Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Top 10 Game Trailers Of 2014
Creating an exceptional trailer is not easy. The best ones are a nebulous fusion of gameplay, cinematics, music, and atmosphere all working together to ignite viewers’ excitement. The right combination of these elements can surprise and delight gamers, and we saw plenty of great examples in 2014.
Regardless of how the final game turns out, we can still appreciate trailers for the ways they capture our attention and imagination. Maybe they convey the mood of a game just right, or maybe they showcase innovative mechanics we can’t wait to get our hands on. These are the trailers from 2014 that hit the sweet spot and elevated our excitement to a new level.
10. Super Smash Bros.
We saw lots of different character trailers for Nintendo's all-star brawler, but the nostalgia-laden reveal of Punch-Out star Little Mac is the best of the bunch.
9. The Division
It isn't big on gameplay, but the E3 trailer for Ubisoft's apocalyptic shooter uses time-lapse footage well to establish a bleak and desperate world.
8. WWE 2K15
Combing Dylan Thomas' "Do not go gentle into that good night" with wrestling might seem like a bad idea, but this trailer proves that the result is surprisingly effective.
7. FIFA 15
Generally speaking, soccer fans know what to expect from a FIFA game. This trailer makes the familiar exciting with some help from featured athlete Lionel Messi.
6. Bloodborne
The combat in Bloodborne looks cool, but this glimpse of the game focuses on the unique Victorian gothic horror setting with great success.
5. Transistor
The atmosphere, music, and mystery in Transistor are just as important as the combat, and we get to all of them highlighted in equal measure here.
4. Inside
We're automatically interested in the new project from Limbo developer Playdead, and this video only gives us more reasons to look forward to Inside.
3. Final Fantasy XV
We've been watching cryptic trailers for this game for eight years; this one marks the first time Final Fantasy XV has seemed like a real game, and the road-trip vibe has us intrigued.
2. The Flame in the Flood
A key part of success on Kickstarter is a great video. There can be no doubt that this compelling trailer for The Flame in the Flood was instrumental in the campaign's runaway success.
1. No Man’s Sky
This is a game with a lot of big, ambitious ideas – some of which are difficult to explain. Rather than just make promises, Hello Games' E3 trailer for No Man's Sky clearly demonstrates game's enormous potential – jumping from world to world and discovering unknown alien species. People were interested in No Man's Sky before, but this trailer is really what got the industry talking.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
