Can Blizzard bring back a franchise nearly destroyed by vanity?
Back in November cosplay fodder Blizzard dropped a demonic bombshell with the announcement of Diablo IV. I’ll confess that I’m not a fan of Blizzard Entertainment or their past business practices. Keep in mind that I was a Blizzard fan boy many moons ago in a land far, far away.
Back then PC games came with manuals and lore books along with installation disks. Installation didn’t require an internet connection and the lore books served as a way to get into the back content of the game while you waited for the insert next disk prompt.
I remember digging into the black inked macabre sketches and art that sucked me into the lore of Sanctuary and the Burning Hells.
For all its roughness Diablo was the definitive hack-slasher-loot-orgy that many tried (and failed) to emulate over the years. The only game that managed to out-do Diablo was Diablo II. A bigger world, a bigger more coherent story, more classes, and epic loot. Everything Diablo started was redefined by its very own sequel!
Then came 2012, the year that Diablo died. Blizzard was, at this time, a MMORPG powerhouse with World of Warcraft still draining wallets and Starcraft owning Korean E-sports. Blizzard’s monster-slaying looter Diablo II was still played by the entire world sometimes non-stop at the risk of death (it was just that good). Surely Diablo III would break the mold and set new trends in the genre and steal our hearts, time, and lives like the first two.
That was the ideal but what we got were broken servers at launch, mandatory internet connections to play and blatant greed traps (Real Money Auction House) that it took all my power to not shell my hard drive with C4.
I played Diablo III for a week then deleted it shortly after and vowed to never again touch Blizzard Entertainment games. That was seven years ago and the hate is still there, albeit faded some. With the cringe announcement of that mobile thing that nobody wants I was convinced that Diablo would be an abandoned IP forever.
Then Blizzard went and paraded a sexy announcement trailer full of grotesque blood sacrifices and the rebirth of a great horned demonic goddess. Lilith you say? Druids and Barbarians? Darker tones, better character mechanics? Okay Blizzard, what you selling me here?
Will Diablo IV be the great redeemer for Blizzard Entertainment? I doubt anything could be that good. Maybe my stubbornness to hang onto my hatred is starting to wear down but from what I’ve seen, it looks promising. Of course we may have to wait a whole year but my guess is that the release will be near November of 2020. Still a long way off and ample time to get totally wrecked by the marketing hype-train.
So, for once I’ve heeded the mostly ignored advice of my friends and went back to see what was fixed with Diablo III. And I’ll tell you what: whatever tragic dumpster fire that was Diablo III at launch has been reworked into something playable and enjoyable. Also this game is a joy to play on a console, matter-of-fact, I like Diablo III better on the console than on the PC.
Having skills and spells mapped to distinct buttons keeps me focused when the screen diarrhea prevalent isometric hack/slashers become intense. Inventory management on the console version is annoying but workable over time and with some repetition, it becomes second nature. My favorite feature is the right stick dodge option as it enhances survivability tenfold; I’m not sure how I played this game without it. I also like the Necromancer and Crusader classes. Experimenting with skill builds isn’t as punishing as the first version of this game so there’s no reason to fear tinkering with builds that fit your playstyle.
Diablo III-Eternal Collection is loaded to the teeth with features and seasonal content. Couch Co-Op on the console is amazing and can really get good when you’re introducing the game to the uninitiated and it’s available for the Nintendo Switch.
It’s a blunder-to-wonder game that has come a long way despite a catastrophic release. There’s nothing wrong with getting back into a game that has become better over time. At least it’s a perfect primer for the upcoming sequel which I hope will redeem Blizzard for its past sins. Of course it could also utterly destroy the franchise and send it to die a fiery death. That being said, I think I’ll just preorder marshmallows for when the time comes.
When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.