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Blizzard releases Wrath Gate trailer in HD
With the release of Wrath of the Lich King and its inclusion of world-changing phased events, Blizzard's stated goal of ramping up their dynamic storytelling seems more and more like a success, but it doesn't stop with quests alone. The in-game cinematic for the final legs of the epic Wrath Gate quest line really shows what Blizzard is capable of outside of CGI with the in-game engine and a bit of creative tinkering. Not to mention it's a huge lore explosion that fuels the story for the rest of the expansion!Yes, yes, old news for some. For those of you among us who haven't yet experienced this particular quest line, of course, it's not to be missed. For those who've seen it in-game already or who just can't contain themselves, though, you can stream the incredibly spoiler-heavy cinematic in full HD on Blizzard's site now or download it directly from BigDownload. If you're into it, there's also a nice short story/summary of the momentous events directly under it.We can hope for two things--that Blizzard continues to put these kinds of awesome scenes in the game, and that when they do, they give those of us with nice monitors/TVs the ability to watch them all pretty-like.
The anatomy of a cut scene
When you watch a cut scene (assuming you didn't skip it, when possible), do you ever think about what goes into making that cinematic? Why did they choose this angle, and this part of the storyline? In games like Guild Wars, the cut scenes are game-engine-based, so your characters are standing there engaged in deep, dramatic story-driven dialogue with an important NPC, all the while a Jagged Horror decides he wants to stand directly on top of the camera. Ravious over at Kill Ten Rats discusses the issue we sometimes can have with the different types of cut scenes out there. For example, in Lord of the Rings Online, there are the ones where you can't do anything, and you're forced to sit and listen to the big bad boss talk about how he could have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids. Then there's the type where you can, as Ravious puts it, "hop over Samwell(wise) Gamgee's hobbit head to your heart's content while Elrond bids the Fellowship farewell."So what's your favorite kind of cut scene? Do you feel they need to be giant cinematic productions, or do the brief game-engine scenes do well enough?
BlizzCon 2008: Cinematics panel
So, this is going up a little late, huh? The panel was Saturday night! Trust me though, I have a good excuse! I think it's more fun to not tell you my excuse, so have your fun making one up for me. Let's get into what you're here for, though: A rundown of the Cinematics panel. The panel was a lot more technical than most of the other panels that I saw. It was very technical, giving more insight into how the cinematics were made than you would expect. They started from the very beginning of the process: The storyboards. The process of the storyboarding was described as, "sitting down and jamming out ideas." A very, very interesting note is that the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic started out in the same form the previous ones did. A montage of various action scenes, with a few one-liners from Arthas. There were even going to be gnomes in the montage! As they continued refining the storyboards, it became less and less of a montage and more and more Arthas, until they finally went for a more story-driven cinematic, focusing on Arthas himself and the might of the Scourge.
BlizzCon 2008: Starcraft II gameplay panel notes
Rob Pardo and Chris Metzen hosted the Starcraft II gameplay panel here in Anaheim this afternoon at BlizzCon 2008 -- they showed off, for the first time in public, some of the adventure-based gameplay and ingame cinematics that will come with Blizzard's next RTS release (or next three RTS releases, as the case may be).After the break, what we saw of Starcraft II's Terran campaign, and Rob Pardo explains the reasoning behind Blizzard's decision to turn Starcraft II into three separate games.
Ask a Beta Tester: The Alchemist
Apologies to Paulo Coelho fans for borrowing his title, but we have two Alchemy-related questions to start us off today, in addition to questions on Blacksmithing, cinematics, and dailies: Horizons asks... Do the alchemy specializations in wrath still work the same way as they do now in BC? For example, will I still have a chance of getting 5 wrath potions even when I'm leveling starting at 375 such as Wrath Elixirs or Icy mana potions? And will transmute spec ever be fixed? Yup, alchemy specializations work the exact same way in Wrath. As a potions master, I've already procced a few, but don't expect to see the Runic Mana or Runic Healing potion recipes until...I want to say it's 410 Alchemy. You'll skill up on the array of new elixirs like Elixir of Mighty Thoughts and Elixir of Mighty Agility until then, but do save mats for the new Alchemy trinkets that become available at (I think) 400, like Mighty Alchemist's Stone. We'll have more information soon on materials you'll start getting in Northrend that you'll want to set aside for crafting.
