Medieval Fantasy

Avacyn Restored trailer

2012-03-21T23:13:00.000-04:00

Avacyn Restored Trailer - Liliana saving Innistrad?

Save this shiny rock... or save the lives of your fellow warriors!

Wizards of the Coast has just released the Avacyn Restored trailer on YouTube.

And now, to the trailer proper:

Impressions

The video is pretty epic, as is the music score. Of course, I agree that lately the word epic has been trivialized, but epic in its original sense, can refer to a people's struggle, and that is what we see in this video, a final struggle of a people against the relentless forces of darkness.

The video features phtoto animations made from Magic cards illustrations, as has become the norm. To see Liliana the necromancer-muse so "alive" is always a treat, but I must confess that her "voice" was not a good choice, as well as the voice of Sorin Markov in the previous video, Dark Ascension, and unlike Garruk's voice for the Innistrad video, which was quite adequate.

To our Liliana, she who exudes youth and lust, was given an "old" and tired voice , but maybe that was deliberate, since, the fans know, Liliana is not the young girl she appears to be, but in fact an old witch in a beautiful and young body, who traded her soul for eternal youth. Moreover, the consequences of this deal are the very reason for this video.

Did notice that the story told in the video emulates the ultimate ability of the card Liliana of The Veil? "Save this shiny rock... or save the lives of your fellow warriors!"

In conclusion, more of Liliana is always good, even when it is not so good. Oh, and I still don't buy the fact that Sorin was able to create an all-powerful angel .... But, what the hell ...

And speaking of relentless: Garruk is also missing in this story ...

I Kissed a Girl - Power Metal Version

2012-03-04T14:47:00.001-05:00

Katy Perry + Heavy Metal = I Liked It

Medieval fantasy is something so magical and powerful that permeates not only books and games, but also music. Mainly heavy metal. With the exception of medieval music, properly speaking, and a few works of classical music, perhaps no other type of music complements medieval fantasy as well as heavy metal. Perhaps because the word "metal" remits to the metallic sound of metal swords and armor, war and knights.

Some bands in particular represent this mixture with praise. To cite a few: Manowar, with its lyrics full of epic and mythology; Savatage with its Hall of the Mountain King; Cirith Ungol with its name taken directly from The Lord of the Rings, and Blind Guardian, with its lyrics also inspired by Tolkien literature. Of course, we can not forget Rhapsody of Fire (formerly Rhapsody).

Rhapsody is known to "sing" an epic and fantastic saga in their songs, the Emerald Sword Saga. Spanning over five albums, the saga is like a medieval fantasy book packed in heavy metal format.

For fans of medieval fantasy and heavy metal, it is a true "eargasm". Rhapsody masterfully proves that heavy metal and medieval fantasy complement each other as bread and butter, a blend that can not go wrong. But what if metal is mixed with something not so complementary, and even something totally opposite?

What happens when we mix Rhapsody with Katy Perry? Well, listen to this "mashup" made by a guy named Andy Xiong and draw your own conclusions. Is it like mixing water and oil, or heavy metal makes everything better? In my opinion, Katy Perry would make a great metal singer!

Music written, recorded and performed by Andy Xiong
I Kissed a Girl performed by Katy Perry, owned by EMI

Game of Thrones Season 2 Poster Teaser

2012-02-21T16:49:00.000-05:00

War is coming... Can't... Wait... For... It...

Spread the news! War is coming!

Game of Thrones - Season 2 Preview

2012-02-21T16:35:00.001-05:00

Be invited to the set of Game of Thrones Season 2

Watch this new video of Game of Thrones Season 2 and get even more anxious for April 1.

The video comes straight from the set of season two, which, as we can see, will be more cinematic, with massive sets, shocking twists and new characters.

The first season achieved the feat of proving that the genre of medieval fantasy, often despised and distrusted in Hollywood, can sustain a lot of success and ensure a large and loyal audience, as much as any other HBO series.

The second season comes to consolidate this success. We know that the first season was done within a tight budget (for the standards of an epic series), and many fans who read the book felt that several important battles were missing, and these could not be made due to budget issues. The restricted budget is due to the fact that the big shots of the studio decided to invest in the series with caution. But in season 2, things are apparently different. The investment may be higher because the series has already proven its potential to distrusters, and it is expected that there will be no more sacrifices in the name of economy and discredit. We get to see a Game of Thrones as epic as it should be.

The second season of Game of Thrones owes much to the strength of the community. I urge all the sers and ladies to continue supporting our favorite genre.

Buy the Game of Thrones DVD, follow its Facebook profile and Twitter, YouTube channel... Let us ensure that all the books in the series are filmed!

Meanwhile, we will identify the new characters in the video, and when they appear:

0:11 Margaery Tyrell

1:34 Davos

1:36 Brienne

1:39 Melisandre

1:51 Stanis Baratheon

Disney Princess Street Fighter

2012-01-25T15:45:00.000-05:00

Disney Princesses Street Fighter: Dragon Punch with a Fairy Touch

Our post about sith Disney princesses is one of the 10 most read and most successful. And I bet this post will also be. For some reason, Disney princesses turned into attractive warriors is a proven formula for success.

We already saw these beauties with a lightsaber in hand, and we thought princesses couldn't be more badass than that. We were wrong. Never underestimate human imagination, this is the lesson we learn at each fresh new look on the princesses.

This time, artist Josh McMahon brings these beauties to the world of Street Fighter IV. Definitely, these modern Disney princesses are willing to take the struggle for happiness in their own hands!

Anyone who has ever played Street Fighter know that every fighter has a unique style and story, a personal reason to fly around the globe, fighting for the title of World Champion, and these princesses are no different. Indeed, in their Street Fighter versions, they remain true to their principles and goals, but the difference is that they are definitely not willing to wait for their prince charming to fight for them. In fact, any prince charming would look like girly weaklings next to these girls.

