Diablo 3 to be announced this weekend? the magic 8-ball says...

[Blackadar]

Ho-lee shit.  Awesome.  Frickin' awesom.

[Space Herpes]

Zombie walls... plagues... exploding pets....  I want to play a witch doctor.  Game looks awfully refined.  I have to wonder how far they are into development.

[rittchard]

Pretty much exactly what I predicted - 2.5/3D graphics a la TQ, 5 classes, multiplayer over Battle.net, as usual Blizzard plays it safe, no surprises.

That said, luckily when Blizzard plays it safe they generally deliver big: that gameplay video almost made me wet my pants, watching D2-style gameplay with D2 sound effects in a gorgeous updated environment with all sorts of new effects.  It's gonna be a lonnnnnnng (2 year?) wait for release!

[Jeff]

Yep, I'm guessing 1.5 to 2 years off, sadly.

I noticed in the gameplay video, only the barbarian and witch doctor were used. Then when they brought in 2 more characters, they were also a barb and WD.

Go to diablo3.com and click on classes, and all they have there are WD and barb. I'm guessing the other classes aren't near ready yet. It's probably going to be a long wait.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Ok, so now I have a high-rez version of the gameplay trailer.  Uploading now...it's half a gig, so it'll be about a half hour to finish uploading.

[Jumangi]

I don't think it will be 2 years. Blizzard seems to be waiting longer into development to show games. The D3 gameplay video showed a game that was well along already. I say its out by end of next year.

[namatoki]

Zombie walls... plagues... exploding pets....  I want to play a witch doctor.  Game looks awfully refined.  I have to wonder how far they are into development.

According to this Gamespot article:

Diablo III has been in development for about four years, and now has a team of 50-55 developers dedicated to it, according to Jay Wilson, the game's lead designer. The game will offer drop-in / drop-out co-op play over Battle.Net throughout; while it will be doable as a solo player, gamers will be able to bring friends in at any stage.

Like I mentioned in the other Diablo3 thread, I knew about Diablo3 last year when I got to visit the Blizzard offices. I expect some HUGE announcements at Blizzcon this year. I'll be there!

[Knightshade Dragon]

http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/Diablo3-GameplayTrailer_EU_EN.avi  (568mb)

There ya go - high resolution and all that.

[EddieA]

I noticed in the gameplay video, only the barbarian and witch doctor were used. Then when they brought in 2 more characters, they were also a barb and WD.

Go to diablo3.com and click on classes, and all they have there are WD and barb. I'm guessing the other classes aren't near ready yet. It's probably going to be a long wait.

I don't think it's because the classes aren't ready, but rather because Blizzard is deliberately doling out information a little at a time.  Although there is a lot more available than most games have at launch, they know they need to keep excitement high, so holding information back to be revealed later is a smart move.  Every few months, they can release some new details and create a little surge in hype, and just keep doing that until the game is released.  Blizzard is the dark master of hype, and it looks like they haven't lost their touch

[Canuck]

Ok I wasn't excited about Diablo before but I totally am now.  Hell does that ever look awesome!! It looks great but at the same time it looks like a reasonable PC might be able to play it (unfortunately mine isn't a reasonable PC).  I hope it does take a couple of years to come out because that'll probably be about when I'm ready to get a new PC
I wonder though, as good as those graphics look now, will they still look so good in two years time?

[Blackjack]

I've come to think Diablo/Diablo II didn't really create a genre. It created a "mirage," that a lot of developers tried to chase, but none had any true mass market success. I don't really think of Dungeon Siege (which to me felt more like a small-scale RTS than a Diablo clone, and lacked D/D2's randomizing appeal) as one. I had a lot of affection for Delphine's Darkstone but it sold something like 50,000 to 70,000 copies in North America back in 1999. Since Delphine was French, and the Blizzard Invitational was in France, I wonder if any of the ex-Delphine guys are sitting around lamenting, "Why is it we did a Diablo clone and nobody cared, and Blizz announces one, and everyone wets their pants?" 

Iron Lore's devs claimed piracy hurt Titan Quest/Immortal Throne's sales but I'm pretty sure it was no sales home run regardless. I think it deserved a better fate really, but maybe trying to chase a classic series' tail -- and basically betting a new dev's future on it (Iron Lore) -- was just a losing battle in general.

I've played some really dreadful budget games, obscure games that were shameless Diablo clones but had none of the "magic" at all. And I've played a variety of MMOs now -- including Tabula Rasa, with its "click to kill" controls, seems to emulate Diablo in a way; and Dungeon Runners -- that seem to be trying to "Diablo it," without succesfully recapturing it.

So while I'm excited about Blizz returning to the franchise, I hope it doesn't mean a new raft of Diablo clones from "soon to be out of business" new devs trying to do "Diablo III clones."   

