Blizzard Cinematic Quality Deteriorating?

[Triceron]

Their cinematics department handles cinematics for every game they make, every trailer they release.

With more projects now than ever, and an almost yearly release of some game/expansion, they have a lot more on their plates to deliver. Time is something they don't have on their side, so now they're focusing on a few key elements and letting in-game cinematics dictate the rest of their story needs.

If anything, I still hold Warcraft 3's cinematics in high regard compared to what we have in WoL, but I don't think WoL's cinematics are any indication that they're getting any worse. The Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm cinematics still blow my mind.

The only drawback I have with WoL's ending, and this is one of the fundamental appeals of their cinematics, is the lack of a grandiose explosion or large-scale battle scene. Starcraft had it (Tassadar's Sacrifice), Warcraft 3 had it (Archimonde), Diablo even had it (Worldstone exploding), and SC2's ending was even set up to have it - but it was not done properly in a full CG cinematic. Seeing an ingame cutscene of Zerg being wiped out is a complete anti-climactic let down especially when you knew everything was building up to this one moment.

[Arkalis]

Old CGI vodeos are cheaper, I think. The new requires a lot moneys (but I think, it's not a problem for Activision-Blizzard)

That isn't the only problem; the biggest one is TIME, a resource Blizzard requires tremedously but then, some thousands of fans can do some pressure...

[Romla]

Final Meta is will deliver on both content and quality. That's why it took so long.

The Star Wars ToR cinematics were made by Blur Studios.

I am happy to hear that. And Blur Studio seems to be a treasury of great cinematics, good to know that too.

[PhanttoM]

BTW Freespace - I was gonna watch your first contact video again, but when I click the link in your signature I get;
This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated due to multiple third-party notifications of copyright infringement from claimants including:

• Activision
• GRY-OnLine S.A

I found the video on SCL's channel, but you might wanna update your signature.

[Brutaxilos]

just to specify, im comparing between pre-rendered cinematics. not between pre-rendered and rendered. i just feel that "the deal" looked alot more polished and realistic than the other ones.

[Freespace]

BTW Freespace - I was gonna watch your first contact video again, but when I click the link in your signature I get;
This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated due to multiple third-party notifications of copyright infringement from claimants including:

• Activision
• GRY-OnLine S.A

I found the video on SCL's channel, but you might wanna update your signature.

Heck, I forgot to update my sig. Thanks

[Dalarsco]

I disagree. Yes, many of them didn't have the technical wonder of other cinematics, but they mostly used game engine rather than prerendered. But in actual cinematic terms they were all phenomenal. The dialog was good, and the music and camera work was breathtaking. The cinematic of Raynor's speech juxtaposed with the battle was one of my favorite game cinematics of all time.

[hyde]

If you listen to one of their really old podcasts (Circa 2008), they say the Tychus Findlay suit up cinematic was one of the most tough and enduring ones of the entire game.

We will never see "Avatar" or "Galatic Space battle" cinematics. It's too costly and would be insane to render. Most of the work would go unnoticed as well. What people don't realize is that the cinematic is rendered in the entire room. They can take the "Director's Camera" and move around the room, zoom in, stare at Tychus's ass during the last cinematic and let it play through. So in a giant space battle, EACH ship would have to get rendered I'd imagine and etc...would anyone seriously see/notice ALL of that? Hell no. Hell I bet people can't even name one mark/emblem on Tychus's suit other than the Ace of Spades Girl with the gun :P

The in-game cinematics are a good compromise, we get more cinematics and well yeah.
I realize the StarCraft Ghost trailer had "tons of marines" and ultralisks, but the models look like total crap.
The marines have that "BALD EGGHEAD LOOK WITH GENERIC FACE" sorta look. Man, Metzen's voice acting on the XO is so corny...lol.


Though, saying the quality of the cinematics has gone down could be no further from the truth. The amount of detail in the Tychus cinematic blows away ANYTHING they have done.

[Romla]

Yeah, they could make 4 minutes long cinematic of perfectly animated Kerrigan's ass with detail on every hemorrhoid, but what's the purpose of that? I think the purpose of cinematic is to show some story or interesting scene and not to show some piece of armor.

[Eligor]

If you listen to one of their really old podcasts (Circa 2008), they say the Tychus Findlay suit up cinematic was one of the most tough and enduring ones of the entire game.

We will never see "Avatar" or "Galatic Space battle" cinematics. It's too costly and would be insane to render. Most of the work would go unnoticed as well. What people don't realize is that the cinematic is rendered in the entire room. They can take the "Director's Camera" and move around the room, zoom in, stare at Tychus's ass during the last cinematic and let it play through. So in a giant space battle, EACH ship would have to get rendered I'd imagine and etc...would anyone seriously see/notice ALL of that? Hell no. Hell I bet people can't even name one mark/emblem on Tychus's suit other than the Ace of Spades Girl with the gun :P

The in-game cinematics are a good compromise, we get more cinematics and well yeah.
I realize the StarCraft Ghost trailer had "tons of marines" and ultralisks, but the models look like total crap.
The marines have that "BALD EGGHEAD LOOK WITH GENERIC FACE" sorta look. Man, Metzen's voice acting on the XO is so corny...lol.


Though, saying the quality of the cinematics has gone down could be no further from the truth. The amount of detail in the Tychus cinematic blows away ANYTHING they have done.

I wouldn't mind lower model quality in a space battle cinematic if the art direction itself and the overall dramatic direction are good, just sayin'.

Besides, they can storyboard it out meticulously enough to allow them to "cheat" and make the ships (and other things) farther away from the camera as much lower quality models (action scenes are meticulously storyboarded in any case).

And I don't think the models look like "total crap", if there's a piece of stupid unwarranted criticism, this is one. Apologies if I may come off as harsh here, but there's nothing that grinds my gears as much as an offhand dismissal of anything that took effort (not to mention skill and artistry) to make. The video is certainly rough around the edges when it comes to faces, but still head and shoulders above "crap".