Michael Gray
Articles by Michael Gray
WoW Moviewatch: Hearthstone: This Means War
That master of comedy, Ian Beckman, returns with a sarcastic take on everyone's favorite online card game. In Hearthstone: This Means War, we take a moment to contemplate exactly how fierce doing battle via collectible virtual cards really is. I mean, come on. It's just a card game, right? This is the kind of video Beckman excels at. A few moments of metaphorical introspective humor and then a quick jab to the gut of our collective zeitgeist. Also, funny voices. What's not to love? 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: The Types of WoW Player
Doing a video that talks about the different generalization of WoW players -- the noob, the aggravated raid leader, etc. -- is somewhat a right of passage for machinima creators. I'm pretty sure everyone has created one, at some point or another, and the equivalent of your first death by murloc. It's rarely pretty but the experience is universal. The Lazy Peon's version of this ephemeral video is actually pretty decent. And while it's no way the center of the video, I was especially impressed by the use of font in The Types of WoW Players. Font's important, and nary a comic cans could be found. Check out the video and share your comments below; I'm sure the Peon would like to know your thoughts! 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: Old Gods Are Everywhere
Work Warning (Kinda) for maybe adultish language and old gods? Look, there's tentacles, okay? I've just been advised that whenever tentacles get involved, there should be a work warning so you know what you're getting into. You know, the Old Gods are a pain in the neck. And there's never enough news coverage about them. But if you go traipsing around Azeroth for longer than 5 minutes, you're going to encounter the random Old God trying to blast your brain. Faceless Ones are slightly only less common than murlocs, though admittedly nowhere near as intimidating. That's why I was happy to see Moocluck's new video, Old Gods Are Everywhere. I feel like May needs to be Old God Awarness Month. Seriously, though, check out the video. Mooclucks brings the funny. 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: 6 Ways to Make WoW More Realistic
Sometimes, folks like to say that WoW needs to be more realistic. To that end, Slightly Impressive opted to tackle what could happen if Blizzard went totally off the rails and made WoW even more true to life. Take the time to check out 6 Ways to Make WoW More Realistic and ask yourself: is this really what you want? I think I like the idea of characters effectively being newborns until they reach level 18. Unfortunately, that might mean they can't attend Brewfest until they've reached level 21. I mean, the ironic uses of this kind of system could go on forever. My own suggestion is that characters need more pouches. As I've learned from comic books, nothing screams realism like pouches. 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: 32
32 is a WoW music video by a relatively new machinimist, Minnimus7. The song is by the Danish electronic band, Carpark North. I was very quickly won over by their sound. While they probably aren't the deepest lyrics to ever be penned, the song is pretty catchy when taken as a whole. Like I said, Minnimus7 is a fairly new machinima creator. The video suffers a bit from some usual flaws. The trademark fraps stuttering hangs out in a few shots and some of the transitions feel a bit forced. That being said, Minnimus7 is showing a lot of passion and I'm really excited to see what happens in the future. 32's narrative was plain and convincing. There's a lot of talent here, and some further practice will yield great results. 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: The Lake
The Lake by Stone Falcon Productions is one of the creepiest, most succinct horror machinima in the history of WoW fan films. Featuring an appropriately irreverent and annoying chief of staff, an intrepid reporter, and plenty of anxious local villagers, The Lake is well worth the watch. We've featured The Lake before now, but the video remains one of our favorites. The animation is good, of course, but it's real selling point is the strong story and convincing voice acting. All in all, The Lake is one of those videos that everyone really should know. 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: Lost and Found Vikings
What are you playing this weekend? And let's be honest. It's Lost Vikings, right? Or would that be the Lost and Found Vikings? (Get it? Lost and Found? Look, it's the weekend and humor is relative, all right?) Between that and the movie wrapping up, we actually had some news this week. (Oh, and some stuff about cards and warlords and such.) It's not quite the rush of weekend activity that we like to hear, but we'll take what we can get. We asked our staff to opine about the week's events, as well as what they're playing this weekend. But what about, dear reader? What are you playing this weekend? What opinion of the week is on your mind?
WoW Moviewatch: Looking up
Much like dogs, WoW characters are perfectly capable of looking up. And what you see when you look up in WoW might just blow your mind. Or, just as likely, you'll wonder why you're watching a video about the top 10 ceilings in Azeroth. That's kind of the point of Pointless Top 10: Best Ceilings in World of Warcraft. This video was originally going to be titled, "Wowcrendor looked up and you won't believe what happened next," but he passed on it because he doesn't work for a blog with buzz, viral, or worthy in the title. 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: The Cursed Ones
Nan the Mistweaver created The Cursed Ones as a pride movie for the Gilnean werewolves of WoW. Worgen were in tons of machinima when they were first released, but steadily declined in coverage ever since. This video is decent, as far as such things go, and it does a decent job of grabbing a WoW community and getting them some screen time. But I felt like it moved a little slow, and could have had more to say. The song is so melancholy and angst ridden it's ready to become an English major and write poetry on real paper. The contrast felt a bit out of control to me. It's odd to say "the lighting needed work," but it did. Still, I liked the video, and I'm pretty sure it's not just my addiction to top hats. It's always nice to see a new release from Nan, and The Cursed Ones still brings plenty of fun. 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: Noblegarden Special
It's been a little while since we've seen a new edition of Slightly Impressive's incredible news coverage, but there's not time like the present. In Azeroth News Network: Noblegarden Special, Griff and team tackle the incredible mysteries around all these eggs, bunnies, and zipping about characters. I want to take a moment and reflect on how far Slightly Impressive has come. This team is somewhat of a parable, in my opinion. Their original videos were a bit rough, and the jokes were admittedly sometimes flat. But you could see two things: they cared about what they were doing and they were passionate about it. Now, a hundred videos later, I think Slightly Impressive has grown into a staple of our community. I look forward to their stuff, they're worth more than a few laughs, and they've grown into their style. This is a team that should be proud, and many of us could learn from. 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: How to Win at Auction Houses
Auctioneering is somewhere between the most real-life skill inside WoW and the most mind-crushingly frustrating event put into the game since dailies. I'm not sure, it could go either way. But that's why it was such great news when I heard that Wowcrendor created How to Win At Auction Houses to help us newbsauces out. It's nice to see the master of sardonic WoW humor return to the Billy wellspring. Something about that subtle interaction between narrator and newb brings out the best in Crendor's humor. PS: Yes, I know that the auction house has been in the game longer than dailies. 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 desert of our dis-content
We're caught in the desert of very little news. But at least some news is starting to trickle in about 2014, such as the many contests for BlizzCon. (I hear they're on the left side, and must be handled.) We asked our intrepid staff what big hopes and dreams they were secretly harboring for BlizzCon 2014 this year. I'm hoping that we'll finally hear some hints of that mysterious project. I'd say a release date for WoD but there's no way it can wait that long, right? Right? Oh, gosh, I hope we're not still waiting for WoD by then.
