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I know it’s hard to believe, especially for the fans who are waiting for it for 12 years, but Diablo 3 is finally here. But why was this buzz created around a simple PC game? I will try to make things more clear in the following article.
In 1996 Blizzard North was opening the gates of hell. Figuratively, of course, but this was the moment when the first game of the Diablo franchise saw the light of day.
A hack and slash with Gothic influences that was inviting you to stop Diablo, Lord of Terror and save Tristram town and the whole world from the claws of darkness. Diablo became a hit almost instantly, thanks to the sensational gameplay, that kept you in front of the computer for hours, but also because of the large variety of items and the angel and demos story. The gamers cant forget characters like Deckard Cain, Wirt the Peg-Legged Boy, Butcher or Archbishop Lazarus.
The first Diablo was also introducing an extremely intelligent concept of unidentified items. Basically, the player was living the passion of discovery twice: first, when he discovered the item in a hidden stash or stole it from a monster corpse, and second when he identified it, as its real powers where unveiled. There’s nothing as pleasing as seeing a simple sword becoming a truly unique weapon after it was identified by Deckard Cain.
The first Diablo expansion pack arrived in 1997, Hellfire, which brought new areas, items and a new hero class, Monk, that joined the three initial ones – Warrior, Rogue and Sorcerer.
Diablo II arrives in 2000, packed with a series of improvements, like the Battle.net online service, new classes – Necromancer, Amazon, Paladin, Barbarian, Sorceress, – new locations – the desert around Lut Hholein, the Kurast jungle, as well as a multitude of the new unique items and sets.
I should also mention one of the funniest levels in a video game, the classic Secret Cow Level, or the cinematic videos which were pretty impressive for that time.
In 2001 Blizzard launched the Lord of Destruction expansion pack, which brought the Diablo 2 recipe almost to perfection, introducing two new heroes, Assassin and Druid, a new act, as well as a new complex of weapon enhancement, using runes or jewels.
Diablo 2 earned its spot in Guinness Book of Records in 2000, becoming the fastest selling game of the time – over 1 million copies sold in two weeks. By August 2011, Blizzard shipped over 4 million Diablo 2 units world wide.
Even though the development of the third game of the franchise begun in 2001, when Blizzard North was still alive, 7 years have passed until, during an event in Paris, the company’s officials have announced that Diablo 3 is real. Four years have passed since then, and today, on May 15th, 2012 Diablo III was finally released.
The story is set 20 years after the events in Diablo 2, after Diablo, Mephisto and Baal were defeated once the Worldstone was destroyed. But Sanctuary, the humankind is once more in jeopardy.
Diablo 3 comes with a new graphic engine, that allows the game to be run on a wide range of systems. The Diablo 3 minimum system requirements say that all you need is a machine powered by an Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz or an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+, an Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT or ATI Radeon X1950 Pro graphic card, 1 GB of RAM, 12 GB of HHD memory and a boradband internet connection.
Diablo 3 has five different hero classes: Barbarian, Witch Doctor, Demon Hunter, Wizard and Monk. Barbarian and Monk are good in close combat, skilled with swords and axes, punching or kicking the enemies, the Wizard has a huge arsenal of spells, fire and ice, while Witch Doctor is a reminiscent of the Diablo 2′s Necromancer, capable of summoning his companions to help him in the battle, while he curses the monsters. Demon Hunter is a class that loves the long-range battles and traps, like the perfect combination between the Assassin and Amazon.
The level-up system and character building in Diablo 3 have been radically changed. Blizzard tried to create a pleasing and more satisfying experience. You can use 6 slots for 24 different skills for each character, as well as 5 different runes that alter these skills.
In Diablo 3 Blizzard also introduced the Auction House, where the players can sell and buy different items, using real or virtual money.
The toughest decision in Diablo 3 is which class to use when you decide to start your quest of saving the world from the claws of darkness.
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