Diablo III announced. Nice. It looks pretty amazing, especially the gameplay video. Loved the destructible environments.
I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft. Diablo will be interesting since World of Warcraft has a lot of Diablo-like qualities. I have no doubt, however, that they will be incredibly fun, addictive and polished games. Blizzard is the top of the class when it comes to game development - nobody does it better.
In fact, World of Warcraft is currently banned from any computer I own due to its highly addictive qualities. Its easily one of my favorite RPGs.
I know they are working on another Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game. I hope its World of Starcraft.
UPDATE:
Dear Blizzard,
Please forgive me.
XOXO,
Ash
When the ship runs out of ocean
Labels: ActiBlizzard, Diablo 3
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33 comments:
Did you want blizzard to develop another IP instead of developing another Diablo?
Actually, I'm a huge Starcraft fan, so a Starcraft MMO is what I'd most wish for.
For some part i can feel your dissapointment. I mean, if every developer would just base their game design on only proven concepts then innovation would fall short, wouldn't it?
But the point here with Diablo is that it's a established franchise with a huge fanbase all around the world. And as a developer you cannot afford to mess around with the fundamental characteristics of a game like camera perspective, the overall gameplay and stuff that fans got used to and fell in love with. Any sequel should be treated with respect regards to its prequel. So keep the basics and improve upon them. Thanks the winning formula. You have made a better game (D3>D2) and the fans are happy. Great sales, a no-brainer!
So, in relation to your project, Fallout 3, i see that you (Bethesda) were more "brave" and gave gone a differet route with it compared to its prequels. No isometric perspective and deeply strategic combat elemets anymore. With Fallout 3 you realized your vision of how a Fallout game should be played in theses times with nowadays hardware and its visceral offerings but somehow ignored what the the whole dedicated Fallout fanbase was hoping for. In short, Fallout 2 with improvements in every aspect but still with the same feel to it.
I respect your decision to head a unproven direction with Fallout 3 but imho in the eyes off a Fallout fan it is not what it was meant to be...
Hope and wish you luck that you can prove us (the fallout fans) otherwise and we will find in F3 what we were waiting for all the long years...a decent post-apocalyptic role-playing game.
...a decent post-apocalyptic role-playing game.
amen to that, brother.
Let me get this straight Ash, you are a huge StarCraft fan (you say you are a huge Fallout fan too) and you want a StarCraft MMO? There are no StarCraft MMOs in the market... :\ If you're a fan, you don't want spin-offs, you want sequels...
Do you really think the people who play WoW are WarCraft fans? Ah ah.
I, for one, would love to see a decent science-fiction MMO, but not a StarCraft one. I don't want all my favorite game series raped...
Forgive you for what? Don't cave in to the sensationalist/alarmist bloggery going on regarding your comments. I thought they were well-reasoned and displayed your opinion thoughtfully. Others may disagree with changing the perspective of Diablo 3 but I think they have made some rather "safe" choices with the game... but hey, they designed the series and calling it Diablo 3 means they have to make it relate to the original games in certain core ways. I would say that Bethesda would probably have garnered less stalkerish fan hate from NMA, RPGCodex, etc if they had simply titled Fallout 3 without the 3 moniker. Fallout Chronicles: Eastern Wastelands, or whatever, you know like the Elder Scrolls games in a way.
... then again those guys are insane so they probably wouldn't understand the difference.
Morbus said... "Do you really think the people who play WoW are WarCraft fans? Ah ah."
Yes, there are quite a lot actually. It doesn't mean that they don't want a Warcraft 4 though, or that all Warcraft 3 fans like WoW.
"I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft."
I'm not sure how adding a quest compass would add much to DIII's gameplay? It's not like Blizzard have the worry of catering to idiot console gamers who couldn't find their own arsehole without a torch and map.
Ashley, you are a huge tool. I am going to love it when Diablo 3 bests Fallout 3 in sales with its "outdated" and "conservative" design. Isn't that what you and your expert friends at Bethsoft have been saying?? I love Fallout, and you're in the process of destroying it. Btw, Ashley is a girl's name.
"So, in relation to your project, Fallout 3, i see that you (Bethesda) were more "brave" and gave gone a differet route with it compared to its prequels."
How is Bethesda going with the same route they've been going on since Arena in 1994 more brave?
I totally agree. Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 feel more like fan-service. They don't give the impression of of moving the genres foward like the originals did.
Morbus: "If you're a fan, you don't want spin-offs, you want sequels..."
