April's News

  • The Diablo Clones... (4/30)

Since news was rather slow today I thought I would do a small editorial on two upcoming games that are essentially Diablo-clones.  The first game I saw was Cybermercs, a futuristic RPG with the Diablo style of play.  Adrenaline Vault rated it only a 2-star game, click here to see why. 

The other game I found was called Clans, and it was more of a medieval type setting.  Although this game isnīt quite out yet, it looks to me to be the better choice of the two.  Click here to learn about Clans. 

  • Monthy Interview Winners. (4/29)

Congratulations to Diablo II Realm for winning the Blizzard Monthly Fansite interview for May.  We can expect their questions to be answered within a week, so if you have any questions be sure to visit them so you can send them in. 

  • First Screenshot of Act III. (4/29)

Thereīs been a lot of speculation about a certain screenshot that was recently unearthed in the "Hands On" preview, then again in the French Overgame preview.  The shot was the one of the Necromancer walking down a hall with blood smeared all over the walls.  There is now proof (gathered by DiabloII.net) that this is indeed an Act III screenshot, but I invite you to look upon it yourself: 

Well, translations have come at light speed today.  The translation for the French Interview is up, and you can find it in our Articles section or here.  There were two additional pieces of information in this article, both of which you can find in our Compendium.  Thanks to FranX for the translation. 

  • In Praise of Battle.net... (4/28)

A recent article by Salon Magazine tells why Battle.net, which was originally expected to be a failure, has become the most successful venture in itīs arena to date:

    "The answer is simple: advertising. Players waiting for a game-start, or chatting on Battle.net, are exposed to ad impressions as they do. "We're serving millions of ad impressions every month -- 30 million last month," says Paul Sams, Blizzard's vice president of business development (last month being March 1999). Moreover, according to Sams, Blizzard supports higher rates for its ads than most other Internet sites because their click-through is substantially higher than average -- "around 4 percent in a good month, and at least 2.5 percent in a bad one."

    "Blizzard says it thinks sales of StarCraft were 10 to 15 percent higher than they would have been if the game hadn't offered free online play. Sams cautions that the number is a guess, not based on any hard research."

Read the full article here. 

  • Gamespot France Interview. (4/28)

Gamespot France strikes again, this time with an Interview with Bill Roper.  The interview is here, but of course it is in French, so weīll need to wait for a suitable translation.  While we wait, a gamer named Geronimo has able to translate a few pieces of the interview, so his new information is in our Compendium. 

The translation for the French Overame preview is already made, and we have it here in our Articles section.  There were a few new bits of information in this preview, and all of them have been archived in the Compendium.  Thanks to Oīsanger for the prompt translation. 

  • New French Preview. (4/28)

Posted at Overgame, a French site,  is a new Diablo II Preview.  You can read the preview here, but only if you are fluent in French.  We expect to have a translation of the preview within a day.  The preview also had several larger versions of the screenshots we already had: 

And four renders (one new from Blizzardīs web site):

Thatīs right, over at Chips and Bits they seem to have an expansion pack for Diablo II up for sale, proposed release date is 12/99.  At first I couldnīt even believe the announcement, but click here and search for Diablo to see for yourself.  Blizzard has said that there will be an expansion pack for Diablo II, but this is totally absurd.  How can you have an expansion for a game that hasnīt even been released yet?  Thanks to Craven for the lead.

  • Screenshot of the Week. (4/27)

As usual, today saw the release of another great Screenshot of the Week.  See it in our Special Screenshots section or here: 

Weīve added a new story to our Liber Fictionarum, this one called "The Mageīs School".  This story details the travails of a besieged Vizjerei school, where young mages practice their mystic skills to become masters of their craft. 

  • Diablo in Magazines... (4/27)

Two magazins have run small articles about Diablo II.  This from Computer Gaming Weekly:

    "Merely the sequel to one of the best games of the last decade, Blizzard's been working on this title for so long now, and we've been anticipating it for so long, that it's easy to forget to be excited about it. But make no mistake, this display is going to be one of the most crowded, popular ones at E3, and we'll be there, too. Remember how much better WarCraft II was than WarCraft? And remember how awesome the original Diablo already was? Don't start underestimating Blizzard now."

