WoW: Cataclysm Cinematic Intro Blows Everything Up Forever

[pffh]

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?

You have two options: Get wow now and play through the old content before it all goes away in cataclysm or wait for cataclysm and play through it then.
I would just get the original first and then get the burning crusade (1st expansion) when you hit level 58 and wrath of the lich king (2nd) when you hit 68 and finally cataclysm (3rd) when you hit 78 (or 80).

If you start now you'll have about two months to get to 58 before the old content is lost (plenty of time, depending on how much you play it will take 3-6 weeks on average (and of course some people do it in more and some in a lot less))

 

[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?

You have two options: Get wow now and play through the old content before it all goes away in cataclysm or wait for cataclysm and play through it then.
I would just get the original first and then get the burning crusade (1st expansion) when you hit level 58 and wrath of the lich king (2nd) when you hit 68 and finally cataclysm (3rd) when you hit 78 (or 80).

If you start now you'll have about two months to get to 58 before the old content is lost (plenty of time, depending on how much you play it will take 3-6 weeks on average (and of course some people do it in more and some in a lot less))

So the world is changing with all WoW packs. I thought it would just be for people that got Cata. Excuse my lack of knowledge - while I am a follower of Warcraft canon, I'm not that up on WoW and how it works

 

[Xerosch]

Hmm... it was quite underwhelming. Blizzard destroys the world players have spent years in and there's not mot going on except for a bit of flying. There's neither city nor Warcraft 3 hero in this which gives the cinematic less of an impact as it could have.

This is how you blow shit up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsRdl9qgFYY&p=C76D3C1D9C97A6D8&playnext=1&index=3

[So the world is changing with all WoW packs. I thought it would just be for people that got Cata. Excuse my lack of knowledge - while I am a follower of Warcraft canon, I'm not that up on WoW and how it works

WoW is in fact a changing world that expands with every Addon. Technically you can't choose between which Addon you play as once installed, the world gets bigger and new features (like playable races) get unlocked. You should check out Blizzard's website and download the 14 day free trial of the game. It includes the first expansion (Burning Crusade) and if you buy the full version you can keep your character and his current level.

 

[Ranorak]

Eh, count me among the underwhelmed. Maybe it's because I've never played WoW. I don't recognize the places being destroyed, nor do I recognize the decent-looking dragon destroying said places. Seems to me this trailer will cater more heavily to those who already play. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.

Not to be nitpicky, but it's not a trailer.
It's the opening cinematic.
The one that you see when you first start playing.

This is the trailer:

 

[ThreeKneeNick]

I think it's meh. Deathing doesn't do a whole lot other than fly around all "HEY GUIZ LEWK AT MEH!"

This is such utter meh'ness... It's making me sad.

Cool eye candy though.

Whaaaaaaaaaat?

I mean, let's be honest here. We watch their videos for the eye candy (and the awesome cinematography, but that falls under "eye candy"), and this was awesome eye candy.

Much better than Classic/BC intros, IMO. Not sure if I like it as much as the WotLK one.

I just want to add that eye candy had much more of an impact back when it was actually difficult to make. These days technology has gone so far that making a cinematic like this is a piece of cake. Eye candy alone is no longer enough. I also think its pretty but meh. And i absolutely LOVED the TBC cinematic. It's my favorite.

 

[Ferisar]

see this is why I like eve. oh no giant dragon.... launching cruise missiles. *BOOM*

cruise missile > gun > magic > sword/hammer > stick

we also have cooler trailers/intros

Now if only eve was actually entertaining.

I just want to add that eye candy had much more of an impact back when it was actually difficult to make. These days technology has gone so far that making a cinematic like this is a piece of cake. Eye candy alone is no longer enough. I also think its pretty but meh. And i absolutely LOVED the TBC cinematic. It's my favorite.

You crazy bro. You be crazy.

 

[Delusibeta]

Spotted on the RPS comments thread: Bazinga. [http://tubedubber.com/#Wq4Y7ztznKc:LrkrQXuDq24:0:100:7:0:false]

 

[Kinokohatake]

All I could think about was "Man those poor minions died just doing their jobs. Poor guys"

 

[John Funk]

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*

Uh, just one point to correct: Warcraft has always been a weird mix of magic and technology. Dwarves had steam tanks and flying machines all the way back in WC2.

