Diablo III: is less dark, gritty, and just doesn't "really ring with Diablo" says original Diablo's producer

The producer behind the original Diablo game reveals how he feels about Diablo III's "different" art-style and presentation.

ALSO READ: Our Diablo III mega preview

Diablo III: is less dark, gritty, and just doesn't

What do you think--is Diablo III's art-style too cheery and colorful? (CLICK HERE for more Diablo III screens)

In an interview with VideoGamer.com, Bill Roper, the producer of the original Diablo video game and former Vice President of Blizzard, states that Diablo III's art-style and general ascetics are less dark and gritty than Diablo and Diablo II, taking on more of a colorful, borderline cartoony-look of games like WarCraft.

In addition to pointing out that Diablo III lacks the hard visual edge of previous games in the action RPG series, Roper reveals that he likes the darker presentation of the Diablo universe featured in classic Diablo.

You know, I liked the darker grittier. I liked the differences in art style, to be honest. So, I think I would personally from a player standpoint prefer that. -Bill Roper

He also goes on to explain why he thinks there's a change in art direction with Diablo III.

One of the things I always enjoyed about that separation between Blizzard and Blizzard North was that the Diablo games had a very distinct art style. They had different art directors, they had different people working on it, they had a different sensibility about them. Diablo was I think grittier and darker and a little more leaning towards the photo realistic. Whereas the Craft games that were being built down in Irvine were bigger and broader in scope, brighter colours, just different pallets and different presentation.

Finally, Bill Roper clarifies that even though he prefers the more ominous look of classic Diablo, he doesn't hate how Diablo III looks.

It wasn't that I looked at it and went, oh my God that looks terrible. I was like, that looks like Blizzard. The guys in Irvine. That's what it looks like to me. Their interpretation of it.

Read the original interview here on VideoGamer.com.

THE VERDICT by Patrick Shaw Patrick Shaw's Avatar Damn. I didn't notice that big of a change in Diablo III's visuals, but I only recently got hooked on Diablo II (thanks to Diablo pros here at GP: Sid, Tae, and Travis). Personally though, the darker, bloodier, eviler, etc. a game is the better. The real outrage is what they did to the Mortal Kombat series after MK3!

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denveraic

That really sucks in my opinion. I like diablo dark and gritty as he said. To met it seems they are trying to make another WOW game. I don't want another WOW, I want D3. I have been waiting years and years for this, I hope they get it right.

Alpha_Crow_1

Personally, Whether the graphics are "dark & gritty" or not doesn't bother me at all. As long as they're not completely "cartoony" I'm fine with it. I'm more concerned about the game play & storyline. After all that's what the Diablo series is about. A great story driven RPG, & that's what we should be more worried about than the graphics.

UltimateAlien

I will take Diablo any way I can get it, Diablo II still stands the test of time and I'm sure battlenet is still full of players. Of all the Blizzard IP's, Diablo is easily my favorite.

Please for the love of all that is (un)holy give me Diablo III soon.

phoen777

I took another look after reading this, and I can see what he's saying. It's particularly obvious in the above-ground areas. Corpses were the #1 furnishing in Diablo II no matter where you went. Whether they were the cold dismembered husks of whatever poor saps were there when the monsters showed, or the recently-slaughtered carcasses of your enemies, they were everywhere. From the videos it seems enemies vanish shortly after death, and I'm just not seeing any bloody heads on sticks or cadavers impaled on pikes in the environments.

Needs more corpses. You can never have too many corpses in Diablo. (Unless they're your own.)

wutisupmon

nooooo! I was scared this would happen. :(
I can see lightening the mood in, say, SC2(although this also disappointed me greatly), but Diablo? I mean, come on. Even the name screams death and destruction.

ZanonX

Well to me they fell off the track, I really was wanting diablo 3 and I still do, though they really need to stop throwing WoW monsters in there.

If you go look at the Unburied it looks so much like the undead abomination.

Diablo was its own thing, I really would like them not to be lazy on this game when it comes to idea's damn bill roper for leaving.

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