I know MANY of you are waiting for your copy of Torchlight to unlock on your various service providers. As it is night time for the rest of you and you probably can’t sleep in anticipation, I have a bunch of updates for you today. I’ll give you the latest reviews and news first, then my latest batch of videos (about an hour’s worth of video in all) after the news. Enjoy!

First the News:

Review at DIYGamer.com:

Gameplay

Torchlight provides very solid gameplay as compared to similar games in it’s genre. In fact in controls exactly how’d you’d expect. In this case, Runic Games played the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” card and, to be honest, it works just as well today as it did 10 years ago.

In the beginning you’ll be able to choose from three classes. These three classes are exactly what you’d expect out of such a game. There’s the Destroyer (warrior), the Vanquisher (hunter/ranger) and the Alchemist (mage). Overall these three classes work pretty well, although I really only extensively tested the Alchemist. I’m a sucker for magic…

http://diygamer.com/2009/10/into-the-goblin-hole-torchlight-review/

Warcry’s Review:

The old saying that when a door closes, there’s an open window somewhere is applicable to Runic Games. Within months of Flagship closing, Baldree and Schaefer created Runic Games. The studio immediately began working on Torchlight, taking the best of what they had learned developing Mythos, Diablo and Fate and putting it to work. Now the time has come to see if dreams and redemption will come with Torchlight.

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/reviews/6696-Torchlight-Review-Reuniting-Action-RPG

Sol’s Review on Hellforge:

As I contemplated the possibilities and paused to make a note in my journal, I was suddenly surrounded by dozens of wild-eyed, angry rat men accompanied by giant spiders. Before they could close the gap to lunge at me with their prickly spears, I raised my staff and let loose a torrent of magic missiles that quickly sought out their own targets and sprayed the unlucky rodents into a bloody mist, sending caustic lumps of flesh in every direction. Hunter charged ahead after the archers before they could let loose their deadly arrows and made short work of them; an appalling end to these loathsome creatures.

Seeing its allies fall, one of the ratmen gave out a vicious snarl and charged blindly at me with its spear. I deftly avoided the attack, and swung my staff into the back of its skull. The impact made a sickening crunch. It was the last to fall, and the battle was over. The experience was exhilarating, to say the least.

http://hellforge.gameriot.com/blogs/Hellforge/Into-the-Depths-of-Torchlight

Erratic Gamer:

I’m not going to do a formal review of the game with a score or anything – I haven’t played it enough yet, and I’m not sure that assigning scores is something I ever want to do here – but I’ve played enough to feel comfortable saying that if this type of game interests you, it’s an easy buy.  The visual style of the game is fantastic, the random level designs are really good so far, the loot that drops is varied and fun to sort through, and the combat is some of the best I’ve seen in an action RPG.  The art and sound come together in combat to provide extremely satisfying feedback for everything you do; as your character grows in power you really feel it in every hit he delivers.  On the Normal difficulty level I’ve found the game to not be terribly difficult thus far, only getting into tight scrapes a few times, but two higher difficulty levels exist and there’s the traditional “Hardcore” (1 death, that’s it) mode for those who want them, so the game doesn’t have to be friendly if you don’t want it to be.

http://www.erraticgamer.com/blog/2009/10/25/a-few-words-about-torchlight.html

Back Hand of Justice:

Community focus

Although the dungeons in Torchlight are different for every game, they’re still created in the same style and the story remains static. A game like Neverwinter Nights, on the other hand, had legs because the community got involved. With the exception of MMOs, games rarely have a lifespan that can be measured in years unless the community works to introduce fresh content.

Runic is releasing the full Preditor toolset used to develop the game as a free download. The art style is simple enough that crafting innovative environments won’t be overly laborious. The user can iterate their own creations as the editor allows dynamic switching between designing and playing. In addition, Runic will continue to focus on the game as their plan is to expand it to a full MMO within 18 months.

http://www.backhandofjustice.com/games-i-want-torchlight/

Negative Gamer:

Second to the actual gameplay itself the most important part of any dungeon crawler is the loot. Which from my short playtime so far (around 5 hours) I can tell you there is plenty of. As with other dungeon crawlers a lot of the loot ends up being totally worthless, so it’s a good thing you can send your pet off to town to vacate your bags. Otherwise half of my time so far would have been spent ferrying things back to sell in town rather than getting stuck into the combat

http://negativegamer.com/2009/10/26/hands-on-preview-torchlight/

My Extra Life:

This game sheds much of what made Diablo feel, especially in later years, more like a chore. A great multiple choice death penalty system, the pet system, saving and continuing mechanic, etc…all of these things are big improvements to this now familiar genre. Did I mention the pet system? More on that later.

In Diablo, it took a considerable amount of time to ramp up and feel like a bad ass. Torchlight lets you hit the ground running with a full dose of badassery right off the bat. When people hear there are only three classes to choose from, they need to hold their tongue till they play. As it turns out, you have incredible creative freedom regarding how your character progresses, and most importantly, fights. Picture a level 10 magic user, duel-wielding, with a high powered pistol in one hand, an devastating ice throwing wand in the other, firing on all cylinders, all while you are throwing fireballs down the hallway with an Imp & and mechanical golem at your side. Did I mention the pets? It’s coming.

http://www.myextralife.com/sitenews/ive-been-playing-torchlight-and-i-think-i-might-be-in-love/

If you want some information on the music, check out this piece at Original Sound Version:

“Title” seems like an appropriate place to start. It opens with the ominous sounds of distant percussion, arid wind, creepy bell progressions, and a killer crescendo that explodes into a flurry of sound. While classical at its roots, the track retains the dark atmosphere that Uelmen has come to be known for, providing a great introduction to the world of Torchlight.

This is immediately followed by the best track in the game, “Torchlight,” which is the town theme. For those who were wondering how Matt Uelmen would follow his iconic “Tristram” after departing from Blizzard Entertainment, “Torchlight” is your answer. It works in several guitars, including the familiar sound of a 12-string, and sounds strikingly similar in “sound” to what he created for the Diablo series, but differentiates itself with its more romantic approach and Spanish guitar stylings. I’m not going to say that this track will necessarily supplant “Tristram,” but it’s definitely an amazing piece of work.

http://www.originalsoundversion.com/?p=5364

Enough of Reviews! You want to see some gameplay while you are waiting for your game to unlock? Click below to see the rest of this post!

There is a nice video up at Framerated. You can check it out here:

http://www.framerated.com/gameplay.aspx?vid=258

Giant Bomb also has a video:

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-torchlight/17-1551/

And now what you’ve REALLY been waiting for… about an hour of me playing the Destroyer and the Alchemist!

Now for the Alchemist stuff:

Be kind… I suck at glass cannon builds!

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