Diablo 2 remaster: 'It's going to be difficult to make it feel exactly like the same game'

In light of the news StarCraft is getting remastered, it seems a sizeable chunk of Diablo 2 fans now hope their action role-player of choice goes the same way as Blizzard's military sci-fi 'em up. Nothing is confirmed as yet, but series mastermind David Brevik reckons it's not necessarily as straightforward as people may think.

Speaking on the Diabloii.net podcast, Brevik says he was inundated with queries about a Diablo 2 remake in the wake of the StarCraft remaster announcement. "They have their work cut out for them," he says around the 26.10 mark below. "I don’t believe a lot of the assets survived. I think that remasters are okay, they're fine, but you have to be really careful with remasters and there’s this delicate balance. For instance, the world of Diablo 2 is broken up into tiles."

Brevik then goes on to compare the similarities between Diablo 2 and its forerunner and how development practices and standards have changed since the second venture into Hell was launched at the turn of the century.

Brevik continues: "If you do a remaster, this is going to sound terrible, I am going to sound like an old fogey here, but kids these days don’t understand how games were made back then. They were nothing like they’re made today. Everybody would just make 3D artwork and put it on a 3D grid which works except for it doesn’t work. Because the moment that you change the fundamental way that you interact with the game and you move around the world, you’re changing the game.

"On a fundamental level that can not be really comprehended unless you're a programmer that has done this kind of thing before… if they do a Diablo 2 Remaster, it’s going to be difficult to make it feel exactly like the same game”, added Brevik. “They could do it but they will have to go out of their way to ensure that they are simulating the way that the game works in 2D instead of making it 3D, if that makes sense".

Cheers, Diabloii.net/PC Invasion.