But when much of its negative could that be described as genius or madness . I hear the two are closely linked .
You perceive the negative as being mor than the positive because you are negative on the xpac. Me, I am neutral. I see much positive and some very vocal negative. However, I won be daft enough to make a prediction if one side is higher than the other.
Ignorance and stupidity are also closely linked. I'll take the genius / madness side over that any day.
PS: You don't need to add multiple carriage returns to your posts. They do not add emphasis, and are as much an assault on the eyes as all caps or wall of text. Thanks
Sorry, but I honestly thought this WAS a joke when I first saw this.......
Anyways, good or terrible, my main question would be, will we get more char slots, because I have one of every class already, and am not deleting one to roll a comedy char....
Also, if they are doing Monk, can we get more Diablo type chars in future expacs?
My guess is that cataclysm was luke warm at best and they realized that they need to go for a younger audience.
If you're a WoW player and you're like YAY PANDAS AND POKEMON... you've got issues. I'm not saying the game was some bastion of maturity.... they've been inching more and more towards a younger audience..
Instead of inching they've decided to polevault right over to the toddlers.
It's my opinion, but it's becoming more fact every year. It's sad.
I have to agree that this xpac is catering to a younger audience. I don't see that as a bad thing though...
I don't think this should be a purchased expansion since it provides nothing to the entrenched player at first glance except 5 levels and 10-12 new dungeons. Cataclysm was pretty thin as Blizzards xpacs go though too.
This frankly should have been a regular content addition available only to players who purchased Cata or, at most, a dlc patch for a nominal amount.
Regardless, this isn't going to hurt Blizzard.
If the game is changing into a fun online playground for kids, I am cool with that.
As a parent, I am more comfortable letting my kids play a subscription of WoW than I am most of the F2P games aimed at kids on the market now.
I know Blizz isn't going to try and trick them into buying stuff with real money.
Pandarens have been requested for years as were Belfs. It's good they are being added , imo, I just don't like the method it's being done in.
In general, it's not only what the game needs though, IMO.
The game needs a new universal antagonist which is also a 3rd faction.
A real bad guy...
Take the Forsaken from the Horde and let them spearhead that 3rd faction of players playing corrupted racial versions (allow existing players factional transfer option) who can actually fight for and attain or lose land ( due to area quest completion, world pvp, and area specific BG's) and you put real grit back in the game.
GW2 was selling char plushies and have their own cute race in it. And guess who is buying those plushies? grown ups. I am sick of this generalisation and two face talks by GW2 fans, tera fans (popori look like teddy bears) and other players on how Panda are too cute and childish when most of them would be the first to play above races and buy that plushies for their room.
It is all ok as long as it is your favorite game.
Aha, very cute race indeed the charr :
.. cute like pandas
I believe he was referring to the Charr plushie, which is cute as a button. You know, the plushie that is being purchased by adults.
But by "cute race," he was referring to the Asura. You know the Asura, right?
GW2 was selling char plushies and have their own cute race in it. And guess who is buying those plushies? grown ups. I am sick of this generalisation and two face talks by GW2 fans, tera fans (popori look like teddy bears) and other players on how Panda are too cute and childish when most of them would be the first to play above races and buy that plushies for their room.
It is all ok as long as it is your favorite game.
ya its warcraft ..everything will be blown outta proportion and be a huge fuss when something new drops
altho the poke-craft thing is truly re-donk-ulas and utterly goofey and also the kungfu panda jokes are just as bad most people that are quick to post to make fun are the same people that dont have a clue about the lore / past games..it was funny at te time..now people are just nick-picking
no im not a fan of warcraft and never have been yes i played at release and every 2couple oof years i resubb or play a free trial just to see how awful or good things had gotten..sure it was a great game when it 1st came out but now its gotten to the point that when ic see new things comeing out for it like an expan. or content i / you always expect more of the same ol' same ol' wich is sad cuz there is alot of stuff like dungeon bosses gear / weapons and content that get skipped cuz of the way things in wow are ran / made
I wish people would stop pointing out how Pandarens started as a joke.
