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The heartache and the bloodshed of World War II, the stark revelation of man's inhumanity to man, the bitter truth of civilization's eternal struggle with itself ... Actually, f*ck that, son! Get me some guns, some punching and some ROCKING ROLLS MUSIC!
Treyarch's launch trailer for Call of Duty: World at War truly captures the bleak spirit of World War II with this sensitive and thought-provoking trailer. It brings to light the most important things we as a species have learned from one of the most tragic conflicts of the 20th century -- No Rules, No Fear, No Mercy, Only CHAOS! That's what WWII was all about, man. The only thing that could have added more to this stark portrayal would be Hitler riding a Dewback and smoking pot with the cast of Cool Runnings.
I would like to congratulate Treyarch on this dark and engaging video, and what is sure to be a game that truly makes you think about conflict in the same way that Modern Warfare did.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
7:47 AM on 11.09.2008
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i applaud treyarch for actually breaking away from the typical presentation of a WW2 game. "dark and engaging" has been done to death.
i'm not going to play COD5 because i want to learn about war - that's why i went to school.
That's interesting you bring that up, since I believe the opposite, that it's trailers like the above that had been done to death. It's way corny.
i suppose you could argue both ways quite easily considering how many times WW2 has been done, but i find that every WW2 i play seems to be going down the "serious" route and mostly doing a poor job of it.
i agree that this approach is pretty shallow compared to COD4's, but i feel this portrayal of war is just as valid. how in tune with the full game this trailer is i don't know, and if the answer is "not at all" then i'd certainly re-evaluate the merits of putting out a trailer like this.
I think the problem lies, for me, in the fact that Modern Warfare is one of those games that did a serious war game and did a great job of it. It was such a tight campaign that I was incredibly impressed, and it just seems like a shame if this is going to be Treyarch's attitude to it.
I'm certainly looking forward to the game, mainly for online, but Modern Warfare's solo mode was a real surprising treat and I'd love Treyarch to have the same commitment.
Yup, cliche catchphrases and genero-rock really equates to dark and brutal in my mind all right.
Psycho_terror:
I didn't really think there was any other way to approach war.
you've fallen into the trap of comparing this to COD4 too much. i guess it is hard not to, but treyarch are at least bringing some variation to the series and if COD5 really is a quality game then i will certainly be satisfied.
@ Alexradl
yes, you are right, but however much we like to glorify WW2 in the sense that it was a real war, fought by commited and serious men for serious reasons, i have no doubt that there were a good few "crazies" in it for the chaos etc. and i guess that side of the conflict deserves recognition.
above all though, the quality of the game will decide wether this approach will work or not.
Nothing wrong with a solid, if derivative, shooter.
Not all games can be AAAA like CoD4, I mean come on, the bell curve is there for a reason, most stuff is average.
To non-FPS nuts: better off avoiding/wait-and-seeing.
I read the Kotaku write up as well, and I completely agree: I would be embarrassed to watch that clip in the company of WWII veterans, of either side. Or even anyone of that generation. And yes, that is something to consider.
It comes across as both crassly exploitative of the actual events, and cynical in its obvious, lame appeal to the 14 year old boy demographic.
I know how annoying it is when someone sees the opportunity to seize the moral high ground on the internets, I know, but come on, this is just gross.
after playing left 4 dead and mirrors edge and fallout 3 and maybe fable 2 and dead space...
btw, is that a alice in chains song in the trailer?
I will say that at least they used a song I've never heard used in a trailer before. And it's mildly appropriate for a war game... lyrically. Song's about being in Vietnam.
...And then they kinda butchered it by cutting out all the lyrics but "Oh yeah", but whatever.
God, I sure wish CoD4 had been released for the Wii.
It may not really represent the single campaign.
Yes it was.
Jon2309 has been booted for team killing.
FUCK!
Come on man you can't be serious. That would be like putting in whatever music was around in ancient Greece or Rome for the God of War games. You can't seriously believe that would be a good idea.
As far as the trailer goes, +1 point for Alice in Chains, -1 point for another WW2 shooter. I can't bring myself to get this game, I've played too many WW2 shooters to play another one. You can shoot an M1 Garand and Thompson machine gun only so many times. It could be the best shooter since they were invented and I still won't get it.
Yes it was.
Why exactly was it corny? Because they had rock music playing over scenes of violence? Was it really any different than oh I don't know 1000 other goddamn game trailers that have been put out over the past few years? It's called marketing and I for one believe that they did what they sent out to do, why? Because here we are talking about it, getting it even more in to the public eye.
NO RULES! NO FEAR! NO MERCY! ONLY CHAOS! I don't even need more than that, although the fact it looked like a silly Hollywood action flick helped.
"Was it really any different than oh I don't know 1000 other goddamn game trailers that have been put out over the past few years?"
No it's not. That's ... why its corny? You're kind of arguing my case here.
"It's called marketing and I for one believe that they did what they sent out to do, why? Because here we are talking about it, getting it even more in to the public eye."
Something that works isn't automatically something that's good.
Just saying I called it.
Also, something you may find corny someone else may find "badass" as some people in this thread have.
Listen, it's a trailer. For a videogame. This is not the Oscars and we are not debating something for a Pulitzer or Noble prize. We could sit here all day and argue the merits of the video itself. Does it glorify war? Does it copy and steal from other videos? Does it really need to have music playing that wasn't prevalent during the time frame the game takes place?
When I read articles like this (and the one posted earlier today over at Kotaku) I think of this quote:
“I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those censorious, self-righteous people around me”
So lets just all sit back, watch some people get blown to shit and just enjoy it for what it is, a goddamn videogame.
I think the people taking this more seriously are the people who liked the trailer. They're the ones getting upset by this stuff.
Read my article again, please. I don't believe I was self-righteous, just sarcastic. I'm not offended by the trailer, I think it's unintentionally funny if anything, and I feel it's a shame that they felt they had to go down this route with it. Y'know, just a shame that this is their attitude towards the game premise.
Most of my article, however, was intended for a laugh. So enjoy that for what it was too, a goddamn bit of messing around.
The people taking it too seriously are those who feel the need to write an article about how tasteless they think the add is (not you, the guy over a Kotaku). He genuinely seemed upset about it. It's a launch trailer for a video game, not a work of art.
I wonder if it would of have been better received if they had Loverboy's Working For The Weekend playing instead. Maybe Soulja Boy's Superman.
I can appreciate your opinion on the trailer and do understand that is meant to be comical even satirical in nature. I also stand behind my opinion though that the trailer is pretty badass no matter what music they use or who may or may not be offended.
I mentioned Adolf Hitler riding a Dewback and smoking pot with the cast of Cool Runnings.
If you can't detect the sarcasm, then I'm afraid I can't help you.
"Would you show this to a veteran? Would you a few days before Remembrance Day?"
what i find weird is that Keifer Sutherland isn't doing any promotions. i mean didn't they get him for the single player? he's a pretty big name. all the kids love Jack Bauer. record a trailer with him as the narrator.
boom. sold.