 

[Loonerinoes]

Well yes, it always was that of course. And the magic and technology mix wasn't really *that* disturbing before, when you see it on a top-down view while you command your units on the battlefield.

But the feelings tend to change when one sees it up close and not used in relative moderation. It took quite a while to build up steam tanks and to charge with them in WC3 and 3X. Flying machines could rarely be used for much other than just aerial combat, scouting and other such minor things...but now everyone seems to have their own chopper, flying machine, grenades, ect. and chucks them around willy nilly, both sides have titanic airships with shields and slowly the point when the absurdity hits you in the face approaches. That these amazing machines (and magic as well) have become the standard rather than the exception because...well...*everyone* wants one in an MMO.

And even moreso, everyone loves to use them for silly things rather than things that might actually contribute meaningfully to the lore like say...using choppers to hog-bounce around that Dalaran well you were fishing from heh. It's cute and it's funny really, but it also gives the impression that the game doesn't want you to take it seriously in any form or fashion and while that might be good on some levels, it sucks when trying to hype yourself up for things like RPing characters or taking the game's world seriously. But...some people might prefer that...though the whole 'discworld' feeling of self-mockery wears thin if abused constantly like this for me at least.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

Pfft. The Cinematics were better before the art department started pandering to all the casual players and started adding things like dragons.

Remember when you actually had to know what you were doing to watch a WoW cinematic?

Vote with your money!
Game ruined forever! *Ragequit*


Okay no not really.

It's not my favorite cinematic, that's still reserved for the Lich King intro which manages to get it's point across to newcomers while still giving a bit of back story drama to lore nerds like myself.

It's pretty though and does a decent enough job of introducing the setting.

 

[ninjajoeman]

guys remember that terrantron I think this is the same voice actor.

 

[Sampsa]

It has nice looks but it's quite boring. Besides did anyone else think about decepticons from Transformers or Isengard from Lord of the Rings?

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Time to start getting WoW then...? (I know, 6 years late.)

 

[Ernil Menegil]

snip

I think the BC cinematic had the strongest opening of them all. A draenei paladin preparing to beat the shit out of somebody, fuck yeah. Man, that looked awesome.

snip

snip

These two hit it right on the head. The trailer has nothing going for it except blowing up the places you loved. Personally, the landscapes in this one were nothing special either, they don't hold up for crap compared to the vistas opening up in the original WoW or WotLK cinematics, nor do they look anywhere as special as the ones they showed in BC.

And after watching this again, Jesus Christ, the music. It's so run of the mill, how can anyone find this any good? If anything in any cinematic Blizzard has done was unfocused and out of place, this was. Honestly, something more along the lines of this (as a trailer overall) would've been preferable:


It's not bad overall, it's just bad by Blizzard's standards. I'd rather have it self contained with a blast of an ending (hell, that's how every single one of those trailers were, and they worked for it), than bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang (ad infinitum) for 2 minutes.

Good Lords, yes. Here goes my first ever post; This intro, compared to the others, was utter rubbish. Whereas the original and the BC openings actually showcased the new races and made a good job of selling and integrating them with the action, as well as showcasing the new areas and so on, we have a big bad dragon being vastly underwhelming in his destruction wake. I would much rather have loved seeing how the actual people down in Booty Bay, Thousand Needles and Darkshore reacted to the sudden cataclysmic events (as shown in this intro), along with showcases of both Worgen and Goblins dealing with the same issues, and leaving Deathwing for a big, explosive ending. I mean, think with me here; Blizzard issued some rather badass art of Cairne and Thrall saving children during the Cataclysm. Why couldn't something similar be done with the cinematic? It would have been much more coherent with the style Blizzard has employed up until WOTLK, and would, without a doubt, draw in more players, as well as giving players a true purpose and a feel of just how much danger both Horde and Alliance are in with a renewed sundering of the world.

Blizzard didn't actually do anything with WOTLK in that regard, sure, but there's a big reason; WOTLK doesn't add much beyond the Death Knight class and the continent of Northrend, along with the much greater dedication to story. It succeeded tremendously in that regard, giving out one of the best cinematic pieces of film in the entire Warcraft series, delivering iconic pieces of dialogue every single second and heavily emphasizing what WOTLK is all about.