Our first street fighter princess is Cinderella, turned into a ninja warrior. No brooms and mops for her, only deadly blades. I bet the ugly sisters and evil stepmother won't bother her anymore...

Snow White is tired of crying and being a victim of the world. The sweetest and most innocent of the princesses is now a genuine "bad girl". According to Josh on his own site, she is inspired on Lisbeth Salander, and the seven dwarfs are now the Seven Drug Lords.

The trident fighter Ariel is my favorite princess street fighter. The sea-themed armor, apparently made of sea animals skins and shells, is a master touch. According to Josh, Ariel sold her voice to the sea witch to become a great warrior.

Here is Jasmine, a deadly desert warrior. The choice of scimitar as a weapon is quite adequate, and Jasmine seems quite comfortable with it, ready to strike a blow faster than the eye. Here the princess of the desert entered the Street Fighter tournament to prove to her father, the Sultan, that she is able to govern her own kingdom.

The next street fighter princess is Belle, in my opinion the most beautiful princess, and now also the most beautiful street fighter. Belle is now a Muay Thai fighter. Maybe she learned to fight in one of those books she is always reading?

Pocahontas is the street fighter princess who literally fights for nature, a descendant of a great Powhatan warrior. Greenpeace could surely make use of such a good warrior in their ranks.

Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog, is now a military whose goal is to prove that she is able to command her own unit. Her clothing is an excellent camouflage amid the swamps of Louisiana.

And on this side of the ring we have Aurora, a professional wrestler, who adopted the professional name of "Briar Rose". A beauty who can put you to sleep ... on the ring floor!

Mulan has always been a great warrior, but now with new styling, inspired by fighters like Kitana from Mortal Kombat and her colleague Chun-li, few can face her in a fight. To top it off, she became an assassin and disguise expert. And above all, she is now more beautiful than ever!

The last princess to join her fellow street fighters is Rapunzel, a sorceress who was imprisoned for a long time. Apparently, she must have a lot of repressed anger, and it is fantastic that so much stress has not made her lose hair. Highlight for the staff with a chameleon on the top, I wonder what powers it has? Maybe powers of illusion? Say what, Josh? Well, never mind, this is also one of my favorites.

Visit Josh's blog for more of his amazing work!

A Gift from Liliana

2011-12-26T20:42:00.000-05:00

Liliana comes to new year's eve, bringing along not spirits from beyond, but the very spirit of Christmas.

Nothing more appropriate, since, at least in this humble blog, the dark mage definitely established herself as the medieval fantasy muse of the year, among many others. And now she comes to reclaim the title, with the blessings of her talented portraitist, Steve Argyle.

Congratulations, Steve, you sure knew how to translate the whole mix of beauty, magic and mischief involving our muse.

In 2012, we look forward to discover what lies behind the veil of Liliana, and we count on you to capture and reproduce this moment.

Gargamel finally eats the Smurfs

2011-12-20T18:56:00.001-05:00

A bit of dark comedy... or would that be "dark blue" comedy?

Smurfs, the movie (2011), although having received much criticism, was a box office success. I'm no film critic, but as someone who enjoyed the Smurfs cartoon in the '80s, I liked the movie, and I think it was decent, and a good movie for the whole family. My five years old daughter, who had never heard of the blue gnomes, loved it.

But if you ask me to point out what is great about this movie, I would have to say that Gargamel steals the show. Hank Azaria's Gargamel accomplished the feat of being one of the few elements of the film acclaimed by the merciless critics, such as the one from USA Today, and deservedly so. His Gargamel may be a little more "friendly" and funny, along with the cat, Azrael (which my daughter loved), than the Gargamel you may remember, but in my opinion, this is an improvement over the cartoon.

Another difference from the cartoon Gargamel is that in the movie, the inept wizard is after the Smurfs for their essence, which is able to enhance his magic. In the cartoon, Gargamel wanted the Smurfs to use them in a formula to make gold or ... eat them.

That never happened, of course (otherwise we would have an entire traumatized generation), but what if it happened?

Well, the best answer I found was in the YouTube channel Elephant Larry... Not recommended for children!

Bonus Video: And what happens after Gargamel eats the Smurfs? Well, as we see in the video below, Smurfs are a good substitute for hallucinogenic mushrooms ...

Real Disney Princesses

2011-12-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

Disney Princesses in flesh, bones and beauty.

Like a fairy godmother armed with a magic wand, a skilled photographer with powerful lenses can turn dreams into reality, peasant girls into princesses, with the touch of a finger.

Our princess series has been a success, presenting different views on the muses of our childhood, but it was clear that the more grown up and fetishists missed their dream actually coming true, ie, the princesses materializing in flesh, bone and pure beauty.

It was up to the photographer Ryan Astamendi to make this dream come true. Do you like gorgeous women? So you have to check his portfolio!

Rejoice at the work of this lens wizard as he brings fairy beauty into life:

Rapunzel

Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Snow White

Pocahontas

Jasmine

The Zelda rap - Link the gangsta rapper

2011-11-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

Zelda rap - Link with an attitude problem

Smosh.com presents a fantastic and very well produced video, in which we see the hero Link, from Zelda video game series, with an unexpected gangsta rap attitude, complete with Link bragging about all his money (Rupees in this case).

In fact the video is so good that I'll leave you now to watch it for the umpteenth time.

Oh, and thumbs up for the parts in which the princess Zelda herself sings, and the part where Link and Ganon engage a rap duel.

Watch and enjoy, bro!

It's Magic Cards! With gOOgly EyEssss....

2011-11-10T03:06:00.001-05:00

It's Magic Cards! With gOOgly EyEssss....

