New World of Warcraft cinematic for Panderia

Started by Chris Brady, August 16, 2012, 03:01:50 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Moraline

#100
Quote from: Question Mark on August 31, 2012, 12:50:56 PM
The humor is, I think, one of WoW's defining characteristics.  It's exaggerated style, it's slapstick moments, over-the-top ham... It's just the style WoW was made in.  You can still take a story seriously, even if it is chock full of humor.

WoW's never been one for grimdark or cynicism.  Not liking WoW because it hasn't become grimdark or cynical is like not liking American Idol because each season focuses more and more on the singers.  In other words, you shouldn't have even liked it to begin with.

As I stated.. I like the humor.  The issue is that there is now too much of it. Watch those cinematics and think back to Burning Crusade.. then jump ahead to Mists of Panderia and watch and compare those two trailers. IT defines the changes that have taken place. It went from a bit of humor to chock full of humor. There was nothing funny in the old stories about the blood elf lands being torn apart by magic or the might of the burning legions. There was little humor in most of the lore. Now all of the new stuff is chock full of slapstick comedy. It's sickening.

I understand if you didn't join WoW until Lich King or shortly before. If that's the case then you've most likely always been engrossed in what was coming with Cata and now Panderia. But for me, it's changed a lot over the years.

Question Mark

Been playing since Vanilla Naxx.  BC cinematic had its fair share of humor (sheep and burning murlocs, I laughed).

I haven't played through MoP besides some of the starting zones, so I can't really comment on them.  Cata was full of humor, but I think a lot of it was poorly handled, or just introduced at the wrong times (remember that dryad who just loved cuddly creatures?  Or the Wildhammer wedding?  Talk about total moodkill)

I see your point, I just love goblins/gnomes XD

Chris Brady

#102
I want to clarify a couple points.

First, I never had any rose tinted goggles for WoW.  Anyone who loved Vanilla never played a Non-Tank Warrior, or any Paladin, especially not as their main.  At launch it was nothing more than a reskinned EQ clone.  All the tropes started in EQ were still in full force at launch, despite the promise that it would be different.  As it stand now, the best class for straight up DPS is still the Mage, and they still have the best CC in the entire game.  Magic still rules ove melee.

Mechanically, things are MUCH better now, than they were in Vanilla.  Except maybe the talent system now.  But non-Prot Warriors are almost as viable as a Rogue now (#3 DPS class) and the Paladin is no longer the Russian Roulette lottery class (Will it proc or not?  Let's turn on Seal of Justice or whichever, and find out!  Yay!) not to mention thousands of little tweaks here and there.

Secondly, I cannot stand grimdark.  I'm too optimistic a person to get behind the Lovecraft ideal of "EVERYTHING IS DOOOOOOOOMED!  AND YOU'RE INSIGNIFICANT!"  I loved the humour, still do.  Although of late, I think they're forcing it.  They're trying too hard.  At first it was subtle, but there.  Now...

However, my real beef is...

Look, I don't care that the Alliance is losing.  This is Blizzard, they NEVER have the human faction victorious.  Goes all the way back to Starcraft, and I'm OK with that.  It's that we (Alliance) are not being given enough information as to WHY we're losing.  And Blizzard doesn't care anymore to even bother to tell us.  And the sad part is, that's all we want.  To know why.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Serephino

Ah, achievements, there's another thing.  People have become obsessed with those instead of enjoying the game.  I never gave a crap about them.  Hell, most like the standing in fire one any idiot can get, and they're nothing more than worthless shiny medals to me.  The guild perks are nice, but the level thing is stupid.  I got roped into capping the xp of my priest and running Deadmines 4 times in one night for the challenge to level the guild.  It didn't work, in fact, it didn't do much good at all, but the guild leader was told it would, and leveling the guild was all important. 

Moraline

Quote from: Question Mark on August 31, 2012, 01:44:13 PM
Been playing since Vanilla Naxx.  BC cinematic had its fair share of humor (sheep and burning murlocs, I laughed).

I haven't played through MoP besides some of the starting zones, so I can't really comment on them.  Cata was full of humor, but I think a lot of it was poorly handled, or just introduced at the wrong times (remember that dryad who just loved cuddly creatures?  Or the Wildhammer wedding?  Talk about total moodkill)

I see your point, I just love goblins/gnomes XD

Exactly and honestly you were really young in Vanilla WoW days.

