GameHounds Episode 23: Diablo Esta Vivo

Everyday is like Sunday…

Actually, I take that back. Only Sundays have new GameHounds episodes.

This week Edie and Hawkes discuss the surprising amount of news in the gaming industry. Surprising because, with E3 mere days away, this time of the year usually doesn’t have even a thimble-full of decent stuff to talk about.

This year would have been the same, but for one thing: Blizzard dropped the bomb that we’ve all been waiting for since oh, a deacade.

Topics and link after the jump…

This week, Edie and Hawkes discuss:

• Blizzard announced Diablo 3 this weekend in Paris, and includes a really amazing amount of gameplay demo footage. This is what millions of World of Warcraft subscribers paid for.
• Microsoft streamlines how you transfer your DRMed games and other paid-for downloads from one Xbox to another. However, Hawkes says it’s not all butterflies and bubblegum. In fact, it’s actually pretty awful.
• Leaked newspaper ads portend a signficiant price drop for the Xbox Premium to $299 after July 13. What about the other SKUs?
• Despite emphatic claims that it’s still going to persue in-house game development, LucasArts cuts a significant amount of key staff who worked on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Some of them have been at the company since the Tim Shaffer days (aka: When Lucas Arts was good). Now who will make SW:TFU II?
• Screenshots of Xbox rumored avatars in a “Playstation Home-like” environment. Oh, would that be a throwdown for Sony or what?
• EGM columnist suggests that Microsoft is considering allowing third-party manufacturers to produce Xbox drives. Think about this: A combination HDR/Blu-Ray/Cable tuner/answering machine/turnip twaddler/pasta maker/kareoke machine. With Bluetooth? I hear angles singing.
• Speedround: Hawkes’ E3 predictions — in 30 seconds, no less.

Enjoy