Warcraft: Mechanics Criticism

The key to writing good videogame reviews is to not focus too much on the plot as revealed through some cut scenes, but to fold in discussion of mechanics and the interactive experience themselves. But it's completely uninteresting to say "this mechanic was/was not fun" or "this vintage platformer builds on the challenge modes from [other game]" in terms of the mechanics alone. The point is to describe how the mechanics relate to the other themes of the game, and represent a work of art in themselves, complete with ideological explanations.

For instance, this piece about the matchmaking system in World of Warcraft and modernity.

This doesn't mean that any political analysis of mechanics is correct, like the cliche that "leveling up" is just a desire to become the ubermensch or something like that. You still have to do good and correct analysis.

(In the above piece, the author could have taken the time to draw a connection between the Rise of the Bourgeoisie narrative so common in fantasy epics, where various classes are liberated and meritocratic capitalism succeeds overcoming tribal prejudices, and how that relates to the LFG tool deconstructing informal social networks.)

Warcraft: Legion of the Underclass

Okay, a break from TV week to discuss the latest World of Warcraft expansion. Specifically, the top level zone Suramar. Suramar is fucking fantastic.

Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

The new World of Warcraft expansion, Legion, is out this week. So that's a conflict for writing time right there. However, the official end of the previous expansion, Warlords of Draenor, is a good time to revisit this much reviled explansion. Here's a review I wrote at the time about how much I liked its messages:

Warcraft Tidbit

From: http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Argus

It is revealed in World of Warcraft: Illidan, that Argus [home of the peaceful Draenei] is in fact intact, and is the "beating heart" of the Legion's forces with all its greatest commanders and Kil'jaeden using it as his seat of power. The entire world has been corrupted into a shadowy version of what it once was. The machines that originally were used to send out peaceful and healing waves of magic over the surface, have been inverted to spread fear, depression, and panic. The capital city of the planet which is unnamed is the current seat of Kil'jaeden and is perhaps one of the most magically protected locations in the universe, with Kil'jaeden himself presiding over the Burning Legion from the palace throne.

The Republic is the Empire.