Console: PC
Date Released: May 15, 2012
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2012
Reviewer: Richard
Pros
* Mechanics have arguably been improved* No longer have to worry about modding
* Auction house Cons * Must be online at all times
* Server issues
* The “W.O.W.” look
* Story was a bit disappointing A month ago I did a review of the open beta and I was rather pleased with what Blizzard had done so far. Really, my biggest disappointment was the fact that I couldn’t play MORE. But, that problem was solved last Tuesday with the full release of Diablo 3. After a decade, can a Diablo title still hold up?
Presentation : B+ Graphics / Animation / Sound As stated in my previous article, one concern people had when the gameplay was first released back in 2008 was the similarity in design with World of Warcraft. This is especially noticeable when you look at the higher tier armor sets for the characters. While this was a concern for me at first, I eventually moved past it when I notice things like the destructive environment and watching enemies enter and exit the battlefield. Still, though, I can’t help but miss the “darker” feel of the previous games. Plus, I have noticed with the monk that it doesn’t matter what weapon he has equipped, he tends to use his fists almost all the time. It’s just a distraction, but it does seem like someone forgot to factor that in when they made the game.
There are some familiar sounds from previous game such as the Khazara and Imps as well as some of the improved effects like when you teleport in on a waypoint . Otherwise, Sound effects are pretty run of the mill for the most part. Voice acting had its’ ups and downs as well. For example, while I’m glad that they were able to get Michael Gough back to play Deckard Cain (even though he never said “Stay a while and listen”) and I really enjoy James Hong playing the role of Covetous Shen, some of the other actors and actresses just didn’t feel right for the role like the Skeleton King. It felt he was trying too hard to make him scary that it ended up being borderline comical.
The soundtrack is well done overall and I especially like the New Tristram theme. But, there is at least one time towards the end of the game in which they used a track that I felt out-of-place. Without giving away any spoilers, it was a more calm and peaceful track and, while it may have matched the scenery, it felt odd to play when you have to fend off demons and the like.
Single Player : A Game mechanics / Length / difficulty Since I’ve only had about a week to play, I’ve logged over 30 hours worth of game time. I would say out of that, it took me about 25 hours to be the campaign on normal. This is including exploring each map to its’ entirety, exploring any side dungeons, combing jewels, crafting armor and weapons, and trying to go through all the conversations of the different characters. So, there is no doubt in my mind that you will at least get your money’s worth in the amount of time you will spend.Granted, some may feel it’s maybe too long to spend since the gameplay is a bit on the repetitive side. I stated in my beta review that “I may have used my keyboard a half-dozen times” as most of the actions that I needed were click based. Although my statement was an exaggeration, the point I was trying to make was that Diablo 3 made things a bit more simpler. Of course, the more powers that you gain, the more you will need to use other action buttons. But, if your mouse has enough buttons, you can hotkey them to perform the same actions. The only time you will really need your keyboard then is if you need to open your inventory, chat with other players, etc.
The beta was plagued with server issues, so it came no surprise to me that the first few days was the same. The uproar amongst the gaming community is infamous, even making jokes on the “Error 37” code. I can’t say for certain how many people tried to log in that day, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was close to a million. And really, if you have that many users trying to log in all at the same time, you’re bound to have trouble. Many people argue that Blizzard should have made the single player offline only. While I can agree with that, there were so many issues with modding (especially in Diablo 2), that it kind of made the game unplayable online.
As of this review, I have only played as the Monk. Although I have not leveled him to 60 yet, I have found his abilities satisfactory. Part of me misses the skill tree, but I do like the fact that I don’t have to worry about whether or not the power I upgraded was the correct choice. I have access to all abilities and can switch almost on the fly. My only wish now is that they would allow us to switch between builds via hotkey so that we can adapt quickly without having to go into a menu.
Blizzard said that with this game they wanted the players to be more engaged with the game and the decision to remove the skill tree was made because of this. However, there were other changes as well. For example, while potions do still exist, there are also health orbs that drop after each kill. I was pretty indifferent when I first heard about this feature, but now I have to admit I’m glad that they exist as they have saved me several times. Plus, now I only have to worry about keeping a handful of potions while leaving more room for other items. Granted, you do have plenty of room now that armor and weapons only take two spots (all other items take one), and you have the option to expand your stash for a set amount of gold. Despite this, I still find myself needing more room so that I can sell and/or salvage my items.
One last thing I would like to touch up on is the story. I have always enjoyed the story behind the Diablo universe. Although it is not necessary to play the other games, I still recommend at least reading up on it on the Diablo wiki or even trying to find some YouTube videos. Diablo 3’s story is fairly enjoyable. I was glad to see the return of familiar characters such as the iconic Deckard Cain. I also found the new characters such as Leah and Covetous Shen (who is now my favorite Diablo character) very intriguing. Overall, I just didn’t feel as engaged in the main story. Not to mention I felt there were parts of the ending that needed to be wrapped up. I really enjoyed the stories of the followers and artisans, but even some of them could use a bit more closure.
Multiplayer : B- Game mechanics / features / Online features Really, the only multiplayer aspect right now is the co-operative campaign with up to four players. Blizzard has made it very easy to enter and exit another players game without having to wait. You can either search for an open game in the menu, or if one of your friends has opened their game, you can just click on their name and join in. You will likely enter their starting town, where you will find their banner near the waypoint. If you click on that banner, it will transport you to wherever they are on the map and you can go from there. As with previous games, having more than one player will increase the difficulty of the monsters. But, the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward right? Be advised, if you join in their game, may lose progress in your other game and will have to reselect the chapter where you left off at. Replay Value : A+ Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC You may ask, “Can this game stand the test of time?” For the answer, we simply have to look at Diablo 2. Even today, there are people who still play it, including myself. I would not be surprised if we still see people play this a decade from now. The only exception to this would be if they released another Diablo game before then.As of this review, only the gold auction house was available. However, I feel that when the “real money” auction house opens up, it will be a driving force to motivate people to continue to play, myself included. Personally, I plan to play as far as I can, to get the best gear that I can and eventually sell it. Granted, Blizzard and PayPal will take their share of it as well, but even if I get $5.00 a month, that’s still more money than I would have otherwise. Not many games will reward you with real money just for playing, and that is a huge plus for me.
Plus, as I mentioned before, it might be possible to expand the story just a bit more. And if they do, they can add in other characters as well. Blizzard also announced that they would be doing PVP arena matches in a future patch, but there has been no word beyond that.
Bottom line: I highly recommend playing this game. At the very least, try getting a guest pass and play the first few levels. If you enjoy it , then go pay the $60. If you invest enough time, you might even make your money back.
Overall : A-
