Who didn't grow up with Diablo games? I remember playing Diablo 2 when I was young and naive who couldn't beat the first boss of the game because I was ignorant about how action RPGs like Diablo games were played. That's why I didn't continue playing the game and continue on with other games to enjoy with without dying a lot frustratingly.
Diablo series was famous for being one of the first action RPGs being released during the old times. Many people were addicted to it as they kill demon spawns, the lords of Hell, and Diablo, the lord of terror himself. It also had features like getting loot, leveling up to upgrade your stats and skills, and other similar features that we got used to with RPG genre. It was a classic along with Fallout series which made a huge upgrade with their third game, and the same can be said with Diablo 3.
Let's skip to the present as Diablo 3 has been released for the consoles. I wanted to try out Diablo 3 on PC but because of my lackluster laptop and the always online DRM that was really controversial, I said that it was a perfect chance to give it a rent and see how it is for a console gamer. Did Blizzard make it work? Did I enjoy it? Yes...and yes!
OVERVIEW:
Diablo 3 is an action RPG game made by Blizzard Entertainment who also made other great games like Starcraft and World of Warcraft. If you are a fan of hacking and slashing through demon hordes, then this is the game for you as you progressively kill monsters, demons, and other creatures spawned by the game's three lords of Hell. If you ever played any game from Diablo series, or if you played games like Torchlight, and Path of Exile, then you would feel right at home with this game, even if you only have a console.
GAMEPLAY:
First things first, there are differences between the PC and console versions so I am going to explain this first. I have done my research on the differences so I could discuss it for both PC and console gamers to choose which version they would prefer, but I am going to mainly discuss the console version in this review.
The biggest advantage the console has is that it doesn't require to be always online, unlike the PC version of the game. There is no auction house in the console version though so don't expect making money there. There is also a dodge feature for the console version as I was surprised that there wasn't in the PC version. Finally, the Paragon level is account wide on console version which means that you can play on any character while your Paragon level stays the same which is an advantage for item and magic find. There are more comparisons available in Battle.net forums if you want a full-depth comparison between the two.
In my experience with the console version, I felt that the controls were easy to learn, the dodge feature could be useful in tricky situations, you could enable Elective mode if you want two similar skills using the different buttons. Or you can just button mash and pray that you will win against the first boss fight which I would discourage if it is your first playthrough. The bosses aren't really difficult but they need concentration as you have "Mana" (The reason I call it Mana since the classes classify it differently) that isn't infinite so button mashing isn't a bright idea.
What is the important thing though? Progression of course my dear Watson! Diablo 3 is known for progression with leveling up and looting for better equipment. My negative is that you can't manually upgrade your stats in this game since only the equipment does unless you can do it on PC version so please correct me if I am wrong. But what I am loving about this game is that the progressing skills aren't overpowered. There is no better skill that the other for character's build. For example, my monk uses the first primary skill with the first rune while ignoring the other unlocked primary skills and runes. You know why? Because I like being fast, and I like to teleport around the area killing enemies left and right. It depends on the player's preferences so it is a plus for me.
There could be limitations on certain skills on the console version as you can't pin point where exactly your skill or spell will be occurred which can be disappointing for ranged classes. I only played with the monk but I have read that some users aren't really satisfied with that while playing with classes that can attack from long range with spells. Maybe I am wrong so please feel free to correct me if I am wrong again.
The game also has a replay value with different modes for better loot and better enemies so you have a reason to kill the lords of Hell again. As a player who has finally completed Inferno mode, it was worth many hours of playing the game in Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and finally Inferno modes as I keep making my monk even more powerful than before. I will also keep playing thanks to online co-op feature to help friends and strangers.
STORY:
Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn. When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram's Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells, and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.
The story is simple in my opinion unlike its predecessors since I have seen some instances that the game was kind of predictable in terms of twists. I was quite disappointed by this but I got the game not for the story, but for killing demons and being a powerful mortal, simple as that. You have to know that there are some instances in the lore that has been edited in this game so if you are a Diablo enthusiast, you really need to check it since it could pin point some interesting back story for a certain character that appeared from Diablo, and Diablo 2. That is all I am saying.
