Why Are Game Trailers Always So Much Better than the Actual Games?

I think we’ve all gotten sucked in by trailers and hype at one time or another (I’m looking at you, Master of Orion 3… /sigh).

It happens a lot on TV, too. Man, if only someone would make a show where the quality and entertainment inside the box was as good or better than the quality of trailers and hype. Can anyone think of a TV show that’s done that?

The original Left 4 Dead pretty much lived up to its trailer so I got hopes for this one.

Speaking of trailers, I saw an ad the other day for complete set of Battlestar Galactica DVDs, and they’re hitting all the awesome highlights of the series. Of course, I had the random thought, “I wonder if Levwould finally watch if he saw this ad?” Because it is (to quote a Church-ism) awesomesauce.

And just then, what critic’s blurb did they throw up to sell the point? “Greatest television show ever.” – Time Magazine.

I wept bitter tears…

The initial trailers for Lost were horrible — flying stuffed tigers and zero appeal to me. The show is far better than the trailers let on.

You can almost feel Lev’s sweat through the screen.

And Capirca airs in 91 days.

I like my games MMO-style, but I am totally getting Dragon’s Age: Origins. It had better live up to the hype because the hype is – to steal the phrase – awesomesauce.

I’ve recently come to realize that Lev’s staunch non-watching of BSG has become a meme among the readers of this blog. I think that that’s something to be proud of, and you should all pat yourselves on the back for a job well done (you too, Lev, without your strict intolerance of ever watch BSG none of this meme-creation ever would have happened)

Yeah, I’d pay $12 & buy some popcorn if I had a movie like that Orgins trailer. Hell, I might even bring a date … oops, too much fantasy.

Holy $hit! I wanted to play Dragon Age: Origins already thanks to the PA comics, but that trailer is frakking epic. There is NO way the player experience could live up to that, but I would absolutely watch it as a movie.

Never trust vg trailers unless it’s for a RPG. Those trailers tend to showcase epic battles and tender moments, which is the byproduct of all those hours rummaging dungeons and slaying anonymous carbon-based life forms. In my exp. w/ trailers, most often seeing ≠ believing (see Haze).
Best/hardest game no one is playing: Demon Souls (PS3). I felt the worst kind of dejection after 1 hr. Its unmerciful, but oddly addicting.

the trailers for Uncharted 2 and Left 4 Dead did live up to the hype, as everything in those trailers was actually in the games. i think more developers should that philosophy.

I had this experience a bit with the famed ODST trailer. I won’t buy the game (mostly because I don’t have a 360 but DAMMIT there’s a principle here!) but man would I pay good money to see that movie.

And since no post is complete without a BSG reference, I was rather displeased to find my struggle to obtain The Plan last night stymied by my confusing the release date as being the 21st instead of the 27th >_<

Pretty sure Lev’s seen it and probably even has a sexy poster of Tigh on his wall. He just won’t admit it to us.

Yeah very few games live up to trailers when they look like those. The CGI Dragon Age trailer is especially ridiculous! I found a gameplay video of that game, and it was underwhelming to say the least (to me).

Although I do think the Assassin’s Creed live action trailers are a pretty cool idea, you guys should check those out. They’re just meant to set up the storyline for the game, and get people excited about it before the game comes out. Also, they have plenty of in-game trailers that are all consisted of things you can do in the game, to my knowledge.