By Nathan Grayson on May 26th, 2012 at 9:00 am.
I have to say, this PlanetSide 2 trailer is probably one of my favorite pieces of game-related promotional material in quite some time. No, it’s not packing the megaton budget of, say, Metro‘s fantastic live-action scene-setter, but in this case, simplicity wins the day. For one, it’s yet another impressive demonstration of battles’ ridiculous scale, with a colossal swarm of ships raining rockets on the parades of just about everything except an actual parade. But also, it features what would surely have become the 1856 videogame trailer equivalent of overused dubstep – if, you know, they had videogames in 1856. Or trailers, for that matter.
Ride of the Valkyries! Wasn’t that silly? I love it, though. While other trailers seem to be engaged in this constant war of glitz-and-glamour-based oneupmanship, PlanetSide’s off in its own little world of just-overused-enough-to-be-amusing classical music mindlessly blowing shit up. It’s simple, gets the point across, and manages to be worth a chuckle. Delightful.
As for PlanetSide itself, the massively purple multiplayer shooter looks brilliantly hectic as always, and I continue to desperately pine for it even in my happiest of hours. As with most things I want, however, this one still doesn’t have a release date. But, unlike a puppy – which is another thing I want – PlanetSide’s free-to-play, making its biggie-sized battles even more impressive. Although, now that I think about it, puppies – via unstoppable, adorable destruction and that whole eating thing they do – become significantly more expensive over time. Did puppies invent microtransactions? But then that means… Oh god. I’ve opened Pandora’s Box. This harrowing knowledge wasn’t meant for mortal man.
26/05/2012 at 09:19 baby snot says:
Totally picked it before watching the trailer. Guess it’s that much of a cliche. Reminds me of the Shootmania trailer that was recently well received. ‘Call that a trailer? This is a trailer’. That scene of the gunship barrage is very exciting.
26/05/2012 at 11:32 Fede says:
Yes, this was the only possible answer to Nathan’s intro.
The takeoffs were nicely timed, but everything else in the first half of the video was too bland (compared to the music). But the bombing worked well.
Heliships and Ride of the Valkyries also remind me of SimCopter. Can we have another, please? :D
26/05/2012 at 12:11 kommissarnicko says:
SimCopter? OHMYGODGETOUTOFMYHEAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!!~
27/05/2012 at 05:24 Clean3d says:
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I want Simcopter 2.
It would be pretty fly. (Hi RPS)
26/05/2012 at 12:21 Vorphalack says:
Bland? It’s quite clearly an homage to the original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3Cc7wlfkI
…..only without the civilian massacre.
26/05/2012 at 09:21 Njordsk says:
Ok, do want it. Now.
26/05/2012 at 09:31 Cytrom says:
The pvp aspect of this game seems unmatched, but i think its a missed opportunity, that it’ll not have any pve content… just imagine a massive scale alien invasion with motherships, infantry units and everything in between fought off by the cooperative power of hundreds of people in land air and sea… that’d be insane.
26/05/2012 at 10:15 vee41 says:
Now imagine that, but with real players only. Yup, thats planetside.
26/05/2012 at 11:05 Colt45 says:
The Devs focus for now is getting the game out with 100% PvP, but they have talked about alien invasions as a long-term possibility for an expansion.
26/05/2012 at 11:19 ratinox says:
Many times during the glory days of PS1, people requested PvE and the response was always that there’s simply no need for it, with continuous 3-way PvP war. Adding PvE would only cause a split in the playerbase between PvE and PvP, to the detriment of both. If you want MMOFPS with PvE, go play Firefall.
26/05/2012 at 14:06 Cytrom says:
I know its a wild concept, but i would like a game that has both.
Maybe one day…
26/05/2012 at 18:03 PacketOfCrisps says:
Why would you want to introduce AI when there is no need for it? Isn’t it better to have entirely human opponents? I really don’t see the need for PVE in a game like Planetside and I feel its inclusion would only diminish the dynamic nature of the game.