It has no merit anymore. It's not like they first came out last April and then suddenly made playables in this xpac...NO. they DID start out as a joke, but it had positive reception. That in ITSELF should have qualify it to be a legitimate part of the lore, but blizzard DIDN'T stop there. Pandarens appeared in Warcraft books. What started out as a JOKE has turned into something more serious.
At this point it's IRRELEVANT how Pandarens were put into the WC universe. They're given a backstory and has been part of the LORE for a very long time now.
I wish people would stop pointing out how Pandarens started as a joke.
It has no merit anymore. It's not like they first came out last April and then suddenly made playables in this xpac...NO. they DID start out as a joke, but it had positive reception. That in ITSELF should have qualify it to be a legitimate part of the lore, but blizzard DIDN'T stop there. Pandarens appeared in Warcraft books. What started out as a JOKE has turned into something more serious.
At this point it's IRRELEVANT how Pandarens were put into the WC universe. They're given a backstory and has been part of the LORE for a very long time now.
they literally started off as a joke, but they have BECOME a figurative joke. the vast majority of financial support to WoW has come from people who are quite a bit older than when they started, and presumably more mature. to be rewarded with a fat plush toy with a cutesy slackjawed expression on its face is sort of an insult.
heres the kicker, if you support WoW further, they will think regressive and goofy is the way of the future, and you can look forward to more and more kiddy flavor. i wouldnt be surprised if the next race release is an anthropomorphic number 5, and is brought to you by the letter Y.
I wish people would stop pointing out how Pandarens started as a joke.
It has no merit anymore. It's not like they first came out last April and then suddenly made playables in this xpac...NO. they DID start out as a joke, but it had positive reception. That in ITSELF should have qualify it to be a legitimate part of the lore, but blizzard DIDN'T stop there. Pandarens appeared in Warcraft books. What started out as a JOKE has turned into something more serious.
At this point it's IRRELEVANT how Pandarens were put into the WC universe. They're given a backstory and has been part of the LORE for a very long time now.
Well now you sound like Blizzard PR,if it was so "SERIOUS" why did they take so long to get it into the game?Also if it had such a POSITIVE reception,then why again was is not in release of the game? or wait so long?
Also the timing looks pretty obvious that this was a simple , bad boardroom gimmick to cash in on the rails of the movie series.
IF and a big IF they had of released this class on release then i could see it as not a joke or gimmick.Even then it most certainly was a joke and ONLY the lead artist is the reason it EVER exhisted,this is NOT a BLizzard idea what so ever,it was MR.Sam Samwise.thta created the Panda idea.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
GW2 was selling char plushies and have their own cute race in it. And guess who is buying those plushies? grown ups. I am sick of this generalisation and two face talks by GW2 fans, tera fans (popori look like teddy bears) and other players on how Panda are too cute and childish when most of them would be the first to play above races and buy that plushies for their room.
It is all ok as long as it is your favorite game.
Aha, very cute race indeed the charr :
.. cute like pandas
It is not my fault if you can't read. I was talking about the other cute race of GW2 (Asura) not char. I mentioned char plushie which indeed looks very cute. Google it and see it for yourself.
The point remains. Generalisations are silly. Someone even mentioned that no self rspecting adult would play Pandarians but i guess self respecting adults would buy a plushie for his room? play races like popori, Asura, frogs, rats? who draws this line when it comes to what is too childish and what is not? as long as it is your favorite game everything is all right. And i see this two faced talk a lot on forums.
Most of the panda deffenders in the thread are just looking for excuses to cover the Blizz major failure, since they (as players) have invested in this game so much - they don't want to leave and look for another game, so they follow Blizz on the stupid idea blindly as zombies still trying to find the "great" idea behind it. Don't be stupid I say! It was funny to have some jokingly looking quests during hollidays, but man - this is a major expansion we have to pay for and people aren't even taking it seriously (save for the Blizz patriots, who would take any idea from them as a true gold). How bad is that? I won't tollerate this way of approaching me as a client, though I am sure there are lots of people who will. Still I am sure the number of active subscriptions will be hurt terribly over the next year (me being one of the defectors), unless Blizz goes FTP or something, as this will attract lots of new subscribers from the third world.
