So what changes can we expect? We'll start with the UI being completely overhauled. The controls have been streamlined to accommodate controller play. Even the graphics have been bumped up a bit. Did I forget to mention a new pet? The Chakawary! (whatever the hell that is)

Players no longer use slots to assign items - players can hold up to 50 items and you can assign what gear you wear, accordingly. It looks a lot like the character customization screen from Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.

 

Skills are mapped to buttons, so you can have four active skills at a time. You can also map a secondary set to your directional pad for a total of eight mapped skills. One of the features announced was the use of force feedback, which I think for fishing is going to be a nice touch. A lot of the game play looks similar to that of Champions of Norrath; a very simple UI that doesn't clutter the screen and not a bunch of button switching to complicate things. Keep it simple - just like the name implies: Hack 'n' Slash.

With all these additions, you can correctly assume something is missing. Secondary weapon sets are gone, slots are gone and the functionality of some of the skills has changed a bit. Overall, it should be a great experience - finally giving for console players a chance to enjoy one of the best games out there at the moment. A lot of the graphic improvements and animations are actually taken from Torchlight 2, as well as the new auto-map system. With all this new Torchlight 2 functionality, will the highly anticipated sequel also be released on console? I'm pretty positive it's going to happen - it's no longer an if but when.

I'm excited for this game. Seeing the screen shots as well as all the improvements that have been made, this is on my list of highly anticipated titles for 2011.