Our own Michael McWhertor spent the better part of a day last week meeting with Blizzard and playing through a healthy chunk of Diablo III.
What did he find out? Plenty.
For instance, Blizzard is going to require gamers to stay online at all times to play their game. There will also be an auction house where players can sell the goods they grind out of a dungeon. You can even get real cash for those sales.
The upcoming beta, McWhertor writes in his extensive preview, "feels like the click and kill experience that made the previous games so immediately gratifying more than a decade ago. Diablo III's early acts feel atmospherically in tune with the previous entries, filled with runs through undead spewing graveyards, infested cathedrals and dark caves overflowing with creepy crawlies. Already, it feels infinitely replayable, thanks to the now standard stuff-randomly dropping loot, randomized dungeons and a strong cooperative multiplayer experience."
Want to know more? Better read our two stories (below) on his experiences.
Hands On with the Diablo III Beta
I have defeated Diablo III's Skeleton King and, in doing so, also bested the upcoming Blizzard game's multiplayer beta. Soon, many of us will have the privilege to do so, hacking and slashing our way through an early portion of the next Diablo, over and over again, seeing its randomness and testing... More »
Blizzard Will Let You Sell Your Diablo III Loot For Real Money
Blizzard won't be the only one potentially making a profit on Diablo III. Anyone who plays the dark fantasy hack and slash game could, thanks to its Auction House, a new in-game service that allows players to buy and sell loot not just for virtual gold, but for cold, hard cash.
That's just one of... More »
Diablo III Mods Are Forbidden, Banned, Not Allowed
One of the cornerstones of PC gaming is the modding scene. The best games embrace this. The good ones at least let you play with certain aspects of a game. More »
You can contact Brian Crecente, the author of this post, at brian@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.