Most of the panda deffenders in the thread are just looking for excuses to cover the Blizz major failure, since they (as players) have invested in this game so much - they don't want to leave and look for another game, so they follow Blizz on the stupid idea blindly as zombies still trying to find the "great" idea behind it. Don't be stupid I say! It was funny to have some jokingly looking quests during hollidays, but man - this is a major expansion we have to pay for and people aren't even taking it seriously (save for the Blizz patriots, who would take any idea from them as a true gold). How bad is that? I won't tollerate this way of approaching me as a client, though I am sure there are lots of people who will. Still I am sure the number of active subscriptions will be hurt terribly over the next year (me being one of the defectors), unless Blizz goes FTP or something, as this will attract lots of new subscribers from the third world.
Major failure? too soon to even come to that conclusion.
I wish people would stop pointing out how Pandarens started as a joke.
It has no merit anymore. It's not like they first came out last April and then suddenly made playables in this xpac...NO. they DID start out as a joke, but it had positive reception. That in ITSELF should have qualify it to be a legitimate part of the lore, but blizzard DIDN'T stop there. Pandarens appeared in Warcraft books. What started out as a JOKE has turned into something more serious.
At this point it's IRRELEVANT how Pandarens were put into the WC universe. They're given a backstory and has been part of the LORE for a very long time now.
Whether or not Blizzard decided to finally make them serious and give them lore doesn't change the fact that many people still perceive them as an entity that does not mesh into the Warcraft universe.
People's perceptions of Pandaren are why they are so agaisnt them, for three main reasons:
1. They're not standard fantasy. Pretty self expalinatory. Warcraft was originally built around using Warhammer's lore, which uses high-fantasy as a template. Things like Tauren and Draenei are more acceptable because they relate to existing fantasy lore: Minotaurs and a sub-set of demons respectively. Anthromorphic Panda people however, do not fit into the standard high-fantasy template.
2. They started as a joke. They were originally announced as an April fools joke as being the fifth race in Warcraft 3. Their later inclusion in warcraft 3 was meant as a reference to this joke. Later they were used as the punch-line of a second April fools joke for Pandaren Express in WoW. When you use a particular idea as the punch-line for a few jokes, people have a hard time taking you or the idea seriously when you try to turn around and try to sell that idea as serious.
3. Kung-Fu Panda. Yes, Pandaren may have "existed" prior to the movie, but that doesn't change the fact that Kung-Fu Panda brought kung-fu anthromorphic Pandas into the cultural spotlight as being a silly and immature young child's thing. The imagery of a silly kid's movie will forever be linked to Pandaren. Which again, is why people have a hard time taking Pandaren seriously.
It's all about perception, and a lot of people percieve Pandaren as being too immature and silly, because the idea of Kunf-fu wielding Pandas has always been treated as silly and immature prior to their supposid "serious" application within WoW's next expansion.
I wish people would stop pointing out how Pandarens started as a joke.
It has no merit anymore. It's not like they first came out last April and then suddenly made playables in this xpac...NO. they DID start out as a joke, but it had positive reception. That in ITSELF should have qualify it to be a legitimate part of the lore, but blizzard DIDN'T stop there. Pandarens appeared in Warcraft books. What started out as a JOKE has turned into something more serious.
At this point it's IRRELEVANT how Pandarens were put into the WC universe. They're given a backstory and has been part of the LORE for a very long time now.
Whether or not Blizzard decided to finally make them serious and give them lore doesn't change the fact that many people still perceive them as an entity that does not mesh into the Warcraft universe.
People's perceptions of Pandaren are why they are so agaisnt them, for three main reasons:
1. They're not standard fantasy. Pretty self expalinatory. Warcraft was originally built around using Warhammer's lore, which uses high-fantasy as a template. Things like Tauren and Draenei are more acceptable because they relate to existing fantasy lore: Minotaurs and a sub-set of demons respectively. Anthromorphic Panda people however, do not fit into the standard high-fantasy template.
