From the Beta: Utgarde Keep

With so much information circulating about the Beta, it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed. Many blogs (mine included) and sites are bombarding you with numbers, images, speculation and quotations from developers. While it’s great that information about the upcoming changes is so readily available, it’s become increasingly easy to lose sight of the simple fact: this is a game we’re talking about. Blizzard has long been known for releasing visually stunning and engaging games, and Wrath of the Lich King will be no exception.

The Back Story

A month or so ago, I received an email from Brandon Sato of Project Lore inviting me to visit their site and see what they had to offer. I had seen Project Lore mentioned in passing and seen ads for it on WoWHead as well, but didn’t really pay much attention. I sort of shrugged, thinking it wasn’t what I was there looking for at the time and that I would get to it later.

Well, the email I received from Brandon was a good reminder to go visit the site and see what was what. Brandon also asked that I extend his invitation to all of you as well, to go see what the boys of Project Lore had been up to.

I receive a lot of similar requests for plugs here on THM on a fairly regular basis, and many of them I don’t pay much attention to. Frankly, if I don’t personally enjoy what someone is trying to get me to advertise, I’m not going to bother any of you with it either. That’s just not “how I roll”.

Anyway, I was cruising around on my druid last weekend, running instances and brushing up on my tanking. I was rather fed up with how mundane my WinAmp playlist had become and so I was scouring YouTube for interesting videos to pass the time. (I’m a big fan of “background noise”. I watch tv while raiding, all that.) Of course, YouTube can only be entertaining for so long before your brain goes numb. So, I headed over to Project Lore to take a peek at the offerings.

My Findings

I was pleasantly surprised by the production quality of the videos, right off the bat. I guess it hadn’t really occurred to me that this was more of a “professional” feeling venture than just a couple nerds in their basement on a Saturday night (don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about that). The videos were immediately engaging and proved to be both educational and entertaining. (It was Edutainment!)

I started by watching the videos for Utgarde Keep and progressed through all the videos currently available on their site. I think the thing I enjoyed most about the Project Lore videos was that it felt like the LAN parties I used to frequent “back in the day”. Just a small group of friends hanging out, busting up mobs. Discussion among the boys of Project Lore was a constant stream of give and take, pointing out interesting tips and tricks along the way as they guide the viewer through various dungeons (all heroics) in Outland. Each video is punctuated by brief introduction and summary clips that tie the running commentary together very nicely. The videos were very well put together, but felt casual and personable enough to draw the viewer in and make you feel like you’re just a part of the gang watching from the sidelines.

Overall, I enjoyed the videos immensely, and I think what they’re doing is both brilliant and entertaining. My one complaint about the entire enterprise is the annoying chick they have doing the weekly episode wrap-ups (the one doing the Rick Roll at the end of one episode). I understand the purpose she serves, but I’m clearly not her target audience and I found it to be more nerve-wracking than entertaining. I think I could have tolerated it a bit better if she didn’t come across as such an airhead and her voice didn’t sound like nails on a chalkboard. Perhaps the fellas of Project Lore should give Morgan Webb a call? I like her.

So, all that being said, without further ado, I present you:

Project Lore: Utgarde Keep

• Episode 1.1
• Episode 1.2
• Episode 1.3
• Episode 1.4
• Episode 1.5
• Episode 1.6

Enjoy!