Diablo III is for real

[Roland]

The biggest example of this is character speed in D1.

No. The biggest example of this, and the biggest thing that sets Diablo apart from Diablo II, was the tile-based environments. It FORCED strategy, because it limited EVERYTHING. When they did away with tile-based environments, the entire game dynamic changed.

I, personally, don't consider that a bad thing. I LOVE Diablo for what it is, and I LOVE Diablo II (until it got broken; but that's a different rant) for what it is. D3 is just the evolution of D2, and IMHO (I know, call my a fanboy and losing my cynicism, but I can't help it) for the better. It looks to me like they took some of the worst gameplay elements in D2 (lack of mobility / AoE for melee) and fixed them, while expanding the core game. That is not a bad thing!

If D3 isn't your cup of tea, so be it! Don't buy it! Bitch and whine about the graphics, the gameplay, everything. Personally, I'm going to buy it because what I've seen shows me a great game, one vastly improved in areas where D2 was weak. It's not going to be D1. NOTHING is! D1 is its own game, just as D2 is, and D3 is. Starcraft II is no different in this regard, in comparison to Starcraft. Where's all the whining about 3D environments there? Too much WC3 influence? Etc. etc. etc. People here didn't bitch this much about the evolution of WC2 to WC3 for crying out loud! Why this? Why now?! Because you CAN? Come on.

I'll be the first to admit to being the loudest complainer on these boards when it came to D2, but it was never about graphics, or strategy. It was about lack of BALANCE, and a poor direction towards a mob pinata mentality. Take a few single elements of the game and crank them up to Uber-Godliness, and utterly destroy everything in its wake. The actual gameplay? The graphics? The art and sound and everything else? Perfectly fine to me, just as it will be in D3.

I just had to rant my incredulity over people's reaction to the game. Sorry if that steps on some people's toes, but honestly, I just don't get it. Maybe I never will, because I like what I see, and am excited about it. What I care about is solid gameplay and BALANCE. So far, the gameplay looks spot on, worlds better than D2 (and honestly, D2 wasn't half bad). If they can keep things in check without utterly destroying 90% of the game to appease a few idiots who want an instant candy button, I'll be set for my gaming needs for the next 5 years. Guaranteed.