Today in Pandaria: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011

I'm an adult and I'm quite looking forward to it. I vastly enjoyed the Mists of Pandaria preview at BlizzCon, I am incredibly excited for the new Monk class. I really didn't get any negative feedback at BlizzCon about Mists of Pandaria. Quite the opposite, in fact: The people I had the privilege to speak with were just as excited about it as I am.

It's easy to dismiss something when you don't have complete information. It's easy to jump to snap judgements because Pandarens look cuddly or because you watched a cartoon that had pandas in it.

The Panderans have a rich culture and the world they inhabit is both stunningly beautiful and incredibly dangerous. That comes across in gameplay in a way that can't be captured in screenshots.

I think it might be worth giving it a chance before one starts shrieking about how it's for kids.

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No. We're making Mists of Pandaria. It's a story about exploring a new continent, occupied by an ancient people with a rich culture, who are coming into contact with invaders who have their own agendas, in a conflict with potentially far reaching consequences for all involved. It is a story of cultures clashing, warfare, alliances, and politics. It is a voyage through a beautiful and often dangerous land. This culture is based on a race that has a basis in Warcraft lore. That's what it is. Unfortunately, some players are snidely choosing to interpret it as a cartoon expansion, and that's too bad.

For that matter, we rather did expect that we would get that reaction from some quarters. It was inevitable, I suppose. We hope that the more everyone gets to see and experience everything that's coming, that they'll begin to appreciate it, even if the idea seems silly now.

It's a good one. The word "Alliance" has a lot of syllables though. Just off the top of my head:

Strength and Valor!
Victory from Valor!
Justice by Blood!
Might by Justice!
Strength in Unity!
For Eternal Justice!
Honor Before Glory!
By Bone, Blood and Steel!
Never Break, Never Yield. Glory to the Alliance!
The Alliance Triumphs!
The Dude Abides!