The Shattering inspires you to get your game on Once again, Christie Golden makes lore fun By Knowlton Thomas ost academics may argue that if a book inspires the reader to hunker down before a computer and play video games all night, it’s probably a bad book. But in the case of The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, this is both the intention and the effect. Written by award-winning author Christie Golden, whose previous World of Warcraft title, Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, became a New York Times Bestseller, this most recent novel follows the path of destruction leading up to mega-villain Deathwing unleashing his pyroclastic rage on - Azeroth. Since the first Warcraft game (Orcs & Humans) was released back in November 1994, rich, detailed lore has enveloped all subsequent titles and expansions. With sixteen years under its belt, Warcraft is steeped in fantastical history...that’s been abandoned. From players skipping text-based storylines in-game to ignoring the finer details throughout, that Blizzard has so expertly crafted, the amazing tales that World of Wacraft is wrought from have been forgotten in the midst of everyone rushing to be “the best”. With Cataclysm, World of Warcraft’s third expansion, launching this Tuesday, December 6, 12 million players will frantically push to reach the new level cap of 85. But those who take a moment to step back and read The Shattering will develop a profound new respect for, and attachment to, the expansion and the game. Better understanding the plot behind this expansion will let you enjoy it all the more, and feel all the more a part of the game. “Pwning noobs” with friends is worth the game’s monthly subscription fee; but to get the most bang for your buck, take some time to expand your understanding and immerse yourself in the vast, imaginative realm of Warcraft lore. The Shattering will have you itching to play as you follow the winding trail toward Azeroth’s ultimate destruction: the rising tensions between Horde and Alliance; the burning and rebuilding of Orgimmar; the twisted royal politics unfolding in Ironforge; Thrall’s journey to Nagrand amidst restless elements wreaking havoc; and the fateful duel between Thunder Bluff’s Pins. Cairne Bloodhoof and the Gorehowl- wielding Garrosh Hellscream. A true player knows the game, but they also know what’s behind the game, and that’s the lore. The Shattering is the perfect build up of excitement before the Cataclysm comes. Besides...what else are you going to do while in line for the midnight opening? SHATTERING THE Teletoon’s pilots are going down What’s happened with the ‘Pilot Project’ one year later? By Angela Espinoza o last year, almost to the day, I took the time to write S a piece about the Teletoon Pilot Project. The Pilot Project was an experiment to see which often potential shows seemed interesting to viewers across Canada through an online poll. The English and French websites had separate results; Ninjamaica, a show about a Jamaican ninja, won over French speaking audiences while Nerdland, a claymation Big Bang Theory, won over the rest. While comments were moderated, they were refreshingly honest, although I don’t think they had much effect on the voters. The system was flawed in that there was no limit to how many times you could vote, and if I remember correctly, Nerdland won with well over 150,000 votes. For some reason, I just can’t imagine over 150,000 Canadian youths giving two bits over what Teletoon is airing, so long as it’s from Cartoon Network, our American counterpart. One year later and the only show that’s developed is The Dating Guy, which in all fairness had one of the better pilots. But what does this mean for Nerdland and Ninjamaica? Surely the runners-up deserve shows as well, which for English-Canada was Space Knights, | 7 about a Power Rangers-esque group of out-of-work crime fighters, one of which is an openly gay cripple who forms the legs of their giant transforming robot. Yes, seeing as these are all shows intended fora ‘mature’ audience, nearly every pilot featured hyper-sexuality and violence, an onslaught of drug jokes, and painfully awkward uses of f--k. Don’t get me wrong; if it weren’t for those factors, television in general would be even worse off than it is now. If anyone can turn anything into a sexual innuendo, I’m the person to do it, and I’m not being cocky. But if it’s forced [insert “That’s what she said’ here], then you’re only embarrassing yourself, as I’ve just done so willingly. Some shows, such as Celebutard Nation, didn’t just screw that up, they had to sink even lower and use pop culture references (e.g. Paris Hilton) that were barely funny to begin with. Then you had pilots that blatantly ripped-off other shows like, as I’ve pointed out, Nerdland and The Big Bang Theory. Drop Dead Gorgeous is similar to the children’s Euro-anime, Totally Spies, except that it’s literally and excessively pornographic. There was a time when Canada practically ruled the world of animation, and a great example is Reboot (1994— 2001). As if the quality of the shows’ content was bad enough, nearly all but Nerdland and Fugget About It looked like they were animated using Adobe Flash. Although I don’t condone it, if we’re this desperate for ‘original’, Canadian content, why not just turn them all into series’? At this point, it The Dating Guy seems like it wasn’t even necessary to hold a competition. The creators of these potential shows clearly put a lot of work into their pilots. Some of them I’d actually enjoy seeing on Teletoon, and they’ ve already done a great job with The Dating Guy. What’s also resulted is re-airing the pilots on TV and making them available through iTunes for free download. I’m glad to see some of these shows are continuing to get promotion, but I still have to wonder what happened to Canada’s once proud animators.