Dead Island - A Trailer You MUST See!

[quote name='ihadFG']But I would say that the way it portrays a family's final moments as something that no other zombie game (or trailer) has even come close to.[/QUOTE]

And how does it portray this in a way so different from other zombie stuff? I see a guy drag a girl into a room, then hack at some zombies with an axe, then throw the girl out a window to save his own ass. I'm not seeing this as terribly different from L4D, aside from the backwards slow-mo gimmick.

[quote name='gargus']First time I watched it I was ammused, but after a little thought and a second viewing I realized I didnt care for it at all. Then I visited a site I go to often because I love the same types of film as they guy who does all the stories and he had a write up on it. He more or less articulated for me what I didnt like about it and I agree with him for the most part.

http://www.cinema-suicide.com/2011/...and-how-not-to-market-your-zombie-video-game/[/QUOTE]
Ahahaha, that guy is a dumbass. Not only does he think that this high-quality pre-rendered trailer was real-time/in-game (even though anyone who actually plays games could instantly tell that it's CGI), he goes on to say "there are console games with far better graphics going around."

Aside from that, I think his criticism is stupid and narrow-minded. Forget "taboos." It's just cheap.
 
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[quote name='CoffeeEdge']And how does it portray this in a way so different from other zombie stuff? I see a guy drag a girl into a room, then hack at some zombies with an axe, then throw the girl out a window to save his own ass. I'm not seeing this as terribly different from L4D, aside from the backwards slow-mo gimmick.[/QUOTE]

It portrays it differently because it actually makes you care for the characters/situation in the very short time that the trailer lasts. He doesn't just throw a girl out the window. He throws his own daughter out the window after trying to save her life only moments earlier. This is made a lot more impactful through the use of the "backwards slow-mo gimmick." You act as if that "gimmick" has no important affect whatsoever on the tone, when in fact it plays a very important role at actually making the viewer feel something. And I didn't say no other zombie stuff has been able to achieve this kind of emotion. I said no other zombie GAME TRAILER has done this. Now if the trailer didn't affect you personally in any way, that's fine. I just find it insulting and condescending the way you act like people are stupid for actually thinking this trailer is something different from the norm, when it is obviously different simply for the fact that it even attempts to focus more on the family than the killing of zombies.

With that said, it is just a trailer, and I don't expect the actual game to be nearly as emotional. But I still have hopes that it will focus more on the characters and their emotions than any other zombie game.
 
[quote name='ihadFG']This is made a lot more impactful through the use of the "backwards slow-mo gimmick." You act as if that "gimmick" has no important affect whatsoever on the tone, when in fact it plays a very important role at actually making the viewer feel something.[/QUOTE]

Of course gimmicks can change how some viewers will feel about something. The problem is, such gimmicks usually only work on dopes who fall for this sort of thing. That's what I'm criticizing.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Of course gimmicks can change how some viewers will feel about something. The problem is, such gimmicks usually only work on dopes who fall for this sort of thing. That's what I'm criticizing.[/QUOTE]

Except the "gimmick" isn't something that you "fall for" in this case. It is actually a viable design choice that helps add emotional impact to the trailer in an atypical way. And those kind of "dope" comments are exactly what makes you come off as rude. If you want people to listen to you and take your points more seriously, then you should treat people with more respect, even on the internet.
 
[quote name='ihadFG']I am really surprised at the hate some people are giving this trailer. If this is a bad trailer, then please someone show me a good one.[/QUOTE]

It depends on what your definition of a good trailer is. If a trailer is simply something that should drum up interest in a game, then it was assuredly a success. If a trailer is supposed to give you some idea of what the game was like, then it was definitely a bad trailer. By trailer alone, one would think this game was some weird mix of Left 4 Dead and Braid. That's the big problem I have here...people are getting so worked up over a game they don't know all that much about, apart from "zombies on a tropical island".
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']It depends on what your definition of a good trailer is. If a trailer is simply something that should drum up interest in a game, then it was assuredly a success. If a trailer is supposed to give you some idea of what the game was like, then it was definitely a bad trailer. By trailer alone, one would think this game was some weird mix of Left 4 Dead and Braid. That's the big problem I have here...people are getting so worked up over a game they don't know all that much about, apart from "zombies on a tropical island".[/QUOTE]

Yeah, by good trailer, I mean the trailer in itself is good. I agree that the trailer tells you nothing about the gameplay, but that wasn't the point.
 
It's a decent trailer. Not very special, imo. Not the first time things were shown backwards.

