[earvcunanan]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain...than-diablo-3/

1. Price This is the most obvious advantage Torchlight 2 has over Diablo 3. Clocking in at just $20, you could buy a copy of Torchlight 2 for you and two friends for the same price as Blizzard’s Diablo 3. Indeed, Diablo 3′s hefty $59.99 price-tag seems rather out-of-place in the PC action-RPG genre. With so many free-to-play MMOs and competitors like TL2 at such a drastically lower price-point, Blizzard must be extremely confident that the Diablo name will carry sales. And they may indeed be right. Still, for $20 you get a perfectly reasonable substitute for Diablo 3 and can spend the extra $40 in savings on other upcoming titles like Warlock: Master of the Arcane. $60 on Steam could buy you an action-RPG, a real-time-strategy title, and a first-person-shooter with change left-over.

2. Always-online play Blizzard justified its requirement for always-online play for Diablo 3 by claiming it allows single-player characters to hop online at any point. If Blizzard didn’t constantly monitor character development they wouldn’t be able to allow single-player characters online for fear of cheating. This way a seamless online/offline experience is possible. Unless, of course, you have a poor internet connection. Or no internet connection. Or just want to play without worrying about an internet connection. In other words, this has the potential to be a huge pain, whether or not the anti-cheat feature makes sense.  Torchlight 2 on the other hand, has no always-online DRM. By contrast, TL2 requires players to log in to access patches and matchmaking. The rest of the time, you’re out of the clutches of developer Runic Games. Blizzard could give players the option to have an offline-only character or an online-possible character and avoid this invasive DRM. So far, this does not seem to be an option.

3. Auction House One big reason Blizzard wants to keep players honest is the inclusion of real-money-transactions within Diablo 3. Say good-bye to ebay. If you want to sell armor and other weapons you’ll have to enter the in-game Auction House. Of course, players can earn some scratch off of these interactions which has its own benefits. Blizzard, meanwhile, will take a cut as well in the form of fees. Alongside real-money transactions, players can also buy and sell items with digital currency (also known as “gold.”) Certainly the inclusion of a built-in Battlenet eBay could be very convenient. After all, if you sell items via eBay you’re going to lose some of that cash to transaction fees. This way you can access the auction house from any point within Diablo 3 to buy or sell items. On the other hand, if you like open systems this is a pretty bad deal. Not only do you have to be online all the time, you have to conduct any item trades through Blizzard’s own system.

4. Mods Unlike Torchlight 2, which gives players access to all its development tools for modding purposes, Blizzard is expressly prohibiting mods for Diablo 3. Now, it may very well be possible that modders will find a way. Cracked versions of the game may end up with mods, but it’s unlikely anyone will ever play a legitimate modded copy of the game. So if you enjoy the ingenuity of the modding community you’re out of luck if you go with Diablo 3 instead of TL2. Mods are one of the real benefits of PC gaming that console gamers miss out on. Prohibiting modding not only seems antithetical to the spirit of PC gaming, it also kills off one of its big selling points.

5. Guns, pets, and UI I realize this is entirely a matter of taste, but I really like the steampunk features in Torchlight 2. Not only can you wield a variety of pistols, canons, and rifles, you also crawl dungeons with one of a number of pets at your side. I played as a pistol-wielding Outlander with a dog (named Barque Barque) at my side. You have an entire array of options for your pet, and can even have the handy side-kicks carry items for you once your bag fills up. In my brief time with each title I found both the user interface and gameplay mechanics of Torchlight 2 to be more fluid and intuitive. Diablo 3 was inexplicably more complicated and less user friendly. Of course, this was a beta so take this with a grain of salt.

Not everything about Torchlight 2 is necessarily better than Diablo 3. I really liked the haunting, almost painted look of the backgrounds and environments of Diablo 3. Both games are designed for basically any PC on the market right now, making either title great for casual or hardcore gamers. But Diablo 3 definitely has a more unique aesthetic. At the end of the day, it may all come down to personal taste and priorities – not to mention budget. Diablo 3 releases for PC and Mac tomorrow, May 15th. Torchlight 2 will release on both PC and Mac later this summer.

[alphaNoid]

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

There's a few fair points there.

[Emitan]

Gonna be a lot of that in this thread.

[SalsaShark]

room for both, but im up for whatever's good publicity for Torchlight 2

[Haunted]

First 4 are certainly valid reasons.

But Diablo's biggest draw is probably its flawless execution and polish. I'm a big fan of Torchlight, yet I found myself going back to Diablo II (and Titan Quest) for my loot fix instead of Torchlight.

[Shahadan]

I think this is banned but this is the only correct first post to every "X reasons shit" thread.

[f0rk]

So radical. I hate these 'Forbes' blog posts, there are always so pandering to places like reddit where people like to think they're different and smarter.

[Nibel]

But people want a new Diablo and don't give a shit about the cons.

[mr stroke]

LOL

[strafer]

Dancing Vivian was the hot Vivian.

[dragonflys545]

Too bad Diablo 3 comes out first, otherwise I would have give torchlight 2 a chance.

[Majine]

If I earn the money I spent on D3 from the Real Money Auction House, doesn't that make it win by default in terms of bang for your buck?

[Hot Coldman]

Torchlight seems like the game you play if you're interested in trying out Diablo but aren't sure if you want to make the investment.

[Raptomex]

So...I just get both.

[qazqaNii]

Man Torchlight just got torched! Will get when its below 10$ or probably never, D3!!

[Emitan]

Man Torchlight just got torched! Will get when its below 10$ or probably never, D3!!

Oh thank goodness you're supporting Diablo III. I heard no one else is interested in it.