And this small preview rating from PCGamer:

    In a Nutshell: Once again, the devil has risen from the depths of the inferno to raise some hell. Battle hordes of the undead from an isometric perspective, boost your levels, then go online and show everyone else who's boss.
    Potential: Diablo revitalized the RPG genre, and this follow-up adds in some new trimmings, like new character classes, 3D fx support, and faster internet play.
    Pitfalls: Diablo II still looks like the first Diablo -- and 3Dfx-only support has a lot of TNT owners rightfully cheesed off.
    Bottom Line: It may essentially be more of the same -- but we don't see a problem with that. And with Blizzard's bulletproof release history, there's little need for concern.
    Release Date: Fall.

Itīs worth mention that Diablo II is 99% likely to support Direct3D, and by extension the TNT 3D chipset. 

  • Liber Fictionarum Update. (4/26)

I have begun an entirely new cycle of stories for the Liber Fictionarum.  You can read this new story in our Compendium section.  It deals with the Brotherhood of the Vizjerei, which anyone who played a Sorcerer in Diablo will remember as being the group to which that character belonged. 

  • French Translation... (4/25)

Recently, a translation of the Gamespot France preview became available.  This translation has a few new pieces of information in it, all of which has been placed in our Compendium.  You can read the translation in our Articles section or here.  Thanks go out to Dark Chrono for the translation. 

  • ShadowSpiralīs Facelift. (4/25)

ShadowSpiral Diablo II recieved a suggestion that the background be changed to something with less of a pattern.  This had been mentioned between the siteīs staff previously, but was never followed up until now.  When I took the position of layout and design, I based the color scheme on the thought that the background color would be black.  That was the starting point of the quest for the new background.

After an undeterminable amount of time, I left Darkk to decide between a few of my selections.  The quickness of his genius allowed him to take the thumbnail shots and pick the new background in just brief seconds.  "The blue swirl reminds me of the siteīs name, ShadowSpiral," he stated.  We are experiencing technical difficulties making all the pages load with the new background, so if after a few days anyone notices that some pages are still loading the smoky background, please notify us via email or on the Message Board. 

  • Sorceress Update... (4/25)

Since all of the analyses have been released, we have gone back over our Sorceress section and changed a few things, as well as adding new info.  Be sure to see this section if youīre interested in using the Sorceress as a character. 

  • Preview at Gamespot France. (4/25)

After the Giga TV broadcast and the preview at Gamespot UK, it appears that Blizzard also hit Gamespot France.  The preview had no new information that wasnīt covered in the "Hands On" preview, but several of the screenshots released were full-sized instead of the smaller-sized releases by Gamespot UK:

And a new screenshot here:

Blizzardīs own Matt Householder made an appearance on a Feedmag forum.  Apparenrly the discussion was over storytelling, but no new info about Diablo II info was released.  The questions begin here, if youīre interested in Householderīs answers. 

Over at the Adrenaline Vault there is a poll asking "What game would you visit first if you were attending E3?"  The choices are: C&C: Tiberian Sun, Diablo II, Half-Life: Opposing Force, Need for Speed: High Stakes, Planescape: Torment, Quake III, TA: Kingdoms, and Something Else.  Right now Diablo II is in the lead at 27.4% as C&C: Tiberian Sun closes at 20.6%. 

  • The Forgotten Preview... (4/24)

It seems as if a preview slipped by us unnoticed.  It was at Gamepen, and featured no new information or screenshots.  As a matter of fact, the info in the preview was rather dated, and the screenshots all pre-3dfx.  Strange that it should come out in the wake of the Gamespot UK preview "Hands On", but if you want to catch up you can read it here. 

  • The Newsletter has Shipped. (4/23)

The newest edition of the ShadowSpiral Newsletter was shipped today.  If you are subscribed and didnīt recieve the newsletter, please let us know so we can send it to you. 