GRAPHICS:
It is a console version so it is bound to have limitations comparing to PC version but I just played the console version so I am going to say my opinion without comparing the PC graphics.
The game doesn't need extremely realistic graphics as I am satisfied with its visuals as I didn't find a complaint like jagged lines and that kind of stuff. I am not a videophile though so my eyes are bound to miss something about the graphics and I am not a full-fledged PC gamer so don't blame me if there is a huge difference in shaders, textures, and models.
SOUNDS:
The soundtrack is lacking content in my opinion as I don't feel the excitement of hordes while just listening to calm music from the game's soundtrack that I even resorted to listening some music from my collection while playing the game. It felt kind of dull with that kind of music, or none at all most of the time in my experience. That is a negative from me unfortunately since they could have done a better job at it.
The sound effects are okay since they are just doing their job for example slashing through enemies, the demon's cries when it dies, and body limbs being separated. Not really surprising along with the voice acting. Nothing negative on those two, but nothing marvelous at the same time.
MULTIPLAYER:
This game has a 4-player co-op for you to enjoy the company of friends, or strangers with the same goals. I have enjoyed it immensely since I have met couple of great people online, and helping out with difficult boss fights on higher difficulty levels, sharing loots, and maybe pleasant conversations while killing some demons as we are laughing. Yep, I had good times and I would consider it a positive for the game as I help strangers and friends alike.
OVERALL:
If you are heavily discouraged by being always online on PC, and you own a console, then give this game at least a rent if you are that worried. For me it would be worth to purchase as I am going to purchase the PS4 version for Reaper of Souls expansion pack. That's how much I have enjoyed the game, and feel glad that the console version was finally made.
It isn't perfect if you are a Diablo enthusiast since its predecessors are better in terms of storytelling and some game play elements but if you just ignored all of that, you will have so much fun with this game, along with the online co-op feature.
Who says a dud game can't have a video game comeback?
Cyberpunk and No Man's Sky have to be up there. We're lucky and cursed, equally, to have games that can be updated now. For folks old enough to remember the Sega/SNES into PS1 and even 2 eras, if a game came out that was half baked (*cough*Angel of Darkness*cough*) that was it, no redemption. At the same time, having the option for updates shouldn't be an excuse for half assing games.
I remember when the Nintendo Seal of Approval meant something.
All those games had to release without bugs.
Diablo III still works on modern PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and remains hugely playable a decade after initial release.
Diandra worked on Diablo 4 and also other games at Blizzard including WoW: Dragon Flight. She’s also been at Bioware, Carbine, RIOT, and she is currently working at Crystal Dynamics.
Brian was the Lead Writer on Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls, worked on StarCraft: Heart of the Swarm, StarCraft: Wings of Liberty, and was also a writer on Mass Effect 2. He’s also been involved in movies such as the Iron Giant.
Diandra and Brian discuss their industry experience, the games they have worked on, how the writing process works, and much more.
Nice! I approve ;-)
I played Diablo 2 and I love the majority of the changes to the game. The only thing I disliked in comparison to D2 was the auction house (which will be fixed shortly) and how short the game was. I will be buying the DLC for the reason that I want more game to play.
As for your review: If I could approve I would but I do not have that ability yet :)
Good in depth review. I tend not to judge a review based on my opinion of the game in comparison to the reviewer's own opinion. I base it from how much thought was put into the game and also the depth and mind-frame the reviewer tends to use when writing their review.
A+ my friend I suggest doing more reviews in the future!
As someone who owned both PC and console versions, I can confirm that the console is the superior version. The dodge/roll button adds so much to the gameplay.
One thing you forgot to mention was the Loot. The Loot in the PC version was beyond broken (quite nefariously so, thereby FORCING you to waste real money on the auction). I managed to get a few legendaries on my Normal walkthrough on console and none on my Nightmare and Hell Mode on PC.
All in all, the PC version was a beta and the console version was how this game should have been released. PC will soon throw away the auction house and adopt a loot system that is much more closer to the console versions, what does that tell you? :)
Sorry, I got off on a rant. I just wanted to give you prespective on how lucky you are that you didn't experience this game on PC. Enjoy, it's become really fun.
Nice review, would you say this is better than Torchlight 2?
I thought you typed Doraemon. XD