Diablo 3 Coming To Consoles
RobinEggs writes "After long speculation and a few affirmative hints, Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo 3 will have a console version. Responding to a fan who asked him to 'confirm or deny' a console version of D3, Blizzard community manager Bashiok said, 'Yup. Josh Mosqueira is lead designer for the Diablo console project.' Here's hoping Blizzard remains one of the few companies to fully develop both the console and PC version of their titles, rather than simply porting the Xbox version to PC. I think we've all had enough of bizarre scrolling, menus that can't be used with a mouse, and 'Controls' menus that don't even bother replacing the 360 controller image with an actual keyboard layout."
That would have been bigger news I think.
when???
FACT: consoles retardify any gaming experiance.
Given that the Diablo 3 beta has been around for a while on PC, I would expect that the console version will be ported from the PC rather than the other way round.
With the tablet touch screen controller, Diablo 3 would be amazing, plus it could have graphics somewhat on par with the PC version. They gave the N64 Starcraft so anything is possible. Come on Nintendo drop a wad of cash off at Blizzard HQ.
Born to Play
Want to see this on the mobile console of the future.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Any new IP or sequel or reboot of a old game having a console version is given.Nobody expects them to stay PC only.Ofcourse they're going to come where the money is
I loved the first two Diablo games and spent endless hours playing them. However, there's a lot of questions that they never answer or keep changing their answer to. Will it be pay-to-play like their WoW model or will B.Net be free like previous games in the series? Will there be a single-player mode? Will you be able to play on private servers or will you be stuck with B.net?
If at least two of those three are not favorable then I probably won't be getting it.
Will the console version need a Internet connection to play single player though? Or can offline play finally be achieved? If it can be played offline, I would be tempted to buy it for a console.
Now, now, they already did all that back when they learned the game would have actual COLORS in it. Besides "dirt brown" and "blood red".
You have to wonder if the console versions will require a constant connection to blizzard's battle.net system along with a REALID registration? God forbid though if they allow voice chat in the console version. Who wants to hear little kids screaming all the time?
You must master your joystick like a fisherman masters bait! - Gimpy
When they replaced potions with "health bulbs," it was pretty evident that they were going to target the console market.
I'm not going to complain, but Blizzard definitely has changed their target market and I don't believe I'm in it any longer.
HOw will they do that?
"Waste not one watt!" - CZ
The fan outrage continues: first rainbow colors, now console retardation. Hack and Slash already is dumbed down, porting it to consoles is really not a big deal.
Yes. Diablo III is using the new B.Net 2.0 which requires a constant login to play, even for single player. It's the same with Starcraft II, and I'm not going to fall for that trick twice...
Blizzard is pretty PC-centric, so if anything it will be the console versions that will be shitty ports of the PC version, not the other way around.
That said, there's no reason why both versions can't be good. Torchlight was a Diablo clone made by an indie developer that was praised for the amount of work put into making the console port just as playable as the PC version. There's no reason why a big company like Blizzard couldn't do the same... other than greed and laziness, I guess.
Rob
How long until Acitvision/Blizzard get enough money that their bank account collapses into a black hole, under it's own mass? Seriously, I'm sure Diablo 3, will be fun to play but the whole real money market place and lack of LAN/always on connection requirement really bothers me as a consumer. I think I'm going to pass on Diablo 3 myself, and just buy Torchlight 2 when it comes out.
So what do you call your sort of flame, then? Preemptive douchebaggery?
I would except that Blizzard has pretty much admitted to fucking things up, i haven't been interested in Diablo 3 in quite a while because of all the "features" they've put in to prevent people from playing in unapproved ways. Any hope of me buying it evaporated the moment that I found out that there would be no singleplayer game and that there would be no LAN play either.
There's only thing that really annoys me about this. There is no way they would make this game "online-only-even-for-single-player" on a console.
I understand the need for 24/7 connectivity on pc under their game mechanics, but it still doesn't make it any less frustrating.
Also curious to see how that auction house turns out on console. If it will even make an appearance.
As the OP I'd like to acknowledge, before any lifelong Blizzard fanboy bawls me out, that sometimes the game masters, forum moderators, and community managers at Blizzard can be full of shit. If it was just that statement I quoted in support of a console release, I might be at least skeptical myself.
This story, however, has much more to it than just that final acknowledgment; from the directness of the reply, including naming the project lead, to the stuff in the extra links soulskill was kind enough to add for me, there are many credible indicators of a console Diablo 3.
