Diablo III Review

[TomSEA]

This reviewer is entirely too easily pleased - it's like he was going to like the game no matter what. And his fawning over the nuances is really the stuff of hard-core fanboi ravings. Seriously, who gives a rip about what achievements others are getting? You're staring at the screen jumping up and down for joy of guys who "made level 20 on hard mode" achievement? You paid $60 for the game and that floats your boat?

Arguably one of the worst reviews I've ever read.

"[FONT=Helvetica]Who among you still play single player games btw?"[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]I do as most of my friends do. Is there a problem with that? Not all of us need to have our social fix via gaming you know. We CAN enjoy an activity on our own.[/FONT]

 

[Guest]

I just finished Diablo 2 In co-op mode with my brother It was great and we were looking forward to Diablo 3 so we could continue, but after seeing that online only "bullsh1t" were gonna wait for the offline "patch" to come out, or we'll just have to walk away from this one.

 

[Kibaruk]

I dont get my fix through social gaming, it isn't as appealing as it was 5 years ago nor it is as involving or add the difficulty of competing against other players instead of the machine.

I have to admit the game at the very beggining felt very slow, easy and unapealing I even got to a point where I wished I could've read reviews or even not paying for it, then it got more complex, had more things to take into place, the story became more involving and you had to actually choose the skills w/runes to make things fit into your gamestyle.

It's the best review I have read, the guy actually made it through the whole game and then played some more, it's what the guy here felt, and how more people are feeling (Past the connection problems).

Btw good for you if you like minesweeper, I used to like fallouts and rpgs of the sort but when you are stuck in a single player universe nowadays it's not as fun as it used to be.

 

[TomSEA]

"...but when you are stuck in a single player universe nowadays it's not as fun as it used to be."

You're playing the wrong games then. I'm currently having a blast with:

Legend of Grimrock
Rise of Flight
Toy Soldiers
Hard Reset
Walking Dead
Skyrim

And I have a dozen more single-player games waiting for me when I'm done with those.

 

[Vrmithrax]

I definitely have to side with @TomSEA on this one... Single player games will (and should) always have a place in gaming. There are times that I want to enjoy a game, at my own pace, without being forced to deal with potential *****s, rammy players who invite team wipes, impatient groups who don't understand real life situations that require delays, etc. When and if I want a social multiplayer experience, I will log into one of my regularly played MMOs or hop into one of my preferred pvp or coop games. But, and I can't stress this enough, I need to have a CHOICE in what or how I play.

To add to the argument: I do a ton of travel, and don't have the luxury of a 24/7 high speed data connection, so does that mean I (and those in situations like me) should be forced to suffer because someone in the planning stages decided "online is da bomb" and went with it? The only time I will ever even consider purchasing a game such as Diablo 3 is when/if they patch it to provide a true offline experience. Which is too bad, I was a read Diablo fan, and initially looking forward to this newest version. But, I digress... The point is, sometimes true single-player (and offline) gaming isn't just a preference, it's a requirement.

 

[davislane1]

Who edits these articles? I was expecting a review of Diablo III, but instead I wound up reading a review of Diablo II. C'mon guys...

Sarcastic remarks aside, this review makes D3 seem absolutely enthralling. If only the actual experience were so magnificent. The "social" aspect of the game can be fun, but the whole thing just seems like a mundane grind. The simplification of all the game's systems combined with the lack of effective story telling just sucks out all of the fun. It's still enjoyable in small doses, but it's certainly not a "brilliant" title.

Also, having a HC character put in danger because of lag is not a perverse pleasure... Unless you're into that sort of thing. It's an infuriating consequence of online gaming that makes you want to kill either your ISP or Battle.net. Not something I'd tout as a positive feature.

 

[Guest]

Well said.

I am pissed though that I have a 300ms ping on US servers with just 2 players. What the crap is that? My internet is 100meg so its no slouch. I get 33ms in WoW. Lag city here.

 

[Guest]

the thing is, whiners will always whine and happy people are always happy. Sorry if a *game* didnt improve your life for the better.

