Blizzard rejects petition, keeps Diablo III colorful |
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BY Greg Lockwood August 1st, 2008 |
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Remember that silly petition concerning Diablo III? The one where gamers complained that the game was too bright and taking after World of Warcraft instead of the previous entries in the series? Even though the petition got over 50,000 signatures from disgruntled Diablo fans, luckily for us, Blizzard is putting its foot down. “We really like this art style, and we’re not changing it,” says Jay Wilson, lead designer of Diablo III during an interview with MTV Multiplayer.
Blizzard isn’t just being stubborn though, as there were gameplay reasons behind the final color scheme. “When you have 30 creatures on screen — and four or five different types — target prioritization is a factor. You need to be able to tell those things apart fast, and you can’t do that when your world is gray and your creatures are gray,” Wilson explains.
To be honest, we’re thrilled that Blizzard is sticking to their guns on this one. One of the most unfortunate things about the current generation of games is the sheer amount of brown and gray shades. Bravo to Blizzard for brightening things up a bit.
August 1st, 2008
at 8:59 pm
Further discussion this topic here:
http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2008/07/14/diablo-iii-sucks/#comments
August 2nd, 2008
at 8:13 am
I understand the long-time fans but I have to agree with Blizzard’s choice. The game just looks better like this imo, and I’m far more willing to play a game that looks like this than a grey’ish blob.
August 2nd, 2008
at 8:26 am
With Diablo III it’s going to be a relief to get out of a dungeon, in D2 it was more or less the same. Always the greyish style (except Act 3 (?) with the cute cannibals/whatever.
August 2nd, 2008
at 9:59 pm
You guys are fucking idiots. Demons & rainbows dont mix. Shut the fuck up.
D2 has tons of color for a game dealing with the fucking devil.
Im not buying diablo 3 because of this, world of warcraft is mainstream horse **** & so will be this game. Enjoy your 16-10 year olds.
August 2nd, 2008
at 10:35 pm
Honestly, it’s a game. Does it really matter how many colors it contains so long as the gameplay is enjoyable? Please stop resorting to juvenile insults and comments.
August 2nd, 2008
at 10:41 pm
I PARTIALLY agree with Matt. The rainbow I could do without, but I like that I’ll actually be able to see what I’m about to be fighting in this game. Overall, with the true 3D thrown in, I like this better.
August 3rd, 2008
at 3:17 am
Matt, don’t you think Blizzard is better at game design than you are?
August 3rd, 2008
at 6:38 pm
birttany: colors partialy decide the mood, & diablo 3’s color are happy & vibrant. The game has the devils name in its title. Enough said
Ixar: Even hell mephisto in diablo 2(black monster in a black underground thing) is easy to see IMO
Adam: Yea, the old blizzard, before they turned into money grubbing freaks & made WOW
August 5th, 2008
at 12:49 am
I’m torn over this issue. On one end, the Diablo nerds protesting about the WoW color scheme has a point. Diablo with rainbow colors is not Diablo. To prove that point, tell me: what will Gears of War look with bright rainbow colors? Would you still like it?
Sure, gameplay still rules, but the visual design in Diablo is what made it dark and scary. It’s what made Diablo popular. It’s what made Diablo, Diablo.
Then again, I’m open to the idea of having a few more colors, because yes, the previous Diablo games are visually drab. However, would it be as dark, spooky, and claustrophobic because of the color scheme? I doubt it. If you can show me a spooky game with a bright rainbow color scheme, then great, I just might change my mind.
And you know what? I never did have a problem gameplay-wise with the old color scheme. This reasoning that Blizzard gave sounds more like a justification, not a convincing cause. Let’s face it: like any game company, Blizzard wants to make more money by selling more copies–nothing wrong with that.
But if a game is as dark as the previous Diablo games, it won’t appeal to everybody. If Blizzard repackages Diablo with a new art direction, it almost automatically translates into better sales because of its broader appeal. Heck, they did it with WoW, so they’ll replicate it with Diablo III.
As for this bit about Blizzard being better designers of their games than anybody, I’d like to put that comment in perspective. A few years ago, Blizzard North went through a mass resignation of designers, most of which were responsible for the company’s earlier hits (i.e. Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft). These designers then formed Flagship Studios, the creators of Hellgate: London and Mythos.
The designers that work at Blizzard today are not the same people that made the old classics. Gone is Bill Roper, David Brevik, and Max Schaefer, among others. So if one argues that “Blizzard is a better designer than you are,” or “Blizzard knows what it’s doing,” it still doesn’t make people who know about the resignations feel any better.
I’m not saying Diablo III will suck. On the contrary, I think it’s going to sell great. I think part three is going to get a lot of great reviews. I think it’s going to stay on my hard drive for a long time. However, in my mind, it’s not a Diablo game. And I won’t be alone in that sentiment.
Thus I am torn.
August 30th, 2008
at 8:39 am
I’m not torn.
Blizzard should not be owning the rights to the diablo franchise.
The Diablo developpers should be the owners.
What is happening here is a rape.
Uninformed customers believe they’re buying the new diablo, when they’re buying a wow-gay diablo-clone.
The comments of Jay Wilson are appalling. In every turn he shows he doesnt know the diablo games, and makes irrational points like there having GREY enemies in diablo 2. Have you seen many GREY and DARK enemies in Diablo 2? Right. You havent. They’re highlighted in bright colors. He hasnt played the diablo games, or he’s an idiot, or he’s a fucking incompetent and a liar.
It isnt the art director that should have been fired, but of course BLIZZARD has no way to hire people awesome enough to make diablo 3, and that’s why they made us wait 5 years for it.
Well I wish they never had tried.
But there is one good thing to this catastrophic d3 announcement : it makes many people realize how awesome and precious diablo 2 is. Diablo 2 wont ever be beaten, at least not by a diablo sequel.
September 12th, 2008
at 2:04 pm
Well lets wait and see.. saw a great interview at http://www.diablo3x.com
September 23rd, 2008
at 10:17 am
It’s too cartoonish I want Diablo III’s graphics like Diablo II:Lord Of Destruction.
September 23rd, 2008
at 9:11 pm
I find Diablo III’s colors fine. Don’t understand why those WoW kids wants darker color. I don’t wanna play something that looks like Gears of War, I mean, depressed.
September 24th, 2008
at 12:44 am
Well, I think it’s the WoW-haters that wants the darker colors. Back to basics, so to speak.