The best live action video game trailers

There’s a new trend in video game promotion. Before a major game is released, an over-the-top, big budget live action trailer appears to amplify its hype.

 

 

More often than not, these trailers have little to do with the game they portray. But who are we kidding? We love them anyway.

 

Who wouldn’t want to see their favourite video game franchise turned into a movie, even if it’s a bad movie? It gives gamers an unprecedented opportunity to see what their favourite video games would look like in the real world.

 

 

Mass Effect 3

Bioware’s final title in their epic space trilogy was released on Tuesday March 6th. This short trailer shows humans cowering in fear at the impending Reaper invasion. It then follows the game’s main character Shepard, as he fights for Earth’s freedom.

 

 

Halo: Reach

Less explosions and action and more atmosphere and scene-setting, Halo Reach’s live action launch trailer chronicles the creation of a super soldier. This trailer humanized the game’s characters and made gamers believe that there was a little more under their dark helmets.

 

 

Halo 3

Niel Blomkamp, the director of District 9, was supposed to helm the ill-fated Halo movie a few years ago. Although that movie was never made, these Blomkamp directed shorts surfaced a few years ago, leading up to the release of Halo 3.

 

 

 

Resistance 3

This western inspired live action trailer evokes a feeling of desperation and helplessness. It doesn’t totally represent the atmosphere of the final game, but it’s certainly compelling, dark and chock-full of violent imagery.

 

 

 

The Legend oF Zelda: A Link To The Past

 

This extremely Japanese live action commercial (it’s not really a trailer) for the classic Super Nintendo title, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link to The Past, is both amazing and ridiculous. Link, Princess Zelda, Ganon engage in a thriller-esque dance battle.

 

Insane? totally. But also ridiculously entertaining. This is something that could have only existed in the 90s.

 

canada.com

Microsoft cuts touchscreen lag to 1ms, makes other panels look silly (video)

Have you ever noticed that there is a serious amount of lag between when you move your finger on a touchscreen and when it actually registers that input? Perhaps you haven't, but most panels and controllers out there suffer from about a 100ms delay.

 

 

For taps and slow swipes that's not an issue but, as you wing your finger around the screen faster and faster (say, while quickly doodling in a painting app), the lag becomes quite apparent. The powerful minds over at Microsoft Research have figured out a way to get that delay down to a measly 1ms.

 

Of course, there's no guarantee this tech will ever make it into a product, and the video after the break shows little more than a glowing box following a finger. Still, it's always enjoyable to see where we are now versus where we could be.

 

 

TechCrunch

Microsoft Research (YouTube)