Leonard's Demon

Nine years ago, during my toddler years in PC gaming, I almost wet in my pants when I heard that Diablo II was on its way. But, years passed, and after playing hundreds of games, I thought that the announcement of Diablo III would never excite me. Not because I think Diablo is bad. It's just my gaming preference has changed, evolved. A fun, hack & slash game won't satiate me anymore. No, I want something more to go along with the action. Like an engaging storyline and a rich setting, for example. But, last Friday, when Blizzard finally announced that Diablo III was in development, and that Leonard Boyarsky was the lead world designer, I almost urinated in my pants all over again.

Blizzard's talents has already proven themselves to be great writers. They've showcased their ability to craft extensive histories, lores, and plots for their games, as evident in Starcraft and Warcraft (most especially). Even in Diablo, if you look at the game manuals, the lore is very rich. But, unlike Blizzard's RTS games, only a snippet of Diablo's lore was actually presented in the game. So, hiring Boyarsky as a world designer for Diablo III is probably the wisest decision by Blizzard. With his experience in games such as Fallout and Arcanum (both of which has rich stories and unique settings), his main job, most likely, is to fortify Diablo's weakest point -its story- by incorporating the existing lore into the gameplay.

While -by the looks of it right now- Diablo won't be changing much of its gameplay. But I'm plenty sure that Leonard Boyarsky's involvement in the game will bring it to a different level. I'm also sure that he will spice up the game and rekindle my love for Diablo with a new flame.