10 Trailers That Misled You About Awesome Video Games

Trailers are an effective way of getting players excited about upcoming releases. Within the space of a few short minutes, studios can give audiences an idea of what their game is about, what kind of game it is, and why people should be eager to play it.

With the games industry being as competitive as it is and studios getting exceptionally good at creating slick and eye-catching trailers, sometimes, however, a trailer ends up being much better than the game that it's trying to sell. While the likes of Aliens: Colonial Marines and Anthem are infamous examples of times when players were lured into buying subpar games thanks to glossy marketing material, it's also possible for a great game to be nothing like its trailer.

Whether they were early previews that evolved into something drastically different, deliberate misdirection to hide important plot points, or artistic choices which presented something that wasn't fully representative of a game's tone, there are several ways this could happen.

Although anyone buying these games based purely on their trailers will still have an incredible time with them, their experience may not be the one that they were expecting.

Alongside Mass Effect, BioWare's Dragon Age series is often considered to be one of the greatest RPGs of all time thanks to its rich environments, memorable characters, and epic narratives. Despite this franchise's pedigree, the series has a history of misleading trailers.

By focusing on the sex and violence while using Marilyn Manson in the soundtrack, Origins' trailer made this title resemble an angsty action game instead of the weighty, narrative-driven RPG that it was. Likewise, the cinematic combat seen in the sequel's trailers wasn't representative of the actual gameplay. The worst offender, however, was the reveal trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

With its more vibrant art style, quippy dialogue, and focus on character variety, fans were quick to point out that the trailer made this game look more like a conventional hero shooter than a Dragon Age game.

Despite Veilguard being marketed towards more general audiences, the game that players would get was still the epic RPG adventure they were hoping for. Not only did BioWare deliver a large-scale fantasy epic with some of the best-written characters in the franchise to date, but the reworked combat system made for fun and fluid gameplay.

Veilguard's misguided marketing didn't do this game any justice.