Diablo 3 Review

Diablo 3 had an open beta this weekend and I was able to spend some time playing it. My first thought was how different the graphics were. The whole game seems like an oil painting. Which I don't mind however it is a huge change from the other two Diablo games. Below is a screenshot of Diablo 3.

There has been lots of public criticism of this new style, it was even talked about a Blizzcon and several magazines. Below is one of the more famous pictures relating to this.

Someone has even gone so far as to create a filter pack for the Diablo 3 beta. http://darkd3.com/ Basically this is an addon that adds sharpness and a change in color palette.

Who am I to judge Blizzard, one of the greatest game companies on Earth. However I wanted to show some examples of some other RPG's graphic styles. The first game I wanted to show is the hugely successfully Skyrim. The below pic is obviously the PC version of the game with the official high resolution texture pack. Obviously this is an extremely realistic style all be it a 3rd person view.

The next game is Path of Exile, currently in beta. This is a "free" micro-transaction game. Below are some screenshots of the game. I would classify it as a more high resolution texture version of Diablo 2.

Thrine II is another game that is an absolute feast for the eyes. I sorta of thing of it as the Avatar style, amazing lighting effects and art style.

Graphics are not everything, but they are important. Once the final version of Diablo 3 comes out I plan on speaking more to the gameplay and other aspects of the game.