A Blizzard of News

If you're a fan of Blizzard's classic CRPG series, Diablo, you probably already know that there is a third one coming by now. If you're not, you most likely know anyway. This stuff is big news.



Just look at that beautiful trailer. I daresay, Blizzard's cinematics department contains some of the most talented 3D artists out there. Too bad the team is too small to do a full-length movie.

But I digress; I've never actually played any Diablo games, but the gameplay trailer (below) certainly urges me to do so. The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the action-packed gameplay looks like lots of fun. The gameplay style reminds me a lot of Nox, the graphics of Temple of Elemental Evil (except, of course, far better), and the interface of Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader. I think that it's just fantastic that Blizzard hits the three best settings with its games; fantasy, sci-fi, and gothic. Even the website is impressive (though Blizzard's often are).



I'm glad that Blizzard decided to keep a semi-isometric view for their new game, without letting the visual quality slip one bit. Detail always melts away when you walk up to something and observe it closely in a first-person perspective, but with such a high view, the visuals continue to remain deliciously sharp. Even the water is better than that in Bioshock. I have to wonder about the so-called "destructible environments", though. The aforementioned Nox claimed that its environments were destructible, but what it meant was just that there is a wall in a couple levels that can be broken away to get some neat items or something. Hopefully the environment flexibility will remain even when one plays beyond the range of this demo. The style reminds me a bit of Black & White, except, of course, far prettier.


On to other things, since my original post concerning Starcraft 2, there have, naturally, been some updates for we anxious fans. Above and beyond the fantastic gameplay previews, there is a so-called "Story Mode Walk-through."



Am I the only one who is a bit worried about this? Jim Raynor looks and sounds different than he used to, and the way that the marine he speaks with wags his hand in a "I'm gay" kind of gesture makes me wonder if this whole "story mode" thing will just reek of cheesiness. Personally, I liked the old briefing rooms, though I understand that things have to change or else it's hardly a sequel. Still, Sarah Kerrigan doesn't sound a whole lot like herself, either. I guess it must just be the effects, since the same voice actor is returning. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's changing actors in an ongoing series. According to Raynor's Wikipedia page, Blizzard is trying to decide whether they should have Raynor voiced by the new actor "whom they like", or the old one. In my previous post, I mentioned that I considered Blizzard a company that could "do no wrong." I think it would be very, very wrong to throw away his familiar voice actor for a new one, especially since the old is perfectly willing to come back.

Ah, well. For now, I'll trust Blizzard to do the right thing and keep the actors we're familiar with. Isn't that always the best way?

UPDATE: Apparently there have been some complaints from fans about the art style of Diablo 3. They claim that things look too cartoonish in exaggerated proportions and excessive colorfulness in the world, as compared to the darker, more realistic, gritty, and gothic style seen in the previous Diablo games. Again, I can't say that I fully understand, but I know that Blizzard, after working so long on the colorful and cartoonish Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft, had to drastically tone down the colorfulness in their Starcraft 2 previews, because they were so used to using vivid colors, while Starcraft has a darker, grittier art style, albeit not gothic, like Diablo. The fans have made a petition, which, among other things, claims the following problems:

What we got in Diablo III:
- Cartoon'ish art direction, obviously influenced by the Warcraft universe, Diablo isnt Warcraft.

- Hand made, pastel looking textures with bold lines, defined contours, smooth colors and clean shapes.

- Dungeons with a blue/green environment lighting, technique used in cartoons to depict a dark, creepy and scary feeling but once again, this is Diablo, a mature game, dungeons should have a dark aura with the occasional lights from candles, just like we got in the previews Diablo's.

- Character models defined by cartoon characteristics like over-sized and exaggerated parts, vivid colors and unrealistic elements, almost directly taken away from World of Warcraft and pasted to Diablo.

- Outside scenarios with vivid colors, beautiful forests with colorful vegetation, shinny and beautiful waterfalls where even rainbows take place.

- Cartoon'ish and unrealistic weaponry and armory, over-sized and stylish armors, over-sized weapons, items that look pasted directly from World of Warcraft.

- Blocky, cartoon'ish graphic elements like big, over-sized fire braziers in dungeons, heavily influenced by the World of Warcraft art style, over-sized and cartoon'ish scenario decorations like smiling statues, Warcraft styled architecture and decorations.

With the following solutions:

What we want:

- A darker, gothic, cryptic and creepier environment.

- A more realistic artistic direction, more independent from the Warcraft universe art direction.

- Darker dungeons without a blue/green environment, Diablo dungeons are dark and shadowy.

- The return of the light radius / shadow system from Diablo 1 and 2, a concept modified picture made by me roughly shows and suggests how the shadow system should work on Diablo 3: http://i31.tinypic.com/2zta5o7.jpg

- Slightly less colorful and less vivid outside scenarios, they are too heavily influenced by the World of Warcraft ones.

- Darker and less colorful landscapes, Tristam never was colorful and beautiful: here's how it looked in Diablo 1 (before the evil was released across the lands): http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/5194/tristram2jh.jpg

- And most importantly: An independent and renewed artistic direction, not a recycled art direction taken from the Warcraft world, Diablo never was meant to be as cartoon'ish as Warcraft, they shall have independent and distinct styles, this isnt happening in Diablo 3, at first sight it looks like a remake of World of Warcraft, graphically and artistically speaking.

- Example of the heavy influence from World of Warcraft that we dont think it fits the Diablo universe: http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/6795/diabloiii20080628035157dw4.jpg and http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/_images/screenshots/ss9-hires.jpg

When they put the two styles side-by-side like that, I can certainly see what they want, and I must admit that I like the style the fans are looking for. It definitely seems more authentic.

Honestly, isn't Photoshop a great tool?