Diablo

[victoriascastle]

does anyone play or am I too old school

[EnderDurden]

does anyone play or am I too old school

Used to love that game, especially Diablo II. Always played Barbarian. Haven't played it in a while, though. Apparently there's going to be a third, which should be cool.

[Allison W]

Oh man, I loved that game. And Diablo II. Probably wasted like a thousand hours on that one, though it bugged me that the classes that really fit my playstyle were boys.

And yes, there will be a Diablo III. It's a ways out--no release date has been announced yet, and bear in mind that Blizzard chronically pushes back release dates even after announcement--and the fifth (of five) classes hasn't even been announced yet.

What we do know about Diablo III:

* It takes place twenty years after Diablo II.

* Gender is no longer tied to class; each class has male and female models. This is awesome. The female barbarian also actually looks like a big strong barbarian woman (complete with badass face scar) instead of Kate Moss, which is double awesome.

* Diablo II's Barbarian class, which I mentioned above, is returning, but it's the only returning class from Diablo II. In the case of the male barbarian, it's actually the same person who was the Barbarian in Diablo II, and yes, he's gettin' on in years. Moreover, it's been confirmed that Barbarians no longer use mana/energy, but rather fury orbs which build up during combat.

* The first new class announced was the Witch Doctor. Its tools include pets, fire bombs with parabolic trajectories (unlike traditional fireballs, they can be thrown over barriers), locust swarms, and chucklefucking walls of zombies.

* The second new class announced was the Wizard, which differs from the Sorceress in that Wizards get access to time-space and kinetic-force magic in addition to elemental magic. Also the wizard is like a 19-year-old kid-slash-rebel without a cause which is pretty wild when considering that the male barbarian is all grey and stuff and the female barbarian looks pretty experienced herself.

* The third new class announced was the Monk (holy shit). Blizzard actually admitted was inspired by fighting games like Street Fighter IV, and yes, the Monk gets to teleport-kick people in the head (seven times in a row), do the palm thingy that makes people blow up in a spray of giblets a few seconds later, and reflect missile attacks, even fireballs and the like, with nothing but a stick. Blizzard has said that the Monk is supposed to be a bit of a counterpoint to the Barbarian--more fragile, but faster and deadlier in the right hands.

* The last class, as I mentioned earlier, is unannounced. It's probably safe to assume it'll kind of be carrying the torch for the Rogue and Amazon, though, which is to say it'll probably use bows and stuff. It won't be the Amazon, and I also doubt it'll be the Rogue, unless they've removed the female-only stipulation from their organization's membership policy sometime in the last two decades. Though Rogues making a playable comeback would be a head trip worth the price of admission.

* Potions are emergency items, not staples, now. Instead of frequently dropping potions, enemies now commonly drop orbs which immediately restore health or mana when clicked.

* Deckard Cain is starting to melt.

* One of the first gameplay videos for Diablo III showed destructible environment bits, like a crumbling wall you could topple over onto a mob of undesirables prior to engaging them directly.

* The Tetris backpack is gone, replaced by a more conventional and less irritating inventory system (tabbed for convenience, no less).

* For better or for worse, stat increases are no longer discretionary, but determined by class. This admittedly will probably be for the better for me, since I am the most indecisive person ever.

* Apparently there will be stat and skill runes you can use to customize your stats and augment your active skills.

* The Diablo setting is sounding increasingly Middle East-inspired as opposed to Medieval Europe-inspired like most fantasy titles.

* http://www.diablo3.com/ will get you to the official site.

[katzie_05]

Oh man, I loved that game. And Diablo II. Probably wasted like a thousand hours on that one, though it bugged me that the classes that really fit my playstyle were boys.

And yes, there will be a Diablo III. It's a ways out--no release date has been announced yet, and bear in mind that Blizzard chronically pushes back release dates even after announcement--and the fifth (of five) classes hasn't even been announced yet.

What we do know about Diablo III:

* It takes place twenty years after Diablo II.

* Gender is no longer tied to class; each class has male and female models. This is awesome. The female barbarian also actually looks like a big strong barbarian woman (complete with badass face scar) instead of Kate Moss, which is double awesome.

* Diablo II's Barbarian class, which I mentioned above, is returning, but it's the only returning class from Diablo II. In the case of the male barbarian, it's actually the same person who was the Barbarian in Diablo II, and yes, he's gettin' on in years. Moreover, it's been confirmed that Barbarians no longer use mana/energy, but rather fury orbs which build up during combat.

* The first new class announced was the Witch Doctor. Its tools include pets, fire bombs with parabolic trajectories (unlike traditional fireballs, they can be thrown over barriers), locust swarms, and chucklefucking walls of zombies.