As for the BC cinematic, the sheeping was funny. But you didn't see the Kung-Fu panda humiliate 2 iconic faction symbols (Horde/Alliance) in battle in some ridiculous fashion. The entire last minute of that new trailer is nothing but humor. Even the look on the faces of the Orc and the Human as they stare at the Panda are slack jawed humor.

I can't knock Blizzard for doing it. It's a smart marketing tactic on their part. They know that their audience is young teenage boys and they are trying to sell to that demographic as their older players start to grow out of the game and move onto newer shinier games. It might be a mistake though, because I think they are underestimating how many of their players are older and how many are still playing. Not to mention that not all teenage boys enjoy this stuff.

Aiden

I would be slack jawed also if I met an entirely NEW race, who not only came out of nowhere, but also beats the crap out of me with a style of fighting I had never witnessed before, just saying.

Moraline

#106
Quote from: Chris Brady on August 31, 2012, 01:55:35 PM
...  Anyone who loved Vanilla never played a Non-Tank Warrior, ....
It's funny but when i started back in Vanilla. I was an Arms Warrior Troll. I had no idea what I was doing. I leveled 60 levels like that before having to switch to Tank. But when BC came out, I was a hybrid Arms and Fury and ruled the PvP lands. It was a blast!

Quote from: Chris Brady on August 31, 2012, 01:55:35 PM
However, my real beef is...

Look, I don't care that the Alliance is losing.  This is Blizzard, they NEVER have the human faction victorious.  Goes all the way back to Starcraft, and I'm OK with that.  It's that we (Alliance) are not being given enough information as to WHY we're losing.  And Blizzard doesn't care anymore to even bother to tell us.  And the sad part is, that's all we want.  To know why.
LOL.. Horde for life. 

The first server I played on though was predominantly Alliance so we got rolled all the time by roving bands of Alliance. I know what your saying though about no love for them. It seems everything made for Alliance are just silly and they are left in shambles all the time after expansions.



Quote from: Serephino on August 31, 2012, 01:56:30 PM
Ah, achievements, there's another thing.  People have become obsessed with those instead of enjoying the game.  I never gave a crap about them.  Hell, most like the standing in fire one any idiot can get, and they're nothing more than worthless shiny medals to me.  The guild perks are nice, but the level thing is stupid.  I got roped into capping the xp of my priest and running Deadmines 4 times in one night for the challenge to level the guild.  It didn't work, in fact, it didn't do much good at all, but the guild leader was told it would, and leveling the guild was all important. 

I gotta say I loved achievements. It was fun to go back with the guild and do old dungeons and stuff to earn achievements. We held guild events a couple times a week to go do them.

We also did what we called "Lizard Killing Thursdays" where we'd go kill all the dragon bosses and get people achievements and make sure that everyone earned "The Black Drake" from Sartharion.

It was a blast. Because mostly we were higher levels it let us bring along lowbies to pick up pretty gear or finish sets for our older/higher level players. All in all it was a good excuse to hang out as a guild with very little pressure and lots of stress free raiding. Although sometimes to complete some of the achievements it takes a lot of coordination even with higher level toons.

*edit to add*
Quote from: Aiden on August 31, 2012, 02:08:10 PM
I would be slack jawed also if I met an entirely NEW race, who not only came out of nowhere, but also beats the crap out of me with a style of fighting I had never witnessed before, just saying.

It's true. But you wouldn't stand there looking humrous about it. Also, why are they getting beat so badly by a Panda? The only reason is to make the Panda look like the slapstick super hero that he is. Aka: Kung-Fu Panda.

Chris Brady

Moraline also touches on something for me.

I love Eastern Martial Arts.  Kung-fu, Karate, Escrima/Kali, weapons technique like the staff, chain weapons, all that (Although Western styles, pre-Olympic Fencing are awesome too, especially sword work), and I also loved the Kung Fu Panda movies, so this expansion should be hitting all my buttons.

But it's not.  Not even a tickle.  Because, yet again, I feel they're forcing things.  WoW used to have a little subtlety, now none.

