Honestly I don't care whether I play Hardcore or Softcore, Alex.I just want to play the game. Period. And with the always-online requirement, the servers are completely full, so that isn't happening any time soon.

I'm gonna do a soft-core single player playthrough to experience the lore and story as much as possible. Then I'll do a hardcore character for fun. I did that in Diablo 2 before I went for multiplayer, because I knew in multiplayer everyone was running, rushing, and not taking the time to walk (except for some hosts, those were cool.). Even for multiplayer, I'm just gonna play with friends I know and trust won't teleport spam and then type "Boss is dead, moving to act II". Ah well, in the end it's gonna be fun.To pass time until 3 AM (because I'm lame for being in the EST time zone), I suppose I could study for my Drugs and Behavior final exam for college....or continue playing my Smite Zealadin in Diablo 2.

whatever happened to Baal's Soulstone?Mephisto and Diablo's soulstones were smashed at the hellforge (and even then Diablo apparently comes back), but we never saw Baal's being dropped or retrieved...got a feeling we may very well see him again!

i've got an Radeon HD 5670, 3 GB of RAM, and my processor's apparently 2 seperate single core drives at 3.4 gz. I think the biggest thing i need is a new processor, but THAT would require a new motherboard, etc, adds up to way too much for me to afford. I like Windows XP so I can play old school games, and when playing the beta I had no problems, a little lag here and there, with shadows turned off and collision settings down low. I think I'll be fine until I can upgrade a little

Not to mention, Diablo 2 had its beta and people thought it looked too colorful and thought the run feature ruined pacing. So Diablo 2 had its share of complaints, but a few patches later BAM: Its a hit. In case Diablo 3 doesn't play right for some, 13 patches later BAM: its gonna hit the sweet spot and be a HUGE hit. It's a good thing really, pouring every bit of effort into crafting a gem like Diablo 3, and even afterwards still consider ways to improve it rather than be egotistic and assume its at its best.

Sure, the level cap's lower, but they did a good job making each new level feel worthwhile getting. Whether it's a new skill or a new way to use a skill, Diablo 3 has a great way to make the player look forward to the next level up. Diablo 2 is still a hit, but there's always that "oh crap why did i put my points here instead of there, now my build is ruined". Sure, everythings a bit simplified without stat points and skill points, but it makes up for it by making the action enjoyable for all the classes. Here I thought Barbarian was gonna be my first choice, but after playing the beta I actually want to start with a Wizard. Looking forward to good times either way!

I think the biggest pull for the Elder Scrolls MMO is its lore, and the fact you get to see locations you couldn't before in previous elder scrolls games. Places like Elsewyr, Blackmarsh, Hammerfell, High Rock, Summerset Isle, and so on. And even then, it'd be cool if they used the original programmed environments we've memorized in the games we've played, like Morrowind or Skyrim. I'm sure Bethesda will deliver a game that'll satisfy both Elder Scrolls and MMO fans. Maybe this will lead to a Fallout MMO, but then again that was Obsidian and Interplay so maybe not.

Honestly, I'm psyched. Having multiplayer in God of War may give it a "Jason and the Argonauts" feel, especially when working together to take down a monster with the final blow. It's something the devs wanna try out, and you gotta give em credit for that at least.

As for Black Ops II, didn't bother with MW3 except when i rented it for Spec Ops and Campaign, but i really liked the first Black Ops and its multiplayer. Glad Woods is alive, maybe he's a playable character in Zombie mode too XD I honestly liked Treyarch for the over the top campaigns in Black Ops and World at War, but Infinity Ward gets it done for realism too (I just think the characters in Treyarch's call of duty entries have more personality. Sure, Captain Price is badass, but Reznov will always have a place in my Hall of Fame)

I had fun playing the Diablo 3 beta, and if that's something to qualify a purchase then alright. I mean, if you had a blast playing a tiny part of it, why not go ahead and play the rest of it? Maybe I'm just being naive, but i want to see how the story develops by playing Single Player first, then playing multiplayer when moving on to Nightmare mode. It's a good transition at least, first time i played Diablo 2 i beat the singleplayer with a level 40ish Barbarian. Felt satisfied, but going to online meant starting all over again with a fresh character. Yeah, having no LAN support's a kick in the ass, but play online with friends you know won't ruin the fun by focusing on getting you to the final boss run and skip nearly all of the game. Take your time, enjoy it fellow Diablo fans!

If you want a more classic diablo 2 experience there's always Torchlight 2: Cheaper (20 bucks), mod support (both single player AND multiplayer), no online requirement, LAN support, skill trees and stat points, etc. If you don't mind the new directions Diablo 3 is taking, then buy that one and enjoy. Or you could just have both :)

Another thing is that for PVP you can respond to someone whupping your ass by saying "Nice kill, does your dad know your using his credit card?" Or something like that. Diablo 2 had its share of sites to buy items from, and they had craploads of bots to advertise as well. Hopefully there wont be bots this time, but if there are they'll advertise accounts rather than sites to buy. But at least when you decide to complete a item set you wont worry about hacked accounts/missing the mule carrying your item.

Overall, I'm probably being too optimistic here, but I'm glad Diablo 3 doesn't require a subscription at least.