Halo Wars cinematic trailer makes its GTTV debut
We were awakened last night by a terrible din -- a wailing which echoed through our streets like a funeral dirge. The sound poured from nearby houses; voices making slightly varied proclamations with a singular theme. In near-unison, they pierced the night: "WHERE IS MASTER CHIEF?", "WHY NO LASER SWORDS?", and, perplexingly, "GEOFF KEIGHLEY, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH CORTANA?"These confused souls were reacting to the cinematic trailer for Ensemble Studios' swan song, Halo Wars, which debuted on GameTrailers TV last night. For those who were laying eyes upon the title for the first time, we can understand any resulting bewilderment. The trailer (which we've posted after the break) is excellent, though it boldly lacks the things players love about the series to date -- including any sign of returning characters, or any heinous acts of postmortem facial desecration.
Blizzard unveils the BlizzCon store
The 2008 BlizzCon is coming rapidly, and with it, of course, comes exclusive BlizzCon swag. In addition to the goody bag, the BlizzCon store will also be open for business, and Blizzard's previewing the loot you can buy. Among the highlights: You may remember that the goody bags will come with either an inflatable Frostmourne or an Inflatable Paladin-in-a-Bubble. Luckily, if you don't get the one you want, you can buy it at the store. Alliance and Horde T-shirts A talking Pandaren bottle opener. The hardcover version of the WoW comic. Arthas' Helm. A WoTLK cinematic book. There will be lots of Diablo 3 and Starcraft II loot as well, including posters, stress balls, and t-shirts. Check out all the gear at Blizzard's official site, and start planning your budget to buy some stuff. I know I'm planning mine![Thanks for the heads up, Nicholas!]
Ask a Lore Nerd: Things that aren't Deathwing
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, the column that answers your questions about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe. Click the Comments link below (or e-mail us!), ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer your question in a future installmentCowbane asked...Is there a Heaven or Hell in any Warcraft lore? Or is the swirly clouds when you die about it.That's a good question, and my answer isn't going to be very clear, because Warcraft itself isn't clear on it. Warcraft used to be based much more heavily on Christian concepts. There was a Heaven and there was a Hell, there was God and Angels and all that jazz. It's much more vague and nebulous now. It seems that the Twisting Nether is the current concept of Hell, but that might just mean it's a really bad place and not somewhere that sinful dead people automatically go. I have no idea if there is still a Heaven, but the Priest quest for Benediction/Anathema has you escorting souls of Stratholme's dead to the afterlife. So do they exist? Probably, yes. It is suggested that they definitely do exist. What are they like, exactly? We don't know.
The best of WoW Insider: August 19-26, 2008
It's "The King and I" in the World of Warcraft lately -- the Lich King is everywhere, and this past week we moved even closer to the release of the most popular online game in the world's second expansion. Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider, as usual, has all the angles covered -- if you want the hottest new spoilers, a more casual look at why the expansion is so important, or just to keep up to date on what's in the old game (wait, there's an old game?), we've got you covered. News Wrath sound files point to World EventHeavy spoilers here: before we step into the new expansion, our old world is going to change a bit. Wrath cinematic trailer unveiledBlizzard showed the cinematic for the first time at Leipzig. Arthas has left his throne and now he's summoning dragons. Sylvanas finally gets her makeoverThe most famous (former) High Elf in the game now looks the part. Engineering fun builds up in BetaSome excellent Engineering crafted items make their debut. Blizzard announces pre-Wrath content patchWe're going to get a look at Wrath on the live realms even before the game comes out. Features Ten things I hate about the Wrath betaNot in the beta? Here's a few reasons why you might want to wait for the live realms anyway. WoW Insider and WoW TCG Loot give away a Tabard of FlameAll this week is your chance to win a hot (pun intended) in-game tabard. Ask a Beta Tester: Don't want to look like a clown editionAABT is our one-stop shop for all your beta testing questions. Hybrid Theory: Yet another Spell Power discussionSpell Power is one of the biggest changes coming -- find out exactly what it means to hybrids. The Care and Feeding of Warriors: When words are insufficientOur Warrior writer is speechless with joy over what's happening to his class in the expansion.