2. They started as a joke. They were originally announced as an April fools joke as being the fifth race in Warcraft 3. Their later inclusion in warcraft 3 was meant as a reference to this joke. Later they were used as the punch-line of a second April fools joke for Pandaren Express in WoW. When you use a particular idea as the punch-line for a few jokes, people have a hard time taking you or the idea seriously when you try to turn around and try to sell that idea as serious.
3. Kung-Fu Panda. Yes, Pandaren may have "existed" prior to the movie, but that doesn't change the fact that Kung-Fu Panda brought kung-fu anthromorphic Pandas into the cultural spotlight as being a silly and immature young child's thing. The imagery of a silly kid's movie will forever be linked to Pandaren. Which again, is why people have a hard time taking Pandaren seriously.
It's all about perception, and a lot of people percieve Pandaren as being too immature and silly, because the idea of Kunf-fu wielding Pandas has always been treated as silly and immature prior to their supposid "serious" application within WoW's next expansion.
Meh..I was just pointing out how saying "It started as a joke" is not a valid reason to diss on Pandarens. However, you are correct. It is indeed all about perception. And although I don't play WoW I've known about this secretive, reclusive race all along (which I've picked up from WC3 and then read up on various WC related media later on). I can only conclude the following:
1.) They don't know about Pandarens in the first place. I expect this from the Kungfu Panda naysayers.
2.) They've only heard or seen the joke posters for WoW, therefore thinking that Pandarens are just that..a joke. I expect this from non WoW and non WC3 players.
3.) They've played WC3 and read books about Pandaren exploits, but are against the idea of Pandaren to begin with. This makes them a Pandaren hater actually and I somehow expected people who belong to this category to have more detailed reasons for their hate on Pandarens and not just one-liner comments.
Most of the panda deffenders in the thread are just looking for excuses to cover the Blizz major failure, since they (as players) have invested in this game so much - they don't want to leave and look for another game, so they follow Blizz on the stupid idea blindly as zombies still trying to find the "great" idea behind it. Don't be stupid I say! It was funny to have some jokingly looking quests during hollidays, but man - this is a major expansion we have to pay for and people aren't even taking it seriously (save for the Blizz patriots, who would take any idea from them as a true gold). How bad is that? I won't tollerate this way of approaching me as a client, though I am sure there are lots of people who will. Still I am sure the number of active subscriptions will be hurt terribly over the next year (me being one of the defectors), unless Blizz goes FTP or something, as this will attract lots of new subscribers from the third world.
funny thing is, a lot of the defenders (like me) don't even has an active sub to WoW. we just played the WC games, and are not at all surprised or offended by the expansion details.
i for one, think the expansion has some awesome features coming to WoW, the least of which being the Panda race, which i don't really care about either way. but my disinterest to roll a panda has no effect on what i know about WC games or the Pandareans.
i will be re-subbing for the expac, regardles of the pandas. i will most likely only play for a month or two, but i'm sure i'll have a blast pushing my rogue to 90, and rolling a monk.
For goodness sake, EverQuest 2 have had Panda Monks for the last 2 years and it made no impact on the game whatsoever.
Blizzard have nicked the idea from them, again, going to show how little imagination Blizzard really have.
They should have made something new - like Ships and oceans battles, floating cities, player housing / guild cities, new planets with wierd never seen before alien races. They have the cash, use it!
In the long run, I'm pretty sure it wont make the blindest bit of difference to WoW, and will probably gain some new followers, and all the ex-players will get caught in the marketing hype, and by launch, everyone will buy it. Just like the last 3 that everyone initially complained about.
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
I agree, I'm sure Blizzard takes their targeting of Asian markets and younger children very seriously.
Taken to its logical extreme, this is the obvious result (Asia is one of their largest markets). Speaking of jokes (sick and other wise), have you guys seen the new "talent" system?
