Man, I totally forgot that there was a time in gaming history where a cinematic was a big deal and a reward in and of itself for progressing through the game.
And how it made us feel! i remember see W3 cinematic and going nuts, i NEEDED to play that game. It was fantasy caming to life....I guess as became more and more common our brain just get used to it, and lose it's novet.
YES, even in Diablo the cinematic with the raven eating the eyeball, Diablo II, etc... is mainly why I purchased the games. If it was a Blizzard product, back then, I purchased it just for the Cinematic, and the music. The game was normally great too so a complete win.
Tyrael's model is glorious. Diablo had the best design for it's angels. Faceless human figures clad in shining armors of gold and steel with wings of light. Holy cow as a kid I loved it, nowadays not many games or media depicts them as such.
The design of Tyrael in the original D2 and of angels in general was certainly great. The original Tyrael seemed more tall and slender than the bulky Tyrael of D2 resurrected. That, and if you look closely at their wings in the original they are undulating slowly from right to left kind of like seaweed underwater in a current. Now they just kind of flap back and forth which is less original.
the thing I love most about the design is how alien it is. the wings look like tendrils of light, and are used much more like the tentacles of an octopus than actual wings. and the hood putting the entire "face" in shadow makes it seem like Tyrael and the others are actually putting on a show for the mortals, attempting to shield them from the disconcerting reality of what whatever their true form is like.
LMFAO that is hilarious. But I chalk that up to it all being in Marius's perspective. We didn't see it from his eyes, but rather externally as an outsider.
Yup I remember this. I first played this when I was 9 on PC and I guess my dad was too lazy to fully install it because I remember the game telling me to insert the cinematic disc or bypass at the start of every Act. I just bypassed until I replayed the game years later on my own computer
The old ones are simultaneously way better than I imagined and way worse. Some of the lighting and modeling is really nice, but the character animation is very late 90s. It's so janky it gives it a whole other level of charm for me
Crazy to believe that it’s 21 years old now… then again so am I (game came out a few months before I was born) Oh, The memories I had playing this game when I was 9 😮
I think a big part of the success of D2, was this storyline. It's absolutely crazy how 20 years ago, they made nearly 30 minutes of video footage like this. It might be more blurry, but in some scenes, it actually looked better.
Sometimes blurring things, reducing the details you can see, makes things seem all that more horrifying. I know I've played a few games where enemies were absolutely terrifying UNTIL I could see them clearly.
it's strange seeing them side-by-side. When I do, its like I recall the old ones being a lot higher quality than they actually are when I see them. I guess back at the time, the mind upgraded the quality and filled in the gaps.
I love how girls are even aware of Diablo 2 (call me sexist I don't care). Because it's like the rpg game made for weirdo geeks. Plus the cutscenes are just grotesque and horrific on a spiritual level if you imagine it as if you're Marius. And people casually talk about the game as if it's just a new song that released. I mean Diablo 2 is pretty fucked up for a game blizzard designed. The same company that made wow. I'm quite surprising actually.
it's called rose tinted glasses. although i am not happy at all with what they did to marius. he looks maddened with terror in the original, but his body gestures in the remastered version just make him look tired.
yes! marius doesn look serious and his face expression was showing , i dont care..... in ressurected version.... this was the takeaway i guess.... where else all others are good. Initially i dont like baal as his face is showing sad, but still acceptable.....i prefer it looks cunning & energetic in the old version....
@@snugglepuff7648 I think they were going for the carrying the soul stone has a took too many drugs effect on the poor sod carrying it. Well more drugs in Marius's case.
The only thing I really hate about the remastered cutscenes is how Marius' facial expressions were changed. In the originals his expressions and mannerisms actually matched his tone of voice and the inflections in it like when Baal revealed himself to Marius and he said "Baal... nooo, no no no noo" It just doesn't look right at all in the remastered.
Noticed in the first one where it was more ominous and more realistic in some parts than the eye candy remastered one. Just seemed to fit. I mean why did they have him go from naked legs to having a robe? The part with the wonky screen when the sun was on his eyes as he adjusted was more realistic in the non remastered too. edit: Look at @20:28 where he was just murdered yet in the remastered version there is no blood. KNOW WHY? China market.
@@generalawareness101 Please... many areas have blood on the ground and religious overtones are rampant. While the Chinese market is easy to blame, I doubt that was the case here.
@@amak1131 No, you are naive as the modern Blizzard, as so many gaming companies, make changes to even classic games for the Chinese market. Showing blood is a no-no in China and the CCP will tear you a new one if it sees. Even a picture from blizzard of a knife going into its enemy had to be changed with the knife being removed. Picture looked stupid. You really need to follow what the CCP does since they have a ton of clout/sway/pull in the entertainment business. Go look at the serpentza, or laowhy86 channels about this stuff. Any expat will tell and most of them had to flee China so are now much easier to get the truths.
@@kevingarubba1370 Yeah, some but not to the same extent is what I meant (so little I didn't even catch it). Funny thing is with the CCP they have even forced a change from a knife about to stab someone, and the company changed it to a spoon. CCP said that was fine. I guess the CCP never saw Robin Hood, lol.
22:29 a thing i noticed is that although the cinematics are meant to be the same or better. Baal in the original feels much more malicious while Baal from the resurrected is much more wrathful . not much but subtles body movements makes a big differences. the way one turns its body or smiles. its interesting to see the side by side comparison and see the body language of each . last thing... in the resurrected , baal blew up that guy... but in the original...baal splattered him all over the entrance !
Yeah that death looks way less satisfying in the remake. The two hot streams/lightnings move a lot faster in the original and it always felt like they overfilled him in the original. The new version feels much less gutteral.
Also skinny Baal in the original (which is more correct since Tal Rasha must not have been eating all that time) gives him a more sinister and demonic appearance
I feel like they captured it perfectly. The slight smile, they way he moves... they are nearly identical. IMO the resurrected cinematic captured him perfectly. I absolutely love it.
Search for Baal Cinematic , New cinematic might be visually detailed, but beside that older version is still a masterpiece considering it was made more than two decades ago. Baal's body language, gestures, little details on facial expressions, lips movement,the way he casts spell, skin on the jaw, neck and the way he leans back and forth is adding so much to character. (24:22) His neck prop have better animation and delay and feels like it has weight , the flags, banners, smoke etc are more lively and wind is perfect for the kind of scene when they charge towards screen at the end. Birds, snow in the air, dust etc all of that is missing in new one. It looks flat , and only the textures and models are more detailed. If you watch it from 24:35 without sound the visuals itself have so much chaos in old version and feels powerful. Feels like the animators were living the character they made. I think i said too much already...my love for Old Diablo is pouring out. I think i am gonna play it one more time.
@Enrique They're both great. Resurrected version can play way more with subtle facial animations than what they could properly do 20 years ago therefore he does not need to move as much to make the job done. And it does the job done really well
+10000 ty sir, well said!!! faces, they just fuked up. so much pain, suffering,horror in Maruis face, i literally feel his tiredness and emptyness ... and what they did? empty, detailed shell in remaster. and baal... i cant add nothing to what you have said!!
I prefer Tyrael's wings in the original due to the sort of ethereal wispy connection between each tendril that overall gives them the look of actual wings but other than that the remaster scenes look amazing.
yeah I wish they kept that in the remake, in the remake when the camera is pulled back far he kinda looks like a dandelion seed lol But I still like diablo's version of wings for him (tentacle-like instead of typical avian)
@@fufufuaru It's not often that you see tendrils rise up from the abyss behind a character who is crawling out of it... and they belong to the GOOD guy.
Lots of the original footage are better directed in terms of art. Tyrael was waaaay more glorious and had this strange blur around him, Baal was not as scary but his reactions were waaay more sarcastic which suited his character well. Marius himself seemed to suffer much more in the old videos. The new ones are just better in terms of graphics but not in terms of art direction.
The older version is like a Shakespearean performance compared to the HD version, making up for the lack of technical advancement with more believable expressions of emotion and mystery. It reminds me of older cinema movies that relied on good acting before CGI took over everything.
Agreed. Marius' body language when he realises that it's Baal is far more expressive in the original version than the remade one, where he seems more indifferent than truly broken. He moves like he's just failed an exam, rather than losing EVERYTHING and then some more.
I remember being a teenager and showing off the cinematics to my dad after first getting the game because it was "cutting edge tech" and being so impressed with how realistic it was. Since I've been playing D2R I keep going back to the legacy game just to see how much they changed. I've got to say I think I'm just as impressed today as I was 20 years ago. I seriously think this game will live forever. 20 years of people playing the legacy D2 now that's it's been refreshed it will go at least another 20. The craziest part to me is the fact that I would quit for years at a time and come back to it and bnet seemed just as lively as it did when I first started.
The new one looks amazing, but I'm a little disappointed because the characters seem so stiff especially Marius. In the old one Marius seemed a lot more deranged, and there was a clear difference between how the stone affected his age.
Spot on! You get it. The new Marius seems more like an actor playing the role of the old Marius, and he seems like he doesn't get it. Or was underpaid and is pissed.
Love Baal's fresh look but I prefer how he acts flamboyant and sarcastic in the old version, it brings out so much of his personality. Baal in the new cinematic seems a little more grounded.
the expressions of the characters in general are pretty flat in the new version. Diablo's transformation from man to demon (in act 3 and 4 cinematics) was also strangely way more horrific and gross in the OG cinematics. Still love D2R and generally pleased with the game, but the old cinematics had way more personality.
@@the-hermit-arcana Also the way Diablo walks toward the portal after transforming seem quite different, in the original he has a more straightened posture and seem to walk faster and more confidently.
The original cinematics still hit different imo. The directing was superb in those . Like Marius looked far more innocent in the original and you were almost forced to pity him. In the shot where Baal reveals himself being able to see his face constantly makes it way too obvious that he's a bad guy. Aaand Baal got his character removed in the act 5 cinematic.
I know they want to make the movements less forced, but some of the things they took out greatly impacted the message the original animators wanted to convey. For example, Bel waving his hands to stop his echoing voice, show that is one of his powers. The new animation doesn't really show that.
The simple things make a big difference. Marius in the original was so much more pitiful than in the new one. His bare legs thrashing around feebly trying to push himself away from the approaching demon conveyed a kind of helpless terror that is missing in the remaster.
I agree. Many small elements I think were done better in the old animations. I think a lot of things were more expressive in the old animations. Even the spiders movement in the beginning feel more like how a spider would move (Spiders generally do not stroll along. Either they sit still, move slowly, or more really fast, they tend not have a medium speed.) That is not to say that the new animations are bad. There quite good. But they could have been a bit better I think if they kept the more expensive style as well as worked on making some scenes a bit more readable. The old animations did get that a bit for free since you had less. And less is more sometimes. At least it tends to make thing more readable.
He did the "cut throat" gesture--so it's still pretty clear in that sense. IMO, the only thing really missing was the screen shaking from Diablo's walk in the Act 4 cinematic, as well as his more regal posture.
The original Baal seems really enjoy what's going on there and truly amused by toying with the Barbarian, while the resurrected Baal is mildly entertained and more like being there for his job as the Lord of Destruction and the mission he has to accomplish.
@@TheShmrsh New content would have been pushed back by veteran d2 players way worse than whatever you're spouting. Would I have enjoyed new content done well, sure. But you must not understand just how big of a tightrope that would be to walk across
Preferred how in original D2, Baal’s cinematic has a lot more motion coming from him. He gestures, he twists and turns, makes him feel far more terrifying with his charisma. Also I hate how they took out his little hand gesture when his echo goes on and on, I always thought that was hilarious. He’s just like: “Ah shit I over did it, one sec.”
exactly my thoughts. He was more Sleaky somehow and more charming (his face). New looks like old man with some fucking rash. I like the new version and the fact they did it. Just saying. Baal´s charm is little bit down
Agreed! The "acting" is actually better - more dramatic, grotesque and dark - in the originals! Integrating what made them chose to dail down on the drama and why they removed the dwarf-waiter in the intro scene... 🤔🤔🤔
While what they managed to make back in early 2000s was phenomenal, Resurrected is just a straight up upgrade to everything that made the original good
Why do they change the hand gestures of Baal, I love the way he stops the echo and his hand waving while saying "I shall take your position as consideration".
In the old games they used to give characters a lot of hand gestures and body language to cover for the fact that they couldn't really convey a lot of emotions with the faces. Maybe that's why
In the old version Tyrael was more mystical and majestic. His floating wings were longer, bigger and sparkled with golden color just like his body and armor.
@@7shelties The cutscenes are better but not Tyrael. Now he has lost his trascendency, his mystery, his wings look more like blue electrical discharges than spiritual golden long wings. In D3, Blizzard, humanizing him, they completely "killed". him.
Think it's the odd choice of colors. If they kept the old palette with the newer details it would've looked better. Maybe without the "Mouth of Sauron" ring though.
I think that the main problem with the Resurrected cinematics is the body language and the emotion behind it. If you look at Marius at 19:59, the original's Marius has a very constricted, very crept up arms, which shows Marius as not-so-confident individual. Someone who looks like he has something to hide and has been fleeing for long time. However, the Resurrected Marius has more open arms, which shows confidence. It feels kinda off when Marius has been someone who's been chased by both the demons and the angels for not destroying the soul stone for a long time only to have a very confident body language. I think this is the reason why the Resurrected feels lifeless despite having superior graphics.
Idk man. I think the floaty, weird character animation doesn't do much to cultivate a vibe that isn't just "awkward". Don't get me wrong. They're great for their time, I remember being blown away back in the early 2000's. That said, they've aged about as well as a carton of milk left out in the sun.
The Act V cinematics were my favorite, kinda disappointed they they took out some of the little thing from it. Baals little hand thing in the intro, and tyrael falling to his knees as the worldstone is exploding :(
@@attenberg I'm arguing that the skull route was more interesting and scary compared to the mummified face look. The old cgi also didn't help the mummified design.
The remake cinematics are great except the Act V open one. The “Search for Baal” in the original game has a better mood, Baal and the old man’s expression, the old man’s coat and Baal’s hand gestures... It is always one of the best of Blizzard’s cinematic of all time.
They took out the Carrions in the background too, which indicates that Baal's path were already littered with dead bodies and the he is in no mood to bargain.
I disagree. the old man looked like he was steeling himself for what he was about to say, and generally seemed like he didn't want to go out there. The original seemed more like he was just idling in space, moving because he wouldn't look as good sitting still.
In fact the origin expansion opening cinematic was the one I liked the least from all of the cinematics. Which I think was the best remake from all of the other remakes because they are so emotionless. Just fancy graphics details and effects. Just like any other new blizzard game (sc1 vs sc2 for an instance) which are missing the soul, basically of everything from environment through the characters to the graphics. Also if you compare Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 experience from the game play. Diablo 1 is absolutely crushing it with the escalating tension of the atmosphere and the feeling it delivers to the player... as it was meant to be in the first place as a trully horrifying experience form playing Diablo 1 as you are entering the deepest depths of hell to meet Diablo himself. Absolutely epic. It's sad that all the games nowadays as well as some movies (shining vs Dr. Sleep, which was great btw) are so focused on the effect instead of atmospehere. Guess its how it goes now....yea, that'll be it...I cut it here.
An improvement overall, particularly in the faces, fire and lighting! I have one nitpick: At 23:29 the old Baal seems to actively dismiss the echoes, showing the character's complete domination of reality. The new one's movement seems less like a conscious dismissal and more a random fidget.
I definitely liked Tyreal's wings better in the original ending cinematic. It gave me the sense that he is this grand cosmic entity that is far larger than his physical avatar can represent.
I know right! The distorted effect created by his wings, they couldn't recreate that in the remastered. Just shows this game really was created by unmatched geniuses, which is why it's still a very big thing even after 20+ years.
12:10 "he moved with demonic speed" ...I initially thought demonic speed was unnaturally fast, now I realized it was unnaturally slow... he was much slower than the original 😂
honestly, THIS sequence looked even in the Original ridiculous. The HD just makes it very clear. But "demonic" speed isnt even in the original one, its like the wanderer took many tiny steps in a row as fast as he could. If anything, the Blurr from the old makes this possibly that way, but even then you can clearly see his movements, but how his Shoulders and Body moves. Since i saw that scene (and over and over again) i was always wondering "where is this "demonic speed" that Marius is talking about?"
Let's be honest: The right side is okay, but nothing special for this time. But the left side is breathtaking, considering the possibilities of its time.
Honestly, set aside the quality of animations I like the original somehow more. As if it has more soul... like it's a real masterpiece and the other just a copy.
Marius looks way more insane and desperate in the old version, especially in the epilogue when he shows what the Stone did to him, the new cutscenes do look amazing tho
Given modern technology I think they did a terrible job. The remastered cinematics look like something a bunch of disney and dreamworks people came up with. I think the worst is that Marius does not look very faded by the stone at all in the remake and the scottish barbarian looks awful. The original had a lot of soul to it because it was likely made by passionate people who lacked tech. Art from adversity. Even Baal looks kinda meh.
Marius looked more mentally disturbed in the old version, which i think is the right approach. In the new version he look sane all the time, the eyes are too clear and i don't think it makes sense coz a sane person should never follow the wanderer.
@@suchen403 I mean he was high on drugs most likely suffering from PTSD, possibly a survivor of tristram then this wanderer comes along and the demons he unleashes kills everyone except you. Marius probably took that as a divine sign as well as likely being under a form of hypnosis. Marius was likely a very broken man who just had bad shit happen to him all the time and was looking for some higher purpose.
In the original Tal Rasha scene, it gave the impression that Marius was seeing an illusion of the original man. But in the new one, he is seeing a ghost trying to free itself from the body? I kind of preferred the illusion, since it better fit with what Marius has been going through so far.
Why would they think it's necessary to make the guy serving drinks not be a dwarf? Also Marius lacks so much character without all the fidgety anguish and tormented expression from the original.
I love all of the new animations - my only critique is at the end of Baals cinematic. In the old one, his army ran as fast as they could, once ball started laughing - they seemed so violent, bloodthirsty and ready to invade - but in the new one, they just kinda stand there, looking around for a bit and they start running like they are to tired to go for a jog - not nearly as intimidating
They wanted to impress realism, because they clearly have a fetichism with that so said: "Wait, act 5 monsters actually don't run, yeah, let's not make them run" and voilá. Magic gone.
I liked that you can see the battle standards(?) turn sideways in the original when all the demons start running through it. I feel like you don't get to see it as well in the remake
thats the Old Blizzard for you! before the downfall and corruption that plague it nowadays a game 21 years old, with a storyline worthy of a Tribology movie, the cinematic still decent by today's standard. Rest in peace, Old Blizz.
This isn’t the insulting mess of WC remastered, but I still greatly prefer the originals. Despite their age, I feel they still do a magnificent job of conveying character and tone. The remastered version losses some of the almost ineffable details that gave the original such depth. Marius and Baal seem far more like stock characters found in any number of games.
I can appreciate both the original and remastered versions. Both had different artistic visions. And compared to W3 : Reforged (or Refunded), DII : Resurrection's studio did a bang on amazing job! 10/10. You´d still excuse me for preferring the original cinematics. They had soul and charm the new cinematics were missing a bit. But hey, tiny nitpicking on an otherwise brilliant honouring of DII.
The level of cinematics that Blizzard puts out these days is already amazing, it's been years since i've seen their older cinematics and now i'm remembering that for their time, they are really mindblowing.
Я бы сказал, что новая студия пытаться повторить и не сломать. Но это невозможно ведь старые модельки и ограничения работали на для создания атмосферы. В ремастере не хватает эмоций. Но работа гиганская, и я рад что увидел обновлённые облики демонов.
Man, the new cinamatic is great and all but the new baal is kinda less charismatic now... I much prefer the old sassy baal, all those lively, cheeky gesture serve to enchance baal's sinister personality. Sigh I wonder why such drastic change even needed
The old cinematics had more charm, and I would venture an explanation for it: Technical limitations at the time forced them to be creative, have a better consideration for colours, angles etc. Case in point, this segment with the candles at 14:52. Clearly, the candles in the old version were there to occupy screen space and make it easier to animate, but it makes the viewer feel like they're seeing fromt the perspective of Marius, like someone small, afraid, and huddled to the ground.
When I was a kid this was the best game that was installed on my grandparents computer. Not sure how it got there, but I always played it after everyone went to sleep.
There is no doubt at all Marius was and will always be better in the original when it comes to his talk with 'Tyrael' in the asylum. He is constantly curled up with nervous ticks going off constantly unlike in resurrected where he just kinda half lays on the floor and the moment Baal touch the soulstone in the original the screams in the background crescendo and silence plus the fact that his face that he shows Marius is the face of Tal Rasha as Marius saw not just some evil face.
1:17 - 1:25 the new ones fail big time! In the original Marius subconsciously avoids eyes contact while having a conversation which is very important body language in cinematic work.
theres aspects that they really just dont get right; at times the grandiosity of the scene - 25:49 - you see Tyrael's Wings; you see the white energy strands but then the sheer force/heat mirage around them is gigantic. it really actually makes Tyrael look magnificent. the new one has these dull af octopus limbs flailing about with very little presence.
I agree with you there. The wings look a lot more etherial, which I like. It seemed like the greater the angel, the more extreme their wings are. So it was very fitting for that scene
I love the visual on new one, but for example Merius is depicted perfectly in old ones. His expression and everything is just perfect. He seems more sane to me in new one.
The only things I never understood about the cinematics were how Tyrael didn't completely murder Diablo in Tal Rasha's tomb (I'd get it if The Wanderer was strong and had a weapon, but he just kinda rolls a bit on the floor), and why the A5 barbarians put out the drawbridge for Baal to cross to the gate.
My headcanon is that Tyrael didn't want to release Diablo and have a direct confrontation, like Imperius did in D3. I think he was just trying to contain him.
@@Radial9Gaming only in a hyperbolic sarcastic comment way tho... which I’m not disagreeing lol... they bought them but there is an internal cinematics team at blizzard and they used to hardly ever send work outside. Blizzard is slow, messy and expensive and I bet vicarious doing this looked better than they expected and for less money thus putting more pressure on them from activision for being a useless money sink.
Why doesn't Mephisto's mouth move? And what happened to Diablo's walk making the camera to shake? I know you can do better! The act 1 and 2 remakes was flawless!
there is something about the old ones direction which I like better in almost all cases. some points of view, some effects (I like how the world stone splits in tiny pieces)
Bhaal’s gestures, and mannerisms were more terrifying in the original cinematic - the way he opens his eyes wide or smirks were much more intimidating. Also the way the flags went up in the original, you could tell he was trying to scare the barbarian, not just toy with him.
Lesson is that technology cannot replace good art direction and spirited animators. While the new cinematics are nice they lack focus and character. They do look better at average, the 3D models came a long way from 2000, but they don't have the same degree of expressiveness. I haven't played D2 in a long while and honestly don't feel a huge nostalgia for it. Just comparing the two versions here led me to the above conclusion.
Same. There is a lot gone in the new one. Those special shine around the wings tentacles what has not been there in before cinematics, indicating Tyrael is gathering all his might. Also those wavery fluidlike light planes between them. And I also noticed that they changed the shockwave from impact (indicating the shock the destruction sent through all realms/dimensions) to a light whirl.
Gonna be honest, I was discouraged by the first one with how they decided to completely fuck up and ignore the animations/movements that made Marrius look so crazy. They messed up 90% of the prison cell animations because of that. Why they chose that artistic direction to go against is beyond me, but the rest of the animations were really good. Some deviations from the original improved on it. Just no idea why they would depict Marrius as an emotionless, immobile, normal old man instead of the bat-shit crazy, neurotic mess he was in the originals.
I felt the same but I also dislike the fat Tyrael figure they have now. I also liked that he actually had no texture then just the blackest of black. Now he has kind of a armor around it. That looks way off to me..
The new animations are nice but when I got to the Baals cinematic in act 5 I strongly felt that there is huge part of his scary weirdnes missing. In the original his hand movements, facial expresions and that casting of spell felt like he could not be bothered to act as the most terrifying evil being and feels like at the same time he is holding his evil laughter in, seeing the human that dares to stand up to him. And yet his weird half assed casting of the spell and the "lazy" hand waving had huge effect on the banners and the human like he could wipe out anything with just simple wave of a finger. In the new one I dont feel terified of him cause its missing all of the above....
this takes me back when blizzard used to make masterpieces, now they are barely able to make a remake... things like this make the "live long enough to see yourself become the Villan" quote all the more powerful
Different team not related to Blizzard remade this game. Blizzard North did Diablo 2 back in the day. They actually split up because Blizzard the parent company wanted to absorb the studio into just Blizzard but they wanted to stay split because they didn't necessarily like Blizzard the main Headquarters. So team members started leaving so they shut down. Back on to topic, the people who did Tony Hawk 1+2 remade the game and the cinematics, Blizzard only supplied the original footage.
@@thedurtylemur2282 A quick correction to your statement: the Vicarious Studios team that was added to Blizzard was the team responsible of developing the remaster but the cinematics were done entirely by Blizzard's cinematic team
24:21 the fact the stain is still there as you enter Sescheron in D3 is a nice detail. the best thing about diablo 3 is the constant audio lore you get playing though filling in the rich details. sadly Blizzard no longer employ people who care about details just how it looks.
With all due respect to Resurrected team they couldn't quite match the cinematic quality of the original masterpiece. I could probably make a 2 hour-long video comparing both works scene by scene, frame by frame explaining how the new cinematics lose to the original in about every department: direction, lighting, camera angels, animation, character design and a number of minor details and artistic decisions that turned an outstanding cinematic experience into just an OK one. It's a sad trend with all of Blizz facelifting: they up the resolution but they down everything else
The worldstone exploding in the new one could have used a bit more of "bright rays of light shining forth from the cracks" effect and bigger explosion effect, considering it being corrupted and then annihilated by an arch angel's blessed sword.
24:53 My god I forgot how the chanting transitioned into agonized screaming at the end of this cinematic, signaling the start of the bloodshed. That gave me such _chills_ the first time I watched it. Good memories.
The new cutscenes have nicer models, but the surprisingly stiff animations ruin them. Mephisto's lipsyncing is nonexistent, Diablo's transformation looks less gruesome. Baal's gestures have less grace and make him look like he has to put way more effort into exploding that guy, which makes him seem less powerful than one would expect from Lord of Destruction. And when Tyrael holds Marius and calls him a fool, it looks like he's about to punch him. And all of this undermines the scenes as I cannot keep my face straight.
That was exactly what i thouthg: the trasmormation of Diablo was weaker than the original. And Baal's expressions show too much effort at the killing. In the original version Baal was even funny, some like the joker. Mephisto in the remastered is literally a skull face without lips and with an excelent pronunciation, that is not realistic at all. I get that they where trying to mane him scarier but . . .
@@tatosworld Yes, it seems like they completely missed the point. Making it more realistic does not immediatelly equal making it better. Sure in the original Diablo transformation the way his robe moves is wonky, but it gives you pretty good idea of what is happening underneath. Not to mention Marius himself has been butchered pretty badly. In the original he is not necessarily mad, but broken man, haunted by his past. And his movements and facial expressions are vital part of that, I was shocked to see how little emotion he shows in the remake.
@@KillerCelery Sure . . in the original versión, Marius expressions of fear were the key point of the story, and how besides of it, he kept following the wanderer. Also you have to look up to Diablo's new face, is like he has no personality at all. I played this game for the first time when i was just 11.
People seems to bash D2R cinematics so I'm going to do the opposite. The worldstone destruction on D2 looks alot like fiberglass breaking Mephisto lip syncing is terrible in D2 Marius looks like a molten clay in D2
Lighting and focus is a bit better in the old version, though character shapes are more realistic in the new, the details should be very similar but they are not (face of Marius, the dwarf doesn't look like a dwarf, Tal Rasha's and Aidan's face are too similar to each other, the grill in Marius's cell has been totally changed). Great job remastering it anyways!
I'd say they changed the dwarf to not be one for reasons of modernity. Not a surprise, but it doesn't affect anything. I rather like the new Tal'Rasha. Like the Wanderer, the corruption they were undergoing has a baseline look, with little details differing from their posessor. Absolutely agreed on Marius.
You’re kidding yourself if you think the lighting is better. The old one has nostalgic charm and not being photorealistic makes the old games cutscenes very expressive but the new one obviously outshines it in graphics. Including lighting. They are both good in there own way and everyone is just blinded by nostalgia.
@@BruceWayne-fj9bm Blinded by nostalgia? o.O This is a fantasy game, why lighting should be realistic in the cinematics to deviate from the original? (Plus Marius told he had dreams mixed with reality, soo...) Anyways if you want to remaster something, you are just making minor modifications to the original content.
You can tell they put a lot more love and care into the original than they did in the remake. The dramatic effects, the emotions in their faces, their movements and even landscape details were much more detailed to fit the narrative than the remake.
Tyrael's wings were better in the original but the Worldstone destruction is absolutely better in the new cinematic. The old Worldstone destruction looked like wood splinters, which is very weird.
It's a pity they haven't got Baal right. In original cinematic he looks like aesthetics snob, his mimics and moves of his hands are much more subtle, lighter, easier, like he's not even trying. That's his thing. They completely missed this detail.
For the most part, they did a great job. In the first cinematic I am sorry they didn't use a little person for the bartender, also the sword which is important in the original has a nice highlight on it, while in the new one it is blended with the background. And lastly, the lamp at the end throws a great shade while swimming in the old one while in the new one it has none of that at all.
The remastered versions of the cinematics are vastly different. Lots of details are completely missing and it changes the atmosphere. I wouldn't notice it if not displayed side by side and I wouldn't care, but comparing the two the original looks a lot better.
Agreed. As beautiful as the remade cinematics are, in several cases (especially so in the epilogue) it feels like the animations don't quite match the emotion in the voices
Baal looks ridiculous compared to the old one....the old one looks much more cunning and menacing and actually enjoying toying with the envoy. Now he looks more like a grumpy old grandpa, bothered by a persisting skin condition. Why did they change perfection?
While the image quality and digital models are (obviously) better in the remake, I find myself preferring a lot of things about the original. The angles and shot compositions felt more dynamic. The lighting had better contrast and clarity, making the scenes and images clearer. And the way Maleus and The Wanderer moved in the original, odd and jerky, made them feel more broken and mad than the smoother movement of the remake.
the new ones look great but all i learned from this is that what these people did in 2000 was a freaking miracle
They really shouldn't have killed off Blizard North :(
@@MyLittleMagneton All the members of the Blizzard north are still alive but they are divided
@@MyLittleMagneton They killed Blizzard North? Is murder legal in US?
@@ivanmilanov8386 only if you are rich and famous
the original ones have a lot more charm. just look at ball. they ruined him completely
Man, I totally forgot that there was a time in gaming history where a cinematic was a big deal and a reward in and of itself for progressing through the game.
And how it made us feel! i remember see W3 cinematic and going nuts, i NEEDED to play that game. It was fantasy caming to life....I guess as became more and more common our brain just get used to it, and lose it's novet.
I hated the cinematic sequences. Less chat more killin. Still feel the same way.
@@MsRafaelRGO best part
YES, even in Diablo the cinematic with the raven eating the eyeball, Diablo II, etc... is mainly why I purchased the games. If it was a Blizzard product, back then, I purchased it just for the Cinematic, and the music. The game was normally great too so a complete win.
@@JohnsysChannel Then you are a cretin from birth. The type that destroyed WOW, and all online games, for so many.
Tyrael's model is glorious.
Diablo had the best design for it's angels. Faceless human figures clad in shining armors of gold and steel with wings of light.
Holy cow as a kid I loved it, nowadays not many games or media depicts them as such.
I liked better the old model's "glassy" wings.
The design of Tyrael in the original D2 and of angels in general was certainly great. The original Tyrael seemed more tall and slender than the bulky Tyrael of D2 resurrected. That, and if you look closely at their wings in the original they are undulating slowly from right to left kind of like seaweed underwater in a current. Now they just kind of flap back and forth which is less original.
He's looks more closer to diablo 3 design
I never liked their 'hidden visage' archetypes. I prefer demons when it comes to that - at least they don't hide.
the thing I love most about the design is how alien it is. the wings look like tendrils of light, and are used much more like the tentacles of an octopus than actual wings. and the hood putting the entire "face" in shadow makes it seem like Tyrael and the others are actually putting on a show for the mortals, attempting to shield them from the disconcerting reality of what whatever their true form is like.
These cinematics are how Warcraft III: Reforged should’ve been.
Yeah...
We'll have to wait for Warcraft Rereforged
You mean warcraft: refunded
@@mr.redhands8390 naah we need a world of warcraft Shadowlands classic
@@mr.redhands8390 sure, couple decade later maybe...
glad to see that moving with "demonic speed" is still just a casual walk
lol
If you'd just walked hundreds of miles as an old-ass, opium addict then a casual walk is 100% demonic speed
LMFAO that is hilarious. But I chalk that up to it all being in Marius's perspective. We didn't see it from his eyes, but rather externally as an outsider.
That was pretty fast consider how long it takes to reach Tyreal on that bridge with 0% fms on walk. Diablo walked that bridge in less than 2 second.
I always thought it meant to walk and leave a fire trail behind.
In the games OG form, there was a separate entire CD for the cinematics.
This was why.
Absolutely incredible for what they had to work with.
That's why I don't remember hardly any of these....
What exactly is incredible about this???? Looks similar to most cinematic at the time
Ok couse i passed all the game but dont remember any cinematics, thats why , i only had one cd
Yup I remember this. I first played this when I was 9 on PC and I guess my dad was too lazy to fully install it because I remember the game telling me to insert the cinematic disc or bypass at the start of every Act. I just bypassed until I replayed the game years later on my own computer
The old ones are simultaneously way better than I imagined and way worse. Some of the lighting and modeling is really nice, but the character animation is very late 90s. It's so janky it gives it a whole other level of charm for me
Got to give mad respect to the original when you realize it is 21 years old.
It can finally drink!!!
Crazy to believe that it’s 21 years old now… then again so am I (game came out a few months before I was born) Oh, The memories I had playing this game when I was 9 😮
@@mevan3188 only in usa :D
got to give props to the new one for not just improving the quality but actually making it from the ground up
I think a big part of the success of D2, was this storyline. It's absolutely crazy how 20 years ago, they made nearly 30 minutes of video footage like this. It might be more blurry, but in some scenes, it actually looked better.
Sometimes blurring things, reducing the details you can see, makes things seem all that more horrifying. I know I've played a few games where enemies were absolutely terrifying UNTIL I could see them clearly.
@@leyrua Fear of the unknown yeah, the most primal fear of all I think. It's universal xD
some of the desert scenes on the original in particular look better. they’re closer up and it gives more realism to it
@@leyrua yes because it takes more imagination. Thats why brain is more "scared" :)
It's only blurry because of the different screen resolutions. Back then, we used to play D2 on 800x600 and 1025x768 resolutions
it's strange seeing them side-by-side. When I do, its like I recall the old ones being a lot higher quality than they actually are when I see them. I guess back at the time, the mind upgraded the quality and filled in the gaps.
True
probably it is because we used to have monitors with much smaller resolution, so on modern monitors it looks very blurry
When I saw the remastered cutscenes, I legit thought they were the old ones at first but I felt something wasn't right lol
I love how girls are even aware of Diablo 2 (call me sexist I don't care). Because it's like the rpg game made for weirdo geeks. Plus the cutscenes are just grotesque and horrific on a spiritual level if you imagine it as if you're Marius. And people casually talk about the game as if it's just a new song that released. I mean Diablo 2 is pretty fucked up for a game blizzard designed. The same company that made wow. I'm quite surprising actually.
it's called rose tinted glasses. although i am not happy at all with what they did to marius. he looks maddened with terror in the original, but his body gestures in the remastered version just make him look tired.
The original theybdid a good job at making Marius look high as fuck. Looks more sober in remake.
Was thinking the same thing.
Older graphics.
yes! marius doesn look serious and his face expression was showing , i dont care..... in ressurected version.... this was the takeaway i guess.... where else all others are good. Initially i dont like baal as his face is showing sad, but still acceptable.....i prefer it looks cunning & energetic in the old version....
I preferred the old Marius IMO. The remake one looks like someone's deranged and drunk uncle.
@@snugglepuff7648 I think they were going for the carrying the soul stone has a took too many drugs effect on the poor sod carrying it. Well more drugs in Marius's case.
The only thing I really hate about the remastered cutscenes is how Marius' facial expressions were changed. In the originals his expressions and mannerisms actually matched his tone of voice and the inflections in it like when Baal revealed himself to Marius and he said "Baal... nooo, no no no noo" It just doesn't look right at all in the remastered.
Noticed in the first one where it was more ominous and more realistic in some parts than the eye candy remastered one. Just seemed to fit. I mean why did they have him go from naked legs to having a robe? The part with the wonky screen when the sun was on his eyes as he adjusted was more realistic in the non remastered too. edit: Look at @20:28 where he was just murdered yet in the remastered version there is no blood. KNOW WHY? China market.
@@generalawareness101 Please... many areas have blood on the ground and religious overtones are rampant. While the Chinese market is easy to blame, I doubt that was the case here.
@@amak1131 No, you are naive as the modern Blizzard, as so many gaming companies, make changes to even classic games for the Chinese market. Showing blood is a no-no in China and the CCP will tear you a new one if it sees. Even a picture from blizzard of a knife going into its enemy had to be changed with the knife being removed. Picture looked stupid. You really need to follow what the CCP does since they have a ton of clout/sway/pull in the entertainment business. Go look at the serpentza, or laowhy86 channels about this stuff. Any expat will tell and most of them had to flee China so are now much easier to get the truths.
@@generalawareness101 There's definitely blood on the ground @20:34
@@kevingarubba1370 Yeah, some but not to the same extent is what I meant (so little I didn't even catch it). Funny thing is with the CCP they have even forced a change from a knife about to stab someone, and the company changed it to a spoon. CCP said that was fine. I guess the CCP never saw Robin Hood, lol.
22:29 a thing i noticed is that although the cinematics are meant to be the same or better.
Baal in the original feels much more malicious while Baal from the resurrected is much more wrathful .
not much but subtles body movements makes a big differences. the way one turns its body or smiles.
its interesting to see the side by side comparison and see the body language of each .
last thing... in the resurrected , baal blew up that guy... but in the original...baal splattered him all over the entrance !
Yeah that death looks way less satisfying in the remake. The two hot streams/lightnings move a lot faster in the original and it always felt like they overfilled him in the original. The new version feels much less gutteral.
Also skinny Baal in the original (which is more correct since Tal Rasha must not have been eating all that time) gives him a more sinister and demonic appearance
@@javachipz I agree yeah, he has a very human face too for a demon lord, so it gives him a weird uncanny and conniving vibe.
I feel like they captured it perfectly. The slight smile, they way he moves... they are nearly identical. IMO the resurrected cinematic captured him perfectly. I absolutely love it.
My favorite part of the Remaster is they kept the late Frank Gorshin as the voice for Marius. The man was a brilliant actor and voice-over.
no match for a polish dubbing anyway ;D
I can't believe the original holds up SO well
Blizzard has always had amazing CGI cutscenes. Last cutscenes in Frozen Throne from 2003 still gives me goosebumps
@@darkjak224 Brood War had some amazing cinematics too. Art style and originality trumps technical prowess any day.
it does not hold up at all. It looks like a Simpsons episode.
@@akatsukicloak they're better than the new ones and there's not a single simpson episode that looks even close to this
@@LarryHazard Get yourself some glasses if you think that abysmal cgi is anywhere near modern ones
Search for Baal Cinematic ,
New cinematic might be visually detailed, but beside that older version is still a masterpiece considering it was made more than two decades ago.
Baal's body language, gestures, little details on facial expressions, lips movement,the way he casts spell, skin on the jaw, neck and the way he leans back and forth is adding so much to character. (24:22)
His neck prop have better animation and delay and feels like it has weight , the flags, banners, smoke etc are more lively and wind is perfect for the kind of scene when they charge towards screen at the end. Birds, snow in the air, dust etc all of that is missing in new one. It looks flat , and only the textures and models are more detailed. If you watch it from 24:35 without sound the visuals itself have so much chaos in old version and feels powerful. Feels like the animators were living the character they made.
I think i said too much already...my love for Old Diablo is pouring out. I think i am gonna play it one more time.
They showed more of his freakish head this way whereas in the new one he is a piece of wood.
Shame they left out his cheeky grin
@Enrique They're both great. Resurrected version can play way more with subtle facial animations than what they could properly do 20 years ago therefore he does not need to move as much to make the job done. And it does the job done really well
+10000 ty sir, well said!!! faces, they just fuked up. so much pain, suffering,horror in Maruis face, i literally feel his tiredness and emptyness ... and what they did? empty, detailed shell in remaster. and baal... i cant add nothing to what you have said!!
Agreed...the at the old cinematic Baal was much more expressive, even the hand sign to stop the echo in the new one is not much detailed.
I prefer Tyrael's wings in the original due to the sort of ethereal wispy connection between each tendril that overall gives them the look of actual wings but other than that the remaster scenes look amazing.
agreed. feels much more mythical and ethereal that way. new wings looks too watered down. more alien less angel
yeah I wish they kept that in the remake, in the remake when the camera is pulled back far he kinda looks like a dandelion seed lol But I still like diablo's version of wings for him (tentacle-like instead of typical avian)
@@fufufuaru It's not often that you see tendrils rise up from the abyss behind a character who is crawling out of it... and they belong to the GOOD guy.
@leyrua I also.the love the way they close around and point at Diablo I'm unison. They didn't do that at all in the remake
I was thinking the same thing. And a lot of the cool ethereal multicolored lighting is gone too which i loved about old fmv’s.
Lots of the original footage are better directed in terms of art. Tyrael was waaaay more glorious and had this strange blur around him, Baal was not as scary but his reactions were waaay more sarcastic which suited his character well.
Marius himself seemed to suffer much more in the old videos. The new ones are just better in terms of graphics but not in terms of art direction.
Blizzard is a B company
The older version is like a Shakespearean performance compared to the HD version, making up for the lack of technical advancement with more believable expressions of emotion and mystery. It reminds me of older cinema movies that relied on good acting before CGI took over everything.
Agreed. Marius' body language when he realises that it's Baal is far more expressive in the original version than the remade one, where he seems more indifferent than truly broken. He moves like he's just failed an exam, rather than losing EVERYTHING and then some more.
Agreed especially on the tyreal bit.
I remember being a teenager and showing off the cinematics to my dad after first getting the game because it was "cutting edge tech" and being so impressed with how realistic it was. Since I've been playing D2R I keep going back to the legacy game just to see how much they changed. I've got to say I think I'm just as impressed today as I was 20 years ago. I seriously think this game will live forever. 20 years of people playing the legacy D2 now that's it's been refreshed it will go at least another 20. The craziest part to me is the fact that I would quit for years at a time and come back to it and bnet seemed just as lively as it did when I first started.
Should show him the remastered version as well
I had the same thought. I was 14 in 2000, completely addicted for a year. Now 36 and hooked again. Can I pre order the 2044 remaster?
The new one looks amazing, but I'm a little disappointed because the characters seem so stiff especially Marius. In the old one Marius seemed a lot more deranged, and there was a clear difference between how the stone affected his age.
Spot on! You get it.
The new Marius seems more like an actor playing the role of the old Marius, and he seems like he doesn't get it.
Or was underpaid and is pissed.
Agree! Definitely prefer the original Marius's "acting".
"Look what the stone did to me!" but you look exactly the same?
@@rodrigopetunio lol
@@rodrigopetunio You realize he's talking about his mental state in that quote right?
Love Baal's fresh look but I prefer how he acts flamboyant and sarcastic in the old version, it brings out so much of his personality. Baal in the new cinematic seems a little more grounded.
The colors and lighting in the old version are so much better too
I agree ,the new Baal is not as good as the old one but Mafisto on the other hand is miles ahead.
the expressions of the characters in general are pretty flat in the new version. Diablo's transformation from man to demon (in act 3 and 4 cinematics) was also strangely way more horrific and gross in the OG cinematics.
Still love D2R and generally pleased with the game, but the old cinematics had way more personality.
@@the-hermit-arcana Also the way Diablo walks toward the portal after transforming seem quite different, in the original he has a more straightened posture and seem to walk faster and more confidently.
I probably would be pretty damn grounded if my two brothers were killed.
The original cinematics still hit different imo. The directing was superb in those . Like Marius looked far more innocent in the original and you were almost forced to pity him. In the shot where Baal reveals himself being able to see his face constantly makes it way too obvious that he's a bad guy. Aaand Baal got his character removed in the act 5 cinematic.
I know they want to make the movements less forced, but some of the things they took out greatly impacted the message the original animators wanted to convey. For example, Bel waving his hands to stop his echoing voice, show that is one of his powers. The new animation doesn't really show that.
The simple things make a big difference. Marius in the original was so much more pitiful than in the new one. His bare legs thrashing around feebly trying to push himself away from the approaching demon conveyed a kind of helpless terror that is missing in the remaster.
I agree. Many small elements I think were done better in the old animations. I think a lot of things were more expressive in the old animations. Even the spiders movement in the beginning feel more like how a spider would move (Spiders generally do not stroll along. Either they sit still, move slowly, or more really fast, they tend not have a medium speed.)
That is not to say that the new animations are bad. There quite good. But they could have been a bit better I think if they kept the more expensive style as well as worked on making some scenes a bit more readable. The old animations did get that a bit for free since you had less. And less is more sometimes. At least it tends to make thing more readable.
He did the "cut throat" gesture--so it's still pretty clear in that sense.
IMO, the only thing really missing was the screen shaking from Diablo's walk in the Act 4 cinematic, as well as his more regal posture.
Looks good but I prefer the old Ba'al facial changes as he looked much more arrogant and cunning.
The original Baal seems really enjoy what's going on there and truly amused by toying with the Barbarian, while the resurrected Baal is mildly entertained and more like being there for his job as the Lord of Destruction and the mission he has to accomplish.
yes, old Baal was creepy
As the whole game done as just a job, no soul in new content whatsoever, this is terrible useelss remaster
@@TheShmrsh WC3Refunded wishes it had a fraction of D2R got.
@@TheShmrsh New content would have been pushed back by veteran d2 players way worse than whatever you're spouting.
Would I have enjoyed new content done well, sure. But you must not understand just how big of a tightrope that would be to walk across
@@FAYcampers i mean not new levels or quests but new drawings and models , also effects are very poorly done
Preferred how in original D2, Baal’s cinematic has a lot more motion coming from him. He gestures, he twists and turns, makes him feel far more terrifying with his charisma.
Also I hate how they took out his little hand gesture when his echo goes on and on, I always thought that was hilarious.
He’s just like: “Ah shit I over did it, one sec.”
Also the Barbarian Elder was walking like a human being, not like a well a human being but with limp and bad internet so he lagged every third step.
@@ammejan2157 the barbarians has sent their best accountant unfortunately.
Exactly! Exactly that. I love that gesture!
exactly my thoughts. He was more Sleaky somehow and more charming (his face). New looks like old man with some fucking rash. I like the new version and the fact they did it. Just saying. Baal´s charm is little bit down
It looks cheesier. New one is less cringey and more realistic.
I like the old one better , more insane , more weird and distorted. The angel rays are also distorting normal vision and we can't see clear.
Agreed! The "acting" is actually better - more dramatic, grotesque and dark - in the originals! Integrating what made them chose to dail down on the drama and why they removed the dwarf-waiter in the intro scene... 🤔🤔🤔
While what they managed to make back in early 2000s was phenomenal, Resurrected is just a straight up upgrade to everything that made the original good
Why do they change the hand gestures of Baal, I love the way he stops the echo and his hand waving while saying "I shall take your position as consideration".
Because the animators for the old one had passion. I can't blame the new ones tho, because it is after all someone elses old game they are making.
The new hand gestures are so lame, almost reminds me of those old dubbed kung fu movies from the 70s.
@@ezg8448 true man, the new hand gestures are a little too much
In the old games they used to give characters a lot of hand gestures and body language to cover for the fact that they couldn't really convey a lot of emotions with the faces. Maybe that's why
In the old version Tyrael was more mystical and majestic. His floating wings were longer, bigger and sparkled with golden color just like his body and armor.
Overall I like the new ones better but I agree about Tyrael.
@@7shelties The cutscenes are better but not Tyrael. Now he has lost his trascendency, his mystery, his wings look more like blue electrical discharges than spiritual golden long wings. In D3, Blizzard, humanizing him, they completely "killed". him.
@Orc Peon In the original it seems like he's praying to a higher power, in the new one he's just chanting a spell.
They also seem to have lost that fluid effect around his wings and sword when he throws it, which you also see in Baal's spell.
The new ones look great but I gotta say, the old Baal looks a lot better. The new one just looks goofy.
Think it's the odd choice of colors. If they kept the old palette with the newer details it would've looked better. Maybe without the "Mouth of Sauron" ring though.
no
the new one looks way more disturbing
@@RZAJW Yeah, if you're terrified of clowns, I can totally see that.
@@dangercat8919 Lmao..he looks pretty hellish in both versions .
I think that the main problem with the Resurrected cinematics is the body language and the emotion behind it. If you look at Marius at 19:59, the original's Marius has a very constricted, very crept up arms, which shows Marius as not-so-confident individual. Someone who looks like he has something to hide and has been fleeing for long time. However, the Resurrected Marius has more open arms, which shows confidence. It feels kinda off when Marius has been someone who's been chased by both the demons and the angels for not destroying the soul stone for a long time only to have a very confident body language.
I think this is the reason why the Resurrected feels lifeless despite having superior graphics.
The reurrected ones look so good but the original encapsulate the emotions and the vibe much better.
Yes! The "acting" is more much more dramatic and kind of grotesque. Which suits the game well.
Idk man. I think the floaty, weird character animation doesn't do much to cultivate a vibe that isn't just "awkward". Don't get me wrong. They're great for their time, I remember being blown away back in the early 2000's. That said, they've aged about as well as a carton of milk left out in the sun.
The Act V cinematics were my favorite, kinda disappointed they they took out some of the little thing from it. Baals little hand thing in the intro, and tyrael falling to his knees as the worldstone is exploding :(
Huh, I never noticed him falling to his knees, but you're right!
@@RpTheHotrod The new cinematic creator hasn't probably noticed too ;D
They removed the nonsensical gesticulation because they added grimaces that express his character better - both would have been too much.
original Mephisto: a scary, brutal flesh monster
resurrected Mephisto: a flying, gesturing skeleton
The new version looked way better design wise imo. The old one had a lot of potato faces for the villain characters : /
@@falshion1837 Of course they didn't look as clean as today, but they changed his look completely. I think, that wasn't neccessary.
@@attenberg I'm arguing that the skull route was more interesting and scary compared to the mummified face look. The old cgi also didn't help the mummified design.
Mephisto looks terrifying now
With me it's like "oh man, who are my skeletons going to have to tank now?"
The remake cinematics are great except the Act V open one. The “Search for Baal” in the original game has a better mood, Baal and the old man’s expression, the old man’s coat and Baal’s hand gestures... It is always one of the best of Blizzard’s cinematic of all time.
Watch baal opening act in carbot animation channel..it's the most accurate version, lol
They took out the Carrions in the background too, which indicates that Baal's path were already littered with dead bodies and the he is in no mood to bargain.
I disagree. the old man looked like he was steeling himself for what he was about to say, and generally seemed like he didn't want to go out there. The original seemed more like he was just idling in space, moving because he wouldn't look as good sitting still.
In fact the origin expansion opening cinematic was the one I liked the least from all of the cinematics. Which I think was the best remake from all of the other remakes because they are so emotionless. Just fancy graphics details and effects. Just like any other new blizzard game (sc1 vs sc2 for an instance) which are missing the soul, basically of everything from environment through the characters to the graphics. Also if you compare Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 experience from the game play. Diablo 1 is absolutely crushing it with the escalating tension of the atmosphere and the feeling it delivers to the player... as it was meant to be in the first place as a trully horrifying experience form playing Diablo 1 as you are entering the deepest depths of hell to meet Diablo himself. Absolutely epic. It's sad that all the games nowadays as well as some movies (shining vs Dr. Sleep, which was great btw) are so focused on the effect instead of atmospehere. Guess its how it goes now....yea, that'll be it...I cut it here.
i just hate his new face, yuck
An improvement overall, particularly in the faces, fire and lighting! I have one nitpick: At 23:29 the old Baal seems to actively dismiss the echoes, showing the character's complete domination of reality. The new one's movement seems less like a conscious dismissal and more a random fidget.
Dunno whatcha talking about. Marius face looks like shit, the wanderer's face is exactly the same as Marius' face.
Nothing beats the original, its like falling in love for the first time.
I definitely liked Tyreal's wings better in the original ending cinematic. It gave me the sense that he is this grand cosmic entity that is far larger than his physical avatar can represent.
I know right! The distorted effect created by his wings, they couldn't recreate that in the remastered. Just shows this game really was created by unmatched geniuses, which is why it's still a very big thing even after 20+ years.
The original was gorgeous already, but damn, they really did a top tier job on this remaster.
For the first time, they done ALL PERFECT. Even the cinematics and they don‘t change the voices etc, I love it!
@@queenofwrath7823 Some remestered places in the game looks so colorful I don't like it
Adding more color isn't so bad, in my opinion.
What areas did you think were too grey/colorless?
@@IronToast Some places are dark it is suppose to be dark and realistic but they did more colorful with the colorful spells and sorroundings
Remake*
Althroughthe new one has new graphic but the old one has better quality in acting / animation / emotion
12:10 "he moved with demonic speed" ...I initially thought demonic speed was unnaturally fast, now I realized it was unnaturally slow... he was much slower than the original 😂
honestly, THIS sequence looked even in the Original ridiculous. The HD just makes it very clear. But "demonic" speed isnt even in the original one, its like the wanderer took many tiny steps in a row as fast as he could. If anything, the Blurr from the old makes this possibly that way, but even then you can clearly see his movements, but how his Shoulders and Body moves.
Since i saw that scene (and over and over again) i was always wondering "where is this "demonic speed" that Marius is talking about?"
Well, he likes to wander, not run around.
@@Seelenschwert088 For the week Marius is with the Wanderer, he is walking like an old weak dog. The Wanderer went from 1-100 real quick
The updated graphics are awesome but Tyraels wings were waaaaaaaaaaaay cooler in the original D2
They were, new wings look like tentacles from a squid.
This was definition of darkness. The part Marius found out its Baal let the big mark in me as a child. Pure madness.
I prefer the old ones in terms of models and expressions
Take off the nostalgia goggles and go see an eye doctor. Send me your venmo so I can send you the money for the appointment.
Stop with the nostalgia bullshit. How the fuck can you prefer those hideous clay monsters over the new ones?
@@msghia5252 He got dropped on his head right after childbirth. It's ok we try not to judge him.
@@msghia5252 too much hyperbole in new ones
Let's be honest:
The right side is okay, but nothing special for this time.
But the left side is breathtaking, considering the possibilities of its time.
Yep, lotta extra work for very little gain. Wish they kept it original and knock a few bucks off the price instead.
Honestly, set aside the quality of animations I like the original somehow more. As if it has more soul... like it's a real masterpiece and the other just a copy.
Y’know y’all can still play the original if you want.
Marius looks way more insane and desperate in the old version, especially in the epilogue when he shows what the Stone did to him, the new cutscenes do look amazing tho
Given modern technology I think they did a terrible job. The remastered cinematics look like something a bunch of disney and dreamworks people came up with. I think the worst is that Marius does not look very faded by the stone at all in the remake and the scottish barbarian looks awful. The original had a lot of soul to it because it was likely made by passionate people who lacked tech. Art from adversity. Even Baal looks kinda meh.
Marius looked more mentally disturbed in the old version, which i think is the right approach. In the new version he look sane all the time, the eyes are too clear and i don't think it makes sense coz a sane person should never follow the wanderer.
@@krel3358 At least the look of the characters can be changed with mods
@@suchen403 I mean he was high on drugs most likely suffering from PTSD, possibly a survivor of tristram then this wanderer comes along and the demons he unleashes kills everyone except you. Marius probably took that as a divine sign as well as likely being under a form of hypnosis. Marius was likely a very broken man who just had bad shit happen to him all the time and was looking for some higher purpose.
@@krel3358 I think you need to get a life 😂
In the original Tal Rasha scene, it gave the impression that Marius was seeing an illusion of the original man. But in the new one, he is seeing a ghost trying to free itself from the body? I kind of preferred the illusion, since it better fit with what Marius has been going through so far.
Why would they think it's necessary to make the guy serving drinks not be a dwarf? Also Marius lacks so much character without all the fidgety anguish and tormented expression from the original.
My thoughts exactly.
Don't care about him not being a dwarf, doesn't change much for me. But in general, the old on is better, especially Marius.
I love all of the new animations - my only critique is at the end of Baals cinematic. In the old one, his army ran as fast as they could, once ball started laughing - they seemed so violent, bloodthirsty and ready to invade - but in the new one, they just kinda stand there, looking around for a bit and they start running like they are to tired to go for a jog - not nearly as intimidating
They wanted to impress realism, because they clearly have a fetichism with that so said: "Wait, act 5 monsters actually don't run, yeah, let's not make them run" and voilá. Magic gone.
Baal's body language was more emotional in the original, the new one, he doesn't move as much.
90% of them techniqually ran full speed into a cliff. Remake made more sense running towards the drawbridge
@@BrandonPrentice True - It's just those 2 death maulers in front... feels like they were out drinking a bit the night before Baal shot this
I liked that you can see the battle standards(?) turn sideways in the original when all the demons start running through it. I feel like you don't get to see it as well in the remake
thats the Old Blizzard for you! before the downfall and corruption that plague it nowadays
a game 21 years old, with a storyline worthy of a Tribology movie,
the cinematic still decent by today's standard.
Rest in peace, Old Blizz.
I love the ammount of contrast between the light and dark that the old ones have
Too much imo. Even where there's suppose to be light from the fire its pitch black.
This isn’t the insulting mess of WC remastered, but I still greatly prefer the originals. Despite their age, I feel they still do a magnificent job of conveying character and tone. The remastered version losses some of the almost ineffable details that gave the original such depth. Marius and Baal seem far more like stock characters found in any number of games.
When I saw the resurrected cinematics I didn't think they did much. Thought they did very little. Goes to show how good the cinematics were back then.
I can appreciate both the original and remastered versions. Both had different artistic visions. And compared to W3 : Reforged (or Refunded), DII : Resurrection's studio did a bang on amazing job! 10/10. You´d still excuse me for preferring the original cinematics. They had soul and charm the new cinematics were missing a bit. But hey, tiny nitpicking on an otherwise brilliant honouring of DII.
The level of cinematics that Blizzard puts out these days is already amazing, it's been years since i've seen their older cinematics and now i'm remembering that for their time, they are really mindblowing.
dude, all you can see is tyraels armor glow^^
Different artistic visions? No, they kept it very close to the original vision.
Я бы сказал, что новая студия пытаться повторить и не сломать. Но это невозможно ведь старые модельки и ограничения работали на для создания атмосферы. В ремастере не хватает эмоций. Но работа гиганская, и я рад что увидел обновлённые облики демонов.
Marius no longer looks like a melting wax dummy.
The expressions of the oldman in the old version are superb 20:00
Disappointed with Ba'al new look in the Act 5 intro cinematic. I MUCH prefer his old design and expressions in the original version IMO.
Huh
The original looks more expressive to me but I think they did a great job on resurrected.
Man, the new cinamatic is great and all but the new baal is kinda less charismatic now... I much prefer the old sassy baal, all those lively, cheeky gesture serve to enchance baal's sinister personality.
Sigh I wonder why such drastic change even needed
The old cinematics had more charm, and I would venture an explanation for it: Technical limitations at the time forced them to be creative, have a better consideration for colours, angles etc. Case in point, this segment with the candles at 14:52. Clearly, the candles in the old version were there to occupy screen space and make it easier to animate, but it makes the viewer feel like they're seeing fromt the perspective of Marius, like someone small, afraid, and huddled to the ground.
When I was a kid this was the best game that was installed on my grandparents computer. Not sure how it got there, but I always played it after everyone went to sleep.
back then when you buy a computer, the technicians sometimes include games. maybe thats why
There is no doubt at all Marius was and will always be better in the original when it comes to his talk with 'Tyrael' in the asylum. He is constantly curled up with nervous ticks going off constantly unlike in resurrected where he just kinda half lays on the floor and the moment Baal touch the soulstone in the original the screams in the background crescendo and silence plus the fact that his face that he shows Marius is the face of Tal Rasha as Marius saw not just some evil face.
1:17 - 1:25 the new ones fail big time! In the original Marius subconsciously avoids eyes contact while having a conversation which is very important body language in cinematic work.
the human characters are far more expressive in the original
theres aspects that they really just dont get right; at times the grandiosity of the scene - 25:49 - you see Tyrael's Wings; you see the white energy strands but then the sheer force/heat mirage around them is gigantic. it really actually makes Tyrael look magnificent. the new one has these dull af octopus limbs flailing about with very little presence.
I agree with you there. The wings look a lot more etherial, which I like. It seemed like the greater the angel, the more extreme their wings are. So it was very fitting for that scene
I love the visual on new one, but for example Merius is depicted perfectly in old ones. His expression and everything is just perfect. He seems more sane to me in new one.
The new ones look generic and lack some details and atmosphere of the old ones.
The only things I never understood about the cinematics were how Tyrael didn't completely murder Diablo in Tal Rasha's tomb (I'd get it if The Wanderer was strong and had a weapon, but he just kinda rolls a bit on the floor), and why the A5 barbarians put out the drawbridge for Baal to cross to the gate.
My headcanon is that Tyrael didn't want to release Diablo and have a direct confrontation, like Imperius did in D3. I think he was just trying to contain him.
@@ULTRAOutdoorsman "Tyrael was actually pathetically weak " See Heroes of the Storm Tyreal
The original always left me jaw dropped as a kid. I loved blizzards old school animation right back to warcraft
Damn. Those graphics from the original are impressive.
Amazing what the team can achieve when not sexually harrassing people
pretty sure they outsourced this lol
@@newyorkmeable Not the cinematics, the rest of the game though, yes.
@@newyorkmeable they gave it to vicarious visions, which is more blizzard than blizzard
@@Radial9Gaming only in a hyperbolic sarcastic comment way tho... which I’m not disagreeing lol... they bought them but there is an internal cinematics team at blizzard and they used to hardly ever send work outside. Blizzard is slow, messy and expensive and I bet vicarious doing this looked better than they expected and for less money thus putting more pressure on them from activision for being a useless money sink.
@@Dead25m no the internal cinematics team at blizzard did not do this.
I liked mephisto more in the original. The ripped and bloody flesh from the arms looked a lot cooler. Those big hands in resurrected looks meh.
remaster style is good but his body language splendid in the original
Why doesn't Mephisto's mouth move? And what happened to Diablo's walk making the camera to shake?
I know you can do better! The act 1 and 2 remakes was flawless!
Because the og mephisto lip sync was horrible beyond measure, so they opted for a more skeletal face and etheral voice
there is something about the old ones direction which I like better in almost all cases. some points of view, some effects (I like how the world stone splits in tiny pieces)
Bhaal’s gestures, and mannerisms were more terrifying in the original cinematic - the way he opens his eyes wide or smirks were much more intimidating. Also the way the flags went up in the original, you could tell he was trying to scare the barbarian, not just toy with him.
Lesson is that technology cannot replace good art direction and spirited animators. While the new cinematics are nice they lack focus and character. They do look better at average, the 3D models came a long way from 2000, but they don't have the same degree of expressiveness. I haven't played D2 in a long while and honestly don't feel a huge nostalgia for it. Just comparing the two versions here led me to the above conclusion.
I like more the original one at the end. Tyrael wings looked amazing, big respect diablo 2
Same. There is a lot gone in the new one. Those special shine around the wings tentacles what has not been there in before cinematics, indicating Tyrael is gathering all his might. Also those wavery fluidlike light planes between them. And I also noticed that they changed the shockwave from impact (indicating the shock the destruction sent through all realms/dimensions) to a light whirl.
Gonna be honest, I was discouraged by the first one with how they decided to completely fuck up and ignore the animations/movements that made Marrius look so crazy. They messed up 90% of the prison cell animations because of that. Why they chose that artistic direction to go against is beyond me, but the rest of the animations were really good. Some deviations from the original improved on it. Just no idea why they would depict Marrius as an emotionless, immobile, normal old man instead of the bat-shit crazy, neurotic mess he was in the originals.
I felt the same but I also dislike the fat Tyrael figure they have now. I also liked that he actually had no texture then just the blackest of black. Now he has kind of a armor around it. That looks way off to me..
The new animations are nice but when I got to the Baals cinematic in act 5 I strongly felt that there is huge part of his scary weirdnes missing. In the original his hand movements, facial expresions and that casting of spell felt like he could not be bothered to act as the most terrifying evil being and feels like at the same time he is holding his evil laughter in, seeing the human that dares to stand up to him. And yet his weird half assed casting of the spell and the "lazy" hand waving had huge effect on the banners and the human like he could wipe out anything with just simple wave of a finger. In the new one I dont feel terified of him cause its missing all of the above....
this takes me back when blizzard used to make masterpieces, now they are barely able to make a remake... things like this make the "live long enough to see yourself become the Villan" quote all the more powerful
That's because Diablo 1 and 2 were done by Blizzard North who no longer work for Blizzard Entertainment, they're long gone.
So they updated the cinematics for this but not Reforged.
Assuming these are the cinematics, who knows if they removed these from the game for lame cinematics but they would never do that…..again
Different team not related to Blizzard remade this game. Blizzard North did Diablo 2 back in the day. They actually split up because Blizzard the parent company wanted to absorb the studio into just Blizzard but they wanted to stay split because they didn't necessarily like Blizzard the main Headquarters. So team members started leaving so they shut down. Back on to topic, the people who did Tony Hawk 1+2 remade the game and the cinematics, Blizzard only supplied the original footage.
@@thedurtylemur2282 A quick correction to your statement: the Vicarious Studios team that was added to Blizzard was the team responsible of developing the remaster but the cinematics were done entirely by Blizzard's cinematic team
@@rmnogueirap bingo
They had a different team do the remaster on Diablo 2 resurrected, this team was not an in-house blizzard team like it was for Warcraft 3 reforged.
24:21 the fact the stain is still there as you enter Sescheron in D3 is a nice detail.
the best thing about diablo 3 is the constant audio lore you get playing though filling in the rich details.
sadly Blizzard no longer employ people who care about details just how it looks.
With all due respect to Resurrected team they couldn't quite match the cinematic quality of the original masterpiece. I could probably make a 2 hour-long video comparing both works scene by scene, frame by frame explaining how the new cinematics lose to the original in about every department: direction, lighting, camera angels, animation, character design and a number of minor details and artistic decisions that turned an outstanding cinematic experience into just an OK one. It's a sad trend with all of Blizz facelifting: they up the resolution but they down everything else
I would really love to see that video. 👍
The worldstone exploding in the new one could have used a bit more of "bright rays of light shining forth from the cracks" effect and bigger explosion effect, considering it being corrupted and then annihilated by an arch angel's blessed sword.
24:53 My god I forgot how the chanting transitioned into agonized screaming at the end of this cinematic, signaling the start of the bloodshed. That gave me such _chills_ the first time I watched it. Good memories.
The old style has more emotion to it, the characters feel like they emote better, the new ones appear a touch stiff...and the new Baal is meh to me.
Yeah idk why make him look so clownish
The new cutscenes have nicer models, but the surprisingly stiff animations ruin them. Mephisto's lipsyncing is nonexistent, Diablo's transformation looks less gruesome. Baal's gestures have less grace and make him look like he has to put way more effort into exploding that guy, which makes him seem less powerful than one would expect from Lord of Destruction. And when Tyrael holds Marius and calls him a fool, it looks like he's about to punch him. And all of this undermines the scenes as I cannot keep my face straight.
That was exactly what i thouthg: the trasmormation of Diablo was weaker than the original. And Baal's expressions show too much effort at the killing. In the original version Baal was even funny, some like the joker. Mephisto in the remastered is literally a skull face without lips and with an excelent pronunciation, that is not realistic at all. I get that they where trying to mane him scarier but . . .
@@tatosworld Yes, it seems like they completely missed the point. Making it more realistic does not immediatelly equal making it better. Sure in the original Diablo transformation the way his robe moves is wonky, but it gives you pretty good idea of what is happening underneath. Not to mention Marius himself has been butchered pretty badly. In the original he is not necessarily mad, but broken man, haunted by his past. And his movements and facial expressions are vital part of that, I was shocked to see how little emotion he shows in the remake.
@@KillerCelery Sure . . in the original versión, Marius expressions of fear were the key point of the story, and how besides of it, he kept following the wanderer. Also you have to look up to Diablo's new face, is like he has no personality at all. I played this game for the first time when i was just 11.
People seems to bash D2R cinematics so I'm going to do the opposite.
The worldstone destruction on D2 looks alot like fiberglass breaking
Mephisto lip syncing is terrible in D2
Marius looks like a molten clay in D2
Perfectly valid, but that is obviously limited by technology in that time.
The new one, well... kinda lost the original touch, I mean look at baal now
I cant ever get over the fact that they extend a bridge out for Baal in the act 5 cinematic.
Lighting and focus is a bit better in the old version, though character shapes are more realistic in the new, the details should be very similar but they are not (face of Marius, the dwarf doesn't look like a dwarf, Tal Rasha's and Aidan's face are too similar to each other, the grill in Marius's cell has been totally changed). Great job remastering it anyways!
I'd say they changed the dwarf to not be one for reasons of modernity. Not a surprise, but it doesn't affect anything. I rather like the new Tal'Rasha. Like the Wanderer, the corruption they were undergoing has a baseline look, with little details differing from their posessor. Absolutely agreed on Marius.
You’re kidding yourself if you think the lighting is better. The old one has nostalgic charm and not being photorealistic makes the old games cutscenes very expressive but the new one obviously outshines it in graphics. Including lighting. They are both good in there own way and everyone is just blinded by nostalgia.
@@BruceWayne-fj9bm Blinded by nostalgia? o.O This is a fantasy game, why lighting should be realistic in the cinematics to deviate from the original? (Plus Marius told he had dreams mixed with reality, soo...) Anyways if you want to remaster something, you are just making minor modifications to the original content.
The fire looks better in the new one but the old one has more charm.
You can tell they put a lot more love and care into the original than they did in the remake. The dramatic effects, the emotions in their faces, their movements and even landscape details were much more detailed to fit the narrative than the remake.
Now we gotta wait for the remastered remaster, that has modern graphics _and_ compelling animation
i feel the ending cutscene with the world stone destruction was better in original honestly. tyraels wings and the explosion
Tyrael's wings were better in the original but the Worldstone destruction is absolutely better in the new cinematic. The old Worldstone destruction looked like wood splinters, which is very weird.
It's a pity they haven't got Baal right. In original cinematic he looks like aesthetics snob, his mimics and moves of his hands are much more subtle, lighter, easier, like he's not even trying. That's his thing. They completely missed this detail.
For the most part, they did a great job. In the first cinematic I am sorry they didn't use a little person for the bartender, also the sword which is important in the original has a nice highlight on it, while in the new one it is blended with the background. And lastly, the lamp at the end throws a great shade while swimming in the old one while in the new one it has none of that at all.
The remastered versions of the cinematics are vastly different. Lots of details are completely missing and it changes the atmosphere. I wouldn't notice it if not displayed side by side and I wouldn't care, but comparing the two the original looks a lot better.
Better graphics but the movement/acting of the characters is much better in the original.
Agreed. As beautiful as the remade cinematics are, in several cases (especially so in the epilogue) it feels like the animations don't quite match the emotion in the voices
Left: A broken mess of a man, scared shitless by the invisible gaze of an angel.
Right: Some dude, worried he might be too late for lunch.
in the Intro, Marius looks less desperate to me than in the original.
I agree, i think that in the remake they wanted to show that Marius is relieved believing that Tyrael came to help him
Baal looks ridiculous compared to the old one....the old one looks much more cunning and menacing and actually enjoying toying with the envoy. Now he looks more like a grumpy old grandpa, bothered by a persisting skin condition. Why did they change perfection?
Wouldn't have mattered how they did it, there will always be people to complain about something.
Let's be honest though, the remaster is amazing.
Disagree
While the image quality and digital models are (obviously) better in the remake, I find myself preferring a lot of things about the original. The angles and shot compositions felt more dynamic. The lighting had better contrast and clarity, making the scenes and images clearer. And the way Maleus and The Wanderer moved in the original, odd and jerky, made them feel more broken and mad than the smoother movement of the remake.