It never ceases to surprise me how many suckers will actually be willing to buy a game from a great company despite profits also going towards a corporate giant bent on ridding a gaming industry of quality games. I mean really.. You would have to be totally blind to not notice the clues from Blizzard's previous titles slowly starting to pop up over time. v.v

Originally posted by Kaledus
It never ceases to surprise me how many suckers will actually be willing to buy a game from a great company despite profits also going towards a corporate giant bent on ridding a gaming industry of quality games. I mean really.. You would have to be totally blind to not notice the clues from Blizzard's previous titles slowly starting to pop up over time. v.v

While calling other people suckers is perfectly ok according to your standards.

Originally posted by coretex666

Originally posted by Kaledus
It never ceases to surprise me how many suckers will actually be willing to buy a game from a great company despite profits also going towards a corporate giant bent on ridding a gaming industry of quality games. I mean really.. You would have to be totally blind to not notice the clues from Blizzard's previous titles slowly starting to pop up over time. v.v

While calling other people suckers is perfectly ok according to your standards.

 

Simple History 101 my friend. :)

I'm not a fan of Activison. However, I've seen no evidence (as of yet) that they're diminished the quality of any Blizzard products.

There's this game coming out in a few years time, I don't know it's name, i don't know anything about it, but it's gonna suck big time! (Just fitting in the with the cool kids)

As for Diablo, i've not played in over a decade, so i'm looking forward to this latest chapter. Will it suck or not I won't know until the posty pops it through my door and i've beaten hell.

But if i get  that glorious hack N slash feel that the originals gave with a few friends, then it'll be money well spent and i'm sure millions, yes millions, will be happy too. :)

D3 will b a fun game, and  it will do fine.

however, i also have to agree w the OP. Blizzard isn't the same company it used to be. I used to get engaged by their games, they felt interesting, challenging, accessible, and fun. Now it seems as though every game is geared almost entirely towards accessibility. They still know how to make a game look pretty, but they're losing what variety they used to have (which wasn't a whole lot to begin with).

I know when I played the original diablo, It felt dark, it felt threatening. I know my first time playing I was freaked out by the butcher. I didn't know what he was, but I knew he could kill me if I wasn't careful. I don't feel any of that from D3. From what I played I'm looking for some star, and just so happen to be fighting pretty looking zombies. Not once did I feel threatened by the enemies, and that's not a good thing imho.

I'm sure people will still like it, but they've definitely lost that dark-gothic feel that they used to bring to these games. If you watch some of the character videos in path of exile, it shows a world much more closely resembling the original diablo / d2. It's dark, the mobs are threatening, and there is this looming sense of evil / darkness closing down around you. I didn't get any of that from D3. Not saying one game will be better than the other, but personally I don't think D3 is a step forward for the franchize. To me it looks engineered towards the greatest common audience, instead of towards the best gameplay for a gothic action rpg. It's make a lot of money, I'm sure about that, but that doesn't matter to me. I'd prefer a game that feels like what it's supposed to be.

Originally posted by Saneless

As someone who has been dreaming of Diablo 3 since it was first announced, lurking the website daily i feel as if the game does not retain its original image or feel the series used to have. I am not going to attempt to bash the game or create a hate thread, im going to state general facts of the game and the series.

1. Graphics (not this again)

Diablo 2, one of the most popular levels in the game by its general design and wow factor
http://0.tqn.com/d/compactiongames/1/0/X/2/diablo210.jpg

Diablo 3, new updated graphics engine, the same used to create world of warcraft, and starcraft II is reused here. Now blizzard did this in its previous games as sc2 and d2 used the same graphics engines which there is nothing wrong with but the feel of these games has changed drastically.
http://ninjalite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/diablo-3-screenshot6.jpg

D3, has a lighter tone than the original 2 games, that much is obvious but what is hidden is how that changes the gameplay. Graphics dont make a game, but in d2 the darkness of a cave or prison and being surrounded by monsters from hell who also looked dark and scary changed the vibe.

2. Gameplay
Gameplay essentially remains at the core of what D2 was, and i feel like they have done a good job in keeping this with the series.

