Welcome to the May 2013 edition of of Trailer Talk where I’ll give my thoughts on the biggest trailers that came out during the month of May in video games and movies (with a surprise section this month).
NOTE: Release date information might change over time but as of June 1, 2013, those are the correct release dates.
GAMES
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag got another trailer this month. As a casual Assassin’s Creed fan, who really dug the ship battles in AC3, I’m interested in Black Flag mainly due to my love of pirates. We really don’t know much about our main protagonist, Edward Kenway, when I would really like another assassin like Ezio where we knew quite a bit about him. Connor was cool and all and I liked his backstory but the game took way too long to actually get to him to the point where it was laughable. The trailer doesn’t show us much other than ships blowing up, Kenway throwing down, AND SHARKS. Not a great trailer but certainly a cool reminder that the game is coming out October 29 in the US, October 31 in Australia, and November 1 in Europe for PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Batman: Arkham Origins got a Teaser and then a straight up Trailer this wonderful month. The teaser doesn’t reveal much other than little info on the Batsuit (not the same from the other games) and seeing Deathstroke and Batman throw down. No gameplay, just gorgeous CG.
Then came the trailer and it’s pretty much more of the same except longer than 20 seconds. Little hints point to the Green Arrow universe mixing in and little other tidbits that excite the superhero nerd in me. The trailer is awesome although I would like to see some gameplay to see if the new developers got a hold of the badass gameplay we got in Arkham Asylum and City and see any other changes they made. I’m unbelievably excited for Batman: Arkham Origins and I anticipate its October 25 release on the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360. Now bring on the gameplay.
Call of Duty: Ghosts got its “Reveal Trailer” at the Xbox One conference. Besides the cool narration and gorgeous visuals, it still looks like Call of Duty. Hopefully gameplay later on or another trailer will detail what Call of Duty: Ghosts does differently from its predecessors (and that’s IF it does anything differently). The game comes out on November 5 in the United States and November 14 in Japan for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and the Xbox One.
Destiny received a trailer in May that reveals that gameplay will be shown off at Sony’s E3 Press Conference. Besides that little bit of information, we hear Giancarlo Esposito narrate over beautiful CG which we can hope is in-game. Destiny is posed to be one of the best first person shooters of the year and we can only hope it achieves such status when it’s released later this year on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4.
Forza Motorsport 5‘s first trailer was shown during the Xbox One conference. No gameplay is shown but we can assume it will play like all other Forza games. No details were made in the trailer about what Forza 5 will do differently than its predecessors. Really its only purpose is to look pretty which it succeeds at. The game will be a launch title for the Xbox One when it’s released later this year.
The PlayStation 4 got a Teaser trailer (no I’m not kidding). It shows a blurry image of the console being zoomed in on while quick cuts of extreme close ups of the console are thrown in. The end title says June 10 6:00 PM PDT which is the date and time of Sony’s E3 conference. The only purpose this trailer has (and the reason why I even included it in here) is because it was released on May 20, the day before the next Xbox reveal. Well played Sony, well played.
Quantum Break‘s first trailer was shown during the Xbox One conference. No gameplay was particularly shown (we get a shot from behind some security guards hinting that the game might be in the third person) but what we got was cool. The boat teleporting and smashing through the bridge was awesome and the CG we saw looked great. I hope to see more gameplay at the Microsoft E3 conference and hopefully a better release date than 2014. Quantum Break is an Xbox One exclusive.
Saints Row IV got a new trailer this month. Saints Row IV looks to keep the craziness of the franchise alive with its absurd voiceover, colorful visuals, and abuse of that poor poor woman. What we got was a nice look at in this trailer is the addition of superpowers to the series. Super speed, super strength, and super…gliding are all present in the trailer. The trailer isn’t mind-blowing (it didn’t make me run out and preorder) but the game looks like a lot of fun and I hope it’s just that when it’s released on August 20 in North America and August 23 in Europe for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Scribblenauts Unmasked received its first trailer this month. The idea of Scribblenauts is awesome and adding DC characters to the mix is a dream come true for people like me who cheered with joy upon seeing this trailer. Looks like we get multiple costumes for our heroes which is a very nice touch and the moves that our heroes encompass are here. The game also has an awesome bit of humor in it as you can see at the very end. I hope to laugh when the game comes out for the 3DS, Wii U, and PC later this year.
MOVIES
Ender’s Game got its first trailer in May. The movie is based on the novel by Orson Scott Card (who is also co-producing the film). As somebody who’s never read the book, I’m not too clear on the plot of the film but it does seem interesting. Usually I cringe seeing children in the lead but Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld are great actors and the supporting cast, which consists of Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, and Harrison Ford, certainly has me interested in the movie. The visual effects look great but I hope they don’t overshadow the story. Let’s hope the movie is great when it’s released on October 25 in the UK, October 31 in Australia, and November 1 in the US.
Man of Steel got its 100th trailer this month. While there is some repeated footage used, the new content we get (including HEAT VISION) is pretty cool. The film looks absolutely beautiful (like Zack Snyder movies usually are) and the music is great. With the constant trailer’s let’s hope there is much more to see when we see Man of Steel on June 14.
The World’s End got its “Debut Trailer” this month. The movie is the third and final film in a trilogy of films by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (the first two being Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz). The movie looks like it’s going to be very lighthearted with goofy characters and fun visual effects. This is a movie that I’m looking forward to and I’m excited to see it when it comes out on August 23 in the US and July 18 in the UK.
TV
Marve’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is probably my most anticipated TV show of all time. Joss Whedon and co have done such a phenomenal job with The Avengers that it’s hard not to get excited about a TV show with the excellent Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. The show seems to be very lighthearted (a tone that worked unbelievably well for The Avengers) with lots of funny little lines thrown in there. There also seems to be quite a bit of action but let’s hope that the hopefully great characters get their time to shine. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to ABC this September.
That’s it for this month in trailers. What did you think of the trailers that came out this month? What trailers did we miss? Which one was your favorite? Comment below and be sure to check out:
For reviews and more from me, Petey Oneto, you can check out my blog but be sure to check back with Resident Entertainment for more of my posts in the future.
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