Pandering

Well, well ,well what is this that has come into my sights? Why, its the trailer for the new World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria!


Seems that as this expansion draws closer, everyone's intent on making Kung fu Panda jokes - not me however (but I will admit that not having Jack Black to do a celebrity commercial would indeed be a wasted opportunity).

But really, this cinematic is our first glimpse at the Pandarens and their chance to show us all what they can do and what they can offer to the war-torn world that is Azeroth. And judging from the narration it would seem that they are a neutral faction, interested in balance and seeing the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance rather inane. Note the moment when the Pandaren monk breaks up the fight between the Human and the Orc - to which the human responds by giving the Orc his spear.

Mind you I do like the idea about the Pandarens that is suggested in this trailer: They are interested in balance, they have decent enough reason to go into battle and they don't seem too pleased with members of the both the Horde and the Alliance turning up on their doorstep. But if the purpose of the Pandarens is to challenge the very long-running conflict between the Horde and Alliance then somehow that seems more a fool's errand. As mentioned before, one reason WoW has lasted so long, and may continue to do so, is that both factions are in an eternal stalemate with no ground being gained or lost.
If anything, as evidenced by the Orc and Human in the trailer, they've both been at this for so long that that's all they know - thus anyone who wants to break up a fight somehow comes across as being the bigger threat.

But even if this approach does have potential, it doesn't really explain why, upon hitting level 10, Pandaren players have to choose which faction to join. Damn...