WoW Insider Show live this afternoon
Our weekly podcast will go live at 3:30pm this afternoon over on WoW Radio, and as usual, it's gonna be a humdinger. Krystalle Voecks, of both WoW Insider and our sister site Massively, will be on to talk about what's going down at DragonCon next week (we're going to be there in a huge way), and also about what competitors WoW will be facing this fall on the retail shelves (ever heard of Warhammer? You will). And BigRedKitty will also be on with Turpster and myself, so you know we'll talk Wrath beta, Hunters and their pets, and all the other big news of the past week in WoW, including what we thought of the Wrath cinematic.Be there at 3:30pm Eastern this afternoon for all the fun, and don't forget you can join us in IRC on irc.mmoirc.com in the #wowradio channel, or just email your questions and comments to theshow@wow.com (and you might even hear us talk about them).See you this afternoon, it's sure to be a good time.
Wrath cinematic trailer unveiled
Is there anything left to be said? The Wrath of the Lich King cinematic was unveiled to the public earlier today on Blizzard's sites... and it's freaking awesome. The trailer features Arthas, the Lich King, trudging the icy plains of Northrend with the echoing narration of the late King Terenas Menethil, his father. Haunting music, a chilling narrative, and imagery that shows the frightening power of the Lich King is all packed into the short trailer, which can be downloaded in hi-resolution for Macs and PCs. "The truest victory, my son," King Terenas says, "is stirring the hearts of your people." I can tell you right off that this cinematic stirred my heart... and sent a shiver down my spine. Check out the full version over at the Wrath site now.Update: Our friends over at Big Download now have the trailer in downloadable form, so if you want to preserve it on your hard drive for future generations (or just to watch it a lot more), you can do so.
Wrath of Lich King cinematic debuting at Leipzig
Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King's opening cinematic will premiere at the Leipzig Games Convention. The clip will be shown this Thursday, August 21, at 1PM German standard time (7AM Joystiq time).We'd speculate about what Blizzard has in store for a big reveal at Blizzcon, but with Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 and WoW in play, who knows what the company could announce. We'll see what happens on October 11.[Via WoW Insider]
WotLK cinematic rumored to debut at Leipzig's Games Convention
As reported by WoW Insider, the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic that was originally predicted for BlizzCon may surface during the Leipzig Games Convention instead. According to WI, multiple sources are reporting that this first look at the cinematic will be shown on August 21st at 1pm.If you're planning to attend, this is certainly an added bonus as one of the millions anticipating more on the World of Warcraft expansion. If you didn't already have tickets for the Games Convention though, this might be the motivation you've needed. Keep your eyes glued here and over at WoW Insider for more information on Leipzig as it develops. One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
Leipzig's Games Convention to feature Wrath Cinematic
We originally predicted that we'd finally see the Wrath cinematic at BlizzCon in October, but we may not even need to wait that long. Multiple sources are reporting that Blizzard plans to show off the cinematic at the Games Convention in Leipzig on August 21st at 1PM. If this is true, that means we only have 3 days left until we finally see if Gnomes get their cinematic day in the sun. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the cinematic and any other new information that comes out of Leipzig, so stay tuned.
What we're expecting from BlizzCon
As we announced earlier, BlizzCon tickets are on sale. Sort of. Kind of. If you can fight past the store servers. I know I've been getting nothing but the fail murloc pretty much all day. Still, I and the rest of WoW Insider's crack live team will be there come hell or high water, and we'll bring you the news you need to know. In the meantime, we're stuck here refreshing the Blizzard Store. To pass the time, we did a bit of speculation about what we might see in Anaheim on October 10th and 11th. Here's what we decided: What we're sure to see The Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic: Though we still have no solid announcement, Blizzard's already stated that they want to get Wrath out before 2008 is up. Considering that, they must have the opening cinematic pretty close to done. I would be surprised if we don't see it open the opening ceremony, to be completely honest. I'm expecting Arthas and/or a "rebel" Human Death Knight to feature prominently, as well as our first cinematic Gnome shot.
