Dig this new trailer for the upcoming expansion/console port of World in Conflict, the superfast, supergorgeous, supermultiplayer action RTS from Swedish developer Massive. To quote John Carpenter's The Thing: "Hey, Swedes!"

The first thing you might think is, 'Whoa, sweet graphics!'. The World in Conflict engine, Masstech, is some of the most exciting technology since Valve's Source engine. This two minute clip of Soviet infantry charging through an artillery barrage on a snowy night under a full moon and an aurora borealis shows off how well Masstech does both detail and spectacle. The second thing think you might think is, 'Hey, what's that song?' It gives the trailer a haunting, pensive and languid quality, which is precisely what World in Conflict isn't. Their earlier "letter home" trailer is another sweetly sentimental bit of misdirection.

Disingenuous? Perhaps. Publisher Sierra and Massgate aren't the only ones doing this. There's the Gears of War trailer set to Gary Jules cover of Mad World or the Halo 3 trailer of a veteran reminiscing about the war as if he were something other than a disposable friendly AI soldier. And while these might not be an accurate portrayal of the game experience, that's not their function. These trailers were made to catch your eye and ear, to make you remember the brand, to stand out from the louder mundane trailers of gunplay and explosions. It doesn't matter of they're accurate when they're so effective.

And by the way, the song is Death of My Hometown, by Logh. Hey, Swedes!