The Citadel becomes a major part of Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 lead writer, Marc Walters, have revealed that players in the next installment will get to experience a Citadel plot line that was cut from Mass Effect 2.

If you felt like something was lacking in Mass Effect 2, chances are it had something to do with The Citadel, as compared to the first installment of the series, players spent little time in the the giant space city.

”There was a Mass Effect 2 plot that was a kind of callback to the first Mass Effect that was going to be on the Citadel, and we cut it. But now it’s made a resurrection in Mass Effect 3, so I’m happy, but I can’t say what it is,” Walters said in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine. ”That’s the nice thing about trilogies, sometimes you get a second chance.”

Battlefield 3 has been “Banned” in Iran

Despite the fact that EA have not yet officially released Battlefield 3 in their country, the Iranian government has banned the sale and distribution of this first person blockbuster. Up until now pirated copies of Battlefield were being sold in Iran, however, following a statement from the Iranian Police they were forced to stop. There have even been claims that shops have been raided by police and retailers arrested for selling the games secretly, although these are unconfirmed.

AFP reports that the Iranian government took offence to the scenes of clashes between US forces and hostile militia on the Iraq-Iran border as well as attacks on the Iranian capital of Tehran. Living in a post 9/11 world and with Battlefield’s Single Player Campaign focusing around a terrorist plot and fears of a nuclear disaster, it is understandable why Iran has made the move to ban this game.

Below is a teaser trailer based around a mission set in Tehran. It is a good basis of what you can come to expect from the game and could shed some light on why Iran have a problem with Battlefield 3.

Battlefield 3: Guillotine Gameplay Teaser

New Information and Concept Art for ‘Rainbow 6: Patriots’

It certainly has been a while since we’ve joined Team Rainbow and taken down some terrorists. The last we saw of the squad-based first-person shooter was back on the streets of Vegas in 2008 with the follow up to the spectacular ‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas’ originally released in 2006, an impressive title showcasing the next-generation of consoles.

Since then it has been a little quiet, but today, Ubisoft has shared some more information with us about their next entry into the series entitled ‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots’

Firstly, if you haven’t seen the target gameplay video released earlier this month, check the embed below!

Now that you’re caught up, here’s some new details Ubisoft have released on their latest fact sheet, followed by some new concept art -

Team Rainbow faces a new and very real threat called the “True Patriots,” a highly-trained, well-organized group of militias. The True Patriots are capitalizing on the growing sense of frustration and anger in a modern day America that they feel is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests. Lead by a calculating figurehead named Tredway, this grassroots, homespun, terrorist organization will stop at nothing to overthrow the government and financial institutions to reclaim their country. Capturing the reality of modern-day terrorism, players will take on the role of a new Team Rainbow member as they face critical scenarios that will require them to make tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal with the support of Ubisoft Toronto and Red Storm, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots not only revolves around a dynamic single-player storyline but also introduce a huge variety of new innovative co-op and multi-player experiences.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots Key Features Include:

• UNPRECEDENTED NARRATIVE – Patriots’ storyline explores an ultra-realistic what-if scenario inspired by real events and characters. The game will allow players to experience events from multiple perspectives creating an unprecedented level of immersion.

• A NEW THREAT FOR A NEW TEAM – Terrorism has evolved and Team Rainbow must face an organized militia of home-grown insurgents.  As the leader of a new squad, players will wrestle with difficult ethical decisions and determine if the doing-whatever-it-takes mentality is needed to stop the enemy.

• ENHANCED SQUAD MANAGEMENT – At the press of one button, the Rainbow squad will perform the most efficient and deadly tactic given the context of the situation.  When extreme measures are required, or when players call for it, you can take full control of your squad to plan the perfect assault.

• EVOLVED COMBAT – The game’s combat techniques have been pushed to the next level with cover and weapon systems redesigned to accommodate every combat situation. New Rappel and Breach mechanics are now enriched with multiple new techniques including Wall & Ceiling Breach, Fast Rope Rappel, inverted ‘Aussie Style Rappel’, Infiltrate & Subdue, just to name a few.

