To be honest, Torchlight hadn't originally made it into our fall reviewing schedule, being a budget-priced game in a season filled with blockbuster PC and console titles. Our readers were adamant, however, and after an outpouring of support via our tips email, we decided to give this unapologetic Diablo clone a good hard look.

Set in the mining town of Torchlight, which serves as the player's base of operations, the game sends the player into a twisted underground dungeon network in order to root out a source of corruption that could endanger the entire world. With our trusty pet at our side, we delve into the dark depths of Torchlight.

Loved
Diabloriffic Gameplay: If you are looking for a quick and dirty Diablo alternative, this is it right here. Torchlight is your basic click-to-move isometric dungeon crawler, with fast action, randomly generated dungeons, experience points, red healing and blue mana potions, random named boss monsters, and enough equipment dropping to have you clicking on your Town Portal scroll every 10 minutes or so just to unload and restock on Identify Scrolls. It's so unabashedly a Diablo clone that I'd laugh - if the gameplay weren't so enjoyable.

Customization: Torchlight features a wealth of character customization options, from talent points granted when your character gains an experience or reputation level, to socketed gems that add stats and elements to weapons and armor, to the random enchanter, who can power up your equipment beyond belief or strip it of your favorite features. Each of the three classes has multiple talent skill trees to delve into, meaning going back through the game with the same class could yield you a relatively unique experience. If you're as big a fan of tweaking little details as I am, then there's plenty here to sidetrack you from the main event.

Man's Best Friend: Each character in Torchlight starts off with either a dog or a cat companion, a feature lifted directly from the Fate series of dungeon crawlers. Your pet follows you on your adventure, gaining power as you do, fighting by your side. By pausing in your adventure to do a little fishing, you can catch magical fish that transform your pet into another creature entirely, making an entirely new set of abilities available until the magic wears off. Torchlight may lack multiplayer options, but you're never quite alone with your trusty kitty by your side.

And a Side of Questing: Torchlight allows you to take a break from the main story line to do a little questing on the side. Certain NPCs grant you side quests, which either involve finding objects in the main story dungeons or journeying into levels created specifically for the quest. You can also purchase dungeon maps from certain vendors, which will give you even more new areas to explore.

The Look, The Sound, of DiabloCraft: The presentation of Torchlight is definitely Diablo meets Warcraft, resulting in a world that's definitely lighter than the dark realm of the former, with elements that seem lifted almost directly from the latter - the first time you run into a goblin riding a steampunk mech, you'll feel as if you just ported in from Warcraft's world of Azeroth. Aiding the similarities is a musical score by Diablo composer and sound designer Matt Uelmen, whose string arrangements bring you right back to the unfortunate town of Tristam.

The Random Item Vendor: I love the Random Item Vendor. He presents you with a list of statless weapons and armor, and only after you pay an exorbitant amount for them will you find out what you just bought. In one instance I walked away with an epic bow for my Vanquisher character (think rogue / ranger), which had me slaughtering smaller trash mobs with a single shot. It's a gamble, but when it pays off it is definitely worth it.

Hated
Something Vaguely Evil This Way Comes: An evil force is corrupting the magical ember beneath the mining town of Torchlight, and it's up to you to ignore any story points and go back to mindlessly slaughtering anything in your way. The story is simply a thin excuse to keep the player moving, and not much more than that.

The Random Item Vendor: I hate the Random Item Vendor. He presents you with a list of statless weapons and armor, and only after you pay an exorbitant amount for them will you find out what you just bought. In one instance I walked away with a set of armor that I could never hope to have my character wear without completely forgoing her main attribute to focus on one she had little need for. It's a gamble, and when it doesn't pay off it really bites.

To really enjoy Torchlight you have to accept it for what it is. It's a Diablo clone with bits of Warcraft and Fate thrown in, sure, but when the development team consists of people directly responsible for those titles you pretty much have to give them a pass. Once you overcome the initial shock of seeing just how much familiar material the team has pulled from previous projects, you can begin to appreciate the high level of polish they've given that material, and the proficiency that comes with their experience.