[quote name='ihadFG']I am really surprised at the hate some people are giving this trailer. If this is a bad trailer, then please someone show me a good one.[/QUOTE]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmw78t8NgIE

[quote name='camoor']It was a pretty skillful homage to Lost and Memento.[/QUOTE]

What? I don't even...
 
[quote name='ihadFG']I am really surprised at the hate some people are giving this trailer. If this is a bad trailer, then please someone show me a good one.[/QUOTE]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjOEmHEd2XM

Granted I'm bringing out the greatest game trailer ever as my 1st shot, but still...this is how you do a trailer. Not a highly ambiguous CG trailer that shows nothing about the game other than zombies, not even what type of game it is. I wouldn't be surprised if the family in the trailer doesn't even show up in the game, which would make the trailer even more pointless.
 
[quote name='elessar123']It's a decent trailer. Not very special, imo. Not the first time things were shown backwards.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmw78t8NgIE

[/QUOTE]

Off the top of my head, I can't remember a trailer that showed things backwards. Now I'm not saying that none exist, but I am saying none have done it well enough to be remembered for it. The Dead Island trailer is special because it successfully managed to create an interesting, emotionally-driven trailer using the mix of backwards and forwards video. Every other zombie game trailer tends to focus on how awesome it is to kill zombies during the apocalypse. This trailer focuses on how terrible it is to have your family ripped apart by such an event. Whether the trailer affected you emotionally or not, you have to admit that most other game trailers don't even attempt to take this approach.

And that Bioshock trailer is indeed awesome. It's one of my favorites. And it's actually a trailer that tells you a lot about the game as well. So good choice! But that is another rare example of a good trailer that tells a story on its own. You don't see those kind of trailers very often, so stuff like Dead Island really stand out for that.
 
[quote name='tmacairjordan87']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjOEmHEd2XM

Granted I'm bringing out the greatest game trailer ever as my 1st shot, but still...this is how you do a trailer. Not a highly ambiguous CG trailer that shows nothing about the game other than zombies, not even what type of game it is. I wouldn't be surprised if the family in the trailer doesn't even show up in the game, which would make the trailer even more pointless.[/QUOTE]

I found that ME2 trailer to be quite generic, but that's beside the point. The point of the Dead Island trailer isn't to tell you about the gameplay or even the actual game's characters/story. It is supposed to generate buzz and get people interested in the game. It is more of a teaser trailer. It shows you the kind of situation that you could expect to find on the island, not the actual situation that you, the player, will be experiencing when you play the game. I could almost guarantee that the family in the trailer won't be in the game. That isn't a failure of the trailer though. That is how you do this kind of trailer.
 
[quote name='ihadFG']I am really surprised at the hate some people are giving this trailer. If this is a bad trailer, then please someone show me a good one. This trailer is more emotionally affecting than most full games (and possibly even more than the full Dead Island game will be). Call the music sappy if you want, but the truth is that it succeeds at setting the tone of the trailer. The pacing is well-done with the slo-mo and such. I wouldn't call the trailer shocking just because it had a little zombie girl. But I would say that the way it portrays a family's final moments as something that no other zombie game (or trailer) has even come close to. My only complaint is that I don't think it needed the scenes of them arriving on vacation. The trailer was already successful without that cliche "happy" bit.[/QUOTE]
I don't know about people hating the trailer because it's bad, but because this game that's been delayed several times in its long development has only a very well-made CG trailer to show for the many years it's been in the works (at least four years from the earliest IGN article that I can find). The trailer tells you nothing about what the game is other than "island resort" and "zombies" that at least did a good job of getting attention to the project, but many of us want more information before getting interested and they're not following up on that just yet.

Though the movie deal news was false, Deep Silver has been getting a lot of interest from movie companies to make a movie based off of the trailer, not the game, that is just insane. The amount of hype is way too high for all of the information we have on the actual game to back it all up.
 
I don't know how a trailer can generate buzz or interest on a game when it doesn't show anything. Even with most CG trailers, you can get an idea on what the game is. Other than knowing that zombies will yet again appear in a game, I couldn't pull anything from it.

The following preview on IGN was much more informative and allowed me to decide that I wasnt' interested in it.
 
[quote name='tmacairjordan87']I don't know how a trailer can generate buzz or interest on a game when it doesn't show anything. Even with most CG trailers, you can get an idea on what the game is. Other than knowing that zombies will yet again appear in a game, I couldn't pull anything from it.

