pop-culture-references
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Wowhead covers popular references in WoW
If you've ever wondered about some of the more unusually-named items in World of Warcraft, they might just be named after one of Blizzard's many employees -- or even after someone in the Warcraft community. Wowhead just released an incredibly comprehensive Blizzard and Community References in WoW guide that covers what is a far larger group of references than I'd originally thought. There are even some items on the list that I didn't even know existed, like Brazie's Black Book of Secrets, sold only to Alliance raiders in Icecrown Citadel for a heart-stopping 22,000 gold, and a reference to former Encounter Designer Alexander Brazie. It's interesting just how many of the items and NPCs we interact with on a daily basis are actually references to real-life people and events. While some are fairly obvious -- who doesn't know that Ghostcrawler the spirit beast is named after Greg Street -- others are far more obscure. I must have picked it up a thousand times, but I never realized that Robble's Wobbly Staff was actually named after someone out here in the real world. The post, covering only Blizzard employee and community member references, is part of an absorbing pop-culture item reference series. In addition to the Blizzard employee post, the other entries so far in the series include pop culture references in achievements, as well as references inspired by video games, movies and TV, and a lengthy but fascinating post detailing comics, books, music and poetry references. Be sure to check out the entire series, it's well worth the read -- and you may just discover that item you're wearing or that quest you just completed has far more meaning than you'd originally thought.
Breakfast Topic: What pop figures deserve an Easter egg in WoW?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Just this past year, I've fallen in love with a television show called Dr. Who. For all of you who do not know what the show is about, it first aired in the 1960s, and it is about an alien who can change his face and goes traveling through time and space with a human girl in a spaceship that looks like a blue box that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. If that turns you off based the level of geekiness from that last sentence, don't worry -- it gets a lot worse. But as I learned more about the history of the show, I always ended up asking myself, "Where is my Time Lord in WoW?" We are all aware of the fact that Blizzard is not afraid to put popular references in WoW, with Lady LaLa and Haris Pilton -- but why not put in a well-respected science fiction character? The thing that kills me is that there is an excellent place to put the Good Doctor into WoW that makes it seem natural: the Caverns of Time. It would seem like a great fit, a place where heroes can witness significant events and fight to correct them. What about you guys -- who think should get a nod from Blizzard? Do you stop and ask why there are not five teenaged NPCs running around fighting monsters in five different-colored outfits? Or do you think that adding more and more of these fourth wall-breaking nods ruins the game, similar to what people say that Harrison Jones did to Uldum?
One Shots: Music lovers are everywhere
MMO gamers tend to be split on pop-culture references. Some people really enjoy finding little nods here and there to things they enjoy. Others seriously dislike it due to the fact that it can break immersion. Today's contributor Jordan T. is definitely the former of the two, as he was amused to find this particular nod while playing Final Fantasy XIV recently. We'll let him explain just what's going on in the image: "As I was checking out one of the towns in Final Fantasy XIV, I ran into a small town called Aleport. I saw the name Immodest Mouse, and smirked; but after reading what he said I just had to chuckle. Someone at Square-Enix HAS to be a Modest Mouse fan. The first words he gives you in the dialogue are 'The ocean breathes salty' which happened to be one of Modest Mouse's biggest hits. The whole line of text he says is 'The ocean breathes salty, and it be her briny whispers what give our salt ale its temper.' " Have you found a pop-culture nod you like in your favorite game? We'd love to see a screenshot of it if so! Just email those to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-85937%
One Shots: So intense
If there's one thing we geeks know and love, it's pop culture viral internet memes. From jokes about lolcats to autotuned news and Sesame Street doing Old Spice, we geeks love all manner of silliness. And while I'm also likely to try to inject that into One Shots, every so often someone does it for me, as with today's contributor, Allgoodnow, who sent this image of Allods Online in to us. Taken in the Twilight Forest in Evermeet Isle on the Tensess server, Allgoodnow explains his chance encounter with this view: "A simple cleric goes about his nightly questing routines only to (somewhat accidentally) look up at the night sky. Astonished by what he sees (double lens flare all the way! What does it mean?!), he stops and pauses for a brief instant to fix upon his minds eye this image of astonishing beauty before continuing upon his quest." We love pop-culture references. It's like peanut butter and chocolate. If you'd like to add your own spin on a One Shots, we'd love to see it. Just email it to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for linking the meme with the screenshot! %Gallery-85937%
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO Easter egg?
