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Forum post of the day: They know their lore
The Warcraft storyline has come a long way since Orcs and Humans. Bobbyjeh of Aman'Thul asked how Blizzard maintains their "seemingly endless lore and story arc. Nethaera responded that the company has a Historian on staff as well as an expanding department dedicated to lore. They cover all three of the major Blizzard universes. They help to keep continuity in the game and keeps things interesting for our resident Lore Nerd. While I was doing the quest chain for my Swift Flight Form, I wondered to myself. What does someone who's been asleep for so long know about Outland? I've often wondered how it is that new Draenei characters all crashed "one month ago." As some pointed out, there has been some discontinuity in the Warcraft Universe. But Blizzard does a pretty good job of keeping their story straight. No stranger than C3PO saying, "Thank the maker," when technically, Darth Vader is the maker. We accept these plot holes and move on.
Bambi terrorizes Northrend
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Bambi_s_pwns_in_World_of_Warcraft_expansion'; This post contains spoilers about Wrath of the Lich King. Before the cut, the spoilers will be mild. After the cut, the spoilers will be complete, and more powerful than you could possibly imagine. (Well, more than you could imagine if you don't check out behind the cut.) One of Blizzard's hallmarks in the World of Warcraft has long been the subtle digs and nods to pop culture. These Easter Eggs can bring a lot of fun, though I know some folks feel the little references ruin their immersion. I kind of like them, and still giggle this day about the idea of purchasing Gigantique bags from Haris Pilton while avoiding her spectral friend. This new one, lurking mildly in Northrend, made me giggle a bit in delight, though. One might even say, I muttered a faint "Squee!" Go behind the cut and see the latest easter egg in Wrath ... if you dare!
First power sets and more in newest Champions Online preview
Gamespot recently got the chance to visit Cryptic Studios and take a look at Champions Online. They brought back a video and some tasty new information regarding the newest superpowered MMO on the block. One of the biggest pieces of news was that there are currently thirteen powersets featured in the game and four of them are powered armor, beast, darkness, and dark energy. These sets contain various powers within them and can be mixed and matched to your heart's desire.There's also some mention of the Champions Online history in the preview, but if you don't feel like reading through all of that you can see Jack Emmert explain it in our video preview here on the site. We happen to dig the fact that this world is set in another version of our own and the opportunity for Cryptic to make pop-culture references tickles our imagination for what in-game experiences will end up being like. Also, feel free to check out our recently updated Champions Online gallery as it contains a ton of new images for your visual delight.%Gallery-17946%
Gamers on the Street: Playing with roleplaying
Gamers on the Street logs onto U.S. servers to get the word from the front on what's going on in and around the World of Warcraft.The WoW roleplayer is a strange creature -- in a game universe almost completely designed for the non-roleplayer (there are enough pop culture references to make anyone sensitive to anachronisms apoplectic), they soldier on insider RP servers, taking their time leveling up, and having perhaps much more fun than anyone who races towards the endgame might otherwise have.So for this Gamers on the Street, I decided to head to Moon Guard, an RP server. I had hoped to chat about what players were expecting for season 4, and maybe find out what casual players thought of all the new things coming in Wrath of the Lich King, but when I sent out my query for interviewees, what I found were two roleplayers. people who were taking the game at their own pace and having fun doing it.I also made sure, due to past reader comments, to speak to Alliance this time. After the jump, meet two roleplayers who are playing the game their own way.
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%
The companion cube cannot remain through the testing
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Weighted_companion_cube_comes_to_WoW'; Here's a little something to brighten up your Monday. Sharp-eyed tipster Aikiwoce spotted this dead ringer for a certain object that rhymes with "freighted D'Artagnan noob" outside the Stormwind gates, presumably as part of the "Love Is in the Air" holiday that kicked off today. I love Blizzard and their cultural references. Has anyone else seen something interesting?%Gallery-15723%SInce we're on the subject of real world references in WoW, check out this gallery of curiously familiar names of NPC's in game.%Gallery-1669%Also, players dressed as their favorite WoW characters at last year's Blizzcon.%Gallery-5529%And how can we forget people dressed up as their favorite characters from their favorite book/movie/tv series/game at last year's DragonCon.%Gallery-6901% Love is in the Air and on WoW Insider. Check out our continuing coverage of the event and our guide to earning the achievement. And you better hurry; the holiday only lasts five days!
To WoW, perchance to dream
Last night I dreamt of Mudsprocket. I was questing with one of my alts -- I assume my shadow priest, but I can't be certain because I was seeing the perspective from her eyes -- and I came across a new NPC standing next to the flight master. She was a female orc named Robin Torres, and I realized she was named after our Robin of WoW Insider fame.The dream switches to me having a discussion at a party with a friend of mine. Over drinks I mention what I found in the game and she doesn't seem the least bit surprised. "Well, Azeroth Interrupted was incredibly popular" she tells me.Now this isn't the first time I've dreamt about the game. I do so pretty much all the time. Since I play so much my unconscious mind feeds on what is on my mind at the time. What intrigued me looking back on it was my creation of my own NPC to place into the game. So I wondered what other NPCs players might like to see referenced in WoW. I know the game is riddled with references, from Caretaker Ophera Windfury to Eyonix himself. I'm interested to see what the readers would select for new NPCs to add to the game. Who would you like to meet lounging at the bar in a tavern in Howling Fjord or standing guard at the Sunwell?
The Office's Dwight takes to Second Life, hilarity ensues
As fans of NBC's hit 'The Office' are probably well aware, last Thursday's episode "The Ad" gave a fair bit of screen time to Second Life. Games don't usually get a terribly fair treatment in popular media, as writers tend to perpetuate popular stereotypes about players as unsociable, unhealthy, or both for the sake of making an easy joke.And while we have to concede that The Office's take on Second Life did focus on the escapism for which many people play the game, the punchlines were in all the right places. (See: Dwight's Second Life character playing an MMO within the MMO, to help escape further.) Check out the full episode on NBC's website, it's a good one.
Super Console Wars puts spin on mascot Gamepires
We've seen Mario in the Matrix, Luigi as a Braveheart, and what we thought was everything in between. Well, hold up, 'cuz now we've seen everything: classic game icons have been mashed up with Star Wars.Super Console Wars: The Gamepire Strikes Gold is that hybrid that with good and evil roles spread out onto each platform and various gaming mascots, ranging from Mario clone troopers vs. Princess Zelda to a VMU droid and GPU-enabled android (erm, peripheral).About two-thirds of the way through the 20-minute video, you're gently encouraged to wear 3D glasses to enhance your video viewing, but even without glasses, the parody stands as an amusing take-off of gaming standards, pop culture, and retro reminiscing. Obi-Wan Shinobi, indeed.[Thanks, Cradrock]See also: Super Mario Reloaded Ready for an "Oldschool Revolution"?