The following preview on IGN was much more informative and allowed me to decide that I wasnt' interested in it.[/QUOTE]

Except it is quite obvious that this trailer HAS generated a lot of buzz and interest. Just look around the internet and you'll see that everyone was talking about it. No, it doesn't tell you about the gameplay. There will be other trailers for that. Do people not understand the point of a teaser trailer anymore!? They simply generate interest to keep you coming back for more trailers and actual info on the game. I'm not saying that you should be expect the game to be good based on the trailer. I am saying that I cannot fathom the amount of people who claim this trailer does nothing unique or special, considering I have never seem a zombie game trailer that actually focuses on the emotionality of the situation. If your issue is that you want more actual info on the game before getting too hyped about it, then I am in agreement. But that isn't what the teaser trailer is supposed to do, so you shouldn't call it a bad trailer for that. That is like calling a textbook a bad novel.


[quote name='FriskyTanuki']I don't know about people hating the trailer because it's bad, but because this game that's been delayed several times in its long development has only a very well-made CG trailer to show for the many years it's been in the works (at least four years from the earliest IGN article that I can find). The trailer tells you nothing about what the game is other than "island resort" and "zombies" that at least did a good job of getting attention to the project, but many of us want more information before getting interested and they're not following up on that just yet.

Though the movie deal news was false, Deep Silver has been getting a lot of interest from movie companies to make a movie based off of the trailer, not the game, that is just insane. The amount of hype is way too high for all of the information we have on the actual game to back it all up.[/QUOTE]

I'm in agreement that the amount of hype for the actual game is way overblown. I am just saying that I don't get how people can honestly say this trailer alone isn't anything special or different from the norm. And if you look through this thread, there are quite a few people who say that they don't get why people are saying this trailer is unique or special.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']I thought deep silver went out after Cursef Mountain for the wii bombed... damn I must be crazy.[/QUOTE]
Deep Silver Vienna, the development studio division that made Cursed Mountain, did indeed go under after that game came out, but the parent company, Deep Silver the publisher, is alive and well. They're a smaller publisher, but they've put out some great games recently, like Risen (which is easily among the very best RPGs of the past decade) and Sacred 2, both of which were successful enough to warrant sequels. They're a little more niche in the US, but they're quite popular in Europe.
 
Being in development for almost 4 years this game better be good. I'm def getting it on the premise that its a zombie/rpg game.

They're even making a movie of it?

It must be big......
 
There isn't necessarily going to be a movie. They have simply sold the movie rights. Whoever is buying them properly will goe them for a song and a dance, hoping that if the game does hit big, they got themselves a goldmine. If it bombs, you'll properly never a see a movie, or maybe it will be some direct-to-DVD garbage.

And actually, reading a few stories from the last couple of days, it would seem that they haven't actually sold the movie rights yet, anyway.
 
When you're releasing a trailer for a completely new IP you need to give some kind of idea what the game is about. What does Dead Island tell us? Its a game (or could even be a movie) about zombie, it could conceivably be about any type of zombie game.

With a sequel you already have a good idea what the franchise is about so you don't need as much information about the gameplay or anything of the such. The whole point of sequels is bringing back the same gameplay with some refinements and continuing the story you got in the first game which is likely going to be the more "new" element of the sequel.

The story is what you need to highlight in a sequel's preview, with a new IP you've got to sell on whatever your franchise is gonna be about. Is it story, is it gameplay, something else unique? With this game we don't really get anything other than a clever trailer/teaser. Its a zombie game though so how unique can the story be, in order to generate some lasting buzz they really need to give some more/better information.
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']When you're releasing a trailer for a completely new IP you need to give some kind of idea what the game is about. What does Dead Island tell us? Its a game (or could even be a movie) about zombie, it could conceivably be about any type of zombie game.

With a sequel you already have a good idea what the franchise is about so you don't need as much information about the gameplay or anything of the such. The whole point of sequels is bringing back the same gameplay with some refinements and continuing the story you got in the first game which is likely going to be the more "new" element of the sequel.

The story is what you need to highlight in a sequel's preview, with a new IP you've got to sell on whatever your franchise is gonna be about. Is it story, is it gameplay, something else unique? With this game we don't really get anything other than a clever trailer/teaser. Its a zombie game though so how unique can the story be, in order to generate some lasting buzz they really need to give some more/better information.[/QUOTE]

I disagree that the first trailer needs to tell about the game itself. Teaser trailers almost always come first. The key is following up that teaser trailer with a real game trailer and other info within the amount of time that people are still buzzing about the game. Given the amount of talk on the internet about this teaser, I would say it was a resounding success at doing exactly what it needed to do. Now hopefully they know where to go from there. (ie some real previews and trailers for the game)
 
The game could have been a kinect zombie fitness game for all the trailer showed me. The internet keeps talking about it because some people somehow think it was a good trailer, when it was a waste of money. A trailer talking about the game is nice if we actually have something to talk about, but we don't.
 
