WoW: Cataclysm Cinematic Intro Blows Everything Up Forever

[Yelchor]

Not as touching as the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic. Though I guess in this case there wasn't any hope or reason for the antagonist to be redeemed. It's just mindless, primal rage.

It felt a bit short on the destruction shots. I had expected to see much more expanded and lengthier geological changes.

Oh well. I guess I just miss the former villain who had had a much more immersing build-up since Warcraft 3.

 

[Mcupobob]

It feels like only yesterday I was getting all pumped up for WotLK and now I sit here, getting pumped up for Cata!!

 

[dghjdgdjf]

The whole theme of this kinda reminds me of the theme they are making for FEAR 3, only less ridicilous.

 

[Loonerinoes]

Oh well. I guess I just miss the former villain who had had a much more immersing build-up since Warcraft 3.

Yep...but then again...somewhere around WotLK I'd pretty much given up on WoW sticking to some of its lore roots for a change, rather than just making stuff up as it went along. It started very subtly, with things like the draenei being retconned in TBC or the odd wierd gadget, but that was acceptable enough since it still had some new lore standing behind it. But then by this last expansion it was all about choppers and full-blown snarky copypasta of real-world items, people and events and...meh...the illusion, that WoW is a seperate universe, really was broken for me by then quite resoundly and the level of my enthusiasm for any kind of RPing dwindled along with it.

Kinda probably what the subtext of Cataclysm is tbh: "This ain't your father's Warcraft anymore! It's changed forever! So get along on the ride or STFU!" But nonetheless that doesn't mean that this new Warcraft with wierdo modernistic jokes, ala what was done in the old games, beginning to drive the narrative moreso rather than just being a nifty little side-quip you get from clicking on your units to bug them couldn't work hence...I'm willing to give it 2 months. But I doubt any more than that.

 

[Dukenstein]

Seeing Deathwing over the Stormwind gates brings me back to the times when people would kite the Duskwood dragon to SW. Ahh..good times...

 

[Vaccine]

Really I feel for what they're going for with this expansion to be rather strong, which is holding new players.
The WotLK Intro was amazing..........for people who played Warcraft 3 and knew who Arthas was and why he was a pinnacle character to the lore.
With the Deathwing intro it feels like they're more making the character feel more accessible to everyone, you don't really need a background story on him, he's a big burly fire dragon fucking your worlds shit up, yet in the game there's going to be more lore cop-out for existing players.
Different areas of the game for players, I'm rather happy with it, the revamped areas all look amazing for old players and new players alike.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Eh, in retrospect I find them way too scattered and unfocused. It's PLAYER CHARACTERS! DOING COOL THINGS! AWESOME POSE! VIOLENCE!

With the WotLK and now Cata intros, they're definitely more cohesive. I felt that having a defined villain from the outset in WotLK was one of the things it did really well (as opposed to Illidan/Kael/Vashj/KJ who were just kind of vaguely there in BC), and I like the new focus.

Scattered? Yes, you could call it that. Unfocused? I wouldn't say so, it just focusses on a bigger picture; the diversity of the Warcraft world, hence why I really liked it. It showed off how many different things happen in the grand world of Azeroth.

Now the WotLK cinematic was incredible thanks to the story angle behind it, the stark contrast between what's happening and the speech in the background. This cinematic doesn't really have that, plus it pretty much copies what they also used in the WotLK trailer; big-ass dragon powering up. That's kinda weak.

But it's still a Blizzard cinematic, and they're still awesome. Though it always saddens me that the game, while I also love that, is never that epic.

 

[Sonicron]

Well, in the novels I've read so far, Deathwing was the best villain out of the bunch, so if they could finally end the game with this expansion pack I'll consider it going out on a high note.

Also, agreed on the enhanced level of content cohesion. Me likey. It's unlikely the game will ever lure me in again, but boy oh boy, would I pay to see a WoW movie mady by Blizzard's CGI department.

 

[YouCallMeNighthawk]

I agree they make truely epic intro movies, but still isn't going to get me to play the game.

They really should make a full length movie, i would definetly go see that!