26/05/2012 at 14:52 TotalBiscuit says:
One thousand times NO.
That completely defeats the purpose of Planetside in every way. Why would you need PvE content when you have thousands of other players to do battle with, when each fight is different because it’s a real player behind every opponent?
The answer is you wouldn’t. We also don’t need any of that questing bullshit either.
26/05/2012 at 15:36 Reefpirate says:
Hear hear! Carebears already have more then enough toys to play with.
27/05/2012 at 04:05 Quarex says:
It is not often I want to slap-challenge someone to a duel on the Internet, but, seriously. You, and people like you, are the reason every developer makes multiplayer games now, because somewhere along the line they thought the your vocal rabid lunatic minority of gamers who loves feeling e-power by killing other people was actually the majority.
I only wish we “carebears” were the ones being most catered-to these days.
And seriously, what happened to PlanetSide? I thought the first game was about ground combat? PlanetSide 2 is going to be ship-focused? :(
27/05/2012 at 22:12 Vorphalack says:
The number of multi-player only games released in the last 2 years can be counted on the fingers of one hand. All hail Planestide 2 for specialising, instead of trying to please everyone and achieving mediocrity.
Also most of Planestside 2 is ground based, the trailer was an homage to the opening sequence of Apocalypse Now.
28/05/2012 at 01:02 lurkalisk says:
@Vorphalack – “The number of multi-player only games released in the last 2 years can be counted on the fingers of one hand.”
So… you’re hand looks something like a sea anemone then? PvE has no place in PS2, but I generally agree with Quarex. Even if PS2 is best this way, it’s part of a problem.
28/05/2012 at 02:45 dE says:
In a way I agree with you, yet I also disagree.
There need to be more MMO Developers who are willing to go for a PVE only Route. The often tacked on PVP, which then somehow becomes the marketing focus doesn’t do any side justice and oftentimes ends in a split community that hates each others guts.
BUT, just like there is a need for PVE MMOs, there’s also a place for pure PVP MMOs. Tacked on PVE is just as bad as tacked on PVP. I’d rather have games focus on what they do best, instead of trying to do everything at once, you see?
26/05/2012 at 17:43 Docslapper says:
Agree. PS just wouldn’t work PvE.
But I think the average hardened PvP player is in for a bit of a shock too. Running around trying to kill everything solo is a recipe for getting ganked, and I don’t care how good you are. Teamwork is absolutely essential, and at a larger scale than most PvP games.
If it’s anything like the original (and it looks to be) then you need some carebears covering your arse with medics, transport, turrets, armour repair and so on, or your awesome-shootiness is gonna fail pretty hard.
There was lots of conversation on the original forums how PS’s large-scale battles worked completely differently from the usual FPS shooter small-team combat. With hundreds of people fighting at once, the dynamic changes and people who cut their teeth on CS and UT got handed their arse in PS for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and trying to be heroes.
26/05/2012 at 20:28 Cytrom says:
Ok, I guess I’m the only person on the planet who thinks large scale multiplayer boss battles in an fps could be fun. -.-
26/05/2012 at 20:31 Antsy says:
No-none is saying that couldn’t be fun. It’s just that PS didn’t need it and this doesn’t need it either.
26/05/2012 at 19:20 Shooop says:
I’d much rather they just make the game the way it’s meant to be played (PVP) and do it really well.
There’s no need for bots if the competitive multiplayer is handled competently enough. And if PlanetSide 2 can’t do just that considering what they’ve achieved so far in their player-testing, then the future of FPS multiplayer is over.
27/05/2012 at 00:44 rlr149 says:
no to pve enemies, but i wouldn’t mind some local wildlife i could stampede through an enemy base
26/05/2012 at 09:49 Moni says:
Morbid curiosity forced me to check if a dubstep remix of Ride of the Valkyries exists. The answer is yes, it does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbLhMJDKE6I
26/05/2012 at 10:11 Stormtamer says:
That dubstep version, is made from the remix used, by someone in the WWE. I prefer the ‘original’ because its far more metal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv4QZbVBbcw
26/05/2012 at 10:16 frenz0rz says:
Thats about a million times better than the ‘remixed’ one.
