Monday, 06 July 2009

• Let's Talk Diablo III

  
  

  
  

  I saw that little bunny hop of joy you just did, don't try to hide it.  We're all looking forward to Diablo III and any new information Blizzard releases is quickly gobbled up, discussed on hundreds of forums, and ultimately judged by one of the most hardcore fan bases ever attached to a game series.
  
  So let's keep the pitchforks and torches to a minimum here, folks, I just want to talk facts.
  
  First off, we already know a bit of the story line care of the official Diablo III website.  It seems like our old friend Deckard Cain is poking around the ruins of every Diablo fan's favorite town, Tristram, when some sort of fire shoots down from the sky and reawakens all the baddies.  Not exactly completely original or eloquent, but hey, we're here to spill some demon blood, not discuss the merits of literature.
  
  

  
  

  The Barbarian and the Wizard will make a triumphant return.
  

  
  With the background story out of the way let's look at the characters.  So far we've had three of the classes revealed to us: the Barbarian, the Wizard, and the Witch Doctor.  We've seen the Barbarian and Wizard before and they seem to be the Diablo equivalent of your standard Dungeons and Dragons "Wizard and Warrior" lineup.  The Barbarian can and will smash faces with large axes, swords, and possibly doors, and the Wizard will throw fireballs, create blizzards, and put up some crazy magical shields.  The Witch Doctor is new, but in actuality may not be too different from the Necromancer in Diablo II.  Take a look at this gameplay video and decide for yourself:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGhqwjzi7hE
  

  After watching that a few times myself I'm starting to get antsy for some new playstyles.  The Barbarian and Wizard we've seen before.  Sure, they have a few new tricks but it's really all been done before with those classes.  The Witch Doctor has some nifty mechanics that depart from the Necromancer in Diablo II, but really you're still playing a Necromancer in jungle skivvies.  So what about the classes yet to be revealed, Blizzard?  My main concern is that you give us something new that hasn't been nailed by other RPGs or MMOs.  A tall task, but one that the legendary Blizzard should pride itself on living up to.
  
  Which brings us to the final point; the graphics.  Yes, there has been a huge uproar from fans across the world over the new "kid" graphics of Diablo III.  Anger and hormones have died down a bit lately but common sense tells us that the rebellion will continue as we grow closer to release.  Blizzard seems to greatly enjoy the slightly cartoonish graphic style (take a look at Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft) and I can't knock them for it.  It makes their games more accessible to people who don't own computers from 10 years in the future or can't afford to upgrade their RAM and graphics card for the 17th time in a year.  At the same time, this is Diablo we're talking about, and the premise of the game has always set a more somber tone.  Remember the raven plucking out the eyeball in the opening cinematic from Diablo I?  Yea, that's the kind of stuff we're dealing with here.  From the gameplay video things don't seem too bad to my eyes, but I can see where people may be concerned that Blizzard might take this a bit too far.  Diablo has always been a darker game without a very bright color palette, so don't jump over the edge and make a joke out of your own series by softening things up too much.
  
  Now it's time to weigh in on all of this.  Does Blizzard have everything under control here or are you worried about the game in any way?
  

  • 10:00 AM
  • 1776 Views
  • 64 eProps
  • 34 Comments