Diablo III On PS4: Sizzling Indeed (And Has Some PC Fans Hot Under The Collar)…

Posted on November 8, 2013 by geelw

Hey, as a longtime fan of games and someone who appreciates a job very well done, I’m one of those smart folks who absolutely loves what Blizzard has done with their baby on consoles. As I keep saying, the main purpose of ANY port from PC to console isn’t to piss off those with computers at all, children. It’s to broaden the user base for that formerly “exclusive” game you who buy or build those big beefy gaming rigs thought you’d have all to yourselves. That AND these “ports” are here to make the developers and publishers some additional money when they DO succeed in delivering the goods. I say Blizzard deserves every damn penny because once you try it out with an open mind, you’ll be surprised at… How. Well. It. Works. Me, I’d rather give Blizzard (and any other developers who do it up right for gamers) money and keep them cranking out hits for as many platforms as possible if and when they please… Continue reading →

Yes, Gamers DO Read Books. Blizzard Knows This, So You Get Two Tomes The Fun…

Posted on November 8, 2013 by geelw

Going to Hell is generally no picnic and I’ve most certainly been there more than enough times to not need a guidebook. That said, some of you out there who get lost at the drop of a hat (and need to keep buying new hats) can probably use BradyGames’ Diablo III Signature Series Strategy Guide (MSRP $21.99) the next time you do drop in. Of course, you’ll also need a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and a copy of the Diablo III to get the most of this excellently handy tome of demon doom.

Authors Doug Walsh, Rick Barba and Thom Denick have put together a think 464 pages of comprehensively detailed info on every quest, a Bestiary to keep track of those things always hot on your heels, tips on items, loot drops, crafting and more all await those who require a held hand on that long, arduous trip down to the deepest deeps. Hell, your poor character may still die a few too many times, but at least you’ll be good and well-versed on just what did you in because you got a wee bit too eager in your poking about in that dungeon you needed a few more levels to clear. Even if you’re NOT a strategy guide guy or gal, getting this for that newbie to the dark world of DIII makes for a great holiday gift just so that giftee will leave YOU the hell alone and play the game without haunting your phone or inbox for sage advice. Yeah, we all know people like that, correct?

Meanwhile, back in Azeroth… to many millions of loyal players, World of Warcraft is their second home (or first for those even deeper into it) and when they come up for air, I’m sure they’ll be pleased as punch to know that Blizzard has them in mind to on the reads front. Publisher DK has recently released World of Warcraft: Ultimate Visual Guide (MSRP $29.99) is exactly what it says, a lushly illustrated 200-page hardcover featuring tons of gorgeous artwork from the games, some concise writing by Doug Wagner and plenty of lore that I’ll bet the more hardcore WoW fans out there will find some nits to pick about.

Yeah, you know how that goes with those uber-fans, right? That said, between the OFFICIAL according to Blizzard timeline that fits all those expansions together, a look into the development of the games and a too brief peek at the DC Comics series plus more, this one a great addition to the libraries of new players as well as hardened happy veterans of the seemingly unstoppable MMORPG.

That and the book weighs just enough to knock a goblin out with a sturdy swing, so maybe the dev team can add it to the game quickly as a backup weapon or something. Hey, stranger things have happened in the gaming universe, so getting clobbered by a book won’t be the goofiest thing to occur in the busy lands of Blizzard’s continuing cash cow…

Diablo III Console TV Ad: What the Hell, Indeed (But In A Better Way Than Some Think)…

Posted on August 17, 2013 by geelw

I don’t know if Activision knows this yet, but this hilarious ad is a nice twist on the two Japanese TV spots from 1995 for the PlayStation port of Wizardry VII where a guy playing the game is suddenly visited by characters from the game (actors in costume) who grab him and take into into the game world. I’ll need to figure out how to get those clips from the import demo discs I have here and maybe post them (with fingers crossed that YouTube doesn’t get all jerky about it). Anyway, I’m certainly looking forward to this one a HELL (ha!) of a lot more than a chunk of the nasty naysayers commenting on this over the internet. It kind of sucks to be them and so unappreciative of Blizzard doing a console port that looks as good as the PC game in many respects while being more accessible to all sorts of players, but what can you do. Some folks made up their minds to hate this game as soon as it was announced and that’s just too bad…

E3 2013: Diablo III Trailer: No One Fights Alone (But Me)…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

Yes, I know Diablo III is built for multiplayer action (as noted in the trailer), but I’m a HUGE solo offline guy and as with Diablo II on PC, the PS3 version of DIII supports that 100 percent. Which means I’m in for the long haul as well as the many changes made to the game to get it up and running on Sony’s console. I’m not quite sure why this isn’t being hyped more by Blizzard and Sony, as it looks spectacular and I’m betting it does really well on the PS3 and PS4 when that version is ready. Well, I suppose we’ll see a few ads on TV and more online, as it’s tough to give the Devil his due without offending SOMEONE out there…

Diablo III PS3/PS4: It’s Not Wizardry At All… It’s Just Damn Good Coding At Work.

