So I'd thought I could try doing these thought posts where I just talk about things I've come across as I find trying to do posts on individual thoughts just never get done. Just going to give it a shot and I'll see how well it works for me over the next few months before I determine if I like it or not. Project updates will be kept as separate posts as will more focused article like posts, though expect some of those to show up over the next week or so.
Comical vs Serious in Warhammer Factions:
So I was reading the Worlds of Warhammer article in White Dwarf issue 455 and it was the part about the not wanting to fall into the trap of turning a more humorous races into a joke. While I get what they were going for, I do feel that they could of expanded more on what they meant. Using the Clanrats as an example was a poor choice in my opinion, as they rarely contribute in any form of story long enough for any meaningful character development. Doesn't matter how many there are, they are just throw away mobs in any monster swarm story, with the real horror coming from their leaders.
I also think sticking Skaven and Gloomspite Gitz in the same category of humorous race is also a bit misleading, mostly due to how the two factions are written. It's clear they have moved the Gitz further away from the more humorous aspects of the old Goblins and focused more on the sadistic nature of the old Night Goblins, where as Skaven still haven't changed much from their 'Thanquol' days despite removing a some of the random chance problems from their rules. For me, I don't see any real humor (even dark humour) in the Gloomspite where as the Skaven still have that Gremlins 2 movie feel in some sense.
That said, the more comical nature of 40K Orks is something that did draw me to them compared to most other races (mostly cause the other races lack anything that truly grabs me as exciting or interesting). Their simplistic yet brutal nature is easy to understand. They like to fight and it's what drives them, simple violence. Beyond that, they really lack most of the horror tropes to make them scary. It's the more amusing/funny nature that makes them more interesting. After all, this is a race who build stuff that they believe works and does when by all means shouldn't. It's why the pilot story in the Medusa V campaign was so great (to sum it up, Tau shot an Ork plain down and took the pilot prisoner. They studied the shot down plane and figured it should have never flown, let alone now after it'd been shot down. Pilot escaped, jumped in his plane and flew off, the Tau scratching their heads). Also, some of the dialog scenes in Dawn of War Winter Assault and Dawn of War 2 Retribution really show off how the Orks can be a threat, while still having very funny moments.
So is there a real problem in balancing a race being both threatening and humourous or is it perhaps I just find most other factions lack anything to bring in my interests and trying to talk about that is a lot more complicated then I thought.
Crash 4: Tawna Clip:
How do I talk about this one without pissing people off? Let's just say that I don't like the design and by that I mean sure I understand what they were going for, but for me the look is a little confusing. Is she an adventurer? Punk? Rogue? Pirate? I can't pinpoint the design and it somewhat irritates that design part of my brain.
I also don't get her reaction to Crash and Coco. People say that in her reality the two are dead and her reaction proves it and yeah, I somewhat see it, but if that was the case then I would have expected her to show a bit more emotion. I guess some could argue that she has removed herself from emotion to be a lone wolf hero, but then why act that way with the two if you wanted to keep yourself distant from emotion? Perhaps there is a cutscene of two that will better clarify that, so I'll just wait till the games out before looking into character personality traits (I am aware she is an alternate reality version, it's just the look and reactions of the character don't fully match given the information I have at hand is all I'm saying). As for Crash in the clip? he seems curious of her look, but ultimately just feels like he's just part of the cutscene for a gag and reaction.
That said, loved Coco's reactions in the clip. It's clear Tawna meant something to her, as the more she talked, the more she was getting connected and then the disappointment and sadness over Tawna's decision felt like it really hit her. I get the feeling that for Coco, Tawna may have been that big sister type to her early on and that sort of connection is something Coco is obviously wanting again. Perhaps that encounter brought up that sort of emotion for her again and made her realise that she was missing something in her life. As for what happened to their Tawna, they simply mentioned drifting apart, so for all we know is that Tawna and the Nitro Squad have opened up a tourist and shopping village on one of the Wampa Islands and that distance meant lack of communication. Who knows? But I would love to see some sort of resolution to this, just so we can see their Tawna get back into the main series again.
Maybe be like Coco was in the original Crash 3 game being in vehicle/animal levels, perhaps her and the Nitro Squad could go Super Sentai style and form their vehicles into a giant robot and go toe-to-toe with N Gin in a giant robot battle boss fight. Maybe then have Coco have her own levels as she builds her own rivalry with Nina Cortex in their own side story. After all, why should Crash and Dr Cortex have all the fun.
The Tale of the Bunny Picnic:
Nothing I really wanted to say here. Just joyful I found something from my childhood online and thought to share it here (damn that first song is catchy).
Upon reviewing this post, I realise that I am not good with putting thoughts into words (seriously, I don't think the first two ones even had a point). Maybe after a few more posts I'll start getting the hang of it, but open to any tips to help improve this whole 'thoughts into words' posts.
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