If thats all there is to it, thats a game breaker to me. I have six 85's (and an 81) at this point. If thats all there is to it, I doubt I'll bother with MoP. I really don't mind the pandas, and I can over look the "Gotta catch'em all!" nonsense. The Monk class looks like it could be fun. I've played since late beta, but if thats really all there is to it, I'm done.
"We're at a steady loss of NA subsciption numbers. We should target the Asians. What about a cute Panda bear?"
This is it - exactly. It's a shame, really. All that money - going to waste. I'm done dealing with developers redefining their MMO every expansion. Ninja Pandas? Yeah ok ... All your gold farmers are in Asia anyway ... may as well. Next up, Anime models FTW.
I am almost at a loss for words here. Kung Fu Panda? Not only is Blizzard simply ripping off something Disney (I'd sue) but this is just another one of Blizzards tactics to get children who are much too young for some of WoW's content (you have to be at least 17 to buy the game) to pester unsuspecting parents into buying them the game. No wonder the game has gotten so easy it is a bore to play. In my mind this is sleazy marketing done to recover from some of the heavy market share they have lost from being lost. They have totally screwed up the game and have no clue how to fix it so they have resorted to gimmics. I think the fat lady is approaching the stage on WoW.
What to say other then love, love, love, ... at my 50 years. :-) Anyway ... who fears this will attract more small children. Nope. In effect ... will keep them away. Children do not play "childish" games as they are mocked by friends, they want "bloody" games. :-) So barely can wait for expansion to be able to play.
This must be a joke because you all have lost your damn minds if you think i'm playing kung fu panda. Blizzard needs to fire all of creative for this goof up.
and to those that havent been paying any attention (i.e. most of the internet)
samwise didier has been on the warpath to get them in the game ever since he first started drawing them.
theres no blizzard conspiracy here.
the art director just thinks theyre badass.
its as simple as that.
take off the tin foil hats.
Who said there was a conspiracy?
All I see are a lot of people who think Kung-fu Panda people are a terrible addition to Warcraft lore as anything beyond the joke they originally were.
Samwise can love that all he wants, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to.
I am almost at a loss for words here. Kung Fu Panda? Not only is Blizzard simply ripping off something Disney (I'd sue) but this is just another one of Blizzards tactics to get children who are much too young for some of WoW's content (you have to be at least 17 to buy the game) to pester unsuspecting parents into buying them the game. No wonder the game has gotten so easy it is a bore to play. In my mind this is sleazy marketing done to recover from some of the heavy market share they have lost from being lost. They have totally screwed up the game and have no clue how to fix it so they have resorted to gimmics. I think the fat lady is approaching the stage on WoW.
World of Warcraft is rated "T" that's 13+
And as far as I know the ESRB does not stipulate that stores can't sell "T"-rated to under 13; it's only the MA/AO that are suppose to 'demand' proof of age (like R-rated movies are suppose to) to anyone not looking above 17-years of age.
Furthermore, I suggest everyone who is not in favor of this make a Free-Till-20 account and take every incarnation of "Po", "Kung Fu Panda", "Shifu" (this includes adding "Master [any form {"Masta", etc} added to before the name), as well as, any martial artists (Bruce Lee, etc), and any Street Fighter who specialized in martial arts.
Nothing will piss people off more than to come up with a "funny" name only to find they cannot use it an any form (phonetically spelled, ALT-code, etc). Best of all, it won't cost you anything but ~20min of your time.
In addition, if you do play; make sure to repeatedly kill anyone rolling a Pandaren..whether they be Horde of Alliance; turn this "expansion" (it's really just a major Content Patch, you dolts) into the worst "expansion" ever.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising everytime we fall.
Comments
You perceive the negative as being mor than the positive because you are negative on the xpac. Me, I am neutral. I see much positive and some very vocal negative. However, I won be daft enough to make a prediction if one side is higher than the other.
Ignorance and stupidity are also closely linked. I'll take the genius / madness side over that any day.
PS: You don't need to add multiple carriage returns to your posts. They do not add emphasis, and are as much an assault on the eyes as all caps or wall of text. Thanks
Sorry, but I honestly thought this WAS a joke when I first saw this.......
