"On the Hot Trail". Review of the Collector's Edition of WoW: Cataclysm and a bit about the premiere
A logical question: why chase a hot trail when the launch happened two weeks ago? I answer: the traces of Deathwing stay hot for a ve-e-ery long time; two weeks is nothing for him. So, I present my overview of the collector's edition of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and a report from the premiere. Hot on the trail!
[cut]
The premiere of Cataclysm took place at the Metropolis shopping center on December 6th. The report from the StarCraft 2 premiere, which for technical reasons did not appear on the site, had little good to say. The organizers either couldn’t find a better place or severely underestimated the crowd… In general, I'm getting to the point that at the Cataclysm launch, mistakes were corrected to the maximum. The stage was set in the middle of the first floor of the shopping center, and the event was visible from all sides, even from the upper floors, and for those far from the center, screens were set up broadcasting the events. Here’s how it was:
The number of people is impressive. And in the photo, you can't yet see how the queue stretches around the corner – it goes on for about a hundred meters. Such a number has never been seen at any launch in Moscow – European level, no options. The traditional quizzes were generously mixed with musical numbers and atmospheric dances. Although it was almost impossible to break through to the stage by the time the event started, the hosts went into the crowd and tried to engage as many people as possible.
It turned out great and atmospheric. The only thing to complain about was that the queue for the game was somewhat separate from the crowd around the stage. It would have been better to provide a place for a long queue around the stage and organize entrance for it at the moment sales began. A small “snake” for the crowd was there, of course, but that’s just a drop in the ocean compared to the thousands of fans that came for the Cataclysm launch. Earlier, I mentioned the screens – yes, several screens were placed away from the stage so the distant queue could see the broadcast. Interestingly, the ceremony was recorded in full, and maybe soon this video will be available for everyone. It's worth seeing, believe me.
Since I had a press badge, I didn’t rush to the stage for free goodies and won't be able to tell you how it was in the thick of events this time. But I will show you my badge with a very cool ribbon, the branded bag, and the postcard that was given for autographs upon purchase.
The ribbon seems to have been made with a future need in mind since at the Diablo 3 premiere, the same one will be available. Can’t wait! And lastly, a photo of the booster with cards for TCG handed out to the press:
The last premiere of the year has passed, but the collector’s edition of Cataclysm is certainly not the last among the big editions of 2010. Talking about the collector’s editions of World of Warcraft is like writing a review on FIFA: each new version seems to differ only slightly from the previous ones, yet there’s always something to say, and new words keep coming from somewhere.
If the original WoW is somewhat different from the expansions, the last three collector's editions differ primarily in just the pictures; the template is the same. Game-artbook-soundtrack-video disk-mousepad-cards. But spending money on the collector's edition is not regrettable at all.
This is because Blizzard’s collector's editions grow alongside the game. By examining the artbook and video disk, you can trace the entire process of creating the expansion, from initial ideas to the final polishing of the intro video. But let’s take it step by step.
The packaging is traditional, but this time the mousepad is above the artbook, not underneath it.
And the mousepad itself has changed. Since there are no extensive new areas with a characteristic map in this expansion, it features dark art of the main disruptor of order, Deathwing. The map of Azeroth in the background is a nod to traditions. The surface of the mousepad is rougher than in the Wrath of the Lich King box and, subjectively, is more convenient for optical mice.
The soundtrack. Epic, as always.
The TCG deck. As someone distant from these things, I’ll simply post the photo. Previously, a full-fledged guide for this game was included in the box, but in Cataclysm, they decided to limit themselves to a flyer.
The game disk. Interestingly, inside there is a whole deck of trial keys: two for WoW and two for StarCraft 2. Grab them.
By the way, regarding StarCraft 2. Those whose account is linked to the collector's edition of Cataclysm receive a unique achievement in StarCraft 2, two avatars, and unique insignias (details here). Obviously, Blizzard will continue linking collector's editions from different universes together.
And of course, the pet – Deathwing Whelpling:
Next, the manual. It only has a sticker in terms of collectibility, but many buy the edition just for that sticker.
Blizzard has finally realized that game users know how to install and uninstall games, so now the manual is primarily dedicated to the expansion itself. Stories of goblins, worgen, and Deathwing, as well as a brief guide to the innovations of the expansion are the central themes of the guide.
The artbook – without unnecessary words:
However, I will still have to say a few words. Under the super cover, we are greeted by this ornament:
The first thought: “What is the artbook of Warhammer Online doing here?” Yes, sometimes these universes are too close in their culture. Note the inscription on the spine: this time the book is stylized like an in-game tome. And finally, the video disk.
The announcement grandiosely promised us a retrospective of the WarCraft series, but in reality, it turned out to be very formal – in such-and-such year, such-and-such game, known for such-and-such. No revelations in the video, also no interesting comments. So what remains the main content on the disk is still the same as before: an intro video in all languages and a story about the creation process of the expansion – with this content in Cataclysm, everything is still in order.
On the one hand, it’s sad that the physical content in the editions is becoming less and less. In Wrath of the Lich King, there was no client on CD, in Cataclysm they removed the manual for TCG. This is becoming a global trend: turning digital, into avatars and achievements. Well, gamers will have to adapt to this. But before digital and cloud technologies completely take over the world, we have at least two collector's editions of expansions to World of Warcraft ahead. So, it’s still too early to fear for the future.
