Back in August Blizzard announced the first expansion for Diablo III. Titled Reaper of Souls, the expansion promises to be another suitably hefty old-school PC game expansion of the type Blizzard is known for.
Today Blizzard announced that Reaper of Souls will be released on March 25, 2014. The expansion will cost $40 for the standard digital edition of the content, but a “digital deluxe” edition of the game is also being offered for $60.
Reaper of Souls expands Diablo III with an entirely new act involving an angel known as Malthael and the theft of the black soul stone that houses Diablo’s essence. The game’s level cap will be expanded to 70, the new “Crusader” class has been added to the mix, and all classes have gotten new skills and abilities.
The digital deluxe version of Reaper of Souls, of course, comes with a bunch of in-game exclusive items. Fans who purchase the more expensive version will get exclusive transmogrification recipes, a “Spectral Hound” minion, three extra character slots, some Battle.net portraits, and some decals for StarCraft II. A special “Treasure Goblin” pet for World of Warcraft is also included.
With its March 2014 release date, Reaper of Souls will be out around the same time that many big games are scheduled to hit store shelves. Titles such as Titanfall, Infamous: Second Son, and Dark Souls II will provide plenty of competition for Blizzard’s Diablo III expansion – especially considering its premium price point.
As announced back at this year’s E3 conference, Diablo III has now made its debut on consoles. The game is out now for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Blizzard also announced today that a downloadable version of Diablo III will be available via Xbox Live on October 4. As is custom for Blizzard games, Diablo III still retails for its full launch price, $60.
Diablo III has been changed quite a bit for consoles. The game’s graphics have been locked at console levels, and controls have been significantly to incorporate controllers. The interface has been changed to reflect the new controls, and new tweaks such as a “dynamic camera perspective” and dodge move have also been incorporated to help players deal with the lack of mouse control. Enemies in the game have also been changed for the console versions.
“In bringing Diablo III to consoles, our main focus has been on making sure we deliver a really fun experience for up to four friends online or on the same couch,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “The game looks and plays great on PS3 and Xbox 360, especially with the new direct-control elements and new interface. We know players will have a blast battling Diablo on their big-screen TVs.”
Like the PC version of the game, Diablo III on consoles supports four-player online co-op gameplay through Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. The console versions, however, also include a local four-player co-op mode. The new visuals and features were previewed in the below video, which was released back in March:
Blizzard recently unveiled the first expansion for Diablo III, titled Reaper of Souls. The developer has not yet announced whether the expansion will be coming to consoles in the future.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will add a new act and a new playable class to the game. In addition, the level cap for the game will be raised to 70. The story of the expansion involves an angel, Malthael, stealing the black soul stone that houses Diablo’s essence.
The new playable class will be the Crusader, a melee character in heavy armor and shown wielding a flail. In addition, existing classes will be getting new powers, abilities, and spells to help them through the new content. Loot has also been tweaked for Reaper of Souls, and items are now more customizable. The game’s Paragon system has gotten an upgrade as well, and two new game modes will be added: “Loot Runs” and “Nephalem Trials”.
Along with the announcement, Blizzard has released two videos previewing Reaper of Souls. One is the opening cinematic for the expansion, another in a long line of award-worthy Blizzard CG creations:
The other is a gameplay teaser that previews the Crusader, new enemies, and the setting of Reaper of Souls:
One of the most surprising moments of last night’s big PlayStation 4 unveiling was when Chris Metzen, SVP of story and franchise development at Blizzard Entertainment, took the stage. Though he wasn’t at the presentation to announce a new franchise, since Blizzard has been producing PC-exclusive content for years now, his announcement was one that is sure to shake-up the gaming community.
Diablo III will be coming to both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles. Metzen mentioned that the game is already up-and-running on the PS3, and that a playable version will be featured at PAX East.
“Diablo III looks and plays great on the PlayStation,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard. “We put a lot of care and thought into the PlayStation version to make sure it would deliver an authentic Diablo gaming experience, and we’re really pleased with the results. We can’t wait for players to try it out at PAX East.”
