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Poll: Which is your favorite in-game cinematic?
After Blizzard's machinima team stretched its wings with the inclusion of WoW's first in-game cutscene, The Wrathgate, players have expressed their praise and hope that more cinematics would be included in Warcraft in coming expansions. With the success of The Wrathgate, Blizzard included Arthas' end in cinematic form after his defeat on Icecrown. When Cataclysm released, both the goblins and worgen were treated to cinematics that transitioned the player from starting zone to a larger world with an epic cutscene and story. Now, the Dragon Soul raid and the ending of Cataclysm are marked with story cutscenes showing off Deathwing's anger, Thrall blasting Deathwing out of the sky and parachuting onto Deathwing's back. Even Cataclysm's twist ending got a cinematic. Which cinematic was your favorite? The betrayal of the Forsaken at the Wrathgate still holds a very special place in my heart since it was the first time cinematics were done in WoW. It was a home run from the start. Watching Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu jump out of the Skyfire, along with my raid, also ranks high on the list of cutscenes for me, even if it's only a few seconds long. What do you guys think? Vote! %Poll-71855% Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Diablo III's opening cinematic revealed
If your jaw hit the floor when you saw Diablo III's Black Soulstone cinematic, then you'll definitely want to check out Blizzard's latest offering. Revealed during the Spike TV video game awards, Diablo III's official opening cinematic slots another piece of the lore puzzle into place. Set before the Black Soulstone video that saw an overwhelmed Leah confronted by demon lord Asmodan's impending apocalypse, the opening cinematic introduces a familiar face as the girl's uncle: Deckard Cain himself. The video sets the scene for the very beginning of the game and is the first thing players will see on launching the game, so thankfully it can't really spoil anything. If this video and the Black Soulstone cinematic are any indication of the cinematic quality we can expect throughout Diablo III, then the game has certainly held onto its roots. For news and updates Skip past the cut to watch the full video, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for news and updates as the game nears release.
Watch Cataclysm's ending cinematic
SPOILER ALERT: MMO-Champion has datamined the final cinematic of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, showing the fate of Azeroth, the dragon aspects, and more. If you do not want to be spoiled on the video that plays once the Madness of Deathwing encounter is defeated, do not hit the jump for the video. Again: spoiler alert! The video after the jump contains spoilers for the ending of Cataclysm.
Aeria releases new Lime Odyssey video, screenshots
Aeria Games is starting to ramp up the publicity for its Lime Odyssey free-to-play MMO. The team behind the upcoming fantasy title recently released a new website, trailer, and a gaggle of screenshots, and have followed suit today with another trailer and still more screenshots. The clip is taken directly from the game, and serves as an introduction for human characters. There's a bit of backstory relating to the history of the world and the pursuit of lime, as well as lots of idyllic long-shots featuring the game's beautiful scenery. The new screens show a variety of activities including cooking and farming as well as a group of adventurers in full armor and some player housing. Check them out below and don't forget the video clip after the cut. %Gallery-127103%
TERA introduces new healer trailer
Healers are the unsung heroes of fantasy worlds, protecting the valiant warriors of the realm and receiving none of the glory. Well, En Masse Entertainment is looking to change that, and to start it off the team has released a new cinematic trailer thathighlights the healers of TERA. Our healer host for the trailer, a female Castanic, provides us with a bit of backstory via voiceover as monsters ravage the land. The heroes of TERA won't take that sitting down, of course, and soon enough our Castanic friend and her allies make a grand entrance and take down a legion of foul creatures, only to find themselves face-to-face with one Big-Ass Monster. For all of the action-fueled excitement, hop on past the cut for the full trailer.
Funcom reveals new Secret World cinematic
Funcom's had a busy fortnight, what with Age of Conan's content extravaganza and a few location reveals for The Secret World. Tonight the Norwegian development firm has taken the wraps off another spiffy teaser, this time in the form of a new cinematic for its upcoming conspiracy-horror MMORPG. The two-minute trailer starts off innocently enough, as a forlorn-looking barfly fond of cigarettes and strange tricks with pocket change makes his way from a bar stool to the nearest bathroom. It only gets weirder from there, and before the clip's running time is up, we've seen a sackcloth man-creature having trouble with a urinal, lots of icky tentacles, and some sort of multi-eyed horror from the depths of hell. None of this phases our ice-cold protagonist of course, and he even takes the time to zip his fly while disposing of the baddie in fine supernatural style. See for yourself after the cut, or head to GameTrailers.