What do you get if you have some female Magic players coupled with a (probably) boring day?

Magic cards with googly eyes! DUR!

This wacky style of "art" is by a group of female Magic players that call themeselves the Lady Planeswalker Society. According to their Tumblr page, it all started when one of them, Mercedes, brought some "googly eyes" (the kind you find in some art and craft stores) for one of their meetings. The rest is history.

The "activity", apparently unpretentious, went viral, and many people have contributed their own creations:

Atogs, by Drew Sitte, known for his 3D Magic cards alterations

Don't know about you, but I found it very funny. And it's a relief from all the seriousness that many Magic players impinge to the game.

Below is a selection of the best googly eyes (click to enlarge):

Liliana Vess in flesh and blood - cosplay in good taste

2011-11-08T15:15:00.000-05:00

Liliana Vess in Flesh and Blood

Yes, you read that right: the muse of grown men Magic players (myself included) in flesh and blood!

In the video below you will see a Liliana Vess cosplay. The cosplayer is NinaLaNoir, pseudonym of Ashley Regimbal-Kung. You can see the girl's profile and portfolio page on artists community site DeviantArt and see more of her work.

What is interesting about NinaLaNoir cosplay is that she does justice to the beauty of Liliana. Not to mention that the material she uses for the costume is of excellent quality, and very well done. Confess, you have always dreamed what would it be like if we had a real life Liliana, and NinaLaNoir just made your dream come true. In fact, we are very lucky to have someone like her to cosplay our favorite planeswalker. Lots of fatty, acne-ridden girls cosplaying around... (No offense to fatty acne-ridden cosplayers around).

Well, enjoy Liliana in all her necromantic glory!

Dragon Age: Redemption - a brave web series

2011-11-02T18:21:00.000-04:00

Dragon Age: Redemption

Dragon Age: Redemption is a web series set in the universe of Dragon Age. The series premiered on 11 October 2011, coinciding with the release of the DLC Mark of the Assassin for Dragon Age II.

Written and starred by the geek Muse Felicia Day, the first season of the series will consist of six episodes, each episode focused on presenting one of the central characters (including Tallis, Cairn, Nyree and Josmael).

Felicia Day plays the elf assassin Tallis, in the service of Qunari, her mission to capture the wizard Saarebas , played by Doug Jones (Abe Sapien in Hellboy II and The Faun from Pan's Labyrinth). Yes, the web series had the cunning to bring people of this caliber, surprising those who still take web series with a grain of salt.

Some criticize the series, comparing the production to questionable television series like Hercules & Xena. In our humble opinion, critics should consider that it is a web series, a format that is still in its infancy, but Dragon Age: Redemption is a big step toward more ambitious productions, and an evolution of the format itself. It is clear that the budget was lower than expected, and production had limited resources, as well as the actors, including wonderful Felicia, have their limitations.

But it is also clear that despite the limitations, the effort of both production and cast are legitimate and both did the best with what they had.

We must take into consideration that our favorite genre, medieval fantasy, always faces difficulties when transposed to the screen, like Game of Thrones, which even with the budget funded by the powerful HBO have faced it's own share. Surely a film set in our contemporary world would find far less difficulty than a production set in a medieval setting, with the same budget.

Still with Game of Thrones as an example, the medieval fantasy genre finds an additional complication with disbelief by the studios and the massive public, that before Game of Thrones saw the genre with suspicion, taking it for a "nerd thing" or something for adults who did not grow up. Game of Thrones has changed a lot this view by general television audience, in spite of the little faith in the genre initially put by HBO itself . Dragon Age: Redemption can do the same for the web series genre, as long as the true fantasy fans keep in mind that this is a web series, a format that is still in its infancy, and does much with little, and certainly still does not count with a Hollywoodian budget.

Dragon Age: Redemption did its part in the process by presenting a relatively decent series, now it's up to fantasy fans to do their part by acknowledging the effort. With this, our favorite genre can just profit by leaving behind the stigma.

PlayStation: Playing Since the Ice Age.

2011-10-27T15:21:00.000-04:00

PlayStation: We are all players.

If there's one thing cavemen know is that we are all gamers by nature.

It's in our genes, and we would not be here if we had not defeated those damn monkeys in the survival game.

Monkey cheekiness aside, enjoy the fantastic PlayStation commercial by Argentinian agency Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi.

Diablo III street art at Gamescom 2011

2011-10-26T09:39:00.000-04:00

Diablo III street art at Gamescom 2011

In the video below, you can follow the making of a street art by artist Manfred Stader, with Diablo as theme. The reason for the artwork is the presence of Blizzard at Gamescom 2011.

The piece lies in central Cologne (Germany), Hahnentorburg Rudolfplatz to be exact. Some unsuspecting observers may swear that they risk falling into the pits of the Burning Hell if too close to the painting, but the truth is that the technique used by the artist evokes a 3D hell illusion.

What do you think? Personally, I think the choice of illustration could have been better. Others are of the opinion that the release date for Diablo III could have been included in the painting ... And some christians surely loved it! :)

Diablo III Cinematic Black Soulstone - "Evolution" of terror in Diablo III

2011-10-25T21:43:00.001-04:00

Diablo III Cinematic Black Soulstone - "Evolution" of terror in Diablo III

Another fantastic Diablo III video released. Apparently, this is the opening of the game, or some other in-game video that will serve as a transition between the chapters. The video shows Deckard Cain's niece, Leah, trying to decipher the secrets of a black soulstone from the writings of his old uncle. Notice in the video the old book, how fantastic it looks, apparently an authentic medieval codex, full of illustrations and Prime Evils lore. I would definitely love to put my hands on one of these. Would you not?

