I spent countless hours playing Diablo 2 and its expansion, and it probably only barely edges out Starcraft for hours played. My introduction to role playing games was the first Diablo (On the Playstation!) and NoX (a Westwood game) and Diablo 2 thereafter. Both gave me a lot of good memories, but Westwood died after NoX and Blizzard also had Starcraft. I was passionate about Blizzard from this point. When World of Warcraft came out, I jumped from Star Wars Galaxies to WoW and never looked back. I was smitten once again. WoW felt like it took the ideas of what I wanted from role playing games and made everything bigger and more realized.
However, on reflection and while listening to Kyle Bosman and Jason Schreier talk about Blizzard and WoW, I realize the world of Azeroth was probably what ruined them for me. Despite years of love, and subsequent love-hate, I think the path Blizzard walked for World of Warcraft changed the company from one that made games regularly to one that only focuses on, and before the phrase really existed, live service games. I remember when Starcraft Ghost was canceled and then I just stopped hearing about Blizzard working on new games. I did jump into and play Overwatch thoroughly but even that eventually had its doors closed and got replaced with Overwatch 2, with extra emphasis on forever-money.
I guess it was cathartic to hear Schreier talk, finding the words to describe why I cannot love Blizzard anymore. The games they make are designed in such a mechanical way, to extract profit over the long term, and it is too distracting from the games themselves. I skipped Diablo 3 because of the auction house at its initial release, I haven’t played Overwatch 2 because I felt wronged to see the first die at its alter, and I only played Diablo 4 some after a friend gave me a copy but it wears its monetization on its sleeve. I did play a good bit of Hearthstone last year because, funny enough, I think the game is more enjoyable as a mostly forgotten title, free of financial shackles.
I’ll always be thankful for the memories though. I remember how my brother would guide me to Diablo’s, in my mind at the time, worst villain. This was not the Diablo himself, for me it was the Butcher. My brother knew how scared I was each time he yelled out, “Fresh meat.” So of course my brother would tell me to walk in first and then block the doorway exit. The scary memory is part of the center for my gaming-identity, as much as Battletoads or Oblivion. I’m happy for having it.
There was a time when I would hear Blizzard and immediately I wanted to know everything I could, but I don’t think that will exist for me again. Maybe there is something better though; maybe a purity in gaming happens when loving without expectation. Maybe when Slime Rancher 2 exits early access or when It Takes Two Too happens, I will feel that warm embrace for a while
Also, play NoX. It is like $5 on GoG and I would argue is a better game than Diablo, even if both are great.