blizzard

The Diablo 3 Beta has been going for a while and a lot of players have been playing on the public test realm (excluding myself... *sigh*) and most importantly, Blizzard has been receiving feedback from the players.

Based on the feedback, Blizzard is going to make quite a few Systems changes, ranging from character attributes being dropped to items being removed.

I'm sure there are a lot of players who will be complaining about the changes, while many more will be supporting it. You just can't keep everyone happy.

What will make more people unhappy though, is that these changes will definitely push the rumoured March 2012 release date back even further. This is where Blizzard shines through of course. Never one to be pressured into releasing a buggy game and patching later (like other game companies), they prefer the game to be perfect when released.

As Jay Wilson, Blizzard's Game Director for Diablo 3 stated:

Our job isn't just to put out a game, it's to release the next Diablo game. No one will remember if the game is late, only if it's great.

And that is why Blizzard is the great games company they are.

Check the source link for a full list of systems that Blizzard are planning on changing.

It is official. The Diablo III beta is open to selected Battle.net players and you can download the beta client and start playing now! At this point, only Battle.net players on the North American servers can participate in the beta, but I'm sure that will change soon.

During the beta, you will have access to all five of the classes and you will be able to play through the Skeleton King encounter that was available in the Diablo III demo as well.

I still don't think we will see the game in this year, not with the release of Heart of the Swarm around the corner, but at least the beta is something to keep us busy while we wait.

Blizzard has recently replaced the demo version of the game with a "Starter Edition". The starter edition basically gives you the first four missions of the single-player campaign, two of the challenge games and, surprisingly, multi-player custom games against your friends over Battle.net. The custom games are limited to four maps and limited to the use of the Terran race, but it's multi-player using a 'free' version of the game.

8GB for the download though? Might be a deal breaker for some. For others though, it's a cheap way to experience the thrill of online gaming before you decide to buy.

A group of journalists were invited to Blizzard's headquarters in California to get an early look at the next installment of the Diablo series. Blizzard is expected to release a beta of the game later this year, but in the meantime, there has been some information released about the game.

Here are some of the things that have been mentioned about the game:

• Better narrative
• No mods
• Auction house that will deal with real-world cash
• You cannot play off-line

Yes, you read right, there will be no off-line play. You need to be permanently online to play the single player game.

Anyway, once you look past that point, I'm sure there will still be millions of people emptying their wallets when the game finally hits the shelves. In the meantime though, the source link is an interesting read for the rest of us who are waiting patiently.

I know I'm a day late, but here I go anyway.

Happy birthday! One year ago, Starcraft 2 launched onto our PC's and into our hearts. I know I've been enjoying some of the best online RTS gaming that I've had in years.

Blizzard recently opened up Season 3 of their league and I've been ranked in the Gold league after my first five placement matches. Don't think that's going to last for long though.

Anyway, happy birthday StarCraft 2. Here's to many more expansions and many more hours of good gaming!