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8/10
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Can Blizzard justify a 12 year wait since Diablo II?

Jared Knabenbauer is the ScrewAttack.com Reviews Editor, Hard News host, and a host of our weekly video podcast, "SideScrollers". He has also produced several notable ScrewAttack shows, including Newsroom, Nametags and Control Issues. He specializes in RPGs, and has a great fondness for Dungeons & Dragons. A comedian at heart, he is one serious gamer.

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g1 DISCUSSIONS

WaldoBomar68

December 14, 2012 - 12:34am

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Kos-Mos

August 3, 2012 - 4:46pm

I`m surprised you gave it 8/10. This game is just a little boring and life-less. And what about the online, online action-house, lags etc. 6/10 would be more correct. Maybe you gave it 2 points more because of the name?

Twizted Rune

July 15, 2012 - 2:16am

Diablo 3 seemed like WoW, Fable, and LoL fused together.. Fun, for sure..

PschoDoughBoy

June 10, 2012 - 2:41am

Meh, I rather play TL2 . It has a better combat feel, but i do admit it does have a more archaic class system.

johnwolf

June 8, 2012 - 4:56am

ok, i'm not a big pc gamer, but i was looking forword to D3. i played D2 a LOT and enjoyed it emencly. but realy, 20+ hours to actualy have a challange. this isn't right nor welcom. people get pissed if a game takes 2 hours without a challange. yet people prais the hell out of a game that's famous like D3 that takes 20+ hours and say "oh that's excusable" i call bull. also, why do i have to be ONLINE to play SINGLE player. this isn't cool and if i have money problems at any time POOF no internet and no D3. if you say "oh XBL and STEAM require online" you can still play any game OFFLINE as well. but i don't like it if i have to sign in to just to play a game by my self and myself only. sorry, but this gose on my BL of game compainies i'll no longer be buying from. This is the same with any game with a Online Pass.

nay_sayer

June 6, 2012 - 2:45am

Act I and II of normal are incredibly boring, Act III of normal thru Act I of Hell was the enjoyable part of the game. Act II of Hell through Act 1 of Inferno was quite challenging, but still fun. Then Act II of Inferno is frustratingly difficult, just feels like work, and is no longer any fun.

Quark

June 5, 2012 - 10:27pm

I think normal mode is very easy on this game. I didn't die until act 2, and even then the penalty for death is almost nonexistent. That said, once you hit the second difficulty the game gets much harder, as enemies seem to dish out a lot more damage. I'm on the third difficulty at the moment (Hell) and I die quite frequently now. Considering I've beat the game twice with the same character, though, should show you how fun and easy it is to continue playing the game even through areas you've already played (since the game keeps it fresh by randomizing what enemies you face and what side-dungeons/events you encounter).

I can see how it might not be for everyone, but if you loved Diablo 2 you should love this game. It's basically Diablo 2, just improved on nearly every gameplay front (the ability to use six skills at a time instead of two is a godsend).

Still playing the game, though, and still loving it.

JxL

June 4, 2012 - 10:59am

Nice review Jared, it looks like the same crap rehashed w/ inexcusable bugs. This was a good game 20 years ago but I believe its time has past...and besides if it is that easy, why bother?

Payne

June 4, 2012 - 7:44am

But you gave it a 2/10 during the last Mario Party After Dark..... :P

nikomo

June 4, 2012 - 12:39am

I wish Jared would have had the time to grind up to at least Hell-difficulty before talking about the game. It's actually fun in Hell, compared to Normal and Nightmare, and Inferno is where it really gets me going.

Metal-Gear-X

June 3, 2012 - 11:45pm

Minor complaint, but the transitions with the flying "REVIEW" logo are so loud it's ear piercing. If I try to turn down the volume I cant even hear you speak.