• INTENSE MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE – Players will be rewarded for working as a team and mastering the game’s new features that enhance communication and tactical execution between teammates.  Once such feature found in the pre-game online lobby is the Sandtable, a holographic display that helps acquaint players with the level maps before they jump into the action. This will help players strategically coordinate attacks and add a new dimension to squad tactics.

• SURPRISE AND OVERPOWER ENEMIES – Utilize the game’s new Scan mode to strategically breach and infiltrate areas. This new tool will provide a thermal read on the situation, allowing you to determine the squad’s best course to overwhelm and defeat enemies.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots, please visit www.rainbow6.com and “like” the game on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Rainbow6

Review: Skyrim

Bethesda Softworks are finally back with the epic arrival of their fifth instalment of the iconic and critically acclaimed franchise; The Elder Scrolls, and with such an extensive amount of brilliant and fantastical content found within, I wouldn’t so easily count on a simple walk in the park… or even a run in the park for that matter.

200 long years have passed since the horrific events of Oblivion and still remnants of instability can be found all across the empire. The heroic and secretive Blades have all but faded into legend and the High King of Skyrim has been assassinated bringing about a new age of civil war between two fearless enemies that has continually raged throughout the land causing all manner of blood-shed and social fallout. With almost no contact from the surrounding kingdoms, cities stand alone and their people step lightly not daring to make any rash decisions in fear of deadly retaliation. But amongst the pandemonium lies a larger threat that has awoken from its fiery slumber. The ancient dragons of old have once again mysteriously returned to the frozen peaks of Skyrim bringing with them a viscous shroud of fire and ash that has engulfed the farthest reaches of the kingdom renewing the fear and hostility within its people and ultimately entangling their own fates with that of your own.

But the deathly arrival of the dragons has also given life to a speck of light upon the darkening landscape – a ray of hope which may be the answer that the world has been looking for. The mythical Dragonborne whose hearts beat with the courageous blood of the dragons are an equally ancient people who harness the true power of the dragon language after Akatosh; the high deity of the Nine Divines instilled his blood within Tamriels greatest known Emperor over seven centuries ago. As the last remaining Dragonborne, you are Skyrim’s only hope in solving the mystery behind the return of the dragons and halting the age-old prophecy foreseeing a colossal winged shadow soaring above the smouldering ruins of the empire.

Like its predecessors, Skyrim is host to a monumentally large open world which is just begging to be explored in any way you see fit. Along your way however you quickly pick up a number of quests (story, faction or miscellaneous) that will no doubt soon build up in your quest log which you can freely journey through at your leisure. This simplistic yet intricate style implemented within the game opens up a huge amount of customisation options for the player from the moment you start the game since you’ll naturally play the way you want and because there are no linear restrictions holding you back you are free to be who you want to be and do… you guessed it… exactly what you want to do. You will also notice that certain quests (namely story and faction related quests) will react to your play style and act accordingly which will actively alter your progression through the game making it so you’re not always making the same choices and receiving the same outcomes.

From the start of the game you will almost instantly start gaining skills in various divisions depending on your play style. If you’re more of a warrior type, you will likely earn skills in heavy armour and one or two-handed weapons where as if you prefer the arcane you will level up certain skills such as destruction, conjuration and restoration etc. However, while previous titles forced you to make certain choices that would forever alter your character throughout the course of game, choosing certain styles ingame won’t limit your capacity to experiment with each skill as you are free to use different techniques and abilities to fit your preferences without being held back by contradicting perks. The main levelling system works in a similar fashion but will ask you to choose from three governing perks that each dictate certain skills in order to mature your character into the way you want them, mage, warrior or otherwise.

The population of Skyrim can easily be described as the personality behind the game for the reason that such a hugely diverse and colourful palette of characters and races provide such a genuine and memorable experience that can be found throughout the game, be it from casually walking through a town marketplace listening to the banter that fills the air to eavesdropping in on some unknowing necromancers plotting their next foul experiment. But being the surly and hardened people they are, the weather beaten inhabitants of the frozen landscape won’t always greet you with the welcoming remarks Oblivion fans would come to expect. Instead you are host to a variety of mean, humorous and darn right strange social reactions from the people you meet in your travels which always helps in adding that extra bit of realism especially with such a huge amount of voice actors that have each perfectly brought with them a number of demeanours that they have infused with various characters throughout Skyrim.

