Special snowflakes
Thursday, August 21st, 2008 03:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mothwingEver since Crocky's gone and I can't watch the series we usually watch together I need to fill my breaks with other fun things. So, in completely unrelated news, the cinematic game trailer of Wrath of the Lich King is out.
High res version on the main page here.
Even though cinematic game trailers don't really reveal anything about the games I love watching them. As much as I fangirl Arthas some things irked me. Like the fact that the makers of this trailer really should have made up their minds in my view whether they wanted to use the epic Enya style film music of the first trailer OR have King Terenas Menethil II narrate what sounds like a letter to his teenaged son (which I thought was an awesome idea). The pauses in his narration are too long, and even though I completely get the sentiment of wanting to give the pretty graphics time to sink in, I think that his narration would have been less oddly-timed had they not chopped Terenas' speech into strange little bits with all the pause for the graphics and the music.
I'm also not a big fan of the scene in which Frostmourne makes contact with the evil snowflakes of doom, because the angle is odd, it's drawn out and it looks funny, but also because I don't get it. What kind of special snowflakes are these things? Why are they better than the snow flakes lying on the ground all around him? I am really impressed by the snow, though, it's amazing, especially the scene in which Arthas wipes the snow from the ice struck me for some reason, or what looks like an homage to Das Eismeer in the background in one scene. Really impressive was also how they visualised Arthas controlling his troops.
Also - what is it with main villains? I know that they tend to favour the same designers, but I don't get what makes them all want to glue cutlery to their helmet as soon as they reach the evil arch villain status:
So, even though it's probably not worth the money, I am going to buy that game. Playing with my brother![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
niaseath, and actually exploring things together with him instead of him yawning through quests with me and predicting what will happen next, or having him talk me through instances is bound to be fun - even though I always slow him down.
Anyway. Mental processes. Translation.
EDIT: Can someone out there explain to me why the UK English version comes with freaking subtitles, while the US American version does not?! It's the same thing, the only difference being the rating systems and the subtitles. Looks like someone's trying to make a point there.
High res version on the main page here.
Even though cinematic game trailers don't really reveal anything about the games I love watching them. As much as I fangirl Arthas some things irked me. Like the fact that the makers of this trailer really should have made up their minds in my view whether they wanted to use the epic Enya style film music of the first trailer OR have King Terenas Menethil II narrate what sounds like a letter to his teenaged son (which I thought was an awesome idea). The pauses in his narration are too long, and even though I completely get the sentiment of wanting to give the pretty graphics time to sink in, I think that his narration would have been less oddly-timed had they not chopped Terenas' speech into strange little bits with all the pause for the graphics and the music.
I'm also not a big fan of the scene in which Frostmourne makes contact with the evil snowflakes of doom, because the angle is odd, it's drawn out and it looks funny, but also because I don't get it. What kind of special snowflakes are these things? Why are they better than the snow flakes lying on the ground all around him? I am really impressed by the snow, though, it's amazing, especially the scene in which Arthas wipes the snow from the ice struck me for some reason, or what looks like an homage to Das Eismeer in the background in one scene. Really impressive was also how they visualised Arthas controlling his troops.
Also - what is it with main villains? I know that they tend to favour the same designers, but I don't get what makes them all want to glue cutlery to their helmet as soon as they reach the evil arch villain status:
So, even though it's probably not worth the money, I am going to buy that game. Playing with my brother
niaseath, and actually exploring things together with him instead of him yawning through quests with me and predicting what will happen next, or having him talk me through instances is bound to be fun - even though I always slow him down.Anyway. Mental processes. Translation.
EDIT: Can someone out there explain to me why the UK English version comes with freaking subtitles, while the US American version does not?! It's the same thing, the only difference being the rating systems and the subtitles. Looks like someone's trying to make a point there.
