I suppose its just a matter of opinion. I didn't really get the "clone" feeling. Though I understand many others agree with you. To me I noticed many similarities, but it seemed unique enough to not remind me too much of D1/D2. Either way I like you am very excited for D3 and hope it brings innovation to a fun yet somewhat tired genre.

With that said games like Torchlight remind me why I am a big PC gamer. After dozens of shitty console ports perhaps I'm just overly thankful for a title that puts PC first.

Also worth mentioning that it is getting a Mac port at some point this year. Mac users seem to enjoy dungeon crawlers so that is a boon. Hopefully somebody decides to make a Linux port for those folks as well.

I disagree with pretty much everything you just said.

There should be no significant changes to existing franchises.  People like franchises for what they are so if you're majorly revamping gameplay then you should be doing so with an entirely different game.  For example Diablo 3 should be a hack'n'slash game, not an RTS, because that's the core gameplay of Diablo.  Sequels and clones shouldn't be looking to revamp, they should be looking to refine.  Take the elements that everyone loves and improve upon those, add minor things which will make the game better, however avoid adding so much that the game deviates from what makes it great in the first place.

Torchlight is great because it takes some of the elements that made Diablo 2 excellent and adds to them.  The result is that it pleases existing fans of these games like myself and opens the market to new players who've never played a game quite like this.  Will it be better than Diablo 3?  Probably not, but that doesn't make it bad.

Honestly, I prefer Torchlight over D2 any day. D2 is too mess and overcomplicated for me, while Torchlight really feels more like D1 (which I really liked) with some interesting add-ins from Fate, and I find it's to be really delicious mix

Very well said. I agree. After Deux Ex II I think that a series should stick to its conventions. If drastic changes are needed either end the series, or develop a different game.

That said, innovation is a tricky thing because you often can't imagine it before it releases. If Blizzard can alter the formula while keeping it Diablo-like I would be thrilled. As such I will take a wait-and-see approach to reviewing D3. A pre-order no doubt though, unlike Starcraft which holds zero appeal to me.

The great games do introduce changes to their franchises though. Warcraft, Mario, Half-Life, Zelda, etc.

To take Half-Life as an example. Yes Half-Life 2 was still and FPS like HL1, but I'm sure you'd be hardpressed to find many other similiarities outside of the str and characters.

Clones don't work because mods exist. You can update graphics a little and change your basic gameplay around. If I can do that why should I be bothered with blowing money on a clone? The answer is that I shouldn't. Torchlight is basically Diablo 2 with 3D graphics and a pet. I would also label it as a Diablo clone not a Diablo 2 clone since Diablo had the archer/warrior/caster model, while D2 had 5 classes that were completely different.

As another example, Diablo 2 wouldn't be a clone of Diablo 1. Besides the obvious increase in classes, with 30 distinct skills each, they also added way points, mercenaries, and so on and so forth. There were huge changes. Meanwhile the changes between Torchlight and Diablo 2 can be classified as a new coat of paint plus a little more options to your mercenary. No thank you.

Not sarcastic, but you must hate L4D2 and most other FPS from the last decade. There is so little change in the formula it even frustrates me, and I'm far less concerned with genre expansion than you.

I guess I just expect less, but I don't think a game need to be genre defining to be a winner, if it did I would only be able to play about 1 or 2 game a year.

That said the Diablo example is right on.

I actually do hate jsut about all FPSes in the last 5 years. I find them simple, dumbed down, and games which require minimal amounts of skill.

I did get pissed off at L4D2, thankfully there were deals that brought it down to $30, a price for expansion packs (Lord of Destruction).

I have said it before, I don't mind having only 1 or 2 games released a year, as long as they are great games with replayability to last me the entire year. Diablo 2 definitely lasted me a long long time, for instance. Half-Life + mods did as well, Starcraft, Warcraft, Civilization 4, etc. The problem I have right now is that there hasn't been a great game in effing years because people just do the same thing over and over and over, so now there are no original great games at all.

^^^ A great point you make (in Yoda voice)

I think in the end it just deals with the individual. I'm willing to put up with more of the same if I enjoy it.  Though I must admit lack of innovation is slowly driving me from console gaming, especially pre-Wii. The same games with better graphics is something I would have loved when i was 12, now not so much. Thats not to say that graphics don't matter though.

Torchlight is on another Steam deal, today only - 75% off, costs $4.99/£3.74/3,99€.

I might pick it up for $5 as it's on sale today on Steam.

I hope that a modder can add some multiplayer though as it'd be fun to kill monsters with a friend.

*edit* That wish seems to be making progress.