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This is the Chronicle of the Annoying Quest: Ep. 30. Something about the Chronicle of the Annoying Quest is starting remind me of that line from Spaceballs. Next up, Pongo reviews "Rocky Five...thousand." I wouldn't hate seeing Baka Savant get that far, if the episodes keep being so amusing.

There's different takes on whether or not you have to see all the episodes to "get" the humor. Some say you do, others say you don't. I say, "Why wouldn't you want to watch them all?" I had plenty of fun with my first episode, and I had plenty of fun with this episode as a stand-alone. But, the series is entertaining and worth the time to check it all out. Do yourself the favor and get caught up on the series.

Trying to avoid spoilers, I'll simply point out that this is the last episode before the season finale. I'm excited to see that finale, and felt like there's appropriate moments of buildup in this episode to get us there. Thanks to Baka Savant Productions for another awesome installment.

[Via WarcraftMovies]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

I don't usually do a lot of WoW music videos, because I tend to be more of a story-buff. But Polystyrene Dream by Yume caught my attention. I'm not sure if it was the ethereal quality of the video, which lined up very well with "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead, or maybe the hints of narrative that persisted through the piece.

I could probably drive myself crazy projecting motivations on the two central characters, and trying define relationships, reasoning, and results of their actions. In summary, two blood elves repetitively walk up to an increasing variety of critters, stab them, and take their stuff. It could just be meant to be pretty, and it definitively is pretty.

I don't have much to say about the audio track, since it is essentially a nice song by a widely known band. It's possible that if I knew the song or band better, I might see more relevance in the imagery. Still, if you're talking about "Fake Plastic Trees," I guess it's fair to use a pair of Blood Elves as protagonists.

[Via WarcraftMovies]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

Wrath of the Lich King has been out for a week. In that time, we've had the world's first level 80, the first complete and total clear of all raid encounters, and what seems like a billion "realm firsts." That didn't take long, did it? So, Tevri from Shandris dropped by the forums to question whether Wrath "is too easy."

Zarhym showed up, in his classic witty manner. He points out that the folks who're doing this immediate clearing are, in general, the same folks who've done every raid encounter in WoW for like . . . ever. In a sense, they're pretty high on the "pro" scale. (For the record, they are 25 people out of 11 million subscribers. Certainly, others have done the content by now, but it would take 110,000 people having completed the raid to say even 1% has "beat the game." ) Zarhym also cautions about relying on "truthiness" to judge the content -- which is to say, going with your intuition when the facts are still out.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Expansions, Forums

Things You Need is a submission to the machinima category of the 48 Hour Film Project by Stone Falcon Productions, Oblivious Films, and Slashdance. It's a little raucous, and a little rowdy, so your mileage on this film is going to vary according to your taste. It's the story of a down-trodden gnome who encounters a magic shop, gets a tub of magic paint, and hijinks ensue.

I really enjoyed the first part of the film. It was cute, amusing, and the musical portions were pretty darn funny. I loved the shop owner, and the dialogue and play between the two characters. It was lighthearted, fast paced, and totally worth the time. I'm not as sold on the gnome's female companion, created using the magical bucket. She's stereotypically vacuous and unsatisfying for the gnome, who decides to erase her.

There's two schools of thought on this. The first is the obvious concern about the misogyny, the creation of a "perfect" woman, the exploitation of her, and the immediate use of her for base purposes. The other side to that discussion, of course, is that you can interpret the piece as a criticism of that kind of behavior, questioning the motives and character of a man who would do such a thing. Ultimately, though, I don't know if there's a lot to be read into it except a joke, and whether or not you find the joke funny. Like I said, your mileage is going to vary.

[Via WarcraftMovies]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, Humor, WoW Moviewatch

Fal Bulon has a new, upcoming series called The Scourge. In case you don't recognize the name, Fal Bulon is the same German author who brought us Revenge of Akama. Like his previous work, "The Scourge" is spoken in German, and subtitled in English. We only have a trailer to look at right now, but we can be hopeful for the upcoming movie.

"The Scourge" has the same high-end production values we saw in "Revenge of Akama." The action is distinct and effective. Fal Bulon uses the lighting in his scenery to lend urgency and intensity to his characters. Overall, it was definitely fun to watch.