Well, maybe not after seeing what happens to the poor Leah long after diving into the secrets of this devilish book. The helpless girl has a vision which shows a scene from hell, and she being tormented by the devil Azmodan, Lord of Sin, who promises to go after the black soulstone and take the world of Sanctuary with his hordes of demons. Azmodan is one of the Lesser Evils which led to the banning of the Prime Evils (Diablo, Mephisto and Baal) to Sanctuary. The video leaves us in doubt whether Azmodan is one of the main bosses, and we can only wonder how things will go between him and Diablo, as the two big devils are, in principle, mortal enemies. What do you think?

Diablo losing its "soul"?

With the progress of the game towards its launch, some criticisms arise from old fans of the franchise, who would compare Diablo III to its previous versions. Many say that the game is so far very "colorful" and "light" compared to Diablo I and II, and would be losing much of its gloom and appalling "feeling". Many say this is an influence of the huge success of World of Warcraft (another Blizzard title). Diablo III could have been "contaminated" by the more cartoonish style of World of Warcraft, a Blizzard's attempt to replicate the massive success of WoW with Diablo III, by bringing some WoW concepts to DIII, including the "lighter" and unpretentious feeling of WoW .

In the opinion of a fan of this franchise that spent much of his adolescence playing the two previous versions of Diablo, this is likely to happen.

For those who have forgotten how were these games or for one reason or another did not know Diablo I and II (probably because they were too young to play. After all, it's been ten years since the last version), I highly recommend the video below, in which Chris Metzen, Senior Vice President of Story & Franchise Development, talks about the 15 years of Diablo and its "evolution." Watching this video not only brought me good memories, but left me with the impression that Diablo I had a heavier atmosphere of terror than we saw in Diablo III so far (as "faux terror" it may be).

The Brazilian sleeping giant keeps walking - fantastic Johnnie Walker commercial

2011-10-22T03:09:00.000-04:00

The Brazilian sleeping giant keeps walking - fantastic Johnnie Walker commercial

It's like I always say: Keep an eye always open for fantasy and you will find it sooner or later, in the most unlikely places and times.

I'm not really a fan of TV, but on one occasion I had a pleasant surprise. This was when I saw this new Johnnie Walker commercial for the Brazilian public. In this gorgeous production by agency NEOGAMA/BBH, we see the iconic Sugar Loaf unfold in the form of a rock giant, causing breaks in the landscape and shock and awe in Rio de Janeiro population.

The brazilian Johnie Walker YouTube page presents an interesting text to accompany the video, which I translated below (bolded text by us):

'In the beginning of time, in the southern part of the Americas, lived a giant. One of the few who walked the earth.

Giant by nature, and being nature himself, he was made of rocks, soil and forests that shaped his figure. Birds and animals landed and lived in his body and rivers ran in his veins. It was like a huge piece of landscape that walked and had his own free will.

Walked with steps the size of valleys and had the stature of overlapped mountains. To the north, on his way, he found the sun hot and bright in the four seasons. To the south, endless plains. To the west, plains and land full of diversity. And to the east, miles and miles of beaches where the sea gently touched the earth, forever. There was also a forest like no other on the planet. So big, green and lively that it worked as the lung for all the continent.

Even with all that, one day, while walking, the giant upset.

Then stopped by the sea and there between the warm waters of the Atlantic and a portion of land that rose on hills, laid down. And lying in this splendid cradle, looked at the blue sky above asking, "What makes me giant?".

Then, imagining answers, fell into a deep sleep.

For ages, that are like hours for the Giants, he slept. His gigantic body stretched, the knee bent to form a great mountain, an immense rock denouncing his titanic torso and a unspeakable head , covered with trees and moss.

He slept until it became a legend in the world. A legend which said that the future belonged to the giant, but that he would never wake up and that the future would be to him always this: the future.

However, over time it became obvious that not even the legends should say "never."

After much dreaming about the question itself, the giant has finally awakened with the answer.

Woke up, got up on the land of which he was part and faced the horizon.

Then he took one foot off the ground and entering the sea, took a first step.

A decisive step toward the outside world to find his destiny.

Now knowing what makes a giant is not his size but the size of the steps he takes. '

For non-Brazilians, the message that the commercial intends to convey may sound puzzling. After all, what is the relation between the Sugar Loaf Mountain and a stone colossus asleep?

As our blog gets visitors from around the world (Americans and Brazilians are our two largest public), we are keen to explain. To this end, we use the passages of the Brazilian National Anthem to which the commercial and the text above allude:

"Giant by thine own nature,
thou art beautiful, thou art strong, an intrepid colossus,
and thy future mirrors thy greatness"

and

"Eternally laid on a splendid cradle,
by the sound of the sea and the light of the deep sky,
thou shinest, O Brazil, garland of America,
illuminated by the sun of the New World!"

The commercial only shows the intrepid colossus who was asleep in a splendid cradle, which rises and continues moving toward a future that reflects his greatness.

Keep Walking, Brazil!

The perfect world of Neverwinter

2011-10-13T20:38:00.000-04:00

The perfect world of Neverwinter

Neverwinter by Cryptic, is a game that was promised a year ago, primarily as a cooperative online RPG, but not necessarily an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game).

In May this year the Chinese company of MMOs Perfect World (of the game by the same name) has acquired Cryptic, and with it the game Neverwinter. As expected, now the game is designed to become a full MMO. The good news is that it will be free to play (no charge), in like manner of Perfect World.

The bad news is that this transition process delayed the game by at least one year, and Neverwinter is scheduled for the end of 2012. Anyone who believes the world will end on that date is not counting on playing Neverwinter...

I personally believe that Neverwinter will be a suitable game to play at Judgement Day.

