Diablo IV will be one of the most exciting releases of this year for triple A titles. There’s no doubt that it is one of Blizzard’s iconic series. The Diablo series dates back in the late ‘90s, and has spawned some of the most influential games for the action role playing genre.
Diablo IV is planning to be the next big installment to the series and will arrive on June 6. If you have been surfing around on the internet while looking up YouTube videos or watching Twitch streams, you’ll notice the game is getting bashed here and there.
This article will explain why a game like Diablo IV is getting such negative reception from the gaming community. Keep in mind, in no way shape or form; I believe Diablo IV will be a bad game. I personally am looking forward to playing the full released product because I did enjoyed my time with the beta.
However, if you are curious of why this particular title is getting so much flak from all angles, well you’ve come to the right place. I have been around the block with Blizzard and Diablo, so I can easily explain some of the context behind all the hate.
Keep in mind, Diablo IV is released in a different era for Blizzard and the franchise itself. To be more specific, Blizzard and the Diablo series haven’t been in favor of the gamers’ hands since the late ‘90s to early 2000s. I will give you three main reasons why I stated that.
Blizzard’s Controversy
The first reason is very simple: Blizzard is filled with controversy. Whether it’s their frat boy culture to releasing Diablo Immortal, there is many of them you can easily google up and learn that today’s Blizzard is not the same as Blizzard from the past. Back in my days, Blizzard was some of the most loved and respected developers when they had games like Warcraft III and Diablo II that were their recently releases titles. Both of these games were made with lots of love and care into them which made younger me realize how awesome Blizzard was at making video games. They also weren’t known for controversial stuff like in today’s times which gave them a clean image among gamers.
Diablo Immortal’s low user score on Metacritic proves the fact the game is not well received among gamers.
Blizzard is simply a big punching bag nowadays. These reasons are why there are people that want to pick and rip Diablo IV apart. Players don’t want a company like Blizzard who’s been consistently making bad moral practices to find success with Diablo IV.
Competition With Path of Exile
For the longest time Diablo was the biggest name in the action role playing world. However, Path of Exile is now another name that will be familiar to those who live and breathe playing these types of games. The series started off in 2013, but has vastly evolved itself throughout the years with the constant updates. A sequel is currently in the works, and will be just as anticipated as Diablo IV for the action role playing enthusiasts. It’s no doubt that Path of Exile fanatics will nitpick or criticize the game on various aspects because there might be mechanics or features they don’t agree with. The competition between the two series should be reminiscent to those who are aware of the Call of Duty and Battlefield competition in the first-person shooter space. It seems like in the future, any upcoming Diablo title will often get compared to the Path of Exile games.
Disappointed Diablo II Fans
As someone who is still an avid Diablo II player, there are many Diablo II fanatics have shared their distaste towards the later installments. Diablo III is infamous for being a game that’s more cartoony which abandoned the dark and grim art style that the series was known for since the original game. Diablo III also took a completely different direction when it comes to its core mechanics. Instead of expanding the loot and character development mechanics from Diablo II, it decided to simplify it. Without going too much in detail of comparing the two games and its systems and mechanics, Diablo III is not looked as a proper sequel to Diablo II to those who are fans of the first two games. Due to these reasons, Diablo III is generally looked down upon in the eyes of veteran Diablo II players.
Video credit: Xtimus
It’s important for me to explain that context because before Diablo IV had a playable beta, fans wondered how the game would play. As someone who participated in the beta, Diablo IV is without a doubt more in vein of Diablo III when it comes to its core gameplay presentation. Obviously, this game is not going to please the loud and proud fans of Diablo II players. For those who are fans of the older Diablo titles, they will certainly bring up how Diablo IV feels more like an expansion pack to Diablo III. Time will tell whether there will be an action role playing game that’ll feel like a proper sequel to the beloved Diablo II.
Those are the three reasons of why Diablo IV is getting hate all around on the internet lately. With that mentioned, don’t let this hate influence whether you should like the game or not. You should be the one to decide whether Diablo IV will be a game that’s worth your time. Personally, it’s my most anticipated game to play, and I am looking forward to it because the beta was a blast to play.
I look forward to trying out all of the game’s content that was not available in the beta when June 6 arrives. Diablo IV feels like an improved version of Diablo III, and I am alright with that.