While it would have benefited greatly from a deeper story and a multiplayer component, Torchlight is one of the best Diablo-style games you're likely to find without the Blizzard logo displayed prominently on the front of it.

Torchlight was developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World Entertainment, Inc. on October 27th for the PC. Retails for $19.99 USD on Steam, with a retail version coming early next year. A copy of the game was acquired via Steam press pass for reviewing purposes. Played through the entire story as a Vanquisher, dabbling briefly with the Destroyer and Alchemist classes.

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The Witch Doctor, Blizzard tells us, dispatches opponents with "terrifying precision, assaulting his victim's mind and body with elixirs and powders that evoked fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits." They can also summon undead creatures to "rend the flesh from his enemy's body."

These dark shaman come from the interior of the Torajan jungles. Unknown, unseen by most, the tribes of witch doctors, we're told, come with fanciful names, like the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Five Hills. They hold regular honor battles to collect the materials needed for the human sacrifice that drives both their civilization and abilities.

The tribes also believe in gods who bestow their life force on the veiled reality in which we all live. It's pretty heady stuff.

All of this build up: this tapestry of back story, of cultural origins, of personal strife, combines to help paint a picture of a race with a rich and intriguing heritage, but once in the actual game, playing Diablo III as this warrior mystic, I found myself happily, almost mindlessly clicking away on the mouse like a third-party gold farmer harvesting in World of Warcraft.

All thoughts of back story, of honor battles, of a veiled reality powered by life force were gone, boiled down to the chattering of my mouse and the twitching of my fingers across the keyboard.

It left me wondering how much of Diablo III's attraction is about nostalgia and how much of it is about good game design. I'm not saying Diablo III is a bad game. It isn't. While I probably could wait for the game to come out, I certainly don't want to.

It's telling how quickly I lost myself in a game so very similar to the one I played eight years ago. Within minutes I was happily guiding my witch doctor through vaguely familiar scenery, hunting for enemies to attack.

While the witch doctor has plenty of direct attack spells at his disposal, like a skull-themed fire bomb, my favorite was the class' ability to summon zombie dogs. These undead canines roam around your character looking for creatures to attack.

I also enjoyed the horrify ability, which had my witch doctor put on a over-sized mask, causing nearby enemies to flee in terror. A useful skill when you start to become overwhelmed.

But the experience, albeit a very brief taste of the upcoming game, didn't really change from my memories of playing Diablo, Diablo II and its expansion. I was still roaming around, clicking a ton and using my keyboard a bit.

The mechanics of play and the graphic pay-off seemed at odds with the almost euphoric enjoyment I got out of playing the game. Why was that?

For me, I think it's because the game carefully, cleverly taps into my fond memories of the ghosts of Diablo's past. Playing Diablo III throws me back to those late nights of Diablo II when my son was a newborn and I played the game between bouts of feeding and diaper changing. It reminds me of my days of playing the original Diablo and Hellfire when I was fresh out of college, moving from state to state, filling my nights in towns where I was a stranger with endless role-play.

I suspect that my enjoyment of Diablo III is more about reminiscence than it is dutiful gaming. Which leaves me wondering? What will gamers new to the franchise think?

Just look at how angry he is! Angry that he costs $300. Angry that he, like everything else in the game, is now in colour. And angry at that damn, stupid apple, that's about to get an axe in its face.

Stupid apple.

Fans of Warcraft, Starcraft or Diablo are invited to write 3,000 to 10,000 words, set in either of the three franchises. The grand winner gets a trip to Irvine, Calif. to meet and dine with the Blizzard lore staff. He or she (but, since this is fan fiction, I mean, yeah, probably a he) will get a Frostmourne sword. Runners-up, and there will be seven, get prize packages comprised of signed copies of the Blizzard novels.

