It’s become clear over the last few years that game trailers follow a fairly standard outline, with publishers and developers seeming to agree on the few important points to get across. A cool voice-over, some interesting script referring to events in the game that don’t really make sense out of context, and a climactic swell in music and some badassery. End it with a cliffhanger, and you’re in business.
Perhaps we’ve been underestimating just how strictly the guidelines are followed, since this YouTube mash-up of the Spike VGA trailers for Mass Effect 3 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim works for either title.
Both games put players into the role of a unique protagonist with special abilities to stop an impending conflict, with the same slow start capped off by a triumphant reveal at the end. The trailer works even better if you have an intimidating enemy to show off, or an ancient prophecy to end on.
For those of you who have always preferred the fantasy genre over science-fiction, maybe hearing the soothing voice of Max von Sydow laid over the reveal of Commander Shepard will change your mind.
On the other hand, maybe those who got suckered into the RPG genre by the laser-shooting, force-pushing Shepard will realize just how deeply Mass Effect is rooted in role-playing. BioWare is one of the best producers of RPGs around today, and the injection of some of Skyrim’s teaser into this trailer definitely shows just how close it keeps to its roots.
Check out the mash-up trailer below, created by YouTube user ‘Solgineer’:
