I would have prefered a darker template, but I'm fine with the art direction.

What I really care about is how it will stack up to the gameplay of Diablo 2.

I wouldn't call it fan art... I'd call it being a whiny bitch.

yay

Well, the more opportunities Blizzard get to give the moaners the finger the better. I've always loved Blizzard's art style, and to say that it's not "dark enough" is just fucking stupid. I mean, for a start, it's their Goddamn game, and if you think you could do it better than them you've got some delusions of grandeur going on. Second, why the hell does every game with any amount of "dark" undertones in these days have to consist of a dull blend of brown and grey?

Just look at that comparison screenshot up there; the supposed fan removed shades of blue, green and purple in favour of, oh, brown and grey, how fucking surprising. Is there a word for being afraid of colour? Like colourphobia? If so, i think it's more common than arachnaphobia based on this console generation and these simply stupid addendums to Blizzard's art direction. I'm glad Blizzard knows, rightly, when to ignore the loud minority.

Go play World of Warcraft and notice how vibrant the colors are. Take a gander at Warcraft II and notice how vibrant the colors are. Revisit Diablo II and notice how vibrant the colors are. Look at Starcraft and notice how vibrant the colors are. Anyone complaining about the previews of Diable III is a moron.

If I were to read the minds of the people whining about this, I am sure it would go something like...

"ZOMG! The lack of color makes me feel all gothly and emo! I like feeling that way when I play video games. It makes my e-penis grow larger! Color is for pussies and is also gay. I don't want to come across as being gay to my peers (even though I really am) so I am going to protest to Blizzard to change their color scheme to something that makes my e-peen grow!"

While I dont like the washed out, single tone colors used in so many console games today. It's hard not to say Blizzard is making all of their newer games look like WoW. I've been a fan of Blizzard through every single one of their releases since Warcraft 2. Out of their 3 franchises, warcraft has had a "cartoony" feel from the start so their art direction with that series makes sense. However, Diablo and Starcraft? Come on... Yeah the gameplay for all 3 are vastly different but make them look different too!

I cant believe everyone is siding with the developers on this one. Given blizzard's resume, it seems the popular notion is anyone who works for them can do no wrong. Am i the only here who thinks the fan art depictions look much better? (especially the necromancer vs wow gayness one) And the developers gets to make the calls, yeah sure, but his responses to some of those fan art depictions seem like BS to me. And NO, Diablo 1, Diablo 2 and Starcraft has no where near the bright cartoony colors that their new games now have.

"My favorite [criticism] is the one that analyzed the light refraction angle, and told us why from that angle seeing a rainbow would actually be impossible. Oh yeah, and it was upside down because the colors were reversed. And we’re like, “This is a whole different world than ours! Who’s to say that light refracts the same in the Diablo world?” [laughs]"
Bravo!

"Oh, and shocking spoiler alert: Fan art does not change his mind."

Thank goodness for that. If they made the game gray, brown, and dark again, everyone but a small handful of die-hards would say it was the same old thing again. Not that the gameplay looks much different from older titles, but at least now we can rest at ease that the stylish new graphics will remain in place.

I just don’t see any real significant difference between the fan art and the screen shot. Swapping grey for brown does not make something darker or more gothic.
Everyone who signed that stupid petition will buy the game no matter what. If they cared enough to sign it then they are kidding themselves if they think they won’t buy the game. I have been waiting a long time to wear out my mouse again. I can’t wait for Diablo 3.

If it looks good and plays great, count me in regardless.

It looks like they just put a dirt filter over the camera to reproduce the appearance of a shitty 640x480 resolution screen.

I'll pass.

Why do people keep saying "the same darks and greys?" Diablo was never grey and the "petition" had nothing to do with grey. It had everything to do with contrast. Diablo was always colorful but satanic. Evil. Not pastel. Not World of Warcraft-esque and not grey. Creepily dark...not "i could sniper you from a far" light.
Diablo 1's art style = A+ (gothic, consistant, the darkness worked with the game's tone and the in your face never know if somethings gonna pop-up-at-ya gameplay)
Diablo 2's art style = C (got extremely sloppy with the forest levels and desert. Was all over the place. Level design was sloppy and sometimes frustrating)
Diablo 3's art style = D- (the name of the game is el diablo...that's spanish for the diablo. Rainbows need not apply.)

It's fine with me, after all, Blizzard knows what they're doing.

I find it sad the developer can't at least admit a lot of the fan art does look more appealing. As far as the art making the game unplayable, that's just absurd. The only game I have ever played where the darkness of the art has rendered a game unplayable was the first Extreme G game. That game was dark and VERY fast. A dark very slow game, I'm sure I can make out what's what.

To the whiners:
If you think you can produce a better game, then STFU and do it.

I love how people only focus on the tombs and catacombs in reference to the dark and grittiness of the game. Sure they could work to polish the textures and add more detail, but introducing color isn't such a bad thing. Most of the outside of act 2 was yellow, most of the outside of act 3 was green, and several parts in act 5 were blue. It worked fine there.

There's gonna be varied landscapes, and making their color true-to-life is a step in the right direction. The game looks beautiful from what we've seen, and I'm looking forward to seeing more.

What was it about the original Diablo's art style that has everyone so up in arms? It was hideous. Studies show that the new stylized take looks a thousand times better.

Ok, I have to be honest. I was totally laughing at the whole petition and whining thing, but looking over the screen shots on the MTV link, I think that the petitioners may just be onto something.

The re-worked screenshots are not just covered with a dirty coffee filter. The color still remains, for sure; it's mainly the contrasts and shadows that have been darkened and deepened.

In all 3 cases, I do like the touched-up screens better. I think that they better fit the Diablo theme.

I never thought that I'd be saying this. huh.