SC2 has offline mode.
in 7.1 surround sound..Epic!
Thanks Blizzard, this news saves me wasting $60 on yet another crippled game.
My
Let's not forget that Diablo had a Playstation version. The sky is not falling.
... of "Pokemon Pandas: Farmin' the Grind".
Check your premises.
Who will want to play Diablo on the command line?
But Torchlight was made by the people that made Diablo 1 and 2. Diablo 3 is created by a completely different team.
I found both Torchlight and the D3 beta totally awful.
Maybe I'm just outgrowing hack-n-slash, along with every other mainstream category. God knows I hate 95% of shooters these days.
I swear to god, I hate indie game hipsters just as much as indie music hipsters and Linux prophets, but I haven't played a good AAA game since New Vegas, whereas indies are putting out dozens of kickass titles per year.
God help me I'm becoming an elitist. Get me some non-ironic domestic beer and a copy of MW3, stat!
There's no way for you to know the console version won't be able to play offline, they've only stated that the PC version requires a constant connection. It would break precedent if a console game need an always on connection.
This makes me extremely nervous for this game. I was already feeling a little meh about them taking out certain other aspects like potions and trading them in for health orbs. I would rather not loose some in game depth or functionality because PC can do it but consoles can't so lets take it out of the game altogether. This is one game that they are changing so much stuff on I won't preorder it but rather wait and see how it turns out and wait for it to go on sale after I read reviews and what not. Don't hate what they are doing yet but I feel unsure... and scared... someone hold me...
Now this shit? WTF is Blizzard doing?!?!?!?!
up - jump
down - duck
left - move left
right - move right
A - shoot current object (e.g., throw a turtle at a demon)
B - strike (punch a demon, or break a brick in front of you. if hit at same time jumping, breaks a brick above you)
unlock super secret key combos for special super moves!
Check your premises.
Look no further than the sad evolution of TES. Back when TES4 came out the Bethesda said they had to dial back the graphics so it would run properly on an XBOX. So no distinct shadows, no huge preloaded areas (E.g.: open cities) even though the PC hardware could handle it without choking, they really didn't give a rat's ass about how much PC hardware could handle. Then enters TES5 and it's like the consolization of this game has grown by orders of magnitude. Now you can't change the default WASD keys for some aspects (e.g.: map), no more modding!
From: Bethesda To: Huge rich TES4 modding community: "Fuck you".
They've removed all the complex "stats" that made the game too difficult for console users who can barely figure out their power button and lame ass controller. THATS RIGHT they removed the damn stats from an RPG to make it easier for console users. That's like removing the bullets from a gun to make it safer! God damn idiots! That's he whole reason people play RPGs!
It's always a epic laugh to watch a "expert" with a console controller to try and control a player character in a FPS style game, like watching Helen Keller race the Indy 500. Or try and play a RTS game. To help elucidate the level of intellect we're dealing with here, last time I went on this rant, some little wet-behind-the-ears over eager console-tard tried to argue that his xbox controller was superior to keyboard/mouse for FPS. Some serious lowest common denominator shit.
Another good example of the destruction of an empire is Total Annihilation. Released back in the '90s for the first time, it was the first RTS with polygonal units (as opposed to sprites) where you could both create hundreds of units and select and control massive armies. One of the most significant perks of the game was the ability to create new construction prior to being able to afford it, like if you had half the bricks you needed to create your house so you got started before you had the rest of the bricks. If you run out before you're done, that's your problem. For the last 10 years that was fine, then Supreme Commander 2 came out (the 4th iteration of TA) and they removed this keystone element from the game to help simplify the game for console users.
(mini-rant: They made the game more like starcraft, which cannot hold a candle to the TA franchise IMHO, I mean you can't even select more than a dozen or so units at the same time, what the fuck good is that? Can you imagine the U.S. armed forces telling the JSTARS commander "sorry sir, you cannot command more than 12 soldiers at the same time, select fewer units".)
No longer can you have engineers assist other engineers to speed the construction process, no longer can you build before you have all the resources. All in the name of the console. The game's ability to be modded was removed, the game's ability to have user generated maps was removed. The game basically sucks, and anyone who loved TA either kept playing Supreme Commander 1 or switched to TA Spring (which you should check out if you like RTS games! Open source and pretty amazing.).
