So if you haven’t seen the very verbal, yet visually stunning “Manifesto” trailer for Guild Wars 2, go check this little bit out, and come back when you’re done feasting your eyes on it:
Not surprisingly, I like stuff like this. Trailers are always fun to watch, but they are even more fun when little nuances are done that make them unique. In this case, the trick is to include developer philosophy and humanism into the mix. Developers appear in all their excited, slightly haggard-with-little-sleep glory, putting out notions like a card shark deals to his marks. The other interesting thing is that they plainly speak about their notions. Guild Wars 2 is not a grind. People hate grind. People want to be heroes; MMOs have failed to make people heroic. Bosses aren’t epic because they respawn, and everyone is the same.
And Guild Wars 2 aims to change all of that, for the better.
Really, the reason why I’m so happy and excited for this trailer is not because of all that, but for the simple idea that it takes cojones, nuts, guts, testicular fortitude, whatever you want to call it, to make such bold, straight statements. This is different than the “bold” statements MMO devs make about subscriber numbers, or how they plan on torching the competition, or all that. It doesn’t take a sack to say those things, because that’s just bravado. No, laying out the design philosophy and saying not just “we hope to” but that “we will” makes all the more difference.
There are people out there who continue to be cynical about the idea of trailers, visual aids, and even the most plain of ideas communicated through media. It’s too bad that they are, because it’s rare to see developers with a willingness to put themselves out there, this early, and try to declare their own identity. In an online world where MMOs have higher failure rates than first-year restaurants, to be so bitter about them to the point of picking apart even a bold trailer like this one is a little sad, yes? No matter what the message is, the modern MMO trailer is meant to be taken in, enjoyed, and watched over and over again. GW2′s developers simply made sure that you heard their message loud and clear – and out there for all to see. Happy cojones to you.