Support NeoGAF

[Helios]

Diablo 3 is now one of Blizzard’s ‘classic’ games

Diablo 3 is only seven years old, but apparently that's old enough for Blizzard to lump it in with games from the last millenium

www.pcgamesn.com

That devastating news comes direct from Blizzard. In a job ad posted last week (via Icy Veins), the developer stated that it was looking for a senior software engineer for its classic game servers. That’s all very well, except for the fact that alongside games like StarCraft and the original Warcraft trilogy, the developer now counts the most recent Diablo game as one of those ‘classic’ titles.

Let’s put that in some perspective: Warcraft 3 released in 2002, a little over 17 years ago. Starcraft is even older, having turned 21 back in March. Admittedly, the first Diablo released before both of those, right at the end of 1996. The sequel in 2000, which would nestle it in among these other classics, but Diablo 3 only released in 2012. That’s only seven years ago.

Before you crumble entirely into dust, however, this news might come with something of a silver lining. If Diablo 3 is about to be cast into the annals of history, then perhaps a new game isn’t too far over the horizon.

 

[kraspkibble]

this is sad but yup...they better make up for this by announcing Diablo 4 and that Immortal has been shitcanned.

 

[The_Mike]

Good. Diablo 3 was shit and should be forgotten. It's the worst blBlizzard game to date.

 

[kraspkibble]

Good. Diablo 3 was shit and should be forgotten. It's the worst blBlizzard game to date.

No. Now go away. Bad troll.

 

[Wolfgang Jr]

No. Now go away. Bad troll.

No, The_Mike's comment is probably the most accurate post here in the last 5 years.

Fuck you Blizzard.

 

[Papa]

Even if it was 20 years old, it wouldn’t qualify.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Or to keep it Diablo related:

 

[T-Cake]

I nearly bought this yesterday after playing the starter version but have decided to just hang on a little longer to see if they do a Black Friday price reduction. I've already spent my gaming allowance on Borderlands 3 this month.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Good. Diablo 3 was shit and should be forgotten. It's the worst blBlizzard game to date.

Dunno as someone who dislikes that genre and never enjoyed D1 and D2 I kinda liked the third one. Maybe I need to be a fan to hate it?

 

[daninthemix]

I nearly bought this yesterday after playing the starter version but have decided to just hang on a little longer to see if they do a Black Friday price reduction. I've already spent my gaming allowance on Borderlands 3 this month.

I just bought this right now as it's only $10 on the Blizzard store.

Class recommendations for a newb easy run, folks?

 

[The_Mike]

Dunno as someone who dislikes that genre and never enjoyed D1 and D2 I kinda liked the third one. Maybe I need to be a fan to hate it?

It's probably because you never played the previous games, so you can't compare to how great a Diablo game can be.

 

[T-Cake]

I just bought this right now as it's only $10 on the Blizzard store.

How come you didn't go for the Definitive Edition with all the DLC?

 

[The Cockatrice]

It's probably because you never played the previous games, so you can't compare to how great a Diablo game can be.

Enjoyed=/=Played. I did play them. To be fair I was young and my preferences were quite different.

 

[Endless Fluff]

It's probably because you never played the previous games, so you can't compare to how great a Diablo game can be.

Diablo 2 is an overrated piece of shit. Lord of Destruction is what made it great, the same goes for Diablo 3, Reaper of Souls made it good.

 

[daninthemix]

How come you didn't go for the Definitive Edition with all the DLC?

Normal was $10. I was being a cheapskate.

 

[Helios]

Dunno as someone who dislikes that genre and never enjoyed D1 and D2 I kinda liked the third one. Maybe I need to be a fan to hate it?

Probably. I assume most people dislike it because it was such a departure from the previous two. From gameplay, to setting, to characters.

 

[Helios]

 

[Lucumo]

Dunno as someone who dislikes that genre and never enjoyed D1 and D2 I kinda liked the third one. Maybe I need to be a fan to hate it?

Or maybe you just hate good or even excellent games

 

[Dontero]

Diablo 2 is an overrated piece of shit. Lord of Destruction is what made it great, the same goes for Diablo 3, Reaper of Souls made it good.

Reaper of Souls didn't fix any fundamental issues about D3. People tend to forget that Auction House and Story wasn't the only thing people had issues with. They were at the end of the line of issues. They did improve a bit itemization but it was still far cry from D2 itemization.

That being said D3 engine with its animations system + D2 itemization and rules with rework would be amazing which is why i am still hopeful for D4.
We heard from leaks that they are going for dark artstyle non that D3 wow crap this time for D4 so there is hope they can give game justice.

 

[Kacho]

People who still hate on Diablo 3 baffle me. It is hands down the best ARPG of the past decade. Amazing gameplay loop, even if it is flawed.

 

[Dontero]

People who still hate on Diablo 3 baffle me. It is hands down the best ARPG of the past decade. Amazing gameplay loop, even if it is flawed.