  • Dueling Grounds Update. (4/22)

I was recently going over an old fansite chat when I stumbled onto a few new items we didnīt previously know about.  The items have been added to the Dueling Grounds, and may be seen there.  The items that were added  are the Helm, Shield, and Breastplate of Agranon and the Book of Command Undead. 

  • Interview Analysis. (4/22)

I have finally put the analysis of the TV Interview up in our Articles section, it can also be seen here.  While the Interview didnīt have much new info in it really, there were a few things covered.  Most importantly, Bill Roper states that the release date may be sometime around Halloween.  The info from the interview is also archived in our Compendium.

Also, half of Aprilīs news was placed into the News Archive so the main page will load faster. 

  • Screenshots from the Interview. (4/22)

Iīve assembled two collages of shots from the TV Interview Bill Roper had with NBC Europe.  Although these shots are relatively small (there are 10 to a page), they show some never-before-seen parts of Diablo II.  They are in our Screenshots section and can be seen here:

Thanks to the Diablo II Home for use of the screenshots. 

  • New Preview... (4/21)

A new preview has gone up on Gamespot UK, the preview is called "Hands On" and is filled with screenshots and a generous amount of new info.  See our Necromancer, Sorceress, Amazon, and Compendium for the new info.  In addition, 16 new screenshots became available, which are in our Screenshots section and can be seen here: 

Bill Roper had a recent television interview on NBC Europe, which Mordeth has managed to encode into a RealAudio broadcast.  You can listen to the broadcast here and we will have a thorough analysis of it up later this afternoon. 

A picture of the Diablo II car from the Long Beach Grand Prix has become available.  Iīve put it in the Special Screenshots section under Miscellaneous shots.  You can also see it here. 

Taken from Blizzardīs main web page is a nice render showing the "Reaper" monster going through various conceptual sketches to a finished render.  You can see the render here or access it through our Sketches and Rendered Shots section. 

  • Screenshot of the Week. (4/20)

Today Blizzard released their newest screenshot of the week, see it here or in our Special Screenshots section: 

SmokeīnīmirrorZ has finished his Challenger Series of Diablo II wallpapers, and now all five wallpapers are available for download here.  These wallpapers are of some of the best quality, and easily worth the download time. 

  • Newsletters Archived. (4/19)

The ShadowSpiral newletters have been archived and their online editions can now be read from our Subscribe section.  Remember subscribers, the newest ShadowSpiral newsletter is due to ship April 23. 

  • Translation Available... (4/18)

A translation has recently become available for the Swedish Diablo II article.  The translation is up in our Articles section and can be read here.  The article is full of information about the game, the best tidbit is an official Blizzard release date: September.  Looks as though our guess was correct, remember that any release date is tentative and subject to change without notice. Thanks to Deathknight for the translation.  

  • Happy Birthday! (4/17)

I would like to take a moment to wish Forscythe, the assistant WebMaster and programmer here at ShadowSpiral  Diablo II, a very happy 20th birthday.  Without him on hand, the site wouldnīt be as good as it is now, and a lot of the content here would be missing.  Happy Birthday, Forscythe! 

  • Gamesmania Poll... (4/16)

Presently Gamesmania has a poll up on their site which asks: "If you could only visit one booth at this year's E3, which would it be?"  The choices the poll gives you are: LucasArts, Blizzard, Activision, GT Interactive, or Someone Else.  Right now Someone Else is in the lead by a good margin, so go put in your pick. 

  • Diablo II Preview. (4/16)

Over at Gamenation there is a new Diablo II preview.  This preview contains no new information or screenshots, but is very current, so anyone who needs to catch up on events would find it a good read.  It is also quite informal, adding to the enjoyment. 

Blizzardīs Bill Roper is scheduled to make an appearance on NBC Europeīs "New Media Studios."  The show comes on at April 21 in Germany at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.  Unfortunately we donīt know the broadcast times for the rest of Europe. 

  • Shots from the Movie... (4/15)

I added two collages of screenshots from the Paladin Gameplay Move.  You can see these collages in our Screenshots section or here:

Thanks go out to Co for making these shots available. 