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no subject
Date: Friday, August 22nd, 2008 12:21 am (UTC)I've never finished a WarCraft strategy game but I kept up with the story until WarCraft III. Unfortunately, WarCraft III did very early what almost instantly makes me lose interest in most games and that is a mission with a time limit. I also didn't like how strongly it focused on the heroes and their role-playing aspect. I like strategy games which aren't too hasty and in which I get to control real armies, not just small groups of goons led by some übermensch. Bit of a pity because its story appears to set in motion everything that's important in WoW.
Just like BC WotLK isn't for me. I'd love to plays with friends but those who play WoW all have high-level characters and won't start over. Considering that Blizzard is yet to introduce a new class that would force even high-level players to start over, there's no reason for them to go back to the beginning. As for the rest, well, I already told you.
no subject
Date: Friday, August 22nd, 2008 12:47 am (UTC)Bah, don't remind me. The time-limited levels nearly kept me from finishing the game back in the day. I think I only ever played them through the once and completed it with a cheat code after that because they just were not fun. I only played WarCraft III because of the story, which was surprisingly good, so it did not really bother me as much that it was so focused on The Heroes. Being absolutely convinced that the clichés in the story were intended and hence the hero must be solid gold it was quite a pleasant surprise to see Arthas turn evil. Seen as a strategy game rather than as a strange walk-in novel, I guess the heroes would have annoyed me, too. It's an odd mix.
Yeah, somehow, there are few people willing to level up another character, and other beginners are really scarce, too. When my brother and I tried levelling up a character together we made it as far as level fifteen, I think, then skipped several levels until I was in reach for another of his alts, with which we're now levelling together. I must say that I'm basically waiting around until I'm seventy, hoping that then we'll be able to really play together. I'm so rarely on that I've found it hard to make lasting in-game friends who are roughly my level, and without those or friendly guild mates, it's basically a solo-game. Which I don't mind, but that feels sort of beside the point.
The latest instalment at least features that new heroic class which starts at level 55 right away, so maybe that's something to look forward to to play around with together - even though it doesn't sound like any class I'd be interested in, given the choice.
Anyway, I'm rambling and I should go to bed. Good night!
"which aren't too hasty and in which I get to control real armies"
Date: Friday, August 22nd, 2008 01:56 am (UTC)http://www.ikariam.org/ Free and web-based.
It's a game that one is meant to log into, perhaps, two or three times per day. I suppose you could classify it as an incredibly slow-going Greco-Romanesque Starcraft/Civilization only without any animated graphics. Alliances, resource-gathering, text-based units, etc. etc., hours and hours of time spent upgrading a single building or making a trade with another city (it starts out fast enough -- an upgrade might take a half-hour -- but before long you're counting down the days until something big happens). I think I've been playing for about 4 months now and have yet to reach the top of the tech tree in any category. But, as I said... I'm hooked, baby!!
Big problems with the game: homogeneity in terms of the units players create. Each unit is purported to have its own strengths and weaknesses, however, players tend to gravitate to a select few for maximum efficiency. Also, the ability to create official alliances tends to limit the amount of fighting that goes on. My alliance, for example, generally prohibits attacks on individuals belonging to other alliances in order to forestall any alliance-wide wars. However, an interesting alliance of mercenaries has popped up which functions as an assassins' guild of sorts. There's also an unreleased and anticipated update that will allow one to commandeer another individual's town, in particular the resources generated by it. That might lead to some more action.
Anyway, all are welcome. I'm playing on server Theta.
Re: "which aren't too hasty and in which I get to control real armies"
Date: Friday, August 22nd, 2008 11:05 am (UTC)Strategy games I like a lot are Star Wars Empire at War, Rome Total War and Civilization IV.
Oh, and Moth, speaking about great RPGs, I forgot to mention the Fallout series. It's fantasy but set in a post-nuclear war sci-fi wasteland the ruins of which look like they envisioned the future in the 50s. Unbelievably detailed character system that's easy to handle and chock-full of black humour and social commentary.