We have seen a lot of amazing video game trailers, but nothing hit me quite so hard as the recent Visions of Mana 2024 trailer. This trailer perfectly captures what it felt like to get truly hooked on the magical, whimsical power of video games, and how that power is strong enough to make you a lifelong of not just your favorite franchise, but video games themselves.
#videoessay #videogames #manaseries #videogametrailers
well theres that robin williams zelda trailer, the best trailers always play for the soul, not the spectacle
So a few critiques. First off, I grew up in the 80's and for every Zelda or Final Fantasy there was a dozen or more games that were more arcade style and didn't have hardly any story or recognizable characters. Games like Cobra Triangle, where you were a boat, Outrun (and all other driving games really), Bad Dudes where you are just a generic looking character with no personality, etc etc.
Second, games like Fortnight and FIFA (which I generally call "Dude Bro" games), have always existed even in the NES days. Games like Tecmo Bowl, Tecmo Baseball, Ice Hockey, Double Dribble, or even Track and Field with the oversized dance pad buttons were party games of the day and they were super fun friendship makers (and sometimes enders) just like fortnight and the rest of the more modern games you lament about in this video. They were only two player and there was no internet or loot boxes, but there were plenty of people who ONLY played those games and never really played the more RPG and story driven games much if at all.
Third, those people who grew up playing Dude Bro games primarily often DO have nostalgia for those games. They don't have the same type of nostalgia, but typically remember good times hanging out with friends during sleepovers or during birthday parties or whatever. The focus is not on the characters or their experiences, but rather on the real people and their experiences while playing the game with others. As such it's not a more shallow or less fulfilling experience, just a different one.
Fourth, while I agree the wonder and amazement of the video game rental and video game store is largely dead because of the modern day digital focused distribution and internet storefronts, that doesn't mean that kids won't be able to have similar experiences that we had growing up with video games. I would argue that there are tons of newer titles, especially in the indie space, that are just as, if not more engaging than the stuff we grew up with. Games like Hollow Knight, Undertale, Bramble, Costume Quest, A Hat in Time, Nier, Portal, Shantae, Stardew Valley, and many more are incredible Indie and small dev games that have a ton of heart and make you feel like you're the protag doing incredible things (or oddly satisfying mundane tasks).
Just because a game like Fortnight is popular doesn't mean that there aren't new, but also familiar, experiences to be had with video games. The landscape is different now to be sure, but for every Fortnite there is a Breath of the Wild, and games as a service seem to be getting less popular as a genre in general so it's likely we will see something new pop up to replace it as the trendy genre, but that doesn't mean that we are lesser for it. So long as great new games keep coming out I'll be happy.
Cheers.
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Visions of Mana – Official Japanese Trailer
The funniest interaction between myself and Mr. "you and your dumb games" – Boomer usually boils down to:
Spending hours each day watching TV, most of whats on being average at best is normal, am i right? But spending the same amount of staring at the same screen, is crazy if what i see is a game i'm actively playing and enjoying? Now tell me, what's the big difference?
I mean Seiken Densetsu was good but it's not like it gave me a reason to live
Feels bad for all these people who plays nothing but repetitive mp games that never ends, have no real story or character to them, no themes to explore or even any real creativity beyond bigger and better guns and buying power with real money. They fundamentally don't have the same experience with videogames as older gamers did, those who were gaming in the pre-internet era especially, despite the far more simpler gameplay and graphics, those games were truly immersive and more than the sum of their parts. And yeah, beautiful trailer, I didn't even see it when it's my most anticipated game of the year easily. Thanks for this and subbed.
Memes, are cultural genes.
You may not have breed a person, but that doesnt mean your legacy isnt pass on.
Nice break down and completely agree. Working in the industry myself, I feel we need more of this even if its just in the marketing but hopefully in the overall product.
DC universe online had the best
that trailer is so bad. cheesy as hell, pulling them nostalgia triggers. lol
Commercials aren't trailers though. And stuff like the Smash one and the Gears of War one… they were commercials, not trailers. That said, the best videogame trailer ever is the Twilight Princess trailer from E3 2004. Not just because it's a damn good trailer. But also because everything lined up to make it the most hype game reveal trailer ever.
I think kids have a tendency to imitate their parents and value the things they value, at least until theu become angsty teens. Hopefully we can pass on our tastes in video games like the priceless relics that they are
The biggest problem with today’s gaming generation is they don’t know what quality is until you show it to them as all they’ve been given so far is just subpar lazy moneygrubbing gaming content such as these Looter Shooters and Battle Royales etc with no story, barely any interesting original characters or no substance
This is the content I've been waiting for. Keep up the good work.