Diablo III is for real

[TheDragoon]

Goatboys and fallen were menacing looking? The sluts weren't cartoony as they threw their red spikey balls at you? Honestly, the graphics of D1 weren't all that gritty and dark. At least I didn't think so. Maybe I just read too many horror books growing up or something. *shrugs* What made the game feel dark, gritty and menacing was the fact if you went too far around a corner you could get splatted instantly. Load up D1 and D2 both again and take a good hard non-nostalgic (which can be tricky) look at the graphics again. They really weren't earthshakingly good or caused a lot of horror themselves. They were good for the time, but not really any more or less menacing than other similar games.

I would tend to agree with what Treesh is saying. There were certainly locations of the game that I thought had a fantastic dark, horrific atmosphere (such as parts of the cathedral and all of the catacombs). However, there were also places that were not nearly as dark or scary (the magma caves and hell). Similarly, there were some monsters in the game that also showed the darkness (blood knights, bats) and others that were very cartoony (fallen, goatmen). So you have kind of a mixed bag there, too.

Looking at Diablo III, I can see them going for a very wide range of feels which I, personally, think will be fantastic. If it's just dark all of the time, then the less dark parts just get boring. With some variety thrown in there, you can expect to have more contrast to the game. Thus, when you descend deep into the crypt/cave/catacombs/tombs/etc you will have a real appreciation for how different that is than the outside world.

I also think that the general detail and artwork of all of the areas that we have seen, so far, is awesome. The outside world isn't just some boring all green area with fences around it. It is a detailed world with trees, patches of grass, bushes and stones. The color work is bright and vibrant, providing a deep contrast to the indoor and underground areas. Even the ground, itself, is varied and captures a wide range of colors and textures. That's a huge improvement over the boring green areas of Act 1 in Diablo II. I know I, at least, will not get nearly as bored with those areas as I did in Diablo II. :)