They're at the forefront of marketing, rarely show gameplay and have been hopelessly corrupted by "developer diaries", but that's not to say we hate trailers. We like trailers. There are even some that we love.
Whether indicative of a game or just the "feel" or "tone" of one still in development, the humble game trailer has become an artform unto itself in recent times. Here's some of 2009's best, which we've picked for their raw entertainment value, not for the job they do depicting the actual game in question.
Click to viewMass Effect 2
Click to viewLeft 4 Dead 2
Click to viewHalo 3: ODST
Click to viewStar Wars: The Old Republic
Click to viewForza 3
Click to viewThe Beatles: Rock Band
Click to viewKillzone 2
Click to viewThe Last Guardian
And that about does it! For what it's worth, my favourite was the ODST one. Really slick, expensive, powerful stuff. Who would have thought Hungarian would sound so futuristic?!
Did we miss anything? Let us know!