Sigh.. i really thought of all places, the indeviduals here would be more clear headed about Diablo 3....
Im sorry but the i just simply CANNOT agree more with the OP... i feel he simply is unable to describe the dissatisfaction he feels from the game....
As a game its great... as the next installment to the diablo series, it feels like a missed opprotunity.
First off, the atmosphere that the game delivers is nothing like both its predecessors, now its important to know that this has nothing to do with graphical fidelity and speaks very loud....
Diablo 3s visuals are incredibly vibrant, there is no claustrophobic feeling the player gets when traversing any of the many dungeons in the game. This is especially apparent in the cathedral. Lets take a quick look, again the argument can only exist when people are able to distinguish the difference people artistic approach and graphical design..
to
As if any visual issues matter though, lets go down the list
-Mini map with vibrant blips and icons to guide the player from point a to point b
-Large yellow exclamation marks signifying an available quest
-scrolling combat text on screen, including white, bright green, and yellow text as well as notifications of debuffs
-companions constantly spitting out zainy one liners, and just all around border line goofy voice work on alot of the side banter and lore logs... granted some of the voice style is ok, and i am not saying the actors themselves are poor... it just feels like dialogue you wouldnt expect in a diablo game...
diablo 3 seriously lacks macabre, and that is something that is inherently permanent.
and the absence of Matt Uelmen, while most likely an internal issue, is simply blow to fierce to diablo 3.
The majority of diablo 3s OST is spent either being incredibly passive, with an over use of ambiance and choir.
or its spent trying desperately to emulate Uelmens unique style, and missing the mark very consistently throughout.
again nearly the entire ost lacks that deep exotic / macabre feeling the previous 2 games provided with excellent success
or
it simply doesnt compare
Now im not saying the compositions in diablo 3 are by any means bad, its just that ulemens work on the first 2 games is simply to strong of a staple to the series
Its very apparent what demographic diablo 3 was/is geared toward, and by all rights it makes perfect sense...
It is a well polished game with tight controls fluid combat, great animations on abilites and spells but perhaps a bit too structured for its own good, at least in the earlier parts of the game. None can argue that, it has all the bells and whistles of a blizzard product.....
But it feels quite off, be it the wow engine, the ability to zoom into your character, the way inventory is now handled, the questing structure and the overly guided mini map leading you in the right direction almost always. Or maybe its the templar constantly reminding you that the carrion bat you just slayed is "a worthy opponent!" or maybe its simply the obnoxious white flashes that flicker all over the screen when your attacking your target, like some old school arcade beat em up, as if to make sure you know your hitting your mark..
Im still trudging through the game with an open mind but there is a constant feeling that so much could have been executed differently had they prioritized on what made the predecessors so iconic and enthralling and less on World of warcraft styled structured gameplay and what essentially should have been rated teen instead of Mature.
2
Im sorry but the i just simply CANNOT agree more with the OP... i feel he simply is unable to describe the dissatisfaction he feels from the game....
As a game its great... as the next installment to the diablo series, it feels like a missed opprotunity.
First off, the atmosphere that the game delivers is nothing like both its predecessors, now its important to know that this has nothing to do with graphical fidelity and speaks very loud....
Diablo 3s visuals are incredibly vibrant, there is no claustrophobic feeling the player gets when traversing any of the many dungeons in the game. This is especially apparent in the cathedral. Lets take a quick look, again the argument can only exist when people are able to distinguish the difference people artistic approach and graphical design..
to
As if any visual issues matter though, lets go down the list
-Mini map with vibrant blips and icons to guide the player from point a to point b
-Large yellow exclamation marks signifying an available quest
-scrolling combat text on screen, including white, bright green, and yellow text as well as notifications of debuffs
-companions constantly spitting out zainy one liners, and just all around border line goofy voice work on alot of the side banter and lore logs... granted some of the voice style is ok, and i am not saying the actors themselves are poor... it just feels like dialogue you wouldnt expect in a diablo game...
diablo 3 seriously lacks macabre, and that is something that is inherently permanent.
and the absence of Matt Uelmen, while most likely an internal issue, is simply blow to fierce to diablo 3.
The majority of diablo 3s OST is spent either being incredibly passive, with an over use of ambiance and choir.
or its spent trying desperately to emulate Uelmens unique style, and missing the mark very consistently throughout.
again nearly the entire ost lacks that deep exotic / macabre feeling the previous 2 games provided with excellent success
or
it simply doesnt compare
Now im not saying the compositions in diablo 3 are by any means bad, its just that ulemens work on the first 2 games is simply to strong of a staple to the series
Its very apparent what demographic diablo 3 was/is geared toward, and by all rights it makes perfect sense...
It is a well polished game with tight controls fluid combat, great animations on abilites and spells but perhaps a bit too structured for its own good, at least in the earlier parts of the game. None can argue that, it has all the bells and whistles of a blizzard product.....
But it feels quite off, be it the wow engine, the ability to zoom into your character, the way inventory is now handled, the questing structure and the overly guided mini map leading you in the right direction almost always. Or maybe its the templar constantly reminding you that the carrion bat you just slayed is "a worthy opponent!" or maybe its simply the obnoxious white flashes that flicker all over the screen when your attacking your target, like some old school arcade beat em up, as if to make sure you know your hitting your mark..
Im still trudging through the game with an open mind but there is a constant feeling that so much could have been executed differently had they prioritized on what made the predecessors so iconic and enthralling and less on World of warcraft styled structured gameplay and what essentially should have been rated teen instead of Mature.