In the beginning: Guild Wars 2 shows off Ascalon Catacombs intro cinematic
Dungeons without context tend to just blend in with the other 55,000 instances we've run in our MMO careers, so a gripping backstory can make all the difference in how memorable a good dungeon run can be. ArenaNet has released a new introductory cinematic for Guild Wars 2's Ascalon Catacombs that helps bring players -- those both unfamiliar to the Guild Wars lore and heavily steeped in it -- up to speed. A Charr narrates a slice of history from the first game, leading up to how this dungeon was created and why it's so full of teed-off ghosts. In an attached developer blog, Horia Dociu tells us why these cinematics aren't just window dressing but essential to the experience: "These cinematics play at the key moments of the story mode in each of the eight dungeons in Guild Wars 2, setting the mood and delivering valuable info. Stylistically, we're pushing the concept of a visual storybook as a form of communicating to the player -- we want the cinematics to feel like moving paintings." You can watch the full intro to Ascalon Catacombs after the jump!
E3 2011: Frogster releases new TERA screenshots, trailers
We've got a bucketload of new TERA screenshots as well as two new trailers, hot off the press from E3. The first trailer is a cinematic, and it's really quite lovely. It gives a bit of exposition on the story of TERA before showing off an action-packed battle between the playable classes of TERA and a veritable army of foul creatures. Next up is a trailer that shows off a bit of in-game footage as a whole raid's worth of characters face off against some sort of leviathan... dragon... scorpion... thing. Yeah. So what are you waiting for? Check out the gallery below for the new screenshots, and jump on past the cut for these two brand-spankin'-new trailers. And don't wander too far from us because we're gonna have some first-hand impressions of TERA straight from E3. Check back later this week! Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered! %Gallery-125835%
Star Wars: The Old Republic intro cinematic is more like it
We may have spoken too soon when we posted this morning's decidedly un-cinematic Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer. BioWare has once again released what's sure to be one of E3's most striking promo videos: The MMORPG's opening cinematic, which you'll find posted after the jump.
EVE Spotlight: An interview with Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm
EVE Spotlight is a biweekly feature in which we interview prominent members of EVE Online's player community or development team. Every two weeks, we'll be shining the spotlight on a player or developer who has a significant impact on EVE to highlight the efforts of EVE's most influential people. EVE Online is well-known for its community's awesome cinematic productions, and no film is more renowned than the incredible machinima Clear Skies. Directed by Ian Chisholm, Clear Skies seamlessly merges in-game EVE footage with scenes composed using Valve's Source development kit. The films follow the adventures of captain John Rourke and his crew aboard the Minmatar Tempest class battleship Clear Skies. With more luck than sense, the Clear Skies crew continually finds itself in sticky situations but manages to come out on top. The first Clear Skies film won the award for best long-format film at the 2008 annual Machinima Filmfest, and a second film solidified the series' huge cult following. Clear Skies has even inspired other players like Kyoko Sakoda to produce their own cinematic masterpieces set in the EVE Online universe. The third and probably final film in the Clear Skies series was released earlier this week, absolutely shattering all expectations. In this massive edition of EVE Spotlight, I interview Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm to find out all about the production of Clear Skies III.
