Are Fromsoftware the only company that can still get away with CGI trailers?
- Thread starter remember_spinal
- Start date
- Opinion
diffusionx
Gold Member
Hasn't Microsoft been doing this for years for their phantom lineup of great games?
Efren is G.O.A.T.
Member
Well From Software is...From Software so they get a pass!
It's not what you say that really matters, it's who you are when you say it...as sad as it sounds, it's real.
It's not what you say that really matters, it's who you are when you say it...as sad as it sounds, it's real.
wipeout364
Member
I like CGI trailers. Especially early on, I expect a shift to gameplay as we get closer to release obviously but CGI is way more entertaining and gives you a sense of what the developer is striving for. If anybody is buying games based on CGI trailers in 2022 then I don't have much sympathy for them.
If I see a CGI trailer I assume the game is at minimum 2 years out from release.
If I see a CGI trailer I assume the game is at minimum 2 years out from release.
Omnipunctual Godot
Member
Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, Elden Ring...what's the fifth one?
LazyParrot
Member
Don't see the problem. There is nothing wrong with CGI trailers per se, especially for an initial announcement, and From always delivers plenty of gameplay footage later on.
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Omnipunctual Godot
Member
Oddly enough, AC6 is supposed to come out in 2023. I know what you mean, though.
bender
What time is it?
Kings Field - PSX
Adventures of Cookie & Cream - PS2
DeSo - PS3
Bloodborne - PS4
Elden Ring - PS5
AmuroChan
Member
To me, any non-gameplay trailers are the same. Until I see the hud and actual gameplay, I don't care.
Omnipunctual Godot
Member
One of these things is not like the other, lol
bender
What time is it?
You mean the Dark Souls of split screen co-op games? It's legit great.
remember_spinal
Banned
Well, thats fine but its not the same thing. In-Engine represents what the game will actually look like, even if it is just cutscenes. CGI trailers are made by 3rd party animation studios with no relation to the game or studio. It's like watching the pre-release anime media tie in that accompanies the marketing, it might tell you what the game might be about but its not a representation of what you are gonna see in the game.
God of War devs said they were surprised by what they showed in the CGI trailer earlier this year.
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EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
shiiiiiiiit I like their games and I agree with this completely.
A pass is given to them for some really crazy shit that others get bashed for.
palpabl_purpura
Member
I knew the standards were low, but not this low. They're one of the developers I've blacklisted for atrocious PC ports. Will never buy another product from them.
YukiOnna
Member
I don't really hear complaints about CGI trailers outside of forums and a few here and there on social media though, but totally anecdotal, of course.
Personally, I'm more than fine with CGI trailers for announcement from the likes of Square Enix and FROM since it's a nice movie not capable with the game and they're cool. I know I'm probably going to like the game for the most part or won't know till I try it and no amount of gameplay trailer will change it so it doesn't bother me too much. I care more about interviews where a lot of the information lies, so CGI cinematics are fine in my book.
Personally, I'm more than fine with CGI trailers for announcement from the likes of Square Enix and FROM since it's a nice movie not capable with the game and they're cool. I know I'm probably going to like the game for the most part or won't know till I try it and no amount of gameplay trailer will change it so it doesn't bother me too much. I care more about interviews where a lot of the information lies, so CGI cinematics are fine in my book.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Get away with? Did some company make an amazing game, but it failed due to a cgi trailer from 2 years earlier? Did From already take your money without a game? People were excited AC VI was announced by a renowned studio with a great track record. You could criticize it in its thread for not showing gameplay. You could love other cgi trailers. No studio was jailed for one. Idk what you want. If they keep only showing non gameplay closer to release then maybe some will complain, but it won't change that it will be shown when ready or how good or bad the game is when finally released. Some unknown or lesser studio showing cgi for a game nobody has any expectations for obviously won't mean anything to anyone and will be just the same as if nothing was shown, AC being confirmed by From is obviously a bigger deal.
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alucard0712_rus
Banned
From Soft has some awesome CGI's
Jennings
Member
Man, this trailer still gets my blood pumping. Still love it so much. One of my top two trailers of all time. Still remember that reveal.
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pleaseinsertdisctwo
Member
I'm annoyed that Elden Ring didn't even include them in the actual game.
IMO FS has amazing CG scenes for their games. They should be part of the games as the opening and ending AT A MINIMUM.
IMO FS has amazing CG scenes for their games. They should be part of the games as the opening and ending AT A MINIMUM.
DelireMan7
Member
I always liked CGI trailers. It was always a great way to announce a game and hype it.
I understand why people want gameplay but I don't know, it's cool to be hype just by an announcement and some fucking cool CGI action.
FromSoft or not, I am always in for CGI.
Gameplay trailers are less memorable and boring for me.
Honestly, I think a reveal or announcement trailer should always be CGI trailer. Then they could after make a demo of gameplay or something. But CGI trailers are king for me.