Also, now that I think about it, none of the Warcraft game cinematics were ever humourous.  Not from Warcraft 2, with the Orc and Human desperately fighting it out on the plains.  It was all in game, little Easter eggs like the exploding sheep after clicking too many times, or the funny unit chatter if you click on them, but nothing overt.  And nothing to the extent of MoP.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Chris Brady

Quote from: Aiden on August 31, 2012, 02:08:10 PM
I would be slack jawed also if I met an entirely NEW race, who not only came out of nowhere, but also beats the crap out of me with a style of fighting I had never witnessed before, just saying.
Cuz everyone knows that Fighters cannot adapt to knew combat situations, ever.

Just sayin'
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Question Mark

I said it earlier, and I'll say it again.

Blizzard is no longer a gaming company.  Their focus is no longer on building fun, deep games.  Sure, they still make some of the best games out there, but they lack that personal touch, that genuine connection between developer and gamer that one experiences in games like Halflife, Halo, and Brood War.  Look at Diablo 3, what with the real-money AH and having to be logged online to play (I spent three weeks with that game installed on my computer, but wasn't able to play it because of an error on Blizz's servers).  That's not something a developer would do if they had the interests of their consumers forthright in their minds.

No, Blizzard is now a corporation.  They know they can make great games that reap in millions, and they exploit it at every opportunity.  They cut corners (WoW's the perfect example.  They only include features when sales start to drop), they hedge the market, and they include so many goddamn collectibles and vanity items you can only buy with real money.

They don't make games anymore, they make money.  That's probably the #1 reason I quit WoW.

Chris Brady

You know what really gets me in that cinema?  Just how easily (Chen was it?) the monk owned two warriors.  All he got was damaged hat.  No stale mate for a couple seconds, no desperate gamble, just "oh look two guys fighting and damaging my temple.  Better stop it.  *Yawn*"  it had absolutely no tension.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Aiden

#111
You do realize Chen is a hero right?

Its like getting upset if Varian complete destroys three no named orc grunts in single hand combat. (Which he could so do easily)

Chris Brady

Quote from: Aiden on August 31, 2012, 02:42:36 PM
You do realize Chen is a hero right?

Its like getting upset if Varian complete destroys three no named orc grunts in single hand combat. (Which he could so do easily)
We all know we'd never get to see that.  Garrosh (ugh, King Whiny the Humourless) definitely, but not Varian.  He's too busy raging on his throne doing...  Nothing.

After all, when the Horde commander in Stone Talon (I think) starts slaughtering innocents, Garrosh gets off his throney ass and KILLS the idiotic bastard HIMSELF, while Varian does nothing when Andorhal falls to Sylvannas.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Question Mark


TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Chris Brady on August 31, 2012, 03:29:13 PM
We all know we'd never get to see that.  Garrosh (ugh, King Whiny the Humourless) definitely, but not Varian.  He's too busy raging on his throne doing...  Nothing.

After all, when the Horde commander in Stone Talon (I think) starts slaughtering innocents, Garrosh gets off his throney ass and KILLS the idiotic bastard HIMSELF, while Varian does nothing when Andorhal falls to Sylvannas.

Varian only gets to be badass in the comics that no one reads...

Chris Brady

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on September 01, 2012, 12:23:01 AM
Varian only gets to be badass in the comics that no one reads...

I own about the first 10 or so.  Because I am an Alliance fan.  Although I absolutely have NOTHING against the Horde side, personally, (GO ORCS!) as I have several, but I guess I'm a sucker for the underdog.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Moraline

Quote from: Chris Brady on September 01, 2012, 12:31:29 AM
... I'm a sucker for the underdog.

It's funny you say that. That's actually why I choose Horde side and a Troll for my first toon. When I read the website, the Orcs were misplaced and struggling to survive in a strange world. I instantly liked that concept of being the underdog. Then I read the Troll story and fell in love with it. Plus the Jamaican accent was totally awesome.

Now the tables have reversed and the Alliance are losing ground.


Here's a funny thought. They should change the pandas. Instead of having pandas as silly disney charcters, they should make them sad pandas (EMO Pandaria.) Home of the Sad Panda.


TheGlyphstone

I dunno. Sure, the cinematic is comedic in the interest of making the New Thing This Expansion look badass, but when we actually get to the game, we might find the Pandarens to be a lot more sad/emo/sympathetic. Their island paradise home is being invaded by two gigantic armies bent on destruction, both known for not significantly caring about collateral damage, - that's gotta suck for anyone who isn't Chen Stormstout.

