User:UrsaReitz275
Diablo III - Well worth the Wait
It's finally time for IGT to review the 800 pound gorilla in the gaming room, Diablo III (D3). The game has been out for a couple of weeks now and that i feel that I'm able to finally provide you with, your readers, a decent review (the truth is I've been too busy attacking the darkness to write one). It has been twelve years since Diablo II (D2) was launched so I've been waiting eagerly with this game, continue reading to ascertain if waiting for was worthwhile.
For those who have played Diablo I (D1) and/or D2, the controls will feel familiar. You will find slight tweaks, mostly with the skill bars, but overall it is the same clickfest you're used to. The inventory system is exactly the same grid and gear slot based window. Items have similar stats as in Diablo II, but with damage per second (DPS) already calculated for you personally.
There are five classes in the release of Diablo III; Barbarian, Monk, Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Witch Doctor. The barbarian and Wizard should feel familiar because they are close to D2 classes (the wizard being exactly what the sorceress was inD2). The monk is similar to the paladin class from D2 and the Witch Doctor is similar to the Necromancer. The Demon Hunter takes the place from the Amazon but is just somewhat similar.
The story is actually fairly engaging for an action RPG and I found myself wanting to see the difference between the various stories for each class. The main narrative is actually exactly the same but there were small cut scenes that happened at major story points in each act which were different for every class. One thing I loved concerning the story is they tied in plots all the way in D1.
The online only play doesn't bother me an excessive amount of as I played D2 exclusively on battle.net to play with my buddies. At first it was annoying because the servers had issues on launch, however i played Wow for 6 years so it just felt like every normal patch Tuesday or expansion launch to me; following a week things been feeling relaxed and I have not experienced any issues since. I can see how players with no consistent web connection would have a horrible experience however. It's somewhat annoying that anyone on your friends list can join your game every time they want which may be dangerous if you are in a boss battle and every one of a sudden the boss is extra hard because it scales up for the new players. However, if you and your friend wish to play together, the fast join feature is really a godsend to the multiplayer aspect of farmville.
The auction house is really a nice accessory for the game; I am talking about the in-game currency ah, not the actual money auction house (RMAH). I have tried personally some of my hard earned gold to obtain myself newer and more effective weapons and plenty of gems for decent prices and have sold off a number of my un-needed equipment for many decent gold increases. I do not plan to partake in the RMAH as I dislike micro-transactions and along with many other people have the Blizzard cut is simply too much.
The graphics are a fairly weak facet of this game. I'd appear at first sight on par with 2005 and 2006 games. For any game that has been Ten years in development I would have liked to possess seen better graphics. But then again Diablo has never been cutting edge for the reason that department. The game is full 3d unlike D2 which in fact had 2d sprites, and the spell effects are nice. But overall they are lacking.
Was the sport well worth the wait? I think so. I'm enjoying it a lot and love having fun with friends. I've got a few characters into Nightmare and so i have a ways to go before I play it full-scale. I'm also able to see how farmville could possibly get old pretty quick as even with 5 classes to experience by permitting to level 60 doesn't appear to be a huge undertaking. D3 continues to have two months left inside it for me personally I would say.
To conclude, D3 is really a fine game if not a shining gem. It feels as though a natural increment within the Diablo franchise from D2. The gameplay is familiar and super fun. The storyline is engaging and for those fans from both previous games it ties up some loose ends. IGT gives Diablo III a 9 on the d10 of hack and slash adventures.