I am still a kid in my head but I want to be hype when a game is announced and rewatch again and again a CGI trailer like I was doing 25 years ago.
I understand why people want gameplay but I don't know, it's cool to be hype just by an announcement and some fucking cool CGI action.
FromSoft or not, I am always in for CGI.
Gameplay trailers are less memorable and boring for me.
Honestly, I think a reveal or announcement trailer should always be CGI trailer. Then they could after make a demo of gameplay or something. But CGI trailers are king for me.
I am still a kid in my head but I want to be hype when a game is announced and rewatch again and again a CGI trailer like I was doing 25 years ago.
Rhazer Fusion
Member
I think most companies can still get away with CGI trailers. Look at Starfield, Redfall and Fable for example. I used to like CGI trailers, but now I think some companies rely on them a little too much at times and it's especially bad when they know the final product won't come anywhere close to the CGI trailer. I know they are generally to give an idea of how the completed game will look, but they can be deceiving and I don't think they do any favors for the final product if it falls short of expectations.
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Johnny Concrete
Member
They probably do the math. Are we going out of our way to polish some sections of the game for a trailer? Or are we marching on, outsource a cg trailer and actually deliver the game on time?
CD Projekt Red and UbiSoft do the 'fake gameplay' trailers and get a lot of backlash for it as well. (Graphics downgraded, features missing)
So there's no winning here.
CD Projekt Red and UbiSoft do the 'fake gameplay' trailers and get a lot of backlash for it as well. (Graphics downgraded, features missing)
So there's no winning here.
GymWolf
Member
No, i roll my eyes for every studio that make cg trailers, from is no different, i didn't care about the armoured core trailer other than the game being announced.
Cg trailers are useless, you don't get an idea of the graphic or the gameplay or even how the game is structured sometimes.
Cg trailers are useless, you don't get an idea of the graphic or the gameplay or even how the game is structured sometimes.
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Cyberpunkd
Banned
Because you know exactly it will run like poop and play great. Also From does not hype their games as 'really pushing the medium forward' crap.
Check the Callisto Protocol AI thread here to know what I mean.
Check the Callisto Protocol AI thread here to know what I mean.
wipeout364
Member
That's surprising to me. As an armored core fan since the PS1 days it's a good surprise.
AmuroChan
Member
Again, it doesn't matter to me. In-engine or not, things can change throughout the dev cycle and the final product can look very different than what the initial "in-engine" cutscene trailer was. When Death Stranding was revealed at the 2016 Sony E3 conference, Kojima said it was "in-engine". That was before they even picked the Decima engine to use. It was later reported that he used another engine to make that initial trailer. So again, in-engine cutscenes or CGI are both irrelevant to me as a consumer. Back to your original question, the answer is no. FromSoft is not the only dev that gets away with CGI trailers.
The Infectious Paradox
Gold Member
From games are the quintessential gameplay > graphics games. A lot if not all of their games have had CGI trailers, but have delivered. Do they cut corners on graphics? Yeah I think so. But, the gameplay way more than makes up for it. I'll still praise their games for what they are even if I wish they had better graphic fidelity 
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
hyperbertha
Member
In engine means jack Squat and you know it.
supernova8
Banned
I don't mind CGI trailers when (1) they are fucking awesome (come on it's giant mechs shooting each other, give them a break) and (2) the trailer contains hints.
remember_spinal
Banned
Naw, because they actually have some kind of visual representation or goal with in-engine cinematics. CGI is produced externally probably given some basic story prompts by the producers. The latter really isn't a real representation of the game at all
hyperbertha
Member
its really not a visual representation. In engine can be fully raytraced, just like CGI. There is very little tangible difference, especially these days, with industry level gpus capable of almost CGI level graphics in real time.
Captain Toad
Banned
If the games come out and are amazing, who cares how they are first shown off?
They could literally show us nothing but a title and the From logo at this point, and I'd be there day one. That's because they've built confidence by their games, not their marketing strategies.
They could literally show us nothing but a title and the From logo at this point, and I'd be there day one. That's because they've built confidence by their games, not their marketing strategies.
CamHostage
Member
Right. The Hellblade 2 2019 TGA announce trailer was "captured entirely in engine", in that it was made using Unreal Engine*. Three years later, the developer is still working towards producing in the game's engine what was shown "in engine" in that trailer.
The Mandalorian TV show is just as "in engine" as any UE teaser trailer that doesn't have what's shown to be demonstrably achievable in release-asset realtime cutscenes or gameplay scenarios.
(*And not even the UE5 engine variant that the Hellblade project will be or is now using. Even elite partner developers like The Coalition didn't have access to any part of UE5 until Nov 2020, so this was "in engine" of whatever internally modified version of UE4 which Ninja Theory has created for itself. That trailer was "in engine" for a version of the engine the developer would not be using. UE5 is mostly compatible with UE4 features, and is capable of great things on its own, but its a specific version of the engine with its own quirks and features and limitations and support plugin/hooks, or lack thereof.)
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