[Kintaro]

Some valid reasons there.

They forgot one big reason which might hamper TL2: Dupers, hacks, and cheats.

[kswiston]

Unfortunately, one will still have a huge active online community in 5 years, and will still see active developer support and fixes. The other will have been abandoned for Torchlight 3 or whatever follows.

[Emitan]

Some valid reasons there. They forgot one big reason which might hamper TL2: Dupers, hacks, and cheats.

Good thing you can just play with friends and Gaffers.

[The M.O.B]

In before "LULZ WILL WAIT FOR SALE, ALL I NEED IS D3 SUCKASSSSSSS"

Man Torchlight just got torched! Will get when its below 10$ or probably never, D3!!

Too bad Diablo 3 comes out first, otherwise I would have give torchlight 2 a chance.

Too late

[Clydefrog]

I lol'ed and I like you so I really hope you don't get banned.

[EmmanuelMunoz]

I think "But it's Diablo 3" is probably a more convincing reason to people.

[Netrunner2k2]

So...I just get both.

You can't. When you buy one the other company won't sell you the other. Then they put a tracker on your PC to make sure someone doesn't gift it to you.

[Nibel]

Torchlight seems like the game you play if you're interested in trying out Diablo but aren't sure if you want to make the investment.

That's a pretty good observation and probably true

[SnakeswithLasers]

I'm more concerned with which one is more fun. Apparently that's just me though.

[Raide]

There is room for both but Diablo 3 will be the one people will be playing in 10 years.

[AbsoluteZero]

I enjoyed what I played of the Torchlight demo, but lack of multiplayer killed any interest I had in the title.

Considering that's the major addition of Torchlight 2, and I don't plan on giving Blizzard $60 for Diablo 3, I may end up picking up Torchlight 2 first.

[statham]

um. if you didn't read the thread why u n it? but I'll probably end up getting both.

[MiniBossBattle]

I can't wait for both titles.

I am more concerned with the font/format of Forbes online. Is this the internet my parents read? I don't want to call it Fisher-Price but its the first thing that comes to mind.

[Emitan]

I enjoyed what I played of the Torchlight demo, but lack of multiplayer killed any interest I had in the title. Considering that's the major addition of Torchlight 2, and I don't plan on giving Blizzard $60 for Diablo 3, I may end up picking up Torchlight 2 first.

You're a changed man, Zero. I see you've done some soul searching in your absence.

[Dresden]

Torchlight was just so dull. I don't expect the sequel to be much better.

Diablo 3 on the other hand is the genre. It is the alpha and the omega. There is no other lootwore game I need.

[Nerfgun]

This is in Forbes??

how weird.

[Raging Spaniard]

I dont really see any of those points as factors.

Its weird, for years people complain that the loot game is dead and now that theres 2 really good games in the genre people have to pick one over the pother? get both!

[jschreier]

A better title for this article might be "5 reasons the Torchlight 2 beta is a better bang for your buck than the Diablo 3 beta."

[The M.O.B]

I dont really see any of those points as factors. Its weird, for years people complain that the loot game is dead and now that theres 2 really good games in the genre people have to pick one over the pother? get both!

.

[Weenerz]

I bought the game that deserves my money, and I happen to buy both of these.

[Zeer0id]

lol Forbes...

I mean, it's not like they're wrong.

[params7]

Forbes Gaming Journalism > Entire Mainstreaming gaming dedicated press.

[Haunted]

This is in Forbes?? how weird.

blog on their website

[akilshohen]

what show is this from?

[Emitan]

This is in Forbes?? how weird.

I never visit Forbes but apparently they have a bunch of weird articles like this because they keep getting GAF threads.

[AbsoluteZero]

You're a changed man, Zero. I see you've done some soul searching in your absence.

Not that I'm disagreeing...but what of my post has shown this, out of curiosity?

[Chavelo]

The PC version of the console wars: the revenge.

LULZ I HAZ BOTH

[Emitan]

Not that I'm disagreeing...but what of my post has shown this, out of curiosity?

You want T2 and not D3. Which means I like you.

NOT THAT I'M A TORCHLIGHT FANGIRL AND HATE D3 OR SOMETHING. Enjoy your game, people.

[MDSLKTR]

Diablo 3 will live on for more than a decade.
Also:




GTFO LOL

[Haunted]

Its weird, for years people complain that the loot game is dead and now that theres 2 really good games in the genre people have to pick one over the pother? get both!

That's not weird at all, you know how engrossing these games can be, when two similar come out within the same timeframe, it's absolutely normal to make a conscious decision for one over the other because you want to focus on one experience.

The closer Torchlight 2 comes out to Diablo III, the worse off it'll be. There's obviously no comparison between the selling power and mindshare of the two. It'll be a tricky balancing act for the Torchlight devs to find the right time to release their game.

[Jasoneyu]

Its strange when people put out articles like this one. What makes loot ARPG different from any RPG that dictates that you need to choose one or the other. Get both! Playing both the TL2 beta and diablo 3 beta both are excellent games that are not mutually exclusive on your PC.

Diablo 3 will live on for more than a decade. Also: GTFO LOL

At least base your opinion on gameplay mechanics rather than the cinimatics of both games.

[stuminus3]

So basically, Quake III: Arena is better than Unreal Tournament.

[derFeef]

uhuh, turning into versus thread, not good.

Diablo 3 will live on for more than a decade. Also: http://lightningamer.com/wp-content/...on-600x300.jpg http://oyster.ignimgs.com/ve3d/image...939_normal.jpg GTFO LOL

Playing cutscenes is so much fun.