* The second new class announced was the Wizard, which differs from the Sorceress in that Wizards get access to time-space and kinetic-force magic in addition to elemental magic. Also the wizard is like a 19-year-old kid-slash-rebel without a cause which is pretty wild when considering that the male barbarian is all grey and stuff and the female barbarian looks pretty experienced herself.

* The third new class announced was the Monk (holy shit). Blizzard actually admitted was inspired by fighting games like Street Fighter IV, and yes, the Monk gets to teleport-kick people in the head (seven times in a row), do the palm thingy that makes people blow up in a spray of giblets a few seconds later, and reflect missile attacks, even fireballs and the like, with nothing but a stick. Blizzard has said that the Monk is supposed to be a bit of a counterpoint to the Barbarian--more fragile, but faster and deadlier in the right hands.

* The last class, as I mentioned earlier, is unannounced. It's probably safe to assume it'll kind of be carrying the torch for the Rogue and Amazon, though, which is to say it'll probably use bows and stuff. It won't be the Amazon, and I also doubt it'll be the Rogue, unless they've removed the female-only stipulation from their organization's membership policy sometime in the last two decades. Though Rogues making a playable comeback would be a head trip worth the price of admission.

* Potions are emergency items, not staples, now. Instead of frequently dropping potions, enemies now commonly drop orbs which immediately restore health or mana when clicked.

* Deckard Cain is starting to melt.

* One of the first gameplay videos for Diablo III showed destructible environment bits, like a crumbling wall you could topple over onto a mob of undesirables prior to engaging them directly.

* The Tetris backpack is gone, replaced by a more conventional and less irritating inventory system (tabbed for convenience, no less).

* For better or for worse, stat increases are no longer discretionary, but determined by class. This admittedly will probably be for the better for me, since I am the most indecisive person ever.

* Apparently there will be stat and skill runes you can use to customize your stats and augment your active skills.

* http://www.diablo3.com/ will get you to the official site.

Fascinated with I when I was in secondary...

Captivated and obsessed with II when I was in university....

[EnderDurden]

Oh man, I loved that game. And Diablo II. Probably wasted like a thousand hours on that one, though it bugged me that the classes that really fit my playstyle were boys.

And yes, there will be a Diablo III. It's a ways out--no release date has been announced yet, and bear in mind that Blizzard chronically pushes back release dates even after announcement--and the fifth (of five) classes hasn't even been announced yet.

What we do know about Diablo III:

* It takes place twenty years after Diablo II.

* Gender is no longer tied to class; each class has male and female models. This is awesome. The female barbarian also actually looks like a big strong barbarian woman (complete with badass face scar) instead of Kate Moss, which is double awesome.

* Diablo II's Barbarian class, which I mentioned above, is returning, but it's the only returning class from Diablo II. In the case of the male barbarian, it's actually the same person who was the Barbarian in Diablo II, and yes, he's gettin' on in years. Moreover, it's been confirmed that Barbarians no longer use mana/energy, but rather fury orbs which build up during combat.

* The first new class announced was the Witch Doctor. Its tools include pets, fire bombs with parabolic trajectories (unlike traditional fireballs, they can be thrown over barriers), locust swarms, and chucklefucking walls of zombies.

* The second new class announced was the Wizard, which differs from the Sorceress in that Wizards get access to time-space and kinetic-force magic in addition to elemental magic. Also the wizard is like a 19-year-old kid-slash-rebel without a cause which is pretty wild when considering that the male barbarian is all grey and stuff and the female barbarian looks pretty experienced herself.

* The third new class announced was the Monk (holy shit). Blizzard actually admitted was inspired by fighting games like Street Fighter IV, and yes, the Monk gets to teleport-kick people in the head (seven times in a row), do the palm thingy that makes people blow up in a spray of giblets a few seconds later, and reflect missile attacks, even fireballs and the like, with nothing but a stick. Blizzard has said that the Monk is supposed to be a bit of a counterpoint to the Barbarian--more fragile, but faster and deadlier in the right hands.

* The last class, as I mentioned earlier, is unannounced. It's probably safe to assume it'll kind of be carrying the torch for the Rogue and Amazon, though, which is to say it'll probably use bows and stuff. It won't be the Amazon, and I also doubt it'll be the Rogue, unless they've removed the female-only stipulation from their organization's membership policy sometime in the last two decades. Though Rogues making a playable comeback would be a head trip worth the price of admission.

* Potions are emergency items, not staples, now. Instead of frequently dropping potions, enemies now commonly drop orbs which immediately restore health or mana when clicked.

* Deckard Cain is starting to melt.