 

[Yelchor]

Yep...but then again...somewhere around WotLK I'd pretty much given up on WoW sticking to some of its lore roots for a change, rather than just making stuff up as it went along. It started very subtly, with things like the draenei being retconned in TBC or the odd wierd gadget, but that was acceptable enough since it still had some new lore standing behind it. But then by this last expansion it was all about choppers and full-blown snarky copypasta of real-world items, people and events and...meh...the illusion, that WoW is a seperate universe, really was broken for me by then quite resoundly and the level of my enthusiasm for any kind of RPing dwindled along with it.

Kinda probably what the subtext of Cataclysm is tbh: "This ain't your father's Warcraft anymore! It's changed forever! So get along on the ride or STFU!" But nonetheless that doesn't mean that this new Warcraft with wierdo modernistic jokes, ala what was done in the old games, beginning to drive the narrative moreso rather than just being a nifty little side-quip you get from clicking on your units to bug them couldn't work hence...I'm willing to give it 2 months. But I doubt any more than that.

Ah, yes. The technology advancement in the Warcraft universe by the time of WotLK was bizarre and comical. For some reason people bothered using bronze-age weaponry when apparently sabers and -machine guns- had been invented. Heck. They even had frikkin' -STEAM TANKS-. Moving artillery units minus the restriction of fossilized fuel. Choppers, and now cars... This is something that has always gotten on my nerves. Any hostilities between the two player factions would be laughably one-sided really. It looks like Blizzard just throws stuff in without any thought on wherether it makes sense or not.

There is of course magic, but things aren't even explained as to how this adds up to industralized technology. Beacuse of this unsorted pile of equipment from different stages of advancement, nothing feels like it really matters. Neither does the apparent threats to the world appear intimidating. The only time when a sense of dread came over you was in Icecrown where you saw enormous hordes of Undead and countless of frostwyrms circling the skies the size of four busses. However any potential of adding tension was thrown away as apparently the living could breeze through it without consequence nor explanation as to how they pulled it off. Poof! Right at the Citadel's entrance! No biggie, we just stand back and do nothing while players respawn enough times to bring down the boss!

This was the case long before WotLK, and I would have quit over three years ago were it not for the roleplay. Despite the lore mess... Warcraft does have one of the more solid game worlds where stories doesn't become insignificant and unfocused. That's good enough for me. For now...

*Peers at Star Wars: The Old Republic*

 

[Malidictuim]

I like Deathwing more than the other expac villians. Which surprised me cause I ADORE Illidan and Arthas to the point of religious worship. But the reason I like Deathwing is, they won't fuck him up by over-analyzing him. He's mean. He's insane. He's super powerful. HE WANTS US DEAD. That's it. No humanity in his character (I hope) just pure, volcanic rage. Like we see in the video. He's pissed off at us for breathing his oxygen, so he's gonna ruin everything everywhere just because he can. No reason beyond that is nessecary. Sometimes less backstory is more in my opinion.

 

[Yelchor]

Probably the weakest intro they've made yet. Still impressive, but sub-par in comparison. The music is nothing special, the voiceovers have no meaning (RAAR LOOK AT ME I'M SO MAD IMA KILL EVERYTHING RAAR), what's happening makes little sense (so Deathwing can just fly over things and DESTROY THE WORLD?) and the camera angles make me think i'm looking at miniatures instead of landmarks.

And sorry John, Blizzard's cinematics always had that ironic/tragic/dramatic element that made them special. The eye candy is neat and all, but i never watched them for that. The irony of Arthas's father, the contrast of Arthas being hailed as a hero compared to what he really was, the inner turmoil of the Wanderer - it's not about the cinematics, but their meaning and the atmosphere they conveyed.

Agreed. It was the character-progression that created such a dramatic effect that you were willing to spend weeks grinding and farming just to see a glimpse of the closure to the tale that gave a great emotional impression. Sadly, such is lacked in this expansion.

Deathwing could be portrayed in greater depth perhaps, but there has been no build-up. He has only made major appearances in the novels, which can be difficult to relate to. And as far as I know, he just went power-hungry and turned against his friends and siblings. No other feelings stem from that appart from "Oh, neat. A new raid encounter".

I'm not as negative to the rest of the plot advancements, I'm pretty sure I'll have fun flying across Azeroth for a while atleast.