The user interface for the game will be very different in the PlayStation versions, adapted to suit a console controller. The game will also feature a “new dynamic camera perspective” for console gamers. The local and online co-op will be available and some of the newest additions to the PC game, such as the Paragon leveling system and epic Legendary items, will be included.
Diablo III was a huge success for Blizzard. It sold over one million units at retail in its first month in the U.S. alone. The last PC title to do that was, well, StarCraft II. The launch wasn’t free of snags, however, as the always-online game hit major connection problems in its first few days that left many players unable to play. It has already sparked an investigation by the Korean Trade Commission and now more countries are joining in.
France and Germany are now both investigating the botched launch of Diablo III according to a report from Cinema Blend. The French investigation is due to a record 1,500 complaints levied against the developer within four days. They also demanded that Blizzard have a solution in place within 15 days which obviously won’t happen as Blizzard vehemently defends its position. Alongside the demands, they also feel that players are owed compensation for the days that they have not been able to play the game.
That’s all sound and good, but the real kicker comes at the end. The players demand that the French UFC Que Choisir (think FTC) investigate the always-online solution for games. They feel that its unfair of Blizzard, or any other company for that matter, to assume that every player has equal access to a good Internet connection. While it’s easy to assume that everybody has access to super fast broadband, that is simply not the case. It’s a fair argument to say that Blizzard should keep less privileged players in mind.
As for Germany, it’s a little different. The Federation of German Consumer Organizations is investigating Blizzard for potential anti-trust violations. Woah, how does Blizzard violate anti-trust laws? In Germany, it’s a little easier than here in the U.S. to prove since European nations have stricter consumer protection laws. Anyway, the retail boxes for Diablo III in Germany don’t tip players off to two very important functions of the game. It doesn’t alert players that the game requires an always-online connection. The game also does not tell players that the game is eternally tied to a player’s battle.net account which prevents resale. Both of these requirements must be made apparent on the retail box for the game in Germany to not be in violation.
These issues have not made a stink in the U.S. and they probably never will. The only unfairness that I see is Blizzard getting a free pass for its always online DRM solution while companies like Ubisoft get torn to shreds by the same gamers for doing the same thing. It’s just another inconsistency in the gamer population that researchers will never understand.
It’s hard launching a blockbuster video game these days. Even if you work for a decade and spend hundreds of millions of dollars in development, entitled fans will find something to complain about within minutes of a game’s release. EA is learning this new lesson in gamer entitlement with Mass Effect 3, which gamers didn’t feel ended correctly. So, Bioware, the developer of Mass Effect 3, announced it would release downloadable content (DLC) to “clarify” the ending.
Now, Activision is learning the same lesson. According to The Korea Times, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Blizzard Entertainment over allegations that the company did not provide refunds to customers dissatisfied with their purchase of Diablo III. The issue stems from the problems Blizzard had meeting demand for the game on launch-day. From the report:
Some buyers of the game vented frustration over server shutdowns and asked for refunds, but the company refused to do so, citing sales contract terms, which the FTC says is disadvantageous to consumers.
The Korean FTC evidently received hundreds of complaints from Diablo III players who were unable to play their games due to the always-on internet connection requirement of the game. The Korean FTC is not investigating the fact that consumers could not access their purchased game, but the claim that some of those upset players were unable to secure a refund for their unplayable game. The investigation led to a raid at Blizzard’s offices in Seoul, where investigators confiscated documents related to the case. The FTC will now determine whether Blizzard actually broke the law.
Though both EA and Activision are taking heat from fans and seeing governmental pressure over their games, it’s odd that none of the pressure on the game companies is for the things the companies are deliberately doing that inconvenience customers. The complaints about Mass Effect 3 were regarding the game’s story design, which gamers thought was too linear. What gamers should have been complaining about was buying a copy of the game and then having to buy “DLC” for content that was already on the disc they had purchased. In Korea, the investigation into Blizzard is regarding their willingness to provide refunds. What should be investigated is the reason so many want refunds – the always-on internet requirement for Diablo III.