I also believe that the game will appeal more to fans of Dungeons & Dragons than to fans of Perfect World, as we can infer from the video below. The classic scene of the tavern where the characters get to know their mission, the mysterious veteran soldier who "gives the quest" for the characters, the epic battle against armies of undead, liches and chromatic dragons (in this case a blue lightning-breather dragon) , all these elements of oldschool Dungeons & Dragons are there in the video.

In fact, I think this video only is much more D & D than the latest D & D books, in which Wizards of the Coast is trying to do a "pen & paper" World of Warcraft, targeting the very success of the most popular MMO ever. Surely a foolish goal, as tabletop RPGs and video game RPGs are two different things, each with its own niche. But that's a topic for another post.

For now, enjoy the Neverwinter video, which is pretty cool:

World of Warcraft commercials. Awesome. Enough said.

2011-10-13T00:33:00.001-04:00

World of Warcraft commercials. Awesome. Enough said.

Here in Medieval Fantasy we always strive to provide a new perspective on the worlds of fantasy and heroism. We adopt a policy of "if we have nothing new to add to a subject, then do not touch that subject." The Internet already has too much "content reproducers", and do not need another.

But some subjects speak for themselves, and simply there is nothing to add. This is the case of the video displayed here. It is a Mountain Dew commercial, World of Warcraft flavored. And there's an orc. Fighting a night elf. In a supermarket. Need I say more?

Bonus video: World of Warcraft commercials are a power to be reckoned! They can put in these videos artists and rock stars such as Ozzy Osbourne and William Shatner. And before you recover from the awesomeness of which World of Warcraft commercials are able, we will leave you with a bonus commercial, this time in partnership with Toyota. Too bad this video can not be found in better resolution (if you have it stored somewhere, please let us know).

Diablo III - A more immersive Diablo

2011-09-29T01:19:00.000-04:00

Diablo III - A more immersive Diablo

I still remember back in 2001. I was an addict. Much of my afternoon was filled by playing (back then) innovative Diablo II. As I was (am), also an avid (Advanced) Dungeons & Dragons player, I was naturally attracted by the game of the devil. Like Dungeons & Dragons, Diablo II gave me days and days of monster slaying, treasure hunts and great adventures. I could see places and fantastic cities and be the hero of the day. But after the initial euphoria, I missed something that Dungeons & Dragons gave me, but I did not have in Diablo II: character role-playing. After all, the game was sold as an RPG-Role Playing Game. But where was the role-playing in Diablo II? Sure, the game had an almost unparalleled replayability by the time, but I did not feel like role-playing my character. The conversations were always the same. Epic, but shallow. Basically, people giving you missions using flowery words. But I could not choose to refuse the mission, or bargain my reward. My paladin would always be a champion, and always have the same lines in all the times I play with a paladin. Diablo II was perhaps the best game of that season, but lacked something to make it perfect: world immersion. My character in Diablo was just an avatar through which I clicked to kill. If I truly wanted to feel like my character, I would have to resort to good old paper, pen, dice and imagination of Dungeons & Dragons. The irony of all this is that the creators of Diablo said they were inspired by afternoons full of Dungeons & Dragons and snacks.

Baldur's Gate

After many, many games of Diablo II at the end of that year I discovered a certain game that was released about the same time as Diablo II, but because of the hype built around the latter, I'd overlooked: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. At first I was little surprised by the 2D graphics and isometric view, and a lot of dolls that seemed to be involved in some kind of chat on the screen. But, boy, this game marked my life. That was the game that came closest to a tabletop RPG experience. You choose what your character will say or do (of course, within a limited number of choices), according to her personality. You choose to accept or not (most of) their missions. In fact, you might as well kill the good guys instead of helping them, if you choose to be evil. Imagine being able to kill Deckard Cain because you think that you just had enough of the old geezer. The experience of playing Baldur's Gate was quite different if you played with a paladin and later with an evil necromancer. And not only the equipment and expertise available, but the story itself. Hell, you could even have a romance, if you wanted!

It made me think that the perfect game to ever be created one day would be a blend of the randomization and factor "cool" of Diablo with Baldur's Gate deep immersion. Dreams...

Diablo III

Ten years later (wow! it's been so long? Am I getting old or is it just that Blizzard took a "little while" to make this game?), We are about to get Diablo III. The beta testing is already going on, but the debut of the game was postponed (again) for early 2012.

Is it worth the wait? Well, from what I've seen, for those who had nothing to complain about Diablo II and want more of it, yes. There will be endless hordes of monsters to be killed with endless hours of clicks, and treasures lying on the ground, and much sound and fury.

But what about us, the bored roleplayers who expect a greater world immersion? After all, we believe that if we are supposed to be escapists, make it extreme then! We truly want to feel like our heroes, and not only be driven by a mechanical series of dialogues and a predetermined path, only pixels on the screen. We want to feel that the world of Sanctuary (the world of Diablo) breathes and bleeds.

Fortunately, Diablo seems to have evolved in that direction. Here's how the game became more immersive compared to the previous edition. This greater immersion was implemented through both mechanical and aesthetic changes.

Sexism

No, it's not what you're thinking, you naughty devil. So far at least, Diablo is still safe for children (the violence, on the other hand, oh, that remains the same ...).

We're talking about freedom of choice. Now you can choose the gender of your character. A change merely aesthetic, but certainly allow for greater identification with the character. Besides the freedom of choice itself. And between us, I'd date that barbarian lass any day ... wouldn't you?

Compared to Baldur's Gate: In BG you could choose the gender of the PC (Player Character) as well. This mainly influenced romances.

Mercs with a "soul"

In Diablo II, the mercenary, that helper you can hire was a mere computer-driven puppet that went to and fro, and, frankly, was more annoying than useful. There was not much interaction with them. The most they did was thank you for an equipment you handed them. But they themselves were little more than walking equipment. They had the same appearance and their name was randomized the same way monsters dropped loot.