Story-wise in overall? A disappointment. They shouldn't have been so rushed with this. I would have given it time, and added build-up plot development through a period of patches until BOOM! Expansion announcement! Here it just exploded while most of us were busy in Northrend. Like a new assignment on the job, nothing more.

 

[Keava]

Deathwing could be portrayed in greater depth perhaps, but there has been no build-up. He has only made major appearances in the novels, which can be difficult to relate to. And as far as I know, he just went power-hungry and turned against his friends and siblings. No other feelings stem from that appart from "Oh, neat. A new raid encounter".

Erm Deathwing was a major character in Warcraft's lore ever since Warcraft II: Beyond The Dark Portal where he made appearance during the campaign. In WoW alone you had Onyxia and Nefarion being obvious links to his activities, he is referenced in several quests throughout the span of the game, he makes appearance in Yog-Saron encounter, Netherdrakes are his progeny, and he was behind many of the major event's before Arthas got to be the public favourite.

 

[Loonerinoes]

Yep...but then again...somewhere around WotLK I'd pretty much given up on WoW sticking to some of its lore roots for a change, rather than just making stuff up as it went along. It started very subtly, with things like the draenei being retconned in TBC or the odd wierd gadget, but that was acceptable enough since it still had some new lore standing behind it. But then by this last expansion it was all about choppers and full-blown snarky copypasta of real-world items, people and events and...meh...the illusion, that WoW is a seperate universe, really was broken for me by then quite resoundly and the level of my enthusiasm for any kind of RPing dwindled along with it.

Kinda probably what the subtext of Cataclysm is tbh: "This ain't your father's Warcraft anymore! It's changed forever! So get along on the ride or STFU!" But nonetheless that doesn't mean that this new Warcraft with wierdo modernistic jokes, ala what was done in the old games, beginning to drive the narrative moreso rather than just being a nifty little side-quip you get from clicking on your units to bug them couldn't work hence...I'm willing to give it 2 months. But I doubt any more than that.

Ah, yes. The technology advancement in the Warcraft universe by the time of WotLK was bizarre and comical. For some reason people bothered using bronze-age weaponry when apparently sabers and -machine guns- had been invented. Heck. They even had frikkin' -STEAM TANKS-. Moving artillery units minus the restriction of fossilized fuel. Choppers, and now cars... This is something that has always gotten on my nerves. Any hostilities between the two player factions would be laughably one-sided really. It looks like Blizzard just throws stuff in without any thought on wherether it makes sense or not.

There is of course magic, but things aren't even explained as to how this adds up to industralized technology. Beacuse of this unsorted pile of equipment from different stages of advancement, nothing feels like it really matters. Neither does the apparent threats to the world appear intimidating. The only time when a sense of dread came over you was in Icecrown where you saw enormous hordes of Undead and countless of frostwyrms circling the skies the size of four busses. However any potential of adding tension was thrown away as apparently the living could breeze through it without consequence nor explanation as to how they pulled it off. Poof! Right at the Citadel's entrance! No biggie, we just stand back and do nothing while players respawn enough times to bring down the boss!

This was the case long before WotLK, and I would have quit over three years ago were it not for the roleplay. Despite the lore mess... Warcraft does have one of the more solid game worlds where stories doesn't become insignificant and unfocused. That's good enough for me. For now...

*Peers at Star Wars: The Old Republic*

Yap. Pretty much my sentiments tbh. Heheh and about the whole 'right at the Citadel's entrance' thing, that's exactly why I suggested on the SWTOR suggestions page a long while back that in no way whatsoever should they incorporate flying mounts, because that will seriously anihalate any semblance of tension, effort or feeling like a certain area is *really* something for which you need to prepare to enter.

 

[Knife-28]

I'm not a Blizzard fan, but their CGI trailers make me drool with their visuals, their story, not so much.

 

[pffh]

No king rules forever. A lesson deathwing will soon learn (and horde players too I guess since they're losing both Thrall and Cairne).

 

[Gerrawn]

We're gonna need more DOTs.

 

[The Cheezy One]

I have never so much wanted to get into WoW. Should I get this first (as well as WoW), or just play through it one piece of Expansion pack at a time?