3. Level design
D3 does a horrible job at this from what we have seen so far. Most of the levels look like they were copied and pasted and renamed. You see this in the cathedral, also in D2 you would spend a good amount of time trying to find the right way to go and it made you feel accomplished when you get out of that damned place. In D3 i didnt see much of this it felt like the levels were just meant to be ran through.

4. PvP
The best part of D2 was the fact you would just sit in town and duel, we didnt need capture the flag or 3 on 3s (although they did happen), D3 has lost this and turned it more into a tournament style of fighting than what it used to be, and while it wont be out when the game is released blizzard isnt know for changing a design like this.

5. Monster design
Blizzard north was amazing with the bosses they designed, they scared us, and made us fear Diablo. I didnt ever expect i would run into a fluffy marshmellow man like you will in D3.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/06/3thousand-pounder-summoned_530x298.jpg

6. DRM/Offline play
D2 had 2 different online game modes and a single player mode D3 has 1 single player mode and 1 multiplayer mode.

Open B.net anyone?

Open B.net was horrible for anyone that ever played it, filled with hackers and hacked items that were always insanely over powered and stupidly named but it was fun and kept some playing, doubt well see this in diablo 3.

7. (OPINION) Blizzard has changed.

http://www.grindinggear.com/?page=staff
scroll to the bottom of this page, looks a little like the original blizzard team doesnt it?

Blizzard is not what it used to be. The games they produce now are geared towards a different audience, the belief that the "WoW formula" worked once and it must end eventually. Games like path of exile are giving us vets what we wanted and blizzard refuses. We asked for a Diablo themed ARPG and instead we get this instead. The same can be said about starcraft 2, we wanted a SC2 and what we got was starcraft, cartoon graphics, shitty balance issues (the original had them but not nearly as bad as sc2), and a horrible battle.net Diablo 3 will be a continuation of this. Diablo isnt a sequel, its world of warcraft with a top down view, 6 skills, and graphics that look like hell. PoE may not be the greatest graphics but they are far from outdated, the gameplay is better, feels better, and whats we true diablo fans wanted.

The real Diablo fans will not buy Diablo 3, the rest of you who are saw the add on the world of warcraft forums and will but it because its pretty.

 

 

I am a real Diablo fan, starting from the first game and a Diablo 2 Vet (still play it to this day occasionally). I disagree with most of your points, I was lucky enough to be in the D3 Beta and I liked what I saw. 

Oh and I will be buying it!  ;)

3. Level design
D3 does a horrible job at this from what we have seen so far. Most of the levels look like they were copied and pasted and renamed. You see this in the cathedral, also in D2 you would spend a good amount of time trying to find the right way to go and it made you feel accomplished when you get out of that damned place. In D3 i didnt see much of this it felt like the levels were just meant to be ran through.

 

Wait... what? Are you sure you played D2 cause I could of swore a lot of that was "Copy and Pasted" and they were all pretty much just 'ran' through... or if you played D2, 'teleported' through by a sorc. 

I agree with the OP. Spot on! But I think the game will be fun enough to buy and play anyway.

I guess this game will not last as long as D2 did. And its not intended for old D2 veterans that want a new game like D2. Its target audience is gamers in general and specially action gamers.

i agree 

d3 sucks 

 

Originally posted by Purutzil

 Wait... what? Are you sure you played D2 cause I could of swore a lot of that was "Copy and Pasted" and they were all pretty much just 'ran' through... or if you played D2, 'teleported' through by a sorc. 

Yep, I can list the layout from the Act 2 Tombs/Crypts/Dungeons pretty much from memory. To be honest, most action rpg's with a randomized dungeon feature have this "problem". I don't mind it much though. Diablo 3 tries to keep it somewhat fresh by changing some of the events per game. Something that was featured in Diablo 1 (The Butcher quest and The Skeleton King quest), but was missing in Diablo 2.

The OP mentioned PvP. He thought it was awesome in Diablo 2. It didn't belong to my "best moments" in Diablo 2. I can't see how splitting up PvP from the rest of the game is making it Diablo 3 worse. In my opinion PvP didn't belong in Diablo, so people looking to harass others need to seek another game :)

Removing PvP, streamlining Co-Op gameplay and giving players personal loot sold Diablo 3 for me.