Anyways, good or terrible, my main question would be, will we get more char slots, because I have one of every class already, and am not deleting one to roll a comedy char....
Also, if they are doing Monk, can we get more Diablo type chars in future expacs?
Too many alts!!
I have to agree that this xpac is catering to a younger audience. I don't see that as a bad thing though...
I don't think this should be a purchased expansion since it provides nothing to the entrenched player at first glance except 5 levels and 10-12 new dungeons. Cataclysm was pretty thin as Blizzards xpacs go though too.
This frankly should have been a regular content addition available only to players who purchased Cata or, at most, a dlc patch for a nominal amount.
Regardless, this isn't going to hurt Blizzard.
If the game is changing into a fun online playground for kids, I am cool with that.
As a parent, I am more comfortable letting my kids play a subscription of WoW than I am most of the F2P games aimed at kids on the market now.
I know Blizz isn't going to try and trick them into buying stuff with real money.
Pandarens have been requested for years as were Belfs. It's good they are being added , imo, I just don't like the method it's being done in.
In general, it's not only what the game needs though, IMO.
The game needs a new universal antagonist which is also a 3rd faction.
A real bad guy...
Take the Forsaken from the Horde and let them spearhead that 3rd faction of players playing corrupted racial versions (allow existing players factional transfer option) who can actually fight for and attain or lose land ( due to area quest completion, world pvp, and area specific BG's) and you put real grit back in the game.
I believe he was referring to the Charr plushie, which is cute as a button. You know, the plushie that is being purchased by adults.
But by "cute race," he was referring to the Asura. You know the Asura, right?
Sarcasm is not a crime!
ya its warcraft ..everything will be blown outta proportion and be a huge fuss when something new drops
altho the poke-craft thing is truly re-donk-ulas and utterly goofey and also the kungfu panda jokes are just as bad most people that are quick to post to make fun are the same people that dont have a clue about the lore / past games..it was funny at te time..now people are just nick-picking
no im not a fan of warcraft and never have been yes i played at release and every 2couple oof years i resubb or play a free trial just to see how awful or good things had gotten..sure it was a great game when it 1st came out but now its gotten to the point that when ic see new things comeing out for it like an expan. or content i / you always expect more of the same ol' same ol' wich is sad cuz there is alot of stuff like dungeon bosses gear / weapons and content that get skipped cuz of the way things in wow are ran / made
I wish people would stop pointing out how Pandarens started as a joke.
It has no merit anymore. It's not like they first came out last April and then suddenly made playables in this xpac...NO. they DID start out as a joke, but it had positive reception. That in ITSELF should have qualify it to be a legitimate part of the lore, but blizzard DIDN'T stop there. Pandarens appeared in Warcraft books. What started out as a JOKE has turned into something more serious.
At this point it's IRRELEVANT how Pandarens were put into the WC universe. They're given a backstory and has been part of the LORE for a very long time now.
they literally started off as a joke, but they have BECOME a figurative joke. the vast majority of financial support to WoW has come from people who are quite a bit older than when they started, and presumably more mature. to be rewarded with a fat plush toy with a cutesy slackjawed expression on its face is sort of an insult.
heres the kicker, if you support WoW further, they will think regressive and goofy is the way of the future, and you can look forward to more and more kiddy flavor. i wouldnt be surprised if the next race release is an anthropomorphic number 5, and is brought to you by the letter Y.
Well now you sound like Blizzard PR,if it was so "SERIOUS" why did they take so long to get it into the game?Also if it had such a POSITIVE reception,then why again was is not in release of the game? or wait so long?
Also the timing looks pretty obvious that this was a simple , bad boardroom gimmick to cash in on the rails of the movie series.
IF and a big IF they had of released this class on release then i could see it as not a joke or gimmick.Even then it most certainly was a joke and ONLY the lead artist is the reason it EVER exhisted,this is NOT a BLizzard idea what so ever,it was MR.Sam Samwise.thta created the Panda idea.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
It is not my fault if you can't read. I was talking about the other cute race of GW2 (Asura) not char. I mentioned char plushie which indeed looks very cute. Google it and see it for yourself.