With such a massive selection of spells, weapons and armour to choose from, you may find yourself endlessly fiddling about trying to find your favourite combinations depending on their stats, enhancements or even just looks. While past titles limited your adventurous endeavours with restricting combat choices that made little room for varying fighting styles, Skyrim however offers up and endless amount of customisation options giving you the ability to not only now duel wield weapons and magic but combine both the limitlessness of the arcane with the deadliness of blades, hammers and war-axes giving you the ultimate edge over the battlefield. The same also applies for the many armour and clothing types found throughout, offering up a number of bonuses and enhancements that can boost magica, defence or any of your skills.

That said, you won’t have to endlessly search around for these perks and enchantments as Bethesda has made a great job of implementing a vast amount of intricate crafting, enchanting and alchemic abilities into the game that open up a huge array of options and paths in order to improve your character in any and every way you want. Whilst crafting you’re able to perform a number of actions such as creating armours and weapons with certain metals and even improving them through a series of stages from their original state all the way to legendary. While these basic augmentations are all well and good, you can always go a step further by enchanting them with the infinite amount of improvements ranging anywhere from better combat or stealth abilities all the way to heightened stamina, magica or health. While not so directly involved in combat as the others, Alchemy plays an equally large role within the game as you are able to create a huge amount of potions and poisons serving you in many different ways such as regeneration to improved abilities and even to helpful perks like water breathing or detect life.

Another great addition to Skyrim is the introduction of the intriguing Dragon Speak commonly known as a Thu’um allowing you to utilize a range of special abilities such as force push, fire breath, familiar summon etc, in the form of a shout similar to the mighty roar of the dragons. The so-called World Walls that teach you of these shouts can be found throughout Skyrim each with a new helpful and alluring ability. However, being a Dragonborne won’t simply allow you to snatch them up as you please as you must first consume the souls of the dragons that soar across the landscape which will undoubtedly provide you with some epic battles throughout your adventures.

With more than double the amount of locations in Skyrim as there are quests, you will no doubt find yourself  travelling through a number of varying environments, such as vast open fields to rich green forests to blizzard ridden mountain peaks with each perfectly detailing real life environmental conditions in stunning authenticity. And whether you are travelling on foot or on the back of a horse you’ll always be able to gaze upon the endless landscape (unless you fast travel of course) before you unknowingly stumble upon a derelict ruin or small town or maybe even an entire kingdom depending on if you have become unknowingly bewitched by the sheer beauty found throughout.

The enchanting visuals Bethesda have injected upon the lands of Skyrim have come a long way from the simplistic and primitive design methods of Morrowind and Oblivion and so in this day and age have been given a lot more freedom to deliver a great deal of imaginative and ingenious ideas that they have been able to intertwine within the game’s epic narrative. The many sights of Skyrim are truly a thing of beauty as you travel within the various dynamic settings through sun, snow and rain whilst gazing upon the rich endlessness of the landscape and picking up on the many details that dot the scenery filling you with pure wonder and amazement as each environment actively plays a monumental role in the game as everywhere from the misty snowbound peaks of High Hrothgar to the sunny grasslands of Whiterun Hold provide you with an alluring and exiting experience that will drive you to scour the lands in search of the infinite beauty that oozes from every inch of the game.

Nevertheless, with so much going on visually, the game can sometimes struggle to keep up as you may experience some slight lagging here and there especially for you PS3 gamers which is due to the massive amount of information being processed at that time. You may also find that the player menu, while looking fairly simplistic and easy to use, equally uses a fair bit of processing power and can sometime lag for a very small time. Hopefully these small but unavoidable errors will be fixed with the next update but for now we must simply endure.

But the intricate detail found throughout not only shines through the scenery and varying interfaces but also in its inhabitants, and in the knowledge that Skyrim is an unrelenting and brutal wilderness where survival of the fittest truly comes into play, the people that have civilized the kingdom look exactly how you would expect them to. You’ll soon find that this bunch of burly and mostly muscle-bound people covered in animal furs and heavy armours are perfectly acclimatised to the environment ultimately making them feel like another great addition into this living environment. And so combining the masterfully crafted character models with the elaborate personality’s and backgrounds that embody each and every one of them – the people of Skyrim are clearly a force not to mess with.

