XXXIX | TRAILER TUESDAY | XXXIX

So E3, the biggest yearly video gaming convention/trade fair, was last week and I wanted to share some trailers that were featured. There were so many, and I haven't even watched half of them, so I picked a few from among the titles I knew and those that seemed to gain a lot of attention from the event. Oddly, being a XBox player myself, many of these trailers are for Playstation 4 exclusive titles, but they look really good!

I'd love to post more, but there's just no way it'd be possible for one entry. Maybe over the weeks I can sneak one in here and there. Either way, I hope you enjoy this brief reprieve from movie trailers and find something you like. Oh, fair warning, some of the content is "mature", so be mindful!

The Division: Underground & Survival (6/28/2017 | 8/2/2017 - Sept 2016):

I'm a little conflicted about this bundle of trailers. First off, I felt that Underground was fairly lackluster. Very little was shown. Almost all of the information I learned about the first paid DLC of The Division came from YouTubers who were either able to play some of the content or came across the information elsewhere to share. Oh, the enemies have taken to the underbelly of New York and we have to go underground to fight them? No shit, trailer, thanks a lot for telling me what I already knew since before the game came out!

I am glad to find that the rumors about randomly generated instances were legit. It's something that I always look forward to, being it can add refreshing replayability to a game. And with the claims of so much of The Division playerbase dwindling, I feel this first DLC will either make or break the game. They should have created one hell of a trailer for it, if nothing else! Instead it's barely a minute and a half of almost no new information. I don't even think it mentioned the new incursion Dragon's Nest.

However, from the information released over the period of E3, I'm excited at what is coming (aside from some possibly overpowered gear sets). I guess I'll find out next week, which is when the expansion drops first on PC and XB1!

As for Survival, it gets a teaser trailer that is double the length of Underground. Yeah... Anyhow, I liked the trailer and am curious what all it will introduce to the game. I've heard there will be a game mode where you have to survive waves of enemies with very limited supplies. That would make sense with the DLC's title, I guess, but I'm really hoping there is way more to it. The highlight for me is the likelihood that a new gear set was featured at the end of the trailer. It looked similar to the rumored Juggernaut set that I thought was teased before Update 1.2, or so I believe. Survival hits PC and XB1 in Sept 2016.

For Honor - Cinematic Story Trailer (2/14/17):

For Honor is another game from Ubisoft (who published The Division), which seems to focus on Fantasy/Adventure. The cinematics were really well done (especially at the beginning), but I can't help but both think of both Skyrim (with the Viking character) and Elder Scrolls Online (with the three different characters circling one another, similar to the ESO cinematic trailer). Not a whole lot was explained in the trailer, aside from a thousand years of combat, and the introduction of an evil force that may demand the unity of those warring factions.

I'm very interested to check out some gameplay footage. Depending on the style of game and how it actually looks while playing, this may be a title I'd be interested in. Though, with Skyrim (which I've, criminally, not played) being remastered for next gen consoles, it's going to have to offer something fun and unique. Otherwise I'm bound to stick to Elder Scrolls and, eventually, Fallout 4.

Halo Wars 2 (2/21/2017):

I'll always love Halo, but I haven't really gotten into some of their side IPs (Spartan Assault, Halo Wars), so I'm not sure how likely it will be that I will buy this sequel. The trailer is amazing, however — as most Halo trailers are — being visually stunning with a sweet soundtrack. I'm not really familiar with the story featured in the Halo Wars franchise, but it appears a war between the Brutes and UNSC. Though, that's generally standard issue...

One reason I have avoided Halo Wars is that it's a RTS (Real Time Strategy) game, in the vein of Command & Conquer, which I really... really... suck at. It's great that this style of game is offered for the Halo universe, I'm just not as keen in partaking. If I have friends interested, maybe. I believe the demo is out (or coming soon), so that will help determine where I stand!

Days Gone (TBD):

The first of our trio of PS4 exclusives! Days Gone is an open-world zombie survival game. I believe they call them Freakers, but yeah. So there has been an global pandemic and a majority of the population is dead and/or mutated/zombified/whatever and you are a biker turned bounty hunter trying to survive in the wilderness. There are so many zombie games (I half expect The Division to introduce its own brand) that it's hard to keep up on them all. Personally, I am a huge fan of Left 4 Dead and while I own both Dead Island and Dying Light, I haven't played them, despite looking entertaining. Plus the countless other zombie games out there I haven't tried and/or heard of.

I would have just ignored this title (being I don't own a PS4, it would have been easy), but I can't help but think this game is going to be really good. The trailer looks to be made of both cinematics and in-game footage. The trailer also hints at a very emotional, story-driven experience, which many liken to The Last of Us. Some limited gameplay footage I saw looked great, with some interesting use of the environment and I'd like to see more. It looks to have a lot of potential. Unfortunately, being it's a Sony exclusive, I will have to live vicariously through my fellow gamer friends who can check it out.

Death Stranding (TBD):

Hmm... some have dubbed this Norman Reedus and the Dead Fish, or some such, and that's pretty hilarious. However, it's a powerful — albeit confusing — trailer. It has the very popular Kojima Productions (Metal Gear franchise) behind it, their first title since leaving Konami, and I feel there are some fairly lofty expectations from their fans. The graphics look amazing, and the story looks both extremely emotional and unique. That being said, I like it a lot! The song used works fairly well too.

To be honest, though, I've no idea what the hell is going on in it. Did he give birth to a demon baby that left death in its wake?! Way to go, Norman Reedus. Way to go.

Can't wait for more information on Death Stranding!

Detroit: Become Human (TBD):

This game has been in production for a while and isn't slated until at least 2017. I originally came across a teaser trailer from 2015, which I mistook as the E3 reveal trailer. I think it's a better trailer, but only because the E3 one implements a lot of gameplay. What you lose is that connection with a character, an android named Kara who is contemplating life, creation, and living (wait, is that all redundant?). What you gain, I suppose, is introduction to another character, Connor, and some semblance of how the game works. It could be a decently engaging story, but this trailer only shows you one scene from multiple angles.

This isn't so bad, because I like knowing that the game is comprised of making choices that affect the rest of the story. Not only that, but there seems to be quite a lot of story paths you can take, each with their own outcome/consequence. I read in an article that there will be a handful of characters you take the role of and that each of them can potentially die. Also, while the game may only be 8-10 hours long, there are the replayability factors. Whether or not that appeals to the majority of gamers is hard to say. That sounds like a short game to me, even with so many story paths. I'd pass on this, despite being intrigued, until reviews come out.

Also, I'm not very fond of the title...

Did any of the featured games interest you? Have you ever been to E3? If so, how was your experience? If not, do you follow along with the event over social media? Do you play The Division? Which DLC are you most excited for? What did you think about the For Honor Trailer? Have you seen gameplay footage yet? Have you played the first Halo Wars? Are you excited about the sequel? Do you have a favorite zombie game? Do you think Days Gone will break the mold? Are you a fan of Kojima Productions? What the hell do you think is going on in the Death Stranding trailer? Do androids dream of electric sheep? Do you think Detroit: Become Human will have enough engaging replayability to keep gamers interested?