EPT
My last two of weeks were demon-filled.
Do not be concerned.
My demon days are a result of my recently-reacquired obsession with Diablo 3, as well as the conclusion of my year-long quest to complete Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Both pieces of media have had highs and lows, and (as their titles might imply) are chock-full of demonic entities of all kinds (especially if you count vampires as demons; Buffy does). With the hold that demons have maintained on my entertainment time of late, I thought I’d discuss both pieces of media that lodged them in my mind.
Warning: There are some spoilers ahead, but mostly for a TV show that ran from 1997 to 2003. If you care, you should get on that already.
I never reviewed Diablo 3 on the blog, but I did review it’s genre contemporaries, Torchlight 2. At the time, Torchlight 2 was the superior game. In a genre where the only things that matter are mouse clicks, loot, numbers, and aesthetics, the world of Torchlight was far more compelling. As such, I quickly stopped playing Diablo 3 because the story was boring, the treasure was lackluster, and the skill builds were one-dimensional. Additionally, the requirement of perpetually farming the Auction House for passable late-game gear made the game feel pointless, especially when you mostly played solo. There was simply no way to enjoy the game without relying on those who had the time to grind like crazy for gear (and since you had to grind for money anyways, the whole process was awful). I did play a lot of D3 when it was released, but that was mostly to justify my purchase and to convince myself that the game was as mediocre it felt. It totally was. I expected that I’d never play the game again, regardless of the inevitable expansions. I was wrong.
The first footage of the Diablo 3 expansion, Reaper of Souls, was cool in the way that all Blizzard cinematics are, but I couldn’t see myself getting invested in the game after being so let down by the original. However, about three weeks ago, friends of mine began to tell me that about their experiences with D3′s pre-expansion update, aptly named 2.0. They explained that 2.0 had not only changed Diablo 3, but that it did so in a way that made the game genuinely fun. My curiosity was peaked, but I didn’t investigate the new D3 until many others claimed to have witnessed the same miracle. If for no other reason than to prove the game was still bad, I logged in for the first time in ages and discovered that my friends were totally right. Diablo’s gameplay is centered around the loot you get from enemies, and 1.0 was sorely lacking in that regard. However, 2.0 completely corrected that problem. In mere minutes of playtime, I found more unique weapons than I’d ever had in my original playthroughs, as well as my first ever Legendary and Set items. Furthermore, each classes’ skills were rebalanced and the enemy difficult was altered, allowing for far more skill customization than ever before. Blizzard even decided to destroy the reviled Auction House, removing yet another of my critiques of the game. I was flabbergasted. It took a lot for me to dismiss Diablo 3, but only a few hours for it to convince me that the 2.0 patch made it the game that I wanted in the first place. Since then, I’ve been playing like crazy, using the pre-RoS experience buffs (and the new difficulty settings) to level a bunch of characters to 60 so I can take on Act 5 when RoS is released. After months of ignoring Diablo 3, its demons are now a constant on my computer screen, and I cannot wait to see more.
When I wasn’t roaming the world of Sanctuary, I was exploring Sunnydale, home of the titular Slayer in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. I started watching the show almost a year ago, but only recently did I finally watch the last episode. Finishing Buffy took a lot of time and effort, but it was time well-spent. As a Joss Whedon fan, I enjoyed consuming more of his oeuvre and discovering the elements of his stories that I dislike (Firefly was too short to stop being perfect). There was a lot of great stuff in Buffy. The main characters were almost always fun, dynamic, and compelling. The leading foursome of Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles never failed to interest me, regardless of whether they were happy, sad, angry, evil, or dead (all frequent occurrences in the Buffy-verse). Many of the villains were incredible, especially the psychotic god Glory, the conniving yet “dad-like” Mayor Wilkins, and the unspeakably grotesque Caleb. The fight choreography was shockingly good for a 90′s teen vampire drama. It makes one wonder why newer programs lack the badass realism possessed by this far older show. In general (though definitely not always), Buffy lives up to its female-empowering reputation via its main character(s) and a lot of its plot (particularly the final episode). Last but not least, the show’s age makes it brilliantly camp. Many might consider this a downside, but I loved it. The show is unapologetically goofy and 90′s, which makes the serious-business moments all the more compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I’m also glad to be finished with the long series.
Despite all the great moments in Buffy, it was also full of bullshit that made me yell at my TV. There were plenty of times when Buffy or Willow or someone else acted as an inspiring or courageous role model, but there were also parts of the show that excreted vile ideas or offensive conceits. I was disappointed and grossed out by these icky scenes because I didn’t expect them to be a part of this show. Also, some of the filler was absolutely god awful, but it’s possible that’s because the great moments were so damn good. The biggest offender of my fanboy sensibilities was Buffy’s wretched sixth season. It was awful. The plot was wishy-washy, the villains were terrible and inconsistent, the subplots ranged from asinine to downright offensive, and, when examined in the context of the show as a whole, IT WAS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. You could almost go directly from season five to season seven, avoiding acres of unpleasantness and stupidity with minimal loss of plot. Considering how much of my time I spent on this show, that shit was galling. Sure, there were some great moments, like Evil Willow and the infamous Musical Episode, but for every great bit of television there were five horrible Buffy/Spike moments. Blech. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed the series for the most part, but the bad moments really turned Buffy: The Vampire Slayer from a wonderful show to just a good one.
My days with the demons in Buffy may be done, but I’m still looking forward to a whole lot more of Diablo 3′s monsters in the future. Of course, even I don’t know when my interests will shift to a different fantastic character or idea. Next week, it could be robots.
You can read this series of random thoughts and quite a few more at the N3rd Dimension.