[CSL]

Ok I wasn't excited about Diablo before but I totally am now.  Hell does that ever look awesome!! It looks great but at the same time it looks like a reasonable PC might be able to play it (unfortunately mine isn't a reasonable PC).  I hope it does take a couple of years to come out because that'll probably be about when I'm ready to get a new PC
I wonder though, as good as those graphics look now, will they still look so good in two years time?

Yes - it's more style than anything.

[Turtle]

Yep, Blizzard is proof that good art direction tops purely technical driven graphics any day.

I saw the cinematic trailer too.  Is that voice actress Jennifer Haley, it sounds like her although she's in damn near everything, but man she can really emote.

Oh and yeah, I'm really not into the same old grind, loot, grind, and loot gameplay, but there's just something about the Blizzard presentation of this that gets me interested.  I may only play this with a friend in co-op though.

[Jeff]

I don't think it's because the classes aren't ready, but rather because Blizzard is deliberately doling out information a little at a time.  Although there is a lot more available than most games have at launch, they know they need to keep excitement high, so holding information back to be revealed later is a smart move.  Every few months, they can release some new details and create a little surge in hype, and just keep doing that until the game is released.  Blizzard is the dark master of hype, and it looks like they haven't lost their touch

I hope you're right! I didn't know the game had been in development for 4 years already, that alone sounds very promising.

Does anyone know, by comparison, how long Starcraft 2 has been in development?

I'm amazed that Blizzard, and the people who've known about it, have been able to keep this quiet for 4 years.

[Jeff]

http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/Diablo3-GameplayTrailer_EU_EN.avi  (568mb)

There ya go - high resolution and all that.

Holy hell does that look good, even full screen 1680x1050, thanks again Ron! 

[msduncan]

I should never have watched this.   Now I want it right now.

[Knightshade Dragon]

http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/Diablo3_artwork.flv  (67mb)
http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/diablo3_cinematic.wmv  (48.2mb)

And here we have high res of the cinematic trailer and the artwork trailer.  Enjoy!

[KePoW]

I saw the cinematic trailer too.  Is that voice actress Jennifer Haley, it sounds like her although she's in damn near everything, but man she can really emote.

It does sound like Jennifer Hale to me

[Orgull]

 

I am weeping copious tears of joy. I have waited so long. I am so happy.

-snif-

[Destructor]

I wonder though, as good as those graphics look now, will they still look so good in two years time?

People still say that WoW looks good, right? Compared to D3 though, it looks like bunk.

[rittchard]

http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/Diablo3-GameplayTrailer_EU_EN.avi  (568mb)

There ya go - high resolution and all that.

OMG thanks so much for this!!!  I watched the small version on the website last night, and that already had me drooling.  Now watching this version in full screen, I almost don't know what to do with myself lol.  The details are incredible and you can see so much more in this video, for instance all the little flies that the WD shoots out, and how when the big mob dies it blows up into tiny eels which you have to kill.  I missed a lot of that subtle stuff on first view of the small version.

This is going to suck because until D3 comes out, every other game I play I will be wishing I was playing D3 instead.  I remember the same thing happening with D2.

[Orgull]

Ok I just finished watching the gameplay video. Thank you Knightshade Dragon for posting that. Spoilers ahead!

OH MY GOD.

Any fears I had that Blizzard might screw it up are gone now that I've watched that video. I had three things I wished for in D3 and to my astonishment all three are in.

1) Random quests.

2) Destructible environments.

3) A hotbar for skills.

I am in AWE. That final boss battle was stunning. When the monster threw the Witch Doctor to the ground, I thought "Cool!" but then it bit the Barbarian's head off and I was speechless.

When I heard "Witch Doctor" I thought, "WTF?" but then I saw him in action and I want to play him NOW.

I am so happy.

[wonderpug]

http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/Diablo3-GameplayTrailer_EU_EN.avi  (568mb)

There ya go - high resolution and all that.

OMG thanks so much for this!!! 

Double thanks.  That HD video is the first version I watched, and it made my anticipation level shoot through the roof.  It's so much juicier in motion than in the stills.

[EddieA]

I think the voice in the cinematic trailer is the actress who plays Kerrigan in Starcraft, who also did voices in Diablo 1 and 2.

[DamageInc]

I'm impressed with how they incorporated the enviroment into the gameplay. Day 1 purchase for me

[Skylark]

http://www.gamingtrend.com/video/Diablo3-GameplayTrailer_EU_EN.avi  (568mb)

There ya go - high resolution and all that.

OMG thanks so much for this!!!

Double thanks.

Triple thanks. I actually watched the low-res version first, and when I saw the HD version I vowed never to look at a low-res gameplay video again (unless I really don't want to be tempted into buying the game).

[ScubaV]

New Leaked Footage!

Unreal! 

[Blackjack]

I hadn't seen the unveiling, and like most Blizz announcements, it's treated like some Greek God walked down from the heavens to give the people a gift.   Diabloii.net and, from the looks of it, about 2,000 other people filmed it...

http://www.diabloii.net/n/668270/wwi-opening-ceremony-movie

If you're impatient, the Diablo III announcement is at about the 31min23sec mark and you can move the slider over to that...

