(http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree)
I've been playing a lot of Path of Exile the last several days and I like it quite a lot not only as a solid game but for what it represents in the state of game development nowadays.
Diablo 2 was a groundbreaking game for which there are now three big games vying to take it's place as a modern interpretation. In my opinion, Path of Exile is the real spiritual successor to Diablo 2, where Diablo 3 is a nominal successor (and nothing but) and Torchlight 2 is...well it's kind of a goofy, awkward attempt at reskinning the classic. There was a MOBA comparison that I keep wanting to draw that doesn't quite fit, where PoE is Dota 2 to D2's WC3 DotA, D3 = LoL, TL2 = HoN etc. Anyways, we can forget about Torchlight 2 for now (and it's rather damnable how easy it is to), because the most relevant contrast is between Blizzard's Diablo 3 and Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile.
It's no secret that Blizzard has fallen from grace. They had a number of groundbreaking franchises which peaked at the release of World of Warcraft and ever since they've floundered trying to recapture the magic. The latest showings of their big 3 have all really defined what it is to miss the mark; Starcraft 2, recent WoW expansions, and now Diablo 3 joined the cast. At a time when Blizzard is part of Activision's video game marketing machine, Diablo 3 was a classic modern "Triple A" release, with all of that marketing monster behind it. But the results were mediocre at best.
Meanwhile, Path of Exile was developed by a very small team from New Zealand that recaptures the thematic style and gameplay openness that made Diablo 2 such a lasting game all while sliding into a smooth, fairly bug-free-but-not-flawless open beta.
Anyways, it's a great sign that when video games continue to grow into the marketing behemoths they've become, where a game isn't considered a hit unless it has a big stupid action setpiece themepark ride, super srs TV commercials, retarded Pope Doridew™ product placement tie-ins, and can afford to buy great reviews and viral marketers, that there will always be small, dedicated developers ready to step in and fulfill the demand for games that recapture the old spirit of gaming in a modern light.
But fuck "indie" devs, they're arrogant, lazy, and greedy fucks who just want to cash in on hipster chic gamers who have massive hardons for retro graphics.
Also, I haven't finished deepthroating Dark Souls yet. Holy shit that game is amazing. We seriously need more games like it. My dream game is a modern recreation of Vagrant Story with all of Dark Souls' game mechanics (call it Vagrant Souls?). Sadly, it seems likely that its quality was a happy accident as the developer seems ready to abandon a lot of what made the originals great for its sequel in hopes of attracting a wider audience. "Attracting a wider audience" is usually the death knell for any established decent franchise.
I've been playing a lot of Path of Exile the last several days and I like it quite a lot not only as a solid game but for what it represents in the state of game development nowadays.
Diablo 2 was a groundbreaking game for which there are now three big games vying to take it's place as a modern interpretation. In my opinion, Path of Exile is the real spiritual successor to Diablo 2, where Diablo 3 is a nominal successor (and nothing but) and Torchlight 2 is...well it's kind of a goofy, awkward attempt at reskinning the classic. There was a MOBA comparison that I keep wanting to draw that doesn't quite fit, where PoE is Dota 2 to D2's WC3 DotA, D3 = LoL, TL2 = HoN etc. Anyways, we can forget about Torchlight 2 for now (and it's rather damnable how easy it is to), because the most relevant contrast is between Blizzard's Diablo 3 and Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile.
It's no secret that Blizzard has fallen from grace. They had a number of groundbreaking franchises which peaked at the release of World of Warcraft and ever since they've floundered trying to recapture the magic. The latest showings of their big 3 have all really defined what it is to miss the mark; Starcraft 2, recent WoW expansions, and now Diablo 3 joined the cast. At a time when Blizzard is part of Activision's video game marketing machine, Diablo 3 was a classic modern "Triple A" release, with all of that marketing monster behind it. But the results were mediocre at best.
Meanwhile, Path of Exile was developed by a very small team from New Zealand that recaptures the thematic style and gameplay openness that made Diablo 2 such a lasting game all while sliding into a smooth, fairly bug-free-but-not-flawless open beta.
Anyways, it's a great sign that when video games continue to grow into the marketing behemoths they've become, where a game isn't considered a hit unless it has a big stupid action setpiece themepark ride, super srs TV commercials, retarded Pope Doridew™ product placement tie-ins, and can afford to buy great reviews and viral marketers, that there will always be small, dedicated developers ready to step in and fulfill the demand for games that recapture the old spirit of gaming in a modern light.
But fuck "indie" devs, they're arrogant, lazy, and greedy fucks who just want to cash in on hipster chic gamers who have massive hardons for retro graphics.
Also, I haven't finished deepthroating Dark Souls yet. Holy shit that game is amazing. We seriously need more games like it. My dream game is a modern recreation of Vagrant Story with all of Dark Souls' game mechanics (call it Vagrant Souls?). Sadly, it seems likely that its quality was a happy accident as the developer seems ready to abandon a lot of what made the originals great for its sequel in hopes of attracting a wider audience. "Attracting a wider audience" is usually the death knell for any established decent franchise.
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