15 Minutes of Fame: Award-winning Doritos ad writer rocks Horde pride
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Football fans, we love you and we do feel your rightful enthusiasm, but admit it: The TV commercials are the best part of every Super Bowl. Just a few short weeks or months after the game, most people don't remember much about the games themselves -- but I'll bet most of us remember the Doritos commercial where the unsuspecting corporate cube drone lobs a snowglobe into his boss's nads. That 2009 ad spot grabbed the #1 ad meter position away from Budweiser for the first time in 10 years. Its creators: two of the five Herbert brothers -- and yes, 15 Minutes of Fame regulars, you guessed it ... three of them play World of Warcraft. Since the Doritos bonanza landed Joe Herbert and his brother Dave on Leno, The Today Show, and more, the duo has been hard at work turning out more hip commercials and a board game that's in stores now. The thing that caught our attention, though, was the fantastic cinematic Joe produced for the guild he and another brother lead, and the Warsong Band. Settle in for an enjoyable trip through the history of the Warsong Band, above, and then join us for a chat with Joe Herbert for Doritos, snowglobes, PvP, board games and more.
The MMO Report: The sad, strange death of Company of Heroes Online
Bad puns, sexual innuendo and all the MMO news you can handle are crammed into yet another MMO Report, brought to us by our friends at G4TV. Casey Schreiner and his fabulous tie recall a few of the biggest stories from the previous week. First up on the docket is the cancellation of two THQ titles previously in development: Company of Heroes Online and WWE Smackdown vs. Raw Online. Both of these games were an attempt by the studio to bring its western-style MMOs to a Korean market, although THQ ultimately decided that this move wasn't at the top of its priority list. On a more upbeat note, Casey talks up LEGO Universe's Crux Prime update, which came complete with ninjas and multiplayer madness. And yes, Casey, we agree that LEGOs are "awesome." Other topics for the Report include Undead Labs' "Class 3" single-player XBLA title that's hopefully leading up to the studio's zombie MMO, robo-Batman in a new DCUO video, the announcement of BlizzCon's 2011 dates, and a Blizzard theme park called "Joy Land" in China. Face it: We have a weird hobby. Hit the jump to watch the full MMO Report!
DC Universe Online releases a cinematic of the future... and the present
It was always an interesting point for fans that the instigator of DC Universe Online's boom in superhumans was Lex Luthor from an alternate future timeline. After all, Luthor has always been portrayed as one of the most ardent villains in the IP, a scheming and calculating figure, someone whose actions are always made with his benefit as the end goal. The newest cinematic trailer for the game addresses precisely that fact, and it does so with a style and energy that's admirable. As the video opens, we see Luthor and an unknown character, Fracture, fleeing through the Fortress of Solitude in the wake of Brainiac's world-shattering attack. Their mission, and the ultimate backstory behind Luthor's plan to change the course of history, is given a satisfying and energizing twist over the course of the trailer. DC Universe Online fans would do well to watch the movie just after the break, to get a closer look at the developing backstory behind the game's premise.
Earthrise shows off the feel of the game in a new cinematic trailer
The feeling of personal possession, of place. A sense that your character's goals are your own. A wide-open world to explore and make a place in. Anything we're forgetting about the intended feeling of Earthrise? Well, we're sure it'll come to us eventually. In the meantime, Masthead Studios has released a brand-new cinematic trailer for the game, showing off the elements that players can expect from the sandbox game slated for release on February 4th. Putting the viewer right in the heat of events, the trailer follows a young man with a high-powered shotgun speeding across a wasteland with a keen eye toward his destination. The trailer is only a couple minutes long, but it nicely captures the feel of a sandbox game, even with only a few lines of dialogue and the barest exploration of the game's backstory. If Earthrise can deliver the feel it advertises in the trailer just past the break, there are going to be a lot of happy sandbox players next month.
SOE releases DC Universe launch trailer
Launch day for SOE's long-awaited DC Universe Online is finally upon us, and in addition to breathless anticipation, server queues, and coordinating friend meet-ups, we also have a brand new trailer making the rounds. The clip, which clocks in at around a minute and a half, starts with footage from last summer's Blur Studios cinematic before segueing into in-game material featuring heroes, villains, and player characters from the storied DC mythos. The video also plays up DCUO's superhero flavor in a manner reminiscent of Hollywood's greatest action movie trailers, from the heroes and villains facing off in the streets to the dramatic orchestral score and the "save this universe...or destroy it" titles. Check out all the mayhem after the cut, and let us know your early impressions of the game as the servers come up.