If it is one of the best arpg of past decade then why its game director was fired and when fans want diablo 4 they want it to go back to diablo 2 astetics and gameplay rather than d3 ?

Best arpg of past decade is Path of Exile. It started from just group of d2 players and rose up to juggernaught and nothing seems to be stopping this train.

 

[Kacho]

If it is one of the best arpg of past decade then why its game director was fired and when fans want diablo 4 they want it to go back to diablo 2 astetics and gameplay rather than d3 ?

Best arpg of past decade is Path of Exile. It started from just group of d2 players and rose up to juggernaught and nothing seems to be stopping this train.

Who gives a shit? The game found its footing with the new game director and the RoS expansion gave the game a shot in the arm. Unfortunately Activision pulled the plug on future content expansions because of how disastrous the vanilla game was. The game was still massively fun (and popular) in spite of all that.

Path of Exile has an audience but it's not nearly as big as it could be. Hopefully Diablo 4 delivers the goods so people can stop pretending to care about that trash game.

 

[Endless Fluff]

Reaper of Souls didn't fix any fundamental issues about D3. People tend to forget that Auction House and Story wasn't the only thing people had issues with. They were at the end of the line of issues. They did improve a bit itemization but it was still far cry from D2 itemization.

I'm not saying that ROS is perfect, I'm saying that the add-on made it a good game with longevity and the same was true for D2. Vanilla D2 is boring.

The mainreason why LOD is so good and people keep playing it is because of the PvP. PvP in LOD is amazing!

 

[GHG]

Doesn't something need to be good to be classified as a classic?

People who still hate on Diablo 3 baffle me. It is hands down the best ARPG of the past decade. Amazing gameplay loop, even if it is flawed.

Grim Dawn and even Titan Quest are better games.

 

[TheContact]

Diablo 3 was fun in the very beginning for me, maybe it was the newness factor of it (despite the login issues). I would love a remaster of Diablo 2 but they need to remove the stamina bar. In the meantime, at least there's path of exile

 

[Saber]

No. Now go away. Bad troll.

Hes telling the truth though.

Diablo 3 is so boring that I couldn't even care to finish the game. This rarely ever happens to me.

 

[Dontero]

The mainreason why LOD is so good and people keep playing it is because of the PvP. PvP in LOD is amazing!

disagree here. PvP always was small part of D2.
People like LOD because it simply expanded on already amazing game.
New weapons, uniques, runes, synergies, new act and so on.

 

[Kacho]

Grim Dawn and even Titan Quest are better games.

I love both to death but they lack the polish and exciting gameplay loop that Diablo 3 has.

This PoE, GD, TL2 vs Diablo 3 debate has been done to death though. Everyone has their preference. I still maintain that Diablo 3 was fun as hell and deserves to be called a classic.

 

[Dontero]

Path of Exile has an audience but it's not nearly as big as it could be. Hopefully Diablo 4 delivers the goods so people can stop pretending to care about that trash game.

This is where tricky part comes. D3 was given away free by Blizzard to WoW players.
Only metric we have are actual people playing game and streaming.
And this is where PoE crushes D3. But it is also not fair comparison as D3 is paid game while PoE is free.

Still i barely see people ever talking about D3 when it comes to arpgs while poe or grim dawn is what people are talking about.


That being said D3 was juggernaut on release date. I know because like everyone else i expected excellence and i was severely disappointing. Theoritically my copy counts toward D3 being better but i dropped game super fast and i know many people like me doing exactly the same.

 

[Spukc]

Diablo 3 is the most streamlined arpg yet.
It perfected loot.
Had to buy another copy to coop with 2 switches handheld style.

And i bought it for pc ps3 ps4 and xbox one x.

Game is the definition of digital crack.

PoE is a mess of a game.
There is something hidden deep in it.
But it's a mess.

 

[IKSTUGA]

D3 is one of the best games ever made. The formula just works. I don't have high hopes for D4 after the Immortal fiasco...

 

[Kacho]

This is where tricky part comes. D3 was given away free by Blizzard to WoW players.
Only metric we have are actual people playing game and streaming.
And this is where PoE crushes D3. But it is also not fair comparison as D3 is paid game while PoE is free.

Still i barely see people ever talking about D3 when it comes to arpgs while poe or grim dawn is what people are talking about.


That being said D3 was juggernaut on release date. I know because like everyone else i expected excellence and i was severely disappointing. Theoritically my copy counts toward D3 being better but i dropped game super fast and i know many people like me doing exactly the same.

Diablo 3 definitely lost steam over time. I loved the gameplay loop but after so many seasons of identical progression it got old. The game definitely struggled when it came to unique builds/loot, stuff that give ARPGs longevity.

Diablo 4 should have a better foundation. Here’s hoping they nail it.