Perhaps the greatest demonstration in a single player game of how much superior PC gamers are to console gamers is the shooting range in GTA Vice City. If you're a mouse keyboard user you ace the contest every single time with flying colors. Then you begin to wonder, "why was that so damn easy" then you realize that they made the same test for console users and they wanted to allow them to pass the test so they had to lower the bar so low that it made PC user's breeze though the test. And don't even get me started on "Shadowrun" the only (as far as I know) FPS that allowed XBOX gamers to play with PC gamers. So sad that story, the poor console gamers never had a chance. I could be half asleep with two broken fingers, being actively stabbed by a knife, and partially on fire and I could still beat the crap out of a whole room full of console gamers. And I don't think th
So on the reverse it is fair to say that PCs are for grown-ups who couldn't find the stairs up out of their parents basement.
Corporate sellouts!
Oh, wait...
I think the interesting part of this announcement is seeing how Battle.net and the real money auction house interface with Xbox Live and PSN. Are Microsoft and Sony really going to let their customers access Battle.net and use monetary transactions on their service without taking a cut as well? I know that Microsoft has been resistant to the idea of Valve connecting Steam to the Live Network, and I really don't know anything about it's Playstation integration. Are there any other console examples of games using a third party service for direct, real money transactions?
I plan on playing this on my PC. The same PC that's always on and connected to the internet. There will be no change between me playing this and me playing Skyrim.
Nearly the day it was announced they let everyone know necromancer was not on the menu. The next day I forgot this game was even going to happen. Seems like.... that was a long damn time ago.
You guys seem to give up on potentially cool games really easily.
Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
Make it so! There's no reason why not. Unless... They want to cripple players in the name of PVP fairness. /meh
Finding the stairs is easy - it's climbing the stairs that defeats most of us!
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
I know i should have kept on playing it but ..... wait a minute.
There are enough potentially cool games that we can afford to be picky. I'm not missing out on anything by not buying Diablo 3. Any time I would have spent with Diablo 3 will be spent with another potentially cool game, and I'll have just as much fun.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Ranma 1/2, has the titles hero father be a martial artist who turns into a panda when wet. So the idea is hardly new even back in the days of WC3 (Unless you believe Blizzards people aren't nerds)
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Blizzard got a 100 million reasons for going online with Diablo. It is the 100 million dollars coming in each and every month for WoW for year after year. 10 million subscribers x $10 bucks.
Oh the actuall amount might be slightly different depending on actual subscription costs around the world and the income from other services related to WoW but still, that is more money then most game companies make on a full single player release. Star Wars The Old Republic is rumored to be the most expensive MMO ever, with a budget of 100 million. 5 years of developer. For Blizzard, in those same 5 years they took in 5 BILLION.
And piracy? Not an issue for Blizzard at all. Every WoW player payed them for it. Can you say the same with Diablo 1-2? Star Craft?
They got two models, one which made them a lot of money in the past but they also found another model that them a shit load of money and keeps on making it long after anyone would be able to expect any money from a single player game that old.
100 million dollars each month. That is a powerful incentive to get rid of offline single playe games. Don't like it? Then don't buy it. I am sure other companies are just dying to make single player games designed for the PC. Oh wait.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Um excuse me, it is flameBAIT, not a flame.
Also, the truth hurts. Read some of the discussion threads and you will see that my point is proven.
Finding the stairs is easy - it's climbing the stairs that defeats most of us!
They make climbable stairs now?
That's a fine stance to take, although I hope I never work for someone who feels that way about his employees. But why the hell do you care about this article, then? You've dismissed a game whismically, confident that another game will suit your fancy... there's no information relevant to Diablo 3 to be gleaned there that makes any discussion interesting.
Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
Consoles are for children and people who like to wave their wand around.
"Despite the facts, I will insist..."
There are couple of games one can play to cut the wait shorter, some are listed here:
http://www.gamestiq.net/2012/01/best-alternatives-to-diablo-iii.html
It is a violation of federal law to play this game in a manner inconsistent with Blizzard's decisions.
:(){
Yea i agree to this, my backlog is so large, that it ultimately doesn't matter, cool games can keep on coming, but i've got plenty of cool games already, and i don't mind playing a few ps2 games (although some of them look really good at 1080p on the pc emulator), or the isometric rpg's, in spite of the current gen graphics.
That I thought the beta was shit... As much as I liked the first Diablo and the second+expension, I just couldn't bring myself to like the third installment from what was available in the beta, the way it controlled and all that... it was plain shit to me. I'm more excited for torchlight 2 than D3...
So I guess here's my answer, because it was made with consoles in mind.
I've read all of the threads here and many elsewhere, and your point lacks an iota of factual support.
