Dead Island Trailer

Keeping in mind that this has no bearing on the actual game, this trailer for Dead Island is probably one of the best video game trailers in recent memory. It is no accident that movies and games are colliding when it comes to marketing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTtv3DyXRow

The problem I have is that I doubt the game can create this type of emotional response. Not that I think the ad is deceiving in any way. I’ve always said the best commercial is one that sells the *idea* of the game rather than the game itself. When you only have 30 seconds to reach an audience, the seed of an idea is much more powerful than any bulletpoint list or gameplay footage. Get a player excited about the concept and the rest will sort itself out if the game is any good at all.

And here’s a bonus for those who want to see a fan remix of the trailer in a mostly chronological sequence.

In Bruges


I haven’t really seen any movies lately that I consider a must see but I did rent In Bruges on dvd and thought it was pretty interesting. It has a bit of a normal action movie premise but with more original characters and a sequence of events, with just a touch of that European Guy Ritchie flavor to have style but not enough to be annoying. The writer and Director, Martin McDonagh, has parts England and Ireland in him and that seems to carry through to this film (which strangely enough takes place in Belgium). By all accounts he is an up and coming director so it might be worth checking out his first feature film.