SoJ! SoJ!

Those of you who know what SoJ stands for, you are all my brothers (and sister for the one female reader)!  The Stone of Jordan was a Unique ring for the game Diablo 2, released by Blizzard Entertainment in June 30, 2000.  My exposure to Diable 2 was a dangerous one.

I was in my later University years then and at the height of my obsession, playing until 4am was not unusual (starting at about 10pm).  This weekend marks the 3rd BlizzCon, a semi-annual celebration of all things Blizzard.  I was fortunate enough to attend BlizzCon 2007 and had a great time.  This year, they are also holding it at the Anaheim Convention Center.  I passed on going this year for a number of reasons but it doesn't mean that I am not excited and keeping up with the announcements.  What I do find odd is that after the first day, there has really only been two announcements and one of them was for the opening ceremony.  I remember last year sitting through the Wrath of the Lich King announcement and getting first playtime with Starcraft 2.  This year, I'm sad that I can't play Diablo 3 first.

If you were to ask me what was so amazing with Diablo 2 that would cause me to sit for 6 hours straight and run through the entire game on the hardest difficulty, I couldn't really tell you.  I just know that doing "Nightmare Runs" is something that I have never experienced again in a game to date.  I would play with friends, collect a massive amount of loot, and without an in game system to sell off the loot, you would be resorted to posting your items in the Diablo 2 Marketplace.  It was simpler times, but it was also a very exciting time.  These days, the amount of grief you get playing games online is unbelievable.  Kids are starting to play at very early ages and often times if a game is rated 17+ they would draw even more children.  I can empathize with that as I am guilty of sneaking into countless movies as a kid.

The point is that with the immenant release of Diablo 3, it's with mixed feelings I am looking forward to it.  The nostalgia is great and I look forward to possibly recapturing the excitment of all night gaming.  But the threat of a sudo-MMO with immature children is lurking just over that next hill.  Only time will tell as Blizzard has yet to announce it's online strategy for Diablo 3 and the release date.  I hope that after today, more information will be released so I can get my pre-order in!