Hiya!

Is it weird I don’t go and watch the Game Awards for the awards anymore? I do think it’s really neat they do recognize the best in the industry in general but that seems more like a side quest instead of the main story. The real reason I go and see the Game Awards is for the new awesome trailers! The upcoming game which are going to try their darndest to receive recognition from the Game Awards when they’re released. Kinda ironic, don’t you think?

There were a lot of trailers shown during the Game Awards. I would even say more than half of the entire show was devoted to showing off new trailers and the like. A lot of them were good. Some of them were kinda meh. In fact, let’s go give them their own awards as well, shall we?

Best and Worst Trailer with No Gameplay

While gameplay is always going to be king, there are always going to be times when a game trailer won’t show any of that. They’re just there to build up the hype. They’re there to give you the feel of what to expect. Here is the winner and loser for Best and Worst Trailer with no Gameplay

Best: Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

I’m a sucker for cartoon trailers… even though the game isn’t cartoon based.

I’ve never played Dead Cells and this trailer doesn’t really make me want to play it because, like I said, there isn’t any gameplay to hook me. However, I do love how they used animation to convey the overall tone this crossover is going for. I’m familiar enough with Dead Cells so I totally get why pairing it with Castlevania is a natural choice. After all, it is inspired by the Metroidvania style of gameplay.

I do have to say I appreciate all the effort that went to animating this trailer. It manages to convey a lot of humor despite none of the characters saying a single word. It’s all mimed throughout but you can still follow along. I also love the humor involved. I do wish they inserted the “What is a man?” meme in, though.

Worst: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

I sure hope that was a finger Captain Boomerang accidentally sliced off.

I didn’t grow up watching Batman: The Animated Series but I did first hear the late Kevin Conroy’s performance as Batman during the Arkham games. Since then, I have encountered his other work as the Caped Crusader and I can safely say he did a fantastic job in the role. This is why I totally get why Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League decided to show off a cutscene where Batman, voiced by Kevin Conroy, is introduced in the game.

This isn’t a bad trailer but, at the same time, it really isn’t that good either. This is when I would’ve loved to see some gameplay, as I’m very curious how the Suicide Squad would have to handle a more stealthy adversary in the Dark Knight. All we did see was Batman press a button and Kevin Conroy spouting off one of the most iconic superhero lines ever. It’s a nice nostalgic trip for fans but I wanted to see much more than just a cutscene here.

Best and Worst Use of Celebrities in a Video Game

The hobby of video gaming has become accepted by the mainstream and, with that, mainstream celebrities, such as actors and writers, have started to embrace it. They’ve even lent their talent to some video games. Let’s got check out the Best and Worst Use of Celebrities in a Video Game.

Best: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

I guess getting Keanu Reeves wasn’t good enough for ya?

When Keanu Reeves first came out on the stage during 2019’s E3 show, people were blown away. More so when it was revealed he was going to be in the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. If getting a high profile enough actor like Keanu wasn’t enough, they opted to add more star power by adding Idris Elba to the game’s upcoming DLC, Phantom Liberty.

This looks like it can be a solid and significant piece of DLC and adding an actor with the caliber of Idris Elba should enhance the entire experience. Now, here’s hoping the actual DLC is going to live up to the hype of the game.

Worst: Crime Boss: Rockay City

There can be a problem with too much star power. Let me explain.

The trailer for Crime Boss: Rockay City is definitely channeling Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It even dives right in the time frame of the ’90s to give it that cheesy feel. Probably the most eyecatching thing about the trailer is how much star power Crime Boss: Rockay City has. You got the likes of Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger and Danny Glover here. Okay, it’s not exactly A-listers but it’s a respectable cast. Oh, and Chuck Norris does elevate it all the way up to 11.

However, this does make me worried about, well, the game itself. Getting all of these notable actors and actresses to lend their likeness and voices to the game might be attention-grabbing. It does make me wonder how much of the game’s budget went to paying all of these people! Budgets are never unlimited, so, if a hefty chunk of it is being eaten by paying these Hollywood celebrities, it does make me worried what corners they had to cut in the actual game itself. Sometimes, more is less… or something like that.

Best and Worst Games Coming to PC

There has always been this weird divide between console gaming and PC gaming. Well, it’s always nice to see both sides playing together, with games flowing from one side to another. Here are the Best and Worst Games Coming to PC.

Best: Returnal

Not just on your new-fangled PlayStation 5 anymore!

I always thought Returnal, a game that uses the PlayStation 5’s hardware to its fullest couldn’t be ported over to other systems. Well, that’s because I’m not a tech-head. Of course, you need some somewhat advanced PC innards like 16GB of RAM, a beefy enough graphics card with something like 6GB of memory and, the most important piece, an SSD hard drive to keep up with Returnal’s central gameplay gimmick of respawning instantly.

Well, as long as you have all of that, you should be good to go to play Returnal on PC. Honestly, that seems like a pretty good deal. I wish I could play Returnal but my PC isn’t built up to those standards and I can’t find a PlayStation 5 at the stores up to now. Pity me, please.

Worst: The Last of Us: Part 1

You’re telling me it hasn’t been ported to PC yet?

When the original The Last of Us was released on the PlayStation 3, I was one of those singing its praises. It was a phenomenal game with an emotional roller coaster of a story. The characters were believable and the gameplay was rock solid. That was almost a decade ago. Since then, the game’s publisher just loved to dip into The Last of Us well over and over again by giving us remake after remake.

The Last of Us: Part 1 was remade and updated for the PlayStation 4 and then to the PlayStation 5. So, I was actually shocked to find out it hasn’t been ported over to the PC yet! Why would it take so long for them to make a PC version? They’ve done it much faster with games like Spider-Man, Final Fantasy VII Remake, the Horizon games and many more! Is it because they’re also making a live-action show based on the first game? That’s probably it, right?

BONUS: The Best and Worst Games with a Trippy Premise

Sometimes, beautiful graphics isn’t enough to make a game stand out these days. You need a hook. Something that makes your game stand out. It may be a cool gimmick or a really unique mechanic. Here are the Best and Worst Games with a Trippy Premise.

Best: Viewfinder

Kinda reminds me of Portal.

Viewfinder looks like it’s going to be this really awesome and unique puzzle game. From the very brief trailer, it seems you’re going to have to manipulate pictures and objects in order to magically create new paths. It’s looks insane and, if the game can deliver on what it looks like, this could be one of the most unique games out there ever.

Of course, there’s the possible pitfall that Viewfinder might be super linear but I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. If they can manage to pull off the really cool mechanic well and make it so you can do fix the pictures or objects anywhere, I’m super down with it.

Worst: Nightingale

So, it’s like Stargate but in the past?

Nightingale does have a unique premise. You basically control a character who gets stranded in an alien world. However, unlike most games, you control a guy or gal from the 1800 or something. That does seem pretty neat. There also seems like some magical elements as there are mythical beings and you can glide down on an umbrella. Eat your heart out, Link and the Genshin Impact characters!

Now, while this is indeed unique, I’m not sure if it’s all that engaging. It’s almost like the developers opted to use the old-timey vibe just to limited what equipment you can develop. I mean, no high-tech weapons, such as machine guns, or things of that sort. However, that just doesn’t seem all that appealing to me. Hopefully, the game can be more than just a time period.

Byee!

What were some of the best and worst trailers shown during this year’s Game Awards? Let me know in the comments section below!