The trailer doesn't have a lot of plot indications, which is probably fine for a trailer. We know that the Scourge are attacking, and the orcs and humans are both caught up in it. We have epic indications of leaders making hard choices, and we have a whole bunch of fighting. (Knowing is half the battle, but the other half always comes down to fighting.)

Ultimately, this is a great trailer, and I can't wait to see the movie.

[Via WarcraftMovies]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

If you're a Linux user worried whether you can play Wrath on your preferred operating system, there's some good news for you. CodeWeaver has confirmed that their CrossOver Games system-compatability product will continue to support World of Warcraft, even if your account includes Wrath of the Lich King. You don't even have to upgrade to a new CrossOver build. The current 7.10 version will run Wrath "just peachy," says CodeWeaver's COO John Parshall.

According to the press release we recieved from CodeWeaver, Parshall apparantly did most of the Wrath "testing" himself. "I played well into my mid-70s on several of my characters," said Parshall. Like 99% of the WoW population, the COO also played a Death Knight to about level 60. So, you can rest confidently knowing your Death Grip is totally okay with Linux. The press release obviously didn't say whether he tanked or not, but I'm going to assume a Linux guru has the skills to pay the bills, as it were.

CrossOver's web site does warn that there may be a few small problems, but that the game runs smoothly and exceedingly well. It comes just shy of running "flawlessly." Given that the COO of the company seems to be a devoted fan, you can assume that any serious problems will be worked out soon enough.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, News items, Expansions

This is a tough review. I'm a fan of music, especially ballad-like songs. I've never felt we see enough original fan-made music about WoW, and I'm still known to hum the tune to Big Blue Dress from time to time. Yellow Grows the Grass is a great song with good lyrics. I really enjoy the subject matter, and I appreciate what Boreas was trying to do.

Unfortunately, the production values fell short in this video. The animation itself is a relatively unmodified over-the-shoulder view of the game. The music track itself popped and cracked, sometimes even obscuring the words to the song. This kind of pained me, because I was really behind what the author was trying to do here.

I hate to see a great effort plagued by production issues. I hope he can get some help with a better audio track, especially, because I thought the song was strong enough to carry the video if not for that issue. And though the animation, as I said, was relatively plain, the chosen imagery itself wasn't bad. It seemed to me like there was a very strong script, but the "camera-work" itself is what let the piece down. And like "Big Blue Dress," if the audio were clear and crisp, the video itself wouldn't really matter.

[Via WarcraftMovies]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Netherdrakes.

Hello, folks! We're already banging on the Lich King's door, and everyone's levelling their way to 80. As we announced a few weeks ago, it's going to be a little while before we see even skirmish matches happening. There's no Arena matches happening right now, which makes it a bit hard to interview top Arena fighters. As a result, the Colosseum's going to be on a short hiatus until level 80 Arena matches resumes. Let's cheer our champions to 80, and get those who are about to die back to saluting.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Arena, The Colosseum

As a good friend of mine says, "Oh my god, the cute! It burns!" That might not be the most professional opening to my blurb on today's WoW Moviewatch, but it certainly was what I was thinking the entire time I was watching The Lonely Monster by Ollgabopi.

The animation is smooth and simple; there's no doubt about what each character is feeling. The music is absolutely appropriate, though I don't know if the creator meant for it to be quite that melancholy. The story and presentation is a little bit of a trope, but the overall effect is that much stronger since it draws on what we already know and feel about this situation. A lonely, friendly monster just wants to be accepted. It's not rocket science, and Ollgabopi lets the music and animation support the emotions of the sequence.

I was a little bit disappointed not to have more catharsis at the end, but I think as a piece of stand-alone art "The Lonely Monster" is very strong.

[Via Myndflame]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

Wrath is out! It's time to celebrate! We can all dance in the Tundra with this music video by Legs, called Route 440.

There's no story here. Legs warns us that there is no coherent narrative to speak of, and we're pretty well suited to believe him. I will say, though, that I felt the gnome action was a little dramatic, and I felt bad for the critters when they were laid low. Why people always gotta be so rough on gnomes? And while that wasn't a story, per se, it definitely felt like narrative to me.

That being said, I really loved the way the imagery works. Legs admitted right up front that it's all pretty random, but the variety of scenes and sets came together fairly cohesively. The music was strong for its pacing, and I liked the use of current graphics (pre-Wrath) to help motivate the "not-story."

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch