Posts with tag cinematic

If you were wondering how they came up with the idea to do the Lords of War series, Blizzard has a pretty awesome video for you to watch, up on IGN now. This behind the scenes look into the development process of the Lords of War series is interesting for what you find out you didn't get as much as for what you did. I also loved finding out that Maraad is voiced by Crispin Freeman, aka Red Arrow from Young Justice. It's very cool to get to see him explaining what he's up to in the story, and in general I liked getting to see what went into the making of this video series.

You should definitely check it out. It's up on IGN right now.

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The second installment of Blizzards animated short series Lords of War debuted today, shedding more background on the leader of the Iron Horde: Grommash Hellscream. There's not doubt that Grommash is a pivotal figure in the upcoming expansion, with his son, Garrosh, having been a central figure in the Mists of Pandaria. Like the previous installment of Lords of War, the new episode opens with Maraad urging Varian to take the offensive and march through the new Dark Portal to face the Iron Horde head on. He then goes on to tell the tale of the events that earned Grommash the undying loyalty of his Warsong clan and how he, against incredible odds, bested the ogre nations united against him. We also get a glimpse of Grommash's mate, Golka, and her fate at the hands of the retaliating ogres.

Check out Lords of War Part Two: Grommash, and learn more about the senior Hellscream, and what makes him who he is.

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The weekend's here. It's been one hell of a week, hasn't it? This is not the place to discuss all the headlines, though; just the WoW ones. Among the news of the day, we've finally seen the cinematic. And while we could opine about plenty of the week's events, let's stay focused on that. Of course, that means we need to ask the obvious question: What did you think of the WoD cinematic? Was it everything you hoped for? What do you think of the fan reaction to it?

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We knew level 90 boosts were coming, but in this new Warlords of Draenor trailer, Blizzard's pushing the boosts as a reason to buy. You can escape the endless leveling desert and finally play with your friends by buying Warlords -- which is all well and good, but it does strike us as a bit odd that Blizzard is promoting the game by suggesting that playing the game up to level 90 is something tedious and awful that you would not want to do.

However, the obvious highlight of this trailer is gnomes making their cinematic debut. Finally, we see a gnome taking center-stage... as a level 61 wandering aimlessly through Tanaris. (That's why you haven't hit level 90 yet, Mr. Gnome -- you're in Tanaris. Maybe if you'd gone through Un'Goro and Silithus and then headed to the Dark Portal you'd have made some progress.) But now that this gnome is finally level 90, we can only assume that we'll be seeing more gnomes showing up in future, right Blizzard?

[Thanks to many tipsters who sent this in!]

Editor's note: Pre-purchase of Warlords is not available at this time -- no official announcements have been made about pre-ordering just yet.

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It should have surprised no one that a recent Breakfast Topic poll showed fully one-third of WoW Insider readers were inspired to roll a druid by World of Warcraft's original cinematic trailer. The night elf's fluid spring into cat form set the tone for the game's portrayal of Azeroth, showing us a foreign world we could slip into as naturally as diving into water. Want to lose yourself in fantasy? Simply make the leap.

Doubtless, other trailers have provided equally fertile seeds for active player imaginations. The Mists of Pandaria cinematic (shown above) not only treats viewers to a gritty yet humorous glimpse of the expansion, but also dangles a hint at an in-game achievement for eagle-eyed viewers. Have you checked this achievement off your list yet?

While many players only watch Blizzard's trailers when they first come out as part of the amp-up, ramp-up pre-expansion frenzy, others dwell over each trailer's minutiae. Where is the story headed? Is there a new look or sound that might carry over into the game world? Are there clues or glimpses of important lore background or fresh story developments?

What has caught your fancy in WoW's cinematic trailers? Have you ever changed your plans on what to play and do in an expansion based on what you saw in a trailer? Are any of your characters based on characters or scenes you spotted in a trailer?

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If you've been around the World of Warcraft for any length of time, doubtless you're intimately familiar with the original game cinematic. To this day, this classic promo is cited again and again by countless players who rolled a druid after imagining themselves bounding through Azeroth in cat form.

Me, it was that dwarf who lit my fire. I don't even like dwarves, and it took me years to get around to playing one (which I eventually did only because I wanted to see my pigtails spin around above my head while I healed). But that dwarf ... He's perfect. He's utterly perfect. The setting, high above it all, his expression, his craggy countenance ... The bear ... Their chaotic return later in the cinematic ... That dwarf embodied the essence of the hunting, exploring, and personal, concrete life in the virtual world I wanted to inhabit.

Did something from this or another cinematic inspire you to roll a particular character? And if it was this cinematic from classic, did you roll a druid?

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We're expecting the Mists of Pandaria cinematic to be revealed tomorrow at the gamescon 2012 Blizzard booth. Are we excited? Yeah, you could say that. Each expansion's cinematic sets the thematic tones for the playerbase. We've all been playing the beta for what feels like a year, but that's not the same thing as seeing the cinematic tell us why we should be gripping the edge of the seat in anticipation. And don't forget, patch 5.0.4 is right around the corner. Now is absolutely the best time for MoP to get its cinematic flavoring.

Let's get this out of the way. There's probably not going to be a gnome in the cinematic. A pandaren will almost definitely be featured, and I'm drooling to think how detailed and gorgeous it'll look. So, what about you? We've known this cinematic would be coming, so now's the time for you to let fly your best hope-fors and wild guesses for its contents. What's the cinematic going to be like?

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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We know that Mists of Pandaria is coming out Sept. 25, because they told us that's when it's coming out. But when's the pre-expansion patch? We know it won't be as early as patch 4.0.1 was, because that came out on Oct. 12, almost two months before Cataclysm on Dec. 7, 2010. (It would have had to come out this week to have a chance of being that early.) But patch 3.0.2 came out on Oct. 14, 2008, and Wrath of the Lich King released the next month on Nov. 13, 2008. And Patch 2.0.1 launched on Dec. 5, 2006, which was a little over a month before The Burning Crusade launched.