Easter eggs have always struck me as weird. On one hand, the bunny keeps hiding them, so I guess he doesn't want you to find them. But then he makes them brilliantly colored, which blends in with nature not at all. So which is it, Easter bunny? Do you want us to find your eggs or not? In a similar fashion, some MMO Easter eggs are cleverly hidden, undiscovered by most who run on by. Those eggs tend to reward the observant, the meticulous and the just plain lucky. Then there are the eggs that the developers all but shove in your face as if to say, "Hey! Look at this! It is wacky and out of place and breaks the fourth wall!" Those eggs are available to all, usually whether you want them or not. So what are your favorite Easter eggs in MMOs? Are they oblique references to pop culture hidden in item description text? A remote area that's almost inaccessible unless you know the exact trick to getting there? A secret buried inside a quest that unveils itself if you know just where to look? What makes you gurgle with delight when discovered?
Fallen Earth devs answer radioactive questions in Stratics chat
It's always nice when developers let their hair down, shaking out their majestic manes in slow-motion glory while their eyes sparkle with a thousand points of... I'm sorry, where was I? Anyway, part of the powerhouse Fallen Earth team recently sat down with Stratics' House of Commons to answer community questions about the game in a free-form chat, which was recorded and posted on Globaltech ATLAS. Icarus devs present were Tiggs (Community Director), Chris Deavellar (Art Director), Cory Farris (Senior Environment Artist) and Wes Platt (Director of Content Development). Topics included new Blood Sports maps, the day/night cycle, supercross, pop culture references and questions about the art and graphics of the game. One of the questions wondered why they couldn't add more body types into the game, which earned a revealing answer: "If we do implement new chracter [sic] types, it will require new rigging, new animation (about 1000 of them), and new boltons just for one new toon. You'll notice that games like Gears of War and Halo only have men? That's because they couldn't even afford to spend time doing a female toon. It's a LOT, LOT, LOT of work." Globaltech ATLAS has the full transcript, so feel free to pour over the entire conversation, including a few "after hours" questions!
One Shots: Just another day
They feel it all around, and feel it in their bones -- their lives are on the line when they're away from home. Of course, that's all one can really expect when living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, fraught with danger and crazed, mutated beings. Today's great screenshot from inside the lands of Fallen Earth comes to us from self-professed "noob", Mirin, who says only: another beautiful evening in the apocalypse. Are you one of the people playing Fallen Earth? Would you like to tell us of your adventures? We'd love to feature your tales and travels, but we need you to send your images in. Just email those to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a note. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Breakfast Topic: They just don't get it...
Geekdom is much like any other group of people. There are movies, music, and literature which are considered classics and are generally accepted as having been seen, heard, or read by everyone at one point or another. Some of these are so accepted as classics that the idea someone is unfamiliar with them is simply "inconceivable" and we are left shocked when this occurs. Unfortunately, one of our own staff seems uninitiated in such classics.While discussing some of the quests coming up in patch 3.3, we'd made a joke referencing the Knights who say "Ni!" from Monty Python's Holy Grail. Our own Matt Low mentioned that he didn't get whatever inside joke we were making. Much to our dismay, he had never seen the movie or any Monty Python for that matter. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords for daily quests wouldn't get a chuckle from him. Terry Palin in Elwynn Forest quoting the lumberjack song is also lost on him. He wouldn't even be that concerned about eating the Crunchy Frog available from Darkmoon Faire because he wouldn't know that it contained crunchy, raw, unboned, real, dead frog instead of an almond whirl.With the vast number of pop culture references scattered in World of Warcraft, it's sad when any are lost on its players. What obscure references have you found in the game that you've enjoyed or other people have completely missed?
Secrets of the Tuskarr: The Cheena Vala
I have to say, I still have a pretty soft spot for the Tuskarr. They're sort of minor players in Northrend, overall. You help them kidnap some kids and fight off some vikings, grab a penguin pet and a fishing pole, and you're done, and on to bigger and better things in other zones. They don't even merit art for their females. Still, they're always pretty jovial, they look like big fat and happy dudes, and they got turtle boats. It's difficult not to like them. One of the things they did is spur me to finally get a character maxed out fishing. I was always sort of planning to, one of these days, seriously, but it took the Tuskarr to push me over the edge, just because they made it so chill and awesome. Ok, so the epic fishing pole probably had something to do with it too, but still.
The Daily Grind: Your favorite MMO pop culture reference?
