The Coop

Unfortunately, the edited screen shots show exactly what the folks behind the petition are wanting... more earth tones, a less vibrant "rainbowy" color scheme, and cranked up contrast. At least some of them really are arguing that the game is using too many colors that differ from the past Diablo games, and that those colors are ruining the atmosphere/game. Those folks have indeed gotten all riled up over the more colorful surroundings and lighting (on top of wanting more sharply contrasted light/dark levels).

Oh I know about the fanbase split. I had some friends at the time who were absolutely livid about the gameplay shift. Purists wanted the series to say as it was in I, III, Super IV, Bloodlines and Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo. Anything else was heresy to them. And while the classic platformer CVs were all great games, the Castleroid games are equally enjoyable to me. Like you, I'm happy with both gameplay styles. However, all that scuttlebutt revealed what I consider a nasty issue with being such a purist... it's just too damn constricting I guess that depends on whether or not you like the new look. From what I've gathered, you aren't very fond of it... at all. And God knows you're not alone in that dislike. There are plenty of folks who want the more "realistic" CG takes on characters and such that was so prevalent in the two previous games. I personally liked the new visual take in WC3, so what's been shown thus far of Diablo III doesn't bother me. On that subject, I've taken some time to look through the screenshots hosted on Blizzard's site, and I personally don't think the characters are as exaggerated as WC3. The Deckard Cain model on the Blizzard site, and the model close ups in various screenshots, look more toned down and realistic in terms of proportions and whatnot than what was in WC3 or WoW. I personally don't see all the "cartoony" stuff so many are complaining about. Frankly, the models don't look much different than what's seen in games like Soul Calibur, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or God of War. Maybe it's the CG to polygons transition that's irking people?

And 'Symphony of the Night' wasn't Castlevania to a lot of folks. A huge castle, exploratory and RPG elements... it was radically different in look and feel from what came before it. However, most of the complaints ended once people actually played the game and saw everything in action for themselves. Changes in what came with previous iterations don't necessarily mean things are fubar, and that the atmosphere/mood and settings are ruined. As such, perhaps the Diablo fanatics should wait for the finished product, instead of petitioning and throwing a tizzy fit so early in the game's production. Edit: Clarification.

I'm here to defend Ballz. While the title track is downright odd, if you grab the soundtrack here, you'll see the rest of the music, while not OMFGAWESUM!, isn't horrid. However, I challenge you to go here, and indulge yourself in the soundtrack to Zero Tolerance.

This is just me, but the ages attributed to the 'chans' looks odd in spots. OCR4 would be the youngest (left), OCR3 would be the next youngest (mid-left), OCR2 would be next in age (mid-right, since she looks like she's a little older than the one to her right), and OCR1 would be the oldest (right). It's not intended as nit picky garbage, it's just something I noticed. ... Heh. Have OCR1 be about 65, OCR2 in her early 40s, OCR3 in her late teens, and OCR4 at about 9 years old

It could be a problem with your ISP. I had a similar issue happen with FireFox last year, where I could log on, but I couldn't go anywhere. It was fixed a couple hours later, and the cause was a cable line that had been accidentally damaged elsewhere. Try calling up your ISP, and see if anything's up. That, or try checking any FireFox plug-ins you have to see if a setting got changed (like with No Script).

And there are plenty of dark and brown/gray games that the folks complaining about the color can go and play instead of Diablo III. It works both ways my Spirited Away-sigged compadre

I'm really surprised at how many people are bringing up this rainbow. Haven't they considered the concept of setting a mood by gradually shifting from happier, more peaceful surroundings, to darker, more sinister ones? It makes for a more interesting scenario than simply jumping right into gloom and doom. Plus, it's been twenty years since the events of Diablo II came to an end. I don't think everything would stay exactly as it was right after all the destruction. Forests grow back, nature creeps in where things were abandoned, and cities are rebuilt. Anyway, it's amazing how fast people are jumping on the "ALL ABORD TEH FALEBOAT!"-train over what little info is out there. People are damn near ready to cut Blizzard employee throats already.

Batteries can be replaced.

See page 4, Evilhead.

Berserk beat Sinistar by roughly two years though. There's no "character" perse, but it has a number digitized speech sentences like "Chicken. Fight like a robot" and so forth as you fight the robots, which is presumably coming from the robots.

Not quite. I bought some stock for this internet from Al Gore last month, giving me a 53% controlling share in it. That's right baby, I'm pulling an EA!

Actually, this thread is for everyone, Damned, not just the "pro" CTDS folks. Everyone's perfectly free to come in and express their love or disdain for the game, their feelings about its simply being a port or a full on remake, and whether or not they'll be picking it up. That's the beauty of threads around here. Much like the review section, you're allowed to hop in and express your short or long-winded thoughts... regardless of where they reside, or of how many/few agree with them.

At it's core, the idea of a Castlevania fighting game sounds like it could be interesting. A mix of hand to hand and weapons, some specials, and the ability to play as a host of good and evil characters from the series from Simon, to Elizabeth Bartley, to a skeleton dragon attached to a wall (just for fun). However, I'm wary of the reality of this game's outcome. I don't own a Wii, and won't for a very long time. But if I did, I'd certainly be waiting for many reviews on this one before contemplating picking it up.

In front of Einhander II on the "Ain't gonna happen because we're too busy whoring out Final Fantasies" list most likely.

