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[Interview] Torchlight 2: Max Schaefer Interview & Hands On

BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565

During PAX Prime on Friday, we had the opportunity to check out Torchlight II, the upcoming ARPG from Runic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment. We had the pleasure to talk with Max Shaefer and to get a bit of hands on time with TL2. Read on!

As with the first Torchlight, the game has what I call a "WoW feel" to it. By this I mean that its graphics are less "realistic" (if such a thing can be said about a video game in the first place) and are more cartoon-like. It's a compliment in my book to say this for the record. The style works for Torchlight II. It's easy on the eyes with bright colors and larger-than-life weapons, monsters, buidings, etc. The environments are cool too. In short, the look of Torchlight II is terrific.

Read more of Bill Murphy's and Suzie Ford's Torchlight II: Max Schaefer Interview & Hands On.

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Comments

  • vonslashavonslasha Member Posts: 31
    if it is set up like diablo 3 were u need to log on to an account, have online access ect.. iI WILL NOT BE PURCHASING IT!
  • BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
    It's not. Offline, LAN, and online play.  Your choice entirely.  :)

    Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.

    My Review Manifesto
    Follow me on Twitter if you dare.

  • NadiaNadia Member UncommonPosts: 11,798
    i cant wait for release on Sept 20th,  thanks for the interview
  • SteamRangerSteamRanger Member UncommonPosts: 920

    Torchlight 2 is not Diablo 3! It can be played offline solo, network LAN, or online co-op mode. Take your pick!

    The guys at Runic made this for Diablo fans. It's a far better game than the mess that is Diablo 3!

     

    "Soloists and those who prefer small groups should never have to feel like they''re the ones getting the proverbial table scraps, as it were." - Scott Hartsman, Senior Producer, Everquest II
    "People love groups. Its a fallacy that people want to play solo all the time." - Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer, Rift

  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 6,959

    Pre-ordered it long ago via Steam and got TL1 for free. :)

    Can't wait for Sept.20th ! :)

  • qombiqombi Member UncommonPosts: 1,170
    Will be buying, this is how Diablo 3 should have been (offline, LAN, or online). This company deserves your money. I didn't buy Diablo 3 because of their greed.
  • fivorothfivoroth Member UncommonPosts: 3,916

    Offline solo is beyond retarded. Why anyone would want to play offline where none of your progress/items matters is beyond me.... The major thing which will break or make this game for me is whether they system is similar to Bnet. If it is open Bnet style/Lan game modes, I am going to play through it once and stop. There will be just too much cheating. People who hate on Bnet are not real ARPG fans and should go play singleplayer games imo.

    Also from what I have heard Runic Games are releasing TL2 to raise enough funds for their MMO which makes me wonder if this game will receive a lot of new expansions/content. This is where Diablo 3 will shine imo.

    Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.

  • qombiqombi Member UncommonPosts: 1,170
    Originally posted by fivoroth

    Offline solo is beyond retarded. Why anyone would want to play offline where none of your progress/items matters is beyond me.... The major thing which will break or make this game for me is whether they system is similar to Bnet. If it is open Bnet style/Lan game modes, I am going to play through it once and stop. There will be just too much cheating. People who hate on Bnet are not real ARPG fans and should go play singleplayer games imo.

    Also from what I have heard Runic Games are releasing TL2 to raise enough funds for their MMO which makes me wonder if this game will receive a lot of new expansions/content. This is where Diablo 3 will shine imo.

    You can keep Diablo 3. I am not paying for a single player game with multiplay option and not really own the game. 60 dollars for the privliledge to access their servers? No thanks.

  • FrodoFraginsFrodoFragins Member EpicPosts: 5,898

    I'm not particularly eager to buy it.  I'm not usually one to complain about cartoony, but they went off the deep end and have really dated graphics as well.  The artists have done a good job with the limitations they were given and the goofy steampunk art direction.

     

    I think TL2 has less depth than even D3.  Heck, in TL2 all you have to do is get a character editor and get all the gear you want for multiplayer.

     

    I think they are releasing WAY, WAY too late now.  Releasing in 2011 would have been a goldmine for them.  D3 has put me off all ARPGs for the time being.

     

    I'm sure it's fun and worth the $20.  I'm just not interested at the moment and doubt I'd put in even a quarter of the hours I put into D3 before quitting that game..