The point remains. Generalisations are silly. Someone even mentioned that no self rspecting adult would play Pandarians but i guess self respecting adults would buy a plushie for his room? play races like popori, Asura, frogs, rats? who draws this line when it comes to what is too childish and what is not? as long as it is your favorite game everything is all right. And i see this two faced talk a lot on forums.
Most of the panda deffenders in the thread are just looking for excuses to cover the Blizz major failure, since they (as players) have invested in this game so much - they don't want to leave and look for another game, so they follow Blizz on the stupid idea blindly as zombies still trying to find the "great" idea behind it. Don't be stupid I say! It was funny to have some jokingly looking quests during hollidays, but man - this is a major expansion we have to pay for and people aren't even taking it seriously (save for the Blizz patriots, who would take any idea from them as a true gold). How bad is that? I won't tollerate this way of approaching me as a client, though I am sure there are lots of people who will. Still I am sure the number of active subscriptions will be hurt terribly over the next year (me being one of the defectors), unless Blizz goes FTP or something, as this will attract lots of new subscribers from the third world.
Major failure? too soon to even come to that conclusion.
Whether or not Blizzard decided to finally make them serious and give them lore doesn't change the fact that many people still perceive them as an entity that does not mesh into the Warcraft universe.
People's perceptions of Pandaren are why they are so agaisnt them, for three main reasons:
1. They're not standard fantasy. Pretty self expalinatory. Warcraft was originally built around using Warhammer's lore, which uses high-fantasy as a template. Things like Tauren and Draenei are more acceptable because they relate to existing fantasy lore: Minotaurs and a sub-set of demons respectively. Anthromorphic Panda people however, do not fit into the standard high-fantasy template.
2. They started as a joke. They were originally announced as an April fools joke as being the fifth race in Warcraft 3. Their later inclusion in warcraft 3 was meant as a reference to this joke. Later they were used as the punch-line of a second April fools joke for Pandaren Express in WoW. When you use a particular idea as the punch-line for a few jokes, people have a hard time taking you or the idea seriously when you try to turn around and try to sell that idea as serious.
3. Kung-Fu Panda. Yes, Pandaren may have "existed" prior to the movie, but that doesn't change the fact that Kung-Fu Panda brought kung-fu anthromorphic Pandas into the cultural spotlight as being a silly and immature young child's thing. The imagery of a silly kid's movie will forever be linked to Pandaren. Which again, is why people have a hard time taking Pandaren seriously.
It's all about perception, and a lot of people percieve Pandaren as being too immature and silly, because the idea of Kunf-fu wielding Pandas has always been treated as silly and immature prior to their supposid "serious" application within WoW's next expansion.
Meh..I was just pointing out how saying "It started as a joke" is not a valid reason to diss on Pandarens. However, you are correct. It is indeed all about perception. And although I don't play WoW I've known about this secretive, reclusive race all along (which I've picked up from WC3 and then read up on various WC related media later on). I can only conclude the following:
1.) They don't know about Pandarens in the first place. I expect this from the Kungfu Panda naysayers.
2.) They've only heard or seen the joke posters for WoW, therefore thinking that Pandarens are just that..a joke. I expect this from non WoW and non WC3 players.
3.) They've played WC3 and read books about Pandaren exploits, but are against the idea of Pandaren to begin with. This makes them a Pandaren hater actually and I somehow expected people who belong to this category to have more detailed reasons for their hate on Pandarens and not just one-liner comments.
funny thing is, a lot of the defenders (like me) don't even has an active sub to WoW. we just played the WC games, and are not at all surprised or offended by the expansion details.
i for one, think the expansion has some awesome features coming to WoW, the least of which being the Panda race, which i don't really care about either way. but my disinterest to roll a panda has no effect on what i know about WC games or the Pandareans.
i will be re-subbing for the expac, regardles of the pandas. i will most likely only play for a month or two, but i'm sure i'll have a blast pushing my rogue to 90, and rolling a monk.