New TERA trailer boasts battlegrounds, bosses, and more [updated]
Fans of En Masse Entertainment's upcoming TERA action MMORPG are anxiously awaiting news of a North American beta and release date. In the meantime, Bluehole Studio and Hangame are gearing up for the title's Korean open beta, which is scheduled to begin on January 11th, according to a recently released trailer. The four-minute clip is crammed full of new footage, and in addition to the usual suspects of combat and harvesting, you can check out new bosses, destructible terrain, and what appears to be a type of capture-the-flag battleground scenario. Have a look at all the mayhem after the cut, and head to the official TERA forums for further discussion. [Update: We've replaced the Korean version of the trailer with the newly released English-language version. Enjoy!]
Blizzard clarifies cinematic download for digital customers
In order to clarify what information is being downloaded with the direct digital download of Cataclysm, Blizzard has said that all current World of Warcraft subscribers will be downloading the cinematic as part of a pre-Cataclysm patch. I am guessing this is some extra 4.0.3 data that will be coming out in the next few weeks for all players. Here is the official post: Cataclysm Direct Download and Game Cinematics We'd like to take a moment to clarify how we'll be delivering World of Warcraft: Cataclysm cinematics to players who purchase the expansion digitally through Battle.net or download the installer from the web in the future. Prior to the December 7 launch of Cataclysm, all current World of Warcraft players will receive the Cataclysm intro cinematic as part of an upcoming patch. In addition, all other in-game cinematics (including previous ones such as the Wrathgate movie) will be available for download to players who have not previously installed them. These cinematics will be automatically downloaded in the background while you play the game, after other critical game data has been received. source
BlizzCon 2010: New Cataclysm worgen cinematic
As hinted during the Starcraft 2 cinematic panel yesterday, a new Cataclysm cinematic just debuted at the Cinematics: Cataclysm panel. As any beta worgen player could tell you, the "transition cinematic" that really kicks the story into high gear has been missing, and now we know where and what it is. As a quick gloss on what you'll see without spoiling anything too heavy, you'll see your character's transition from human to worgen, with some quiet speculation on whether your humanity's salvageable or not. We'll post it as soon as we can find/get a copy on YouTube, but suffice it to say -- it rocks. I'm amazed at the quality the cinematics team can get out of the in-game models these days. EDIT: A copy just went up and I've posted it past the cut. The quality's not that great, but I'll post a better copy as soon as one appears. EDIT: High-quality copy now available past the cut. BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
First Cataclysm cinematic footage in Sunday's NFL commercial
Blizzard has announced that the first Cataclysm commercial will air on Sunday, Oct. 17, during the Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings NFL game. The game kicks off at 4:15 p.m. Eastern, 1:15 p.m. Pacific. This commercial will feature the first look at the cinematic for Cataclysm, just a few days prior to BlizzCon. TiVo Alert: Cataclysm TV Spot Debuts 10/17 This Sunday, during the Dallas Cowboys versus Minnesota Vikings NFL game on Fox (starts at 4:15 PM EDT, 1:15 PM PDT), we are debuting a new television commercial for World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion. The commercial will feature the first look at cinematic footage from Cataclysm, so tune in to an exciting game this Sunday and catch the new commercial! source This is wonderful news, especially for the Cowboys, who are in need of some sort of cataclysm of their own to beat the Vikings. Kaboom. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Become a DCUO beta tester, see the end of the world
DC Universe fans can officially stop crying in their beer. No, the delayed launch date hasn't been rescinded, but today does mark the official start of the pre-order beta period. Budding superheroes who have ponied up for the SOE title will need to submit an image of their receipt via the official pre-order webpage to get the process rolling. Don't delay either, as submissions must be received prior to November 15th in order to receive your beta key. In addition to the privilege of previewing and testing the game, bug-hunters will get to participate in the end-of-beta event showcased in last summer's Blur Studios trailer (an apocalyptic throw-down featuring Batman, Superman, the Joker, Lex Luthor, and others). Check out SOE's new pre-order beta page for more details. [Update: Note that this offer only applies to North American players. Visit DCUO Source for the official word from SOE.]
