Playable Diablo 3 Demo At Blizzcon 2008! Plus, A New Character To Be Revealed!

[mockery]

Well, I can't say we didn't see this one coming after looking at the floor plan a few days ago, but I'm happy to be able to confirm that a playable demo of Diablo 3 WILL indeed be at this year's BlizzCon! So for all of you who are attending and have been dying to try out the Witch Doctor, you're finally going to have your chance. You'll also be able to play as the Barbarian, but there's even more...

The other really exciting news is that they're going to allow us to play a brand new character which will be unveiled at BlizzCon tomorrow. Anybody have any guesses on what it will be? Well, here's the Diablo III BlizzCon summary straight out of the BlizzCon booklet to help get you started on your guesswork:

"Fire rains from the skies over New Tristram, landing on the very site where the Lord of Terror was first unleashed decades ago. This dark omen may signal the return of a malevolent presence that has cast a long shadow over the world of Sanctuary. As the mortal realms once again hang in the balance, only a handful of champions rise to meet the coming darkness... out in the bleak corners of the world, where evil has arise once again.

Among these brave champions stands the enigmatic witch doctor, a spiritual warrior from deep within the Torajan jungles. At BlizzCon 2008, the witch doctor is yours to command for the first tim ever. Stop by the Diablo area on the show floor for your chance to lead this fierce new hero into the catacombs beneath the Tristram Cathedral.

While you're there, revisit the raw strength of the barbarian - a Diablo series classic - or try your hand at Sanctuary's newest champion, who will be revealed at the event.

If these gameplay offerings don't slake your enthusiasm for demon slaying, you might also want to attend the Diablo III panels, each of which is designed to give you a full behind-the-scenes look into the world of Sanctuary.

In the class-design panel, you'll learn about the personality and game mechanics of Sanctuary's new heroes. In the Diablo III gameplay panel, you'll get an in-depth look at the evolution of the Diablo series and find out how the gameplay and world design are being improved for this third installment. The lore and art panel will bring you up to speed on the story of our heroes and the current happenings in Sanctuary while providing insight into the game's style and art direction.

The time to make your stand against the Burning Hells draws nigh."

And for your viewing pleasure, here are the Diablo 3 pages from the BlizzCon booklet too. Just click on any of the thumbnails below to enlarge them:


Yeah... I think it's safe to say we're gonna start seeing a LOT more Diablo 3 related news from this point onward. It's been a hell of a nice first day here in Anaheim and BlizzCon hasn't even started! I've also met members of fellow Blizzard fan sites and it's been really cool getting to know them. I also want to thank Blizzard for giving us a nice lil' tour of their fairly new headquarters and for organizing some nice meetings for all the fan sites. It's been an absolute pleasure meeting Jay Wilson, Leonard Boyarsky, Kevin Yu, Bashiok and others from the Blizzard team.

I'll be here Friday and Saturday giving you all the latest BlizzCon 2008 news whenever I'm able to, so be sure to stick around. I'm hoping to get some live blogging software working during some of the Diablo 3 panels too, so we'll see how that goes. And to those of you who are attending BlizzCon, be sure to share your news with everybody on the forums here as well. I know you're gonna be having all kinds of fun at the event each day, but just remember that there's a lot of people on the site who couldn't come and are dying to know what's going on, so let's keep them posted, because that's what this community site is all about!

Anyway, I just ate dinner so I think I'd better go grab a breath mint. Oh wait, the Blizzcon goodie bag comes with Diablo 3 cinnamon flavored "Sinamints". If the fires of hell can't handle human halitosis, all hope is lost...



Talk to you guys soon!

PLEASE HELP US OUR COMMUNITY OUT AND DIGG THIS STORY:
http://digg.com/gaming_news/Playable..._BlizzCon_2008

-Mockery

[Daemaro]

That's gotta be the coolest mint I have EVER seen...

Playable demo and new class, awesome news, can't wait to hear more.


Tristram Cathedral and the Skeleton King? Awesome!

I'm thinking the new class will be the ranged archtype.

[SteelVelocity]

Hell, it's about time.

Edit: "Sinamints" LOL... enjoy those for all of us; all of us who are unfortunate enough not to get one... to taste our lord Diablos breath fresheners.

[b-rabbit]

Can't ask for much more than that, enjoy.

[Ritual]

safljsaflkjsdlf oh my god!!!
It is playable indeed!
The jealousy is rising and so is the excitement for all the news that is yet to come.
REALLY good news, thanks!

[necronergal]

yay!!!!! cant wait to hear all your expierence of gameplay, characters, controls, and lore and the panels and all that.........monday. lol ugh this really sucks i have to wait to get info till sunday night or monday. ugh.

[milanv]

wish I was there....

[sarcasmicfellow]

Please ask them to make the demo available online ASAP!!!

Do civil disobedience if they refuse.

Then threaten them with a petition like the Warcraft/graphics design one...lol

We'll petition them into submission!

[Anderonine]

Samurai or Ranged Class FTW!

[Shinpo]

If I known that there would be a playable demo there I would have saved my $525 and used $100 on Bliizzcon instead of buying the PS3. Especially since I am only 20 minutes away from Anaheim. I hope that all the people going to Blizzcon post as much information as they can as they find it out. That way the people who could not make it will know everything right away.
Man, I also hope that there will be new high quality gameplay video posted up on Friday too. I was so anxious for Blizzcon, hopefully we get info that will last us until Diablo III comes out. Finding out more about Diablo III is better than going to theme parks damn it!