Michael Gray
Articles by Michael Gray
WoW Moviewatch: The Craft of War: BLIND
I've treasured the WoW machinima community just as much -- if not more -- than the rest of the game. Over the years, I've witnessed so much joy and pleasure, not to mention raw creativity, that I'll always carry the indelible mark in my heart. What's not to love about a group of people who sing, animate, draw, and create? Hundreds of outstanding videos testify to the strength of that community. So when choosing one last final video for my personal swan song, I was stumped. WoW filk played during my wedding and during the birth of both my daughters. My wife and I fell in love with machinima together. I ultimately chose this, the machinima that took the world by storm. To this day, I still get notes asking if WoW Insider is aware of the video. So with a tip of that, I present to you: The Craft of War: BLIND. Keep an eye over your shoulders, folks. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: WoD Cinematic Redubbed
Slightly Impressive took the incredibly orcish orc of the new WoD cinematic and attempted to redub it. While I'm sure plenty of folks will have opinions about the final quality of the piece, the redub is a famous and time-honored method of parody. The Mountain Dew connect is especially amusing to me, especially because that's a drink that's been long associated with WoW. I suppose if we had to pick a soft drink to corrupt a tribe of orcs, then it probably would be the Dew. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Do You Want To Do a Rep Grind?
It will probably be years before the Frozen parodies die off permanently and I'm just fine with that. Something about that movie warms the cockles of my cold heart, and I don't know when it'll get old. I blame the influence of a toddler girl and the endearing way she shrieks, "Warm hugs!" Do You Want To Do a Rep Grind? is a shockingly thorough WoW parody. The lyrics came together plenty well, and the vocal performance is tone perfect for both the original song and this mournful version. And, hey, I can feel the pain. Rep grinds suck, whether you're helping or the one being helped. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WRUP: Orcs orcs orcs
The weekend's here. It's been one hell of a week, hasn't it? This is not the place to discuss all the headlines, though; just the WoW ones. Among the news of the day, we've finally seen the cinematic. And while we could opine about plenty of the week's events, let's stay focused on that. Of course, that means we need to ask the obvious question: What did you think of the WoD cinematic? Was it everything you hoped for? What do you think of the fan reaction to it?
WoW Moviewatch: Expendable Warlords
While it may look like we've finally seen the new cinematic, Ian Beckman created one that some might feel is far superior. Or, perhaps, at least more expendable. Featuring some of Beckman's incredible vocal and animation skills, this parody brings home all the rock 'em sock 'em bacon you could ever want. The animation is definitely more rusty than Blizzard's trailer, but I think Beckman's parody tells you exactly as much about the plot. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Murktale
I'm sure something happened after the first 13 seconds of Murktale but darned if I could tell you what. I basically backed up the video a half million times and watched that first quarter minute over and over. Okay, fine, I watched the whole thing. The punchline is a tiny bit tired, but the overall video was great. Look, it's hard to go wrong with a quicky video featuring murloc jokes. I think someone crooning "in the arms of an angellllll" would have made the video better, though I'm not sure any of us need to hear that song again. Ultimately, it's a fun little video. I look forward to what might be in store in the future for Azian. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Icecrown Citadal Abridged
As we're all left floundering in the final throes of MoP, killing Garrosh with the same clockwork regularity you'd expect from Swiss watches, now's a good time to look back into the past and remember the interminable raids of yesterday. We spent so long in ICC that it was starting to feel like I married Arthas. Despite the fact we spent two years raiding ICC while waiting for Cataclysm, plenty of modern players weren't around for that raid. In a helpful attempt to catch up newer players, Slightly Impressive is busting out Icecrown Citadel Abridged. Take the time to check out the video and sigh impressively at the nostalgia. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Teenage Mutant Ninja Orcs
Just in time for Michael Bay's upcoming snoutless explosion fest, Gremsly Goblin created one of the finest Horde videos you've ever seen. Teenage Mutant Ninja Orcs tracks a team of four turtles who find themselves transformed into orcs, and launch themselves into a world of adventure. I can't really give you a detailed breakdown of the video points. It was just a long blur of joy. This video left me awash in sweet nostalgia, and I was completely satisfied with the character choices. Splinter became just the right critter. Shredder maybe could have been a little better, but the human-with-claws wasn't a bad choice. I've watched this video about ten times now, and I'm pretty sure I'm ready for some pizza. Taurenbunga, dudes. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Siege of Orgrimmar Abridged
Siege of Orgrimmar Abridged features an epic battle to bring justice to Azeroth. Or something like that. Despite its thrilling story and exciting bosses, there were more than a few odd moments in SoO. Also, some of the bosses spoke a little too much truth. After all, you and I both know that some of your raid members maybe shouldn't really be there, right? Slightly Impressive to a bang up job highlighting those bizarre little quirks. Take the time to check out the video, and let us know in the comments if you shared Griff's experiences. We'd love to hear your story! Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Like Father, Like Son
Like Father, Like Son is the latest revelation of wit from master machinimator, Ian Beckman. It's a lighthearted romp through the world of Azeroth with Garrosh and Daddy Hellscream. It looks like the two chaps finally get together. As you might expect, the reunited orcs spend quality time together by looting, pillaging, and beating up a certain green skinned nogoodnik. Ian really masters the tone of this video with his usual aplomb. I kept expecting a discrete punchline but in retrospect, it's the surreality of the two Hellscreams flouncing about that makes the video hilarious. Take the time to check the video out; it's work safe! Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WRUP: A lonely time of playing
This week was a complex mix of big news and no news. Weeks like this are weird. Your intrepid WoW Insider staff assembles itself, ready to lay down the big news smackdown... and then nothing else comes to light. It's a weird mix of hurry-up-and-wait and "Oh, please, let something happen." But the reality is that WoD approaches closer with every day. While there's obviously no release date yet, we're getting lots of information from the beta. So when we asked the WoW Insider staff what they're playing this weekend, we also asked them to opine on the state of the beta. Are we looking forward to the expansion as a whole new playground, or are we feeling like the not-time-travel expansion is perhaps a bit lackluster?
