Top 10 CGI Videogame Trailers

The art of selling a game in just a few minutes.

Ah, the CGI (computer generated) Game Trailer; a time honoured tradition in our industry. When you have a fancy new game you want to show off, what better way to get people excited about it than to show a high quality trailer that, usually, in no way represents how the game will play.

While it is always nice to see gameplay trailers, there is a certain magical quality to the buzz and excitement a good CGI trailers can produce. It also is a great marketing tool to introduce a new property to the world before the actual game is ready for being shown off. We here at NZGamer.com are still enormous fans of the CGI trailer and wanted to present for you our pick of the top 10 from this generation.

The rules for this list are that the games had to have come from this generation, there can only be one pick per game franchise, and the videos in question had to be presented as a trailer at some point in the games marketing cycle.

Now, before we kick into the list, we wanted to give special mention to a few excellent trailers that didn't quite make the cut...

Mass Effect 2 Full Cinematic Trailer

Why it's not on the list: This is an excellent trailer with strong music, unique & interesting characters, and great action over a few different environments. If there was one criticism, it's that the emotional impact it was going for just didn't fully hit home for us.

DC Universe Launch Trailer

Why it's not on the list: Lots of DC heroes and villains fighting / killing each other, what's not to like - right? It tells a decent story, and sets up the MMO. Unfortunately, as a trailer, it was a bit on the long-side - however it worked well as the game's intro. It didn't really get us buzzed for the game, mainly because it only showed characters we can't be and in a battle we'll never experience.

Bioshock Infinite Announcement Trailer

Why it's not on the list: It begins with a fun fake out at the start - to make you think it's similar to Bioshock's Rapture - until you get thrown out a window and realize this new world of Columbia is going to be a VERY different place; a very beautiful place, with bright colours and blue skies. While this was an excellent trailer, there was another trailer in this series that we felt deserved to be on the list a little bit more.

Dragon Age 2 Debut Cinematic Trailer

Why it's not on the list: Who doesn't like a good fight scene man-o e demon-o? The main character looks cool, it blends kick-ass fighting skills with magic, and the music matched the tone of the trailers for the original Dragon Age game. It is a well made trailer, but it felt a little disconnected from the series, which in retrospect, fits it perfectly considering that change in direction and tone this sequel took.

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War Intro trailer

Why it's not on the list: It wonderfully captures the tone of the WH40K universe with an amazing to watch skirmish between the mighty Space Marines and a band of Orks. Filled with action and character, this trailer did a good job of getting you pumped for Relic's new (at the time) RTS Series. Like so many war movies, however, it could sometimes be a little tough to follow the action among all the chaos (not the race, but the messy battle). Also, based on how old this game is, it cannot really qualify as this generation.

Hellgate: London Cinematic Trailer

Why it's not on the list: This trailer got everyone excited for what would end up being a fairly disappointing game [I liked it :P - Ed.], showing a cool new look for a very famous city (love what hell’s done to the place!). The battle of these cool looking Cyber Templars against the undead, demons, and other hell spawn was full of action and made you want to jump right into the game to be these powerful characters. We can even ignore the focus on the female lead's ass [We really can't - Ed.] and the fact that she's doing all her fighting in heels. Unfortunately, like Dawn of War, this trailer is a bit too old to qualify as this generation.

And now, onto the main list...

Continue reading on page 2.