Blizzard certainly knows how to keep people in their seats and playing games. There have been stories in the past of gamers playing the company’s hit MMO, World of Warcraft, for so long that they have died. Now, a report has surfaced that a player has died while playing Blizzard’s recently released Diablo III.
The story comes from a friend of the deceased who goes by the screen name “Ben” blogging over at BuildStarted.com. Over the weekend 32-year-old Russell Shirley suffered a heart attack during a marathon play session of the game. Shirley had taken 3 days off of work to play the game, and Ben states that he “played Diablo 3 pretty much the whole time.”
Ben doesn’t blame Diablo III or Blizzard for Shirley’s death, only Shirley’s inactive lifestyle. Shirley’s friends, according to the blog post, had tried to get him to live in a more healthy way. They encouraged Shirley to eat better foods and even offered to pay for a gym membership, but had little success. From the blog post:
I’m not trying to blame the game for killing him. I’m trying to place blame on the lifestyle choice he made. His health issues combined with a sedentary life must have taken it’s toll. It just happened to be during a Diablo 3 marathon that he died.
The lesson is, then, that video games don’t kill people, but a sedentary lifestyle certainly can. Of course, video games, and Blizzard games in particular, can be an awfully large part of a sedentary lifestyle.
Perhaps it’s last year’s strong titles that brought more players into the hobby, or maybe players are simply starved for a great gaming experience, but the last couple of months have seen huge sales numbers and multiple broken records for the video game industry. Mass Effect 3 sold millions of copies worldwide and the Xbox Live Arcade has seen two different titles break sales records in the past month, including the console edition of Minecraft.
Today, Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of World of Warcraft and the Diablo franchise, announced that Diablo III has broken sales records and become the fastest-selling PC game of all-time. The game sold more than 3.5 million copies in its first 24 hours. Blizzard was clear that this number does not include players who recieved Diablo III for free after signing up for a year of World of Warcraft. A week after release, the game has 6.3 million players, not counting those players in Korean game rooms, where Diablo III has become the top-played game.
“We’re definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of Diablo III and jump in the moment it went live,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard. “We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support.”
These numbers are impressive, and it’s equally impressive that the CEO of Blizzard would humbly acknowledge the trouble many players actually had playing the game. Blizzard should be used to selling millions of units of software, and should have been prepared for the demand for a game many players have been waiting over a decade to experience. The company responded to the “error 37” problems quickly, but not quick enough for many gamers who took off work and rescheduled their lives around the Diablo III launch. Of course, the problems encountered with Diablo III’s launch also clearly demonstrate the inherent problems with requiring an always-on internet connection for a game that can be played single-player.
We’ve gone in depth about the various problems facing Diablo III. The worst problem is of course the dreaded Error 37 that occurs when the server is unreachable. As you are well aware, Diablo III requires that you be online at all times to even play the game. If you are disconnected or the servers go offline, no game for you.
The major complaint is that Diablo III is a single-player game. Sure, it can be played cooperatively, but many players are angry that they can’t play a single-player game offline. While a major rush of players can take the servers offline, Blizzard has also taken the servers offline to perform maintenance. If only there was a way to check if the servers were online without starting up the game and being met with the dreaded Error 37.
Well, now there is with the launch of the Diablo III Server Checker for Android. The app lets you check the status of all the servers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. As one reviewer of the app put it, he can now be disappointed from the lounge instead of his PC.
Unfortunately, the app is currently only out for Android. My best guess is that Blizzard will create an official app sooner or later for both Android and iOS. Everybody will soon be able to keep up with the fun that is Error 37.
Now if only Blizzard would get rid of its always-online DRM. It only serves to punish players who want to just play the game. Not all of us want to play with our friends or we don’t have friends who like dungeon crawlers. This app might make the frustration a little more manageable but it doesn’t help that Blizzard is setting dangerous precedents for PC gaming.
Let me preface this article by stating, I haven’t played Diablo III, beyond the beta events Blizzard offered to players before its release date. I came away rather unimpressed during these events; but more on that later. Therefore, I can provide little insight into the game itself. However, after seeing the events from the past few days unfold, I can provide some insight into how Diablo III has been received from critics, journalists, players, haters, the insane, and fanboys.