The contest is open worldwide, so, if the winner happens to reside in Ulan Bator, guess that means Blizzard will spring for the airfare and lodging. And since this will be judged by the Blizzard folks, I'm reasonably sure entries should keep it all fapfree and all the characters should belong to Blizzard IP. So, no weird crossovers with Sailor Moon or Stargate: SG1, and no hot orc-on-elf action either, no matter how good you think you are at describing such passion. More details at the official contest entry page.

Blizzard Invites Fan Writer to their Offices [Incgamer]

Responding to some commenters making jokes about including unicorns, rainbows and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the game, Blizzard's Community Manager went and posted these pics.

As a joke, sure. But now that they're out there? Unicorns and Marshmallow Men in Diablo III would actually be great, thanks.

Community Manager Posts ‘Diablo 3′ Screens With Unicorn, Rainbow, Marshmallow Man [MTV]

“With more hall space, more attendees, and more attractions, this BlizzCon will be our biggest yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re working hard with our partners to make this an unforgettable experience, and we’re looking forward to meeting players at the show.”

Best of all, Kotaku will be there! Well, I will be there. Most of Kotaku will be in Japan. I suppose I could have gone to Japan too, but then I'd miss out on that sweet polar bear mount. Either way, coverage begins Friday, so stay tuned for more from the BlizzCon floor.

BlizzCon® 2008 Gaming Convention Begins This Week

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.’s two-day gaming festival, BlizzCon® 2008, begins on Friday, October 10, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The convention celebrates the communities of players surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®’s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® game universes. Attendees of the sold-out show will be able to play the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games as well as speak with developers in special panels, participate in tournaments and contests, and meet with fellow gamers and friends.

Jay Mohr has returned to host the live contests this year, and the show will close on Saturday evening with an epic concert featuring comedian Patton Oswalt, Blizzard’s own Warcraft-themed metal band Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, and Video Games Live, who will be performing special orchestral arrangements of music from Blizzard games.

“With more hall space, more attendees, and more attractions, this BlizzCon will be our biggest yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re working hard with our partners to make this an unforgettable experience, and we’re looking forward to meeting players at the show.”

For those unable to attend, DIRECTV® will be broadcasting the convention live as a pay-per-view event. Visit www.blizzard.com/blizzcon/dtv for more information. In addition, up-to-date show coverage will be posted at the official BlizzCon website, www.blizzcon.com.

Anyone attending BlizzCon who is interested in pursuing career opportunities at Blizzard Entertainment should bring their resumes, demo reels, art portfolios, or business cards, as the global staffing team will be on hand to accept materials and discuss any job-related questions.

BlizzCon would not be possible without the enthusiasm of Blizzard gamers around the world and the generous support of AMD, Dell®, DIRECTV, Intel®, and other sponsors.

The concept has been well-tread in RPGs for years, but it was not until recently that action games started to employ loot theory for their own benefit. Call of Duty 4 introduced a weapon and rank system. As players gain points in matches, their rank goes up, and they earn new weapons and accessories. Levels are frequent enough to keep many players going, and many staunch fans of the game have admitted that they themselves would have quit playing several months before if not for the weapon unlockables and ranking.

Bungie attempted a ranking system with Halo 3, but players did not stick to it the way they stuck to Call of Duty. The reasoning is simple. Even with the initial rank increase and bragging rights, a complete lack of swag meant the rank was largely meaningless, as it offered no real benefit. it was initially motivating, but it didn’t last.

Is there any shame in baiting players to, well, play more? There's a fine line to walk in implementing 'loot theory,' but I can think of a number of games that strike that nice balance between giving you encouraging tidbits and not giving it all away. I'm a fan of loot, but it won't keep me playing unless the other parts of the design equation fall into place.

Loot Theory: The Tale of the Donkey and the Carrot [High Dynamic Range Lying via GameSetWatch]

Currently the service mainly services Europe, South America, and a few bits of Asia, so those of us in the U.S. will have to make due with obsessively humming the theme song to WoW until allowances are made.