[quote name='tmacairjordan87']The game could have been a kinect zombie fitness game for all the trailer showed me. The internet keeps talking about it because some people somehow think it was a good trailer, when it was a waste of money. A trailer talking about the game is nice if we actually have something to talk about, but we don't.[/QUOTE]

A kinect zombie game (minus the fitness), would be a fantastic idea.
 
[quote name='tmacairjordan87']The game could have been a kinect zombie fitness game for all the trailer showed me. The internet keeps talking about it because some people somehow think it was a good trailer, when it was a waste of money. A trailer talking about the game is nice if we actually have something to talk about, but we don't.[/QUOTE]

Except people have had something to talk about...the trailer itself. That can only last so long though. You seem to have more of a problem with the idea of a teaser trailer than with this particular trailer in itself. It's hardly a waste of money if it gets people interested in the game and wanting to find out more about it, which this trailer has most definitely done. It's just that this trailer alone isn't enough to actually sell the game. But now that people are actually aware of Dead Island (because how many people were aware of it before now?), they can actually release some more info on the game to convince people that it is worth their money. This trailer has already been one of the most successful bits of advertisement for any game this year just by getting people wanting to know more.
 
Yeah I'm no fan of teaser trailers. Another bad recent one I can think of is battlefield 3. If I remember right, it was like 20 seconds long and pretty much showed nothing but the title with the lone soldier and everything. That was extremely frustrating.
 
[quote name='tmacairjordan87']Yeah I'm no fan of teaser trailers. Another bad recent one I can think of is battlefield 3. If I remember right, it was like 20 seconds long and pretty much showed nothing but the title with the lone soldier and everything. That was extremely frustrating.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but that's Battlefield. Everybody knows what Battlefield is and what it plays like. Not true with Dead Island.
 
Hmm. Red Steel 2 actually did first-person melee fairly well. Just needed to clean up the lock-on mechanism, really. Otherwise, it worked just fine by me.

[quote name='gargus']Thats just a small example really. Dead nation, zombie apocalypse, red dead redemption undead nightmare, land of the dead, call of duty world at war zombie mode, call of duty black ops zombie mode, plants vs zombies, burn zombie burn, fort zombie, the last guy, onechanbara bikini samurai squad, touch of the dead, zombie driver, zombie tycoon, all 3 dead rising games, borderlands zombie island of dr ned, all the resident evils, left 4 dead 1 and 2, teenage zombies, and dozens of others not coming to mind that have come out in recent years.

Then you have all the games that definitely influenced by zombies like dead space.[/QUOTE]
To say nothing of things like The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and Alice in Zombieland and Anna Karnivora and The Undead Land of Oz and...), You Might Be a Zombie (which, admittedly, isn't a very zombie-heavy book, but is instead cashing in on their popularity with its title), Walking Dead, Crossed (zombie-esque), Planet Terror, Zombieland...

I like 'em and all, but motherfuckers are getting played out. Even Starcraft 2's campaign had a zombie level.
 
snark5wm.jpg


That turned out quite big...
 
@Lugi:

Uh....what?

Anyways, another thing that's insanely stupid about the brou-ha-ha over this trailer is people freaking out about how "controversial" or even "inappropriate" the child-death is, like that's some really taboo subject or whatever.

Seriously, have people not seen fucking Jaws?
 
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In short the trailer is good at getting people talking. But in the end the game will most likely suck donkey balls.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Update: the game is absolutely nothing like the trailer:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/115/1153496p1.html

Basically Left 4 Dead plus Dead Rising 2, with a heavy metal soundtrack and black characters spouting stereotypical lines about "bitches."[/QUOTE]

That sounds awesome. Had they made a trailer about that, not only would I care more about the game, I wouldn't think they have no idea where they want to go with the tone of the game.

Right now, I think it's going to end up being two different games in one, fighting for supremacy. They'll need some consistency to make me consider giving them my money.
 
http://www.destructoid.com/gdc-11-our-latest-look-at-dead-island-195592.phtml

Sounds like the game will also have a lot of RPG elements. Sounds kind of like Borderlands with zombies and Dead Rising's weapon system, yet still a bit different from previous zombie games. :bouncy:

And I won't exactly be surprised if the game is nothing like the trailer. I mean just look at the Gears of War "Mad World" trailer. That was an awesome trailer, but the game was nothing like it. Hopefully now more written previews like these will start coming out, and maybe some people will get to do hands-on previews as well.
 
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