Preview of Diablo II Character Expansion Set : Neriman Martial Artists
I was recently invited by Blizzard Entertainment(R) executives to review
a new expansion set in the works. Here's a preview of what's in store
for Diablo II lovers.
In the Diablo II Character Expansion Set : Neriman Martial Artists,
Diablo II owners will be able to take the new characters through both
the original Diablo II gameplay against Diablo, as well as the Diablo II
Expansion Set, against Baal.
The Character Expansion set adds a number of new characters to the
Diablo II world.
The new characters include:
- The Pigtailed martial Artist
Clueless, tactless but infinitely gifted in the Martial Arts, the
Pigtailed Martial Artist is the most well-rounded character. Equally
adept at hand-to-hand as well as the mega-damaging ki blasts, this
character excels at pummeling and disintegrating its enemies into
itty bitty pieces.
Rumour has it that this character can change into a red-headed busty
teenager during the rain, with more agility and speed, but decreased
strength and endurance. It also has a tendency of putting its foot
into its mouth when talking to Non-Player characters.
- The Old Ghoul
This character is still in the works, so not much can be said about
her. One beta-tester did mention that "this character hops around on
a cane and is a ki and shiatsu pressure point expert." Look forward
to using the 3000 year-old Amazon secret "Cat Splitting Hairs"
technique and the amazing "Shark fist"
- The crazy martial Gymnast
Also in development, this character is able to paralyze her foes with
her maniacal "HOHOHOHOHOHOHO" laugh, this character excels at
specialized long range weapons as well as short range poison
black-rose bouquets.
- The purple-haired Chinese Amazon
I found this character rather irritating, talking in pidgin Japanese
and bouncing around like a air-head. However, she is a very competent
martial artist, using her trademark bon-bori, sword and spear with
equal skill. A lack of ki attacks makes this character a little weak
in long range combat, so stock up on those magic bows and crossbows.
The developers have also added a morph capability to this character,
changing her to a cat when it rains, which plays havok with the
Pigtailed Martial Artist in multiplayer mode and effectively reduces
her offensive and defensize capability (read Sure Death) against
Uniques and major enemies.
- The Chinese hidden-weapons blind Duck Boy
This character comes with a twist - 50% of its attacks will miss the
targeted enemy. This was explained by the game developers with "Well,
this guy is legally blind without his telescope-powered glasses, so
chances are he'll whack his team-mates instead of the enemy". A good
mix of long and short range attacks makes this character a decent
single player. Watch out for the "Fist of the White Swan" and the
ability to stock up on a LOT of weapons.
- The directionally challenged pig-boy
This character was given the curse of changing into a small cute pig
during rain-showers, making it extremely hard to play. However, the
developers have added a depleted uranium umbrella to its arsenal to
protect it from the rain when equipped, making its offensive short-
range pummel attacks incredibly effective.
It's long range offensive moves include the depression ki-blast and
the ability to throw its infinite ki-sharpened headbands with deadly
accuracy.
- The good-for-nothing lazy panda
I swear that this character loves nothing more than lounging around
in its cursed panda form, playing shogi and eating vast amounds of
food. But it's not a slouch in the combat arena, being able to apply
the Umi-sen-ken and Yama-sen-ken ki-based martial arts with
precision. Watch out for the occasional "Crouch of the Wounded Tiger"
when it's cornered and has little hitpoints left, as well as the
"Yes, I'll engage my son (the Pigtailed martial Artist, it seems) to
your daughter for that bowl of rice and two pickles" special
techniques.
Special characters, unlocked through completing of certain special
quests, include the air-headed, saccharine-laced Housewife, able to
charm any creature, including Diablo and Baal into self destructing.
Also back from the recent Resident Evil II tour, the TOFU uses its soy-
fist attacks to defeat all enemies. Blizzard Entertainment(R) plans to
award special gifts and attendence at the yearly tournament of Diablo II
TOFU champions league for people who can kill both Diablo and Baal with
this character without any healing or mana potions. As in REII, TOFU
cannot use weapons or armor and relies on TOFU-power to defeat its
enemies.
Even the cow-cheat level has been enhanced. The Neriman Martial Artist
expansion set will include three "cow levels":
The Blue Thunder Nightmare, where ki-enhanced kendo wanna-be samurai
attack the player incessantly, shouting their trademark "I fight on!",
"Knave, know ye face the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" and the rare
"Pigtailed girl! I shall date with thee!" (available only with one
specific player character). Minimal hitpoints (see Glass Jaw) coupled
with high regenerative abilities make these enemies an irritant rather
than a good challenge.
The Hentai Panty Thief Experience, where the player battles obscenely
powerful short old men who leave lingerie when they die. Each of these
enemies equal Diablo in power, making this level a major challenge.
Players under 18 are recommended not to play this level with a female
character due to the the extreme amount of violence after the enemy
performs its "Hugga-bunga Boobie Mash" special attack.
The Mallet-girl Monstrosity, available only to players using the
Pigtailed Martial Artist character. Screaming her trademark "Ranma no
Baka!", "Hentai!" and "Jerk!", this mallet-wielding tomboyish chick
spares no expense at flattening the player's character again and again.
She is also an expert at the "Mutant Food Special" long-range attack,
which effectively poisons a character to death.
These new characters are designed to interact with each other in the
multi-player modes, with some very interesting moves. For
example, almost all the male characters would attack the Pigtailed
Martial Artist at first sight, shouting "Prepare to Die!", while the
female characters (except for the Old Ghoul) would perform the Glomp-of-
Death(TM), ignoring the other male characters. Some interesting team
dynamics has been designed into this expansion set, and most players
will need some time to get used to the set's AI.
A new act called "Nerima, Tokyo" is being worked on for this expansion
set, where players prepare to stop the Seven Luck God Martial Artists,
subverted into evil by the shade of Baal after his destruction in the
Diablo II Expansion Set. Players will be able to travel around an enemy
infested suburb of Tokyo, Japan. Some special quests are being added to
this act, which will unlock the special characters mentioned above.
The Diablo II Character Expansion Set : Neriman Martial Artists is being
developed by the Blizzard Underground design team for
Windows(R)5/98/2000/NT and Macintosh formats. The expansion set will be
available at most computer and software retail chains worldwide, and
will also be offered directly from Blizzard at (800) 953-SNOW and
www.blizzard.com. No release date has been set, but the Blizzard
spokesperson I was partnered with did mumble "when the moon turns to
blue cheese"
Also in the works is the "Diablo II Character Expansion Set : Sailoon
Special", which features the flat-chested red-haired sorceress with her
insanely powerful dark magic attacks, the extremely-endowed maniacal
laughing white serpent sorceress, and the intelligence challenged master
swordsman with the Sword of Light(TM) amongst others.