Skip to Content

WoW Insider has the latest on the Mists of Pandaria!

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Stwarkwaft II

Work Warning: A touch graphic and violent. You know, like StarCraft.

This could be the best translation of StarCraft II voice acting that I've ever heard. Frankly, it's so good I almost question why the actual game wasn't produced this way. SilverlinedPro's amazing graphics and fine eye for parody puts the murloc in the marine and provides a fragging good time. While this video dates all the way back to 2010, I think it counts as a timeless classic.

Thanks to Thomas for the tip!

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: WildCats: Iron Qon

It's the return of Fifth Element with an homage one of the most... niche cartoons of the last 20 years. You either loved the WildCats or you hated them. Or, maybe, you didn't notice them. Regardless, Fifth Element reached deep into the caves of creativity and translated its unique rap opening into the intro to an Iron Qon video. So, here we have it: one last hope at redemption for WildCats.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Aftermath

A thoughtful, moody video featuring the dulcet tones of Alice Cooper? What's not to love about the new video Aftermath? Created entirely from in-game graphics, the authenticity and solid pacing of the video provides a solid new entry by PallyPowerXIX.

The video felt a teensy bit long to me, but that's a common challenge to be tackled in any dialogue-less story. The creator did a decent job tackling it, I just look at 7 minutes as being a big number for a machinima. Your mileage will vary.

All in all, I was very satisfied by Aftermath. The video did a superb job of knowing itself and its limitations, and told its story within those lines. It's good proof that this in-game & music-only technique can be successful if you take the time to think through your plot. Very nice job.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: If WoW Was Easy... er

Today on WoW Moviewatch, Wowcrendor presents us with a simple question: how easy do you think World of Warcraft could become? The context for this question obviously being that players are constantly complaining how easy the game has become over the years. Thoughts, anyone? Rants? Well-argued essays?

Anyway, to answer the question, Wowcrendor employs his usual style wherein which Billy presents the question and Crendor responds with several, increasingly absurd answers. I won't spoil any of the jokes (though I really want that robot) so just give it a watch.

I have to admit, it really is astonishing that Billy has retained his innocence and naivety over the years. You'd think after being slapped around by the harshness of reality so many times he'd have become jaded by now. But I guess he really is resilient ... Or maybe just extremely oblivious. Either way, props to you Billy. I wish I had your tenacity.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Lore According to Ragnaros

Did you ever think Ragnaros might not be such a bad guy, and that maybe he's just really, really misunderstood? Probably not, but you will after you watch the latest machinima from Slightly Impressive. In the video, Ragnaros explains what actually happened in Molten Core back during vanilla WoW. He also makes a fairly good point about how we shouldn't take crazy dreams too seriously. Sound advice, seeing as I once had a dream where the WoW Insider staff tried to recreate The Empire Strikes Back.

Anyway, I think this machinima shows off Griffter's strengths well. The setup and the script are genuinely funny and the voice actors execute it all perfectly. I'd actually really love to see this become a short series with a different boss each episode, provided Griff can keep the jokes fresh. Even if it stays a one-shot though, this is one of my favorites to date.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.


Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: World of Gnomecraft 2.0

You can only push a good gnome so far. For years, the Alliance and Horde punted gnomes, used them as garden decorations, and denigrated this most destructive of races. And then Baron Soosdon issued the call to the pint-sized purveyors of perfection, and we entered the World of Gnomecraft 2.0.

Kick back and enjoy the revolution. This contest-winning video from 2010 will show you why the good Baron is so far ahead of his time.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.


Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Wrought

We covered Here Without You yesterday, one of the classics of machinima. The Forsaken lovers theme is a popular one, though relatively few machinima artists have really done it justice. It is no surprise that another great example is Wrought, created by Legs based on a song by Peratus.

Not only is the machinima amazing but the song is pretty good, too. I grump a tiny bit that it devolves into garbling by the end of it, although I'll admit that technique aligns well with the storyline in the video.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.


Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Here Without You

Let's bust out an oldie but goldie. While Here Without You has been around for a long, long time, it still gets cited as one of the best machinima of all time. Why? Well, let's talk about that.

The story is tight. Perhaps not unique, but they don't waste time with side plots or scenes that don't serve the main story. It's tight, focused, and fast. The song matches the mood; while you might not love the tune, the pacing and theme is in perfect sync with one another. The animation is self-aware. While these aren't mind-blowing graphics, it understands its own limitations and stays within its lines.

Ultimately, the point is that the video stays focused on the story it's telling, it doesn't waste time with extraneous plots or gimmicks, and it keeps moving forward. It's easy to see why Here Without You gets so much praise.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.


Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

Weekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat

TradeChat's Panser returns with this week's WoW Insider news recap, where we look back at the hottest news from the past week and whatever other kickin' rad things may have come our way. This week's topics include: If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Lich King Does Orphan Week

Well, it's Orphan Week. The community's produced relatively view Orphan Week machinimas over the years, so the standout celebratory video of children in WoW is Yumfries' eternal classic: Lich King Does Orphan Week. With more than a little humor, and an ending that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, this is the video that personifies the holiday.

Here's hoping all you folks doing the achievements take as good care of your orphans as Arthas does.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.


Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Fifth Element Avengers

The latest from Fifth Element is hopefully not its last. Let's just say... nothing has made me want to stop everything I'm doing and log into the game to play my Paladin right now as much as this video. It's amazing. My jaw dropped. I cheered and clapped and laughed. It's simply that good. And the timing's perfect, considering certain movies coming out this weekend. This video is absolutely my favorite yet.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.


Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: The Five Different Types of Trolls

I think it's a watershed for most parody writers to tackle the various categories of trolls. It's just something you have to do, whether you like it or not. Write about online culture long enough, and you eventually have to tackle the troll issue. I guess it's Slightly Impressive's turn, because he recently put out The Five Different Types of Trolls.

The video's all right, but any shortcomings aren't really his fault per se. I'll admit I didn't find it terribly funny but that's not because Slightly somehow stumbled. It's just... we've been down this road. For like 20 years, we've been reading categories of trolls. That being said, I did appreciate the meta-humor about how the gag needed structure; it did manage to lend a bit of fresh air to a tired subject.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Orc vs Wild: Kun-Lai Summit

It's been a while since we've heard from Boar Thrills. Just in time for the Mt. Everest of WoW, Wowcrendor aims his careful camera firmly at wild yetis and freezing snow in Orc vs Wild: Kun-Lai Summit.

While I know it's intended to parody, Orc vs Wild is always a fun view of the game. It's an interesting, microscopic view of Azeroth's climates and its inhabitants, with just enough humor to keep the whole thing amusing. And, hey, who wants to miss any opportunity to say luckydoo out loud?

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Coming to Gank

It's been a while since we've had a strong, solid WoW rap video. Gigi, Truff, NooNoo, and Khayllys are here to change that. With a rousing anthem for PvP and a truly stellar video from Khayllys, Coming to Gank is one of the best music videos we've seen for a while. Your enjoyment mileage will vary according to how much you like rap, but I still appreciate a bit of variety in our video consumption.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Transmog Shop (NSFW)

Warning: This video is Not Safe For Work. There's some occasional cursing and Princess Theradas flaunting her Willendorfer assets for several seconds.

I'm always excited to see new work from renowned machinima artist Ian Beckman. Mind you, I'm a bit biased since the two of us are acquainted (we briefly attended the same university -- he made me choke on my drink once while doing his Azerothian Super Villains Akama voice). Today's video is a parody of the song Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, featuring Wanz. The parody tells the story of a goblin on his quest to look awesome using vanilla tier gear and transmogrification.

As a machinima parody the piece certainly does its job in recreating the original song and music video, but it's definitely not Beckman's best parody. The lyrics don't really capture the original, lacking both the fun humor of Macklemore's rap lyrics, and the energy and clarity of Wanz's chorus. In regards to the latter point, I think this is part to Beckman doing his best to imitate Wanz's deep vocals but not quite being suited for it. Pulling in another singer to do the part probably would have made it better.

I'm probably being a bit unfair in my critique though, simply because I'm so familiar with Beckman's work. If this was produced by some no name machinima artist I'd probably be perfectly happy with it. You also have to consider what an incredibly difficult song Thrift Shop is to parody, with its many layers of instruments and vocals. Beckman certainly nails the distinct sound of the original and that's no small feat. I really do love the concept of this parody, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that Beckman might keep working on it to fine tune some of the shortcomings.

As an afterthought, I have to say I enjoy how this video clip fits in with the rest of Beckman's work. He's been playing since vanilla and it's always interesting to see how that inspires his present day work, like That's the World of Warcraft That I Used To Play. Transmog Shop gives off a similar vibe to Beckman's Gotye parody, using a new WoW feature to harken back to the old. It offers a nice contrast to other popular machinima and parody artists whose works tend to only reflect the current expansion.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth

Featured Galleries

Running of the Orphans 2013
World of Warcraft Tattoos
HearthStone Sample Cards
HearthStone Concept Art
Yaks
It came from the Blog: Lunar Lunacy 2013
Art of Blizzard Gallery Opening
It came from the Blog: Pandamonium
The gaming artwork of Jessica Dinh

 

Categories