News | Diablo 2: Resurrected announced for consoles and PC
Diablo 2: Resurrected was announced yesterday during BlizzCon 2021 for PC and consoles.
Rumors had been circulating for some time that a new version of Diablo 2 was in the works. Diablo 2: Resurrected is a full HD remaster of the original in three dimensions.
The game includes both the main game and the Lord of Destruction expansion. Players can expect improved animations and effects, dynamic lighting and a 4K resolution. 27 minutes of the game’s cutscenes have been completely remade. The soundtrack also supports Dolby 7.1 surround sound.
Players can switch between the classic game and the remaster at any time. There are seven classes to choose from: the Amazon, Barbarian, Necromancer, Paladin, Sorceress, Assassin, and Druid.
The game is being developed by Blizzard in partnership with Vicarious Visions, and should be released on PC, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch sometime later this year. All versions support cross-progression.
News | Rogue class for Diablo 4 revealed
Blizzard unveiled the Rogue class for Diablo 4 at the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2021.
It is the fourth class to be revealed after the Barbarian, Druid and Sorceress. That means that one more class has to be announced.
The Rogue is a new version of an original class from the first Diablo. It moves very quickly across the battlefield and can run at close range as well as from a distance. In addition, players can completely customize the look, play style and backstory of the class.
The Rogue reveal features Diablo 4’s first new gameplay since the game was announced at BlizzCon 2019. Diablo 4 is coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, although it is likely that versions will also appear on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. There is no release date yet, although it is already clear that Diablo 4 will not be released this year.
News | Blizzard reveals Blizzcon's schedule online
Blizzard has posted Blizzcon's schedule online.
The fair is on 19 and 20 February and will be held completely online this year due to the corona virus. Previously, fans could buy a ticket to physically visit the fair, or buy a ticket to view it virtually. This year Blizzcon is completely free for everyone.
The schedule shows that an opening ceremony will be held on 19 February. After that, viewers can switch between six channels. In addition to the main channel, they focus on World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Heartstone, Diablo and a strategy channel for games such as Warcraft 3, Starcraft and Heroes of the Storm.
The complete, interactive schedule can be viewed via the Blizzcon website.
News | Virtual Blizzcon will be available for free next year
Blizzconline, the online version of the annual Blizzcon event, is completely free to watch next year.
Blizzcon is held physically every year and features all kinds of new announcements, videos and interviews about popular and upcoming Blizzard games. It was previously known that Blizzcon did not physically continue early next year due to the corona virus. Instead, the event will be held entirely online under the name Blizzconline.
Now it is clear that people don’t have to pay any money to watch the live stream. “We don’t have a physical show next year, but we’re really looking forward to Blizzconline,” said director J. Allen Brack in a new video. “We want to make it a big virtual celebration, so it’s free to watch and participate.” Via an email to PC Gamer, the company confirms once again that the live stream will be free.
This is striking, because previous Blizzcon events could also be attended virtually, but only by purchasing a virtual ticket. So it looks like Blizzard will drop that next year, unless the company puts tickets on sale with various privileges. However, nothing is known about this yet.
Blizzconline will be held on February 19 and 20 next year.
News | BlizzCon 2019 Highlights
Prior to Blizzcon's opening ceremony, Blizzard Entertainment returned to the Heartstone incident in which e-athlete Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung who was disqualified due to his statements about the situation in Hong Kong.
Blizzard had the opportunity to bring the world together in a difficult Heartstone e-sport moment a month ago, and we didn’t, ”says Brack. “We made our decision too quickly and – to make matters worse – were too slow to talk to you about it.
“There are two things that I am most disappointed with. The first is that we have not met the high standards that we have set ourselves, and the second is that we have failed to achieve our goal. I apologize for that and take all the responsibility.”
According to Brack, Blizzcon is proof that video games bring the world together. He says that the event must demonstrate how everyone can express themselves in “all ways, in all places”.
Blizzard has announced Diablo 4 during Blizzcon 2019.
The first trailer gives an extensive look at treasure hunters fighting demons in a dark dungeon. The game takes place ‘many years’ after Diablo 3 and shows the resurrection of a ‘legendary name’.
Director Luis Barriga then told more about the themes and gameplay of Diablo 4. The game returns to the ‘dark roots’ of the franchise in both art style and story.
The game also gets a more extensive world, including a ‘gothic and medieval version of hell’. The game also includes PvP zones where players can compete against each other.
The first three classes are also revealed in the gameplay trailer: the Barbarian, Sorceress and Druid.
During Blizzcon 2019, Blizzard unveiled the latest expansion for World of Warcraft, called Shadowlands.
The cinematic trailer for Shadowlands reveals that The Lich King, the antagonist of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, is returning.
Director Ion Hazzikostas explains that players visit the Shadowlands, the hereafter in the Warcraft lore. There are the new zones Bastion, Revendreth and Ardenwald. Well-known characters from earlier expansions also return.
In terms of gameplay features, Hazzikostas revealed that Shadowlands is again adding new raids, including the Tower of the Damned. This weekend Blizzard will hold a ‘What’s Next panel’ in which the expansion is discussed in more detail.
During Blizzcon 2019, director Jeff Kaplan announced Overwatch 2.
The video, called Zero Hour, shows Tracer, Winston and Mei who repel a giant robot attack in Paris. During the fight, several well-known characters join, such as Genji and Reinhardt, after which they take down a big robot together. The meeting leads to the return of Overwatch.
Kaplan also unveiled cooperative story missions, the first of which is called Rio de Janeiro. In this game players have to free cities from the aforementioned robots. Apart from that, there are Hero Missions: replayable co-op missions for four players, similar to Adventure Mode from Diablo. In this mode, players can train heroes and unlock skills.
PvP is also still part of the franchise, with a new mode called Push. This weekend, the mode is playable for visitors to Blizzcon, so it will probably become more clear about what the mode actually entails. Blizzard also revealed that all 31 heroes will get a new look, in addition to the announcement of the new heroes Sojourn and Echo.
The multiplayer mode of Overwatch 2 is shared with the original game, with all new maps and heroes also coming to Overwatch. Players who switch to Overwatch 2 take all their progress into the game.
Blizzcon 2019 is taking place in Anaheim, California this weekend.