  • Updated Analysis and Downloads. (4/15)

Iīve updated our Analysis with a few more details and added a couple more mirror sites to the Paladin Gameplay Video.  There is also a link to download the movie in RealPlayer format, all that in the Downloads section. 

  • The Paladin Gameplay Video Analysis. (4/14)

I have finished my analysis of the Paladin Gameplay Video, and it can be read here.  I must say that the video was very enlightening, and it was fascinating to watch the Paladin in action.  Iīm sure this video has all the Paladin fans up in arms and drooling.  The video is available for download in our Downloads section if you havenīt already downloaded it,.and my analysis is archived in the Articles section. 

  • Diablo II at the Grand Prix? (4/14)

This in from Gamerush:

    Gaming fans around the world will soon be racing to the stores to purchase a copy of Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming role-playing game, Diablo II. But this weekend, it'll be Blizzard that will be doing the racing.

    A Blizzard sponsored car, decked out with the Diablo II colors and logos, will be cruising thought the streets of Long Beach, Calif. in the KOOL/Toyota Atlantic Championships race, Saturday, April 17, at 4:00 p.m. The race will be rebroadcast on ESPN2 at an undetermined date and time.

    Qualifying times for the KOOL/Toyota Atlantic Championships are Friday, April 16, at 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.

    The KOOL/Toyota Atlantic Championships race is one of four support events of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. and is making its 16th appearance on the streets of Long Beach for the open-wheel/Toyota-powered race cars. General Admission tickets are $26 and are good for both Friday and Saturday.

So anyone with access to ESPN/2 or anyone living in the Long Beach area will be able to see Blizzardīs Diablo II car. 

  • Paladin Gameplay Movie... (4/14)

The Paladin Gameplay Movie is now available for download here or in our Downloads section.  Expect to have an analysis up as soon as I get the movie downloaded.

Update: Throughout the day we will be adding download mirrors for the newest Gameplay Movie.  Keep checking our Downloads section for the newest download mirrors. 

  • News on the AVI. (4/14)

A lot of people, including me, were expecting a Gameplay AVI to be released yesterday.  However, this post found its way onto the Battle.net War Room: 

    "It looks like we'll be releasing it tomorrow, if everything goes according to plan. We wanted to make a last minute change to the file but we ran out of time, so it will have to be done tomorrow.

    Tomorrow should be an exciting day for Diablo II fans.

    GFraizer
    Web Designer"

Seems like that AVI will be out today, instead. 

  • Act III and Barbarian News. (4/13)

Blizzard issued a press release today stating that they had just finished the Barbarian as well as Act III.  The press release also gives us a few bits of new information.  For instance, we now know that Act III will take place in and around the city of Kurast, the birthplace of Zakarum, the Religion of Light.  For new Barbarian information, check our Barbarian section.  To see the press release, click here or visit our Articles section. 

  • Beta Contest and Wallpaper... (4/13)

The June edition of PCAccelerator Magazine features a contest where six people could win a trip to San Francisco, CA and meet with the developers of Diablo II.  Not only that, the lucky winners will be able to beta test Diablo II for 36 hours straight.  Anyone can enter the contest and it includes airfare, a hotel, food, and transportion.  See a clip of the contest page here.

Also, SmokeīnīMirrorZ next wallpaper in his Challenger Series, the Amazon, is up and ready for download.  The Challenger Series Wallpapers thus far have all been excellent, and their creator is only continuing that trend. 

Blizzard has graced us with the latest screenshot of the week.  See it here: 

We have added a new section to the Compendium called The Dueling Grounds, it contains all the information weīve been able to acquire about items and equipment in Diablo II.  The Dueling Grounds is in no way finished, and you can expect constant updates to it as Diablo II develops.  If you have anything to add to it, email us or post it on the message board. 