Blizzard Mobile Store [Official Site via WorldofWar.net]

That's the bad news. The good news is that Blizzard has "a small reserve of tickets left" which will be going up for grabs tonight, August 12 at 8:00 PM PDT. Even with the larger crowd accommodation and the $100 ticket prices, expect whatever's left to sell out at lightning speed.

And expect even more grumbling and griping in the official Blizzard forums when they do.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

Yes, Blizzard and DirecTV are joining forces to broadcast highlights of the show via pay per view. Don't have DirecTV? New subscribers in August will get the BlizzCon pay per view for free with their order. I cannot think of a more ridiculous reason to change your cable television provider.

BlizzCon™ 2008 Tickets on Sale August 11
Unprecedented event coverage also available exclusively on DIRECTV

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention will go on sale August 11 and that live coverage of the event will be available as an exclusive DIRECTV pay per view event. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®’s Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes. The event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer an array of activities, including discussion panels, hands-on playtime with upcoming games, tournaments, contests, and more. Tickets to the convention will be priced at $100 USD each, and will be available for purchase directly from the official BlizzCon website at www.blizzcon.com.

The pay per view event will deliver a minimum of eight hours of live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Beginning in August, DIRECTV will run a promotion offering the BlizzCon pay per view event free to new DIRECTV subscribers. Pricing for existing DIRECTV customers and programming details will be available in the coming weeks from Blizzard Entertainment and DIRECTV.

“BlizzCon is one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year, and we are excited to partner with Blizzard Entertainment to deliver coverage of the show to gamers nationwide,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, new media and business development, DIRECTV. “With our BlizzCon pay per view package, members of Blizzard’s gaming communities who are not attending the event can now experience it in crystal-clear HD.”

As the event draws closer, further details will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.

As I am writing this I am watching the clock slowly tick down on the Diablo Battlechest for $27.99, wondering whether or not I should just go ahead and make the purchase or spend hours sorting through my collection of over a thousand PC CDs and DVDs, searching for the copies I already own. Today Amazon.com is all about Blizzard's big games, which makes sense considering Blizzard isn't exactly known for their small ones. The Deal of the Day is the World Of Warcraft Battlechest for $26.99, which is nice considering the expansion alone still goes for $30 in most stores.

As of this posting we just missed the Diablo Battlechest, but who wanted to play crappy old Diablo anyway? Everybody? Oh. Whoops. Well now we have The Burning Crusade expansion for WoW for , followed by what? The Frozen Throne expansion to Warcraft III by itself and then the Warcraft III Battlechest? Left up to me it would have been The Lost Vikings all day long, with an ever-rising price to punish latecomers for their lack of urgency.

Amazon's Gold Box Deals [Amazon.com - Thanks Travis!]

by Lesley Smith

Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Morhaime formally announced Diablo III during the WWI’s opening ceremony this morning, not that this will come as a surprise to anyone with the Diablo III forums already active on the official Blizzard site and rumours running rampant for nearly a fortnight.

After recapping on the success of the previous Invitational held in Korea, Morhaime premiered a trailer and then demoed a level playing as a Barbarian and a Witch Doctor, showcasing some of the improvements over the original game as well as giving attendees a hint at what they can expect from the final product. This includes a new UI in place of the potion belt and the ability to play the game just by using a mouse. Similarly the health system has been augmented by God of War and Devil May Cry style red globes which replenish not just the health of the character but also those near by.

After the Fire Dancers had left the main stage and the crowds has dispersed, many jubilant, I headed for the jam-packed press conference where journalists got to give Blizzard’s Jay Wilson (Lead Designer on Diablo III) and co-founder Frank Pearce a grilling about Diablo III.

“It’s been in development for a few years. About four.” Wilson admits and of course, when asked the next Big Question: a release date, he gives the typical Blizzard response. “When it’s done,”

Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce was quick to add that, even after four years, “it’s far too early in development.”

Despite being vague on many points such as how much of the game was complete – a process Wilson described as ‘super fun’ - and the specifics of the storyline, He revealed the game is set twenty years after the War of Destruction and the events of the original games have become regarded as myth, indeed even those who were alive (and that’s not many) are either insane or convinced that nothing happened.

