otherwise wouldn’t have, while a terrible trailer can turn you away from a game you were excited for. The quality of a trailer can sometimes even exceed the game it’s advertising for. From MOBAs to first-person-shooters to RPGs, these are our top ten video game trailers.
10. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
Rare is it for a video game to let players accomplish what is shown off in a trailer. The Witcher 3 has players fighting and slashing down a monstrous griffin within the first few hours of starting the game; and it is every bit as badass as it is in the trailer. The griffin is the first major monster that you face in the game and it is wickedly empowering to single-handedly take the beast down. This was The Witcher 3’s first major airtime spot on TV. For many people who don’t look up the newest trailers online, this trailer made the difference in aiding their purchase of the game. I was in the same boat: I had not played the other two games and was not impressed with earlier trailers and gameplay leaks. Then, I saw this trailer on TV and pre-ordered The Witcher 3. The game turned out to be my personal Game of the Year for 2015.
~ Jeremy Schepper
9. Final Fantasy VII Remake
The trailer for the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake graced gamers and fans of the series last year. It fully showcases what one of the most iconic video games could look like on modern consoles as the graphics have been redone from the ground up. The trailer also reveals a brand new real-time battle system and also hints that some of the early game sequences may stay the same.
~ Melissa Buranen
8. Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
Any of the Bloodborne trailers could have made this list, but the trailer for its incredible DLC, The Old Hunters, stands out. From it’s bone chilling opening lines to its terrifying Gothic chorus, the dlc trailer has everything a great trailer should have. The original Bloodborne may not have had as much weapon variety as players would have liked, but The Old Hunters trailer promised a variety of new tools as well as ghastlier enemies and new areas. While the main focus of the trailer was to sell the expansion, it could very well have been used to sell the main game as well.
~Melissa Buranen
7. Horizon Zero Dawn
The beginning of this Horizon Zero Dawn trailer lures players into into the prehistoric world where the ideals and monuments of an unknown past are buried under thickets of foliage. We’re introduced to the red-headed, female protagonist, who trains with spears and a bow and arrow. It’s time to hunt; gargantuan mechanized dinosaurs make their way across a beautiful open field, unaware of their looming demise. The creatures break in all directions, but are taken down one at a time. The sheer scale of the enemies depicted in the trailer make Horizon Zero Dawn a game to look out for. After watching this trailer, this is one game I certainly want to play.
~ Melissa Buranen
6. World of Warcraft
I remember being in middle school when I first saw the cinematic trailer for the original World of Warcraft. I wasn’t aware of there being prior Warcraft games at the time, so having a glimpse into this enigmatic, fantastical world was a magical experience for me as a youngin’. Bull people? Dwarves? Elves? Purple Elves? Sign me up! WoW ended up claiming hundreds of hours of my life, and it was every bit as imaginative and phenomenal as it appeared to be in the trailer. The trailer is constructed simply enough: it shows a glimpse of the conflicts between the inhabitants of the Warcraft universe. But between the epic battles and the absolutely mind-shattering lifelike graphics, which Blizzard is renowned for, the trailer brings to life a new Tolkienesque world into the gaming forefront. This trailer will forever hold a special place in my heart as I know it does for millions of others.