The Best Trailers Of E3 2017

Every year we look forward to E3 and the collection of trailers that hand out tickets to the hype train. We ride this train throughout the development period until it takes us to paradise station, or crashes off a bridge and explodes with all of us inside… Let’s not worry about that, and instead focus on the incredible trailers that really get us excited about the potential of what is to come.

This list does not reflect how good or bad a game will be, but rather is based strictly on the merit of the trailer itself. The list also does not include demos.

Star Wars Battlefront II

It doesn’t matter how betrayed you felt after the first Battlefront, the moment you saw those storm troopers appear on-screen with the brass ensemble theme, you forgot all about the disappointment of two years ago. Chalk it up to Star Wars fandom if you want, but there’s no denying the epic explosions, gun battles, and lightsaber duels make for one hell of a trailer.

Check out more on Star Wars Battlefront II's single-player and multi-player.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

Say what you will about the Assassin’s Creed games, but their trailers are some of the best in the industry. While I might not put this as one of the best Assassin’s Creed trailers, it was still certainly one of the best at this year’s E3, which should tell you something about the consistent quality of their cinematics. Oh, and the snake is cool. Fight me.

Check out what's changed about the series during its year-long absence here. Get up to date with Assassin's Creed Origins here.

Crackdown 3

Video games have tried to capitalize on the fame of celebrities for a long time; Kevin Spacey in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Aisha Tyler as spokeswoman for Ubisoft, Kate Upton for Game of War. I was beginning to think celebrities just needed to just stay in their own industry, synergy be damned. That is, until this year, when Terry Crews made the Crackdown 3 trailer one of the most enjoyable of the year. This is the first, and probably last time I’ll ever say this, but “I hope that celebrity has a big role in that game.” I don’t need to throw cars, what I need is more Terry Crews.

See how the Crackdown 3 world reacts to your actions here.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

This trailer showed essentially nothing of the storyline, yet it was brilliant in its representation of Ori’s world. A somber, but still overwhelmingly beautiful setting for the sequel is apparent, and the trailer carries that tone so effortlessly. I am curious as to why the owl is so sad. I’m assuming it has something to do with his owl parents being turned into owl ice sculptures, but at least Ori is there to comfort the sad owl for when the owl's parents melt.

For our glowing review of Ori and the Blind Forest, head here.

Ashen

Everything in this trailer from the abstract narration to the minimalistic music to the simple yet potent art style, lends itself to an exquisite air of mystery. The trailer is significant in its ability to generate interest where none existed before. It’s markedly easier to produce a good trailer with known and respected content to draw from, but to see an indie game pull off something similar is encouraging.

For more on Ashen, click here.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Sauron is terrifying, the Nazgul are terrifying, the balrog is terrifying. If you don’t walk away from a Middle-earth trailer thoroughly terrified, then something went horribly wrong. Talion and Celebrimbor scream “You serve the Bright lord” to their army of undead, somehow managing to be more terrifying than all the others put together. This trailer has essentially every menacing force in Middle-earth coming out to play.

To see how the sequel improves upon its predecessor, go here. Watch comedian-orc, Bruz, in another trailer here.

The Evil Within 2

This trailer is a nightmare in all the best ways. Throw in some creepy idyllic music and you’re pretty much ready for your darkest fears to come alive. The trailer seamlessly blends Sebastian’s mind and reality to the point where I don’t know what’s real, I’m just ready for the evil to be within me, too.

Watch The Evil Within 2 gameplay here, and check out our review of The Evil Within here.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

If we pretend the first minute and 45 second didn’t happen (we are and you should, too), this trailer is awesome. It has Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter, Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds, and Liesel – a gigantic, fire-breathing, robot dog or something. I’m not 100 percent sure what the strangely animated lizard has to do with anything, but I imagine it will play a pertinent role in the game.

Watch us break down the trailer here, and check out the game's beginning here.

The Crew 2

While I have a feeling this trailer isn’t true to the actual gameplay, the idea of a racing-type game in the world of Inception sounds like a pretty good pitch for a video game. The transitions were incredible and this is one of those times where they just nail it with the music. I’m also glad people are finally using LiveShare instead of YouTube. Fun note: the in-trailer video was published on June 15, 2017, while the actual trailer went up on June 12, 2017. Are we time travelers or what?

For our review of The Crew, drive on over here.

Skull & Bones

Man, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag 2 looks great. Really though, I’m glad Ubisoft took the hint and went all-in with the pirate thing. The sunken bodies and naval combat mix with the music to create a really chilling atmosphere, one that’s unique to the maritime setting. This trailer came out of the blue, and along with the gameplay demo, has already generated a ton of publicity for the game.

See how the pirate-based game diverges from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, here.

Beyond Good and Evil 2

This trailer seems to have gamers split right down the middle. Such a drastic change between the trailer’s tone and that of its predecessor has induced major disparity among the community. After nearly 15 years of absence, Beyond Good and Evil has apparently matured in a similar fashion to the way Naughty dog handled the jump from Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy to Jak II. Unlike Naughty Dog however, Ubisoft seems comfortable with dropping several f-bombs and integrating exceedingly lewd humor. I said matured, but maybe I just mean “changed.”

To see why the wait for this sequel was so long, click here. Check out how innocent the first game was in our review, here.

God of War

With such a huge departure from the previous games, there’s been a lot of interest generated around the new God of War game, particularly its gameplay. This trailer shows there will be no shortage of epic battles, gruesome finishers, and quality father-son bonding time. If Kratos gives dad advice while he’s splitting skulls in half, it’s guaranteed to be a good time.

Check out our interview with God of War creative director Cory Barlog, here. For our heavenly review of God of War III, click here.

Super Mario Odyssey

What’s the one thing people have been wanting in a Mario game since Super Mario Bros. on NES? Apparently dinosaurs. It was a struggle to get acclimated to seeing Mario take on a city setting and Jurassic characters simultaneously, but after a few watches and utilizing YouTube’s mute function, I think I’ve finally come around. Mario taking on the guise of objects and creatures around the world by throwing his hat is really something to behold, and it’ll be interesting to see if the idea holds up when it’s played out.

Watch Mario's hat in action here, and check out our hands-on breakdown of the game here.

Monster Hunter World

Bringing Monster Hunter back was enough to spark intrigue among long-time fans of the series, but for those that aren’t familiar with the game, the trailer spoke for itself. It showcased fearsome monsters and erratic gameplay, enlightening gamers who have never had the pleasure of playing the game’s first iteration. 

Read our discussion of Monster Hunter World's appeal to first-time players here. Watch our Replay of the original Monster Hunter here.

What are your favorite trailers from this year's E3? Let us know in the comments below!