The problem is the preference or bias carries the inference of superiority, and the years here have seen no shortage of players complaining about the “WoWification” of the game, Disney Villains, completely missing the point of Whimsyshire as a joke, ignoring the existing darkness/brutality within D3, and more. You may not be an egregious offender like others, but I will simply urge a bit more caution in future attempts and to actually take some time pointing out where D2 dropped the ball (and not Remaster) to present a more balanced outlook.
Otherwise, the problem with rendering a sufficient artistic critique is that you can’t just say you don’t like a work or prefer something else. This is something actual art students need to learn quickly in the classroom both to improve themselves and their peers. These processes are intended to accumulate per specific lesson. When I read the thread and see citations of movies or completely unrelated cartoons, those are topical red herrings whose productions don’t at all match with the creation of a video game and its shifting complexities.
Now, you can post a picture of a cathedral and say you like it, that you think it’s gothic, sufficiently medieval, or whatever praise. All that serves as is a point of reference, however, and no artist or team thereof is beholden to replicating such to the letter. And why should they here? Sanctuary is not Earth. When I razz on people who complain D3 isn’t dark enough, it’s because they’re selectively choosing a level of disbelief to settle at that disagrees with the vision of the creators and quite arguably reality itself. There is no reason for a place like the Fields of Misery, as an example, to be needlessly dark and devoid of color. Yet, if we were truly to embrace the cries for darkness people have made here in the past, not only would the sun not exist, but an impenetrable fog would have to hang over the area. In terms of narrative, I’d be compelled to ask why. And that’s where a lot tend to fail because lore/world building is further integral to the presentation of the environment. Nature, itself, is not gothic, as it’s a man-made concept, and the moment the game steps out of a church or whatever architectural high art, the more things like the local biome and culture/wealth of the locals comes into play.
Otherwise, I spoke my earlier concern for D4 because the pursuit of realism in games today carries with it that risk of uncanny valley effect. If Blizzard truly intends to chase that, they have more work cut out for them. Alternatively, they can deviate toward a more stylized look like they did with D3. Unfortunately, this is also where some will jump on the “cartoony” hate wagon without understanding why such a choice is even made.
When I see talk of wondering why elites glow in D3, I’ll simply counter, “Why were special mobs in D2 a different color than their native counterparts?” You might reply that it is to help differentiate them, to affirm their threat. So, where is the mechanical difference between this and D3 making mobs glow? There is none, and the intent is obviously for the player’s benefit. I could infer there are yet more ways to achieve distinction, but the methods D2 and D3 took were very likely the most efficient choices of the time and not to be perceived as some kind of creative sleight.
