When Blizzard started having its controversies, one of the only titles left that could give the now-embattled company hope for salvaging its once-stellar reputation was Diablo. However, Diablo III was a disappointment due to an incohesive and insensible storyline, as well as gameplay that tries a lot of new things and misses on a lot of them. Also, that launch was a complete disaster, from what I can remember. It looks like they’ve done the opposite with Diablo IV — the last game I’ll likely ever buy from the undead remnants of Blizzard Entertainment. (more…)
Tag: Blizzard Entertainment
Diablo IV Beta: Diablo II Part 2 Looks OK So Far
Yeah, I pre-purchased Diablo IV. I was tempted to buy it thanks to one of the Messenger group chats I’m in, which is full of aging gamers like me who still yearn for the nostalgia of old Blizzard games. A decade ago, Diablo III turned out to be a disappointment, not only due to its disastrous launch, but also because it didn’t have the same magic that Diablo II had. This latest iteration is perhaps the last gasp of a dying company or the beginning of a resurgence. I got my first glimpse of it with the early access beta from 17-19 March 2023. (more…)
Overwatch 2 is What They Should’ve Released in 2016
This is a late post that may no longer be that relevant, I admit. I was supposed to post this after BlizzConline, but the past two weeks were a blur for me. However, I realized that I still had much to say about the sequel to my 2016 GOTY, so I had to finish writing this. While I have to admit that I’m actually hyped about what Blizzard is doing in Overwatch 2, I’m also quite skeptical about what it’ll do for their newest franchise. (more…)
Role Queue is an Interesting Way to Balance Overwatch
Overwatch is still a fairly important game to me, even if I tend to hurl verbal trash at it these days. I still play it with my friends whenever I can. Competitive play doesn’t really make me as salty as it does other people, but all the big changes it goes through over the years did make me uncomfortable. This planned change is perhaps the biggest one to date and it can change how the game is played, for better and for worse. (more…)
Abandon Ship, Overwatch is Sinking
Overwatch is a sinking ship. I start this blog post with that statement as I’ve seen this before with another Blizzard game I used to be obsessed with. StarCraft II peaked in 2012, then floundered in the following years due to numerous issues. I’m seeing the same patterns now with Overwatch, but there’s a lot more going on with this one due to what is both its biggest strength and weakness—its expanding lore. (more…)
Diablo Immortal — Headless Chicken Run
It has been well over two weeks since the furor surrounding the announcement of Diablo Immortal. Perhaps it’s already quite late to give my two cents on the whole thing, but I’ve had some brain farts lately that may be worth pondering on. I’m not sure if I’ll play Diablo Immortal when it comes out, but the events surrounding it are pretty interesting thus far. (more…)
StarCraft HD and the Pitfalls of Updating a Classic
Since Blizzard doesn’t seem to be refuting the rumors as of this writing, perhaps StarCraft HD is indeed about to become a reality. As good as StarCraft II may be, it’s still overshadowed by the legacy of Brood War and its storied reign as the king of real-time strategy for 14 years. But with this recent development, it seems that Blizzard is acknowledging the enormity of StarCraft: Brood War‘s legacy, thus updating the game to run better on newer systems. Now if they’d do it for WarCraft III as well. (more…)
Overwatch — A Good Kind of Black Hole [Impressions]
After tons of hype and a fairly extensive beta period (as well as a minor controversy concerning the fictional depiction of female buttocks), the much-anticipated new game by Blizzard finally came out. It has been almost a week since the release of Overwatch, and it’s currently making the folks over at Gearbox Software have sweaty palms (and hopefully with Randy Pitchford unable to sleep at night). While it’s given that this may be a bit too late for just a first impressions post and I should put out a review already, I still have to put this up to wrap my head around my thoughts about this game. (more…)
Relive StarCraft Brood War for Free with Mass Recall
While I’m writing a script for what will hopefully be a full StarCraft II review video (I really have to start making more videos), I look back at the story of the first StarCraft and its expansion Brood War. Even after 17 years, those six campaigns still stand on their own. For those who still want to experience the awesomeness of the first StarCraft, but also want it in the graphics of StarCraft II, then this mod is exactly that. (more…)