I hope the rumor about a live-action Diablo series on Netflix is totally true.

There's a rumor out there that Blizzard entertainment is partnering with Netflix to bring a live-action Diablo series to television audiences/subscribers. When I heard this, I got super excited. I loved Diablo, Diablo II, and Diablo III. The fast pace, dark story, creepy music, and fascinating characters had me as a fan the first time I saw a gory room and the Butcher stepped out exclaiming, "Fresh meat!"

I know I shouldn't hang all my hopes on a rumor, but I can't help it. Assuming that it's greenlit and actually gets produced, here are the things that I would like to see:

1) The atmosphere and the music should remain solidly in the dark fantasy genre. The character of Decard Cain who (in many ways) is the backbone of the franchise because he drops important clues and points the way for you to go is important. I'm thinking Max Von Sydow if he's still alive would be perfect for this role. If not, maybe Ian McKellan.

2) The entire first season should have a slow pace, uncovering mystery after mystery in the small town of Tristram. Eventually, all of the things add up to a "presence" in the catacombs. I'm thinking that the Butcher would be a perfect menace for the season finale. This would make the whole first season a slow boil on tracking down a serial killer in a medieval setting.

3) I think they should have a focus of no more than four characters. I'd choose a crusader, barbarian, monk, and wizard. They should try to get Jason Momoa to play the barbarian and maybe Tom Holland for the Crusader.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Let's all hope it actually shows up on Netflix and that Netflix has the sense to hire some great writers.  

Diablo 3

I like the way the Diablo angels look with wings made of white ribbons.

I've always played Blizzard games, and Diablo 3 is no exception. When I played World of Warcraft, I would spend an hour a day combing the forums for strategies and/or reading patch notes. Diablo 3 is no exception. I wanted to show you a list of interesting facts that I found.  But to understand them, you might need some information first.

My favorite class to play thus far is the demon hunter. I like how lean
he looks, and the dual wielding crossbows that shoot out like machine guns
is kind of awesome-looking. It makes me feel powerful.

The game has several layers of difficulty of which "Inferno" is the hardest.  Hardcore is a kind of character that you make that when it dies, there is no resurrection.  The object here is to be so confident and skilled that you play a flawless game. So here's the list:

• On average players have created 3 characters each. I thought this was interesting. I have exactly three characters. Hmmmm.
• 80% of characters are between levels 1 and 30. This is also me. I haven't had time to play because of writing and/or editing commitments I made with friends online that I wanted to get done, and because the drama with my dad is unending (since mom went into the nursing home in April he's lapsed into a terrible depression--a thing I did not expect).
• 1.9% of characters have unlocked Inferno difficulty. The only person I know personally that is doing this right now is my really smart friend Kevin, who goes by Modhne in-game, and runs the most successful guild on Ravencrest-US and has done so for the last four years. It's called Requiem--I always liked the name.
• 54% of Hardcore players chose a female character. I wonder why this is? Two of my characters are females--my barbarian (I love smashing things to bits) and my sorceress (I love smashing things to bits)...hmmm maybe I'm using Diablo 3 as therapy... I must say that smashing things to bits does help alleviate the stress that I feel whenever I get another phone call telling me that dad is headed to the emergency room or that mom has missed yet another dentist appointment because she threw a fit (mom has severe dementia). In case you don't know, I live in a different state and am unable to render much assistance right now because I dropped two weeks of vacation in the last two months to rush to their aid. I have a job where the only time off you take is done with vacation or sick leave. We do have a care provider hired to help dad every day though and that's been a big help.

Fan art. This is a witch doctor. Pretty cool huh?

Do the ladies of Diablo have all the style? Is that why
so many men are playing female characters? I guess I'm
assuming more men are playing than women...

• The majority of Hardcore deaths (35%) occur in Act I Normal. I'm surprised by this. I thought that people would be more prone to die in Act II or further on. Maybe they just underestimate things.
• The most common level 60 build in the game is only used by 0.7% of level 60 characters of that class.

