Diablo

i swear by my pretty floral bonnet i will end you

Gamer Girl, by Samuel Deats

by Susana Polo | 4:37 pm, February 1st, 2013

Samuel Deats is an artist, animator, and director who’s worked on Darksiders 2, DC Universe Online, and both Epic Mickey games. He calls this piece, featuring, to name but a few, Marcus Phoenix, Samus Aran, and the female Barbarian of Diablo III, “Gamer Girl.”

Previously in Videogames

Plush Diablo and Tyrael Make for the Cuddliest War of Heaven Ever

by Susana Polo | 10:18 am, December 31st, 2012

Any casual observer of video games can figure out that the demon lord Diablo is the big bad of the Diablo games. Players will also be familiar with the angel Tyrael, one of mankind’s only allies. And as for that halberd weilding cow, well. There is no cow level. These Diablo, Tyrael, and Cow plushies were created by Arixystix, and while she has no plans to sell them on her Etsy shop, she’s thinking about selling a pattern for the Diablo. In the meantime, crafty Blizzard fans can get their hands on the pattern for this plush StarCraft Overlord.

(via Nerd Approved.)

Things We Saw Today: A Lady Who Built a Bass Guitar Out of a Commodore 64

by Susana Polo | 5:05 pm, May 23rd, 2012

This hero’s name is Jeri Ellsworth, and she debuted her instrument at Maker Faire Bay Area last weekend. (Laughing Squid)

Well, At Least the Gameplay is Fun: Gender and Storytelling in Diablo III

by Becky Chambers | 12:55 pm, May 22nd, 2012

Let me say this right up front: Diablo III is a pretty great game. It’s a satisfying, decently balanced helping of hack-and-slash, and it will scratch your every dungeon crawling itch. Diablo III is one of those games that just makes you feel cool. My Barbarian hits like a truck, and she is constantly surrounded by the pyrotechnic displays of my friends’ magical abilities. It is not the best game I’ve ever played, nor did it capture me as its predecessor did, but I am looking forward to my continued adventures in Sanctuary throughout the weeks ahead.

The whole point of the Diablo franchise is much less about telling a good story than it is about killing monsters and getting loot, but with the sort of time commitment that a game like this requires (especially to justify the $60 price tag), ideally you want the setting to be a place that captures your imagination, a place that you want to hang out in. So while I had a blast cleaving demons in twain over the weekend, I was nonetheless underwhelmed by a narrative full of uninspired tropes, as well as an otherwise impressive world clinging to some of the most tired cliches concerning women in fantasy. For a game that took twelve years to make, it was disappointing to see how little has changed on those fronts.

Fair warning: Massive spoilers ahead.

Things We Saw Today: Some Positively Divine Diablo Nail Art

by Susana Polo | 5:01 pm, May 16th, 2012

Undomiele of Deviantart, we are duly impressed. You can see a video of how she did this at When Geeks Wed.

Stay Awhile and Listen: Diablo III’s Female Character Models Are A Step In The Right Direction

by Becky Chambers | 12:30 pm, April 2nd, 2012

After twelve years since the Lord of Terror was unleashed, it’s finally official: Diablo III will be raising hell on May 15. All I’ve ever really wanted in life is a co-op hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, so I was excited for this game from the get-go. But after spending a little time poking around on Diablo III’s official website, I’m really excited. Like, super excited. I am downright stoked. And it’s for a very simple reason:

All of the female characters look like someone I’d like to play.

As I mentioned back in January, Diablo III will be the first game in the series to offer full gender customization for player characters. This on its own is a welcome addition, but the fact that the female character models are so good has earned Blizzard a stamp of approval in my book. To help explain why, I’m going to put these new ladies into the greater context of how Blizzard has portrayed women throughout their games.

Things We Saw Today: A Doctor Who Secret

by Susana Polo | 5:31 pm, December 11th, 2011

This postcard showed up in today’s PostSecret update, and we’re putting it here in the hopes it gets back to the person who created it, so they’ll check the comments and know they’re hardly alone.