In Diablo III, they have not only a name, and not just a face, but also heart and soul. There will be three: the Scoundrel Lyndon, the Enchantress Eirene and the Templar Kormac. They have a history that will be developed along your path together. You can not control them directly. Just as in the previous version, they act independently, following you wherever you go.

Compared to Baldur's Gate: In BG you could take up to five other characters with you. Each had their own personality (very complex, by the way) and agenda, and interacted with each other. In fact, some characters could bicker among themselves and might even kill each other if things got ugly. You control all their actions, but not their reactions and desires.

Recruitable Baldur's Gate Characters: all too human...

To each, it's own

In Diablo II, your character had two resources: health and mana. The latter was used to recharge spells, from the sorceress' fire spells to the barbarian special attacks. Mana was recovered with time or through potions. This for all characters. Now, each character has its own resources to fuel their powers, according to their class.

The Wizard uses arcane power for her attacks.

The Demon Hunter uses hatred for her attacks and discipline for defense.

The Barbarian uses fury, which is replaced as you fight, but this ebbs away with time. That is, the barbarian should not stay too long without a fight.

The Monk uses the spirit feature, almost exclusively for defense, but unlike the Barbarian, this feature is not lost with time, and is also gained through attacks.

The only who got to keep the traditional mana was the Witch Doctor, whose mana is restored slowly over time, just like it was in the good ol' times.

These features are much more aligned with each character, providing a very different experience for each class. It also encourages a "proto-role-playing" of the character. For example, whoever picks a barbarian is encouraged to beat as one.

Compared to Baldur's Gate: Along with Diablo, BG is one of the games with the highest replay value around. So much so that you can find people playing Diablo II and the old BG even today. This is mainly due to the gaming experience to be different according to the chosen character class.

In conclusion: I always thought the perfect game was a blend of Diablo and Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate "evolved" into Dragon Age (yes, for those unaware, the same people are involved in both games), but Dragon Age disappoints in this regard, since Bioware has seen fit to make the game more "friendly" to consoles, and thus , "dumbing" down the game. Diablo III seems to be a little closer to the dream of the perfect game. Maybe in ten years?

Innistrad Trailer - Garruk Relentless vs Liliana of the Veil

2011-09-24T01:50:00.000-04:00

Innistrad Trailer - Garruk Relentless vs Liliana of the Veil

Another awesome Magic the Gathering video, this time for Innistrad. As other previous promotional videos, the video is made of animated art found in the very cards of the set. But this is a technique that the developers seem to be improving with each set released. Animations in this trailer seem more natural than those of the Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 video (note that we are not referring to the CG animation, which is another thing).

The Wildspeaker

The biggest asset of this video, however, is in the Garruk voice-over. Garruk is apparently the most popular planeswalker, according to the polls we've done in our humble but ever-growing blog. Garruk's voice is exactly how I always imagined, a deep voice, here combined with a practical discourse, quite suitable for a man who does not waste his time in a roundabout way of words and goes straight to the point.

Wizards channel on YouTube where the video is officially hosted does note not inform the voice actor for Garruk, but some speculate it may be the same actor who voiced Arthas in Warcraft 3 or CT Carson, who voiced Kratos in God of War. If you know who actually is the voice of Garruk, please let us know in the comments. Personally, I think the voice very similar to the Barbarian of Diablo II (David Thomas).

The Hunter and the Veil

For those who are lost in Garruk's narrative, read the webcomic The Hunter and the Veil to keep updated about what is going on between Garruk and Liliana. Ok, with this video we are aware of the reasons for Garruk dropping by Innistrad, but what is Liliana doing there? Certainly not only because of her fondness for zombies (something that Innistrad has in spades)?

Our sexy dark witch is just after her soul, that she sold to some demons (actually four demons) in exchange for power and eternal youth. At least one of these demons, Griselbrand, is in Innistrad. Or at least was, since the demon mysteriously disappeared together with Innistrad protector, the archangel Avacyn. Liliana, with the power of the Veil at her disposal, wants her soul back and is after the fiend, and has the green brute, Garruk in her wake. That is, what we have here is a hunt with powerful predators chasing each other. It is as if the entire top of the food chain decided to hunt each other through the plans.

We eagerly await the unfolding of this hunt in the upcoming Innistrad set, Dark Ascension, together with another promotional video of the same quality we see here- perhaps with Garruk yielding to his dark side?

Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how? - Creepy Doll

2011-09-05T21:36:00.003-04:00

Innistrad - Creepy Doll

"Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings." Macbeth

Continuing with our series Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how?, Now let's look at a specific Innistrad card: Creepy Doll.

Creepy Doll - 5
Artifact Creature - Construct (Rare)
Creepy Doll is indestructible.
Whenever Creepy Doll deals combat damage to a creature, flip a coin. If you win the flip, destroy that creature.
1/1

That's right. It is a fearful, indestructible, killer doll, which will kill you if you're out of luck.

What does this have to do with horror: Certainly the most iconic representative of the "indestructible killer doll" type is Chucky from the movie Child's Play (1988). Chucky is a doll possessed by the soul of the psychopath Charles Lee Ray, who, shortly before his death, uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul to a doll. The doll starts a series of murders, and despite being shot, burned, dismembered, crushed, melted, and cut into small pieces, always returns to carry out his killing, and even to initiate a series of five films.

The theme "killer doll" was also well explored in the RPG setting of Ravenloft (which, as I will elaborate later, IMO, was the main inspiration for Innistrad). Here we have the "carrionette," a live puppet, almost an evil and psychopathic Pinocchio, who, like Chucky, will not rest until he gets a human body to inhabit.