  • More Info on the Article. (4/12)

Roboth seems to have been able to translate a good deal of that Swedish PCGamer Article.  One of the best highlights is a Sanity Check for Battle.net.  What this basically means is that if a character is doing an impossible amount of damage with a weapon, the Sanity Check will catch it.  We donīt know what will be done if cheating/hacking is detected, however.

There was also mention of two new items in Diablo II, the "Holy Shield of Defense" for the Paladin and the "Book of Command Demon" for the Necromancer.  This information plus more is archived in our Knowledge Vault in the Compendium. 

We have gotten ahold of the actual pages from the Swedish PCGamer Article, which are archived in our Sketches and Rendered Shots section out of a lack of a better place to put them.  You can also view the composites here: 

I would like to take a moment to wish Zystone, the layout designer and editor here at ShadowSpiral Diablo II, a very happy 20th birthday.  Without her to correct my atrocious spelling and keep everything in order, the whole site would surely fall apart.  Happy Birthday, Zystone! 

  • Diablo II Preview... (4/11)

RTSNation has a new Diablo II preview up on their site, which you can view here.  This preview doesnīt have any new screenshots or info, but if youīre new to the Diablo II scene you should check it out to get updated. 

  • ExtremeBlizzard is Back. (4/11)

ExtremeBlizzard has made a comeback after a long downtime.  Right now they have just one opening post up, but their layout is very good and the site is solidly designed.  Be sure to check into ExtremeBlizzard for info on all Blizzard happenings. 

  • Site Updates. (4/10)

Poring over the info recently gleaned from the Fansite Chat and Interview, we have made several additions to the Paladin and Necromancer character pages.  Also, the Compendium now has a display of the characterīs three basic abilites: Attack, Kick, and Throw. 

  • Vote for Online Worlds... (4/10)

A poll is up over at Gamespot asking "Which of the following RPG franchises would make the best persistent online world?"  The choices are: Baldurīs Gate, Diablo, or Fallout.  Head on over to Gamespot and make your will known. 

The last story to this particular edition of the Liber Fictionarum, The Epilogue, has been finished.  I hope everyone has enjoyed the Liber Fictionarum as much as I have, it is a tradition that I hope to continue as we wait for Diablo II to be released. 

  • The Newsletter has Shipped... (4/9)

The latest edition of the ShadowSpiral newsletter was shipped only moments ago.  If you didn't receive your copy or had troubles with it, please email us or post it on the message board. 

  • Swedish Diablo II. (4/9)

Svenska Diablo II reports that a Swedish edition of PCGamer has a four-page article on Diablo II.  It doesnīt have any real new information or screenshots, but did come in with a small tidbit, apparently the system requirement for RAM is 32 megs.  More on this as a translation arises. 

  • Almost Forgot... (4/9)

It seems that I almost forgot to announce that the Unholy Battlegrounds is the new home for Blizzardīs Official Fansite Listing.  The list itself doesnīt appear to be quite up on their site yet, but it can be viewed here. 

  • Diablo II: Alien Opera. (4/8)

Talk about bizarre!  Featured at Gamespot UK is a RealVideo show of a play Blizzard put on featuring Andariel and a host of Corrupted Rogues.  The play is too weird for words, so check it out here. 

The Fansite Interview Blizzard had with Diablo II Inferno is in, and you can see the full interview here.  The Interview was fairly informative, and covered a lot of new ground.  Check the Knowledge Vault within the Compendium for updated news. 

  • The Fansite Chat... (4/7)

Today the Fansite chat went down, we got a lot of new information from it.  New info has been added to the Compendium, the Sorceress section, and a good deal of info has found its way into the Barbarian secion.  Be sure to check these sections out for all the latest.  You can read the chat transcipt here, in our Articles section. 

  • Liber Fictionarum Update. (4/7)

The next addition to the Liber Fictionarum, The Sorceress, has been added.  There will be one more addition to this particular run of stories in the Fictionarum, the Epilogue.  After that I donīt know what will become of the Fictionarum, but I donīt think it will go away so soon.  I am thinking of opening to other storytellers soon. 