Below, you will find a 7 minute animated sequence called "Wrath" in which the angels go up against the demons and specifically Diablo. It was made by Blizzard. And who doesn't like epic battles between angels and demons (here's looking at you, Ciara)? But I'm guilty of this too. My own book SLIPSTREAM is ultimately the first installment in a story/slugfest between angels and demons. If you have the time, click play, sit back, and watch the tale unfold. If anything, the storyline of Wrath is good writing (and we all like good writing tied with strong paranormal images of kickass-ness, right?).

I know Alex C. is playing Diablo 3. I have yet to make it out of Act II yet. I kind of like group play so if the people I play with are busy doing their level 60 characters, I kind of find something else to do.

So do any of the above statistics surprise you? Do you think it's okay for a person to use video games as therapy for real life? Have you ever tried a video game personally, or do you shun them and shun those who play them?

Blizzard is anti-marketing Diablo 3. Why?

Is there a reason not to like hype? In what may arguably be the most anticipated game of the year, Blizzard Entertainment's community manager who goes by the name Bashiok on the Diablo 3 forums said, "I too worry that we won't be able to meet the expectations people have built up for themselves. Part of my job is managing people's expectations, so... eh... stop it.  Stop thinking about how awesome this game could be. Just imagine it's a new M. Night Shyamalan movie. Sure Sixth Sense was amazing and Unbreakable had its moments, but this right here is the sequel to The Village ... or The Happening ... or Signs ... or any of the movies besides the two I first mentioned. So just like, lower those expectations, but still definitely buy the game please, and everything will be just fine. K?"

Do you think this is weird? Whacko? That the guy has gone insane?

Why would anyone tell their audience to lower expectations?

All I can say is that I have always loved games by Blizzard and the thing that appeals to me so much about the Diablo world is that it is so incredibly dark. Cindy Borgne probably said it best when she reviewed my upcoming book and said that it was a "dark urban fantasy."  It was like she had this x-ray vision into the kind of things I like to read and pulled it out in one sentence.

The Diablo world is a no holds barred dark fantasy almost (but not quite) without hope. It's a sword and sorcery but with an epic storyline. Demons are everywhere doing terrible things. It has great blood and destruction animations. The kind that make the hairs on your arms stand on end. And when certain sounds play over your speakers, you actually feel scared. And no matter who you play, your character always looks incredibly hot.

I remember playing the first one and kicking down the door to a room filled with corpses of townsfolk that had been flayed by a demon called the Butcher. He uttered "FRESH MEAT!" and chased after me with a cleaver. I was totally not expecting it and he was really hard to defeat.

Diablo 3 comes out sometime between April thru June depending on the rumors. For me, it can't be soon enough.

My question to you is, are you going to play? And do you think that there is ever a time that hype is bad? Please watch the trailer below. It's pretty amazing for a video game and is the opening cinematic sequence.

Diablo III - Blackstone Cinematic!

As Deckard Cain's niece, Leah, struggles to make sense of her uncle's mysterious and disturbing notations, she bears witness to a dark vision. Azmodan, Lord of Sin, towers over the fragile young woman, swearing his armies of the burning Hells shall pour forth into Sanctuary, ravishing the world and all hope of resistance.

This cinematic game footage offers but a glimpse into the gritty, evolving story of Diablo II. Please take the time to watch it. The trailer is thrilling.

I sampled some of this game when I attended Blizzcon 2009 (Yes, I am that much of a geek but in my defense...some of my guildies attended too--I was really into World of Warcraft).  The character class  that I played in the few minutes that I was allowed to sit at the computer was the Monk, and man...I could lay waste to hundreds of demons in just a short time span.

All I can say is three words... "COMBAT. MAGIC ITEMS." Is there really anything else a person could want? I'm so excited for this game that when it gets released, you may not hear from me for a week unless you log onto Battlenet and play with me. Maybe I'll do a Diablo III give-a-way so one person who comments can join me in purging the world of the newest Prime Evil!

Diablo was groundbreaking when it was released.  I played Diablo II for months--again--because it was groundbreaking.

I expect Blizzard will once again snatch the coveted "Game of the Year".

Matthew MacNish...Steph Schmidt...I'm calling you two out! I know you play video games. Don't make me face the demon hordes without you.

Happy Monday... /demon giggle