Gazebo

June 3, 2012 - 9:48pm

If you've never played a Diablo title before, D3 will more than likely be an entertaining romp through the undead- and demon-infested woods. However, having thrown away who knows how many hundreds of hours on D2, it feels slightly lacking. Available items feel a bit "meh" in that Legendaries (D2 uniques) at the moment feel completely ignorable, and runes, jewels, charms, and so on have been removed. Also, after your first play-through the first and second acts will feel like a drag (just like d2! heh) compared to faster-paced action of 3 & 4.

I'm also going to jump on the "online-only-is-teh-sux" bandwagon. Personally, if I start up a game without taking any additional precautions, I randomly get dc'd within 5-10 minutes (also note this is the only game that gives me this problem -- my internet and other online games are remarkably stable). Blizzard suggests joining General Chat (on top of other solutions) to maintain connection, and this works surprisingly well...assuming you can put up with the Spam Bots, which popped up only a few days after release. You can argue all you want about having to keep connected to Steam/Origin/Xbox Live/etc. but when it boils down to it, a majority of the games on those platforms can be played with no connection at all. D3 lacks this option, and it taints the experience a bit.

With that said D3 is by no means a bad game. Even though it's already been out for a few weeks already, if you're still on the fence then I'd suggest waiting for a price drop. Personally, dropping $60 on release day felt a bit excessive after having experienced Blizzard's horrible handling of the launch.

Exusia83

June 3, 2012 - 7:10pm

I can't believe all the complaints about the game being online only. I'm always online on Steam, always online on Origin, always online on Xbox Live, always online on World of Warcraft (obviously, duh...) and StarCraft 2 and have come to the conclusion that that's just the way how thing will continue to work from now on. The only valid argument were the unstable D3 servers (which Blizzard should be ashamed of since they have so much online experience this shouldn't happen) but that was during launch week.

Diablo 3 is an insanely fun and well-made game. How can you refuse to buy it just because it's online only and still call yourself a gamer? You obviously have internet access. During my 160 hours of playing the game, I've been disconnected twice. Both times way after midnight and because of maintenance. Guess what..people flooded the forums at 3 AM and cried like little girls.

Yes, the game has it's problems and the servers need some work, but Blizzard is working on it non-stop and people are overexaggerating WAY TO MUCH because of the tiniest things, making the game look like crap (which it isn't).

Look for guest passes or starter editions of the game if you absolutely have to check it out before you buy, but don't let whiners keep you from playing the game. I've spent so much time with the game that I barely ate anything. My wife went to her parents because I was totally oblivious of her being around the house. I don't regret anything though. It's just a lot of fun to play and even though the story completely sucks, it is still one of the most enjoyable games out there.

madlypigs

June 8, 2012 - 10:12am

@Exusia83 ... mmm sadly, even more people are still experiencing excessive episodes of Error 37, 72, 3002 and more. And even if they can get in, a substantial numbers of players are still experiencing horrible lag, even when playing alone in normal mode (where presumably there would be less traffic between the server and client(.

Don't believe me? just trawl the Diablo 3 forum and you can see multiple pages of that. :( so it is perhaps a roll of luck who gets in and who doesn't, and who gets lag and who doesn't. :( really makes me wonder how Blizzard prioritise and manage the traffics.

UltramanKnight

June 3, 2012 - 10:34pm

If you didn't eat and your wife left because of what ever game you were playing.. You need some help.

Exusia83

June 4, 2012 - 3:42pm

Nah, it's not that bad. She knew it'll be like that and she's fine with it (men and their toys...). It's not like she went for good. I occasionally forget to eat while playing good games. That's pretty much normal and it typically doesn't last for more than two days (at some point it feels really bad, mostly after sleeping, so I'm pretty much forced to eat then).

Elrood

June 3, 2012 - 4:34pm

Accidently posted a second time.

Elrood

June 3, 2012 - 4:31pm

Great review Jared. Looks like we pretty much had the same impression of Diablo 3.

