Torchlight Lighting a Path to Consoles?

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Torchlight Lighting a Path to Consoles?



Runic's excellent Diablo clone Torchlight [http://www.amazon.com/Encore-15980-Torchlight/dp/B001B5U80K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278970301&sr=1-1] may be on its way to a console near you, if the developers have their way.

In case you were off the internet last fall, Runic Games' action-RPG-dungeon-crawler Torchlight was a really, really good game [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/6697-Review-Torchlight] and one of the best ways to pass the long time until the release of Diablo III. Whereas Blizzard has admitted that it has vaguely considered porting D3 to consoles, though, the team at Runic is gung-ho about making it happen.

"We're going to put some serious effort into it - pretty quick - getting Torchlight onto consoles," Runic Games CEO Max Schaefer told The Rumble Pack [http://www.therumblepack.com/2010/03/10/episode-128-mutating-monkeys/]. "There's a lot of really cool things about the console world, too, that would work well with our game."

The sentiment is certainly appreciated, as is the idea of a larger console audience getting to experience the loot-driven pure that is Torchlight. More people getting to experience an awesome game - what's bad about that? But it isn't like there aren't difficulties with the idea: Torchlight, like Diablo, is very heavily based around rapid-fire clicking with the mouse to attack, use abilities, and pick up all the loot the drops. It's not impossible to imagine that the system could be adapted to consoles, but controllers are just inherently less precise than computer mice for that sort of thing.

Still, if Runic pulls it off, it might encourage Blizzard to do the same for Diablo III. And wouldn't that be awesome? Unlike RTS games, ARPGs are one of the primarily-PC genres that could potentially be viable on consoles.

(Via MTV Multiplayer [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/03/11/torchlight-looking-for-a-way-onto-consoles/])

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uppitycracker

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Oct 9, 2008
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This'll make it feel much more like champions of norrath/baldurs gate (console version) than diablo. doesn't mean it's a bad thing tho!


if only they'd add some multiplayer support....
 

Onyx Oblivion

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
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It's so nice, I'd gladly buy it twice!

Hell, some people said that Sacred 2 was better with a controller.
 

StriderShinryu

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Dec 8, 2009
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Throw it on Live and I'd buy it.

I was one of the few who played the Diablo PSX port and it was great fun, until you realized just how much space it took up for a single save (that's 10 out of 15 blocks for those wondering).
 

Hippobatman

Resident Mario sprite
Jun 18, 2008
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Yeah, I could see this happen, though my worries lie withing the skill utilizing area. I mean how you'd hotkey your abilities. Because pausing the game to rearrange control maps might be a bit on the immersion braking side of things.

Other than that, happy times!
 

MurderousToaster

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Aug 9, 2008
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I love these games. Personally, if they get onto consoles that's awesome, but I'll probably just play them on the PC. I dunno, I just prefer RPGs on the PC.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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The DSM said:
So instead of getting RSI clicking I get RSI pressing A?

Yey?
Exactly! And what better way to get it! God knows I am getting it in my finger from FF13...lol.

Im all up for this though! Sounds like a good idea!
 

Enigmers

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Dec 14, 2008
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If Torchlight or a similar game would come out for the XBox 360, I would gladly buy it. (I already have it on the PC, but still.)

That goes doubly so if there is local multiplayer.
 

SenseOfTumour

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Jul 11, 2008
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as for looting, just assign one button to 'grab everything that's not nailed down' and problem solved :D

I imagine you could assign 3 or 4 abilities to face buttons, then have triggers and bumpers opening radial menus to access lesser used skills.
 

Valiance

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Jan 14, 2009
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Great idea!

Add local offline multiplayer as well.

I think they could have a skill wheel like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. I think it'd work fine, I mean, the game basically begs to be put on a console!
 

squid5580

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Feb 20, 2008
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Onyx Oblivion said:
It's so nice, I'd gladly buy it twice!

Hell, some people said that Sacred 2 was better with a controller.
I am one of those people. I tried the demo for the PC and didn't find it near as entertaining as the 360 version.

I also found the PS1 version of Diablo more fun than the PC version (even if the PC version looked better). I find that pointing and clicking isn't as much fun as it is doing the same actions with a controller. It feels like it takes more skill that using a mouse.
 

Weaver

Overcaffeinated
Apr 28, 2008
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They would REALLY need to overhaul the loot mechanics to get it working on the consoles but it's not impossible per-say.
 

Hiphophippo

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Nov 5, 2009
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StriderShinryu said:
Throw it on Live and I'd buy it.

I was one of the few who played the Diablo PSX port and it was great fun, until you realized just how much space it took up for a single save (that's 10 out of 15 blocks for those wondering).
Yea, that was ridiculous. I'd forgotten the exact amount but I remember it being damn near an entire card. Still, great coop fun was had with it.

Concerning Torchlight on a console, great! Why not? Hell, it'd probably even end up on the psn or live arcade for 15 to 20 bucks...instantly making it probably the best game each service has.
 

pantsoffdanceoff

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Jun 14, 2008
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Cool, I got it for PC so I don't see why I would buy it again but it's a definite buy for those who couldn't get it the first time around.
 

Scrythe

Premium Gasoline
Jun 23, 2009
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Doesn't surprise me considering almost every indie game that crops up on Steam ends up on PSN, XBLA or both.