Guild Wars 2

So, I’ve been thinking about the recent GW2 trailers recently and I’ve come to realize that I believe ANet is doing things with their trailers that other games could learn from. In this post, I’m just talking specifically about the recent trailers we’ve seen from HoT since the earlier trailers were often either not as well done or straight up ridiculous (looking at you, live-action release trailer).

I think what really makes these trailers stand out is that they use a unique combination of non-game engine visuals along with game engine visuals that allow them to present a visually impressive and unique look while also incorporating footage that uses the game engine so that there’s not a big discrepancy between what you see in the trailer and what you see in the game itself.

Additionally, when they use non-game footage, they continue a distinct art style that has a very unique feel to the game, so that the trailer can be congruent with the game, even when it’s not showing off something that’s entirely from the game itself.

Considering how many games out there that make trailers that are either visually beautiful, but don’t look anything like the visuals in game or are so tied to showing off gameplay that they fail to create an engaging visual experience, I think ArenaNet has struck a really good balance that other developers can learn from.

Art direction and visual appeal is good, and they do that incredibly well. The thing I feel their cinematics lack is feelings. Barring the visual aesthetic nothing really pulls my heart strings or makes me go “holy crap that was epic!”. (Examples: Loiusoix in FF14:ARR opening cinematic, Arthas and Tirion Fordring in most of WotLK cinematics, etc).

Hopefully they’ll get better because I’ve seen some decent writing out of them at the least. I do love the visual aspect though.

Visually, their trailers are great. A healthy mix of art and cgi. However, they could be much more epic, I agree with Selver.

The fractals of the mists trailer was the best they’ve done IMO, it was awesome.

I like the hybrid mix of the Painterly look, with CGI used to enhance certain shots, but not George Lucas it. Also the characters looked very real to the in game characters. I actually question in some shots if they were not actually the in game characters themselves. It’s like the George Miller of Guild Wars 2 trailers, except that Michael Bay shot where the Wyverm barrels slow motion barely over Rytlock’s head. All I could think of was Transformer, ugh.

I enjoyed the trailer, still think WoW’s Cata trailer was the most exciting I’ve seen for an MMO though (I know zero in game footage but once a game has been out for a while everyone knows what it looks like and you can get away with just making something massive – for a new title launch though I strongly would back the in game footage school of thought).

Liked the Dragon’s design but too much camera focus on Rytlock -.- Thieving Charr…

Diablo and wow has better.

I think ESO was better trailers

ESO’s trailers are beautiful and they should do a movie. The problem is that their game is boring and didn’t keep our attention even to end game of which they have none unless you want to WvW.

I personally found the newest HoT trailer very lackluster.
For me, the animation was ok and i liked the background art was neat, but the actual models felt off and the overall action in the trailer wasn’t exciting at all.

I do like the painterly style, but it was done way better in the HoT announcement trailers. The newest trailer was just lazy in comparison.

I wouldn’t call them the best MMO trailers by a long shot, but the announcement trailers + FotM trailers were very nice.

Eve Online…

15char

There was nothing remotely “amazing” about this HoT trailer…. it was average at best.

You can see this from the lack of praise from social media platforms (reddit, online magazines, forums, twitter, etc etc)

Its not even remotely close to best trailer….you got it backwards OP… they could learn from OTHER gaming companies on trailers…

I’ll give you some of the art was nice and a fun combat sequence…. not exactly something that makes me say “other gaming companies should learn from anet” lol….Thats a huge stretch…

I’m not a big fan of their games but theres one thing blizzard does well – its cinematic trailers.

ESO also did a good job….

I can remember some of the “wow, that looks ridiculousy amazing” in trailers from starcraft, warcraft, d3, ESO, skyrim, etc etc"….. there was no such feeling in HoT trailer.

In this case, the trailer did nothing to hype me up…. the content itself of HoT is the HYPE… not this average trailer….

ESO and Blizzard trailers completely smoke GW2.

Trailers are just hype though. GW2 beats ESO on the gameplay and Blizzard on the treadmill.

Diablo WOW and FF14 all have better. I never saw ESOs

We’re to close to judge without bias. What it did have unlike some of the other recent MMO trailers was show actual skills you have being used, not attempting a super photorealistic render that is not achievable by the game engine that would only lead to disappointment once you fire up the game, and not be overly steep in pre-existing lore.

Yes it only showed one profession fighting. It showed, well heard, the big bad and showed some of the creatures we’re fighting. What it doesn’t show a purely new player anything about central Tyria. I know it’s an expansion but with the core game folded in and that’s where a new player will start until they are 80.

I think this trailer was too short, too focused. Good enough to draw existing players into the expansion, not good enough to bring in new players into the franchise.

But that’s my two coppers.

They haven’t touched the quality of the Prophecies and Factions trailers yet.

SAB trailer/commercial is the best thing ever made. So everything else is invalid and GW2 wins from that alone.

Anet had an outside studio that specializes in making trailers helped allot from what they said on twitch over the weekend.

Don’t get me wrong, the trailers are good, but i wouldn’t call them the best.

Any blizzard trailer, ff14 and many others are much better.

Tbh I like the fact that they don’t go over spending on trailers like WoW does. That money can be put to better use then a 2-3 minute trailer.
But of course I’ll always like the more artistic ones they have then this type. I just like that look.

Zalani.9827:

Tbh I like the fact that they don’t go over spending on trailers like WoW does. That money can be put to better use then a 2-3 minute trailer.
But of course I’ll always like the more artistic ones they have then this type. I just like that look.

Who says they didn’t? Anet hired an outside studio in the U.K to make the trailer and I’m sure that isn’t cheap!

My source twitch con stream!

Best game trailer in history: CCP’s “This is EVE.”

Anet’s are good, but the bar is set far higher.

I like GW2 trailers and videos, the last one from HoT was awesome, but I also enjoy the less realistic ones like the fractals video, it was simply awesome.
Also the beginning video after character creation is also very nice.

Doggie.3184:

SAB trailer/commercial is the best thing ever made. So everything else is invalid and GW2 wins from that alone.

I’m laughing, not because of any truth or deception of the statement, but because that commercial was kittening hilarious.

+1, Doggie

Yep what the first reply/selver said – visually they are fine. They lack in epic/emotion/feeling. Their writing sucks.

CGI studio which also makes Trailers and other animated videos(Diablo3) for Blizzard games so far is the best studio in matter of script and animations.
Look at Star Craft Trailers – even recent one, Legacy of the Void.

Or Cyberpunk 2077.

btw, Polish studio – CD Project RED – after Witcher 3 release that they’re focusing now on Cyberpunk 2077. :P