 

[Guest]

[FONT=Helvetica]"First review I've ever read where lag in a game "adds to the experience"..."[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]Yes I'd be livid if lag killed my hardcore mode character. Don't think I'll be buying this any time soon. Maybe from the $5 bargain bin...[/FONT]

 

[Guest]

I see the internet whiner collective is out full force for this game. There is so much misinformation and bullshit being spread about this game right now It's ridiculous. I bought it launch day digitally, and I feel it was money well spent. Aside from some minor problems on launch day, I've been able to play whenever I want, and you know what? I'm having a great time playing with friends.

I wasn't sure what to think of the skill system at first, but now I find it quite brilliant, you don't have to make new chars or respec to try different builds.

Bottom line: don't listen to whiners on the internet, and decide for yourself, get a guest pass or wait for the demo, which I think is coming.

 

[treetops]

lol how can anyone hate the town portal

 

[Guest]

[FONT=Helvetica]I see the internet whiner collective is out full force for this game. There is so much misinformation and bullshit being spread about this game right now It's ridiculous. I bought it launch day digitally, and I feel it was money well spent. Aside from some minor problems on launch day, I've been able to play whenever I want, and you know what? I'm having a great time playing with friends.[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]Blizzard is going to have to do a much better job than BF3 and SWTOR. Lots of downtime there. Plus in Australia, BF3 had downtime in peak gaming periods (as it was off-peak in other regions). I don't play SWTOR but have heard of multi-hour outtages in peak periods there too.[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]Unacceptable to not be able to play even single player because they decide to do some maintenance... why that expectation you ask? Well it's because until now that is how it has been. Always on internet connections or internet server ping dependencies have not been the norm. Australia has relatively poor broadband to Korea and Europe - low ping dependencies punish us here. So why should we now choose a more inconvenient access method? The legit users are being punished. Again...[/FONT]

 

[psycros]

<p>This reviewer is entirely too easily pleased - it's like he was going to like the game no matter what. And his fawning over the nuances is really the stuff of hard-core fanboi ravings. Seriously, who gives a rip about what achievements others are getting? You're staring at the screen jumping up and down for joy of guys who "made level 20 on hard mode" achievement? You paid $60 for the game and that floats your boat?</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Arguably one of the worst reviews I've ever read.</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>"<span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'"><span style="color: #000000">Who among you still play single player games btw?"</span></span></span></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'"><span style="color: #000000">I do as most of my friends do. Is there a problem with that? Not all of us need to have our social fix via gaming you know. We CAN enjoy an activity on our own.</span></span></span></p>

TomSEA owned the reviewer, hard. In fact, I can boil this review down to one line: "If you're a hard-core Farmville player, Diablo III will take it to the next level!"

 

[Guest]

If you're playing D3 hope that this blog will help you http://d3-guide.blogspot.com/

 

[boykov]

Is it me or all the complaints are from Guest!

 

[Guest]

This was a good review, up until that Blizzard sponsored line: It's quite brilliant.

Really? "It's quite brilliant."? It's pathetic. If Blizzard want to make a Diablo MMO, then they should do it properly. This mini-MMO crap has ruined a game I've been waiting for, for over a decade. And Social aspects like sharing achievements is somehow gonna change that? Hell... no! It's just an excuse to force the "always online" crap down your throat. If you can live vicariously through the achievements of others, then go right ahead. Enjoy the taste.

Should I buy Diablo 3? No. I'm disappointed, TechSpot. You claim not to like the always online "plague", but you're so easily distracted by shiny graphics and silly social features. Have some conviction, will you!?

This article reads like it was written by a child on a sugar-high.

 

[Trillionsin]

<p>Should you pay for this game? NO!</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Remember kids, the more you fund shitty business practices, the more common they become.</p>

+1

IF I buy this game, it will be when it's well on sale. and I'm talking at least a %30 drop, and on top of that I'm talking a %30 drop on sub $50... so in other words, I will not be buying this game, probably not ever...

 

[Guest]

Heh, no need to buy it, Torchlight 2 will be out soon for the delicious price of $20! Complete with offline play, room-based multiplayer and LAN based co-op etc. Not to mention the direly missed features of stat and skill point CHOICES! I can't believe they removed them from D3, talk about making a game for down syndrome children.

 

[Guest]

This is a fanboy review if I ever did read one. The entire review is riddled with the "boss-pleasing" nonsense that you'd expect from a "[FONT=Helvetica]contributing editor" [/FONT]. I suggest disregarding this article and looking at an actual review from someone who isn't bending over with his pants around his ankles.