Your review doesn't detail what the games like in the rest of Act 1 or the later Acts. 

 

What were your opinions on the difficulty in Nightmare and Hell?

 

I'm a real D2 fan and I've already pre-downloaded D3 and can't wait for the 15th!

 

PoE will be just a blip on the radar when it releases.  The art direction alone and copy-pasting D2 guarantees it.

Originally posted by Saneless

 

---

Originally posted by dubyahite

 

I'm a "real" Diablo fan and I will buy D3. Weird. I think a more accurate statement would be "blizzard Haters will not buy D3. Because they have built up years and years of Blizzard hate and could not reconcile the contradiction"

---

 
if both of you are real fans you would see what im talking about, if you dont you never played diablo.

 

 Played 1 and 2 until I was sooo burnt out on cows that when I left it was like OMG I spent 5 years just playing hardcore cows. Loved the game and the game play. Played all my alt accounts that were mules LOL had 8 accounts and played every character until they died or I capped them.

After play D3 with expectations of hating the game I found it  just miles beyond my expectations so you're worng.

Originally posted by FrodoFragins

Your review doesn't detail what the games like in the rest of Act 1 or the later Acts. 

 

What were your opinions on the difficulty in Nightmare and Hell?

 They felt rather easy compared to D2s harder difficulties.

I'm a real D2 fan and I've already pre-downloaded D3 and can't wait for the 15th!

Proving my point, you liked diablo 1 and 2 now youll by 3 regardless of its shit.

PoE will be just a blip on the radar when it releases.  The art direction alone and copy-pasting D2 guarantees it.

Just like diablo was a blip when it first came out. If anything the art direction guarantees it's success.

Will i buy d3? Probably.

Will i play it like i played d2? Expect not. If the game comes out and it turns out its not the diablo 2 turned game it appears to be, then great more power to it. But the people hating on PoE simply because it follows other games success is proof of the fanboiblizz cult that exsist. Blizzard is not perfect and their last game and last 3 expansions proved that. 

The problem isn't that Diablo 3 is bad, the problem is that it's not special. It's predecesors were. 

To put it simply, Diablo 3 looks bland. It looks any other action RPG and it lacks the atmosphere that Diablo 1 and 2 had. In addition, the lack of PvP and off-line play make Diablo 3 an inferior product feature-wise compared to many other online RPG's.

I'll probably get it eventually, once the price drops and I'm not looking for another game. It still looks like a decent game.

Originally posted by fundayz

The problem isn't that Diablo 3 is bad, the problem is that it's not special. It's predecesors were. 

To put it simply, Diablo 3 looks bland. It looks any other action RPG and it lacks the atmosphere that Diablo 1 and 2 had. In addition, the lack of PvP and off-line play make Diablo 3 an inferior product feature-wise compared to many other online RPG's.

I'll probably get it eventually, once the price drops and I'm not looking for another game. It still looks like a decent game.

 Well its your opinion even though I think its ridiculous but thats me being a fanboy. However have fun waiting 2 years for a possible price drop.

Originally posted by Saneless

Diablo 3, new updated graphics engine, the same used to create world of warcraft, and starcraft II is reused here. Now blizzard did this in its previous games as sc2 and d2 used the same graphics engines which there is nothing wrong with but the feel of these games has changed drastically.

 

 

Source? I am pretty sure all those games use different engines. Honestly, you lost me there. Your post lost all credibility the second you started spewing out false information as facts.

You seem to have a very strange view of DII. I didn't share that impression at all. After loading up DII after playing DI, I had a feeling of "what is this shit" for quite a while before I shook it off. There was so much DII did "wrong".

As far as I'm concerned, DII lost DI's feeling entirely. DII's atmosphere was something else. DII was significantly less dungeon crawlery because of the open areas and the skills you got. DIII will have the same "problem". DI --> DII/DIII is a major atmosphere switch simply because of how the games function. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but I believe it's a mistake to claim DII is terribly atmospheric. DIII doesn't have much to live up to and I think it's already doing fine.

