[color:"orange"]Divine Divinity pretty much takes Diablo 2's positives and highs then works off of them into something better. I consider Divine Divinity to be better than Diablo 2.[/color]
Agreed, on both counts.
[color:"orange"]The style of gameplay that Larian has made their RPG's has been more Action RPG than anything else.[/color]
I tend to think of action RPGs as just action games with RPG style leveling and stats, devoid of any serious plot and at best having straight combat and FedEx quests. A real RPG (say DD, or PS:T) may have a similar combat system, but there is a plot, non-combat quests and (ideally) multiple ways to approach various problems.
[color:"orange"]over and over again in every 3d MMO, Action RPG, this year.[/color]
That problem is more with the genre of game, though, not the choice of 2D vs 3D.
What I know of quest design in MMO games is one of the reasons I have never played one. I tend not to look at action RPGs unless there is something different about it or I see a favourable mention from a trusted source.
[color:"orange"]I'm hoping they stick to their roots in gameplay, setting, and story.[/color]
The Larians have not said much about gameplay, but from the ending of BD I would assume DD2 will be back in some of the same settings as DD and continue its story. There has been some discussion of
moral dilemmas, so the plot should be a main focus in the game, with the player's choices having an impact beyond a particular quest, etc.
[color:"orange"]A couple of games have had really mellow combat systems being Neverwinter Nights 2, Neverwinter Nights, ect., but those are D&D based games, which are much less intense than a hack n slash.[/color]
When I use the phrase 'hack and slash' I am generally referring to straight combat (or sometimes a game consisting of just combat), rather than a particular type of combat system. As far as that goes I'm not too particular, as long as the game as a whole is fun or interesting. That said, intense is better than mellow, as long as there is some kind of strategic element to combat (fast paced doesn't necessarily make it better).
The Larians started a discussion about what we would like for a combat system (mentioning that it would be best if the same controls would work for combat in flight, since at some point our character(s) will be able to transform into a dragon). However, they did not reveal anything about what they intended / decided.