Known widely across the world for the many brilliantly crafted and awe-inspiring pieces of music found throughout the franchise, The Elder Scrolls name could have easily built its own success from the illustrious music alone, and Skyrim is no different. Continuing to complement the franchises legendary themes with its dynamic and engaging scores, Skyrim’s massive soundtrack acts as the life-blood of the game that flows unfaltering through every dungeon, forest, mountain and city providing you with a greatly immersive experience that can turn a simple stroll in the woods into an intense battle of wits and courage as you come face to face with a monstrous werewolf. Very few games today can provide such a variety of feelings portrayed through the music as Skyrim can since every second spend adventuring the land makes you truly feel like a part of the world around you. Each soundtrack that plays throughout has been perfectly integrated within every event and scenario which works to bring out your feelings and emotions in the best possible manor ultimately immersing you further into the game.

With around 5 years in development and the legendary name of its predecessors to live up to, the ingenious minds at Bethesda have well and truly gone to no end in filling Skyrim to the point of insanity with its unimaginable amount of quests, characters, items and locations to interact with that will undoubtedly keep your adventurous flame burning bright for months and even years to come. The few slight errors ingame were a little disappointing given the amount of time in development but are soon lost in thought due to the sheer amount of thrilling and engorssing content that shines throughout. Each and every aspect of the game be it from the thrilling narrative, stunning visuals or huge sense of freedom, does a staggering job of bringing pure life to the lands of Skyrim by providing you with a living breathing environment to interact with and in by doing so helps to create an unbelievably immersive experience that will no doubt continue long after finishing the game.

Fifth and final day of the Steam Autumn Sale

All good things must come to an end and with that, the Steam Autumn Sale enters it’s last day. Of course come next month, the start of the Christmas Sale should begin, so treat the days between today and when that event occurs as a much needed break on your finances.

Day five sees the following titles being advertised on offer:

Driver: San Francisco – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Dead Space 2 - £4.99 (original price £19.99)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Thief: Deadly Shadows – £1.99 (original price £7.99)
Europa Universalis III - £9.99 (original price £2.49)
Section 8: Prejudice - £2.49 (original price £9.99)
Demolition Inc. £1.99 (original price £7.99)
Greed Corp – £1.99 (original price £7.99)
Fable III – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga – £7.49 (original price £29.99)
Red Faction Armageddon  - £10.19 (original price £29.99)
Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 - £1.99 (original price £6.99)

Again we have some pretty good offers. So what games did you purchase over five day Steam Autumn Sale?

Day three of Steam Autumn Sale

It’s day three of the Steam Autumn Sale, which means new titles are being advertised as having their prices slashed and those who look around in Steam can find many more games on offer.

Yesterday saw Monkey Island: Special Edition Bundle, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum, Total War Mega Pack, Fallout New Vegas, Two Worlds II, Operation Flashpoint: Red River, Sniper Ghost Warrior, Zeno Clash, VVVVVV, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad and RIFT on offer. Today day three brings the following:

Dead Island – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Sanctum -£1.79 (original price £6.99)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – £3.49 (original price £6.99)
Grand Theft Auto IV -£4.99 (original price £19.99)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Serious Sam HD: Double Pack – £2.19 (original price £21.99)
Flight Control HD – £0.74p (original price £2.99)
King Arthur Collection – £3.50 (original price £34.99)
Patrician IV – £6.79 (original price £19.99)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena – £3.74 (original price £14.99)
Back to the Future: The Game – £6.79 (original price £16.99)

Yes only eleven titles this time, but still I think there is a good selection on offer. So can you survive the day three wallet onslaught? And what offers have caught your eye?

Version 2.0 – Square Enix’s plan to save Final Fantasy XIV

Square Enix have provided an update on planned version 2.0 for Final Fantasy XIV, which will see the MMO go through some major overhauls and changes to improve it and provide the experience SE promised and what the players expected.