26/05/2012 at 10:08 turkleton says:
Here is another air assault trailer that may have influenced what we just watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3Cc7wlfkI
26/05/2012 at 10:17 nhk says:
A not so great version to get influenced by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIyRk33pf30#t=2m41s
26/05/2012 at 16:25 identiti_crisis says:
Top comment: (in German) “An alternative German approach to the Greek financial crisis.”
Oh my.
26/05/2012 at 19:23 Ubernutz says:
I think it might actually have been this: http://youtu.be/ojJshXrUTE0?t=1m7s that influenced it.
26/05/2012 at 10:46 Dana says:
“Massive” seems to be a bit overused term in gaming these days, but I cant wait for PS2 anyway.
26/05/2012 at 11:12 Colt45 says:
How massive does massive have to be?
The goal is to have up to 666 v 666 v 666 fights on an 8km by 8km map with multiple defendable bases and strategic points.
Kinda puts 64 v 64 in the shade.
26/05/2012 at 10:53 CaptainCasey says:
I’m tired of SOE’s terrible trailer videos. Do none of you remember they used this same sound track for their update of Everquest 2 with flying? This is just wrong.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/01/11/everquest-ii-now-with-wings/
Hire someone who knows how to edit/make a video! The game footage wasn’t even recorded in widescreen ratio. *face palm*
26/05/2012 at 11:02 Colt45 says:
There are some very dedicated planetside fans out there. Seems SuperMorto on PlanetsideTV tried to recover the error with this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r0Bf2a6zVs&feature=channel&list=UL
26/05/2012 at 11:39 LionsPhil says:
…but the source is only 720p. So that’s just upscaled and cropped, surely.
26/05/2012 at 11:41 Colt45 says:
Treu, treu, but he felt he had to do it. I guess every game has its supporters who go the extra mile.
26/05/2012 at 11:51 LionsPhil says:
“I cut part of this video out and smeared it to the wrong resolution.”
Does it count if he goes an extra mile in the wrong direction?
26/05/2012 at 17:03 PacketOfCrisps says:
Isn’t that the guy who stole some of Totalbiscuit’s coverage of Planetside 2 and pasted it on his own channel whilst removing the audio and replacing it with ridiculous music? I think i’ll skip that link, the guy is a thief.
26/05/2012 at 11:26 Stevostin says:
Ah, thank you, I was so puzzled with the “I have to say, this PlanetSide 2 trailer is probably one of my favorite pieces of game-related promotional material in quite some time” while to me it’s really not a good trailer by any standard.
26/05/2012 at 11:45 Colt45 says:
Would it make any difference to say that each air vehicle (and there’s about 30 total) was piloted by a person? It’s not like a CGI trailer where you can do what you want. That was real people having fun flying those things.
26/05/2012 at 10:57 aircool says:
By midnight on a weekend evening, things really got started;I don’t think that any other game had that mix of anticipation and apprehension as a massed invasion of Galaxies lifting off one after the other.
26/05/2012 at 11:10 Colt45 says:
This.
Truly awe-inspiring game. (Literally) hundreds of players flying strike aircraft, rolling tanks out, mechanised robotic suits (MAX suits), all the light and heavy infantry you could want. Medics, Engineers, Cloakers, Snipers (ugh). Troop transports, ATVs, mobile spawning stations.
And PS2 is looking amazing, even in Alpha. Check out TotalBiscuit’s vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6HgC6Exs0U
26/05/2012 at 10:59 Colt45 says:
Have lurked many’s the long month on this site, but just registered to comment on Planetside 2 (PS1 was the best video game ever)
One of the Devs on the game, notorious for his bad flying skills, is also a lover of wub-dub and made this version of the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VlxF2Ghg08
Soz if linkee no workee, am used to the crutch of BBCode assistance and post previews!