Killer dolls are able to arouse the horror just by exploring innocence and playfulness, the last elements you would associate with evil. Notice that the card "Creepy Doll" "plays well" with the playful side effect of flipping a coin to destroy a creature, like a macabre and deadly child's play. Creepy!

In game: You can use Krark's Thumb to make Creepy Doll more playable, improving your chances to use her destroying ability.

Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how?

2011-08-30T02:09:00.001-04:00

Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how?

The mechanics of upcoming set Innistrad just been revealed on the Wizards of the Coast website. The most intriguing of all are the double-faced cards. That's right, creatures printed on the front and back of the card, without the traditional back with the Magic logo. These cards will be "transformable", ie, if the right conditions are met, they are turned over, becoming the creature printed on the other face. We've talked about this in this post. As we have shown, that mechanic will be used to represent werewolves, who in the world of Innistrad are normal people, respected in their community, but become pretty wild when night falls ...

Here in Medieval Fantasy we aim at original approaches, and we will not limit ourselves to only showcase Innistrad spoilers, showing only the images and the mechanics of the cards, like hundreds of other websites.

No, here our interest about Magic is not only for the game itself, but also for all the mythology and history printed on the cards. Innistrad tagline is "horror lurks within". From the beginning, Innistrad designers made it clear that they would have "traditional" horror as inspiration, ie, that horror found in books and films such as Nosferatu, Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Those in which we see the monster hiding in his eerie castle, fleeing a mob of peasants angry at so many atrocious acts, armed with pitchforks and torches. What does this have to do with horror: Okay, but where exactly do we find that "horror" in the Innistrad cards and mechanics ? Come on in, we will show you (the castle doors open with a soul-chilling creak...)

Double-faced cards

Double-faced card : Gatstaf Shepherd/Gatstaf Howler

First, let's take a look at the mechanics of double-faced cards. These came to represent the tradition of the "monster literature," a genre of horror literature which includes the Frankenstein monster, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dracula and many other stories of werewolves and vampires.

Fans of the traditional horror that inspired Innistrad will recognize that shadow ...

The "monster literature" often deals with the evil side of man, represented in the form of a monster, and the greatest example of this dualism is the case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. By day, Dr. Jekyll is a peaceful and respectable doctor and the monstrous Mr Hyde at night. The mechanics of Day and Night and double-faced cards represents this theme with mastery.

How the double-faced cards work: If you use opaque card sleeves, you simply turn the "transformed" face up, returning the other side up when the card leaves the battlefield. What if you don't use sleeves? Wizards came up with an insightful solution, a card called checklist card. The checklist card can represent any one of the creatures listed, simply mark (with a pen, for example) the creature that will be represented in the list and its power / toughness on the field at the bottom right of the card. The first time I heard of double-faced cards, I thought the folks at Wizards were going crazy, but here is proof that they have done it well!

Fight

Another new mechanic is Fight. The creature can choose to literally fight a creature. Each fighting creature will make an amount of damage to the other equal to its power, but the creatures don't tap like they do in normal combat.

Nightfall Predator, "transformed" face of Daybreak Ranger, brings the mechanic Fight

And then you wonder:

What does this have to do with horror: This mechanical reproduces the "monster hunters" present in many stories of monsters. For example, vampires and werewolves hunters such as Van Helsing, Alucard from Castlevania series, and Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard.

In future posts, we will continue our series Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how?, This time analyzing specific Innistrad cards and what they have to do with horror.

Innistrad Spoilers - Day and Night in Innistrad

2011-08-26T15:42:00.000-04:00

Day and Night in Innistrad

Innistrad spoilers never cease to amaze us. Whether true or not. In the case of two cards that we show here, is not known how far their content is true, but they are there nonetheless and are quite intriguing.

First of all, let's be fair and cite our sources. The two images, it seems, first appeared on a Spanish website, MagicMadrid.com, and from then on, in Facebook accounts and other Magic sites.

Now, to the images: the first is "Mayor of Avabruck."

And his "card" version:

(Day) Mayor of Avabruck - 1G
Creature - Human Advisor Werewolf (Rare)
Unknown text, 3/3
1/1

The second is "Howlpack Alpha", and seems to be a token type.

(Night) Howlpack Alpha
Creature - Werewolf (Rare)
Other Werewolf and Wolf creatures you control get +1/+1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 2/2 green Wolf creature token onto the battlefield.
At the beginning of each upkeep, if a player cast at least two spells during the previous turn, sacrifice Howlpack Alpha.
3/3

Legitimate or not (and in my opinion, they seem legitimate enough), it is interesting to note the symbols on the top left of the cards. They are symbols of "Day" and "Night". Apparently this is a fundamental mechanic in Innistrad, and is almost obvious that Howlpack Alpha is the "Night" version of Mayor of Avabruck. It is unclear how this mechanism will be implemented, but is sure to be something innovative and exciting, and this is becoming a trend with everything related to Innistrad.

Innistrad Spoilers - Art for the new Garruk in Innistrad

2011-08-24T16:39:00.003-04:00

Art for the new Garruk in Innistrad

Spoilers on the block Innistrad are getting better, and further increasing our anxiety for this that is one of the most anticipated and promising blocks since Ravnica.

After Ral Zarek, we now have material on another planeswalker that will be on the block: none other than the acclaimed "Beast Boy" Garruk. In the last GenCon, we were presented with two pieces of art featuring "Innistrad" Garruk.

The first is this:

We see Garruk without his traditional helmet, dressed in black, striking a quite "conanesque" pose. Note that his signature axe and buckle are still there. But Garruk is changed. No doubt this is the result of the curse that Liliana placed upon the poor bastard, as seen in the webcomic The Hunter and the Veil, Part 3. That's why our friend Garruk, will most probably be a Green / Black planeswalker, and not just because he's dressed in black. In The Hunter and the Veil we witnessed as the curse of Liliana made all summoned creatures by Garruk become sick or even "zombified" and this certainly will be reflected in the new planeswalker Garruk.