It all started at the stroke of midnight, when thousands of gamers shouted “Log-in, finally, after 12 years!” and Blizzard whispered, “No…Error 37”
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a game receive so much vitriol like Diablo III has taken in the past few days. The video game world has seen its fair share of unadulterated hate, with the great Gamespot 8.8 Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess review fiasco of 2006. Also, when EA bought the exclusive third party game rights for the NFL, which led to 2K swallowing up the MLB (the author admits to getting caught up in this one as a MVP Baseball fanboy, and swore to never play a 2K sports game again…NBA 2K12 is now one of his most played games…)
Most of the hate is coming from players themselves, who have complaints even beyond the log-in errors. The problem with a lot of this hate is that so much of it sounds like the ramblings of an insane person, muting the valid concerns players have raised since the game’s launch. What should be thoughtful, constructive dialogue about a game’s problems, turns into this (it should be noted that the video is supposed to be humorous, but captures the essence of how many have responded to Diablo III)…
Which then leads to people not taking the concerns seriously, and instead makes fun of the situation…
This seething hatred also leads to people who will defend the game, stating how players should look over the problem. Yes, looking over the fact a person spent $59.99 or more on a game which has a single player mode, but can’t be played due to a structure implemented by Blizzard, which they couldn’t handle on the most important of days – release day.
Video game journalists are really caught in the crosshairs in a situation like this as well. Who do they side with? The possessed fans, or the developer who is to blame for the problem. The divide is really split, perfectly illustrated by William Usher of Gaming Blend, who I happen to agree with. Not to mention the fact that so many of these sites are reliant on video game advertising, and Blizzard/Activision is the client with the most money.
A playthrough conquered in 5 hours, a cash-shop auction house, no off-line single player, server problems, dumbing down of gameplay systems…and you still gave it positive scores?
Looking past the server problems specifically, something else of interest has taken place since the game’s release, site reviews. I stated previously that I haven’t played Diablo III since release, but did play in the beta events. I thought the game was pretty unimpressive, but I must admit to never being a huge Diablo fan. I would play with friends from time-to-time as a time waster in college, but that’s about it (should be read as “Huge Baldurs Gate fanboy”).
I found this user review interesting, and among the ALL CAPS SHOUTING REVIEWS, to be of sound structure, while completely blasting the game:
It’s Spore all over again. The game isn’t really bad, it gets good reviews by critics, but there’s something so terribly wrong with it. Let me start out by stating how shocked I am that this game has received universally positive reviews, many stating that it has improved upon its predecessor.
Have any of these critics even played Diablo 2? This game eliminates much of what made its predecessor great. Here’s a list of things that displease me: -No more choice when leveling your character. Everything unlocks automatically -You can’t distribute skill points -Items have, for the most part, the same size. You can carry many more things than you could in Diablo 2. Some people might like this better, but it makes things feel less valuable. -No more scrolls of town portal. You have to use waypoints. -Potion healing is drastically changed. -You can’t actually use your weapon when you feel like it. As in, the game doesn’t allow you to swing your weapon if you feel like it with certain classes. -I don’t think the graphics are bad, but they don’t fit the atmosphere. Whereas the first one was dark and gritty, this one seems cartoonish. -The writing is uninspired and has that “oh look at me I’m so epic” quality that I’ve noticed is becoming increasingly common in Blizzard games
Overrall, the game just feels watered down and simplified. Some people disagree with me and are having the time of their lives. All I know is that I wasn’t having fun even after a few hours of playing.
The reviewer points out a problem I’ve always had with video game sequel reviews, and it’s that so many reviewers won’t compare a game to its predecessors, and if they do, generally seem to be very forgiving of the latest entry. It’s gotten to the point I almost trust user reviews more than critic reviews, and Diablo III is a perfect example of this trend.
