World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Preview

Blizzard Entertainment's highly anticipated World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion pack is the subject of a new preview over at Electronic Theatre.
With Cataclysm, Blizzard has not only added new areas to the existing map; they have actually redrawn the whole thing. Areas that were once desolate and barren, such as the aptly named Desolace and The Barrens, are now lush oasis and gaping chasms. Every region has been affected by Deathwing's release in one way or another and the result is a totally new levelling experience.

For veterans of the game though, this transformation will have an even more profound effect. Changing the region landscape is easily accepted by the player, welcomed even, but it is not only the vistas and mountain ranges that have changed, the cities have been spruced up too. None is more evident than Orgrimmar, that capital city of the Horde and home of the orcs. It is also the city where players congregate, owing much to the ease of access to necessities such as the bank and auction house. There are no cut-scenes in the Beta test version of Cataclysm, so it's not yet known why Garrosh Hellscream has succeeded Thrall as Warchief. What is evident is that a change of ownership often goes hand-in-hand with a refurbishment, and Orgrimmar is no different.