 

[Guest]

[FONT=Helvetica]@BabyFaceLee [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica]I agree that top-down view sucks. Notice the rage that your simple opinion can induce. [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica]Give the people what they want but too bad this is what they want.[/FONT]

 

[Guest]

Thank you for this post. You are absolutely right. I know that it is difficult to post sensibly in a forum dedicated to rant and negation, but your post seems to single-handedly argue an appropriate and legitimate point--which is in contrast to the majority of this nonsensical and irrational drivel. (Sorry had to try my hand at trolling....ehm...not so much...)

I certainly appreciate your ability to reason sensibly.

Diablo 3's overwhelming sense of failure is unjustly amplified by legions of uninformed, irrational and impatient users who clearly have only a superficial understanding of the core mechanics of the game and its intended online component. Sadly, our sense of control is suppressed when our indiscriminant expectations are not met with instant gratification. Such is nature of the times I suppose.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't say that everything went perfectly as planned for Blizzard; certainly not. Yet, I sense that the overall criticism is unwarranted. Futhermore, I suspect that any forum contributor (reader) has not often engaged in a high-stakes/high-pressure performance wherein their reputation and competency has been at stake. And those who indeed have... might comment on the notion of compassion and understanding. (Or not...might draw to much unwarrented attention to yourself...oh wait.)

Nevertheless... your post was well received by at least one reader.... And I thank you.

 

[jameslr]

The people pissed off about the online only play obviously never played Diablo II for any extended period of time (2+ years). Diablo II got boring and stale after you defeated Hell Baal if you didn't play on battle.net. Most of the allure to the game was finding the unique gear and getting the perfect set of equipment. Yeah, you could do that in the offline game, but the best part was being able to trade gear or items that you found for even better items that would be nigh impossible to find on your own.

This is where the AH, while not perfect, is great for trading. There is a single useful currency (gold), at least until the Real Money Auction House (RMAH) is created. This fills the void that the D2 Battle.net community lacked. There was a lot of speculation about what a certain item or set of items cost, and no real standard.

As far as the actual game content - I'll admit the game was pretty short. I expected Normal to take at least 50 hours to complete, but I completed it in less than 20. That was with doing every side quest, and exploring every map to its fullest extent. Clearly it can be done much faster than that. I'm hoping they release regular content patches like they do in WoW to keep the game fresh. I don't recall how long it took to beat Diablo 2 (without rushing) from beginning to end in Normal. I think it was about the same amount of time if you only count the original game, and not the LOD expansion.

I had am still having an absolute blast playing the game with friends and even solo. It's great to be able to talk to my WoW buddies while they're playing WoW and tell them about the cool stuff I find in the game. I'm still working my way to unlock Inferno where it supposedly gets very difficult. Hell is proving to be a challenge for my DH, and I die frequently to champs and rares.

All of the people pissed off about lag and disconnects are justified, but it is to be expected in a new online only game. Wow had the same growing pains, and with a system this large it will take some time to work out the kinks. I know they'll get it right.

 

[jerm1974]

Diablo 3 simply shows that not all diablo series are excellent games.
Diablo = excellent
Diablo 2 = excellent
Diablo 3 = good
Diablo 3's gameplay is actually excellent, but if you will take into account its average looking graphics and unreliable server performance -- its final score from me boils down to around 7 out of 10.
I just bought my radeon HD 6850 a few months ago in preparation for this Diablo 3. Radeon HD 6850 is just a bit higher than the recommended radeon 4870 for Diablo 3, and I was disappointed to see that Diablo 3 graphics are average looking even at its maximum graphics setting.
It looks like blizzard has recommended radeon HD 4870 type of video card for Diablo 3 to create a false impression for pre-ordering fans that the game would have a decent graphics.

 

[gingerbill]

Played diablo and diablo 2 far too much , really enjoying diablo 3 so far. I'm not a fan of the AH or having to be online though. All I know is that when I'm playing I tend to laugh a lot of that huge pile of dead bodies I leave in my wake.

 

[Guest]

The sole reason blizzard forced ONLINE ALWAYS on this game, is so they can bleed people for real money in the auction house. That is clearly amoral practice. The old Blizzard is gone - they were consumed by the greed beast.