WoW Moviewatch: Happy
Apparently, Casual WoW is happy. Or, at least, Casual WoW is happy with Happy. Or something. The rock I lived under isn't nearly big enough to have kept me from hearing Happy before but it never really clicked for me. Maybe Rossi's grump is rubbing off on me. But I found this video presentation of the song worked pretty well, especially combined with a creator who goes by Casual WoW. The ultimate vibe was that sort of chill, fun atmosphere that makes WoW fun for the whole family. It's a nice little ditty for that, and I think the music video turned out great. Check it out and enjoy.
WoW Moviewatch: Peaches
Spring is finally here for real. Sure, the nights are cold, but the days are getting longer and the temperature is finally climbing a little bit. It's a good time to get outside and enjoy some fair reminders of the warmer days to come. And no song celebrates the fruit of the season quite like Peaches. Bonkey's WoW-rendition of this classic song is probably still my favorite. With an all-star cast of machinima legends, Peaches is the ultimate celebration of fun, community, and thank-the-Light-for-the-weather. 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: Sad Battle Pet Diary
Dear Diary, I am just a lowly battle pet. My days are filled with endless slaughter; both my own, and that of my enemies. Mine is a world of war, death, and remarkable pain. The worst part is that I thought I was alone. Most of the gladiatorial critters I face seem to enjoy their lot in life. They're fierce and dedicated to the adrenaline of battle. They do not seem to suffer the burdens I carry. And then I saw the Sad Battle Pet Diary by the machinimist Ninth Batter. In this movie, he reads the angst-ridden stories of other pets like me. It was a soothing balm to my soul, and I thank him for it. 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: Well, that's just like your opinion
This has been a week for opinions. Lots of things happening; new patches, jokes, games on platforms, and a partridge in a pear tree. And while bloggers should have opinions, there's sometimes a wide diaspora about what we even having bother having opinions about! With that in mind, when we asked our intrepid team what they're playing this weekend, we asked them to also tell us about their favorite opinion right now. Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) This weekend is going to be spent giving those patch notes a closer look, doing a heck of a lot of writing, and watching baseball games with my Dad - woohoo, baseball season is here! That said, uh ... I guess at the moment my opinion on the Rockies is that they seem to have a fairly solid hitting team, but man their closing pitchers could use some work. Some of them are good, some of them are ... not. I'm sort of hoping it was just opening week nerves on their part. Despite that, I'm still hoping they have a better season than last year. ... I can always hope, anyway. Right?
WoW Moviewatch: The Great Boost, episode 2
The second episode of The Great Boost contains one of the finest openings I've seen in machinima. Granted, it's not groundbreaking or anything, but it definitely sets the tone for a nerdlove fan series. What's not to love about it? It's nice to see a new machinima series get started. Through the years, most creators have separated from the episodic format. It's a combination of the difficulty in putting together regular machinimas, the heightened expectations of quality, and just the sheer darned age of the community. I'm joyous to see Nex Manus taking it seriously. I think the series is hitting it's stride, building a cast of characters and an ongoing mythology. Take the time to check it out and share your thoughts below! 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: Stuck In The Middle
Off the Air Guild put this little romcom together as a tribute to all the true loves out there. And while many might associate Stuck In The Middle's song with that scene in Reservoir Dogs, this video goes a long way towards redeeming it. The graphics aren't fancy and dialogue makes no appearance, but the story is obvious and just... sweet. It's cute, sweet, fun, and a big ball of hugworthy awesomeness. This is probably going to be a favorite video for a while. It forsakes high-end graphics in favor of a strong sense of fun and playfulness. 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.
WoW Moviewatch: Bad Girl!
It's nearly impossible to go wrong with Killer Cookie and Bad Girl! doesn't change anything about that. With a fun tune and some impressive animation, this music video will remind machinima fans of the days of fan films gone by. Sure, there's nothing in the way of plot, really, but this kind of character study (featuring a singing belf) definitely brings me back to the good old days. Killer Cookie does some great stuff. I wish we had more creators like this. Granted, I can't say Marilyn Manson and Avril Lavigne are really my bag of donuts, but I'm an old fart. Combined with the video, the song was just fine. 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: Exodar Disco
Seems like some folks could use a reminder about the good side of our favorite spacefaring WoW race. Don't worry, folks. Everything's going to be okay. And just to prove it, take a listen to one of the finest WoW filks ever created, and let's go turn that capital city into the Exodar Disco. It's still the best idea to come out of Burning Crusade. 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.