The trailer was ... incomplete

Q u o t e:
The original trailer for WoW showed nothing but players. The Burning Crusade trailer showed Illidan to establish plot and then showed the players. The Lich King trailer shows only NPCs to establish plot, but there are no players. Why is this?

I can see a few reasons:

1) Ideally you want to show off new player abilities in the cinematic, but it was under construction long before now and the final abilities for players in Wrath aren't even finished now.

2) Showing Illidan flying up into the sky is one thing. Animating a horde (no relation) of undead soldiers is a more involved task.

3) You can't show ever race/class and there's always going to be those who aren't shown who feel left out.

That said, I've lurked over the shoulder of a friend in the beta. Northrend is beautiful, and showing some of the fights from the starting areas of the expansion and maybe just a glimpse of the fight at Light's Hope would have really set a more player-immersive feel for this trailer. As it is, I want to see the movie you just advertised, but if I hadn't seen the beta, I'd be unconvinced I want to play the game....

I do hope this is the first of a pair of trailers that, together, will be similar to the BC trailer.

PS: Other than that, it was a great trailer. I do like the irony and juxtaposition. Well done.

It was incomplete. You're right. Where players come in is facing that army and moving the story forward. For me the most beautiful thing about the cinematic is the heartbreaking dichotomy between Arthas' fathers hopes and dreams for Arthas and what Arthas inevitably becomes.

The cinematic sets the stage, it (hopefully) catches people up a bit on just how tragic the situation is, how deeply ingrained the power of the Lich King is, and how it has spread out like icy tendrils to corrupt everything it touches.

This is the stage, this is Arthas, and ultimately, this is the Lich King in all his power set out before you.

For me, I think it is the cinematic I have been most waiting for and most love.

Q u o t e:

/applauses

Awesome neth, I fully agree with you a cinematic is not about fighting, is about what Arthas became and and what his father King Terenas wanted for him. the Irony... the best part is when King Terenas Menethil says "My child...I watched with pride as you grew into a weapon...of righteousness." and Arthas is holding Frostmourne a cursed weapon

I think that is one of the most poignant parts of it. I get goosebumps watching it and I have to say that honestly, this part of the storyline has been one of my favorite developments in Azeroth lore. Who isn't a sucker for pristine youth being corrupted out from under a shining nation's banner into a force of destruction?

I still find myself hesitating at the throne room in the ruins of Lordaeron and listening for that last betrayal of King Terenas by his son.

For those wondering about the movement of the story, this didn't move the story forward because the story moves forward when we all enter into Northrend. He is waiting there for us with his armies and you may discover many more key figures taking part in the ongoing events once you get there. Like in all things, you must crawl before you walk and I think after the blood bath we've all been through with facing the Burning Legion, that we might just be walking pretty well toward some truths in Northrend. I would say more, but while I'm sure many can find spoilers posted from the beta, I don't want to be one of those doing the spoiling.

Q u o t e:
On that note, I fear that WoW will be dead to me after WotlK. It is really the Arthas storyline that made me fall in love with warcraft. Your team is going to have to be on it's toes to keep me interested when this chapter ends.

Their wheels have been turning for awhile and I assure you that while we've all been in love with Arthas for a long while, there is a lot more story worth learning and knowing in the future. Whole new undiscovered chapters are just waiting to be told.

Q u o t e:


Neth, can you give us some clarification on this? Does that mean the trailer is not fully finished or we will be "finishing" the trailer when we go to Northrend?

No, I'm saying, that the trailer is complete by itself, but it is merely the setup for what is to come. So the story is incomplete. We've seen what has become of Arthas, but we do not yet know what further fate has in store for him and the Lich King alike. It also brings back the question, of whether or not if you kill the Lich King, does he really die or not? Who ends up paying the price?

For those not interested in the lore, to me and many others (I'm sure) it is the lore that makes things so exciting and adds to the excitement of encountering it within the game. While you do not need to know the lore to play the game, might I suggest finding out more in regard to Arthas for when you go into Northrend? I think it will add to your enjoyment more than you realize.

Q u o t e:


I think it was last Hallow's End when people were telling about how to turn off all sound except for ambient (pretty sure that's how they said to do it) in the throne room at Lordaeron, in order to hear the betrayal... because it still echoes as part of the background sound in that room to this day.

The story actually plays out all along the walk into the throne room as well if you really want to experience it all.

As for being paid to love the cinematic... No, I hate to burst the bubble on this. I could choose not to share any personal feelings on it at all if I wanted to. While I feel all of our cinematics are incredibly done and enjoyable, for me, this is my favorite.

I also would like to ask people to please refrain from discussing other games in the general forum here. I understand some people feel the need to compare/contrast to other games and cinematics, but if you wish to do so, please do it in the Off-Topic forum. The general forums here are for discussion of World of Warcraft specifically. Please have some respect on both ends of the spectrums.

Arthas does not sit in a hole all day in the expansion. Players will be able to interact with him from early on. You are entering his domain after all...

I can absolutely see some of the different viewpoints here and it's easy to see that the cinematic has stirred up a variety of opinions both good and bad. I appreciate those that are saying why it didn't strike them as their favorite far more than those that simply say "it sucked" or "it sucked compared to".

We have those that feel this is a reemergence of the older style of cinematic Blizzard is known for. Some feel it misses the MMORPG element of "Where am I in this equation?" and some feel that it was great if only it had that extra hook of drawing you in by addressing you personally. Then there are those that just felt that it needed a broader scope and more action.

There will always be those that like, love, or dislike what we have created for one reason or another and the discussion so far has been great. I'd just like to reemphasize to keep it constructive and avoid creating a flame war in this thread by comparing and contrasting other game cinematics if possible. That is the main concern and tempers can run hot when doing so not to mention it tends to derail the discussion of the thread. If you feel the need to do a compare/contrast, the off-topic forum is a great place for it.

Let's please avoid further personal attacks against each other in this thread.

The only failing of art and criticism thereof, is that it is often based on personal tastes. Expressing personal tastes is fine here on both ends of the spectrum as long as it's kept respectful for other people's opinions.


Keep in mind, as others have said, Arthas knows what is coming and what we are seeing is him taking on a more active and personal role. We've known he was there and waiting. Now, we're stepping into his territory and he's making it known that he's more than happy to oblige those that face him with death (endless or otherwise). More story to come within the game. ;)