Let’s all pretend that Final Fantasy XIV never happened. Or if you must come to the fact that it does exists, then at least pretend that it was just one big alpha test. An Ambitious alpha test that revealed that what Square Enix had created an MMO that was a slow, had a harsh learning curve from the get go, a horrible interface, combat that was lacklustre and quests that were dull, restrictive and requiring a lot of patience.

It was so badly received that Square Enix apologised twice and suspended monthly subscription payments and virtually made the game Free to Play while saying eventually they would fix the issues that plagued Final Fantasy XIV. Well Square Enix have finally decided on their rescue plan and it’s called “Version 2.0″. Yes Square Enix have seemingly they did drop the ball on FFXIV version 1.x and the only thing that can fix it is a complete overhaul of the game.

Before we get to what version 2.0 will bring to Final Fantasy XIV however, we should also report on current changes to FFXIV version 1.x. The unbilled period will becoming to an end between late November and early December of 2011. However, those with accounts to FFXIV won’t be charged via automatic renewals when this period ends unless they choose to. So if you’ve stopped playing FFXIV there is no need to worry as you won’t be hit by any surprise monthly charges. Lastly, for those who have been waiting patiently for the PlayStation 3 version, there is some news on that front:

“Between October and December of 2012, we plan to integrate the current service and the coming PlayStation®3 version into the all-new FINAL FANTASY XIV. At this time, a second free trial period will also be offered.

“Among our new plans is the fundamental reworking of in-game maps. As part of this process, there will be a period required for switching over to a new client and new servers, after which there will be a large transfer of data when service is brought back online. After the new client is completed, new software for the PC version will be distributed online, and can be acquired free of charge. Character data and progress for players already playing the PC version will also be preserved, allowing those players to continue using their in-game avatars. Another announcement will be made in the future as the day on which the new FINAL FANTASY XIV software will become available for download draws near, and the PlayStation®3 system version officially released.”

You can read all the changes coming to version 1.x here.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about version 2.0. So what new changes will version 2.0 bring? Well Square Enix are aiming to overhaul the maps/level design, introduce a new graphics engine, create a new server system that will allow increased speed and better performance, an improved user interface and bigger focus on in-game community content.

With the level/map design, SE want to get rid of the seamless areas, that – while they looked pretty – felt empty and became repetitive to travel across. Instead they will seemingly go the compact route and go for a more “dynamic map design”. They will also put in at least three unique themes in each area and object and enemy placement will get a revamp as well.

The new graphics engine will allow SE to maintain high quality and yet at the same time optimize the game so that PlayStation 3 users can finally get their hands on it. It seems they may also design it to cater to those with less the powerful PC’s, which would be fine as some of us fit that criteria and as a consequence have come to accept lower grade graphics as long as we can play the game.

The new server system that will allow increased speed and better performance and make party matchmaking and enhance PvP.

The improved UI will allow SE to not only be able to add features more easily but also allow user made-add ons to be more responsive. It will also improve the controls for both Keyboard & Mouse and gamepad. And finally the player community will also be improved with PvP content, an overhaul of the retainer system (a pain to use) and markets (a pain to browse), player housing and other nifty additions.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of version 2.0 plans. SE have handily divided all their plans into four topics: Outline, Planned Content & Concept Art, System & Content List and Development Roadmap. Click on the links to access the documents (must have Adobe Reader installed). You can also check out the gallery below to see the documents.

Lastly there was a Q&A with the producer talking about the upcoming changes. The video is in Japanese but thankfully SE have provided a transcription which you can view here.

Gallery

Day two of Steam Autumn Sale

If you can count on one thing in the holidays, it’s for Steam to bring fantastic sales that somehow end up making you broke (just ask Shaun Greenhaff) and just now day two of Steam’s Autumn Sale has begun bringing you twelve new discounted titles for the next 24 hours.