  • FrodoFraginsFrodoFragins Member EpicPosts: 5,898
    His stance on respecs was always annoyingly closed minded.  Just because you like something, that doesn't mean you should make everyone else do the same thing.
  • MephsterMephster Member Posts: 1,188
    Will be playing this, Borderlands 2 and Mists of Pandaria for the remainder of the year. 

    Grim Dawn, the next great action rpg!

    http://www.grimdawn.com/

  • Xstatic912Xstatic912 Member Posts: 365
    Quote; "the staff at Runic have created a game that is 3-4x as big in terms of content, and 2x as big in terms of story, and also infinitely more balanced and deep in terms of itemization. In short, Max says, they've gotten really good at this."


    I'm sold.. Plus can't beat the price..
  • Xstatic912Xstatic912 Member Posts: 365
    @ FrodoFragins

    D3 also have dated graphics..

    I can say the first torchlight has a far better looting algorithm system than d3 ever will have.. Also the guys at runic were part of the D2 team so they know how to not mess up a working formula..

    If you play T2 you probably will not need to invest as much time as D3 because a you'll probably be trying good loot and not just loot to sell..
  • TerranahTerranah Member UncommonPosts: 3,575
    I've been waiting to play this game for awhile now.  I bought the precorder that came with TL1.  But now I'm playing GW2 like a fiend so I don't know....
  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306

    I'm ready.

     

    /countdown

     

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • MithsMiths Member Posts: 12
    Shame it's coming out at the same time as Borderlands 2. Between that and GW2 I'm afraid I won't have time for Torchlight 2 until a little later this year.
  • Bakkoda24Bakkoda24 Member UncommonPosts: 257

    Torchlight 2 will replace that giant hole in my heart that Diablo 3 left. After waiting so long for something to follow Diablo 2, D3 just couldn't deliver. I played one of the betas for Torchlight 2 and fell in love.

    I don't mind the absence of a dark, gritty environment when there is much more environment to see and it is constructed to intelligently. POE will deliver in that realm but that is still under the knife and most likely won't be released until 2013.

    September 20th can't come soon enough.

  • koagzkoagz Member UncommonPosts: 13
    I made my pre-order last night. Cannot wait!
  • ZenIrishChaiZenIrishChai Member UncommonPosts: 527
    Originally posted by fivoroth

    Offline solo is beyond retarded. Why anyone would want to play offline where none of your progress/items matters is beyond me.... <snip>

     

    I suggest you consider different lifestyles other than your own before going overboard with the judgements. There is still plenty of good reason behind offline games, such as traveling with a laptop or not having internet service for any other reason, and maybe some people don't want or care about playing with others. Remember that Torchlight 1 had no online connectivity, so the populairity of the series thus far had nothing to do with it being online yet. There is nothing retarded or all that confusing about it.

  • patx6xpatx6x Member UncommonPosts: 11

    anyway blizzard are on the edge now they make more more big mistake N1 D3 is a fail game at start 

    copie and paste almost from d2 whit better graphic 

    N2 panderian ext. is a kid and an asian market

    and blizzard r now like a storm in a bottle of  water 

     
  • MataOCDMataOCD Member Posts: 54
    So, you have to have an account and internet connection for Diablo 3? No offline solo play? Well, that just sucks!!!
  • lotapartylotaparty Member Posts: 514
    i am so much excited about this game that i have skipped gw2 for it . i am counting the days till 20 sep . pre ordered the game on 12 august and happy with the decsion that i did . 
  • fafdsfrfafdsfr Member UncommonPosts: 7
    You can take your offline characters online and visa versa.
    Originally posted by fivoroth

    Offline solo is beyond retarded. Why anyone would want to play offline where none of your progress/items matters is beyond me

     

     
     
  • FrodoFraginsFrodoFragins Member EpicPosts: 5,898
    Originally posted by patx6x

    anyway blizzard are on the edge now they make more more big mistake N1 D3 is a fail game at start 

    copie and paste almost from d2 whit better graphic 

    N2 panderian ext. is a kid and an asian market

    and blizzard r now like a storm in a bottle of  water 

     

    You registered four years ago to make this your first post? ROFL.

  • FrodoFraginsFrodoFragins Member EpicPosts: 5,898
    TL1 was such a huge disappointment.  I probably won't bother with TL2 this year.  Too few polies and too much cartoony steampunk with adorable pets.  It's like they ripped the heart out of Diablo as well, rather than stealing Blizzards thunder.
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