Looking for more awesome media? Check out these new Diablo 3 Screenshots.

Diablo 3 Demo: Barbarian

Diablo 3 Demo: Witch Doctor

For starters, Diablo 3 is NOT an MMO. The game is being developed very similar in play style to the original Diablo 2. While it will have much more polishing, details, and complexity in character development, the simplicity of the game will still allow any type of player (casual or hardcore to enjoy it).

Diablo 3 will not have a monthly free. With the announcement of the game, Blizzard also revealed that the game will be on Blizzard’s legendary network, battle.net. This means the game will be entirely free to play, simply plug and play till your heart’s content.

And now, a few rapid fire comments on what we already know.

1. There will be 5 Diablo 3 Character Classes, 2 of which have already been announced, Witch Doctor and Barbarian.
2. Diabo 3 will retain it’s old random environments and map generation.
3. Players will be able to choose their classes gender, unlike Diablo 2 which forced a gender upon a class.
4. Old friends and foes alike will make an appearance in the game, Deckard Cain has already been announced.
5. While the new world is called “Sanctuary”, players will still venture back to old world locations like Tristam.
6. The game is structured in such a way that you could level up solo, or with a group of friends.

and the big one…when will diablo 3 be released?

Officially, Blizzard is saying nothing, but in my personal opinion (and the backing of multiple insider sources), the game should release sometime between Q2 and Q3 of 2009.

Either way, if you haven’t seen the official Diablo 3 cinematic trailer make sure you check it out. If this doesn’t pump you up then I don’t know what else will. Also, check out the newest Diablo 3 game play videos here.

Diablo 3 Character Video – Barbarian
Diablo 3 Character Video – Witch Doctor

In addition to showcasing some of the basics associated with the class this video also reveals our first look into party and grouping mechanics of the game. Towards the end of the video a group of 4 (2 barbarians and 2 wtich doctors) engages in a real battle…and I’ve got to say, it looks pretty bad ass.

I really hope this game comes out well ahead of schedule!

Note: Make sure you check out part 1 of this video, Diablo 3 Video – Barbarian (this video starts with a few seconds of Barbarian footage from the end of part one)

Diablo 3 Barbarian
If you played Diablo 2 then you should be fairly familiar with the Barbarian. The archetype is similar to that of the warrior / solider class found in many other RPGs. We’re talking about a two hand or dual wielding melee power house.

Diablo 3 Barbarian Skills and Abilities
Cleave – The barbarian deals large amounts of damage in a frontal cone (aprx. 150 degrees).
Ground Stomp – The barbarian stomps the crowd dealing damage and dazing enemies in a 360 degree range around the barbarian.
Leap – Similar to the leap from Diablo 2, the barbarian launches himself into the air aimed at a point of impact. At the chosen point enemies are damaged and knocked back in a 360 degree range around the Barbarian.
Seismic Slam – The barbarian slams the ground, sending a shockwave in a line directly in front of the Barbarian, dealing damage and killing enemies.
Whirlwind - The barbarian spins continuously dealing damage in a 360 degree range, you may move while spinning.

Diablo 3 Witch Doctor
The witch doctor is very similar to the necromancer from Diablo 2. The doctor has powerful debuffs, damage casted spells, and the ability to raise the dead to fight by their side.

Diablo 3 Witch Doctor Spells and Abilities
Firebomb - The witch doctor launches a fire bomb at a group of enemies, dealing heavy fire damage, knocking them back, and setting the ground on fire.
Horrify - The witch doctor sends enemies running with a horrifying scream.
Locust Swarm – The witch doctor launches a locust at a nearby enemy. After hitting an initial monster the locust will spread to nearby enemies, creating a swarm of devastation.
Mass Confusion - The witch doctor afflicts a large group of monsters with a confusing hex. The hex causes the monsters to swing wildly and wander around confused, allowing the witch doctor and party members to kill with easy or simply walk past the monsters.
Soul Harvest - The witch doctor creates a pulse of energy, killing nearby enemies and harvesting their souls. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it’s presumed that these harvested souls will be used in future unreleased spells.

Old school Diablo fans will be happy to hear that this newest iteration of the series will not be an MMORPG. Instead, the old arcade style RPG will remain intact, providing fast action, awesome graphics, and a playability that will allow players of all time capacities to enjoy the game.

So the more important questions…

What’s New In Diablo 3?

Well, for starters there will be five classes in the game. Two of which have already been reveled, the Barbarian and the Witch Doctor. While classes that appeared in Diablo I and II may be included in the five, the team designing these classes is completely re-doing the class.

In addition, players will be able to customize their class like never before. New specialization of talents, skills, and other aspects will allow for truly unique characters.

When will Diablo 3 release?

So far the only word from Blizzard is…

It’s too early to estimate Diablo III’s release date.

However, based on previous Blizzard game release experience, I’d estimate a release date of 8-12 months.