Mcgunn

June 3, 2012 - 2:47pm

The game Really starts on Hell Difficulty, and gets good on Inferno. I guarantee Jared didn't get to hell difficulty talking about how easy it is. Chances are you'll need a little auction action to get through Hell in one piece. And it becomes ALL about smart choices in gear. With so many options available it becomes very fun at that point. I started stacking fire resistance with my monk, and using a perk that makes all resistances equal to the highest resistance. It's working well and I'm hauling ass through hell, but I'm not sure about inferno.

UltramanKnight

June 3, 2012 - 12:27pm

I got Diablo 3 "free" through the WoW season pass deal. I am glad I still play WoW, because D3 was just not all that great. The story is just nonexistent. What little story there is, is full of cliches and things you see coming a mile away. The loot system is fun yeah, but the only stat that matters is how much more damage you can get. The classes are just D1 and D2 classes with a few alterations and the name changes. Jared is 100% correct about how easy the first play through is. Hell the 2nd play through on the next difficulty is still easy. And then you have the always online thing.. It's complete bullshit. Making it so you have to connect to their servers for SINGLE player is just stupid.

esper56

June 3, 2012 - 12:08pm

Was hoping that the reason this review took so long to come out was that you were trying to play through the whole game, including inferno to get the whole feel of the game, not just a tiny aspect of it. Otherwise great review.

Jared

June 3, 2012 - 2:37pm

I don't consider 50 hours to be just "a tiny aspect" of it.

killur143

June 12, 2012 - 7:01pm

hey Jared if this dosen't work because server problems [solution] play starcraft 2

esper56

June 3, 2012 - 9:34pm

True, but also depends on how far 50 hours got you. Most of the game is bogged down with dialogue between quests, not including the animations between major quests or at the end of acts. Some people have spent over 10 hours in act 1 normal alone, just running around and trying to get everything they can find between hidden events, lore objects, and just exploring every nook and cranny of every possible zone.

The main concern of mine about the review is that it doesn't talk about inferno other than mentioning its the hardest difficulty. Up until inferno Diablo 3 is an amazing game for all the reasons you mentioned in the review, but it becomes a whole different demon after starting inferno.

No Respect

June 3, 2012 - 11:24am

Jared's bit on health potions only refers to normal mode. I dare you to play in nightmare or beyond without them.

Lipnox88

June 3, 2012 - 11:13am

I admit lack of offline was what lead me to skip this diablo, I am a huge diablo 2 fan, but I want the offline lan experience not the online public game. I do admit I will end up with a copy sooner or later but I do have issues with this one.

Bonidex

June 3, 2012 - 9:01am

Am I the only one who couldn't care less about this game?

RiiLaKuma

June 3, 2012 - 10:32am

Me neither.

FinalplayerRyu

June 3, 2012 - 8:17am

Well of course normal mode isnt a challenge, Diablo II wasnt any different in that aspect. The only flaw that i personally see is that there isnt a true offline singleplayer.

aNaiveSkull

June 3, 2012 - 10:59am

Same with me, I didn't died in normal except when I alt-tabed. Offline would have been fun so we could play without the servers being on, but it's not game breaker.

Dark Wisdom

June 3, 2012 - 8:05am

A really great review, as usual, Jared. I just wonder if Blizzard would carry through on a console version of D3. The rumors certainly suggest so, but one wonders what they would change, were that to happen. A lot of the talk during development was that the game was being designed with one eye on the console market. Wouldn't surprise me if that was the case, I doubt Blizzard would miss out on a money-making opportunity like that. If that ever does happen I do look forward to seeing your opinion on it once again.

Ryokubaka

June 3, 2012 - 3:27am

Not a single mention of hardcore mode? Very surprising. If Jared wanted a challenge he should have at the very least done that and mentioned it in the review. Then again, as others have said, it's when you hit hell/inferno that things get frustratingly difficult.

Icipall

June 3, 2012 - 2:58am

ClickclickclickclickclickLOOTclickclickclickclickclickclickMORELOOTclickclickclickclicklickclickclickclickclickclickLOOTLOOTclickclicklickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickLOOOOOOOOOOOOTZ!!!!!!!

