For all the MoP haters...

"If you think it's a joke race..."

Of course some people think it's a joke race. It's a RACE that started as a JOKE. Yes, players may come to take the Pandaren seriously in time, but don't be surprised when long-time WoW players ask (rambling) questions like the person at ~4:30 in that video.

That being said, I've never seen any endgame content firsthand, so they could introduce a level 85 flower-picking duel against Lil Timmy as a boss raid and it wouldn't bother me.

Also, who still says "off the hook" in 2011?

/cringe

Side note: Lil Timmy. End boss of MoP. Singing White Kitten as a rare boss drop. Make it happen, Blizz.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I think MoP is going to be awesome, and the reason has nothing at all to do with pandas and everything to do with the Pokemans.

EDIT#2: Seriously, I'm still looking to trade for a Zorua egg.

EDIT#3: MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW, MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW, MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW.
 
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The fact that people even have to ask if it's a joke should be enough evidence that this expansion doesn't quite fit.

When the Lich King came out, no one said "seriously? Arthas and undead? LOL are they for real? How silly!" When Cataclysm came out, did anyone say "The sundering of the old world by Deathwing is ridiculous. I can't believe they're going this route!" No. In fact, what was felt across the WoW community (okay, more likely 95%) was nothing but excitement and everyone looking forward to it. Now you have a good bit of the population doubting the expansion, although many will "give it a try". I've just never seen this much dislike before with any WoW expansion.

I know I'll get blasted for this, and I have literally no evidence, but to me it just feels like the Blizzard first string is on their new project, and their second string is entrusted with finishing out WoW, much like a basketball team whose game is already won. Blizzard has already won with this game, time to focus on the next one?
 
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Flamethrøwer said:
The fact that people even have to ask if it's a joke should be enough evidence that this expansion doesn't quite fit.
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Indeed. The Q&A in the video starting at ~4:30 felt like, "What? We're still cool. Who said we're not cool? Pandas are cool. Pandas are serious business!" I'm not saying the expansion won't be fun (POKEMANS!), but I can't help but cringe when a grown man uses the phrase "rich history" with a straight face while talking about fictional panda-men.

Flamethrøwer said:
I know I'll get blasted for this, and I have literally no evidence, but to me it just feels like the Blizzard first string is on their new project, and their second string is entrusted with finishing out WoW, much like a basketball team whose game is already won. Blizzard has already won with this game, time to focus on the next one?
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Agreed.

I <3 Didier's art, but it almost feels like Didier suddenly got promoted to fill a vacant position and then pushed for this direction. I can just imagine new Blizzard employees looking around a meeting table nervously at each other to try to figure out if he was being serious.

But hey, like I said, I haven't paid much attention to lore for the last few years, so what do I know?

And if it's fun, who cares if we're playing as panda-men in ancient China?
 
Exactly what flame said... all of it.

(Especially the having to second guess it's authenticity.)
 
Have to say that I agree with the guy asking the question. I never found myself needing to do a double take on a Blizzard trailer before. This may just echo what other people have already said but, my reaction to all the other expansion teasers: "Awesome, can't wait!" my reaction to this one "Huh? Wait, what?"

And to everyone that may be thinking "What's the big deal? You could play as cows before." I say this. Tauren are based off of minotaurs, so at least they come from mythology. In fact, most every playable race has been based off of, or influenced by something in mythology or Tolkien's work (with the exception of the Draenei). And the old races at least had some element of seriousness to them, except the Goblns, stupid Goblins.

Now tell me, which of these looks less like a joke?

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/media/artwork/wow-races?keywords=&view#/tauren02

or

http://media.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2011/october/art29.jpg

It's like the difference between Chewbacca and Jar Jar Binks, both are pretty crazy looking aliens, but one of them could be taken pretty seriously, and the other one just ended up being failed comic relief.

WoW has always had a tinge of silliness to it, but IMO it really started to go overboard in Cataclysm, with the Goblins and their astroturf, rocket car highways, pimp hats, and pleasure barges. Now come Pandas, with their goofy proportions, their big eyes and their stupid grins. Their visual design is even more cartoony than WoW's usual standards. WoW could have had something epic like The Emerald Dream, even Argus, instead it took another step in the wrong direction.

I probably would have come back for a while to check out the new expansion, if it was a good concept, now I'm just glad I jumped ship. So I'm not sure why I'm arguing about it on a forum, heh.
 
hatersgonnapanda.jpg



Your arguments are invalid.
 
I'm more excited about MoP than any expansion yet. I've been waiting for them to introduce a monk class and the Pandaren since War3. People asking "is this a joke" obviously don't know squat about Warcraft. Samwise has had drawings of Pandaren since the beginnings. Drenaei were a completely made up race (the guys in Swamp of Sorrows looked nothing like them), much more unbelievable than Pandaren. Space aliens in a medieval setting? seriously? Hate if you want to but I've always though this was Blizzard ace in the hole if they ever started losing subs, BRING OUT THE PANDAS.

Pandaren are a seriously awesome race...
Tell me this is a joke
Or this
Awesome
Brutal
More
More
More
From 1999

I also think the Pokemon thing is great. I prob won't spend much time on it myself but I know a TON of people will love it as an added thing to do instead of farm or stand around major cities waiting. It's a great idea and I applaud them.

I can't wait!
 