This leads me to speculate that the pre-expansion patch will go live the week after Gamescom, so the week of Aug. 19. That Tuesday will be the 21st, which fits in with the general one-month-before-expansion launch window of BC and Wrath. It also makes sense because it gives them time to debut the cinematic at Gamescom and then patch it to use the following week. Of course, I'm just speculating, and am keen to hear your thoughts. Whenever we get the patch, it'll be a pretty big game changer as new talents and abilities, a fourth druid spec, and new stat caps as well as several changes to how established talents and abilities work (and some being gone entirely) and active mitigation tanking.

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Since Blizzard was kind enough to remind us, we'll do the same for you -- the company is attending gamescom, one of the world's largest interactive entertainment trade shows, and they'll be premiering the Mists of Pandaria cinematic there. More Blizzard stuff will be on hand too, like the latest multiplayer build of Heart of the Swarm -- but we imagine the cinematic is the stuff you guys really care about.

Speaking of, I wonder what'll be in the cinematic. There's no overarching villain for the launch game this time, so it's unlikely we'll get the Bad Guy Monologuing like the past few cinematics. Could this be the moment of triumph for the gnome race, its moment in the cinematic spotlight?

Unlikely.

Gamescom is August 15 through 19 in Cologne, Germany.

Blizzard Games at gamescom

You'll find our costume and dance contests, eSports action, live raids, and all-around excitement at the Blizzard Entertainment booth at gamescom 2012. But perhaps best of all, you'll be able to try out our newest games for yourselves!

Don't miss your chance to explore the ancient realm of Pandaria with the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria beta build, vanquish your enemies in the latest StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer build, or battle the legions of the Burning Hells in Diablo III!

Experience the games first-hand at the Blizzard booth in Halle 6.1 (B21) at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, August 15 to 19. Be sure to check back here in the coming weeks for more information and a full schedule of activities!

You can find more information on the Blizzard website.

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In a recent installment of The Queue, reader Victor commented about a thread in the Brazilian forums that debated best WoW cinematic. I think it is difficult to decide the absolute best, so I started to consider which one was my favorite.

But the first Warcraft cinematic that came to mind -- the one that moved me more than any I've seen -- is not actually from World of Warcraft. Arthas killing his father in Warcraft III blew me away. The betrayal. The graphics. The story that instantly fascinated me. I can still remember the feeling I had when I first watched it over the shoulder of someone who had the collector's edition. I wanted to run out and buy the game, but I am terrible at real-time strategy titles.

My second favorite is from Diablo III, but I won't spoil it. The cinematic that occurs between Acts I and II is wonderful. And the scene I love most from WoW is actually a cutscene: Wrathgate. So. Awesome.

What is your favorite cutscene or cinematic from Blizzard?

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Before each faction hits the shores of Pandaria, players get to meet with their faction leader and witness an in-game mini-event that tells the tale of arriving on the lost continent. BlizzPlanet snagged the video, above, where you can see the Horde introduction to the continent with the retelling of a naval battle between the Horde and Alliance, precious cargo, and a lost ship. Garrosh is none too happy with the goblin underling who lost important cargo during the fight and tasks Nazgrim with sending his best and brightest to find the lost ship.

What is most surprising is Garrosh's behavior at the beginning of the event, signaling the beginning of his lack of control. Supplies are running low, support is running thin, and each of the various nations of the Horde are having trouble paying their dues. Silvermoon, it seems, is in a precarious amount of debt. Garrosh's patience with his allies is wearing thin, and his brashness might be taking over a bit too suddenly.

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It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

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Many of you might not remember the trailer at the top of this Breakfast Topic. I remember looking for it a few months ago and just not being able to find it in hard media form, only remembering that it was on one of the Blizzard discs that I had lying around my apartment. It was a futile attempt. However, someone sent me a link to the YouTube version, so I was very excited. To be honest, I don't even remember where I saw it. My best guess would have to be on the Warcraft III disc with all of the cool trailers for upcoming Blizzard games.

What struck me about this video is how much of Warcraft is still here, so many years ago today, than what was originally pitched to us. That orc shaman has the exact same kind of mannerisms and mysticism surrounding him in his few seconds of screen time that it feels like Thrall has in his storyline. It felt fun and prophetic to look back and see the World of Warcraft still relatively the same tonally, even though we've all changed so much since we first saw that video.

Oh, yeah, that's Peter Cullen doing the voiceover. What do you guys think? Would this trailer still sell you on the Warcraft?

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After Blizzard's machinima team stretched its wings with the inclusion of WoW's first in-game cutscene, The Wrathgate, players have expressed their praise and hope that more cinematics would be included in Warcraft in coming expansions. With the success of The Wrathgate, Blizzard included Arthas' end in cinematic form after his defeat on Icecrown. When Cataclysm released, both the goblins and worgen were treated to cinematics that transitioned the player from starting zone to a larger world with an epic cutscene and story. Now, the Dragon Soul raid and the ending of Cataclysm are marked with story cutscenes showing off Deathwing's anger, Thrall blasting Deathwing out of the sky and parachuting onto Deathwing's back. Even Cataclysm's twist ending got a cinematic.

Which cinematic was your favorite? The betrayal of the Forsaken at the Wrathgate still holds a very special place in my heart since it was the first time cinematics were done in WoW. It was a home run from the start. Watching Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu jump out of the Skyfire, along with my raid, also ranks high on the list of cutscenes for me, even if it's only a few seconds long.

What do you guys think? Vote!

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Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

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