It seems like no matter which way you turn in many MMOs, you'll eventually find a pop-culture reference nestled in there somewhere. While World of Warcraft may be perhaps the most blunt about using them with quests named after things as varied as a Peter Murphy song and a Kevin Smith movie, we know they're by no means the only designers who have added references. This morning, we thought we'd ask you what some of your favorite MMO pop culture references are? Have you ever run across one that just made you stop and laugh? Shake your head? Anything you think is a pop-culture reference but perhaps aren't quite sure?
One Shots: You gots ta pay da toll
One of the myriad lines that sticks with me after seeing Robin Hood: Men in Tights about a bazillion times is the line "Sorry, but a toll is a toll, and a roll is a roll, and if we don't get no tolls, then we don't eat no rolls." So when this Warhammer Online screenshot rolled into the One Shots email box, I couldn't help but hear that line in my head - especially when I read the quick note from Otto that came with it. This is Da Toll-boof attendant. It's my Black Orc named Otto on the Dark Crag server in Warhammer Online. See if you can't hear that line in the same voice as Little John from RH:MiT, too.Have you taken a screenshot in your favorite game that either contains, or you can turn into a pop-cuture reference? One Shots is always on the lookout for different screenshots, from the silly to the sublime - but we need you to send them in! Just email them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and the name of the game it came from. Feel free to add in your own silly jokes, notes, or what have you. We'll post them out here and give you the credit for it.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: The truth is out there
People just love those pop-culture references in World of Warcraft! We've seen a bunch of them come in since we opened, but this is probably one of my favorites from Wrath. The above NPC is Agent Skully (obvious reference to the X-Files) sent in to us by Johanis. He added the following tale about that day: As Johanis ran through the New HearthGlen fortress in Dragonblight he found himself face to face with a 75 Elite Onslaught Caretaker by the name of Agent Skully. No Agent Mulder in sight but still on the search for him. I especially liked that she appeared to resemble the other Agent Scully rather remarkably (except the shovel of course)! Of course, Johanis - being Alliance - likely wouldn't know that Skully is actually a member of the Horde in disguise! We know WoW isn't the only game with these types of references in it, so if you've found one in your favorite game, why not send it in? Our email is oneshots AT massively DOT com, and all you have to add is your name, the game, and what the reference is in case our pop-culture-fu isn't as mighty as yours. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for bringing it to One Shots!%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: We will drink your essence, Gelfling
Okay, so maybe we're the only ones who saw this and thought "Skeksis!" But we wouldn't be surprised if he were to demand the essence of fallen enemies to drink. Today's Warhammer Online screenshot comes in to us from Daegallus of the guild Manus Mutati from the Red Eye Mountain server. He writes in: The Lord of Change. Only earthbound beings that have the closest connection with Tzeentch, the god himself. They are the most powerful Greater Daemons of Tzeentch. This one is named Tz'kra. This was in the Inevitable City where he shows up from time to time. This is also the Daemon that showed up at the end of the Intro Movie/Cinematic. He's definitely wicked-looking. Thanks for the awesome Warhammer Online shot, Daegallus!Have you seen a huge demon or giant monster in your travels? Friend or foe, we're curious about the monsters you face in your favorite game. Just send those screenshots to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com including your character name/server/guild and a quick description. We'll post it here for everyone to ogle and give you the credit!
One Shots: I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
If your head explodes with dark forbodings too -- well that's just Chaos. Or more properly, it's an easter egg area found by adventurous Chaos players who fully explore Warhammer Online's Inevitable City. Today's dark screenshot comes to us from Vayn of the guild Tzeentch Hates Standoffs on the Wolfenburg server. Of course, this is not the only place you can get to; we've been sent screenshots of some of the other areas that we'll be showing off as well. You just have to let your adventurous spirit wander, for there are many easter eggs to be found in Warhammer Online!Have you found an easter egg in your favorite game? Perhaps you've traveled well off the beaten path and found some village or monument rarely seen? Whatever your reason, whatever your egg, whatever your game -- we want your screenshots! Just send those to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/guild/server and a quick description. We'll show your adventurous achievement to the world! %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: How do you own (dis)order
Late night, somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep, many players are still out embracing the battles in Warhammer Online. This particular One Shot comes in to us from Deadcatt of the Greenskins who was apparently having so much fun that he snapped this and sent it in at 2 AM! Of course, judging from a lot of the late nights going on around the Massively virtual offices lately, we know Deadcatt is not the only one who has been burning the midnight oil in heated battle.Are you enjoying smashing the forces of Order or Destruction in Warhammer Online? Have you run across a cool area we haven't shown off here yet on One Shots? Do you just want to show the world how awesome your character is? Whatever your reason, and whatever your MMO, we want your screenshots! Send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a brief description of what's going on. Then you can show off your screenshots to everyone.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: WAR is bringing sexy back
We never thought we'd be saying that about a screenshot of Warhammer Online, but you have to admit, the gratuitous butt shot here really makes you wonder. We've seen all manner of screenshots, but this one that came to us from Oz who is participating in Warhammer Online's preview weekend is a new look at this game for us. Oz writes: Here is a shot from WAR preview weekend. My zealot and friend playing a witch elf. The building behind us is a checkpoint located on one of the RvR maps.Have you found a surprisingly skimpy set of armor in your favorite game? Does your gear look like it came from Trash & Vaudeville? Would your character be right at home at a Juggalo convention? If so, send those screenshots our way at oneshots AT massively DOT com. We're always on the lookout for something off the beaten path!%Gallery-9798% Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
One Shots: Rawhide!