Posted on May 16, 2013 by geelw

If there’s one game I really want to play as soon as it launches on either the PS3 or PS4, it’s probably Diablo III. Not because it’s the greatest game on the planet, mind you (it’s not), but because I want to see how well Blizzard got it up and running in single player mode with direct control and no always online nonsense to keep solo play fans from enjoying the ride thanks to a crappy Internet connection or a few other reasons. Of course, I’m more of a Torchlight 2 guy these days, but I love my isometric dungeon crawlers on anything (but a touch screen) as long as they’re done right. DIII looks as if it will draw in a load of new fans as well as some older ones who got shut out of the PC version. It should also silence those who think this type of game “can’t” be done on a console (despite years of proof from other iso RPGs running on Sony as well as other systems). I’m hoping this gets an official demo at some point before release just so Blizzard can show off all that hard work to the cranky crowd, but as always… we shall see…

Diablo III on PS3: Blizzard’s Showing Off The Goods (And Positively Pissing Off Some PC Gamers in the Process)…

Posted on March 24, 2013 by geelw

DIII New Tristram I’m really happy to see that not only has Blizzard reworked the controls to be direct and yes, Dual Shock 3 friendly, the game also looks great and should get MORE people playing who’ve been wondering what the hell a Diablo game is and why there’s so much bile spilling out over the Internet from a certain bunch of folks who seem to be either jealous or wishing fiery doom, (DOOM, I say!) upon the developer and anyone with a console and not a cutting-edge PC that cost more than some used cars who wants to play this game. Eh, whatever. I’m BUYING Diablo III because my PC couldn’t run it (the always online crap from that version has been replaced with a solo play mode I’m behind 100%) and I wasn’t at all interested in the real money auction house nonsense forced upon PC players. Of course, there’s the matter of the PS4 version of the game not being compatible with the PS3 version, but at the end of the day, I’m gathering that other than visuals and controls, both versions will otherwise be the same and compatible with their specific consoles (which should have user bases large enough to support online play amongst those users who end up going that route).

Diablo III Is PS3, PS4-Bound (Let The Whine Pour Anew!)

Posted on February 20, 2013 by geelw

Video stolen from GameTrailers. I’d have my OWN vid to post, if Sony would have let me in. Grrrr.

Oh, I can see the PC forums blowing up worldwide thanks to this news (I think I heard the explosions on the way home on the subway), but it’ll be good for those who may have wanted to play the game but didn’t have the PCs to run it or were hoping they’d see another Diablo come to consoles after far too long. Anyway, press release below the jump and the TRUE test of if this is all going to work will kick off next month at PAX East in Boston (March 22-24, 2013), so make sure to boogie on out thatway if you can. Press release below the jump – some cheese with your whine, sir or madam? Me, I just want to be able to play the darn game OFFLINE. By myself. No help from “friends” i don’t know and will never, ever meet in real life. You know, OLD SCHOOL gaming. We’ll see, I guess…

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The Devil IS In The Details. You Just Need To Pay Attention To The Little Things…

Status

So, I’m working on my Diablo III review and I had to stop to vent some of the steam coming from my ears here, so as not to spoil the review with too many complaints. I’m giving the game what I feel is a solid score based on ignoring a few things, as in despite the problems, there’s a great little game here. On the other hand, speaking for those who want to play the game by can’t. I can’t just slap the blinders on like a few other reviewers who have that perfect online setup and/or are of the “get over it” mentality that’s going to more or less kill gaming at some point when crap really goes bad (e.g., servers go down like the Hindenburg for an extended period and no one can even play the game).

Oh, I don’t hate Blizzard at all, folks. I’m just wondering how they didn’t see the launch day server crush coming. In addition to selling the game at retail and online, they gave DIII away for free to many World of Warcraft players, who happily took them up on the offer. As I’ve said elsewhere, an offline solo play mode (and LAN functionality for those that wanted it) would have been smart options for such a huge release, no matter what the company line is. Hell, I’d bet real money that the amount of day one bitching would have been about 90% less if people had something to play after waiting so long (either that 12 years of calendar time or those few hours on line at the midnight launches)… Continue reading →

How Diablo III Is Helping Me Improve My Art (Um, Thanks, Blizzard!)

Posted on May 17, 2012 by geelw

Ah, Blizzard, Blizzard, Blizzard… I absolutely LOVE Diablo III so far…. when I can actually get to play it. When I’m not playing it because of an error message or other issue that’s not my fault, I have to do something while I’m waiting for things to get back to “normal”. If I don’t have my Vita or DS handy, I’ll draw something instead. The piece on the left is one I did when I got bounced from a solo game due to some connection issues on my end and couldn’t get back in thanks to an error of some sort on the server side. Mad Cow? I’ve Got A Beef? Bum Steer? Whatever – that’s the not so happy side of the game that I and a few other seem most testy about. But it’s tough love, grrr!!!!

Amusingly enough, today I convinced a woman waiting outside a Gamestop for it to open so she could return a sealed copy of the game to keep it. She bought it for her son’s birthday on Saturday (at his request), but someone at her job pointed her to Metacritic’s “user” scores and reviews for the game (a VERY biased and useless barometer, given the way the site has been abused to “bomb” games unfairly as a means of protest by people who haven’t played and don’t intend to play certain high profile games), which in turn, sent her to the shop at the cost of being an hour late for her job. I spent the better part of ten minutes telling her the game’s good points and how despite the stiff requirements about solo play (she didn’t mind at all – she wants her son to stay away from some kids who’ve been harassing him at school) and other problems (which are common to other MMOs), it was an excellent purchase. She left feeling a lot better, so that’s my good deed for the week, game-wise.

The art of the right? I did this during a login error that kept me from getting into my solo game completely even after repeated attempts and rebooting. That’s how I feel about people who can’t enjoy the game as much as they like even though they’ve waited years for it. Sure, Blizzard owes them noting but a game that’s the best it can be, and in fact, when things are running smoothly, it’s exactly that. On the other hand, I feel sorry for those who maybe did the midnight launch/call in sick deal only to end up not doing much playing at all after all that buying and lying. Somewhere, a boss is laughing at you as he docks your pay because you ranted about the game on your Facebook page and he saw it. Oops.

As to what art you’ll see from me about the game itself. Probably not a damn thing, as when I’m in the zone, I’m not stopping to draw at all. It’ll be a little while before I actually post a review, but for what it’s worth (and as noted), I do like what I’m playing quite a bit, nasty and annoying warts and all…