Posts with tag rap

We've seen the leaks and the datamined information, but it's all official now -- Cryptozoic has released the WoW TCG card and loot information for the next expansion to the Worldbreaker set, War of the Elements.

Cryptozoic invites all WoW and TCG players out to Darkmoon Faire Chicago this weekend, April 1-3, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. This is Cryptozoic's first Epic Con, their new traveling gaming convention for all games, not just the trading card games. There is going to be plenty of fun awaiting attendees, so hit the jump for all of the activities planned this weekend.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; email lisa@wow.com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.

School's out! Busy hands are happy hands, so get those crafts started now. We want to share what you're making: artwork, knitting, music, crafts, fan fic ... Let us know what sparks your imagination!

First up this week: The Horde scarf shown above is no ordinary Horde scarf. This Horde scarf was created to be equipped during rare-spawn, cold weather action in Costa Rica. "It all started when there was a cold wave a few months back in my country (Costa Rica; such cold waves are actually very rare), and my only scarf was actually a keffiyeh I'd wrap around my neck," writes Cambalache of Ragnaros (US-H). "So, since my wife's hobby is knitting on various styles ... she offered to knit me a scarf of my choosing, and as a true Horde player, I went for the symbol." A tauren after our own heart!

Join us after he break for an update to the WoW tattoo gallery, plus a small collection of music by and for WoW fans.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.

It's catch-up day at World of WarCrafts! We have all sorts of little goodies to pass along that have been piling up in the submissions box. So tuck in and get comfy with this snuggly little fellow from Serthida of US Bloodhoof, the crafter who brought us last year's plush moonkin. Don't worry, he won't drain your mana ... or your creativity.



More from the World of WarCrafts, after the break.

WARNING: This video is Not Safe for Work (NSFW). The track features profanity-laced lyrics typical of the music's genre. If this offends you, don't watch this movie.

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.

Remember our quirky friend from Christmas 2008, the ever-memorable Jolly Ol' Saint Arthalas? Just in time for the push into Icecrown Citadel, he's back with the premiere of his pumping new music video, Get Lich or Die Tryin'. "This track is so ice cold, it's going to be measured in Kelvin," claims creator Adam C. Beamish (aka Althallen of US Executus). "The Lich King isn't alone, either. Flanked by the two baddest emcees in all of Northrend and backed by a room full of zombies, this is the Lich King like you've never seen him before."

Feeling the beat? WoW.com is giving away two of the T-shirts worn by Arthas' emcees in the video. Check out our separate giveaway post for a chance to win a "Get Lich or Die Tryin'" or "Saurfang & Putricide ..." boss names T-shirt, and follow us past the break for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this Arthravaganza.

Just HoT Me Now by Coma Niddy is an interesting take on rap in WoW parodies. Which, I guess, is another way of saying it doesn't have belfs in it. Well, it has blood elves doing stuff, but the main performer is an orc. I'm not sure if Coma is creating a genre of Orc Rap, but in the meantime, I definitely enjoyed his video.

The song was written by Coma Niddy, and features a number of interesting rhyme choices. I think Coma did a great job of making all the pieces come together and maintaining a narrative flow through the entire song. The soundtrack needed to focus a little more on the voices, since I felt like the lyrics could be tough to pick out against the music. Still, that kind of thing can be chalked up to personal performance, as I know a lot of professional music has the same dynamic.

The video, though, was spot on for this level of machinima. I don't often expect fancy graphics or complex storyboards from music-based videos. (Although, that certainly can be a plus.) I like seeing the musician play with the video action in tandem with his lyrics, which is something I think Coma Niddy did pretty well.

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We had our long-awaited video version of the podcast last weekend, and it was a hoot: Turpster and I dressed up and drank champagne together, Robin Torres showed how to inflate your Frostmourne, Lesley Smith came to us live from England, Duncor showed off his famous gigantic cowboy hat, and Patrick Beja showed that he can out-spiffy us any day. Unfortunately, because of the way we did things, we didn't end up getting a good recording of the whole thing -- you can see a few clips of the beginning over on Ustream, but they only have my camera (and the audio is rough -- I didn't realize it sounded that bad at the time). Dotorion also Frapsed a bit of the beginning, which should give you a little taste of the multi-camera mayhem.

