rise-of-the-witch-king
Latest
Just for giggles: Lich King vs Witch-King box art
Far removed from the totally serious THQ v. Activision Baja box art lawsuit, a WoW Insider reader tipped the site off to the box art and subtitle similarities between Blizzard's incoming mega-hit, Wrath of the Lich King, and EA's 2006 title, The Rise of the Witch-King. As for the inevitable "who copied whom," it's debatable until the ghouls come home. Box art posing aside, the Overlord also wears a similar outfit as the Lich and Witch monarchs, with matching spiky sword guard. Of course, if the first Overlord had a subtitle, it would have been Attack of Glitch King ... or, if you liked the game, Niche King. As for the witchy-lichy trade dress (box art) creating a lawsuit between EA and Activision Blizzard, we're fairly certain the scourge of time has taken its toll on Witch-King's presence on retail shelves and any lawsuit relevance, but lawyers do get bored sometimes.
Wrath or rise of the Which King?
Reader Duck Knight tipped us off to the box-art of the Battle for Middle-Earth II expansion from Electronic Arts. Also known as The Rise of the Witch-King, which sounds confusingly similar to the upcoming expansion Wrath of the Lich King, the 2006 game's cover art looks curiously reminiscent of Blizzard's latest offering. Or vice versa. The game, which was based on the the movie trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, takes its art cue from the films. On the other hand, Arthas' armor is based on the cinematic from 2003's Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. I don't suppose Tolkien ever actually drew the Nazgûl armor...Who copied whom? Probably nobody, really. It just so happens that ghastly blue seems to be the favorite color of evil leader-types and their undead minions. Witch Kings and Lich Kings also probably shop from the same armor boutiques, considering the similarity in their helmets -- eyelets, open-mouth design, and crown-like extensions. Fortunately for all of us, the Lord of the Rings video game is already a few years old, so we probably won't make the mistake of picking the wrong game up from the shelves when Wrath finally arrives this November 13.
Rise of the Witch-king previewed
GameSpy has posted an extensive preview of The Rise of the Witch-king, the new expansion pack for The Battle for Middle-earth II. Expected to arrive on PCs this holiday season, the RotWK campaign takes place in the years after the One Ring leaves greedy Isildur, and the Lord of the Nazgul rises to power over the kingdom of Arnor (Aragorn's peeps). In addition to the 12-mission evil campaign, the new Angmar faction introduces the spellcasting Thrall Master and Sorcerer units, the latter of which can convert fallen enemies into servants of the Witch-king.An Xbox 360 version of RotWK has not been confirmed, but hopefully EA will save some holiday cheer for Xbox Live Marketplace shoppers.
