As one of the premier destinations for new game trailers, Game Awards is one of gaming's most-watched shows, and many viewers expect to be wowed by new game announcements, but some of the most exciting reveals this year came for games that were already on gamers' radar.
Star Wars Eclipse looks impressively cinematic, and Wonder Woman and Alan Wake 2 were nice surprises, but none of their trailers did much aside from an announcement of existence. Teasers are all well and good, but many have learned by now to keep their excitement in check until thorough gameplay and even post-launch reviews are out. As such, the real excitement from The Game Awards 2021 came from games that have already been announced, and appear to be shaping up quite nicely.
Proving why Elden Ring was TGA's most anticipated game two years running, FromSoftware's game was probably the most exciting presence of the show. The marketing for Elden Ring has so far been cryptic, and players have been trying to piece together bits of lore from the trailers and item descriptions in the closed network test, but a cinematic trailer at The Game Awards gave FromSoftware's dedicated fanbase plenty to sift through before the game's February launch. Perhaps it's the rocky launches of games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2042 keeping the excitement from building for freshly revealed games, but it feels like titles a bit more concretely on the horizon had a better showing at The Game Awards 2021.
The Game Awards 2021 Built Excitement for 2022
Two highlights from The Game Awards 2021 were Horizon Forbidden West and Dying Light 2, which are both expected to release in February, just like Elden Ring. As a follow-up to Horizon Zero Dawn, Forbidden West should improve on AI, traversal, melee combat, machine variety, and more. The first game impressed many players as Guerrilla Games' first attempt at an open world, and early looks at Forbidden West have all but confirmed it as building off of that base. Dying Light 2 is in a similar boat, and fans of the original have been waiting for a long time to get more zombie-killing, parkour gameplay. Its cinematic trailer at TGA reinforced the series' dire setting, and with presumably no more delays, Dying Light 2 is shaping up rather nicely.
One trailer that may have unexpectedly impressed viewers was a new look at Forspoken, which revealed its May 2022 release date. The game hasn't seemed to generate much excitement until now, but this new trailer provides a very intriguing look at its story, open world gameplay, and variety in Forespoken's Wheel of Time-esque magic powers. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II very nearly reached this upper echelon of anticipation-building trailers, but a lack of a release window might keep many viewers cautious. Hellblade II's new gameplay reveal was one of the most visually impressive showcases at The Game Awards 2021, but games' graphics have been known to regress by the time they launch, making it a good example of how excitement for games can be dampened without more than a vertical slice or cinematic trailer.