Well, if I can put in my two cents before this erupts into a full on barn burner of a flame war, I personally welcome the new dose of color. The world is still quite dark, but now there's life in that darkness. Instead of black for black's sake, it's dark browns, blues and greens. While the edited screenshots possess contrast, the washed out and over-contrasted greens, blues and such look more... lifeless. Yes, Diablo is quite dark, and that created one type of mood. Like Doom 3, the darkness hid what was around you, and it was fun. The sequel is also quite dark, but not as much. It also brought in more vibrant colors, and the cycling of day and night. This allowed that newly injected color to stand out more as you explored deserts, dungeons and whatnot. This second sequel, seems to be following right in line with the changes that happened from 1, to 2. There's more color injected into the lighting, and that's reflected in the world being lit.... yet it still conveys that eerily lit and ominous mood which has been played with since the series began. So while I can appreciate the dark world of Diablo and what it offered as you played through it, I also like the expanded look of the world in Diablo III. They both appeal to me for different reasons, and I personally don't prefer one over the other... or feel the series should be locked into only one visual style. I see the growth from 1, to 2, to 3, and it doesn't bother me. Maybe that makes me a heretic to some fans, but that's how I feel. But for those who believe the game's not shiny enough, or too colorful, just wait a while after the game's released. As I suggested earlier, I would almost be willing to put money down on someone making a mod for Diablo III that adjusts the contrast and color levels to make it look like the first game. Then almost everyone'll be happy.

Cool. If you'd like some recommendations jammed down your throat... AirForce Delta (Flying) Alien Front Online (3D Action) Bangai-O (Shmup) Border Down (Shmup) * Capcom vs SNK (Fighting) Daytona USA (Racing) Dead or Alive 2 (Fighting) Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm (3D Hack 'N Slash) Ecco the Dolphin (3D Action Puzzler) Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves (Fighting) Giga Wing (Shmup) Giga Wing 2 (Shmup) Grandia II (RPG) Gunbird 2 (Shmup) Ikaruga (Shmup) * Last Blade 2 (Fighting) Last Hope (Shmup) * Mars Matrix (Shmup) Marvel vs Capcom (Fighting) Marvel vs Capcom 2 (Fighting) MDK 2 (3D Action) Metropolis Street Racer (Racing) Red Dog (3D Action) Resident Evil 2 (Survival Horror) Resident Evil 3 (Survival Horror) Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Survival Horror) Skies of Arcadia (RPG) Soul Calibur (Fighting) Street Fighter III: Double Impact (Fighting Compilation) Street Fighter III: Third Strike (Fighting) Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Fighting) Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage (3D Hack 'N Slash) Test Drive Le Mans (Racing) Test Drive: V-Rally (Racing) Under Defeat (Shmup) * Wild Metal (3D Action) Zero Gunner II (Shmup) * *= Japanese import

Could be worse... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amrbnz3G5zA I love both games, but those "tunes" are tough to sit through

There could be soft shadows on the ground, which would be tougher to see in a still shot. Moving video would show them better. And really, if you watch some of the other gameplay trailers on YouTube, you can see shadows being cast by everything. So there's a good chance that the shadows just haven't bee programmed in yet, or they're tough to see in that still shot. Either way, I'm sure they'll be in place when the final build for D3 rolls out. Considering who's making the game (and they're attention to detail), I'd be shocked to find otherwise.

The glorious off-tempo tunes of Zero Tolerance... played in spectacular two instrument harmony. Fun game, but horrid music. And you best not be picking on Space Invaders, Gollgagh.

Before I post the one's you listed LT, I thought I'd give them all another shot... I tried brightening the background, and then adding some color shifts to them to try and help the characters stand out more. I thought that adding more background variation choices to the original set might result in more suitable avatars. Anyway, the original set is lined up with the two additional ones. Thoughts? LT: Thanks for trying some other options. I actually think the originals ended up looking the best, with the images contrasting best with the darkest background. I'm still sold just on the ones I previously listed, so let's roll with those.

Don't forget about Hellfire, the expansion for Diablo. It's not in the Battlechest, as it was made by Sierra. But, it can be found pretty easily, and it adds a new class, 8 new quests, and 23 new monsters.

I wonder how many of the people who are bringing up the light radius thing, complained about Doom 3 being too dark

... You know, I'm not generally one to insult people, but that's just stupid. Do they really think Blizzard is going to give two shits and actually redo the graphics and colors to make some overly sensitive fanboys happy? Blizzard is in an art style groove, much like what Capcom went through when Darkstalkers and Street Fighter Alpha came about. It's a new visual take that frankly, looks fine to me. Color is a good thing. And to me, it's not a "WoW" style, it's a simply a style... one that's being used for more than the WarCraft saga now. In a number of years, Blizzard will run with a new art style. And years after that, another one. That's how it works more often than not in the art world. Some people stand still artistically, other's choose to move forward and explore new visual styles. Blizzard is in the latter group. And besides... recoloring things to make a few people happy is what the mod community is for

Nope. The DC never got an entry in that series. Regarding games on the DC, good luck finding great games like Red Dog, Daytona USA (2001), Under Defeat and Alien Front Online for another system. Couple that with what's considered to be the best version of some games (like Test Drive Le Mans and Grandia II), and the DC still has plenty to offer in terms of exclusives and "best versions". It has a healthy library of racing games, 2D/3D fighters and shmups, some good RPGs, and plenty of action titles... all despite it's shorter-than-average run. If you like good games you won't find on any other system, get that DC.