Because I don't like reading anything into anything...
He didn't say the "Diablo *3* console project".
This could be a case where there is Diablo 3, for the PC, Diablo: Return to Sanctuary for Xbox360, Diablo 2:Cow Wars for PS3, and Nintendogs: Duriel Edition for the 3DS, and Horadric Cube Simulator for the Wii.
Although incredibly secretive Blizzard has a track record of incredibly high standards for their game releases. I'm very confident the console version will be excellent and not merely a cobbled together port.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Blizzard sent us through a response to this story:
Bashiokâ(TM)s response on Twitter was intended as a confirmation that weâ(TM)re actively exploring the possibility of developing a console version of Diablo III, as weâ(TM)ve mentioned in the past. This is not a confirmation that Diablo III is coming to any console platform. Our focus right now is on finishing the PC/Mac version of Diablo III and making sure itâ(TM)s a worthwhile successor to the Diablo series.
You need to work in "express written consent" somehow.
D2 was quite a mess at release. The game got better and better as the years went by. So not immediately hopping onto the bandwagon and giving it time to ripen might be a good choice.
I wonder how representative the beta actually was. From Blizzard's statements I'd say it was akin to Stony Field on normal level in D2. There was precious little challenge there since the difficulty level then was not more than a tutorial level. As a fresh graduate from nightmare level not quite being able to wear all the gear you had acquired for that character, Stony Field on hell difficulty could be quite daunting.
We shall see.
20 minutes into the future
Don't worry, the millions of the rest of us will still enjoy playing the game without you.
My parents installed an escalator and put pie at the top... When I arrived at the summit to my chagrin pie was not waiting for me but a job and a college education... life sucks...
I pulled out my old dusty copy of DII/LODEP, and played the spit out of it, AGAIN, in anticipation of the release of DIII. If they don't hurry up and release it soon, I may get so tired of Diablo in general, that I stop playing it altogether, uninstall it from my computers, and go out and get laid instead, opting to spend the money I WOULD HAVE SPENT buying DIII instead on a hooker! The thrill may not last as long, but hey, it's almost certainly more fun! In fact, I think I'm just going to pass on DIII, and go get some nookie instead.
Why would anybody release a PC version when almost everybody will just end pirating it anyway, and then rationalizing that it's too expensive or they just wanted a try or that copyright is morally questionable? Honestly I don't even understand the rationale of putting out a quickie XBox port, even if it was absolutely free to do so. They're just going to cannibalize from the sales of XBox360 and PS3 versions of the same game.
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
There are enough potentially cool games that we can afford to be picky. I'm not missing out on anything by not buying Diablo 3. Any time I would have spent with Diablo 3 will be spent with another potentially cool game, and I'll have just as much fun.
That's a fine stance to take, although I hope I never work for someone who feels that way about his employees. ... You've dismissed a game whismically, confident that another game will suit your fancy...
Wait, what?? In what way is a gamer/producer relationship like an employer/employee relationship? Even if it were, why in hell would you put up with an 'employee' that basically dictated where and when they would work, and who may decide to go drop everything and go home for arbitrary reasons unrelated to their 'job'? (Yeah, I gotta go now, there's a transit strike going on. No, I don't take the bus, but I'm going home anyway. Bye!) In any workplace I know of, that would be grounds for dismissal.
This is a sales relationship, and what Blizzard/Activision (and yourself, apparently) don't seem to realize is that there are plenty of other, much tastier fish in the sea, ones that won't leave you with a bad taste in your mouth if your DSL goes down or you want to play them at the cabin with friends. Yes, I played Diablo (1 and 2) and Starcraft, and yes, I enjoyed them immensely. Past enjoyment of their products will not make me knuckle under for their bullying tactics in SC2 or Diablo 3. It is a betrayal of their core userbase, and it steps waay over the line, IMHO.
It's too bad, because in other ways they do make a great product. Buying SC2 or Diab3 would be like buying a brand new set of Calvin Klein underwear with a great big shitstain in them. Nice product, other than that one little flaw...
"I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
Two major players in geekdom have visions for our future here, which is all about mixing paying and playing. I like the idea, because it elevates gaming from pass time to work time for some, and eliminates tedious grinding for those with the cash to spend. All in all, Reamde was kind of disappointing as a novel, but the ideas are interesting. I think Blizzard has been thinking along the same lines and I would not be surprised if D3 real money AH is a test bed for the MMORPG in development.
- Dost thou think because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?