![]() There are still lots of 'collect 20 bear asses' type things, and we'll get to that in a moment, but nowhere else will you spend as much time on things like interactive flashbacks, piloting vehicles, teaming up with powerful NPCs to hunt saboteurs, or smiling as the quest designers have a bit of fun with the many tools now at their disposal. Blizzard has, bar none, the best MMO quest team in the business, and backs it up with some of the genre's funniest and most enjoyable writing. ![]() It doesn't necessarily come across in still images, but the use of contrast and scale make Pandaria a striking place to visit. It's not Guild Wars 2 level prettiness of course, but the classic Warcraft look still looks good and Blizzard pulls out all the stops to make this its prettiest destination yet. It would be a real shame not to run up the Veiled Stair to Kun Lai, or take the boat-ride through danger that awaits there, and there's a magnificent amount of detail. As usual, you can't fly until you reach the new max-level, and that's a good thing. It's good to have a specific place to explore, unlike Cataclysm's scattered high level zones, and the various lands are more or less believable as a coherent whole. From there, you'll visit the snowy heights of Kun Lai Summit, the Great Wall of China analogue of the Serpent Spine separating the friendlier bits of Pandaria from its less cheery other half, the mysterious Vale of Eternal Daily Quests Blossoms, and the spooky Dread Wastes full of ghostly trees and enraged mantis creatures trying to smash their way into paradise. The opening zone, Jade Forest, is all lush scenery and sweeping vistas and waterfalls and golden pagodas and fluffy pink clouds. The graphics engine may be old, but Blizzard wields it like a master to create some stunning new terrain. The new continent of Pandaria itself is more successful, offering a mostly bright and optimistic land after the very depressing Cataclysm. Aaargh! This is not how drama works! If the characters don't care, why should we? Things don't get much better on Pandaria proper, where the first zone ends with both Horde and Alliance committing an atrocity that should have them marched into the sea by an army of angry monks, or at the very least, get a reluctant "You're too powerful for us, but don't think you're welcome." Instead, it's completely brushed off with a "Well, maybe you should make yourself scarce for a bit." and five minutes later you're helping brew beer and being held up as a saviour of the land by gods and pandas alike. Their training area especially, while pretty, sets up one of the most laughable character rifts ever - so desperate to avoid either side really doing anything that all it can manage is "We had a mild disagreement and everything worked out, but let's become sworn enemies anyway because this game isn't built for neutral players." This becomes especially noticeable when the game needs to be dramatic. Aside from their love of beer, they feel like Saturday morning cartoon characters, and thematically rarely advance much beyond Blizzard slapping some fur on stock Chinese/martial arts tropes and hoping the exotic novelty will do the heavy lifting. Too many though are an infuriatingly passive bunch who feel designed by committee to be inoffensive first, marketable second, and 'interesting' coming a distant third. ![]() Chen Stormstout and his niece Li Li are particular highlights, along with the helpful Lorewalker Cho. There are some excellent Pandaren characters, and their basic lore is fine.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |