This year has been a great one for gaming. To celebrate, here are 10 of the finest gaming related videos to have hit the scene in 2011. Some are fan made, some are by big game studios, but all are worth watching. Some are for mature audiences.
Dead Island: trailer of the year?
Few game trailers have elicited as emotional a response as this one, for Dead Island. Moody, subtle and emotionally rich, it turned out to be everything the game was not. Luckily, beating zombies around the head with an oar still proved a lot of fun. As a means of grabbing the attention of the gaming public, this trailer certainly proved its worth, helping Dead Island achieve healthy sales this year, with a possible sequel on the way. Don’t even look at this one if you’re under age.
Mario Kart hits Paris
French comedian Remi Gaillard decided to give the real world another taste of Mario Kart this year, following up his previous turn as everyone’s favourite Italian plumber, back in 2008. Taking to the streets (and shops) of Paris, with bananas in tow, Gaillard somehow survives his madcap race intact. Kids: don’t try this at home.
LongLivePlay
Sony rolled out all its stars, and then some, for this great advert, which manages to perfectly communicate the visceral thrill of becoming immersed in a gaming world. Not all the characters on show are exclusive to the Playstation brand, and there are plenty of cheeky cameos to look out for. A reward from Sony, for ‘Michaels’ everywhere.
Reworking the Angry Birds theme
Pamplamoose is a California based indie duo centered around musicians Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. Here the duo present their unique take on the Angry Birds theme tune, which has over 3 million views on YouTube. That means only 497 million more Angry Birds players are yet to hear this gloriously chaotic version of the contemporary classic gaming theme.
Stunning Portal live action short – No Escape
Surely a contender for best ever fan made film, Portal No Escape is a wondeful sideways look at the Portal universe, by filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg. If Valve ever think of getting into the movie business, they should seriously think of signing this guy up. Breathtaking stuff.
Mega64 does Heavy Rain
The Mega64 guys have been creating low budget gaming skits since 2004, and this Heavy Rain pastiche is one of their best. Anyone who has played the game will instantly relate to this video, and the trophy ‘ding’ towards the end is a moment of genius. Heavy Rain actually came out in 2010, but this video was released in March 2011, hence its inclusion here.
Dark Souls gets bad ass
Dark Souls has been the sleeper hit of 2011 for many gamers. Namco Bandai cleverly teamed up with The Silent Comedy, to create a trailer that perfectly blends a moody indie rock growl with the beautifully dark visuals of the game. The opening lyrics “Oh my god, please help me” couldn’t be more appropriate, for a game that has taken such delight in punishing gamers this year.
The Shock Troopers hit the Battlefield
A tribute to the mighty Battlefield series by CorridorDigital, this is an explosive expose of what happens when you run of ammo in a Battlefield game. Unfortunately my defib paddles never seem to be as accurate as the ones on display here. Regardless, this live action take on classic ‘Battlefield moments’ is definitely a winner, largely due to the sheer over-the-top insanity of it all.
Skyrim – Dovahkiin’s Day Off
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim might as well be renamed ‘the game that launched a thousand memes’, given the number of, largely unintentional, laughs it has given the gaming community since release. This is one of the earliest, and funniest, Skyrim videos to have appeared on YouTube. Uploaded by zwoooooosh, it is basically a collection of baskets being placed on peoples heads. Trust me, it is funnier than it sounds.
Plants vs Zombies in real life
The PopCap game Plants vs Zombies seems intent on being released on every gaming platform around. In Germany it appears to have gone one step further, with the game apparently having been released into the real world. Luckily there is some sun around, to help in the fight against the relentless zombie menace.