Lillith is the baddie… No, really
The past two weekends saw Activision Blizzard roll outtwin betasfor its upcoming hellfest,Diablo IV. Pre-order customers were given the opportunity to revisit Sanctuary on the weekend of March 17, while everybody was invited to Hell and back on the weekend of March 24. These betas would offer die-hard fans of the BIG DEEEEEE their first look at the dungeon-crawling epic.
Well, at least they were if they were able to get through the door… Online games, same old story, y’know?
I, legitimately, put well over 1000 hours intoDiablo III. This was made possible thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend and longtime franchise fan, as well as the simple fact that I really didn’t haveall that much to doin 2012. The point is, I really ate up the divisive release, pulling it apart at the very seams, exploring every avenue of gameplay that could be explored, and even completing it on Inferno Mode without utilizing therightfully malignedReal Money Auction House,orwaiting for the big Blizzard update that tweaked down the difficulty across the board.
I’m kind of a Big D Deal, is what I’m saying.
Still, 2023 is most certainly not 2012, and I don’t have over 1000 hours to dedicate to a single game these days, let alone one that launches theexact same weekasStreet Fighter 6.As such, I jumped into theDiablo IVbeta with a secret desire that I’d “moved on”, or, much like Blizzard’s ownOverwatch 2, that the franchise had simply dropped the ball magic between titles. Unfortunately, it turns out that I have not, in fact, “moved on”, as I actually found myself hooked once again. And I don’t mean by Tha Butcha.
It’s obviously the earliest of days, but I really dug my time with theDiablo IVbeta. I like the new skill tree mechanic, I appreciate with the use of custom characters within cinematics — which adds an element of direct involvementDiablo IIIwas sorely missing. I’m impressed with the new customization options.Diablo IVfeels a tad more “personal” than its predecessor — as if The Wanderer is directly embedded in the action, rather than just a sort of “overseer mercenary” to the world’s events.
And then there’s Lillith, a character whom the story is attempting to portray as the antagonist, but is well-designed, seductive, and undoubtedly “cool”. Cooler than Grumpy Guts Inarius at any rate.
Do I have 1000 hours to spend onDiablo IV? No, not these days. But it won’t be for lack of trying.
