Combat in Diablo III will be reminiscent of that found in its predecessors, but it will be tweaked just enough to make it far more interesting. The game will still be somewhat of a click-fest, as the controls will focus on the mouse. However, the various powerful skills you will acquire will be activated via a skill panel that is mapped to specific hot keys and even to the mouse wheel. That means the activation and use of abilities will be highly accessible and absolutely integral to the combat system. Interestingly enough, the devs have done away with the potion system that was a hallmark of the series. In other words, players will no longer need to load up on potions and pump the function keys to keep their character healthy in the face of impending doom. Now players will simply have to forge their way through levels and plunge themselves head on into battle, as health orbs are dropped by monsters after death, forcing players to seek out fights rather than avoiding them.

Currently, two of the five classes to be included in Diablo III have already been announced. Fans of the franchise will be happy to know that the barbarian class returns with all its might and duel-wielding glory. The barbarian will also maintain many of his better class skills, such as the leap and whirlwind abilities, with which to decimate foes. The witch doctor is a very distinct character from the barbarian, as they tend to stand a bit back from the fray and allow minions to do the dirty work. In fact, the witch doctor seems to be quite similar to the role the beloved necromancer played in Diablo II, but with a few added bonuses. Like the necromancer, witch doctors have summoning abilities but can also spread disease and plagues, as well as control the battlefield with mind-controlling powers.

All the classes will be able to be customized to allow for gender; however, that's about it. Fortunately, the sheer amount of random, rare, and epic loot drops should begin to distinguish your hero as you progress through the game. Graciously, the developers have not slacked in emphasizing loot collection. The loot feature alone should result in hours of replayability.

Furthermore, each class will have its own set of quests in addition to the standard storyline quests. That means players will be able to play the game several times with different characters and have a unique experience. Add to this the fact that the dungeons, monsters, and even scripted events (yes, different events will occur at well known points) will also be randomly generated, and we've got literally hundreds of hours of gameplay in front of us in the single-player campaign alone.

Outside of the single-player experience, players will also be able to play with each other cooperatively over Battle.net. Not much is known about multiplayer features yet, as Blizzard has kept those details under wraps. However, it appears that four players will likely be able to play co-op. Optimistically, there will also be PvP features too, but that's still just a hope and a prayer.

Diablo III should be a must-have title for both PC and Mac. The game will release for both computing platforms worldwide at a yet to be announced date. You see; the folks at Blizzard don't like to be tethered to an artificial street date that may lead to the hasty release of an unfinished game. However, expect Diablo III to launch around November of 2009, and expect it to be epic!

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director