"Graphics dont make a game, but in d2 the darkness of a cave or prison and being surrounded by monsters from hell who also looked dark and scary changed the vibe."

- yeah, because that's seriously how I feel walking around Zealing the shit out of everything. No. This feeling existed in DI. It will not exist in any game where you feel decently powerful. In DI it's a big deal because monsters move as fast as you do and can kill you if you misstep even when you have decent gear. In DII, surrounded by monsters = "Yay, that's a lot of monsters to kill at once!"

"You see this in the cathedral, also in D2 you would spend a good amount of time trying to find the right way to go and it made you feel accomplished when you get out of that damned place."

- most of my impression with DII cathedrals were "fuck this place, fuck it, fuck it" because it was so fucking boring. And Jail wasn't particularly different from Cathedral. I don't get that impression from DIII areas, I actually want to clear them. Maybe because they do not consist of different shades of gray and I can actually see where the fuck I am going (although Royal Crypts seem to get close to that murkiness you're looking for).

It's a bit too early to tell for me to actively judge DIII environments, but I like how they did the crypts so far. I don't really expect everything else to be designed this way, I figured that's just how the crypts are. Besides that, I definitely appreciate the 3D environments, the general size, and overall layout.

Never cared for PvP and never will. PvP and DII is a joke. PvPers play games that actually involve skill, like Nox, SC, DotA, or Tribes. Not this "who can farm the best gear" garbage. PvP was tacked on in Diablo and completely unnecessary, all decent PvPers and real Diablo fans (not DII multiplayer catchup plans) know that. So does Blizzard.

Do I seriously need to bring up all the ridiculous monsters DII had? Like the walking gargantuans? Trees? Fetishes? Scarab Beetles (lol)? Cute chirping jumpers? And, seriously, I don't know anyone who was scared of Diablo II. It's fucking Diablo II.

Single Player is one thing I can agree on. Going to miss it.

The fact that Blizzard has changed is a fact, not an opinion. Blizzard has changed even when it did DII, because DII was a totally different beast from DI, just DII fans don't really get that.

Like it or not, DIII will bring innovation. Path of Exile is the same old crap (I played it) with all the same problems that EVERY single Diablo clone has right now (completely unintuitive and boring progression where you just spam one skill. The gemmed skill system guarantees that). I played PoE for some while but I can't even touch it anymore because hitting stuff with one skill over and over and over gets old fast. In DIII, I got to experiment with all sorts of stuff on every character straight away. If you can't see that as a positive thing, nobody can help you.

To say DIII is WoW is just idiotic to say the least. There's like nothing in common in the two games besides levels. WoW copied DII's skill system, you realize that, right?

I wager that DII fans are not necessarily real fans. A lot of DII fans are people who do not understand the genre who came to DII for secondary stuff like PK, PvP, and min-maxing. And that shit was never what Diablo was about. Diablo was about going through the dungeons and killing Diablo. It was never about killing fucking players and getting an elitist attitude because someone didn't put their points in Vitality (btw, you'll find a lot of this in WoW. You're sure WoW is not the game for you?). Nor was Diablo ever about Baal runs. People who got bored turned Diablo play into that. Everyone else left DII soon enough after it became pointless.

Originally posted by Irus

Snipped

 I agree with you overall in what you said. However I found PvP enjoyable and even more so with my clan. Sure it was an afterthought but it was fun. I liked showing off my gear and beating people into the ground. Though it got old quick once the ith era took over. I really enjoyed trying to get the perfect stats on unique items, the joy of finding your first SoJ back when it was the best ring and eventually turned currency before the new runewords.

I also did not like D1 at all, I couldn't get into it a bit so I was hesitant on D2. Could have been my gaming style then I don't know, I was heavy into CnC and SC in that time frame.

Great post by Irus.

PvP was something I use to do at the end of the night for giggles in D2 and probably will be the same in D3. There really is only one decent PvP game out there and that is Darkfall, which is low pop currently as many wait for the release of Darkfall 2.0.