D3's difficulties get CNN coverage - again.

[Elric of Grans]

Yes, they're aware that Diablo series has always been about getting gear.

It never was for me. I like character builds; loot was a fringe benefit. The quality of loot drops has always been extremely random and filled with trash. I remember someone once commenting on how one of my DII Amazons had a Windforce, yet almost all her other gear could (and possibly did) drop in Normal difficulty. You get crazy stuff. The big difference was that it did not overly matter before and anything you found could be good (for the right character), whereas Diablo III requires minimum equipment levels, and essentially the same equipment for all characters, to progress. The loot dynamic has shifted considerably from `w00t I found something cool' to `gah, I need precisely x or y to progress'.