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The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player.

Crinox is a hunter on the Burning Legion server. His 2v2 team is rated 2199, while his 3v3 team is rated 2212. Crinox took the time to hook up with us, and answer some basic questions about what it's like in the Season 7 arena.

Before we get into the interview all the way, though, I wanted to take a moment and mention that we're always interested in interviewing new, highly ranked Arena players. Just drop a line to gray AT wow.com. I'll follow-up with an in game mail to verify that the character is actually the interviewee, and we'll get things under way.

Without further ado, let's jump behind the cut and talk to Crinox.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Colosseum

Some World of Warcraft quests have taken on a life of their own. These quests are emblazoned in our minds like the shining sun. They will never be forgotten. Certainly, Wrathgate is one such quest. However, before even that epic quest, the Horde traveling the Barrens have dealt with Mankrik and his wife. Such is the power of Mankrik meme that it has now become a machinima of its own.

Wowcrendor has taken up the epic tale and created Mankrik's Wife: The Story. This movie has a handful of gags similar to Wowcrendor's previous movies, but this film is a great deal more serious. I mean, it's not straight-face no-laughs serious, but the author is clearly telling a story. It's not quite the same kind of one-liners and sight gags we've seen before from Wowcrendor.

The best part for me was titling Mankrik's spouse "Wifeosaurus." That's a pretty fun shout-out to Wowcrendor's first movie, It's a Hard Gnome Life. I like that kind of continuity. I really feel like Wowcrendor is creating his own legacy, and I hope to see him continue to grow.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

Ready Check is a column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Vault of Archavon or Ulduar, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses.

One of the most difficult issues in any raid is "that guy." You know who I mean. The one who stands in fire, isn't pulling his weight, doesn't bring potions or food, is mean on Vent, is quiet on Vent, is a drama bomb, argues about loot, or otherwise does something that makes you think "this guy isn't getting it done." The only way you're going to resolve these problems is to coach them through it.

Of course, there are many reasons someone in a raid might need coaching as there are raids. Not every reason for coaching is necessarily a performance flaw. Most coaching sessions will probably be performance related in some way, but you could end up coaching a raid member because you think their sense of humor is just a little off.

Ultimately, it's up to you and your guild officers who is responsible for the actual coaching. But whoever does the job, you want to make sure they're doing it well. Take a look behind the jump for some coaching tips.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, (Raiding) Ready Check

Origano is back with the third installment of The Achiever. This episode features similar Achievement-fetching exploits as the first two, but it's definitely starting to come up a notch. As a nice bit of continuity, the new installment is voice-acted by Farinar, who you might recall from Dr. McNab Destroys Halloween yesterday. The Achiever 3 - Going Down! also enjoys a guest appearance by Whowho, one of the bloggers over at the Myndflame site.

I think Origano is getting better and better. He's resolved the challenges he had with a muddled soundtrack, and all the dialogue is crisp, clear, and easily understood. I also think the humor is stronger than before, especially now that he's grown the plot with a rival gameshow.

The Achiever 3 - Going Down is definitely the strongest episode of the series, and my hat's off to Origano. He also gets props for not succumbing to the natural double-entendre from the achievement title, which has probably got to be the most linked Achievement in WoW's Trade Chat.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

Mellow Halloween is the creation of Downbeat Ink, who says that the video's spontaneous, improvised script is why they called it "mellow."

The video's pretty short, but it's got a couple gags in it. I liked the "creepy mask" joke, though I've always thought all the Hallow's End masks are pretty creepy. There's a short spook at the end, which is probably the main gag of the video.

Similar to other videos, Mellow Halloween probably isn't going to win any awards for a complex, poetic storyline. However, it does get huge points for being a straightforward, fun idea. It's short and bite-sized, which means that its content delivers an efficient punch.

Videos like this remind me of the difference between a "joke" and a "humorous essay." I usually laugh at jokes and enjoy them in their moment. Humorous essays are usually okay, but unless the writer is really good, they rarely get laugh out loud moments. Mellow Halloween is like the joke -- perfect in its moment.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

While we're looking at Halloween movies, I wanted to take a moment and highlight Farinar's Dr. McNab Destroys Halloween. The annotation notes give the video a neat little "Pop-up Video" feel, and helps explain a little bit about where the video comes from.

