The Kartel did, so went and paid a visit to FAILSAFE Creative Group, an ominous-sounding company that specialises in the production of trailers for the video game industry.

FAILSAFE have produced both trailers and behind-the-scenes diaries for games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Unreal Tournament III, Dark Void and Stranglehold. Sometimes they create original content (ie, stuff with actors), most times they're tasked with cutting, editing and arranging cinematic and gameplay footage provided by a publisher or developer.

It's an interesting tour of the people and processes behind something most of us take for granted, so if you need to kill ten minutes over the Christmas break, it's worth a quick read.

An inside look at how game trailers are created [The Kartel]

It just seems a little soon for this. So soon, Left 4 Dead players have announced they're boycotting it. Hey-oh!!! OK, that's a groaner; at least it wasn't half as awkward as Stephen A. Smith last night.

Anyway, the 2009 Video Game Awards did hand out some hardware and pimp some new games. We've already posted the Batman and Medal of Honor trailers, and the Halo: Reach opening cinematic. Here are the rest of the major videos from last night's broadcast (via Gametrailers), with a list of all of last night's award winners at the bottom.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Debut Trailer





Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Debut Trailer





Spec Ops: The Line Debut Trailer





Green Day: Rock Band Debut Trailer





Crackdown 2





UFC 2010 Undisputed Debut Trailer





Deadliest Warrior Debut Trailer





Tron: Evolution Debut Trailer





True Crime Debut Trailer





Winners at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards:

• Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Studio of the Year: Rocksteady Studios
• Best Independent Game: Flower
• Best Xbox 360 Game: Left 4 Dead 2
• Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Best Wii Game: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
• Best PC Game: Dragon Age: Origins
• Best Handheld Game: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
• Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter IV
• Best Action Adventure Game: Assassin's Creed II
• Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins
• Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Best Individual Sports Game: UFC 2009 Undisputed
• Best Team Sports Game: NHL 10
• Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 3
• Best Music Game: The Beatles: Rock Band
• Best Soundtrack: DJ Hero
• Best Original Score: Halo 3: ODST
• Best Graphics: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Best Game Based On A Movie/TV Show: South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
• Best Performance By A Human Female: Megan Fox (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
• Best Performance By A Human Male: Hugh Jackman (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
• Best Cast: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Best Voice: Jack Black (Brütal Legend)
• Best Downloadable Game: Shadow Complex
• Best DLC: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
• Most Anticipated Game of 2010: God of War III

Spike Video Game Awards 2009 [site]

This game's packing some attitude, dammit. It doesn't really care that opening a parachute 10 feet from the ground probably wouldn't work in real life. It does in real Just Cause 2. Now excuse me while I step off this building, I have a car to catch. Huh-huh, get it?

Then again, it's rated E10+, so maybe we should just let Marion's fist do all the talking. Snark aside, LucasArts' use of the game's cinematics and the film's footage makes for a very, very charming trailer here.

This viral vid across the pond for Left 4 Dead 2 furthers the European co-opting of the zombie genre - as American as the Fourth of July, apple pie and loud mufflers - by applying all sorts of Euro words to zombie-fightin' weaponry. You don't have a chainsaw but you do have a what? "A ... 'strimmer'"?

The hell is a "strimmer"?

Looky here, beefeater. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaddy kicked your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaddy's ass back in 1812, and then my granddaddy, forgiving all of that, bailed y'all out in the big Dubya-Dubya-Eye-Eye, so that I would grow up in a world where I had the inalienable right to call that goddamn yard tool by its proper generic name - "weedwhacker."

Video: Left 4 Dead 2 UK Survival 101 Viral Teaser [Gay Gamer]

The gameplay shows the firepower; the cinematics show a suspense factor to match. And pay attention to the final title card. Of course it'd behoove you to check back here on Thursday, because when an embargo breaks, we fix it!

Siren Alley Trailer [GameTrailers]

Sure, there are gameplay trailers out there, coming from E3. But Gametrailers' breakdown of what you can expect to do in the game likely done with Ubisoft's assistance is nonetheless a thorough and enjoyable look at the targets of Assassin's Creed 2, how you'll eliminate them, who will help you, and where you'll pull off the jobs. It's a great way for those of a casual interest to get up to speed with a sure-fire blockbuster.

Assassin's Creed II GT Pop-Block: Venice [Gametrailers]

The physics look a little LBP-esque to me on some of these levels. The mood and the lighting and the music are very relaxing, too. In fact, I suddenly want to take a nap. Is that a good thing for a game?

Night Game Trailer Features Night and Gameplay [The Tanooki]

They are not holding back with the language, too. Unlike the last trailer I posted, it comes in much more clearly, and it sounds like your typical Thanksgiving dinner conversation - in HELL.

Trailer two takes you through the downtown. In trailer three, it's batter up as Jack shows you some enormously gratifying spiked baseball bat gameplay.

Madworld: Subway, Downtown and Baseball Bat Gameplay [GameTrailers]

Can't say the visuals in the trailer do much for me, and I've never really been a big fan of the House of the Dead series outside of the arcade versions, but I'm really digging the drive-in horror film vibe they've got going in the marketing. Not enough where I'd consider picking up the game, mind you, but I probably wouldn't mind watching you play it.

So. When can I come over?

When it comes to launching a successful title, game trailers are proving to be ever so more crucial. Today we honor the most successful trailers in terms of popularity of 2008 which were constructed by some of the hardest working video editors in the game industry.

We have mentioned In The Pit before - back when it was a 3-level Xbox 360 demo.

Described as "An 'audio-only' stealth action game", you are a monster hunting down unfortunate victims hurled into your pit by an evil king. It's a Grue simulator, basically.

The demo has been expanded into a full game, which will be one of the NXE Community Games launch titles. Check out the trailer. With your eyes closed.

In the Pit [XNA]

This new Bionic Commando promo takes the brave decision to set aside the usual stylistic crutches of game trailing in favour of 1 minute 13 seconds of straight gameplay.

No alt-rock soundtrack, no fast edits, not even an over-reliance on pre-rendered cutscenes. Just a MAN swinging after ROBOTS using his BIONIC ARM. By videogame trailer standards, this is practically Dogme 95.

Disney Interactive present a trailer for their would-be Wii rival to Rock Band/Guitar Hero, Ultimate Band. It's colorful, snappily edited and features a weaksauce-doused cover of The White Stripe's Fell In Love With A Girl - but how about the gameplay?

Well, it's hard to say - there is certainly a bewildering array of different rhythm mechanics on display - scrolling frets, pulsing beat circles, other.. things. One of those is probably the instrumentless 'Front Man' but it's hard to say which. Nice use of the Giant Hands though. Very Dio.

Far Cry 2 — Exclusive Jackal Trailer [GameTrailers]

I'm sure as more assets are added and they get music from bands other than Breaking Benjamin and Atrayu we could see some rather spiffy things coming out of the site. For now, expect lots of random crap, such as the downright horrible Brothers In Arms mashup you'll find after the jump. Just be patient with it as the site is currently dealing with bandwidth issues stemming from inconsiderate video game blogs trying to show them to the world.

Build Your Own Video Game Mashups [Mashade.com]

Rock Band 2 Exclusive Gameplay Reveal [Gametrailers]