ninth-batter
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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.
WoW Moviewatch: The Goblin Who Stole Winter Veil
I can't believe it took 9 years for this video to be made. It should have been created the very year that WoW was released, but instead, we had to wait for the return of the infamous Ninth Batter to come along, get inspired, and release The Goblin Who Stole Winter Veil. This video has just about everything I'd want out of a Seuss-into-WoW remake, which probably isn't a surprise since Ninth has always been one of my favorite machinimators. Kick back with some nog, perhaps gather the kiddies, and enjoy a tale for all seasons. 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: Nobody's Quest Episode 6
Well, this is it. The final episode of Nobody's Quest. It's been a thrill to see this weekly series, and I'm a little sad to see it end. Ninth Batter is being very responsible by saying he wants to do more, but can't promise it due to other responsibilities. This sort of thing does take an immense amount of time, so I understand. But I can hope. This was a good wrap-up. I was surprised how satisfied I felt with the ending. I tend to shy away from love stories. It's not that I think they're bad, it's just that they can go awry pretty quickly. But with a healthy dose of humor and some fun little puns, Ninth kept the whole plot on their rails. Like I said, this was fun stuff. I hope we see more. 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: Nobody's Quest Episode 4
The fourth episode of Nobody's Quest brings us some more sweet, sweet, difficult-to-animate combat. Not only does Ninth Batter step up with more humor and plot action, but we finally see the dark heritage of our gnome protagonist. More importantly, we get some conflict with the villain. It'll be interesting to see where this story ends up going. There's been such a lack of story-driven machinima for so long, I hope that Ninth is getting enough of a reception to keep going for a while. This kind of weekly series is a huge amount of work, and I'm thankful to see something a little different each scene. 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: Nobody's Quest Episode 2
NinthBatter has released the second episode in the Nobody's Quest series. While the plot doesn't leap forward in this video, NinthBatter takes the time grow the characters and expand on his universe. It's an important part of the overall journey, I think, so we can hope it's time well spent. Ninth has said that this series is growing his respect for the machinimators who perform complex animation. Fight scenes, especially, are a pain in the neck to get right. While that may be true, Nobody's Quest sees a lot of benefit from the exemplary voice acting. You can't undervalue how important skillful and convincing voices are to a machinima. 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: Doom!
Doom! is a brief video creaed by Ninth Batter for the Blizzard Cataclysm commercial contest. A gnome stands on his soapbox in Stormwind, announcing the upcoming destruction about to be laid down on Azeroth. A pair of commenters stand nearby and provide a small tad of insight and humor to the situation. If you don't recall the name, Ninth Batter is also the chap who brought us Nobody Like You. It's pretty keen to see him back in the mix. 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 machinima@wow.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Nobody Like You Halloween Special
It is the season for Halloween goodness, and Ninth Batter delivers an excellent addition to his Nobody Like You series with the new Nobody Like You Halloween Special. In this episode, Nobody and Arthas take the time to deliver some helpful (and hilarious) Halloween tips. I don't know what it is about Arthas as a character, but I love watching Ninth Batter put the Lich King through his paces. The video runs about five minutes long. The Halloween Special portion is only a couple minutes of the video. It's still got the same satirical humor as previous episodes. My favorite part, though, comes during the closing credits. Arthas sings again, and it is fantastic. I can easily see how that's become the mainstay credits gag for Nobody Like You, since it's probably going to be a crowd pleaser every time. There's also a closing message about Azeroth United's Hearts, Hands, and Voices project. It's a worthy cause, and Ninth definitely gives it a good send up. Ultimately, Ninth Batter managed to do a lot with this video. His flair for handling multiple subjects and directions in a single video should be commended. 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 e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
WoW Moviewatch: Nobody Like You EP3