I have read over 10+ critic reviews online, and it’s shocking to me how little of them haven’t criticized the use of a cash-shop auction house, which nearly makes me never want to touch Diablo III. Many have mentioned the server problems, but are basically making it out to be a footnote, and just making fun of people who have been upset by it. Those who mention that the game requires an online connection, and provides no offline single-player, are basically putting this distinction at the end of their articles, and are saying (paraphrasing), “you can’t play this game offline, but don’t worry about that“. Oh, I haven’t even seen one mention of Blizzard leaving out a LAN option, because you know, people don’t like to play games with others in a live setting anymore.
The Diablo series has never been known for its long, drawn out storylines, but people are beating this game in one sitting. Granted, they are 5-7 hour sittings, but for a game which had a 12 year long development cycle, I would expect more.
As I stated above, I haven’t played the retail version of Diablo III, and this is just my commentary of what I’ve seen from the opinions of others. However, from all the relevant problems being issued by players, which in turn look to be completely ignored by “experts” and “critics”, the whole situation just feels wrong. It leads me to believe that so many of these video game critics have lost sight of what it means to just be a gamer, and aren’t required to spend most of their own money on copies of a game.
While I haven’t had an emotional reaction to the Diablo III fiasco, as I’m 28 and feel like I’m a bit too old to have enraged reactions to a piece of electronic equipment, I can understand and sympathise with the plight of the players. To simply ignore all of the problems, make fun of them, and then either leave them out of a review or make them seem irrelevant is just irresponsible.
For the first time, Jesus has made his video game world debut to combat the satanic influence of Diablo 3. And judging by the quality of “Journey of Jesus” verses Diablo, Satan is much more popular.
This is not to say that both Jesus and Diablo don’t have their place. Personally I’m rooting for both of them. It just seems to me that if Christian leaders think that making an even crappier version of Castleville (I didn’t think that was possible) is going to draw gamers away from a release like Diablo 3, they have another thing coming.
After sampling the game, I have to say that it will not help anyone become more interested in the story of Jesus. Adding pointless tasks like chopping wood and tending flowers, does not make His story more compelling. The character art of Jesus and friends also comes off as creepy rather than comforting and inspirational.
Those eyes are a little too sparkly.
Unfortunately, you can’t see it here, but all of the characters stare eerily to you when you play the game. Even worse is your avatar, who never takes his gaze off you as he chops wood, waters flowers, and generally tidies-up around Israel.
This game is a direct rip off of Zynga games, and even asks you to pay real money for collectables and to advance through the game. Hmm, you have to pay to advance and learn the tenets of Christ. This sounds more like a cult than Christianity.
Along your journey you’re given prompts that refer to the Bible, but you are so annoyed with chopping wood and paying for energy that they are meaningless:
“Life is hard in Israel, but people are talking about John the Baptist. Is John the long-awaited Messiah who will save Israel, or is he ‘a voice calling in the wilderness…’?”
“You heard a voice from heaven declaring, “This is My Son!” What could this mean?”
Along the way you meet a gaggle of ne’re-do-wells who are seeking redemption: “I’ve been looking for love with a lot of men, and I still feel empty… I just want to get free of my past…”
“Looks like you need to get right with Jesus; and by that, I mean give us $60 for 760 pieces of fake gold.”
Jesus’ Corporate Sponsorships. Oh really now.
All in all, I think that if you want to learn about Jesus’ teachings you should probably go to church and read the Bible. Then you can practice them by treating people fairly and volunteering in your community. Leave the video games to Satan.
I’m sure many gamers around the world are all going to call in sick tomorrow. Fun fact for bosses: They’re not sick, they’re just playing Diablo III all day. For those people who don’t already have it pre-ordered, chances are you’re not that excited for it. For those people, Blizzard has prepared the Diablo III Starter Edition.
The Diablo III Starter Edition is essentially a demo. It gives players limited access to the game for them to try out a trip to hell. The Starter Edition gives players access to all of Act 1 up to the Skeleton King. The level cap is set to level 13 to ensure that free players don’t get too powerful. The other restrictions include matchmaking being only available with other Starter Edition players and barred access to the real money Auction House.