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Proudfoot said:
Space aliens in a medieval setting? seriously?
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Yes, because nothing says Medieval Warcraft like Pandas.... What?! At least Draenei fit in with Outland (because it was an alien world, after all).

Honestly, if they wanted to make monks look any less threatening they would have made them Koalas... but that's it.

All that art is nice and all, but in the end they're still Pandas.
 
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Like I've said in another post, Pandaren were slated to be THE Alliance race in BC. That is straight from Chris Metzen.
 
Just because one guy at Blizzard has some weird panda obsession, and some artwork ended up becoming a minor hero, in a bonus campaign in a expansion pack, doesn't mean they should have an entire expansion dedicated to them now.

I probably would have been fine with them being added as npcs of some kind, instead of the major focus of the story and the only new playable race. It's as if Blizzard made an entire expansion based entirely around Murlocs, except that Murlocs have had a far more significant presence in WoW up to this point, so this is even weirder.

Proudfoot said:
Hate if you want to but I've always though this was Blizzard ace in the hole if they ever started losing subs, BRING OUT THE PANDAS.
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So it IS just a last resort, busted :p.

(on a side note, I won't be at my computer for a few days, so I won't be able to post for a while)
 
Flamethrøwer said:
The fact that people even have to ask if it's a joke should be enough evidence that this expansion doesn't quite fit.

When the Lich King came out, no one said "seriously? Arthas and undead? LOL are they for real? How silly!" When Cataclysm came out, did anyone say "The sundering of the old world by Deathwing is ridiculous. I can't believe they're going this route!" No. In fact, what was felt across the WoW community (okay, more likely 95%) was nothing but excitement and everyone looking forward to it. Now you have a good bit of the population doubting the expansion, although many will "give it a try". I've just never seen this much dislike before with any WoW expansion.

I know I'll get blasted for this, and I have literally no evidence, but to me it just feels like the Blizzard first string is on their new project, and their second string is entrusted with finishing out WoW, much like a basketball team whose game is already won. Blizzard has already won with this game, time to focus on the next one?
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This. I'm sorry, but any desire that I might have had to play WoW's next expansion is now gone. I'm all for WoW having funny elements in it, but focusing a whole expansion on it? As Sarugon said, this is the only trailer for a WoW expansion I've seen that made me do a double take and make sure it wasn't April 1. I was hoping it would turn out to be some kind of special Blizzcon joke, but it doesn't look like that will be the case.

Don't get me wrong, it is still Blizzard and it is still a WoW expansion, so it will be successful... but it is just so different from what WoW has established as its strengths. The trailer didn't introduce any new major enemies or any threat for the factions to face - not even each other! Instead of adding a new serious enemy like in BC, WotLK, and Cata, they are adding pandas? In BC we were constantly dealing with Illidan's forces, the Burning Legion, Kael'thas, and the Naga. In Wrath, we were following the story of Arthas throughout Northrend. In Cata, we were dealing with Deathwing's minions all across Azeroth. The only way I can see these pandas filling that role would be if they are somehow going to bring peace between the alliance and horde - which really doesn't sound like something I want to see happening in World of WARcraft.

It's almost like Blizzard is going to intentionally let TOR overpower them so that they can come out with a new MMO in a few years to beat TOR. I mean, coming out with a new MMO to beat your old one would just be kind of lame, so maybe Blizzard is going to allow someone else to strike them down so they can become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

EDIT:
Echelon said:
BACON STRIPS.

But seriously....

Fast forward to 4:30 in this video to get a great insight into Mists of Pandaria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=__SBluO7HVU
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I just watched that... and I'm sorry, but it didn't inspire any confidence in what they're doing.
 
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I think one of the reasons they are doing this is precisely because people have come to expect certain things from WoW expacs. Big bad new evil comes along, bigger and badder than the last, and now it is up to you to save the world from... Illidan, Arthas, Deathwing -but to get to them you must first go through countless minions and bosses to gain the power to reach them. It's pretty cliche by this point, if not absurd (at least to a person who plays WoW, but doesn't care enough to pay much attention to the lore outside the game). I would like to see them get back to the roots a bit and focus on the Alliance vs Horde -which it looks like the MoP expac is going to do. I like that. If that involves getting some panda dudes involved, so be it.

I laugh at people trying to take the game and its universe seriously, like I laugh at people trying to take the other *cough*better*cough* game universe of Warhammer seriously. I'm looking forward to see what they do with crazy pandas, and their fun little story even if it isn't the worldwide life-could-very-well-end epic of a storyarc. Bound to be better than those Worgen things anyway. :p
 
If they weren't pandas it would be a good xpac. I like the lighter feel the promo video has and the art looks great.

The talent changes will certainly be interesting and make things a lot more varied when taking multiple toons of the same class in raids.

Pandas have to be better than Worgen. So...much....sniffing.....
 
Don't get me wrong, it is still Blizzard and it is still a WoW expansion, so it will be successful... but it is just so different from what WoW has established as its strengths.
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And that right there, is why it will be great. In order for Blizzard to stay competitive IMO, they had to pull out all the stops, and do something different.

And they did.

Remember too, we MAYBE have 5% of the information on MoP. From the Lore Q&A and the other panels at Blizzcon, the events leading up to MoP are going to provoke the Alliance and Horde to war like we haven't seen since Vanilla.

I AM EXCITE.
 
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