I don't know how I missed the new installment of Nobody Like You for so long. It was a super treat to realize NinthBatter has released Nobody Like You EP3. The series has become a favorite of mine because of its obvious joy for WoW, strong roots in the overall community, and the sheer fun Ninth seems to have while making these videos. He's also the guy who did the video for the WoW Insider Show Song, which again exemplifies how strongly Ninth is a part of the community.Episode 3 features a new style of humor from its characters, as they suddenly find themselves breaking the fourth wall and dealing with a new producer. There's quite a few gags that make the most sense if you're familiar with machinima trends, but I still think the jokes are accessible to everyone. The bit with the shirtless Blood Elf singer and backup band unmistakably carries on the discussion about Belf Rap, as well as the criticism that genre receives from its community. And the song from Arthas during closing credits? Pure comedy gold. 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 e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
WoW Moviewatch: Nobody Like You episode 2
Oh my goodness. I can't believe that I just now got the joke. The main character in Ninth Batter's series is called "Nobody." The title of the series is "Nobody Like You." Get it? If it were Bob, the joke would be saying that it's a "Bob Like You." Ninth Batter has released "Nobody Like You Episode 2." It's a short episode. The whole thing only runs about 3:00 minutes soup to nuts, including the final credits. According to the author, he just didn't feel that more material "fit" in this bite sized piece. I think that makes sense, since the jokes in this skit do pretty well when they stand alone.Arthas continues his emo trend, though now he's coming across a little more like a distraught ex-boyfriend than a dark and gloomy master. Ninth has added a female to the cast, which I think will turn out well. Nobody needs someone to play off and interact with, besides just the tragic Arthas in the background.Ninth has mentioned that he's not sweating the video art quailty, and trying to stay focused on his content. I think that's a pretty good call. The "simple" style is actually developing into a tagline for the series, a kind of visual style that makes it stand out. Great work so far, Ninth. I can't wait to see episode 3.
WoW Moviewatch: Nobody LIke You, ep1
Remember Ninth Batter? Not only is he the man responsible for the Northrend Newsflash, but he's the genius who put song to video for the WoW Insider Song. He's clearly a man of taste, right? Well, the maestro's come along to drop another moment of comedy down on you with "Nobody Like You, ep1.""Nobody Like You" is just a quick, fun little comedy sketch. I'll sum up. Someone's rolled a new Death Knight. Arthas begins his long, emo speech about how Arthas has bestowed on the newbie rage, anger, angst, and all the other associated dark and spooky things. The Death Knight is nonplussed, quickly accepts the quest, and moves on. Arthas, of course, gets more emo than a Blood Elf writing in Livejournal. The comedy, in my opinion, is mostly about the absurd nature of the game when you start breaking the fourth wall.The video has lots of little fun shout outs. The "meaningless Gargoyle," cute little jokes, and even a shout out to the WoW Insider song. I think Ninth Batter's really doing well in terms of his dialogue, eye for plot, comedy and pacing. I'm not sure if his animation skills have leapt forward yet, but I've never had any complaints about the appearance of his videos in the first place. All in all, I think "Nobody Like You" was a fun time, and I hope there's an episode 2 out there.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch
WoW Moviewatch: Northrend Newsflash
Northrend Newsflash, by Ninth Batter, is a really great idea. It's a video in the style of old American propaganda videos, but told from the perspective of the Scourge. The Lich King wants you!I liked the shifting camera perspectives, since that really mimics the WWII style the author was aiming for. The voiceover's accent was close enough to get the job done. I appreciate that he wasn't quite as tinny or nasally as most of those old commenters tended to be, since that also tends to drive me up the wall. The only segments during which the video lost me a bit were the interviews. They felt slow to me, and dragged down the pace of the rest of the video. While I understand what he was getting at, I could have skipped them in favor of a little faster tempo. This kind of video relies on the stylization in short bursts, and the longer interviews interrupt the flow of that, in my opinion. I'm not saying the interviews were bad, just that they seemed off-pace to me.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..At any rate, it's great work, and I'm hopeful to see more from Ninth Batter.
