We're just a few weeks away from the release of Halo: Reach, the latest in the Halo series, and a title rumored to be Bungie's last foray on the Xbox 360. Access to the game through beta testing was offered early on in development, even coming to a close several months ago, leaving a dead period between beta and the game's release, but also meaning that most hardcore gamers who wanted to get a feel for Reach have been able to do so, which makes a new line of live-action trailers for the game even more intriguing.

The pinnacle of first-person shooters, the Halo franchise isn't exactly well known for riveting storylines. While most Halo fans do play through the campaigns, most of the interest tends to be in the game's multiplayer modes, sometimes working through the game in a cooperative mode, but more often locking into combat with other players. With each edition of Halo, the multiplayer has gotten more developed and intense, especially with the use of the game's Forge mode that allows players to build and modify their own maps. None of these aspects of the game are being touched upon in the new trailers, making me curious as to what Bungie is attempting to do with Halo: Reach.

The first trailer, which received a rather lackluster response at many of the sites I frequent, shows almost no action. Instead, the trailer's music sets a haunting tone as several scenes unfold over the three-minute running time. A couple argues about moving to Manassas. A family says goodbye as a child's mother has to go away for a few days because, "the company needs me." A small military unit receives some orders and moves out. A little girl walks down a set of stairs and loses her red balloon as a military squad moves past. None of these set the pace for the game's intense structure, but instead it creates a feeling that this is what life was like on the planet Reach before whatever happens in game happens, punctuated by the tagline: "Remember when there was a tomorrow. Remember where it all began. Remember Reach."

While the Halo games have had the occasional emotional punch, this trailer, titled "The Day Before" has a overwhelming emotional weight I don't normally expect from the franchise. It's as if, before you even buy the game, Bungie wants you to feel bad for what's going on in the game - to understand this used to be a world where people lived their lives, had conflicts and emotions. Watching the trailer, you know that little girl is never going to get her balloon back, the couple will never resolve this argument, and that, no matter how confident that mother is that she'll only be gone for three days, that family isn't going to be reunited. Honestly, it makes me want to buy the game right now, if only to avenge these people.

The other trailer has a decidedly more Halo feel to it. Titled "Deliver Hope," the trailer takes place on the battlefield, in the midst of an environment familiar to any player who has ever placed a Halo game in their console. Shots are flying, explosions going off everywhere, and in the midst of it all, one soldier is attempting to deliver a payload that will strike deeply at the enemy. Unfortunately, his mission is cut short as he falls, but another soldier picks up the payload and proceeds with the mission. While the music attempts to add more of the emotional gravity of the other trailer, the emotions aren't quite as deep, although there is still a somber tone to what is being watched.

Both trailers are live-action, or involve live-action elements, refueling the question as to why Hollywood has time and again passed by a movie based on the franchise. My previous theory was that the franchise didn't have enough depth and was perceived as "just a first-person shooter," and I wonder if part of the rationale behind the "Day Before" trailer isn't to prove that mindset wrong. Either way, they are both impressive pieces of marketing, especially considering the title, already dubbed "the most anticipated game of 2010," doesn't exactly need much promotion.

With a hugely accessible beta phase and online game leaks, most hardcore gamers have already had the opportunity to experience Halo: Reach in some fashion. To me, that makes these trailers all the more appealing. Designed not only to give the upcoming title some emotional depth, they also have the feel of marketing aimed right at our audience: the casual gamer - the gamer who may not have gotten the chance to experience the game and may not be planning on taking time off from work or school to celebrate the title's release. The scenes presented here, however, and the repetition of "Remember Reach" have certainly piqued my interest and possibly gotten the game one more player who normally wouldn't have paid so much attention to a first-person shooter's release.