For the first month, the Starter Edition is only available to those players who have a guest pass. You can get a guest pass by annoying one of your friends who bought the game for theirs. It’s only available in boxed copies of the game so don’t even bother asking your friends who bought the digital copy of the game.
After that first month, anybody can jump in and try out the Starter Edition of the game. If you’re too poor to afford Diablo III and have no friends who are buying it, you can either wait a month or start playing the Starter Edition of StarCraft II. It’s not the same thing, but you still get that Blizzard goodness for a limited trial run.
If you have no idea why everybody is going to pretend to be sick tomorrow, check out the latest Diablo III TV spot. It pretty much sums up the game in 30 seconds for those new to this whole hell invading earth thing.
After a long wait, the time for Diablo 3 is almost here and Blizzard has announced several, global launch events for the release Diablo III which kick off on the evening of May 14. for retail partners in the US, Europe, and Asia.
In the US, the official launch event will be hosted by Blizzard and GameStop at The Great Wheel Court of the Irvine Spectrum Mall in Irvine, CA.
The event kicks off at 8.00pm with giveaways and even the opportunity to win a laser-etched desktop PC from Intel. Members of the Diablo III development team will be on site at each of the official events to meet with players and sign their copies of the game. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase the standard edition of the game as well as the Collector’s Edition which contains the following bonus items:
-Exclusive aesthetic artifacts for Diablo III, as well as an exclusive World of Warcraft in-game fetish shaman pet and exclusive StarCraft II Battle.net portraits and army decal.
-A behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD two-disc set with over an hour of interviews detailing how the world of Sanctuary came together.
-The Art of Diablo III, a 208-page art book that catalogs numerous pieces of Diablo III art, from early concepts to final 3D renderings.
-The official Diablo III soundtrack CD, containing 24 original pieces from the game.
-A 4GB USB soulstone, preloaded with full versions of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, and corresponding Diablo skull base.
@ChachiSwag ChachiSwag.comFINALLY! The long wait is over… Diablo 3 will be released on May 15 …Ahhhhh! Another countless hours playing my fave. PC game…5 hours ago via web · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · powered by @socialditto
Can you believe it, Diablo III is almost upon us. The game comes out on May 15 and it’s looking to be a great comeback for the classic franchise as well as a great entry in the action RPG genre. Being the good guy Blizzard is, they want to give everybody one last chance to try out the game.
Blizzard announced that starting today at noon PDT, everybody will be able to start playing Diablo III as a part of an open beta weekend. Just think of it like the free weekends that one frequently sees on Steam. Players will be able to try out the game for a weekend and Blizzard gets to stress test its servers to make sure they can handle the onslaught of players come May 15. It’s a winning strategy for everybody.
This is a beta of course so the full game is not available to players during this weekend. Blizzard still has a lot of game available though so don’t think it’s just some dinky one-run-and-done kind of deal. The multiplayer is fully intact so players will able to join forces with their friends as they take on the legions of hell. As for the actual gameplay, you will be able to play each of the five classes and take them up to level 13. That’s a generous deal and one you would be wise not to miss.
For those, like me, who haven’t cared about a Blizzard game till now; you will have to create a Battle.net account to play in the beta. It’s not that painful of an experience and it sets you up to play immediately when the game launches on May 15.
You can start downloading the game client from Battle.net right now. As previously stated, the open beta will begin at noon. It should also be mentioned that Blizzard is a pretty friendly developer so the beta is open to Windows and Mac players.
If you’re still on the fence about Diablo III, check out the latest character trailer to get an idea of how the game plays. Diablo was one of the first isometric action RPGs and Diablo III continues that fine tradition. Get in there and start obtaining all the loot you can carry.
Can you believe that Diablo III is almost here? The long in development sequel to Blizzard’s popular dungeon crawler franchise is here to bring isometric dungeon crawling into the mainstream spotlight again. With the release coming up so soon, it’s time for the marketing blitz to commence with new trailers.
