It didn't take long for the interactive trailer idea to take off. Both EA's Crysis 3 and Bethesda's Dishonored place a huge emphasis on choosing between a stealthy approach or a guns-blazing path to completing an objective. Traditionally, publishers would release two separate trailers to show off the variety in gameplay, but thanks to the magic of YouTube prompts, the choice is left to the viewer to see how the demonstration will play out.
The idea of using YouTube prompts to play out an entire trailer is still in its infancy. At their core, the Crysis 3 and Dishonored trailers are just one long video with a single prompt leading to smaller trailers tucked away inside. However, the ease of simply cutting up a video and adding prompts could open up a huge variety of ways to experience a trailer. Just imagine using YouTube prompts to play out an entire Mass Effect conversation. I'm surprised that nobody has tried it yet besides it being a video editor's worst nightmare.
As for the games, Dishonored continues to show off its vast array of options for handling a single situation. In this case, escaping a group of guards can be as easy as running from them using Corvo's teleportation magic, with a bit of gratuitous decapitation to keep things interesting. While other options include a combination of time freezing magic and poisonous crossbow bolts or chaining body possessions from one unfortunate host to the next. No matter the path taken, Dishonored is shaping up to be one of the best choices this holiday season.
And of course Crysis 3 is exactly what it sounds like…Crysis 3. It's a sci-fi first-person shooter that establishes itself from the pack with gorgeous visuals and exceptionally cool body armor, just like every other Crysis game. The franchise's open approach to taking out objectives is already well established, so unless you are new to the series, there's not much else to really say beyond the bow adding a slick new layer of depth to the stealth mechanics.
Either way, while these two veteran development teams work on pushing the boundaries of gaming in their own unique ways, its nice to see the publishers get in line too and challenge how we experience video game trailers as well.
Dishonored will be available this October 9th on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Crysis 3 will similarly hit all three major HD platforms next February. Crytek is also in talks with Nintendo to "possibly" bring Crysis 3 to the Wii U.
[via GameSpy]
