WoW: Cataclysm Cinematic Intro Blows Everything Up Forever

[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.

 

[Wolf Devastator]

Uh, or you pay $15 to check out the entire revamped 1-60 content with improved quest flow/mechanics/graphics? I'm not saying that Cataclysm is OMG BEST XPAC EVER, but A.) they're changing a lot of the old world beyond "a few graphical changes." They're revamping probably over 70% of all of the quests.

And B.) that bit is free without the expansion. If you don't get the xpac, you can't go to 85 and you can't make a Goblin/Worgen.

So, yes actually, it's completely feasible to just reup your subscription for a month and play to see if the changes are worth it.

It might be because the only posts I'm reading are yours with the quotes, but it seems like there are a lot of people hating on Cataclysm or at least the cinematic...

I agree with everything your saying. The cinematic is just that, cinematic. It's not required to show everything new that's coming with the expansion, it does just what it needs to do, display the new boss and the cataclysmic changes it made. I don't need to see 5 second cameos by the two new races because they aren't the main driving point to the new expo.

People need to calm down and just remember that no matter what the expansion will be awesome, if not Blizzard has plenty of money to fix the problems. It's not like they're going to see a large percentage of their people hate the new expo and do nothing about it.

So just thought I'd show support since you seem to be under fire lol

Oh, and to that EVE player bashing on WoW: I tried EVE and it just wasn't my thing. You don't see me going to their threads, especially ones that aren't about the game itself, and posting bs about your game. Of course it's the internet, so it's like fighting a forest fire with garden hose, but don't be a jerk about a game that you don't have the money for because I don't have the time for EVE but I know it's a great game.

 

[vanthebaron]

dear Azeroth:
YOU JUST GOT KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT

my neice showed this to me, welcom to hell WoW peoples

 

[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))

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

Yeah the old world (eastern kingdoms + kalimdor) are changing for everyone no matter what expansions you have.
The cataclysm expansion just adds the two new races (worgen and goblin) and the level 81-85 content.

 

[Aeshi]

Deathwing is a fucking badass.

What more can be said?

 

[Armored Prayer]

Awesome cinematic.

I couldn't help but notice that Deathwing sounds a lot like Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne's Anub'Arak.(I hope I spelled that right)

 

[MadGodXero]

Pretty pretty, so I see Megatron came back in WoW.. LoL, In any case I liked it, but I refuse to buy until I upgrade My computer, she can't run wow on low settings thanks to the last patch...fail..

 

[Orzene]

Way's to basically destroy your original game content and redo the game without the need for a sequel: Create a large villain who basically wipes out 80% the map, is a dragon of sorts, and makes grandiose rage-speeches about death and revenge.

....



This still doesn't make me wanna buy into WoW... at all...

 

[The_ModeRazor]

Nice, but no Hellscream death/Lich King coronation level. Though the destruction was pretty epic.

 

[katsabas]

I have never been into Warcraft but the concept of 'EVERYthing gets fucked up' in a world the magnitude of Azeroth has got to turn some heads. Deathwing's pain while armor is being NAILED to his skin cause earthquake to the entire friggin' world.

This has to be the best looking expansion since Point Lookout and Big Surf Island.

 

[Pictoru]

Just re-watched all wow trailers and the fact of the matter is....first one gave me (and still do) goosebumps , most cause of the epic music , second one Illidan's terrific voice and quotes , third one was not really goosebumps material ... but lich Arthas + frost wyrm = uber badass , finally Cataclysm ....which changes a whole lot of the world i can't even remember what was it about (and it's only me , or does deathwing sound an awful lot as lich king in woltk ? ) , it's really disappointing :/

 

[HyenaThePirate]

Thats it, I quit.
Vengeful races of man? Sure. Demon armies? okay. Lich Kings? Aye, my sword travels with ye.

Ancient wyrms composed of equal parts fury, hatred, and fire that have the power to literally crack the very land in twain and ruin continents?

No thanks. There is no way I can conceivably defeat that, even with the full strength of every single guild in the game, united in one single-minded goal to rid the world of this blight.

Time for me to step through this emergency one-way portal that my great-great grandfather gave me that will spirit me safely away to a galaxy "far, far away"...

 

[Nikolaz72]

Sooooooooo.... Fire resist gear huh?

haha, fits perfectly with your avatar pic then...if I'm not mistaken that is a person/thing holding a gas can?

OT: Blizzard know their CGI, whish they could do more then that though, Starcraft 1 was boring, not buying 2 to find out, Diablo 2 was boring...didn't even play properly on my pc, that may be because it's a old game though =/

And WoW...I still play now and then..looking forward to cataclysm

Fire res gear? Havent used that since molten core. Hah, fireproof magicleather and my engineered googles! GOOD TO GO!. *Gets fried* Arrrgh... (Reason i havent gone back to WoW is that i cant stand to have to get out of my old MC gear