26/05/2012 at 11:03 JamesPatton says:
Well done for getting the 1856 date. But I think it wasn’t *performed* until 1870. Wagner was a bit weird in that he had a load of projects that he’d do for a few years and then drop for a decade or so.
26/05/2012 at 11:11 Didero says:
The person editing in the sound effects missed a few cues.
Other than that, it looks interesting. And it being F2P means I can check it out when/if it comes out too.
26/05/2012 at 11:22 Stevostin says:
Man this game is ugly. The AD still is miles away from DUST, but the engine, omg… I am not a demanding guy tech wise, but seing ARMA III then that, my eyes are bleeding. It’s not even a tradeoff : ARMA III is stronger on any bloody point : distance, landscape detail, engines rendering, characters, grass, fx, you name it, it just beat the crap out of this Planetside game even with the same amount of action. Huge landscape and persistance can get me excited but even that look soooo tiny in planetside. I can see further in Skyrim…
26/05/2012 at 12:29 Vorphalack says:
Except the point where you can have a 200vs200vs200 war on an 8KM x 8KM map. Also, still in Alpha, and looking quite good at this stage already.
26/05/2012 at 13:19 Stranglove says:
I’m not sure whether you’re going for ‘skyrim can’t do 200vs200vs200′ or ‘Arma3 won’t do 200vs200vs200′, but as far as ARMA3 goes, ARMA2 can support huge playercounts, and three way combat is supported. So it’s no massive leap to say that ARMA3 will be able to take 200vs200vs200 battle, although it’s unlikely that people will play missions like that, because they wouldn’t fit the ARMA playstyle.
And to the original commentor, Planetside 2 does look very pretty, and to compare it to ARMA3 is rather unfair, seeing as ARMA3 is looking like one of the prettiest games of this (next) year, but will likely be horribly optimised and will run like a POS on anything but the very best PCs, wheras PS2 will likely run well on most PCs.
The fact you can see further in skyrim is a good thing. If all 600 players could see each other from opposing sides of the map, snipers would be incredibly overpowered, and would make the game nigh unplayable. as it is, the presence of limited view distance makes the game a better gameplay experience, if limiting the prettiness somewhat.
26/05/2012 at 14:14 Vorphalack says:
Realistically, a 600 player battle in ARMA 3 would melt any PC that wasn’t submerged in liquid nitrogen. Although ARMA 2 never technically had a hard cap, there were only so many players a server could hold before it went south, and only so many players a PC could render before it became a slide show. I like ARMAs scale but Planetside 2 is aiming to be somewhat grander.
26/05/2012 at 14:40 Colt45 says:
The goal is actually 666 v 666 v 666 on an 8km by 8km map. Promises some epic battles.
26/05/2012 at 16:16 Vorphalack says:
Very unlikely to get all 2000 guys fighting around a single base though. The maps are being set up to create a front line which will hopefully spread out the 2000 guys over a larger area. Realistically you might expect to see 100-200 players / faction at any given base, but that’s my fault for not clarifying.
26/05/2012 at 13:13 Enso says:
I know right? What fools! Now let me get back to running Crysis 1 & 2, Arma 2 and The Witcher 2 while I mine these bitcoins all at the same time. HAHAHA YOU POOR, MISERABLE, BASTARDS!
*Ring Ring*
“Hello…? What’s that? Oh, Pixar? You want to borrow my computer for rendering again? Well OK, but be more careful this time!”
26/05/2012 at 14:52 TotalBiscuit says:
“Man this game is ugly.”
Christ you are an idiot
26/05/2012 at 14:58 Antsy says:
Welcome to the New RPS Comment Experience. You’re going to need a bigger shovel.
26/05/2012 at 19:44 Nemon says:
*Gasp*
Is it really, could it be?
Anyway, this game looks just as it should, perfect for some insane massive battles.
26/05/2012 at 16:31 Machinations says:
Errm..Arma3 will likely have no more than 100 players per server, making Planetside about 6 times larger; not to mention, Arma3 has no persistence; while great for some coop missions, it just doesn’t have the scale or scope of Planetside2.
