GameSpy's hands-on with Borderlands 2

[PeeKnuckle]

Yadda yadda yadda, looking good as far as PC options go. Native matchmaking - check. Etc and so on.

Link for the PC part about Borderlands 2. Worth the read.

http://pc.gamespy.co.../1225405p1.html

The Diablo Question

Given all the recent controversy over Diablo 3's endgame (or lack thereof) I had to ask: does Borderlands 2 have what it takes to keep players coming back for more? Varnell feels that it does. "We do have two playthroughs. In our second playthrough you have some new enemies that appear. In the main story, it's long -- it's a good length of game -- and there's a big payoff at the end," he said. He wouldn't reveal the level cap, but he did point to the persistent character-buffing Badass Ranks as giving players something to strive for in the long term.

Like what? Completing challenges (like shooting down a ton of Buzzards) will give you Badass Ranks that can be spent to unlock upgrades like reload speed increases or a reduction in the time it takes your shields to start recharging -- and those (optionally) will carry over to new characters you create.

Finally, the big question: since Borderlands 2 is such a loot-driven game, will we see a Real-Money Auction House like Diablo 3's show up in the future? "I would say it would be unlikely," he answered. Whew! "It's certainly something that we're watching with great interest." Uh oh. "I know a lot of people are thinking about it and seeing where it is, but getting good loot from drops and creatures in the game is so important to the growth and the experience, and really the fun. It's what the loot games are really all about, you know?" Whew!

So funny that I see this today, since I posted on the Diablo 3 forums about them nerfing loot drops. I said Gearbox did it correct. They didn't punish you for reloading checkpoints for easy loot. They wanted you to have that loot. They encouraged Crawmerax runs! Blizzard just introduced game creation timers; meaning, you can't just keep reloading an area to farm it for loot. This is what happens when you base your game around an auction house. They want you to maybe find one or two pieces, and then fill out your wardrobe by spending in-game gold or real money.

However, the CEO of Blizzard 'posted' to the Diablo 3 forums and contradicted this claim. First of all, he didn't even bother making a forum profile. A CM pasted his email into a post. Second of all, one of the first things he talks about, is how successful Diablo 3 has been. Before his 'post', it had been a long, long time before anyone from Blizzard would talk to the community. Jay Wilson is no where to be found, and even the regular CM's who would frequently post, were noticeably absent.

Morhaime's contradiction quote (On the flipside, we are also committed to ensuring you have a great experience with Diablo III without feeling like the auction house is mandatory, which was never our intention. Thank you for all the feedback about that.) http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/6080663481

Morhaime's 'post' was a placating measure. Many felt he spoke down to the community, like they were children. Many also think that Jay Wilson speaks in the same tone, deciding what is fun for players, instead of listening to the community, and see what they actually find fun. He goes on again to state that fans aren't remembering Diablo 2 the right way. Instead, Blizzard is treating Diablo 3 like an MMORPG, and nerfing things in the game. They even went so far as to reduce the amount of droppables coming from containers. Their ONLINE ONLY game model was chosen to reduce botting and scams. However, the people trying to enjoy the game, trying to save enough gold to finally be able to afford that TWO BAZILLION gold weapon... can't. But wait, there's more. Repair bills got more expensive. While you're grinding the same boring content over and over, trying to accumulate gold, you're losing a percentage of it to repair bills. Even if you just go around breaking containers that probably won't drop any gold.

lol PK u so mad brah

[Dateranoth]

I'm glad I walked away from Diablo 3 when I did. I won't be going back ever. Shame I don't own the game and can't sell it. And BLT is getting more excited the more I hear about it. I'm torn as to what platform to get it on though.

[PeeKnuckle]

Battlenet, Diablo 3 MVP DrothVader made a video today.

Dude laid it out! He was usually constantly being harassed on the forums, since he was an MVP, and naturally a 'shill'. I think he changed a lot of minds today, though. If Blizzard were wise, they'd hire him on immediately. He has done what the moderators and CM's have not been able to do in weeks -- settle the forums down and get solid feedback from the community.