Due to a packed schedule, Blizzardcon will not be held this year! We Blizzard fans will have to hang up our helms and wait it out til 2013. The decision was announced via Battle.net, citing ongoing work on Diablo III, Titan, a new WoW expansion, and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm updates, as well as a tournament at the end of the yea, as cause to hold off on the event (attended by 10,000 in 2011).
It’s disappointing, yes, but all the same comforting to know they’re hard at work getting Diablo III out. Are you bummed by the lack of Blizzcon this year?
Stay awhile, and…watch this leaked Diablo III trailer! It goes through the new follower classes of Diablo III, The Enchantress and The Scoundrel and The Templar. The clip isn’t long enough to really get into depth, but from what I’m seeing, I think I’m digging The Templar. I’m also curious to see more on the new follower customization options, which are only touched on briefly in the video.
Edit: video no longer working. Pooh.
Diablo III Beta Coming This Fall
There may be no word yet of an official Diablo III release date, but Activision Blizzard did take the time during an investor call this morning to mention a testing phase beginning in third quarter 2011. It was not mentioned whether it would be open or closed beta (open! please! pick me! pick me! pick me!) but all the same, it’s a reassuring step towards release day, is it not?
Here’s What Diablo III Was Supposed To Look Like
Hey, here’s some news you are probably better off not knowing. There’s actually a reason for the ten year gap between Diablo II: LoD and the upcoming Diablo III. In 2005, the game was so far along that it had a playable version and plenty of screen shots, which are emerging now. As you can see from the snap above, it retained the original visual style of Diablo III, albeit a bit rough, with an altered Menu bar and potion belt section.
This gives me the sads. They could have just stopped where they there and went with that. Instead they’re trying to drag over WoW fans by froofing up the place with all those icky color changes. Yeah I said, it they’re icky. Diablo has a decidedly Gothic feel, and that’s part of the appeal. Now it looks like a damn fireworks show. In fact, I fully blame World of Warcraft for these delays.
Fuck WoW. Yeah there I said that too. Check out more screen shots at the link below.
Though Blizzard just declined to give a release date window for Diablo III in a recent investors meeting, it appears they’re at least trying for 2011. When recently asked by Kotaku’s Brian Crecente “Will I be christening my new computer with Diablo III this year?”, executive vice president of game design at Blizzard Entertainment Rob Pardo, said
“We really, really hope so. That’s our goal. Our goal is to get there. But you know, at the end of the day, we are going to get it right. That’s more important. We’re going to promise, we’re going to get it out there when it’s awesome. And, we’re crossing our fingers, maybe it will be this year.”
I’ve got this gut feeling that we won’t see Diablo III in 2011, frankly, even first quarter 2012 seems early. At this point, I don’t care when they release it. I’ve waited ten years so far. Another year or two feels like a nap by comparison.
Preview the Fallout: New Vegas All Roads graphic novel on [iTunes]
Sneak peek at Diablo III class tree skills [Daily Diablo 3]
Learn to play Fallout: New Vegas’ Caravan card game [IGN]
A cautionary tale: “I played Oblivion black out drunk and this is what happened” [Facepunch]
RAGE engine id Tech 5 being kept within Bethesda family [IGN]
She’s Crafty: Diablo III Artisan Video
Don’t mind me, just catching up on some news that got left behind during the great Gamescom and vacation shuffle. The above video features the new Artisan coming to Diablo III. Check it out to hear a dull as dishsoap narrative about this new character and how the system will be used in-game.
You’ll have to forgive me. Gamescom 2010 was almost two weeks ago, I found these pics nine days later, and yet I’m only now getting around to posting them. Blind rage will do that to you. These people are playing DIABLO FUCKING III. For. Fuck’s. Sake. How dare they not invite me. How dare they not even let me know they were going to be at Gamescom? And how dare my feeble lady brain miss this in the sea of press assets and announcements I posted during the event?
These pictures were passed on by a Spanish friend of mine, and while I do in fact speak Spanish…well, I don’t speak that good of Spanish. So I apologize that I cannot translate more of the accompanying account of his Diablo III experience at Gamescom other than to say he overall had a good time, thought the interface was user friendly, and that the gameplay, audio, and graphics were all “bien”. Check it out for yourself, via video, here.
I am just lovin’ that blood red. It’s really nice when developers/publishers can afford to incorporate some atmosphere into their booths.Almost makes you forget the misery of not being able to buy whatever you’re demoing.
Diablo plus Tetris? Well why don’t they just start selling weed sprinkled with crack? Oh wait, they do sell that. Well why don’t they just sell candy flavored canna-beer then. Please. Like, now. Sell candy flavored canna-beer!
Beware of the game by the way. Not only does it have the potential to be highly addictive, its rules are also a little different from traditional Tetris. You may also find yourself suddenly at the end of the game having accumulated enough points to reach level 30 without quite knowing how. Still trying to figure that one out.
Yaaaaa so this post is about two weeks late. Better late than never, right? Besides, I’m sure you’re more interested in the actual news. My shyquietmeek daily identity is Emily, but I prefer my alter ego, Scarlet Pirate. Emily works a boring desk job; Scarlet Pirate dresses like a whore and dances on poles. But not for money…except that one time….
Alter egos have more fun.
I have been gaming for like, ever. I was born the same year as the Nintendo and I can’t think of any point my life we didn’t have a console. I wasn’t very good at the twitchy games, but I really got addicted when I started playing RPGs. Shadowrun on the Genesis is the first game I really remember playing and loving; my husband played the opening midi music for it, and I knew what it was immediately without looking. And for the record, there are NO other Shadowrun video games, and if you dare speak blasphemy in my presence, prepareth to be slappeth’d.
I also remember logging in hours and hours on Link’s Awakening on the original Gameboy. Nasty, green screen, shaped-like-a-brick Gameboy. To this day I can still recite, purely from memory, the “side quest” items needed to complete the game. First you get the Yoshi doll from the crane machine, and when you give it to the baby you get a hair bow….
Slime earrings: +1 to Defense
I currently have a DS, XBOX 360, PSP, PS2, and a Wii, plus a lot of the older consoles stored away. I’m currently addicted to Dragon Quest IX if you haven’t noticed, along with Red Dead Redemption on the XBOX and I’m debating playing Persona on the PSP.
I’m currently looking forward to Fallout: New Vegas (though I know Badfish isn’t impressed that Felicia Day is in it), and Diablo III, if it actually comes out this year. I also want Dead Rising 2 and I hope this time I can read the text. I even had a wide screen TV, and it still sucked. It was ridiculous. Oh and Fable III. Bring on the pie.
My Steampunk wedding. You can see my metal wings.
I have my own blog about British Television at Queen’s Forgotten Children but I’ve focused on helping Badfish over here so I don’t post often (not like I did before anyway). You can follow me on Twitter under BritsAndBobs and if you really like me, you can catch me on Facebook. My husband and I also share an Etsy Shop and we’re currently stocking up on some geeky goodies.
Thank you all for following Gamer Grrlz; I hope we can put a stop to the stupid assumption that girls don’t game. Or at least make nasty, snide remarks along the way!
