Blizzcon 2008 was a force to be reckoned with this year as Blizzard Entertainment is coming closer to releasing three major titles. After Blizzcon tickets sold out in minutes and a drawing had to be held over the remaining tickets it’s no wonder it was such a hit running on only it’s third year. Before I get into the meat of Blizzcon 2008 and it’s all new Diablo 3 coverage, I wanted to show you just what some of the swag was from the illustrious “goodie bag”.
Being a Blizzard gamer who only plays Diablo and StarCraft I felt rather out of the loop at Blizzcon when it came to the more World of Warcraft related topics. However, at Blizzcon 2008 it was Diablo and Starcraft’s time to shine for Blizzard yet again.
Story Highlights from Diablo 3:
- You start in “Caldeum” a trade city newly introduced for D3.
- 20 years after Diablo 2.
- Deckard Cain feels guilty about the rise of Diablo (2) and is seeking knowledge to defeat future demons.
- 20 years later, Diablo and it’s story seemed like a myth to the culture.
- Every civilization has it’s own history.
- Diablo 3 to begin ties to the book series.
- Diablo himself may or may not return, unconfirmed.
- Older NPC’s and hero characters will make an appearance.
- Cain believes that he is the last of the horadrim.
- Female Barbarian does have an involving story since D2 they were almost nonexistant.
- “Leah” will be a very important character.
- Game will have “closure” more than before.
- “They are not disclosing the amount of bovine content within the game” (possible cow level?)
Gameplay Highlights:
- Better balanced economy and unique items that tie into the story.
- Other ways for inventory space, no more horadic cube.
- Nightmare and Hell difficulties will return.
- 5 Classes, both men and women (10 characters in all - Barbarian, Wizard, & Witchdoctor confirmed).
- Creatures will blend with the settings much more.
- Destructibility is a major part of the game.
- “A painting that you play”.
- Dungeons will remain random with random side quests as an added bonus.
“Philosophies to Support Gameplay Experience”
- Setting the Tone - Identifying strengths of previous game with attention to horror element.
- Updating a Classic - Respecting Diablo and expectations set by previous games while exploring a new visual look.
- Stylization Over Realism - Style does not mean “cartoony” for an altered reality. Consistency = believability.
- Don’t be Afraid of Color - New color is only used to convey mood while using selective palettes to establish horror vibe. Accent colors used to draw attention.
- Dynamic Animations - Backgrounds add believability to bring to life a static scene and destructible objects are just fun!
After all of our Diablo gameplay and panels we headed into the main hall to see fellow GEN girl “Lilith” coming on stage during the costume contest. I must say she fit well with the theme this year as Diablo madness was taking over.
During the closing ceremonies I was presented with a real treat from “Lvl 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain” and an all Blizzard themed “Video Games Live” performance. Here is our very own Becky “Aktrez” Young during a small segment straight from Direct TV with VGL creators.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 am
Okay, that was AWESOME.
October 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I have not played Diablo in YEARS. I really want to get back into it with III coming out. Ugh…I need to figure out a way to get more hours into every day!
October 28th, 2008 at 7:32 am
On the swag bag front: the inflatable thing is a paladin in a beach ball, the other bag was an inflatable frostmourne
The figureprint thing is probably a code so you can get a figureprint made of your level 70 World of Warcraft character >.> (like the one I posted pix of on the old forum)