Though the term gameplay trailer doesn’t exactly have a set-in-stone definition, it’s best to imagine them as closer looks at a particular title in action. Sometimes it’s a story trailer composed entirely of in-game footage, while mostly it’s a long-form demo with pre-determined points of interest.
As with most years E3 2012 certainly was chocked full of gameplay trailers, many of which showed us that the sequels gamers were looking forward to haven’t lost their touch, while others showcased an experience unlike anything we’ve seen before. The former category tended to dominate the expo’s proceedings, but that doesn’t mean the full slate of trailers on tap were any less cool.
Here’s our list:
Halo 4
We knew it was coming, but we never knew it was going to be this awesome. As the perfect kick-off to Microsoft’s E3 2012 Press Conference, Halo 4 showed not only how far one of the Xbox’s most popular franchises has come, but also where it is going. Part FMV trailer and part exciting new gameplay — complete with transforming, highly destructive weapons — the Halo 4 footage was exactly what a series with this much history needed.
It riffed on past enemies, introduced some new ones, and set the scene for a story that inevitably will tie back into the larger Halo mythos. Needless to say, it took top honors for Microsoft at E3 2012.
Next: Watch Dogs gameplay trailer.
Watch Dogs
Perhaps the most discussed, and contentious, of the E3 2012 demonstrations, Watch Dogs was equal parts new IP and smorgasbord of past Ubisoft franchises. A little Assassin’s Creed, a dash of Splinter Cell, and a small touch of Ghost Recon, it was difficult, at first, to put a finger on the game, but once the demo was over we were hooked.
Ubisoft might not have been willing to explain everything about the game (especially a bullet-time sequence that caught all of us off guard), but what was on display certainly had us intrigued. As a potential next-gen launch title, Watch Dogs has the potential of bridging the gap between familiar gameplay experiences and new advances in visuals, multiplayer, and AI.
Next: South Park gameplay trailer.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
After about 20 minutes of hearing about Microsoft’s new Smart Glass technology during their press conference, it was time for a little levity. Perfectly filling out that role, Trey Parker and Matt Stone took the stage at the Galen Center and did something that is completely unheard of: they didn’t follow a teleprompter. Instead the two poked fun at the demos that had preceded them, and then earnestly expressed their enthusiasm for the game we were about to see.
Essentially, South Park: Stick of Truth is an interactive episode of South Park, and puts players right into the trenches with Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny. Everything about the game felt authentic, right down to the logistics of getting from one boy’s house to the other. And then we saw the turn-based 3v3 combat and we were sold.
Next: The Last of Us gameplay trailer.
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, while sharing a similar DNA to their previous current-gen hit Uncharted, is a completely different entity. The lack of explosive action set pieces, replaced instead with quiet moments of survival and extreme brutality, made it abundantly clear that this game isn’t meant to dazzle with impressive visuals (though it does have those) but create a tone unlike anything we’ve seen in a game to date.
There was still the familiar animations and character interactions that fans have become accustomed to seeing from the developer, but looking at the larger picture left us more than willing to see this is nothing like Uncharted. The demo did close out with a scene of excessive violence, but in light of what had preceded it, the need for all-out destruction felt justified. Extra props should be given for demoing a game featuring a zombie apocalypse, and not showing a single zombie.
Next: Star Wars 1313 gameplay trailer.
Star Wars 1313
Many will write off Star Wars 1313 simply because the gameplay demo that was on display appeared to be a blend of Uncharted and Star Wars. Sure, the third person shooting mechanics coupled with all-out visual havoc felt similar, but the look of the game alone was enough to catch our attention.
Team Bondi blew gamers away with their use of facial capture technology to create the most lifelike character animations seen in a game to date, but the scenes depicted in 1313 took that idea to an entirely new level. There’s still a tremendous amount of secrecy surrounding the project, especially since it looks too good to be on current gen consoles, but if the game can keep that momentum it built from the first demo going it will absolutely be worth keeping an eye on.
Though these were certainly some of our favorites there were plenty of others worth mentioning, including the pre-E3 trailer for Dishonored, Sam Fisher’s return in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and a 20-minute long scene from Beyond: Two Souls that was chocked full of moody atmosphere and pregnant pauses.
The event did have its fair share of disappointments, and awkward gameplay demos (Wonderbook anyone), but on the whole each trailer was engaging enough to keep gamers’ interests from beginning to end. E3 2013 will definitely be dominated by hardware, but this year’s event went full throttle on the software.
Make sure to also check out our list of the Best Cinematic Trailers of E3 2012.
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