Earlier this month we heard that some retailers had jumped the gun and erected instore displays for the release of the game, which were later removed. We have also had news this month about the game coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Gaming Blend are reporting that Blizzard has announced some cuts to the game, which they hope will speed the arrival of Diablo 3 to stores up. The team has decided to lose Scrolls of Reforging and Scrolls of Companion from the game. Scrolls of Reforging had replaced the magical properties of an item with a completely new set of properties.

Over on the games forums community manager Nethaera, stated that it was felt that both these features “were underdeveloped”, and as they stood wasn’t good enough for Diablo 3. To get the features up to the required standard wanted it would have taken a lot of new work, and the developer were “trying to close in on a solid release date for the game, not move further away”.

The decision was then made to cut these features for now so the company could “stay on track for the game’s release”. There is a chance though that these features may be added to Diablo 3 at a later date. Blizzard has yet to officially announce a release date for the game but Jay Wilson, the games director, recently said that a date is “nearing”.

Fans of the franchise obviously want improvements to the game and will be used to certain elements of it, but the worry is changing too much may upset some fans who may be already getting impatient for the games release. It is better though if the game is up to a certain standard before it is released despite the wait. Check the video below with some details from earlier changes to the Beta.

Are you looking forward to Diablo 3?

According to a report on Joystiq a local Best Buy store was showing a display that showed a launch of February 1st, which had a countdown timer alongside the display. A store employee stressed at the time that February 1st was the launch date, and midnight openings would coincide with the launch.

The game has been delayed from its original 2011 release date and the Best Buy website was also showing the same date for release. Meanwhile over in the UK retailer Gameplay were showing a release date of February 3rd in the country, which would have fallen in line with the proposed US release timeframe.

Then it came to light that the Best Buy store had been asked to take down the display by the general manager. This wasn’t because the manufacturer had requested its removal, but because there wasn’t a firm date given.

Following this speculation Blizzards Micah Bashiok took to Twitter to respond to the retailers suggested dates, and said “The word is lol”. It was added the company couldn’t prevent retailers from making up their own release date, and they wouldn’t know anything about a date until it was announced via an official press release from the company.

Are you looking forward to the Diablo 3 release?

We have spoken to you a couple of times about the newly released game including a review and asking you guys if you think WoW Cataclysm’s Collectors Edition is the best expansion yet? Cataclysm is now officially the fastest selling PC game ever. According to VG247, Blizzard announced that the expansion had sold more than 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of being released.

WoW must be getting used to breaking that record as they did it the last time they released an expansion pack in Wrath of the Lich King. More than 10,000 stores held a midnight launch across more than 15 countries so that all the WoW players could flock in to get their copy. If you want to learn more about the game then you can head over to their official homepage here. If you aren’t sure if this is a game you want, head to the bottom of the article and have a look at some of the gameplay.

Now that you have had a chance to have a look at the expansion pack, tell us your favorite classes and races? Tell us in the comments below.

As reported from VG247, there are two videos on offer: one showing the new and last class in the game called ‘Demon Hunter’, and the other video showing off some PvP (player vs player) footage.

Sadly, we still don’t have a solid release date for the game as many of you had expected to hear at BlizzCon, but judging by these new videos, Diablo III is looking like a game that no-one will want to miss out on.

If you owned and loved Diablo II, the third installment is looking pretty spectacular. Check out the lengthy vids below and let us know your thoughts on them.

What are your early impressions of Diablo III?

As reported from Joystiq, we can confirm that the update will be landing on Tuesday 21st September, and that it should be available from 11am PT after a scheduled maintenance period.

Those of you who forked out on a NVIDIA 3D Vision display will be pleased to hear that patch 1.1 features full support for the displays. Other updates include changes to the map editor and detailed improvements to the Protos, Zergs and Terrans – head to the Battle.net website here for a full breakdown of updates.

If you are planning to play the game at 5am on Tuesday, we don’t advise it, as Joystiq states that all online multiplayer modes will be unavailable during the maintenance. From 11am PT onwards though, you are good to go with the new patch update.

How are you finding the game so far? – Still addicted?