You can't beat the joy of mounting up in your favorite MMOG and riding out. All good things you're missing, like vittles love and kissin', are waiting at the end of your ride. Well, or there's generally a big nasty monster at the end of it for your group to take on -- those are fun too. Today's One Shot comes from our Lord of the Rings Online regular, Finudir, who writes: Oh how regal they look! From left to right: Olivier the Minstrel on Delmar, Captain Finudir of Gondor on Valaris and Galoros, Hunter of Forochel on Swifthoof. Gotta love Olivier's purple boots. Do you have a screenshot of rounding up the dogies? If so, throw a rope around 'em, tie 'em up and send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com, along with your name, and a brief description of what we're seeing in the image. It's easy, fun, and free! Can't beat that. %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Boot to the head
Finudir of Gondor just keeps the cool screenshots of his adventures with his fellowship rolling in from Lord of the Rings Online. Today we have this screenshot of them battling a particularly feisty Ongburz Rock-heaver, with surprising consequences, for everyone to enjoy. He writes in: For weeks, Galoros and Finudir of Gondor had scouted the orc camps at Dol Dînen trying to determine their intent and weaknesses. Finally last night, it was decided that the time was ripe to strike. Things went rather smoothly, but Robertolangoiz (affectionately called Bobby) would tell you differently as I'm sure he's feeling the pain of getting punted by a troll, which sent him flying a few dozen yards (seen on the left side of the pic). He can't be feeling too good this morning. Sorry Bobby.Do you have a painful moment captured on "film"? Perhaps you have a screenshot where we can work in another Dr. Demento reference? Whatever your game, your reason, or your screen is about, we'd love to see them! Attach it via digital email carrier pigeon and wing that screenshot over to us with a quick description on what we're seeing -- and feel free to suggest your own pop culture reference if that's your thing! You never know, we might use it next.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: I've got a theory, it could be witches
Or bunnies. Nah. Whatever it is this Priest of Mithra is doing with this spell rotation in Age of Conan, it certainly looks pretty cool. Today's One Shots comes in to us from Oz, who snapped this a few days ago. We have no idea what area in Age of Conan this is, nor why one might want to stand there and put on the mother of all light shows. But we're certainly glad Oz caught a screenshot of it and sent it our way to share!Have you found an area with dancing demons, vengeance demons, witches, bunnies, or anything of the like on your travels? If so, bundle those screenshots up and send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com along with a quick blurb about what we're looking at. Otherwise, we're left to our own devices to explain what's going on -- which can involve things far stranger than musicals. %Gallery-9798%
25 Easter eggs of the Burning Crusade
We at WoW Insider felt that, in honor of Easter/Noblegarden, we'd go looking for some of the best Easter eggs in Burning Crusade. This is by no means an exhaustive gallery of all the little nods you can find in BC; it's really almost impossible to go anywhere without running into a programmer's sly joke. I had to limit my gallery to things that could be seen by toons who'd outleveled some of the really good quest-related ones ("How To Serve Goblins" was great) or who had ready access to the Blood Elf/Draenei starter areas. Enjoy your trawl through a feast of cleverly-placed pop-culture references, and you can visit BlizzPlanet for an exhaustive list of Burning Crusade Easter eggs if these whet your appetite for more! Don't forget that with our new gallery functions, you can hit the "Hi Res" button at the top right of the page if you want to see a photo in more detail.%Gallery-18980%