Death Knight starting cinematic unveiled
. With Death Knights getting their own starting zone and their own heroic storyline, it was often wondered whether they'd share the same opening cinematic as their individual races. We have the answer now: They do get their own unique cinematic, shown above. There's two major things I took away from the cinematic. First, it gives a solid origin story for Death Knights: You were apparently slain in combat with the Scourge, but raised to become a Death Knight. So the ideal of the PC Death Knight seems to be a hero who was made an unwilling victim, which makes the fact that he or she is welcomed back by the Horde or Alliance possibly much more believable. As you awaken as a fresh level 55, you are also apparently still under the thrall of the Lich King, which should make for an epic newbie zone experience as you struggle to regain your freedom. Secondly, the opening cinematic has a wonderfully ominous picture of Acherus, the Ebon Hold, home of the Death Knights, looming above Light's Hope Chapel -- a perfect setup for the coming war with the Scourge, that drives home how immediate the threat is. Oh, and do be cautious, this cinematic has a high chance of getting you way too fired up to play a Death Knight. [via Deathknight.info]
Activision-Blizzard merger may be complete on July 9th
WoW Insider sister site Big Download is reporting that the Activision-Blizzard merger is getting closer and closer to reality. They recently won another victory in court today, as a Delaware court struck down an attempt by the Wayne County Employees' Retirement System to gain a preliminary injunction against the deal. We're now coming up fast the July 8th Activision shareholders' meeting, where they will vote to approve the merger. Activision has already said that they expect the merger to be official on or about July 9th, according to Big Download. This, of course, squeaks in just under the wire for the E3 expo. Activision-Blizzard has already said they don't plan to participate, but that they will hold a press conference on or near the dates of the expo. It seems likely now that they will be officially announcing the completion of their merger. Of course, we here at WoW Insider are hoping the merger isn't the only thing they reveal. A WoTLK cinematic and official release date or another L70ETC song on Guitar Hero would be nice, I'd say.
Where's the Wrath cinematic?
So it's Monday now, the Worldwide Invitational in Paris is officially over, Diablo 3 has been announced and we've got tons of new info about Wrath of the Lich King -- but where's the cinematic? We know the Wrath cinematic is coming, but there was no sign of it at all at the WWI.Then again, if you look at the timeframes, it's still a little soon -- the acclaimed Burning Crusade cinematic actually dropped on the Spike Videogame Awards in December of 2006 (just a month before BC was actually released in January of 2007), so since there's still some time until the Wrath release, there will still be some time until the cine shows.In fact, it's looking more and more like BlizzCon 2008 might be the place to see it. With a rumored release date of sometime in November, Blizzard's big convention in October would probably be the perfect place to show off the next, undoubtedly beautiful chapter in the fall (and maybe even redemption?) of Arthas Menethil. Plus maybe they'll put a Gnome in there this time around.
Huxley in-game footage reminds us of something
It's not a bad thing that Huxley gameplay looks a lot like Unreal Tournament III, but it is a bit disconcerting for anyone interested in the MMOFPS in regards towards its possible uniqueness. The fact that what we're seeing in this video amounts to a standard deathmatch is probably the biggest reason for the comparison. While we professed our enjoyment of Huxley's recently released cinematic trailer, neither that nor this look into the game have told us why Huxley is any different than the many other FPS and MMO games currently proliferating across the market.Don't get us wrong, though. We're always interested in different experiences here at Massively, so you can expect us to be playing Huxley whenever it manages to wash up on our shores. We're just hoping that the experience amounts to more than running around beautifully rendered worlds shooting things up, because that can be found elsewhere.[via Rock, Paper Shotgun]
Impressive Huxley cinematic trailer surfaces
German website PCGames.de is hosting a new trailer (and several screenshots from said trailer) for Webzen's massively multiplayer online first person shooter (what a mouthful) Huxley. If you've not heard of the game, all you need to know is that it runs on Unreal Engine 3, is developed in Korea, and features large-scale, instanced PvP battles.The trailer doesn't show any gameplay footage (but past ones have). It just shows a really well-orchestrated cinematic sequence. It looks very Unreal or Gears of War. Unfortunately, all the dialogue is in Korean, so we have no idea whether or not it reveals any interesting story elements.Note that a giant worm-like monster makes an appearance at the end. That might imply that players won't just be fighting each other. Huxley recently found a Western publisher, so we're looking forward to seeing for ourselves. [Via Blues News]
