Controversy sells

[Flux]

I'm finding it interesting to see how many more posts and readers the WD forum has than the Barbarian forum. It's ironic, since there's more of the Barb shown in the gameplay movie, and everyone seems pretty approving of his abilities and skill sets. Which results in... nothing much to talk about.

Meanwhile the WD forum is much busier, even if half the people are there to say how much the hate the character and want the necro back in d3, and the other half are arguing against them.

If Blizzard wanted more attention paid to the barbarian, they should have made all his armor turn into pink, easter-bunny looking clothing (http://www.diabloii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=484&nocache=1), or said he could only hit twice with each weapon before it needed repairs, or turned him into a skinny dwarf...

[Dimmu]

I would honestly rather have something new than have the barbarian return.

But if it functions totally different from the d2 barb, I suppose i'm content. We havn't really seen enough to know yet though.

Even if they had just called it something other than barbarian i would be happy, but i expected every character to be brand new.

[Felix]

I think the barb ran slowly.

[StreetShark]

I think the barb is a solid class. He gives the newbie players who are horrible at click play a character that won't die in 2 hits like a sorc. On the other hand, their buffing him up it looks like to make him more appealing. For some reason I believe this game is built around the barbarian, and I doubt we'll see the paladin back. The Barbarian is the selling point to the large customer base of people who want to get in and play with few obstacles, whereas a finesse character like a caster won't be for them.

I though, love the Barbarian and am glad that they brought him back but gave him more skills and power. I want more customization though. Mark my words, this game will be built around the Barbarian's story, and not the paladin.


OH yeah, and the WD is just a trash character. Boring, lame, looks like an alien. Nobody wants to play a real life character that looks like a freak, considering witch doctor's are real and do look like that. What a retarded move by blizzard.

[smartdot]

i dont think nay one has the right to call a character a "trash" character for many reasons

1. Are you a Blizzard employee? have you played through the game at all levels with the WD?

2. Have you played the three unknown characters to compare it too? maybe the barb is just OP.

3. does your opinion apply to everyone else? people say fighters suck and are boring in D&D, but i rather enjoy them.

[LiquidClear]

I agree with everyone you posted.

I think that the purpose of the Barbarian is to be the solid, consistent class in the game though, not the sexy one. I don't think Blizzard released him with the intention of getting attention, he was just the stationary class to go along with the new and different Witch Doctor. It's definitely not surprising that he's not getting much attention though; with sequels, people are obviously going to focus on the new material, not so much what is carried over. On top of the Barb not being "new", melee mashers don't really leave as much to talk about, and don't rub people the wrong way that more elaborate classes might. Whether or not you like playing Barbs, it's pretty much universally accepted that the game is going to need a masher/tank class, and the Barbarian fits that role very well indeed, there's just not much to argue about him. Plus, the barbs skills are pretty much physical moves, while the Witch Doctor is summoning mongrels, locusts, and zombie walls... definitely a little bit more eye catching.

Even without the hype, when the game comes out I'm sure that there will be more than just a few people rolling out the Barbarian with their first char (looks like myself included so far).

[prion]

we dont want to talk about it we want to play with it!

[lazerlight]

I think the barb is a solid class. He gives the newbie players who are horrible at click play a character that won't die in 2 hits like a sorc. On the other hand, their buffing him up it looks like to make him more appealing. For some reason I believe this game is built around the barbarian, and I doubt we'll see the paladin back. The Barbarian is the selling point to the large customer base of people who want to get in and play with few obstacles, whereas a finesse character like a caster won't be for them.

I though, love the Barbarian and am glad that they brought him back but gave him more skills and power. I want more customization though. Mark my words, this game will be built around the Barbarian's story, and not the paladin.


OH yeah, and the WD is just a trash character. Boring, lame, looks like an alien. Nobody wants to play a real life character that looks like a freak, considering witch doctor's are real and do look like that. What a retarded move by blizzard.

I agree with your WD assessment. Blizzard basically just took the necro, altered his abilities a tad, and then made him look ridiculous instead of kick-*** in the process. I would love to see them scrap the WD and just made a more badass-looking necro to put in the game. (not to mention necromancer just plain sounds cooler than witch doctor)

As far as the Barbarian goes, the skills look fine, but the appearance is horrible! Am I seriously the only person that doesn't like the fact that blizz made him have long white hair and a white beard like some old man?! He looks like santa clause mixed with your grandfather for god's sake... not to mention the muscles could be A LOT more defined than how blizz made it... I dunno, I just hope the sorc/zakarum/rogue are better than these first two disappointing classes.

[Swiffer]

Man, people really will complain about anything wont they.

"Witch docter is just a stupid name"

"Why does the barb have white hair and a beard? Its stupid"

"Why aren't blizzard making the game the way I want?"

And so on and so forth.

[lazerlight]

Well make the barb look like a young, strong warrior and there won't be any complaints from anyone - pretty simple. If leonidas was a 60-year-old man in 300, do you really think people would have enjoyed the movie as much?