I don't think that's true. Sometimes you want a sequel, when a story still has much to be told. Sometimes that particular story is done, but you want more from that setting. Then it's time for a spinoff.
@ kunikos
Your remark about NMA says it all, really. The biggest complain of all is and always has been the 3 in front of Fallout. Or the lack of point and click mechanics, ok...
About WoW players: when I say WarCraft fans, I mean WarCraft 1-3 fans, not WarCraft fans in general. Of course, being a WoW fan makes you a WC fan, lol...
I'm curious to know exactly what you mean by "going conservative?" From what I've seen, they took a highly praised and loved series, and infused some new life into it while keeping the heart of the original. What could they have done different that would have not been conservative, yet kept this a Diablo game?
I'm personally ecstatic that they didn't turn Starcraft or Diablo into MMOs. I don't like MMOs, but I love Starcraft and Diablo. I'm a single-player gamer. Always will be. It seems to me that they've put in a good mix of single and multi-player without alienating either segment. By making either Starcraft or Diablo an MMO, they would have changed what the games are to me. I would not have been interested in either one.
What I have seen so far looks like they've done just enough to add something to these games that makes me want to play them. The things I saw in the Diablo III gameplay video were exactly the things I was hoping for. Sure they haven't changed the entire game, but that's good.
What specifically would you have liked them to change that would not have been "conservative?" Would they still be the same games, or some off-shoot of the beloved franchises like WoW is? WoW is not the successor to Warcraft III, it's an entirely different thing that I have zero interest in playing, though I thoroughly enjoyed Warcraft III and absolutely loved Warcraft II.
I completely understand where you're coming from to say conservative "in terms of design." I can only assume you mean the most fundamental element, being the fixed isometric camera angle. I must admit my initial reaction was a mixed one, as many of my WoW sessions have been spent fantasizing about the Diablo world, and wishing I could dive in to those dark and rich environments from an over-the-shoulder view. However, I think they had a greater interest in preserving the pace of a true Diablo game. A pace I don't think any other perspective could accommodate.
Adversely, I think the Fallout franchise can only gain from this change. Bringing the player closer to the action should only help the immersion.
Just my two cents.
I am a rabid fan of both Fallout 1&2 I think I can speak for most fans of the franchise in saying that we wish Bethesda would
have stayed conservative and used the old Fallout engine. What is so wrong with sticking with something that works and that people enjoy? The Diablos were great games and I look forward to them more than Fallout3 even though Fallout 1 is my favorite game of all time.
And from what I have heard, Fallout3 is going to use the old,conservative "dungeon" quests that you overly used in Morrowind and Oblivion. Not exactly innovative and not exactly eagerly awaited either.
Two of my all time favorite games are the original x-com games, UFO enemy unknown and Terror from the deep. But if you're being blunt about it then they're basicly the same game with a different story mode.
In my eyes staying fairly conservative isn't really a bad thing when developing a sequal, so I was actually fairly delighted to see both Blizzard presentations.
Bethesda could really learn something from Blizzard with their own upcoming sequal to the Fallout series in mind. My all time favorite game is Fallout, but I'm not even looking forward to the third installment because it seems that everything I loved about Fallout has been ripped away.
well I think that your comment is kinda funny considering that it's a sequel, you don't change everything about a game in a sequel. Unlike some other companies which I'm sure YOU are pretty familiar with butcher time old classics in the name of a quick buck instead of remaining true to what it used to be while being spiced up for the new generation it's being born in.
How's that level scaling working out for you?
Honestly I don't see how they would have done it any different. From I've read from the D3 forums most people would have really disliked a Diablo MMO instead of a Diablo 3.
Same goes for Starcraft 2 but about tenfold.
But don't sweat it, once WoW runs out of steam they'll look towards one of their other franchises to reboot their MMO control.
Plus think of the weight those designers have on their shoulders. They can't screw it up. It's not like this is a new franchise, both game's predecessors were lauded as the best games ever made in their genre. They're still considered to be title holder of that position and they're 10 years old. So to produce something that isn't up to par? You'd be burned at the stake!
I must ask, is the post title a They Might Be Giants reference?
Ya know, I don't really want a massively changed Diablo. I like rumors of an even harder hardcore and I like what I hear about "a lot more of the same type of thing." I don't want changes. I want runch-runch-runch and lots of it.
I do not have high hopes for Fallout 3. I expect it to be very similar to Oblivion, with canned quests and canned dialog and canned player actions and canned environments. All those are the reasons Oblivion is gone from my hard drive and Diablo2, a game released 8 years ago, is still there and getting once-a-month airtime.
@flavin
Yeah, its from Women and Men by TMBG. And no, I have no idea what it has to do with Diablo, just randomly popped up in my head as a title.
@everybody else
thanks for the comments, good stuff. I had turned moderation on, but turns out I didn't have to.
if I had put nearly as much thought into my post as all of you...well, this post wouldn't have gotten quite the response :)
Well, I hate Oblivion, it was a bad game(relative). On the other side, I love Morrowind, I had strong emocional feeling from it. Like I had from Fallout.
Morrowind was mutch deeper, mutch complicated then Oblivion. Oblivion was more clickfest(there is no Roleplay in clickfest), less quest, less feeling that you belong to somewhere(as building own stronghold), you had chance to live only on certain place(as I lived mainly in Balmora and Hlallu province). I hope, that when creators realized, that they will earn more moneys from their product, when they will be replayable and with longer playing time. Not the simple clicking, sorry for the world, shits, as is coming on other platforms, but have "great graphic".
It's great to see someone working on what looks like an excellent game who also enjoys great music. And by "great" I mean "what I like."
Well said Columbo, well said.
But I digress. I too wish F3 stuck with the simple isometric view. It pains me to see that Bethesda chose to toss a Fallout flavored skin over Oblivion. Sure V.A.T.S. might save this game, I won't know until I give it a shot. I will withhold judgment until after I have gotten my hands on it of course, but in my gut I don't have high hopes. Maybe you'll prove me wrong.
One thing is for sure, I can look forward to the sweet sweet succor in the grip of Diablo 3 if Fallout 3 doesn't cut the mustard. And I can see that from viewing the very first vid conerning the classes. It's like running into an old friend I haven't seen in ages. I can't wait to see what changes the years have made since last we spent time together!
Oh, and PS, TMBG RULES!!! I can't believe you hate the idea of 3D isometric view, yet you have the sense to love TMBG! /boggle
At least Blizzard is staying true to what the series is about which is generally what the goal of a sequel is. Can't say the same for Fallout 3 at all. Buying an IP, removing complexity, and focusing on leet graphics is not innovative either, "Ash."
Interesting opinion about diablo3. If you are disappointed it's surprising as diablo 1 and diablo 2 are hugely successful. Diablo 2 is still sold 8 years later at bestbuy/gamestop. How many games that are that old are still on the shelves?
My point is why make radical changes to what has worked? I think it has evolved nicely and all the tried and true elements are there with some nice graphical/gameplay updates that will enhance the experience.
You certainly didn't seem real critical as you had nice things to say about Blizz and the game in general, just thought your comment about design was interesting.
To the tools that are talking about diablo3 beating fallout. Good grief. What do you even say there. When has a true rpg ever beaten a hack and slash? When do you justify what the masses choose as better just because it's popular? By the same logic I guess you feel a fish sandwich from McDonalds is superior to a fillet at McCormick & Schmicks?
toodles
Personally I think it was a classy move by Blizzard to keep the perspektive fixed. To change it totaly is somehow to make an other game - not Diablo III.
Rob
Maybe when you guys see how well diablo 3 will sell vs F3, I bet you will revise the way you think.
Trying to force feed & impose what your ideas to the public is a grave mistake. Especially when the vast majority tells you otherwise.
Disagree anyone who argues with blizzard making a sequel to diablo is an idiot. The fan base has been waiting for this for 8 years i remember playing it at the age of 13 im 21 now and i could not think of any game better than that ever
Ash: I feel your... well, pain isn't the right word here.
It's more like "annoyance".
Yeah, that seems about right.
Anyhow, I am completely baffled by why this is such a big deal. One major VG company is making a sequel that doesn't seem to do much of anything differently from prior games in the series... based on what we know from a half-seen trailer from a gaming convention that most of us didn't attend, and you say you're disappointed. You have every right.
But then, from out of nowhere, a bunch of people are coming and arguing on the internet. Calling you names over *that* little comment? And cursing your sales figures?
Dude! I was "disappointed" that I had to eat cold cereal for breakfast this morning: you think Kellogg's is suddenly going to start only putting 1 1/2 scoops of raisins in with my bran?
:::Ash::: said...
Actually, I'm a huge Starcraft fan, so a Starcraft MMO is what I'd most wish for.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH
"a huge starcraft fan"
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