* One of the first gameplay videos for Diablo III showed destructible environment bits, like a crumbling wall you could topple over onto a mob of undesirables prior to engaging them directly.

* The Tetris backpack is gone, replaced by a more conventional and less irritating inventory system (tabbed for convenience, no less).

* For better or for worse, stat increases are no longer discretionary, but determined by class. This admittedly will probably be for the better for me, since I am the most indecisive person ever.

* Apparently there will be stat and skill runes you can use to customize your stats and augment your active skills.

* The Diablo setting is sounding increasingly Middle East-inspired as opposed to Medieval Europe-inspired like most fantasy titles.

* http://www.diablo3.com/ will get you to the official site.

Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear that the Barbarian dude is back, though I think it would be cool if they did more of a Fable or Oblivion thing with it. It would be awesome to be able to see whatever class we chose get bigger/stronger as they progress like in Fable, and to be able to choose their appearance like in both Fable and Oblivion. It probably wouldn't fit as well with the storyline, but I still think it'd be a cool feature anyway.

Not sure how I feel about the changes to stat increases. Like the inventory changes, though.

[Allison W]

Yeah, Fable II was awesome. I was completely floored to discover that you can play a female character, bulk her up like whoah, and butch her out. It was awesome. (Also the only single-player game I've seen in which you can play an honest-to-goodness transgendered character, on top of it.) Unfortunately, the female PC bulking up as her Physique increases appears to be very, very unpopular with the straight teenage boys populating Internet forums, so I don't know if that particular feature will make a return in Fable III. I mean, I hope so.

But back on topic, I'm just glad with the advancements Diablo III's making at the moment. It's a huge step up from Diablo II as it is.

[Alex69]

bring back memories...i use to play that game but that was a long time ago, it was pretty good. What about Golden Axe, anyone remember that or even know what it is ? lol

[Allison W]

bring back memories...i use to play that game but that was a long time ago, it was pretty good. What about Golden Axe, anyone remember that or even know what it is ? lol

Is it wrong if Tyris Flare was more than a little attractive? The Sega Genesis-era Tyris Flare, not the flimsy new rendition.

[Allison W]

On the subject of Diablo III, the final class has been revealed: the demon hunter (that is a link). It is, in fact, the ranged-weapon class, but appears to favour crossbows over bows and javelins--at least at a glance. Including high-tech effects, like... shotgun blasts. From a crossbow. Right. Also incendiaries, explosives, traps, and black magic, including a teleport of sorts--one strategy that was suggested for demon hunters was firing away as monsters close in, then leaving a trap behind when they get close, then vaulting past them to a safe position as they surround you and trigger the trap, then more crossbow bolts to finish off the stragglers.

The crafting (that is another link) system has also been revealed. Blizzard didn't think the idea of one of the few mortals on the planet badass enough to fight the legions of the Burning Hells at thousands-to-one odds taking time out to work on a civilian profession was really dramatically appropriate (I agree), so they came up with a different justification for it: it's a group effort, and your character gathers an entourage as the game progresses, including artisans who can make equipment that can stand up to the Burning Hells. There are three: a blacksmith who makes weapons and armour and can add sockets to items; a mystic who makes scrolls, potions (remember that potions are now emergency health, not your primary means of staying healed), runes, and charms and can break down runes you don't want for a shot at one you do; and a jeweler who can remove gems from sockets and combine poorer-quality gems into higher-quality ones. You can pick the kind of item you want to make, and some of its properties will be guaranteed, but the rest of its properties will be random, so there's an element of surprise with each item you make. You advance your artisans' abilities by allocating gold and materials to them so that they can upgrade their facilities and develop their skills, and you'll be able to break up loot you don't want or need into materials for your artisans.

PvP (good golly, another link) has also been revealed. It'll be arena-based this time, with a number of arenas hand-crafted for PvP. Apparently its primary reward will be bragging rights. I really don't care any which way as long as every night isn't "PKing Asshole #3591659278 has joined your game" night like it was in the last two games.

Aaaaand more information on the health and recovery system (there's that link business again). Regular enemies can drop weak health globes when defeated, but rare and champion monsters actually drop medium-strength globes during the fight, like upon being brought down to a certain level of health or losing defenses. Bosses also each have a specific way to recover health during the fight: some are accompanied by swarms of minor enemies that can drop health globes; some drop them at certain injury thresholds; some have hidden health globes in the arena, etc. As noted earlier, potions are considerably more restricted in this game and are a supplement for health globes and not a primary means of recovery; class skills that restore health are also designed to be supplementary, limited, and often double-edged.

[LilTygerLilly]

Rarely played Diablo, played Diablo II waaay too much, can't wait for Diablo III. =)