Blizzard has been dropping the ball rather mightily since then. The Angrathar was underwhelming, almost lazy, a piece that could have worked much better had it been better written to accomodate for a rather stunning and well done dragon-fire endscene. The end-game cinematic is so incredibly underwhelming and poorly-written that it makes me retch, with lines so cheesy and horrific they would much more quickly belong to a 9 year old schoolplay. It really makes me wonder what the Hell those writers are smoking. Because, well, it's some crazy potent stuff, and I'd love to have some for myself.

All of this goes to show just how bad writers can ruin the entire feel of a game. Everything else can be tremendously fantastic; but the emotional impact of any story falls onto the responsibility of the writer. Without it, there really is no purpose to it. And that is what this cinematic intro for Cataclysm really is; senseless booms, bangs and clamour, lacking any sort of purpose, and providing no other goal for players other than to find the mean dragon and slay it. Compare this to the two very much deeper and more senseful arch-villains we encounter in both Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. If it can even be compared.

 

[Yelchor]

Uh, just one point to correct: Warcraft has always been a weird mix of magic and technology. Dwarves had steam tanks and flying machines all the way back in WC2.

Indeed. I suppose my irritation comes from that it has taken a whole new level of publicity if you could call it that.

I guess I should just not bother to think about it. Most Role Players seem to have the proper sense not to... out-use them apart from settings and enviroments where they fit in.

In the end, it's just fantasy. Asking for logic from that is doomed to fail pretty much.

 

[Ernil Menegil]

Uh, just one point to correct: Warcraft has always been a weird mix of magic and technology. Dwarves had steam tanks and flying machines all the way back in WC2.

In the end, it's just fantasy. Asking for logic from that is doomed to fail pretty much.

I most heartily disagree. A setting, to be called such, be it fantasy, quasi-fantasy or real-world based, must always obey logic. It does not have to be our real-world logic - fantasy worlds have their own internal schemes of logic, their own "laws of physics", if you will, to give all that comes to pass inside a sense that yes, in that framework of possibility, it can happen - but it must have logic nonetheless, otherwise it just makes no sense for the very setting to exist in the first place. Warcraft, in regards to technology, simply doesn't. It's a jumbled, unexplained, un-worked-on mess, as others explain. As such, I would definitely agree that one should be irritated at this rather insane level of proliferation of technological progression applied without any aforethought. It harms the credibility of the setting, and makes it very difficult to apply any sort of immersion at all.

 

[Keava]

Uh, just one point to correct: Warcraft has always been a weird mix of magic and technology. Dwarves had steam tanks and flying machines all the way back in WC2.

In the end, it's just fantasy. Asking for logic from that is doomed to fail pretty much.

I most heartily disagree. A setting, to be called such, be it fantasy, quasi-fantasy or real-world based, must always obey logic. It does not have to be our real-world logic - fantasy worlds have their own internal schemes of logic, their own "laws of physics", if you will, to give all that comes to pass inside a sense that yes, in that framework of possibility, it can happen - but it must have logic nonetheless, otherwise it just makes no sense for the very setting to exist in the first place. Warcraft, in regards to technology, simply doesn't. It's a jumbled, unexplained, un-worked-on mess, as others explain. As such, I would definitely agree that one should be irritated at this rather insane level of proliferation of technological progression applied without any aforethought. It harms the credibility of the setting, and makes it very difficult to apply any sort of immersion at all.

Look at Warhammer. Now look at Warcraft. See the similarity? Warcraft was supposed ot be Warhammer in early drafts. Both borrow heavily from the steampunk genre while retaining their fantasy feel. It's not science-fiction where everything has to be explained by science or quasi-scientific logic. Fantasy needs only one explanation - The Wizard Did It. What is the wizard in given case ? Titans.

Technology in Warcraft comes from the Titans. The origins of dwarves, gnomes and the technology is explained during the Bronzebeared questlines in WotlK. For sake of simplicity, the technology is 'alien'. Similarly to how draenei started travelling between the worlds thanks to the 'lightbulbs' aka Naaru.