New Video Game Reviews Published

I haven’t updated this blog for some time. This is partly because I’ve been working on several reviews for the past while. You can check them out on HubPages. There’s a review of Borderlands, Diablo II: Gold, and Dark Messiah – all retro reviews.

I’m also working on some other ones currently so I’ll hopefully have those published soon. Just a quick update here.

New Video Game Reviews Published

Classic Game Collecting: Diablo II Gold

I’ve been looking at all the brochures that come with the newspapers just lately, seeing as it’s Christmas soon. I also went online to view several retail websites, too. Why? to see all the games on offer, of course.

One thing caught my eye though: Diablo II Gold. In preparation for the release of Diablo III, Blizzard seems to have re-released a lot of their classics, but in some killer bundles. In addition to Diablo II, there’s StarCraft Gold and WarCraft III Gold – and these all come with the available expansions for said games.

Then it was off to the actual stores to take a look. At most places, such as Musica, CNA, and Look & Listen, I mainly spotted the expansion pack, Lords of Destruction, and the price was usually around R99.

Eventually I had to ask a salesperson if they had the Gold edition I was looking for in stock. It wasn’t even on the shelves. They’d been hiding copies in the back room. But I managed to get one for R99. And to think that on the shelves, they had either Diablo II or the expansion pack both going for the same price, separately. One wonders if they intentionally try to screw you over, sometimes. So instead of getting both for R198 and upwards, Diablo II Gold is at least half price.

Score. Now I’m going to play this old classic along with all the mods and unofficial expansions that have been made over the years. Like I always say, sometimes it pays to wait – in this case more than a decade.

Classic Game Collecting: Diablo II Gold

Apocalypse Then: Diablo II

Developer: Blizzard North
Publishers: Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, HanbitSoft
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X
Release date: June 29, 2000
Genres: Action role-playing game (hack and slash)

On this day in gaming, in 2000, Diablo II was released. It is the sequel to the original, Diablo, and was one of the most popular games of 2000- achieving numerous Game of the Year awards.

An expansion pack, Lord of Destruction, was released in 2001.

A sequel, Diablo III, is in development currently, and has come under a lot of fire due it's art direction, with many claiming it has departed from the series signature dark, brooding, evil style, and gone for a brighter, more colourful approach.

You can pick up Diablo II if you want to play a classic. Otherwise you can also try Diablo II Collector's Edition, or Hellraiser, an unofficial expansion pack for Diablo II.

For more, check here.

Apocalypse Then: Diablo II

Diablo 3 looking dazzling rather than dreary

This is something I’ve come across more than once, both on the web and off it, like when reading a gaming magazine. People are complaining about Diablo 3’s new art style. Not only are fans of the series unhappy, but even a former Flagship head honcho and original Diablo developer is not a fan either.

People claim that Diablo 3 is too bright and cheerful, while its predecessors were darker and more…grey. Fans are begging Blizzard to change the style and have even come up with a petition for it- and it is backed by thousands. Rumour has it that it got so bad that the art director, Brian Morrishoe, left the company, although some say this isn’t the real reason why he left.

Blizzard has even jokingly taken the piss with fans by posting screenshots of Diablo 3 that contain some rather bright and cheerful action scenes.

I’m actually looking forward to Diablo 3, and let’s face it, even with sucky art direction, it’s better than no Diablo 3 at all. Think about how long it’s been since Diablo 2 came out.

Are they going to change the art? Probably not.

Diablo 3 looking dazzling rather than dreary