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on September 01, 2012, 10:31:13 AM
I dunno. Sure, the cinematic is comedic in the interest of making the New Thing This Expansion look badass, but when we actually get to the game, we might find the Pandarens to be a lot more sad/emo/sympathetic. Their island paradise home is being invaded by two gigantic armies bent on destruction, both known for not significantly caring about collateral damage, - that's gotta suck for anyone who isn't Chen Stormstout.

Not to mentio a very REAL schism in their culture. Pandarans are choosing sides and, if done properly, you get the 'brother against brother' vibe.  I doubt they will pull it off but there was a LITTLE of it with the NPCs you run with in the starting zone. You lose some of them when you pick a side.

Moraline

And maybe the new character class - Pandaren Brewmaster

QuoteHailing from the secretive Pandaren Empire, the mighty brewmasters travel the world in search of exotic ales and the finest brewed spirits. These affable warriors rarely seek out danger or trouble, preferring instead to spend their time concocting new and tasty beverages for any brave enough to imbibe them. ~ http://www.wowwiki.com/Pandaren_Brewmaster

... will be a drunken stumbling bum that is unable to see straight and if you play one your screen will be perpetually blurry. Each brewmaster will need to beg for change on the street corners of Org and Stromwind to get gold for brewing ingredients.


... Is anyone else disturbed that there is actually going to be a character class for this? Are you kidding me? Now we just need Lord of the Rings style Bards that can kill enemies and heal allies with musical notes...  :P

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: Moraline on September 01, 2012, 10:48:17 AM
And maybe the new character class - Pandaren Brewmaster

... will be a drunken stumbling bum that is unable to see straight and if you play one your screen will be perpetually blurry. Each brewmaster will need to beg for change on the street corners of Org and Stromwind to get gold for brewing ingredients.


... Is anyone else disturbed that there is actually going to be a character class for this? Are you kidding me? Now we just need Lord of the Rings style Bards that can kill enemies and heal allies with musical notes...  :P

Actually they are pretty cool. I like the mist walkers vibe but I can't seem to play them well.. Too much tanking.

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Moraline on September 01, 2012, 10:48:17 AM
And maybe the new character class - Pandaren Brewmaster

... will be a drunken stumbling bum that is unable to see straight and if you play one your screen will be perpetually blurry. Each brewmaster will need to beg for change on the street corners of Org and Stromwind to get gold for brewing ingredients.


... Is anyone else disturbed that there is actually going to be a character class for this? Are you kidding me? Now we just need Lord of the Rings style Bards that can kill enemies and heal allies with musical notes...  :P

Not disturbing in the least, mainly because I've become desensitized. I'll take a class who buffs and heals through alcohol For Medicinal Purposes over a werewolf riding a motorcycle any day.

Moraline

#122
Quote from: TheGlyphstone on September 01, 2012, 11:25:05 AM
Not disturbing in the least, mainly because I've become desensitized. I'll take a class who buffs and heals through alcohol For Medicinal Purposes over a werewolf riding a motorcycle any day.

Of course.. because a big giant panda with a cask on it's back riding a motorcycle is so much better.

PS: I'm not a fan of Worgen either, but at least their character class isn't a fighting brewmaster. It's a brewer, he has no business being a warrior. The entire purpose of that class is nothing but comedy relief.

*edit: That's another example of what's wrong with this expansion. Even the new character class "Brewmaster" is designed around a comical farse.

Aiden

The worgen lore was more ridiculous then pandas to be honest.

Question Mark

Brewmaster isn't a class, it's a spec.  The class is monk, and it can also be a windwalker or mistweaver (if memory serves).  Apparently alcohol is a big part of pandaren society (a decision I applaud, anything to make them more original is good), and some brewmasters combine their talent with physical prowess.

I think the gist of the spec is a monk who brews his own alcohol, and is incredibly durable and full of stamina from being a die-hard alcoholic.  Very few brewmasters are good fighters, but some of the best fighters are also brewmasters.

I think.  I may be giving Blizz too much credit.

Quote from: Aiden on September 01, 2012, 12:12:47 PM
The worgen lore was more ridiculous then pandas to be honest.

Hey!  I liked the story of Gilneas, of a country on the run because of the curse, and eventually the Forsaken.  The part that sucked there was that it was a direct ripoff of Industrial London, where everyone had a Cockney accent and wore tophats.  It's a beautiful zone, but it's really just a copy-paste of popular tropes in that setting (Just like Uldum, TwiHighlands, and now Pandaria).