I’m an Arma fan, but Planetside 2 is my most anticipated game; particularly with BI’s track record of buginess within the OFLP/Arma2 engine.
I mean, to this day you cannot climb a ladder with a pistol in hand without going prone as soon as you reach the top, or you will fall all the way down, in Arma2. The game is over 3 years old; what does this tell you?
26/05/2012 at 11:24 Ernesto says:
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning!”
Just added another game to the list.
26/05/2012 at 11:28 LionsPhil says:
Hunh. The reassuring slightly awkward wiggle of a camera controlled by a mouse.
Haven’t seen that in a trailer in donkey’s years, what with everything being gamepad-focused.
26/05/2012 at 20:01 ffordesoon says:
That was what I dug. It felt like a trailer for the game, not the voice acting or the concept or the graphics, and it didn’t look like it was part of some CG studio’s demo reel.
Just, “Here’s some crazy shit you can definitely do in a game of Planetside 2!”
I like that. Shows confidence in the game.
26/05/2012 at 11:40 The Godzilla Hunter says:
Well if no one else will, I will: http://youtubedoubler.com/?video1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded%26v%3Dmfwd3U709dc&start1=&video2=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWiMQ3uOY1MM&start2=&authorName=meahwahwah
That song really does go with everything.
26/05/2012 at 12:00 vasek45 says:
Even the timings are good, lol.
26/05/2012 at 13:36 Dog Pants says:
Hah! That’s brilliant.
26/05/2012 at 14:48 Eukatheude says:
I expected Guile’s Theme.
26/05/2012 at 11:50 Danny252 says:
Things I took away from this trailer:
*The guns go “dakkadakkadakka” in a most pleasing fashion.
26/05/2012 at 14:38 Joshua Northey says:
I am confused about where exactly the “colossal swarms” were in that video? All I saw were a few units on the screen at any time, typically less than 6.
27/05/2012 at 07:16 Colt45 says:
yeah, some marketing hype there. On the main fansite (PSU) someone counted 15 aircraft a side. Still, pretty good for all that.
26/05/2012 at 14:47 FunkyBadger3 says:
Wub?
26/05/2012 at 23:31 Vorphalack says:
Denied.
26/05/2012 at 16:59 Skofnung says:
Kill da wabbit. That’s what I heard.
26/05/2012 at 19:27 rockman29 says:
That was a GREAT trailer!
You can just tell that was entirely Matt Higby’s idea btw. Vanu (or NC?) airfighters bombing the crap out of TR… yea… that’s the stuff!
TR FTW!
26/05/2012 at 21:14 ScottHarrigan says:
Ride of the Valkyries is usually a welcome touch. This looks really impressive and fun, especially for a free to play game. Hopefully it will not make the cash shop necessary to win battles. It is pretty cool how many cheaper games have been better than certain retail titles.
http://www.videodetective.com/games/halo-4/90801#.T8E5GdWWclc
I’d honestly much rather play something like this than a game series that just refuses to go away. I will probably just play planet side, and not drop sixty dollars on another damn Halo game.
26/05/2012 at 23:02 nirrw says:
http://is.gd/PFQQs4
27/05/2012 at 00:17 Wedge says:
Where’s my AA MAX? Looks like I’ve got some Reavers to drop. Man I hope the Starfire makes it back in.
27/05/2012 at 04:49 0over0 says:
So has no one on here seen Apocalypse Now? That was clearly a reference to the helicopter attack scene in that movie. I’m surprised at you, Mr. Grayson–go watch it.
27/05/2012 at 08:08 theswordandthefail says:
One phrase I love the smell of napalm in the morning!
27/05/2012 at 15:49 Neurotic says:
Red and black, Grayson, red and black.
27/05/2012 at 22:39 j3w3l says:
Ooooh did I see an Orca , so have to get me one of those
28/05/2012 at 10:50 SiHy_ says:
Woah, deja vu!
08/06/2012 at 23:30 tynen says:
That was boring…