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[IronyOwl]

There is something odd about Diablo 3... as much as the annoying changes bothered me (and they REALLY did... The story and atmosphere of diablo, the first, is officially dead at this point in my eyes, mind you Blizzard is infamos for being unable to keep up continuous narratives very well... and yes I seen the pretty pony Diablo 3 mural and frankly the sad part is that despite being a satire on the criticisms of Diablo 3, it actually works just as well as a satire on the changes in Diablo 3) there is just something about the game that seems off. I can't put my finger on it though, something that tells me it may not be up to the task of being Diablo 3.

Two things that might help:

1. Don't try to compare it directly to its predecessors, else it'll turn into a mash of "In my day...!" A lot of the things D2 did were arguably inferior to the way D1 did them, for instance, but were fine or even better when you looked at it on its own rather than in comparison to how awesome the original was.

2. Ignore continuity. You'll save yourself a lot of sanity assuming it's a completely new story/world/etc with some similarity to that other game's, rather than noting everything about the setting and world that they changed or added or removed with varying finesse.

[nenjin]

I just mourn the loss of grittiness. D1 had a look that, in the day, really got my imagination going. D2 didn't, but it made up for it by offering a lot more variety while still being fairly grimdark.

I look at D3 and can't help but be annoyed by some of the aesthetic changes. I'm not too thrilled about health being turned into a game of Pacman, but I understand why they went with someone like floating health orbs, to get away from the potion issues of D2. It's an abstraction though that makes me think: arcade game, not Diablo.

Too bad I spent myself on being pleased about things in D3 years ago, because I don't want to give the impression I'm hating on the game. Just some of the design choices that come from companies as big as Blizzard. Sometimes they're so eager to fix problems or innovate that they abstract too much for my taste in an effort to be accessible and "clean." Other times they're just way too hung up on their trademark look. I really look forward to a Blizzard offering where the art team is totally new and isn't taking any direction from the WoW Handbook.

[Neonivek]

Two things that might help

No, I can officially say that its connection to its predicessors is a large saving grace for the game.

If I COMPLETELY let go of Diablo 1 and 2 I would see that Diablo 3's sort of lack of style.

The thing is that I don't hold onto D1 and D2 because I want Diablo 3 to be like them. I hold them up as examples of how a successful game can be done as they are the closest things to it (as I havn't played the other diablo-esk games).

Diablo 2 was indeed WAY different then Diablo... but it paved its own way to success off of its own back.

[Frumple]

I really look forward to a Blizzard offering where the art team is totally new and isn't taking any direction from the WoW Handbook.

I wish they'd do something true to th'art style of the old warcraft (I & II) manuals, particularly the black and white stuff. That'd probably be pretty damn awesome, from a graphical standpoint.

[Rex_Nex]

Diablo 2 was indeed WAY different then Diablo... but it paved its own way to success off of its own back.

See, I don't get this. I played through (and beat) both games, and they are a little too alike. If Diablo 1 had a run function, I would be very disappointed at the lack of progress; particularly in the nearly identical graphic art style of the two games.

[Burnt Pies]

My main hope for the game is that they kept the Archivist in as an easter egg.

The archivist was one of the first April Fools jokes they did for Diablo 3, he had book/library themed skills. He was awesome.


As for comparing D1 and D2, the main difference I remember is D2 removing the spells anyone with high enough magic can use, replacing them with the skill system. I liked my Fireball slinging warrior, but I think that it was for the better. Still, seems like a pretty small change to me.

And you'll have to explain the tactics of Succubi in D1, I played it when I was about 6, and was too scared to go beyond the 1st level of the Catacombs. Also the butcher scared the shit out of me.

[Naxza]

And you'll have to explain the tactics of Succubi in D1, I played it when I was about 6, and was too scared to go beyond the 1st level of the Catacombs. Also the butcher scared the shit out of me.

Aaaaugh, fresh meat!

Part of what differentiates Diablo 1/2, I think, is the level style. D2 has various levels that you pass through once and don't visit again. There's no reason to explore the nooks and crannies, save for, say, a sparkly chest down below the Cave or Pit or Underground Tunnel that barfs out some mana potions and gold. D1 has you scouring levels for cash, loot, potions, tomes, quest items, the works. You had a reason to clear out a floor instead of a floor being something between you and your destination.

I did like the spell tomes, too. Some were just flat out convenient (heal, mana shield, teleport) and could be learned by any of the classes. D2 forces itself into specific builds and minmaxing with its skill tree. Screw up some skills somewhere? Better hope you haven't used Akara's reset feature that got added only with the last patch.

I'm probably rambling here, but I've clocked more than my share of time into the Diablo titles. D2 is fun, but D1 appeals more to me.

[nenjin]

I agree, I really miss the finding of tomes. While D1 lacked as much super shiny loot AND abilities as D2, it made for good findables in addition to the treasure chests.

In D3 they're planning a bit more stuff to find and do than just treasure though. Sort of mini-events, mini-bosses, more quest-based stuff in dungeons ect....so hopefully they've expanded the kind of loot you find, without reducing it to tons of scrolls giving minor effects or something. Plus they're working with fixed outdoor set pieces that get shuffled around game to game...so I think there will definitely be more to do than in D2.

[Neonivek]

you'll have to explain the tactics of Succubi in D1

They shot at you from a distance and ran away. They were quite good at chipping away your health (and despite their attack being a Manastar, or bloodstar, they didn't have to sacrifice HP to use it) and it was sometimes difficult to give chase. Not to mention they were decently resiliant.

They arn't the most dangerous ranged attackers in the game (devourers with their acid puke could REALLY chip away at you) but they are certainly annoying.

[612DwarfAvenue]

you'll have to explain the tactics of Succubi in D1

They shot at you from a distance and ran away. They were quite good at chipping away your health (and despite their attack being a Manastar, or bloodstar, they didn't have to sacrifice HP to use it) and it was sometimes difficult to give chase. Not to mention they were decently resiliant.

They arn't the most dangerous ranged attackers in the game (devourers with their acid puke could REALLY chip away at you) but they are certainly annoying.

Not to mention, their bare breasts could distract the weak-willed .

[RF]

One thing you have to remember about Diablo 3 is that everyone that made Diablo 1/2 has left Blizzard and started new companies. They have the design, but the game is going to be changed so massively it's not even funny.

[Darkmere]

D1: Limited gear choices, no running, mana shield + spam pots = god mode, every pub game swarmed by spammers/townkillers, corpse popping, no variety between different players of the same class.

D2: meaningless resource system, badly designed synergy system, hopeless search for runes you'll never get to make that stupidly OP runeword that everyone duped, thousands of baal runs led by a teleporting pally bot, bugged gloams, utterly pointless PVP/griefing, spammers. I could go on for a long, long time.

The first two games weren't perfect, trying to pretend they are will just make you more disappointed when D3 isn't the game you remember. The first two aren't the games you remember either, for that matter.

[Andir]

I remember in D1 dropping all our gold in the first town.  I don't remember if it was because of the deaths or that we could only hold so much.  I do remember hating that I had to do that for some reason.

[RF]

The first two games weren't perfect, trying to pretend they are will just make you more disappointed when D3 isn't the game you remember. The first two aren't the games you remember either, for that matter.

*watches as the point sails right over Darkmere's head*

[Cthulhu]

I never really played the first two Diablos, but I think this one looks pretty cool.  I played the Demo for Diablo 1 and got up to partway through the desert in Diablo 2.  You all know how I feel about nostalgia goggles, so I won't reiterate.