WoW Moviewatch: Elven Death - Rain of Chaos
Nothing makes me what to thrash my hair around in a circle like the name of this movie. Elven Death - Rain of Chaos is either the name of an upcoming thrasher album, or one of the hardest core titles for a machinima ever made. Don't get me wrong. The video is fine. The graphics look pretty and serve as a good testament to the creator's skill. The narrative feels muddled to me but that could just be that I can't get past the name. Not since Overkill has the title of art so inspired me to whip out a guitar and start waling away. Bill and Ted would be proud. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Beta Bob
It's been a while since we've heard from Wowcrendor, but the master of the medium is back with Beta Bob. Whether you're looking for the technology to decide whether a beta activity is actually productive, or a handy reminder that you should submit the bugs that you find, Beta Bob will keep you mindful of the true purpose of beta testing. You can always rely on Wowcrendor for some truthful WoW examination. Beta testing can be a complex activity for the developers, and it's not really meant to be a preview. If nothing else, maybe we can get a Beta Bob to defend design decisions. Except for that ice lance thing. That's not their fault. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: ANN: Midsummer Fire Festival
Nobody reports on the hijinks of in-game holidays like the Azeroth News Network, and it's time to take a long, hard look at the Midsummer Fire Festival. Shedding the harsh light of day on the spectacle and insane fires of the festival, Slightly Impressive's faux-news cast tackles the bizarre habit of standing by campfires during the hottest months of the year. We all know that there's a little surreality to all of the holidays, but the Midsummer festival has already made the least sense to me. Fire everywhere, in wooden cities, in the hottest days of summer. It just doesn't add up. But, still, who doesn't want to wear fiery braziers on their shoulders? Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WRUP: The news is finally happening
There's been a surprising amount of news this week. It's like warlords from some not-quite-time-travel location are finally catching up to us. Whether we're talking about the night time being dark or just kind of dim, or exciting new fiery corgis, it feels like things are finally happening. So when we asked What R U Playing this weekend, we also asked: what's been your favorite bit of news? What's on your mind about recent events? Also, most importantly, is the Corgi the best pet ever, or just the best pet available?
WoW Moviewatch: Paranormal Orctivity
Paranormal Orctivity is the supernatural horror thriller paroyd you always wanted from the Horde, but never had sufficient found footage to make. It's somewhere between your usual WoW machinima and something like the Scary Movie series (but not nearly so obnoxious). I want to highlight one particular aspect of the machinima. It's the right length. Just enough content kept the plot moving, without making the whole thing feel entirely contrived. Sure, some of the jokes have been around a while, but after nearly a decade of the game... what are you expecting? The Lazy Peon excellently kept pace and cut it off when the point was made. Very well done. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WRUP: The Unpredictable Beta
Waves of targeted beta invites are going out. Will there be more? Who can say? Predicting beta waves is like predicting the ocean. The only thing you can be sure of is that you'll probably get wet. But what about the community? Now that the world at large will be getting more of their collective eyes upon the not-time-travel of WoD, how do you think they'll react? What do you think the zeitgeist will be about the beta in the coming week? Also, WRUP.
WoW Moviewatch: Stuff WoW Elitists Say
I guess I was actually somewhat surprised it took this long for someone to make this kind of parody video. But the inestimable Slightly Impressive has finally tackled the subject with Stuff WoW Elitists Say. I get nervous about poking fingers at people as "elitist" or "newb" or anything else, but all is fair in love and comedy. Though, I do find the commentary about researching for LFR, item levels in flex runs, and the AQ event especially inspired. The very best elitist comments require occult references to events that happened nearly a decade ago. After all, someone born during the AQ event is looking forward to middle school soon. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Orc vs. Wild Vashj'ir
Just in time to help us keep the pre-expansion doldrums away, Wowcrendor takes another look at the ongoing adventures of Boar Thrills. This time, in Orc vs. Wild Vashj'ir, Boar goes deep beneath the oceans of Azeroth to learn how to breathe underwater. Feel free to insert your own "How's he going to drink down there?" jokes here. It's nice to see Boar Thrills ride again. While I certainly miss Wowcrendor's cast of characters, Boar Thrills has been a favorite of mine for a while. It's a nice way to revisit nostalgic moments from WoW gone by, without complete giving up on funny jokes and killer one-liners. And who doesn't love seeing a new Wowcrendor video? Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WRUP: Hearthstone for life?
As we wrap up another week and look forward to a new one, we're forced to ask ourselves: What R U Playing? That's what the weekend is for, right? Playing. (Or, perhaps, doing house chores, but when you get old enough, that feels like playing, too.) Are you still playing Hearthstone? What's good? What's bad? I find myself wishing for more emote options, and for a shorter turn timer. The length of time some people take make the game nearly unplayable to me, at points. I got things to get done!