 

[MisterBrimstone]

D3 was an epic piece of shit at launch with an amount of lies that inspired Sean Murray. It kinda developed into a better than average game. Nothing to write home about though.

 

[Dada55000]

Diablo 3 is a classic? The word classic means 'old and ignored' appearantly.

Diablo 3 is the most streamlined arpg yet.
It perfected loot.
Had to buy another copy to coop with 2 switches handheld style.

And i bought it for pc ps3 ps4 and xbox one x.

Game is the definition of digital crack.

PoE is a mess of a game.
There is something hidden deep in it.
But it's a mess.

It's not even loot itself, it's how it's the rate and the presentation surrounding it, plus core gameplay feels nice and punchy. The loot is shit but it's dolled out like treats for a labrat. All the loot from the bosses was shit. But the exceptionals and other trash mobs give a conveyor belt of crap.

I'm not saying that ROS is perfect, I'm saying that the add-on made it a good game with longevity and the same was true for D2. Vanilla D2 is boring.

The mainreason why LOD is so good and people keep playing it is because of the PvP. PvP in LOD is amazing!

That's not how you spell 'rolling their 18th lvl 97 smite/hammer pala'. Trading sessions were more popular than PvP.

 

[Bergoglio]

Where's my Diablo 1 on PS4?

 

[The_Mike]

Diablo 3 is the most streamlined arpg yet.
It perfected loot.
Had to buy another copy to coop with 2 switches handheld style.

And i bought it for pc ps3 ps4 and xbox one x.

Game is the definition of digital crack.

PoE is a mess of a game.
There is something hidden deep in it.
But it's a mess.

Game is great if you want to complete it after three weeks.

Diablo II you could literally play for a decade and still feel progression and you had something to grind on

Diablo III has the most boring kind of end game. Get bis gear within hours and grind paragon levels that gives little to no stats boost.

 

[TexMex]

Loved Diablo 3. Just curious as to why Blizzard labeling it a "classic" game matters at all? Will it be removed from the Battle.net launcher or something? How does this impact the game in any way?

 

[Northeastmonk]

I think they are reading into things. Of course Diablo 3 is a classic. Why not call every mainline series game at Blizzard a "Classic"? If a game came out 1-2 years ago, we could very well say "oh that game is a classic". Especially when you consider how they have to manage an online-esque game. You probably have a sea of servers or something running somewhere that have to be maintained/managed over time. There are probably engineers working on 8-10 year old MMORPG's that we never hear about. Those people aren't exactly working on the next installment. The game did financially well, it will be around for a very long time, but it also has to be maintained. Most GTA game(s) are probably considered "Classic". They don't come out very often and they probably have a ton of people working on them to get them to where they are today.

 

[Alebrije]

Not extrange a 7 years old game is called a classic. Videogame industry moves so fast that a 3-5 years old game its considered dated most of times.

 

[Tesseract]

should have kept the auction house stuff, selling your items for money was a good idea

 

[Spukc]

Game is great if you want to complete it after three weeks.

Diablo II you could literally play for a decade and still feel progression and you had something to grind on

Diablo III has the most boring kind of end game. Get bis gear within hours and grind paragon levels that gives little to no stats boost.

Try different builds man.
Make your own stuff.

1000 of hours of fun.
Yeah if you just copy past HR110+ builds like a tool sure but whats the fun in that.

 

[MMaRsu]

Hell yeah spukc its a great game

 

[JSoup]

For a game I got as a free sidenote, I enjoyed it.
But I quit out after season 3.

 

[NT80]

Diablo 3 definitely lost steam over time. I loved the gameplay loop but after so many seasons of identical progression it got old. The game definitely struggled when it came to unique builds/loot, stuff that give ARPGs longevity.

Diablo 4 should have a better foundation. Here’s hoping they nail it.

That was one of my big problems with Diablo 3. You don't get to make choices about how you build the character. Weapons are cosmetic and difficulty is balanced by you as you play. I hated all of those aspects.

 

[LOLCats]

I just bought this right now as it's only $10 on the Blizzard store.

Class recommendations for a newb easy run, folks?

Monk is a good starting class imo.

 

[Spukc]

Monk is a good starting class imo.

Troll hahahaha

 

[Holammer]

"Classics", why the distinction? Will the release it on GOG soon?

 

[God Enel]

If I knew what a piece of shit game D3 is, I would’ve spent my money on a hooker.

 

[dorkimoe]

I liked it, time for 4 though

 

[Reon]

Diablo 3 is the most disappointing piece of shit I've seen. Its design alone turned from serious gothic horror with a dark, chilling soundtrack to effectively looking like a World of Warcraft expansion. Doesn't it still only have like six classes? What a joke of a "sequel".

While it wasn't as fun as the second one Diablo 1 is by far the series best for raw world design and aesthetic. It's funny how they can't seem to top it so many years later.