I'm thinking of Todd's "live" E3 demo of Oblivion where he's showing the NPC interact with her dog. Or moments in Starfield's showcases where they show the sandwich hoarding. That tells me what the game is like, what makes them unique, and they're memorable. Cinematics are rarely memorable, and studios like BGS and Warhorse will never appear favorably when juxtaposed with AAA studios who are nothing but technical artistry in scripted cinematics and cutscenes.
I have no memory of KCD1's trailers or launch. Looking on Youtube at KCD1's trailer now gives me a clue why that is, because it's exactly the same kind of trailer that KCD2 is using. Dated looking mocapped cutscenes and rapid cuts of action. That's the sort of trailer that I normally don't even bother to finish watching, never mind buy the game. There's nothing there that highlights the technical strengths of the game's graphics or systems simulation, or communicates what the actual gameplay is like. The only reason I discovered KCD1 in the first place was because it was free on EGS, and the only reason I persevered through the lengthy tutorial and UI/controls learning curve is because I watched a streamer playing it for a couple hours. What I feel KCD2 has going for it is word-of-mouth by fans of KCD1. That and maybe the luck of having an unusually thin field of competition at the end of this year.
