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Diablo III Preview: Hands On with the Demon Hunter

I had an absolute blast playing Diablo III at BlizzCon 2010. This action-RPG offers the excitement I love about the genre and the ridiculous polish I love about Blizzard games. Diablo III is shaping up to be one of the smoothest, deepest, and smartest experiences in the genre. At BlizzCon 2010 I spent several hours (more than I should have, to be honest) playing the single-player game with the new “demon hunter” class. This is easily going to be my favorite class.

Before I give you more details on the demon hunter, let me give you an idea of the kinds of action-RPG characters I enjoy. In Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance I loved playing as the sorceress and exploiting her ridiculously powerful ball lightning attack. In Marvel action-RPGs like X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, I use characters like Cyclops, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Woman — characters with awesome projectile attacks. Diablo III’s demon hunter fits into my play style perfectly.

The demon hunter plays like a projectile-hurling rogue with a bit of magic thrown in. She’s armed with dual crossbows that fire all sorts of ranged attacks. The projectiles can be imbued with various magical properties, which allow for exploding shots, slow shots, and more. The demon hunter can set traps and has the ability to jump across large distances with her “vault” ability. Obviously she’s not meant to be a hand-to-hand combatant.

Mixing and matching the demon hunter’s attacks was lots of fun. Hitting enemies with slow shots to decrease their speed, setting traps, and vaulting away as the traps blew the enemies to high heaven was one of my favorite tactics. Other times it was just fun to run-and-gun through levels. Firing off spread shots and exploding shots then jumping away for some mana recovery time was a joy. The demon hunter’s style and abilities give the action a sense of chaos; sure, my goals included killing enemies and snagging loot, but controlling the chaos added a layer of gameplay that’s not necessarily there for the other characters.

I was pretty high on Diablo III before BlizzCon. It’s Blizzard. It’s Diablo. Of course the game is going to be great. That said, playing as the demon hunter took my expectations to another level. I want to play this game (NOW! ) and I want to play as the demon hunter.

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Apple Poised to Cut Carriers Out of the iPhone Experience?

Stacey Higginbotham (no relation to Michael Hickenbottom) at GigaOm snagged a fantastic scoop on Apple working with Gemalto on future iPhone SIM-card technology. The two companies are working on making the iPhone experience easier for customers while keeping carrier involvement to a minimum. Here are the details:

It’s rumored that Apple and Gemalto have created a SIM card, which is typically a chip that carries subscriber identification information for the carriers, that will be integrated into the iPhone itself. Then customers will then be able to choose their carrier at time of purchase at the Apple web site or retail store, or buy the phone and get their handset up and running through a download at the App Store as opposed to visiting a carrier store or calling the carrier. Either way, it reduces the role of the carrier in the iPhone purchase.

Before you get too excited, keep in mind that this is aimed (initially anyway) at European customers. Unlike the American market, the mobile frequencies used in most European countries are the same. Furthermore, there’s a lot more country hopping in Europe, so it would be super convenient for customers to be able to change carriers through a simple iTunes download.

The tech has all sorts of implications. Apple is very proud of the experience it offers through the Apple Store. As far as retail experiences go, it beats the crap out of an AT&T store. This technology makes carrier stores unnecessary at best and a minor nuisance at worst. Although the tech is being aimed at the European market, there are radio chips that can handle various types (GSM and CDMA) and frequencies of mobile signals, so it’s a possibility for America as well.

Lastly, the technology has the chance to help Apple succeed where Google wussed out with the Nexus One. Although Apple is making a killing through AT&T, the structure of that relationship will change as it moves to other carriers. I’m sure Apple is concerned about the various (crappy) experiences offered by the “big four’s” retail stores. This technology would eliminate their involvement or keep it to a minimum.

I really hope this technology comes to America. The carriers have way too much stroke here and disruption is overdue. The technology being worked on by Apple and Gemalto has a chance to drastically change the market and, hopefully, make it more competitive. Or perhaps I’m being wishfully naive. What do you think?

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Nintendo Continues Celebrating with Super Mario All-Stars

Continuing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo has announced that Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition for Wii will land on December 12, 2010. I know that many of you have bought these games five times over, but this $29.99 set will tempt you to buy them again. Here are the contents of the compilation as per the press release:

The games included in the Super Mario All-Stars collection are Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3. Each game features the enhanced graphics and updated sound from the Super NES Super Mario All-Stars collection, and all four can be played on the Wii system using one of several controllers: the Wii Remote controller, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro or the Nintendo GameCube controller.

Also included is a Super Mario History soundtrack CD, a compilation of memorable music from the Mario franchise. Containing classic theme songs and fun sound effects from the original Super Mario Bros. game all the way up to this year’s acclaimed Super Mario Galaxy 2 game, this special disc also marks the first official release of the “Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme,” widely recognized as one of the most famous pieces of video game music in history.

Rounding out the Super Mario All-Stars collection is a 32-page Super Mario History booklet featuring interviews, behind-the-scenes details and rare concept art. Fans from every generation can enjoy firsthand insights into the beginnings of Mario, illustrated with candid photos and never-before-seen design sketches. Together with the game software and soundtrack, it’s the ultimate tribute to a unique game series.

I’m going to enjoy playing these games again, but I’m super looking forward to the CD and booklet. Any of you interested in this package? Or are you through buying the same Nintendo games multiple times?

Sly Cooper Collection Video Has Me Drooling

Sony Computer Entertainment America has released a teaser video for The Sly Collection for PS3, a compilation of the three excellent Sly Cooper games for PS2 converted to high definition. I’m a big fan of developer Sucker Punch and these excellent games, so this video has me drooling for this compilation.