PhilToTheGee

June 3, 2012 - 1:32am

Too easy, you say!

Wait until you get to Hell/Inferno.

Seraphna

June 3, 2012 - 1:29am

I'm pleased with the review, glad to see some reviewers aren't going to get locked up with complaining about some issue or other they believe needs to be talked about before even playing the actual game. Keeping to the gameplay and working on what actually matters seems a much fairer bet to me.

gothicgamingnerd

June 3, 2012 - 1:25am

The whole need to be online at all times is just not right. There really is no reason for it at all if I want to play single player. I hope that Blizzard fixes this one day, they probably won't but since I do not play a lot of their games I cannot judge them.

DaBlaze

June 2, 2012 - 11:30pm

The true betrayal to fans is the requirement of a constant internet connection. It is the worst way to put DRM in your game, and it truly shows how Blizzard has been consumed by the business dealings of Activision. I will never buy this game until they patch this game with an offline mode, as it represents everything that is wrong with the Gaming Market these days.

Seraphna

June 3, 2012 - 1:22am

That's not a betrayal, that's a business model. It doesn't actually affect the game much at all after we get past the server stuff that's being fixed. Take the stick out of your rear end and stop mixing up "market politics" with the game itself.

madlypigs

June 8, 2012 - 10:14am

@seraphna ... that is the big question isn't it? Problem is, after 3 long weeks and more, it is still not fixed. And we are talking about actual error here, not just lag fest. If they can't even resolve all the errors as a result of the server traffics, then I do not hold up much hope of seeing less lag in the near future.

JoShIzZiE

June 3, 2012 - 2:24am

You forget Starcraft 2 took about 2 years to implement basic game features that were standard in 1997. Blizzard has gotten really stupid over the years.

Double-T

June 3, 2012 - 1:52am

It's a business model thats a wrong direction and a spit in the face of the audience. Believe it or not, not everyone has internet access or don't have access all the time, not to mention days when your signal just flat out sucks. An option would have been the smart way to go.

Flash and Zach

June 2, 2012 - 11:42pm

I agree that such a patch does need to be made, but I find it doubtful that they would go through the trouble to make a patch for offline mode.

NemesisTrestkon

June 2, 2012 - 11:53pm

Give it time. Two years ago, when the SEA/AUS/NZ version of Starcraft 2 came out and they disputed the region-locking, they made a patch that would let gamers play on North American servers. So I think it's safe to say that adding an offline mode just might happen, at the cost of not getting good loot drops.

On the other hand, given the design decision Blizzard went through with D3, adding a patch like this will not be that simple. Since the game is designed to be played through a server-based infrastructure such as WoW, it's content is generated and regulated through servers. If gamers are going to get Offline mode, expect the experience to be way more lackluster because you might just get magical items at best.

destructorv2

June 2, 2012 - 11:27pm

i still enjoy the game, and still playing it btw.

it should however, be called Diablo Online. Those connection problem is just a big no

NemesisTrestkon

June 2, 2012 - 10:37pm

Even with all it's flaws, I have to say that I had a lot of fun in Diablo 3. Though with the way the game has been treated with the online DRM and all, I think it's fair to say that Blizzard better provide sweet content to somewhat justify this. Starting with the improvement of loot drops and the PvP.

Adaloria

June 2, 2012 - 10:02pm

Normal, Nightmare and Hell are to easy. Inferno is (almost) to hard. It's like they shower you with dumbed down units only to troll you later with the real difficulty. For those of you who went from act1 inferno to act2 know what i'm talking about. The game (despite it's flaws) is very enjoyable though.

killur143

June 2, 2012 - 9:54pm

Here is how I will rate it if your new to diablo and want to check it out then you should buy it but if you already are a fann of diablo are were expecting something new you will be dsapointed and just rent it

Buzzlitebeer

June 2, 2012 - 9:18pm

easy? play inferno thx

NemesisTrestkon

June 2, 2012 - 10:37pm

Or rather Hardcore mode. :)

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