While I and many other bloggers take the Spike TV Video Game Awards very seriously, they are still a big deal to video game fans. The thing is that we’re not particularly concerned about who gets the awards. We’re more interested in the plethora of game announcements and trailers that are the big draw for the show.
Today, we have all the VGA trailers and brief analysis of each.
Note: Not all trailers were available for embedding at posting time. This post will be updated as trailers become available.
Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington
The Assassin’s Creed games effectively exist in an alternate reality where most historical events were a result of the actions of the Assassins and Templars and we have hyper-advanced technology that can read memories. The Tyranny of King Washington DLC is an alternate alternate reality that still isn’t real reality. I don’t know how a fake memory can exist in AC3 but it does and it’ll have to be explained pretty quickly in the game.
Release Date: 2013
BioShock Infinite
We’ve been learning a bit more about Infinite over the last few days thanks to Irrational demoing the game for the press prior to the VGAs. This trailer doesn’t add much but it does demonstrate combat. I was quite worried that the rail network would be a bit more scripted but I’m glad that it looks like you can use it when and how you want it. Combat seems a bit quicker than I recall from the original BioShock. However, this being a BioShock game, I know the story will trump gameplay so this trailer isn’t doing much for me.
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
The next Lords of Shadow game is a sequel to 2010’s reboot of the franchise but isn’t the next game in the Castlevania timeline. The direct sequel to CLoS is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate for the 3DS. CLoS2 is a direct sequel to Mirror of Fate. It looks to have all the classic Castlevania death and destruction. I don’t know if it’s a new addition but the blood sucking shown would be appropriate for a vampire game.
Release Date: TBA
Dark Souls II
It’s not in this trailer but Jessica Alba introduced it with the best joke of the night. She talked about playing Super Mario Brothers. Ha! Did anyone actually believe that? Anyway, the first Dark Souls was best known for being an unrelentingly difficult game. FromSoftware promise that the challenge will not lessen with this sequel. Some fan speculation suggests that this might be a prequel to Dark Souls. All I know is that I’m not masochistic enough to buy this game either.
Release Date: TBA
Gears of War: Judgment
I’d just like to note that Zachary Levi introduced this trailer which marked a rare appearance by an actual nerd/geek on the VGAs. No disrespect to Sam Jackson but can we get Zack back as host without the tea bagging jokes? Anyway, Judgment is a prequel to the GOW trilogy but features familiar characters Damon Baird and Augustus Cole. This game focuses on the early part of the Locust War.
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Halo 4: Spartan Ops
While previous clips of The Last of Us were about how Joel and Ellie survive in a crumbling world and deal with the dangers of the living, this trailer gives us our first glimpse of a story. We know it’s a zombie game. Now we know that some semblance of a society still exists but it’s not one that particularly happy or safe. Unlike the combat trailers, this one isn’t likely to sell too many more copies. It has, however, piqued my interest.
Release Date: May 7, 2013
The Phantom Pain
This was an interesting trailer. At first, I thought this was QWOP: The Console Experience seeing as your one-armed character couldn’t really get moving. Eventually, this built into something intriguing as the lead character stumbles his way to survival until we see flaming whales and levitating people.
On the surface, that sound interesting but it’s just a sizzle reel. The intriguing part is this Moby Dick Studio. They have absolutely no track record. So how do they get a spot in the VGAs. A lot of people think that the studio and game are a cover for the next Metal Gear Solid game. An MDS rep was at a Konami after-party. At the end of the trailer “Metal Gear Solid V” briefly flashes into frame. While we may doubt the existence of The Phantom Pain, we are ready for MGS5.
Release Date: TBA
South Park: The Stick of Truth
I can’t wait for this game to come out. It looks and sound like an episode of South Park. I don’t need another reason to buy this. Hell, I’m probably going to pre-order this. Anyway, the interesting thing to come out of this trailer is that there may be a choice to make between Kyle and Cartman’s sides of the conflict over the stick of truth. Whether there’s actually a choice or it’s scripted remains to be seen. It would be hella sweet if we did get a choice and multiple outcomes, though.
Release Date: Q2 2013
Tomb Raider
Is it just me or does this trailer look like they slapped Lara Croft into an Uncharted game? I know that the whole platforming, puzzle solving, treasure hunter thing was done by Tomb Raider before Nathan Drake. I mean in terms of the gameplay shown. It doesn’t look like any tombs are being raided. Maybe in the next Tomb Raider game, we’ll get back to that.
Release Date: March 5, 2013