In the lead up to the Christmas Sale (which will truly test your wallets limits), Steam have began four day Autumn Sale which began yesterday and ends on 27th November. Games such as Sam & Max and Call of Duty Black Ops, as well as various indie titles were on offer and now that day two as occurred, a new set of games have been listed. Here are the advertised games along with their discounted prices:

Monkey Island Special Edition Bundle – £3.59 (original price £10.49)
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum – £6.79 (original price £19.99)
Total War Mega Pack – £8.74 (original Price £34.99)
Fallout New Vegas – £3.74 (original price £14.99)
Two Worlds II – £12.49 (original price £24.99)
Operation Flashpoint: Red River – £6.24 (original price £24.99)
Sniper Ghost Warrior – £5.99 (original price £29.99)
Zeno Clash – £2.81 (original price £11.24)
VVVVVV -99p (original price £3.99)
L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition – £17.49 (original price £34.99)
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad – £12.49 (original price £24.99)
RIFT – £4.99 (original price £19.99)

Once again we have some fantastic deals. And remember some of these games also are offered with add-ons/special editions, which are also discounted (e.g. you can also buy  RIFT – Ashes of History Edition for £6.99, down from £24.99). Also remember that these aren’t the only games on offer and looking around Steam will see you find more games with their prices reduced.

Personally Fallout New Vegas and RIFT will be the titles on my purchase list, but what about you, what games on offer on day two of the Steam Autumn Sale have you reaching for the “purchase now” button?

PSA: Steam Finds Way to Empty Your Bank Account

By selling games you want absolutely, unashamedly, criminally dirt cheap. Thats right its sale time again, and already on day 1 I’ve gained 4 games to my library (The Oddbox) and am contemplating at least 4 more. This is only day one and already I have guilt.

Seriously, at the prices these games tend to drop to during these sales I actually feel bad buying things, it has to be a loss for someone surely. Luckily there is also a new Humble Bundle to help alleviate the moral guilt, go get some great games and give to charity! SO go pay what you want for that (although be kind, it is for charity after all) and go treat yourself for your good deed.

Diablo III: Beta Preview

With Diablo III not to far from appearing in our store shelves, I manage to get some hands-on time with the Diablo III Beta. It’s been a long time since I have played Diablo II and jumping straight into Diablo III completely forgetting that Diablo relies strongly on the mouse movement instead of keys. A rookie mistake on my behalf. After I realised it isn’t Wow (Even though the macro bar looks similar) I headed into the depths of Diablo III and really didn’t know what to expect.

First thing I noticed was the graphical update that Diablo III has had over Diablo 2. Again I am not saying Diablo 2 looks terrible but to modern day consumers standards graphics sell a lot of the titles ignoring gameplay elements completely. As soon as I started moving and attacking I noticed they have upgraded a lot to what you can do in the realm of Diablo 3. It still remains as an exciting RPG with still many lurking enemies and dungeons awaiting for you to enter, but have been altered to the point that you would go “Wow, they really have focused on making this better” it’s like that for everything I noticed in playing the Beta.

Some fans however may feel a bit left out as Blizzard has basically removed all of Diablo’s previous appealing features and has adjusted or just completely replaced them. It isn’t bad in my opinion but some may miss it more than others. One of the noticeable features that have became a distant but lovable memory is the fact you are no longer placed on the spot to choose how to spend your skill points. They are no longer present and heroes have class based incentives. Players will be spending hours on end trying to unlock the dozen of class based features for there characters. Even in the Beta I wanted more.

Every time you level up you will unlock a new skill for your class. But you can’t have them all equipped at once so tactically choosing which ones to place in your two skill slots can change the way how you E.G Approach a group of enemies. However once you reach level 24 there will be 6 slots present which will alow you to have 6 skills at your disposal.

Another change is the fact you no longer upgrade skills by putting extra points into them. This has now be replaced with skills and each skill can be fitted with a Runestone, Runestones have different types and react differently with each skill. Ien you put one into a skill, it will become ‘attuned’ to that skill. You can still remove it freely at any time, but the Runestone won’t work in any other skills.

The beta takes place from the start and lets you go up until level 9, which leads you from a rebuilt town known as Tristram. Previous Diablo II fans will notice the change Tristram has had.  As soon as you get to Tristram a meteor hits it immdiatley, which brings the dead back to life. Expect much more undead slaying.

From what I have played so far of the beta,  it has made me want the game even more. I guess I will have to wait until the game launch’s to experience what Diablo III can offer as a full package, but from this small but exciting preview I can already tell it is one of the best, and possibly the best in the series.