But in the end, it was pretty much a one-time thing you had to be there for live. Lightning in a bottle, if you will. The good news is that even if you didn't see the show, we've still got a treat for you: Turpster premiered a brand new video (put together by our good friend Ninthbatter) that we played at the end of the show, and that you can watch online right now. Turpster has also recently updated his own site, where you can find all the songs he's ever made, including our WoW Insider Song, and "Just Can't Wait," which is a song that he, I, and BigBearButt recorded a while ago before Wrath's release. So even though you don't have a new podcast to listen to today, you can tune in there.

If you've been following the emergence of the "Belf Rap" genre, then you're already somewhat familiar with Abandonation. He's done collaborations already with Nyhm, Gigi, and other similarly-inclined artists. While working on other upcoming projects, Abandonation hooked up with a new machinimist who goes by Red Eye Lobine. Red Eye, of course, is the chap who put out the awesome preview for his own work, Frontline. (That song is actually performed by the rock band Pillar, but the gorgeous animation is all done by Red Eye.)

This is another preview video, so be warned that it cuts off a little abruptly. That being said, I think the preview provides a very strong feel for what the final video will be like. Abandonation is responsible for the music, and Red Eye for the video itself.

The music basically works for me. The soundtrack itself seems to get louder and softer without warning, and can be distracting from the lyrics. I chalk that up to being a preview, and not a finished production. I like the fast paced lyrics and clear skill Abandonation shows in mastering them.

I think Red Eye is creating a very clear, distinctive style for his videos. The attention to each character's models, flattering shots, and sort of gritty, inner city backgrounds give the otherwise "fabulous" Blood Elves a more down-to-earth feel.

The video's exciting, and I can't wait to see the finished project. As I've said before, I think this collaborative group is doing a lot to bring a new genre to machinima. I'd really like to see them succeed.

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

Previously on Moviewatch ..

Mania is quickly becoming the voice of choice for analysis on Hunter changes, and her latest take on the Growl changes recently released in the patch 2.4.2 notes is no exception. From what Mania can see, Growl's threat isn't scaling with Hunter Attack Power at all, but Blizzard claims it is, so she's chalking her findings in that direction up to faulty data. What she does determine, from both her research and Blizzard's posts on the subject, is that the change here has nothing to do with Hunter's RAP or AP values -- it only has to do with the pet's AP values. Before, if pet AP got a bonus, so did Growl's threat. After 2.4.2, any bonus to pet AP won't affect Growl's threat.

So Hunters who routinely get their pet buffed are probably going to feel this change a little bit (though in most situations where pets get group buffs, I'd imagine Growl would be turned off anyway, in order for the tank to control threat). And Hunters who use boars, of course -- as Daniel explained, that extra AP from Charge doesn't work for Growl any more. Mania doesn't stop there, however -- since we know now that the only thing affecting Growl is the Hunter's Attack Power, she's determined to figure out just how much AP can scale Growl up (she's guessing it starts at 1955, we'll see what she comes up with).

Of course, some players have found that this works pretty well -- especially MM Hunters, who generally have more attack power (thanks to talents which increase it), have no problems with drawing aggro away from their growling pets. Blizzard's reasoning on this may have been solid -- to make the abilities of the pet rely on Hunter stats, not any temporary pet buffs. Hunters with Boars won't get that nice burst any more, but Hunters with a high RAP will do just fine.

In the newest video from Nyhm, creator of Can't PuG KZ and Death Knight Spree, we're treated to his newest spin on things going on in WoW. This time around Nyhm actually decided to jump from his beloved Warlock and give us the skinny from another caster class -- the Mage! This one features a parody of a 50 cent song and some pretty witty observations about Mage group utility and abilities. We all know Mages are the best snack machines in game, but you have to admit that Nyhm's served this tasty Mage treat up with style.

Bon Appétit!

Previously, on MovieWatch...