For goodness sake, EverQuest 2 have had Panda Monks for the last 2 years and it made no impact on the game whatsoever.
Blizzard have nicked the idea from them, again, going to show how little imagination Blizzard really have.
They should have made something new - like Ships and oceans battles, floating cities, player housing / guild cities, new planets with wierd never seen before alien races. They have the cash, use it!
In the long run, I'm pretty sure it wont make the blindest bit of difference to WoW, and will probably gain some new followers, and all the ex-players will get caught in the marketing hype, and by launch, everyone will buy it. Just like the last 3 that everyone initially complained about.
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
Taken to its logical extreme, this is the obvious result (Asia is one of their largest markets). Speaking of jokes (sick and other wise), have you guys seen the new "talent" system?
http://www.wowhead.com/mists-of-pandaria-talent-calculator
If thats all there is to it, thats a game breaker to me. I have six 85's (and an 81) at this point. If thats all there is to it, I doubt I'll bother with MoP. I really don't mind the pandas, and I can over look the "Gotta catch'em all!" nonsense. The Monk class looks like it could be fun. I've played since late beta, but if thats really all there is to it, I'm done.
explain to me how pandarens are any different than any other non human race in wow?
Games i'm playing right now...
"In short, I thought NGE was a very bad idea" - Raph Koster talking about NGE on his blog at raphkoster.com
This expansion will be the NGE of WoW and will send more players to SWTOR.
and to those that havent been paying any attention (i.e. most of the internet)
samwise didier has been on the warpath to get them in the game ever since he first started drawing them.
theres no blizzard conspiracy here.
the art director just thinks theyre badass.
its as simple as that.
take off the tin foil hats.
Games i'm playing right now...
"In short, I thought NGE was a very bad idea" - Raph Koster talking about NGE on his blog at raphkoster.com
I am almost at a loss for words here. Kung Fu Panda? Not only is Blizzard simply ripping off something Disney (I'd sue) but this is just another one of Blizzards tactics to get children who are much too young for some of WoW's content (you have to be at least 17 to buy the game) to pester unsuspecting parents into buying them the game. No wonder the game has gotten so easy it is a bore to play. In my mind this is sleazy marketing done to recover from some of the heavy market share they have lost from being lost. They have totally screwed up the game and have no clue how to fix it so they have resorted to gimmics. I think the fat lady is approaching the stage on WoW.
What to say other then love, love, love, ... at my 50 years. :-) Anyway ... who fears this will attract more small children. Nope. In effect ... will keep them away. Children do not play "childish" games as they are mocked by friends, they want "bloody" games. :-) So barely can wait for expansion to be able to play.
This must be a joke because you all have lost your damn minds if you think i'm playing kung fu panda. Blizzard needs to fire all of creative for this goof up.
Who said there was a conspiracy?
All I see are a lot of people who think Kung-fu Panda people are a terrible addition to Warcraft lore as anything beyond the joke they originally were.
Samwise can love that all he wants, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to.
World of Warcraft is rated "T" that's 13+
And as far as I know the ESRB does not stipulate that stores can't sell "T"-rated to under 13; it's only the MA/AO that are suppose to 'demand' proof of age (like R-rated movies are suppose to) to anyone not looking above 17-years of age.
Furthermore, I suggest everyone who is not in favor of this make a Free-Till-20 account and take every incarnation of "Po", "Kung Fu Panda", "Shifu" (this includes adding "Master [any form {"Masta", etc} added to before the name), as well as, any martial artists (Bruce Lee, etc), and any Street Fighter who specialized in martial arts.
Nothing will piss people off more than to come up with a "funny" name only to find they cannot use it an any form (phonetically spelled, ALT-code, etc). Best of all, it won't cost you anything but ~20min of your time.
In addition, if you do play; make sure to repeatedly kill anyone rolling a Pandaren..whether they be Horde of Alliance; turn this "expansion" (it's really just a major Content Patch, you dolts) into the worst "expansion" ever.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising everytime we fall.