Unlike Warcraft, this is not a game about crafting your own unique virtual persona. Other than the classes and the gender, avatars aren’t customisable; instead the idea is to “dive right in and get to the monster killing”.

Being a Diablo title, it really wouldn’t be right unless there were plenty of monsters to slaughter and bosses to defeat. The monsters themselves are huge but even the obese charging abomination we saw steam-rolling towards a Barbarian – a giant in its own right – was just a mob. But the most impressive aspect was not the size of the mobs – it was a wall of zombies which managed to elicit cheers from the crowds.

While the assembled masses were shown two areas, a dungeon and a grassy wilderness, that was more than enough to show off some of the more interesting aspects of the Barbarian and Witch Doctor. The first, for example, uses a special attack called Whirlwind to send zombies and other trash flying to their deaths while the Witch Doctor makes use of pets who do their bidding. They can also summon swarms of locusts who devour enemies and anyone nearby. Like World of Warcraft’s priests and warlocks, they also have the ability to send enemies running using an ability called Horrify as well as mind control which is going to make for some interesting fights. Even more so when you consider that maps aren’t all static, some are random meaning the exit and entrance to an area might not be in the same place each time.

Oh, and for those of you wondering what really was with that Blizzard splash screen well the Diablo theorists were right. Wilson confirmed that the design of the splash screen was meant to hint at Diablo III but doesn’t know anything about that purple penguin.

As is expected with Blizzard events, company employees were handing out the much-prized (and instantly eBayable) Goody Bags. The swish mini backpack emblazoned with the WWI logo includes a host of loot, including an in-game pet (which we’ve not yet been able to redeem in Booty Bay), the Beta key, a programme, a figure from the Upper Deck miniature game, a notebook and a mousemat sporting the event’s banner featuring Arthas as well as characters from Diablo and Starcraft II.

We’ll let you know what the pet is as soon as Landro Longshot makes nice and starts talking about the WWI.

PC Gamer Squelches Diablo 3 Rumor [Shacknews]

Tickets will go on sale within the coming weeks for $100 a pop. Maybe this year I'll actually make it out there. I needs me some free murloc-themed goodness.

BlizzCon™ 2008 Announced Blizzard Entertainment® Gaming Convention Returns to Anaheim Convention Center October 10-11

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®'s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises. In response to the demand to accommodate more attendees, this year's event has expanded from two convention halls to three.

"Whenever we've been able to meet and interact with Blizzard gamers from around the world, it's been a great experience for us," stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're looking forward to seeing even more of our players at this year's BlizzCon and delivering another entertaining and informative event for them."

BlizzCon will offer a wide variety of activities to help all attendees get the most out of the two-day event. In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, attendees will be able to enjoy:

Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment releases
Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Areas and activities devoted to licensed products such as the World of Warcraft® Trading Card Game
Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on the Blizzard Entertainment franchises
A silent auction
More exciting activities to be announced
Tickets for BlizzCon will go on sale in the next few weeks at a price of $100 USD per person. As the event draws closer, further details will be announced on the official BlizzCon website: www.blizzcon.com.

The job post indicates that "the team behind Diablo I and II is looking for a skilled lead 3D level designer with experience building levels using Maya or other similar 3D level building tools", hoping for someone with experience with competitive online play, name-dropping Defense of the Ancients and World of Warcraft. Hey, it may just be wishful thinking, but they've got to be close to done by now, right? Right, Diablo team?

Lead 3D Level Designer [Blizzard via VideoGamer]

It's a short clip, but it gets the point across. Until we see Diablo 3, this is our Diablo 3. On a side note, if Blizzard wants my $15 a month, they officially know how to get it.

New footage from Dialbo-y MMO Mythos [via N4G]

No, it is an unannounced Next-Gen MMO.

And that doesn't mean an expansion for World of Warcraft either.

New MMO from Blizzard in the works [WoW Forums via GamesIndustry.biz]