It's been over 12 years since Diablo II released, so naturally a few of us are writhing with excitement now that a sequel is upon us. Strangely, Blizzard is now telling us to be less excited. I'm stumped.
The Blizzard Community Manager to end them all, Bashiok, has spoken about people's expectations of Diablo III, and they are a bit concerning. His latest quote started off like this:
I too worry that we won't be able to meet the expectations people have built up for themselves. Part of my job is managing people's expectations, so… eh… stop it. Stop thinking about how awesome this game could be.
Whoa whoa whoa! You're telling us that we should lower our expectations for one of the most hyped releases of 2012? Come on now! We all like to dream about games being perfect only to find out that they have game-breaking glitches, balance issues, and slew of design problems.
Just imagine it's a new M. Night Shyamalan movie.
I really would rather not.
Sure Sixth Sense was amazing and Unbreakable had it's moments, but this right here is the sequel to The Village … or The Happening … or Signs … or any of the movies besides the two I first mentioned. So just like, lower those expectations, but still definitely buy the game please, and everything will be just fine. K?
Diablo III has been in beta for months now, and feedback has been on the positive side. Chances are that Bashiok is kidding around, but the recent announcement that the game is being delayed to incorporate major design changes, many of which are fundamental gameplay elements, does leave me baffled. I have faith that the game will be great even if only because Blizzard has been consistent over the years. Some might call that blind faith, but I'm willing to gamble.