The second art was presented in an UltraPro product:

I must say I did not like this one. Garruk looks like a Hells Angels biker in his forties. The kind that spills beer on his beard. He seems stockier here than in the other art, in which he seems more alert, more at ease, despite the curse that weighs upon him. Somehow, the other art is much more fluid than this, and we hope they use the first art for his planeswalker card. We already had enough with the art for Garruk in the core set 2012 (M12), which makes him look like a big and clumsy caveman. Not to mention his man boobs ... Well, at least in the UltraPro art, Garruk had the decency to cover his large and protruding nipples.

Garruk and his man boobs

Nevertheless, the art for new Garruk adds to the whole gothic horror mood that is being built on Innistrad. Especially the art for Garruk reminded me of the movie Van Helsing (2004), with all that black leather and "vampire hunter" looks. In fact, I think the R & D staff at Wizards of the Coast has this film as one of their main inspirations for Innistrad, and I'll talk about that later.

Innistrad = Van Helsing!!!

Amazing promotional video for Magic: The Gathering 2012 - Duels of the Planeswalkers

2011-06-01T13:56:00.002-04:00

Amazing promotional video for Magic: The Gathering 2012 - Duels of the Planeswalkers

"My name is Gideon. And I am about to die. I was born on a world long since destroyed.

Some said I played a hand in it's destruction. Less charitable voices said I was the soul to cause it's demise. I cared little at the time, as I was blinded by my own self-righteous fury.
But then a reckoning came upon me. I found others that could travel between worlds. And whose beliefs conflicted with my own. I was humbled by their power and tempted by their convictions".

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is both a sequel to Duels of the Planeswalkers and part of Magic 2012 core edition line of products, scheduled to be released on July 15, 2011. In fact, when referring to Magic 2012, Wizards of the Coast has made it clear on their website that Magic 2012 refers to both the game and the cards set. Both present the same mechanical and cards. DotP 2012 will be released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, via Xbox Live, PSN, and Steam.

Actually DotP 2012 is scheduled for release on June 15, therefore, it acts as a preview of the cards and mechanics that will be in Magic 2012, due out later in July.

A sensational promotional video was released. This is a short dramatic narrative by the noble planeswalker Gideon Jura. From what we can see, Gideon tells about the fateful events in the block of Magic, Shards of Alara, in which his glorified world, Bant, is "invaded" by the worlds of Esper and Naya, bringing war, death and destruction. He also reveals his discovery of the existence of other Planeswalkers: Sorin Markov, Jace Beleren , Chandra Nalaar, Garruk and Liliana Vess, as well the infamous dragon Nicol Bolas.

Initially, we find that Gideon meets these Planeswalkers on not so friendly conditions. But as the almighty dragon Nicol Bolas enters the story, (as always) the tide reverses. Apparently on the verge of death, prostrated on the ground with the shadow of Nicol Bolas upon him, Gideon says, "I did something that my opponent could never do: I made allies out of enemies". Meanwhile, we see the planeswalkers being "contacted" by some sort of symbol. And then, one by one, the Planeswalkers Jace, Sorin, Chandra and Garruk appear around Gideon. And the video ends abruptly with the promise of an epic battle between these five planeswalkers versus the all-powerful and hated across the multiverse, Nicol Bolas.

As for the video game, there are no secrets. It is already confirmed that all these Planeswalkers will be "playable". The question remains as to the Magic 2012 core edition. Will these five Planeswalkers be reprinted and be part of Magic 2012, as in the virtual game? We can see that every color is represented by a planeswalker - blue, Jace, black, Sorin; green Garruk; red/Chandra, and white/Gideon. Some wonder why the choice of Gideon and not Ajani.

Well, in game terms, Gideon is arguably a better planeswalker than Ajani. In terms of flavor, I think the folks at Wizards have reached the conclusion that a human would create more empathy with the audience than a a lion-headed man could. Moreover, the super-group of human planeswalkers a la Justice League becomes more harmonic like that (racial prejudice not intended).

Another element of the video that raises questions is the appearance of Liliana. What's the reason for her appearance, if she does not get into the group of super friends? Well, I think she is just there for the drama. We also suspect that, as is almost certain that the next expansion, Innistrad, will revolve around the black mage, Wizards declined to wear off the image of the character, and Sorin got to replace her. The same would happen in the case of Gideon and Elspeth. Since the latter already figured prominently in the last expansion, Scars of Mirrodin, it was necessary to choose another planeswalker to represent white mana, and Ajani lost out to Gideon. I do not think it was a bad choice because for the little I saw, Gideon is a character with plenty of dramatic potential, being able to add an almost Shakespearean depth to the captivating, but often futile, Magic the Gathering plots.

Unlike other promotional videos so far, this seems to be the first that has not exclusively used photo animation (of the art in Magic cards), which is not necessarily bad, but also 3D animation. The quality of the video raised the standard for Magic lore, and fans certainly hope to see more videos like this whenever it launches a new product, especially the expansions. We also gather from that video that Magic lore has enough potential to become an animated series or even a movie, provided they keep the same visual quality, epic and dramatic feel seen here. Of course, a successful Magic The Gathering movie would require respect for said lore (something hard to find in Hollywood adaptations) and the casting of actors as good as the guy who lent his voice to Gideon in this video. It's what us fans hopefully await for the future.

And now that we've done our considerations about the video, let's go to a bit of trivia. Can you identify the cards that were used to make the video? Let's show a few:

Apocalypse Hydra


Liliana's Caress

Near-Death Experience