10 Ways Trailers Let You Know A Video Game Is Secretly Awful

8. Being Edgy With A Capital "E"

Notable Offenders: Hatred, Postal 2, Wet

Controversy creates cash, as the saying goes, and though it makes sense that "edgy" games should be marketed to reflect their own boundary-pushing tone, sometimes it feels like trailers are simply desperate to evoke a reaction in order to drum up publicity for their mediocre game.

Take the recent terrorist simulator Hatred, which was marketed with a focus on its grimdark protagonist professing how much he loathes humanity, intercut with a montage of wanton murder.

It suggested a game being sold to freedom-loving gun nuts and angry teenage boys above all else, while downplaying any supposed depth or originality the gameplay itself might have had.

Unsurprisingly, Hatred was negatively received by critics for its self-consciously incendiary tenor and tedious gameplay, though the marketing ultimately paid off as the game was a surprise commercial success.