It's interesting in a way that their earlier "entries in the franchises" didn't have to cope with this degree of hype (there wasn't any conference/ceremony with thousands of people on pins and needles for Diablo, Starcraft etc.). Not sure if that's good or bad.  It's great they're treated like rock stars now, and that the Blizzard name has more weight than any one developer type, but I don't think you'll ever see a Blizzard game sneak up on people again via word-of-mouth again (or in the case of Diablo "1", a terrific 2-dungeon level demo most people got via gaming magazine CDs).

I thought it was pretty awesome of them to dig up the original "Tristram music" from the first game, for the "foreplay" leading up to the announcement. It really does give me goose bumps to hear it again. 

[CrayolaSmoker]

New Leaked Footage!

Unreal! 

  Wow! If people went apeshit over the first video...

[Blackjack]

Hey, interesting thing. Jay Wilson is the Diablo III Lead Designer:

Joystiq interview with Wilson:
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/29/joystiq-chats-with-jay-wilson-on-diablo-3/

Well, I was working at Relic Entertainment. I started on RTSs originally and I interviewed at Blizzard ... I was actually very happy at Relic, but I had friends who had moved to Blizzard and they got me an interview. I was like, "Cool, Rob Pardo! I get to be interviewed by him and he's an idol of mine!" For me, it was just a cool experience to be able to talk to Rob for an hour. And we continued to talk and I went to the first BlizzCon [October 2005] and they just talked me into it. Essentially, I've always been a huge fan of Blizzard and it just felt like a natural fit.

And he's the same Jay Wilson who worked at Relic Entertainment as lead designer on Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War:
http://www.gamechronicles.com/qa/warhammer40k/dawnofwar.htm

WoWinsider had a brief about him too:
http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/06/28/whos-jay-wilson/

Kinda neat. I think the Warhammer games had some of the best animation I ever saw in an RTS. While he's not an animator, I wonder if Blizz saw something "Diablo-ish" in Warhammer's style. 

[CeeKay]

New Leaked Footage!

Unreal! 

  Wow! If people went apeshit over the first video...

I was wondering who they were tapping for the soundtrack.

[Soulchilde]

My prediction is for a summer 09 release. I wish it was earlier than this, but I can't see it coming out this winter with WOTLK and SC2 looming this fall

[Canuck]

Great.  That gives me lots of time for the new hardware prices to drop to purchasable levels

[Kevin Grey]

I don't think it will be 2 years. Blizzard seems to be waiting longer into development to show games. The D3 gameplay video showed a game that was well along already. I say its out by end of next year.

Don't know about that- Starcraft 2 was announced in May of last year and, going by the news item in the SC2 requirements, thread, it's still going to be well into '09 before we see that one. 

[CeeKay]

SC2 looming this fall

see the sys req thread about SC2.  they've only got 1/3 of the campaign complete but say they'll have at least something to show around the holidays.

[DArtagnan]

Well, Blizzard are in a position where they can take all the time in the world and still have resources enough to keep working full-time with a big team.

That said, I do worry that in their complacency they've grown lazy and slightly less passionate about making great games - seeing as how they've more or less conquered the industry. I don't have much to base that fear on, except perhaps their decidedly uncreative handle on WoW development post TBC. Ok, so I played WoW intensely for 3 years - but even so, I expected more from Bliz than what I'm hearing about WotLK. It's almost as if the entire expansion team is a bunch of robots - albeit very skilled ones.

But I have to say that D3 looks VERY good judging from those videos, and maybe they're still doing their utmost with their resources, which means that when it does finally come out - it will be as close to perfect as we're likely to get in this industry.

Also, Diablo 2 was possibly the least polished of their pre-WoW games at launch - and maybe they don't want to repeat that.

I do hope the pace is faster in the final version though, as the demo seemed slightly sluggish in Diablo terms.

[Soulchilde]

SC2 looming this fall

see the sys req thread about SC2.  they've only got 1/3 of the campaign complete but say they'll have at least something to show around the holidays.

That's what I get for not reading.  Yeah, that would change my estimate on the  release of SC2 and D3

[Destructor]

Well, Blizzard are in a position where they can take all the time in the world and still have resources enough to keep working full-time with a big team.

No kidding. They make, what, a billion dollars a month or something with WoW?

And I saw the HD version of the video last night - thanks Ron! Talk about impressive looking. Love the detail in the mobs, and the little things like being able to send parts of a building crumbling when you whip past it with an attack.

[Eightball]

New Leaked Footage!

Unreal! 

After watching that, I'm certain Blizzard is never going to let me down.

[Sparhawk]

New Leaked Footage!

Unreal! 

After watching that, I'm certain Blizzard is never going to let me down.

I gotta say they did a great job with that movie!!!