I'm not a big fan of this new direction. As a couple people mentioned, it's not really the colour palette, so much as the art style. The original Diablo (not Diablo 2) is the best example of this. It wasn't all dark, in browns and greys. The caves area had bright red lava flowing throughout. But the artistic style slanted towards the grim and gothic of the horror genre. The human sacrifices portrayed in the game could send chills down your spine when you happened upon them. I was seriously creeped out by that game, moreso than any survival horror game has ever scared me. It had strong artistic vision and a real sense of gothic fantasy.
The new Diablo 3 seems to have both its feet firmly planted in the traditional fantasy genre. Moreover, it's going for a cartoony look with exaggerated proportions, particularly in the architecture and props. I think this is where the WoW comparisons start. WoW undoubtedly has a great comic-book style; it looks like Marvel went and took JRR Tolkien's creations and put their own flair on it. It's fantastic. But I want Diablo to be scary, complete with borderline satanic imagery. It's that creepy atmosphere that is completely missing this time around.
I've had as much, or more fun, simulating and watching matches in Fire Pro games than actually playing through them. That the CPU logic is so incredibly in-depth and detailed allows you to give wrestlers personality and character, not just a movelist. It's a hoot watching your characters go up against each other, and continually tweaking and editing their stats and logic so that they mimic their real-life alter egos even better. At that point, it really turns from a game into a toy - like Lego, you can take the pieces you got in the package and create something grand and new.
I also have to mention that Fire Pro games have the best "flow" of wrestling - you could picture what you see playing out in the game really happening in a match. No other game comes close.
That said, the AKI-developed games on the N64 were the most fun. Especially with four players. What I wouldn't give for a modern-day AKI game!
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