The Sly Collection lands on November 9, 2010. Please check out the video above and let me know what you think. Any of you dying to relive the glory days of Sly Cooper?

Nintendo Posts Loss For the First Time in Seven Years

After years of printing money with its Nintendo DS and Wii consoles, Nintendo has reported a loss for the first time in seven years. The company reported its financial results for the period covering April 2010 to September 2010 and the numbers were not pretty. According to The Wall Street Journal:

The Japanese videogame company recorded a net loss of 2.01 billion yen ($25 million) in the fiscal first half, compared with a profit of 69.49 billion yen a year earlier.

Operating profit for the period fell 48% to 54.23 billion yen from 104.36 billion yen a year earlier.

Revenue fell 34% to 363.16 billion yen from 548.06 billion yen.

Ouchie.

After selling millions and millions of Wii systems, Nintendo’s home-console sales were bound to take a dive. The numbers reflect that the saturation point has been hit. The crazy high value of the yen was also a major factor; it’s hard to export products when your currency makes others look like Monopoly money.

Will the upcoming 3DS — which comes out at the end of Nintendo’s current six-month financial-period — and a healthy holiday season be enough to turn things around? Put on your videogame analyst hat and predict (please)!

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Coffee Talk #236: Do You Care About Gaming Affinity Programs?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Brian Wilson’s resemblance to Randy Savage (or Bonesaw), continuing this excellent discussion on people Justin Timberlake should sleep with instead of Bolivia Bunn, or Taylor Swift blossoming before our very eyes, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Sony announced that it will be testing an affinity program called PlayStation Rewards. According to the press release, “Everyone who participates in PlayStation Rewards has the opportunity to earn a wide range of exclusive rewards. Some examples include exclusive PSN avatars that display member status in the program, dynamic themes and PlayStation Home content, as well as the opportunity to participate in members-only sweepstakes and giveaways.”

I’m fanatical about affinity programs like Starwood Preferred Guest and United Mileage Plus (even though UAL sucks for not having a DEQM promotion this year). For some reason, I’m not nearly as interested in videogame affinity programs. Club Nintendo is pretty cool, but I’m not (yet) interested in PlayStation Rewards, Xbox Live Rewards Squad, or GameStop PowerUp Rewards. To be totally honest, part of it is because I get a lot of videogame goods for free, but part of it is that the gaming programs are kind of dull.

How about you ladies and gents? Are you into any affinity programs? How about videogame affinity programs in particular?

Get Your RPad.tv Shirts, Mugs, and Other Goodies

Would you be a dear and help me promote the site by wearing an RPad.tv t-shirt? Here’s your chance! Head on over here to buy some RPad.tv goodies, including shirts, coffee cups, beer mugs, and more. The goods are a little on the pricey side, but I’ve read great things about this vendor, so hopefully they’ll last you a long time.

If you happen to pick up a shirt or twelve, please send me pictures of you wearing it. I’d love to post them. I’d also love to post any photos you snap of famous people or hot chicks wearing an RPad.tv shirt. I’ll post those and use them as wallpaper.

Today’s Poll: Do You Still Care About the White iPhone 4?

Depending on which story you believe, the white iPhone 4 has been delayed until March 2011 or completely canceled. At this point, do you even care? If it comes out in March, the iPhone 5 will be months away. Then again, it’s kind of like a super-rare Pokemon — cool to have and show off. Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss!

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BlizzCon 2010 Video Tour

Here’s a guided video tour of BlizzCon 2010. You’ll get to see the awesome sights of the show, including elaborate booths, statues, grand stages, statues, astronaut training contraptions, statues, demo areas, and your old pal Brian Leahy! Please, please, please check out this video and let me know what you think! (And yes, I totally ripped off Chris Jericho with the whole “statue” thing. I think I miss him.)

The PSP Phone is Real…and Necessary

The PSP/Android phone is very real (like Sardo Numspa). Engadget delivered a sizzling scoop on the rumored PSP/Android phone. According to the site, the phone will run Android 3.0 (Gingerbread), sport a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 (similar to, but faster than, the T-Mobile G2’s CPU), have 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and have a screen larger than 3.7-inches. The site believes that the phone will land some time in 2011, though late 2010 is a remote possibility.

A Google Android phone that played PSP games would be awesome…and necessary on several levels. Here are some reasons it absolutely makes sense.

Sony needs an edge to compete with Nintendo. While I seriously doubt that the next two generations of PSP products can closely compete with Nintendo’s next two handhelds, Sony can do better than it did against the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo 3DS will dazzle consumers with 3D visuals, but mobile phone capabilities would be more practical for numerous users — particularly older gamers with disposable income. Combining the PSP and Android platforms offers gamers an awfully tempting combination.
Sony can push back against Microsoft and Windows Phone 7. One of the big draws — albeit to a limited audience — of Windows Phone 7 is its connectivity with Xbox Live. The PSP/Android phone offers real games instead of limited ones. If Sony can up social networking features of PlayStation Network on this phone then it will trump what Microsoft has accomplished with WP7.
Google needs help in gaming. The iOS platform is the undisputed king of mobile phone games. Although Android games have improved, they’re still way behind their iOS counterparts. The PSP/Android phone offers a large library of games for enthusiast and casual gamers. This would be tremendous for Google.

What do you think of the PSP/Android phone? Engadget is confident that this is a real product. Do you agree? Would you want one? Would you prefer PSP games on a phone over iOS games? Let’s talk! Let’s speculate! Let’s party!!!

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