First it was Starcraft 2 and now it’s Diablo III? It’s like my junior high years all over again. Now if only the most responsibility I had was still handing in homework. They’ve finally done it. After eight long years since the release of the hugely popular Diablo 2, Blizzard announced Diablo 3 at their annual Worldwide Invitational in Paris today.

No, it’s not going to be a traditional MMO like many were claiming it would be. Rather, it is relying on the same old hack and slash dungeon style of the first two games in the series. To the untrained eye, the new outing looks graphically similar to Diablo 2, much how Starcraft 2 resembles the gameplay of the original. But fear not fellow demon slayers. Don’t let the traditional Diablo UI turn you off.

Blizzard promises an experience which is built on “a new graphics engine that can display characters and hordes of monsters in lush, fully 3D environments. Powerful special-effects systems and Havok-powered physics allow the player to lay waste to the Hells’ minions in spectacular ways.”

Diablo 3 takes place 20 years after Diablo 2, so players of the original two games will get to immerse themselves in the lore of the new environment. Just from checking out the cinematic and gameplay previews makes me eager for this next release. There goes the next 5 years of my life.

Official Diablo 3 Page
Diablo 3 FAQ

via Joystiq