Storytelling the Warcraft III way
I can’t really say what got into me, but I just felt this unstoppable urge to write about Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its brilliant expansion The Frozen Throne. Now, as I’m pretty sure everyone has heard about the games, probably played them to death too, problem is I can’t do much more than urge anyone who hasn’t tried them to actually do so as soon as humanly possible (they are among the best RTS games ever as far as I am concerned, you know), remind everyone else just how interesting a character Arthas was, wish for a sequel, moan a bit about Wolrd of Warcraft and how boring it has turned out to be, light a cigar and go to bed. Not much of a post really…
To patch things up, I’ve decided to focus on the story bits of the game(s), as they were admittedly both great and oddly at odds with what most ludologists consider proper video game storytelling. You see, both WC III and its expansion used the much-maligned old-fashioned way of telling in-game stories: the not particularly interactive cutscene method. Truth be said, the cutscene, no matter how impressive, smart, touching, whatever it turns out to be, is not playing to the strengths of the medium and definitely doesn’t help the player feel as if his/her actions impact on the gaming world. It isn’t considered a good immersion technique. Yet, it can work, and Warcraft is all the proof anyone should need that there is no particular way a story should be told. In Warcraft III the player (well, ok, I at least) feels engrossed, impressed by the visual quality of the storytelling and deeply involved in the proceedings. Why? Because the quality of a story itself matters more than the way it is delivered, that’s why…
Posted on May 6th, 2008 by konstantinos
I’m a fan of pre-rendered cutscenes - I’ve been playing some rather mediocre games just for the cutscenes.
Cutscenes can be too much of a good thing when inappropriately or overly used, e.g the first PC Metal Gear Solid - I felt like watching a semi-interactive movie at times.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:32 pmThankfully, then, I’ve avoided any Metal Gears running around my PC. And I’m happy I’m not the only cutscene fetishist around
May 7th, 2008 at 6:17 amThankfully, the second MGS is much more restrained
I love the MGS series for the character designs mainly. The plots are rather well-written I must say with lots of twists along the way.
On an unrelated note, I didn’t really like Warcraft 3 when I played it, prefered Armies of Exigo back then. The quality of the cutscenes and production values for Warcraft 3 were top-notch but the single-player campaign just didn’t feel right for me
May 7th, 2008 at 7:06 pmTo be honest I don’t quite know why I’m not that interested in MGS. Must be the theme or something, for I did immensely enjoy the derivative but well-written Snatcher. Guess I’ll have to check it out sometime… Now, wait till I bring my whip and help you apreciate Warcraft 3
May 8th, 2008 at 3:20 amMaybe it’s because I prefer sci-fi and you prefer fantasy - just like I like WH40K and you love Warhammer Fantasy
Seriously though, I think it’s the presentation of Warcraft 3. The characters and units look too PC and cheery compared to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of Mark of Chaos. I loved the premise of Mark of Chaos but the execution was nothing special - it’s back to Dawn of War for me.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:21 amAh, but, I usually avoid reading fantasy literature (well, besides Tolkien, Martin and a few of the classics) whereas I have devoured tomes of classic and modern sci-fi writings… Just prefer the WHFB rules system to be frank.
Hmmm… you might be right on the presentation of WC3 though. It is -especially in-game- on the cheery side of things. As for MArk of Chaos, I’ve plaed it only for a few hours. Seemed ok, and guess I’ll install it again. Visuals and intro were tops!
May 8th, 2008 at 4:27 amUnfortunately I think that were only the plus points, at least from what I discerned from the demo. Oh well, charging into the fray with Chaos Champions is always a sight to behold
I did enjoy the upgrading of your veteran troops after each campaign mission though I felt that even highly upgraded veteran marauders couldn’t match a fresh unit of champions. Not too sure it’s a MoC issue or just a faithful interpretation of WHFB rules
May 8th, 2008 at 6:47 pmDefinitely not a faithful digitization my friend… units (unless *very* special campaign rules are used) do not level up, a balanced army has to be maintained and things obviously don’t happen in real time
May 9th, 2008 at 3:27 am