Blizzard Announces Diablo 3…
by Timothy Wong | June 30, 2008 at 8:15 am
Posted in fanboy feasting, toys, video games
… it’s about freaking time.
Fanboy Feasting No. 6If you actually care, you probably already know about Blizzard Entertainment’s big news from the weekend — legitimate confirmation of the highly anticipated Diablo 3. While the cinematic teaser (above) and gameplay trailer look super slick and pretty fantastic, I’m left kind of wondering a few crucial questions.
1. What is with Blizzard’s obsession with Voodoo and Witchdoctors? If you’ve checked out the Diablo 3 Web site, you’ll notice the folks in development are introducing the Witchdoctor as a playable class in this next rendition of the acclaimed series. If you read about their skills and watch the gameplay trailer you’ll realize you’re basically looking at a steroid-injected hybrid of the druid and necromancers from the previous games.
The fact that World of Warcraft, another one of Blizzard’s bacon-bringing babies, also features a wealth of Shaman-esque witchdoctor types makes me wonder if any “new” classes in any of Blizzard’s upcoming titles will actually be genuinely new.
2. Battlenet… Really?! There must have been a better way of putting people together and facilitating communication and interaction between players. Yeah, I get it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. IMHO (in my humble opinion, for those of you who don’t waste hours of your life playing MMORPGs), Battlenet has its clunky moments and I see it potentially having a hard time handling the seemingly incredible demands of this new Diablo.
3. When can I get my hands on it? Despite all of my whining about things that are arguably worth arguing, this game looks freakin’ SWEET. Congrats again Blizzard — your hype has me and many of my friends nearly peeing ourselves for more information. I can’t imagine a launch anytime near the launch of the World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK) but I can foresee great profits in the future for the company.
I only have one more question: Hey Bliz, you hiring?
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June 30th, 2008 at 2:15 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
1. Popular topic. Witches sell. Mysticism sells. Of course, it'd be economically unwise to stick to Christian Mysticism solely so paganism is in. BTW, shamanism (as a cultural fragment) remains throughout the occidental and oriental world. That's one way to bridge the gap between markets and cultures.
2. There are still ways to inter-connect sans official means. Hint: VPN. Stop whining and start googling.
3. You don't want to work for Blizzard. The novelty of being a GM wears off quickly as you get inundated with stupid requests day after day. Beta tester? Think hours and hours of reinstalling the game, per daily build procedure only to repeat the same sequence in a particular level over and over again. Not fun.
If you really want a novel way of playing, switch hands - or flip your monitor over and play the game upside-down. Lets face it, Diablo was fun because the gameplay could be limited to clicking like a madman while nursing your favorite (21+?alcoholic:sugary) beverage and not because of its bewildering variety of playable classes and character customization.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:38 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Obviously,
1. In WoW, my main toon is a Restoration Spec Shaman. I like the witches and mysticism too. All I want to see is a full out new class anytime the folks at Bliz say they're introducing something "new."
2. I know about the OTHER ways to inter-connect, I just think Blizzard, with all its innovative ideas and massive resources, could figure out a way to streamline the system. (ex. the arguably useful voice chat system added to World of Warcraft in Patch 2.2, which adds some sense of convenience but still lacks some of the basic functionality found with Ventrilo and TeamSpeak)
3. I should try this playing the game upside-down thing :)
Thanks Obviously!