John August - a Hollywood writer who's worked closely with Tim Burton for his Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and Dark Shadows - wrote a blog on Diablo III's plot and all its flaws.Going through his bullet points in a succint, concise style of writing, John August explains everything that did not click for him story-wise while playing Diablo III - from the NPCs he did not care about, through the badly presented dialogue to the short cinematic interludes which left the feeling of something that's only there to patch the story together.
- "At several points in the game, major NPCs betray you and/or die. And you shrug.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Remember Raynor and Kerrigan from StarCraft? I became invested in those characters, not because of their cut scenes, but because I got to play as them. I kept them alive through zerg rushes, and watched as they made sacrifices that transformed them. So even when I wasn’t playing those characters, I knew them.
The only NPC I cared about a little was my sidekick/meatshield, Kormac the Templar. He had a limited set of phrases, but he made an effort, and our canned conversations felt at least a little humanizing. Here’s the test: When I could have switched to a different hireling, I didn’t, because I would have missed him. A little."
Although it's doubtful that many players truly expected a plot worthy of an Academy Award, it is true that Diablo III's story was rated somewhat below those of Diablo I & II. We now know what John August thinks about it but what about you? Take our poll on the front page on if you were satisfied with Diablo III's storyline!
Source: Johnaugust.com