As for the witch doctor, just making him look like a normal person who can walk upright and is under 50 years of age would be enough to make him bearable. These aren't difficult changes to be made, nor are the feelings about the characters just confined to one person.

[prion]

a lot of people still think the necro looks like some skinny white dork

some of the concept art was great. The in-game representation....not so much ;)

[lazerlight]

a lot of people still think the necro looks like some skinny white dork

Well that's fine cuz then at least half the diablo community can relate to the character is some way :D

[Zarniwoop]

That was interesting that they made him an older man.

Sort of counter-intuitive. But, he works.

Barbarian was just flat out awesome.

Just brutality.

[Orphan]

I hated how the werewolf form looked when the Druid was first released for LOD, but I've grown to like it now. I also thought a sword/shield combo for the sorcerer in D1 was wierd, but that grew on me too. D3 is going to be quite different from D2, and I think alot of people will get used to various aspects of it once they start to use them.

[Foolishpleazure]

I hated how the werewolf form looked when the Druid was first released for LOD, but I've grown to like it now. I also thought a sword/shield combo for the sorcerer in D1 was wierd, but that grew on me too. D3 is going to be quite different from D2, and I think alot of people will get used to various aspects of it once they start to use them.




Same here.When I first saw the Druids wolf form I thought his arms looked too long and skinny and it looked weird how they hung down almost to his feet but,yeah,it grew on me as well i guess.

[DjSlayer]

If Blizzard wanted more attention paid to the barbarian, they should have made all his armor turn into pink, easter-bunny looking clothing (http://www.diabloii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=484&nocache=1), or said he could only hit twice with each weapon before it needed repairs, or turned him into a skinny dwarf...

I would have loved that bunny costume, even without those godly stats as it would show great humor from the game developers (much like the cow level was intended to be).
As for the characters, I would rather praise/complain when the game is released because now I know too little about the game. As for the necromancers, it looks like they have got an evil role in D3.

- D.J.

[Cronax]

I actually like how they made the barbarian an older and quite clearly wiser man. They're changing the image of the barbarian from a braindead 'me smash, you die' kind of character to a wise warrior with extensive experience in battle. And if you dislike the male warrior so much there's allways the female version, she's much younger :P

[TheDarkSide]

I really like the looks of the Barbarian and Id wear that Pink Bunny Hat anyday .. Whats to stop anyone from rolling Zena or RodSonya for a Barbarian now if they dont like the older looking barb males ...

[Serrat]

I actually like how they made the barbarian an older and quite clearly wiser man. They're changing the image of the barbarian from a braindead 'me smash, you die' kind of character to a wise warrior with extensive experience in battle. And if you dislike the male warrior so much there's allways the female version, she's much younger :P

you know a lot of people are gonna roll female anyway and it aint cos the male looks old.

personally i think the male barb looks ok, ya i did get the feeling like someone else posted that hes running a little slow, but not a big deal, persuming they still have stuff like frenzy he wont be slow for long.

as for him looking old, its presumable that hes a surviver from the barbarians at the end of D2 so 20 years later hes not gonna be a spring chicken.

id actaully hoped that they would have a necro again, but since they went with witch doctor i think the necro ship has sailed

[Throndhart]

Personally, I like the look of the barbarian. The fact that he´s old makes him different, and that´s enough to sell him to me. However, I would like it so that you could customize him a little bit (perhaps having a few different faces, so you could make a young male barbarian if you so chose). At any rate, I prefer his long hair and beard look to the shaved head + ponytail from DII. I suppose we´ll see.

As for the OP: yeah, controversy sells. For what I saw of the barbarian, it was only a "very much approved" feeling from me (the only thing I wasn´t 100% happy with was that perhaps he moved a tad slow), so there isn´t really much to complain, and you know that people who complain are always the most vocal of the bunch.

[LucianDK]

Yep, the Barbarian is going to be the definite baseline class in d3. Pretty much taking the same role as the infamous 'wammo' warrior/monk in guild wars for the newbs.

And as I said in other posts, the new witch doctor is generating attention to the game. Unlike the barb whom is recycled content. D3 would fail to catch on if it were just a rehash of diablo2 with updated graphics and no new classes.

[Elly]

I love that the barb is returning and I never even played him in D2. It's great that he's got this backstory, that he's older, wiser, more hardened and seasoned. If I played a Barb now it would feel as if I'm playing the same guy, only 20 years older, with a more polished skill set and looking like he's been around the block a few times.

[Rabbitz]

WHY IS THE BARBARIAN SO OLD BUT YET UNSCARRED.

WHAT IS THIS MADNESS. What.

[Elly]

His joints are probably shot to hell but he hides the pain well. You know what men are like they're either all bravado or at deaths' door at the merest hint of a runny nose. I think our barb falls into the first category.

[Hideo]

I'm a Necro at heart but I played Barb too. New Barb is cool. He is old but new at the same time. His attacks are much more visceral and satisfying. This is the way to go. And he looks like a serious, mature man. I like it.

WD is a mess. Highly controversial at best.

[Felix]

Witch Doctor is awesome! And one day I will have the guts to say it in the correct forum.