  • Screenshot of the Week. (4/6)

It appears that Blizzard has changed their Screenshot of the Week date from Thursdays to Tuesdays, and released another great screenshot today.  Check out this one: 

Update: On the Blizzard main page is a render from the original Diablo II trailer, which has been dutifully archived in our Sketches and Rendered Shots section. 

  • Blizzard Contest. (4/6)

A German gaming site, Gamezone, is sponsoring a contest where you could win one of ten Blizzard gaming packs.  The only question asked is "What is the Queen of Blades otherwise known as?"  You can answer that question and perhaps win the contest here. 

While the weekend was rather slow, this week promises to be fast and furious.  First off the Fansite Interview with Diablo II Inferno will probably be conducted in a day or so, and the WebMaster's Chat with Blizzard will also happen sometime this week.  Remember, if you have any questions you would like us to ask at the next WebMaster's chat please email them to us or post them on the message board. 

  • Community Corrections... (4/5)

For once we caught a few errors before anyone else did.  Several links in our Community section were broken or misdirected.  So let us take the chance to bid Headhunter's a goodbye as it was the first guild database in the Diablo II Community.  LordHelmut wrote a very touching farewell address to his co-workers at Headhunter's, which you can read here. 

  • A Small Mistake... (4/4)

Seems as if I made a small mistake in the last newsletter.  I stated that the next newsletter would be delivered April 8, when actually it's April 9.  I'm sure this won't cause any problems, just wanted to clear it up. 

  • Darkness Spotlight. (4/3)

Scorch of Diablo II Darkness has written an excellent article about the evolution of Diablo II's monsters as the game has progressed.  The article is entitled "The Incredible Morphing Monster" and can be read on their site by clicking here. 

  • Rendered Shots Fixed... (4/2)

It just came to my attention that several of the rendered shots in our Sketches and Rendered Shots section weren't loading or were broken links.  This section has been repaired and is now back up with all pictures and links functioning as they should.  We've also added a new render culled from the Blizzard main page to the renders, which you are free to look at in that section.  Thanks go out to BryanH for informing us. 

  • April Fools Revealed. (4/1)

Well, it seems as the day has ended and everyone's letting people in on their April Fools jokes.  The Diablo II Darkness is still in the Community and CaptainSmack hasn't left the Graveyard.  As for some of the other April Fools Jokes, I don't know... perhaps Diablo II will really have evil cows and a secret level filled full of them, you just never know...  

  • New Screenshot of the Week... (4/1)

Well, Blizzard has graced us with the newest screenshot of the week, which introduces a new monster: cows!  Yes, ravenous axe-weilding bovines sowing mayhem!  If you don't believe us, then just check out the screenshot: 

The next installment in the Liber Fictionarum, The Paladin, is up and ready to be read.  This chronicle has just two stories remaining in it, which I should have finished in two weeks or less.  Please feel free to post comments, suggestions, or criticisms on our message board, or you can email them to me. 

  • Events in the Community... (4/1)

Well, everything changes, nothing is ever permanent.  It seems that the Diablo II Darkness has closed down for good, taking with it the best monster archive in the Community.  Also, CaptainSmack, the Webmaster at the Graveyard, has permanently resigned from the positition.  Fortunately, Danfell has taken over as Webmaster for the Graveyard, saving it from closing. 

  • March is Archived. (4/1)

Well, the rest of March's news has been placed in our News Archive.  It was a good month for us, with over fifty news posts, and all kinds of great information.  The deluge of news was so big that we had to archive the first half of March because it bogged down the loading of our main page.  March was also big for the site in general, we added a message board, a newsletter, Liber Fictionarum (see the Compendium), and all kinds of site tweaks.

I can only hope that this month brings the same great news.  We'll be with you all the time, reporting the news in a timely and organized fashion, and offering a multitude of diversions until Diablo II comes out. 

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Skill of the Week

Iron Maiden
Harkening back to an inquisitional torture, the Iron Maiden curse causes all damage an enemy does to you to be returned to that enemy as well.  Part of the Necromancerīs Curses, it is a powerful addition to his arsenal.

Counter courtesy of
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