The story itself is fairly straightforward. An evil genius gnome (aren't they all?) has reached the end of his patience with Halloween. He throws together a vile potion which transforms him into a demon. When he crashes the Halloween party, he is delighted to discover that he's won the costume contest! Sadly, his frustration returns when he's unable to take off his "mask" in order to accept the prize.

There are certainly arguable merits or drawbacks to the video. However, Dr. McNab Destroys Halloween reinforces the idea that simple, explainable plots can provide all the motive energy a film needs to be successful. Dr. McNab's motivations are identifiable and understood, since they're almost a meme by themselves. That lets Farinar focus on his imagery and comedy, without creating convoluted plot byproducts.

Ultimately, I just think this is a fun video. When tipster Thomas brought it up to me, I thought it was worth another shout out this year.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

A small crew of machinima creators and artists have stepped up their gamed and delivered something truly new to the World of Warcraft fan video scene. Check out the Ravenholdt Labyrinth (Interactive WoW Adventure).

This isn't a single video. Instead, using the interactive linking annotation feature in YouTube, the creators have made a sort of "Choose your own adventure" adventure using WoW machinima. Depending on your choices, you can navigate Gigi further into Ravenholdt to discover the mystery . . . or get her killed. You make the choices as you proceed.

This is the first machinima of this kind that I've seen, and my hat's off to Gigi, RedEye, Dan, WoPairs, and Abandonation for opening the doors to a new style of machinima. It would be awesome to see them do more like this, since I think it really broadens the scope of experience offered by machinima.

The overall style of this video is suited to Halloween. It's moody and spooky. The creep factor gets higher as you take Gigi further into the labyrinth. This is a really great job by everyone involved. My hat is off to the creators.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

Ready Check is a column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Vault of Archavon or Ulduar, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses.

One of the most difficult tasks any raid leader is going to face will be one of communication. Communication is a complex, ugly issue. It can be one of your strongest assets, but it can equally be your biggest downfall. This is because communication operates on two levels.

First, there's the obvious data-based communication. Things like "The next boss is named Anub'arak" are data-based. It's fact, unassailable, and fairly meaningful. Almost everyone's going to agree with quantifiable information. You're not going to round the corner of the instance, and find something that's not Anub'arak.

Second, however, is "shadow" communication. This is a level of communication that can be a great deal more complicated. In the absence of quantifiable information, the recipient will "read into" your words a whole series of meanings and concepts that you may not have intended. For example, "This next boss is Anub'arak, so you should get ready" can be interpreted as "Get ready because we're going right now" or "get ready by reading up on the boss strategies." Now, that's a fairly hyperbolized example, but it's a true one none-the-less. We've all had experience with "I didn't mean it like that" in our lives.

One of the oldest business cliches is that "Workers don't leave companies, they leave supervisors." While a raid leader isn't a supervisor in the same way as a business manager, some of the viable tips from the corporate world can still apply to raiding life. Let's take a look after the jump at some simple tips to enhance communication.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Raiding, (Raiding) Ready Check

Those wonderful folks over at Herculean Productions have released another episode of their titular series about Leeroy. This episode is The Chronicles of Leeroy, Two Copper Coins. This story picks up where we left off last time, when the intrepid group of adventurers have been saved by Flash the hunter.

I continue to love The Chronciles of Leeroy, because the series emphasizes a deep and joyful love of the game. It's not flashy or mired down in technical details of raiding or PvP, but instead just plays around with some goofy fun. It's the kind of lighthearted fun one can have with WoW that keeps me involved with the game.

I think Celeste has had some pretty good introduction material in previous episodes. I'm eager to see where that story goes. She's been pretty well established now, though, and probably needs to move on so that the audience doesn't only think of her as "that annoying mage girl."

As always, I look forward to the next episode. Click here to see The Chronicles of Leeroy, Two Copper Coins.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

Silverlined Productions stepped up to the holiday plate by presenting us A Silverlined Halloween. It's a clever commentary on the most dreaded Halloween event possible -- people handing out crackers to Trick-or-Treaters. Who's better to purvey such a vile treat than Arthas himself?

I enjoyed the general plan of A Silverlined Halloween, but I admit I struggled to understand what the Lich King was actually saying. I acknowledge that it could just be me having bad hearing, though. The adult Trick-or-Treater was fun, and I think his heavy breathing left enough doubt as to his intention that there was suspense in most of the video.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed A Silverlined Halloween. Maybe subtitles or something would make the Lich King's role more comprehensible, but I was still able to understand it well enough to laugh. Happy Halloween!

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch