Torchlight II Previews and Video Interview
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Gaming Excellence:
The item enchantment system will also likely be changed in the future, as the developers found that it tended to go contrary to how loot functioned: in the previous game, it was too easy to just keep enchanting one item over and over and over again to make it more powerful than any random drops. The maps are a lot less linear because of this, and it looks like you'll have a lot more freedom in choosing where to go. In terms of length, the game is structured to be around three and a half acts long. The story is also deeper, with better writing and cinematics, rather than a few paragraphs of text between chapters.
Talking to the developer, it's clear that they've made sure to address shortcomings in the first game, some simple examples given to me was that of identifying items: in the first, it was a tedious process with very little result. This time around, however, you'll automatically identify any item that is at or below your current level, which means that the only ones you'll need to go through the process with are with those items that could have a tangible benefit for you. Another change is the unique item system, where unique this time around will actually be powerful items, not just a regular item with a few good enchantments as per the first title.
Wired:
Playing the game is simple: Right-click to use special abilities; left-click to do everything else. You'll hack apart baddies, beat up bosses and collect a very large variety of loot across what Runic says will be three full-fledged acts, each the size of the first game. Along the way, you'll adventure across tundras, forests, icy plains and deserts. Whereas Torchlight had a single town, Torchlight II has many, along with a wide variety of randomly-generated dungeons to explore.
The highly touted new feature is cooperative multiplayer.The team has yet to decide how many people will be able to play at a time, but players can team up to take down the game's myriad dungeons and bosses. Runic says people won't have to worry about their friends stealing their loot, since each character will only be able to see his or her own set of drops. Ninja looters need not apply.
Gaming Nexus:
Other large additions include Overworld maps which mean that players will explore more than just dungeons in the game. There are still dungeons to explore (and Runic says they are four times as large as the original) but the new addition will give characters the time to get some sun even though the people controlling them won't. The random events will even feature mini-bosses to make them a bit more of a challenge.
The demo I saw had the familiar UI for the first game in place but I was told that it will probably be changed by the time the final game ships. The magic and skill systems are also getting major overhauls as well but they are still in flux.
And Neowin:
Runic Games hasn't yet decided exactly how many online players it will support but its a safe bet that at least four players will be able to play Torchlight 2 together. E3 2011 also came with the news that old school PC players will be happy with; Torchlight 2 will also support LAN play.
The game itself looks much like the original in terms of its art style. It's a bit cartoony and its fun to just look at. The game will allow players to boost up their stats, items and weapons to do as much damage as they can to the vast array of enemies. At E3 2011, the Berserker player class was revealed and shown for the first time. He (or she; you can change your character's genre) is a big one and also one that, as the name hints at, can do a lot of damage in a short period of time. The other revealed players classes are the Railman and the Outlander. Runic still has one more class that hasn't been revealed.
