Best Trailers of E3 2004
The Legend of Zelda (working title) Trailer 1 (GC)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Ah, the trailers of E3. By last count, the madmen of GameSpot Live are about to hit 1,300 movies published for this year's show. How can they possibly narrow such a huge list down to a top 10? Criteria included (but weren't limited to) visuals, music, editing/pacing, and the all-important surprise factor. A lot of movies on this list were for games we hadn't seen (or in some cases heard of) yet, and a good trailer will leave you counting down the days until its featured game hits the shelves. While we aren't camping outside of stores for these 10 games yet, let's just say the lawn chairs and sleeping bags are in the car.
The top trailer from E3 2004 was for Nintendo's new Legend of Zelda game for the GameCube. The trailer begins by taking you from tranquil landscapes to a looming army. An unknown hero rides from his castle to face the oncoming menace, until a third of the way through the trailer a quick zoom reveals it's Link on horseback. Just as that startling fact settles in, the trailer cuts to various shots of Link in action interspersed with lines like "Blades will bleed" and "Will the hero rise again?" We hope so, as the excitement generated by this trailer easily places it above all others and puts The Legend of Zelda (working title) on our tracked-games list.
Rounding out the Top 10 Trailers of E3 2004:
Destroy All Humans! Official Trailer 1 (Xbox, PS2)
The first 40 seconds of this trailer lead you to believe that Destroy All Humans! is yet another game based on the eradication of aliens. Twenty seconds later, you're making an old man's head explode.
Devil May Cry 3 Official Trailer 1 (PS2)
This trailer flawlessly employs the classic "start off with slow motion and choral music, then cut to driving action with crazy video filters and rocking music" technique.
Halo 2 E3 2004 Demonstration (Xbox)
So it's not actually a trailer, but this amazing multiplayer demonstration for Halo 2 could be renamed "Max's Many Deaths." Act now and receive commentary like "Take it!" "Bring it you alien bastard," and "Anti-sonofabitch stick." Poor Max.
Nintendo DS Demonstration (DS)
Speaking of not actually being a trailer, Nintendo gave GameSpot a private demo of its new handheld, the Nintendo DS. As if that weren't cool enough, they showed us how they made WarioWare, Inc. even crazier.
Resident Evil 4 Trailer (GC)
Another trailer from Nintendo's press conference, this one is a nice blend of building guitar rock, gunplay, and some sort of zombie cave troll thing.
Rome: Total War Official Trailer 4 (PC)
This trailer feels like a peek at the next epic summer blockbuster, but with less Brad Pitt and more elephants mauling people.
Tekken 5 E3 2004 Trailer (PS2, ARC)
Wait, Heihachi is dead? Don't be fooled by this trailer, which appears to end about a minute in. After the game's title screen, you get a solid two and a half minutes of sweet, sweet gameplay.
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 E3 2004 Trailer (PC, Xbox, PS2, GC)
How can you top last year's trailer for Tony Hawk's Underground? Trade in Jurassic 5 for Bam Margera, Ben Franklin with a kite, and the man in black, Johnny Cash.
Unreal Engine 3.0 Demonstration (PC)
It wouldn't be E3 without a highly anticipated movie shot off of a screen, and this year is no exception with this demonstration of the Unreal Engine 3.0 as seen on display at Nvidia's booth.
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