The trailer today focuses on the Barbarian class which is the physical weapons-focused class. If you choose to go Barbarian, be prepared to get up close and personal with your enemies. This usually gives Barbarians a reputation of being the tanks while lacking much in the way of intelligence. Blizzard is turning that perception around by giving the Barbarians in Diablo 3 an expanded backstory. Here’s the official description from Blizzard:
“Though they were once misunderstood as simple, bloodthirsty invaders, the long and noble history of these proud people is now rightly acknowledged. And therein lies the greater tragedy here, for those of us familiar with the nobility of the barbarians remember too what they call their “vigil”, the concept that lay at the very heart of their culture. The barbarians consider it their sworn duty to protect Mount Arreat and the mysterious object within. They believe that if they fail to uphold their duty to the great mount, or are not given a proper burial upon its slopes, they will be denied a true warrior’s death, and their spirits shall roam the land without honor for all eternity.”
While the trailer recounts the story behind the Barbarians, it’s more interesting for its look at how the Barbarian plays. Players will be able to take advantage of a fury meter that will fill as he takes or deals damage. Once full, players can unleash the Barbarian’s fury to create giant earthquakes.
Blizzard Entertainment is one of the few other game developers alongside Valve who only release games once they’re finished. It’s called the “It’s done when it’s done” mantra and has led to Blizzard releasing numerous successful games that everybody loves. It seems they are ditching that philosophy for Diablo III.
Blizzard announced on the official Diablo III blog that the PvP arena section of the game was not going to be included at launch. The reason being that it didn’t live up to their standards. Does that mean that PvP is out for good? No, it just means that they will be adding it in post-launch through an update.
Fret not though, as Blizzard says the lack of PvP at launch only means that they will be able to deliver the best single-player and co-op content on time. If they were to delay the game just for the PvP, they felt that it would be punishing to those players (like myself) who only care about the campaign and co-op content.
It does sound like they are being rather ambitious with the PvP, however, with the blog post detailing all the work that’s going into it. Once it does launch, it will include “multiple arena maps with themed locations and layouts, PvP-centric achievements, and a matchmaking system that will help you and your team get into fairly matched games quickly and easily.”
As for the campaign, they are putting the finishing touches on the game. The only thing they lack now is a solid release date. At an Activision conference call earlier this year, it was stated that Diablo III would launch sometime in the second quarter of 2012.
While some fans may not like this new Blizzard that cuts content to get a game out on time, I for one welcome this new Blizzard. While it’s important that teams take their time on a game to make it the best it can be, it’s equally unfair to delay a game for a feature that maybe only half of the player population would take advantage of. I didn’t complain when Space Marine didn’t launch with its arena co-op mode, but it was a delight to get it a month later when I had finished with the campaign. As long as the PvP arena stays free, Blizzard made the right move here.
PayPal and Blizzard have teamed up around Blizard’s new Diablo 3 and the Battle.net platform.
“With the launch of Diablo 3’s public beta, gamers around the world will jump into Blizzard’s dungeon crawling masterpiece that, with its auction house system, promises to allow players to buy and sell virtual items from the game using real money,” a spokesperson for PayPal tells WebProNews. “PayPal will be the payments solution for the auction house service in several regions of the world and PayPal will also be added as a payment option on Blizzard’s Battle.net platform.”
The announcement comes just after PayPal’s recent announcement with Microsoft that will see Xbox 360 users be able to pay with PayPal directly on their Xbox consoles.
We’re pleased to announce that in most regions, PayPal will be our payment-service partner for the Diablo III auction house, allowing players who trade with real-world currency the ability to cash out the spoils of their battle-torn adventures via a PayPal account.
PayPal will also soon be added in several regions as a payment option on Battle.net, providing another convenient and secure payment method for digital purchases of Blizzard products and services.
We’ll share region-related specifics, as well as further details on everything mentioned above, in the near future. Stay tuned!
“Gamers want to focus on gaming and prefer an in-game payments solution that’s convenient, easy and secure,” says PayPal’s senior director of emerging opportunities, Carey Kolaja. “Last month we told you that our research has shown that over 70% of gamers are PayPal users, and we believe that’s because we understand that central principle.”