[Erwwwd]

I love that the barb is returning and I never even played him in D2. It's great that he's got this backstory, that he's older, wiser, more hardened and seasoned. If I played a Barb now it would feel as if I'm playing the same guy, only 20 years older, with a more polished skill set and looking like he's been around the block a few times.

His female counterpart seems to be a lot younger though, I wonder what backstory they'll give her.

In this thread everybody's only talking about one half of the possible barbarians.

[lionheart]

Can't say much against the barbarian from what i have seen so far. He was my favourite guy in d2 so the older look really gives me the feeling of continuing an unfinished business lol. Mind you, on the other hand the only thing i have personally agaisnt the witch doctor is his name, i think its the worst of all the classes that we have had so far...

[Glurin]

His female counterpart seems to be a lot younger though, I wonder what backstory they'll give her.

Probably the same as most barbarians. It starts with "I was out drinking one night after bashing in some skulls....." :grin:

[Cwicseolfor]

I thought it was good to see the barbarian as a veteran rather than a young stud.

[Garisdacar]

yeah i like old barbarian.

[Fegon]

a lot of people still think the necro looks like some skinny white dork

some of the concept art was great. The in-game representation....not so much ;)
Haha, First time i saw the necro i didnt believe my eyes. He looked so out of place to me after playing the first game it was ridiculus.

Im fine with the WD and i must say the old hardend Barb looks amazing.

[deadbeater]

I sort of like the grizzled barb look in D3. If he looked younger people would call him a Barbie, or worse, Ken. I should know, I call the D2 barb a Barbie.

[Dacar92]

I love the new look of the barbarian. He is a grizzled old war veteran who has seen it all in his lifetime. He is not scared of death. Like Elly said, he has a polished set of skills that were honed through years of battle. He is just now ready to face the challenge of the three prime evils (if they all are making house calls in D3).

[Apocalypse]

the older look barb is alot better imo. if you think about it all the characters should be older. you really think a 20 something would be able to learn the abilities given to us in the game? skills like the ones in d2 would take a lifetime to learn. on top of that i think the barb looks great as is

[Cwicseolfor]

I can certainly understand a young, vibrant, faithful Paladin. In fact, it almost owrks better with him being younger.

[Felix]

Maybe they designed the Barbarian so that all those people who loves to adress others with the word "kiddo" on forums can find a char to relate to.

[Barloc]

I'm finding it interesting to see how many more posts and readers the WD forum has than the Barbarian forum. It's ironic, since there's more of the Barb shown in the gameplay movie, and everyone seems pretty approving of his abilities and skill sets. Which results in... nothing much to talk about.

Meanwhile the WD forum is much busier, even if half the people are there to say how much the hate the character and want the necro back in d3, and the other half are arguing against them.

If Blizzard wanted more attention paid to the barbarian, they should have made all his armor turn into pink, easter-bunny looking clothing (http://www.diabloii.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=484&nocache=1), or said he could only hit twice with each weapon before it needed repairs, or turned him into a skinny dwarf...

Thx I lmao @ the pic.

It's kinda like typical customer complaints. 1 person has a good experience they tell one other person or very few. The person that has a bad experience tells 10x as many people.

[Akse]

Duduu barb is cool. I'm glad they are back! We all went crazy(some oldtime diablo2 gamers) when we saw him WW :)

btw don't you think barbs need another chance to be the best!
http://web.archive.org/web/20010812214944/www.battle.net/ladder/d2-ladder2000.shtml
The very first ladder.. barbs kinda rule :)

[AlexanderM]

Now here's a question: If D3 occurs only 20 years after D2, if the characters are older than 20, wouldn't they remember all the events of D2? Or maybe the barbarians are the same ones we played in D2, lol...

Will D4 take place in the Infernal Nursing Home?:scratchchin:

Ah, I think the look works for the barbarian. As for the witch doctor, I thought the necro was the odd-man-out in D2 for the longest time. Now instead of looking like a pasty goth, he looks fairly awesome (best in-armor look of all the classes, in my opinion). I think once we see more of the game, the witch doctor will look more in-place.

As for his posture, if you've every tried to become a witch doctor, it's hard backbreaking work, especially if you don't speak the language!

I think once we get the game, we'll be too busy smashing things with friends to care how grizzled or young our characters look beneath their armor.

Personally, I'm going to make a female barbarian name GRUNTHILDA and smash things with hammers.:crazyeyes:

[Dacar92]

Now here's a question: If D3 occurs only 20 years after D2, if the characters are older than 20, wouldn't they remember all the events of D2? Or maybe the barbarians are the same ones we played in D2, lol...

Will D4 take place in the Infernal Nursing Home?:scratchchin:

LOL


Personally, I'm going to make a female barbarian name GRUNTHILDA and smash things with hammers.:crazyeyes:

I like your thinking. What else would a barb do but smash things with a hammer...female or not. Doesn't matter. Just get that hammer and smash things.

[Klumpeduns]

Maybe I should name my barb billGates as an illustration of how he has smashed loads of small computer companies. :P